Media reporting - one for the pedants

[dodgyviper]

A quote from Sky News http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20091111/twl-son-wanted...

Extract:

"Police are hunting for the son of a British art curator and his author daughter after the pair were found stabbed to death in Australia. "

Now, I'm reading this as the art curator had a child with his daughter and the resultant child has then killed them both.

... or is it just me?

[Muzzlehatch]

Indeed, rather like "A mother of 5 has been..." 5 years old?

[johnfm]

I suppose the question of which person is the 'his' being referred to.

Searching for the son of a curator and his daughter - I think the daughter is the daughter of the son - not of the curator.

Simple really.

[MX7]

dodgyviper said:

... or is it just me?

Nope. It's poorly written. Be quite an achievement though, given that his son is 42, and his daughter 37.

[Eric Mc]

Are they saying the son killed his dad and sister?

[Einion Yrth]

Eric Mc said:

Are they saying the son killed his dad and sister?

I think so; any of the other semantically possible readings would violate causality.

[Balmoral Green]

Not much different to the sort of thing the BBC come out with nearly all the time. I am forever shouting at the TV "No, it's not bla bla de bla, it's bla de bla bla".

Thick as pig st.

As for the OP, it is perfectly clear that the Police are looking for two people, the son and the sons daughter who happens to be an author. They tell us who the dead man is, but they don't tell us who the other dead person is, but the other dead person is mentioned in as much as they refer to a pair of dead people.

Only that's not the case at all

The Police are looking for the son, the dead people are the curator and the curators daughter (the wanted mans fathers daughter, also the wanted mans sister/stepsister).

Edited by Balmoral Green on Wednesday 11th November 14:31