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 #2 (permalink) Sun May 25, 2008 4:24 am lack vs lacking |
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| I feel "the lacking of" sounds unnatural. 'lacking' is used as an adjective while 'lack' a noun. Instead of 'lack of the notes on financial statements will not be acceptable', you could say 'insufficient notes on financial statements will not be acceptable'. |
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Haihao
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 Nessie
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| #4 (permalink) Sun May 25, 2008 17:00 pm lack vs lacking |
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Don't forget that a gerund is a form of a verb that functions as a noun. Saying 'the lacking of notes' sounds extremely odd to me because it suggests activity (i.e. the active doing of something) rather than a state. 'A lack of something' describes a state.
In addition, it is probably the case that 'lack' was first a noun in English and only later came to be used as a verb.
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Yankee
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| #5 (permalink) Sun May 25, 2008 21:38 pm lack vs lacking |
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| Quote: | | Don't forget that a gerund is a form of a verb that functions as a noun. Saying 'the lacking of notes' sounds extremely odd to me because it suggests activity (i.e. the active doing of something) rather than a state. |
Which does "the lacking of self" sound like, an action or a state?
And here?
Was it because of the lacking of an "impending crisis," or a centralizing party machinery, or something else? It is unfair to impose these questions on ...
www.historycooperative.org/journals/ahr/112.4/br
It is suggested that when working with severely deprived and traumatized children, the therapist should hold in mind the lacking of rapport with primary ...
bjsw.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/37/1/23 |
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Molly
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| #6 (permalink) Mon May 26, 2008 6:39 am lack vs lacking |
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| Molly wrote: | | Which does "the lacking of self" sound like, an action or a state? |
It only sounds odd.
Your (other) two quotes sound like they came from non-native speakers of English (possibly Brazilian and Israeli).
Here is what happens when you search the New York Times for "the lacking of":
New York Times
(In case you have trouble opening the NY Times link, I'll tell you how many results a search for 'the lacking of' turned up there: ZERO.)
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Yankee
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| #7 (permalink) Mon May 26, 2008 7:00 am lack vs lacking |
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| Yankee wrote: | | Molly wrote: | | Which does "the lacking of self" sound like, an action or a state? |
It only sounds odd.
Your (other) two quotes sound like they came from non-native speakers of English (possibly Brazilian and Israeli).
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I see. Tell me, do you use "I find him/it/lacking" in Am EnG? |
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Molly
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| #8 (permalink) Mon May 26, 2008 7:12 am lack vs lacking |
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You do realize that you've now changed gears, don't you?
In your new sentence, what part of speech do you suppose 'lacking' is?
(Hint: it is not a gerund.)
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Yankee
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| #9 (permalink) Mon May 26, 2008 7:39 am lack vs lacking |
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| Yankee wrote: | You do realize that you've now changed gears, don't you?
In your new sentence, what part of speech do you suppose 'lacking' is?
(Hint: it is not a gerund.)
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Hi, Amy.
Getting off on a tangent, can I say I am lacking in brains ?
Thanks! |
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Lost_Soul
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| #10 (permalink) Mon May 26, 2008 7:54 am lack vs lacking |
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Course you can.
lack brains
lacking brains
lacking in brains |
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Molly
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| #11 (permalink) Mon May 26, 2008 9:00 am lack vs lacking |
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Hi Alex,
I always associate 'lack/'lack in' with abstract objects/concepts both in simple and continuous forms of the verb. We say - lack anger, humour, enthusiasm and so on. That's why I'm not really happy with 'lacking in brain'. Perhaps you could say - 'lacking in brainpower.'.
Alan
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| #12 (permalink) Mon May 26, 2008 9:02 am lack vs lacking |
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| Alan wrote: | Hi Alex,
I always associate 'lack/'lack in' with abstract objects/concepts both in simple and continuous forms of the verb. We say - lack anger, humour, enthusiasm and so on. That's why I'm not really happy with 'lacking in brain'. Perhaps you could say - 'lacking in brainpower.'.
Alan |
How about "he's a man of little brain"? That's isn't referring to the actual size of his brain is it? But note also that the question was about "brains" and not "brain". |
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Molly
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| #13 (permalink) Mon May 26, 2008 14:33 pm lack vs lacking |
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| lost_soul wrote: | Hi, Amy.
Getting off on a tangent, can I say I am lacking in brains ?
Thanks! |
Hi Alex
It might be reasonable to ask whether a person not named 'Amy', who nevertheless answers a post which begins with "Hi, Amy", is a bit lacking in the gray matter required for accurate reading. 
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Yankee
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| #14 (permalink) Mon May 26, 2008 15:14 pm lack vs lacking |
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| ched133 wrote: | the lacking of notes to the financial statements will not be acceptable
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Cf.
1. The deleting of X will not be acceptable.
This means:
2. If someone deletes X, it will not be acceptable.
With "lack", we get:
3. ?The lacking of X will not be acceptable.
i.e.
4. If someone lacks X, it will not be acceptable.
Clearly, the intended meaning is not that someone might lack notes: it is that the financial statement might lack notes.
MrP |
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MrPedantic
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| #15 (permalink) Mon May 26, 2008 16:32 pm lack vs lacking |
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| Yankee wrote: | It might be reasonable to ask whether a person not named 'Amy', who nevertheless answers a post which begins with "Hi, Amy", is a bit lacking in the gray matter required for accurate reading.
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OMG, what a crime. Do you think the same person read the post from Alan which opened as "Hi Alex"? Shocking behaviour on a PUBLIC forum, eh? 
So, then, if Amy's not feeling too hard done by, what would she have answered to this?
| Quote: | Hi, Amy.
Getting off on a tangent, can I say I am lacking in brains ? |
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Molly
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| Sentence correction: I presume that to pursue MBA, experience is not matter. | meaning of "going on seven" |
... something we never have again, I know... I guess I really really know..