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April 20, 2009

Learn what 'portend' means

Did this headline really appear in the Providence Journal?

Reed portends danger in Pakistan
01:00 AM EDT on Sunday, April 19, 2009

BY JOHN E. MULLIGAN

Journal Washington Bureau

It may be true, but not in the sense that Mulligan or the headline writer meant.

Posted by Jay Hancock at 10:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Comments

My professor spotted that and brought the paper into class yesterday. He said that the usage in the headline indicates that Reed himself constitutes a danger to Pakistan, but I'm a little confused because the definition reads: To serve as an omen or warning of; presage. I guess my question is, how should the sentence be re-written to make 'portend' work?

Posted by: james | May 8, 2009 1:46 PM

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About Jay Hancock

Jay Hancock has been a financial columnist for The Baltimore Sun since 2001. He has also been The Baltimore Sun's diplomatic correspondent in Washington and its chief economics writer. Before moving to Baltimore in 1994 he worked for The Virginian-Pilot of Norfolk and The Daily Press of Newport News.

His columns appear Tuesdays and Sundays.

Follow @jayhancock1 on Twitter