the missing word bothers me, too. It also got killed in an intersection on its way to work, to show up in this meme.

    • lugal@lemmy.ml
      16·
      30 days ago

      You don’t see it because it’s missing

      I answered the comment below you but I couldn’t resist this stupid joke

    • Track_Shovel@slrpnk.netOPEnglish
      61·
      30 days ago

      A comma maybe, then.

      ‘the people once tied to them killed in a crosswalk’ really sounds weird to me.

      Heck, my phone agrees.

      • itslilith@lemmy.blahaj.zone
        3·
        30 days ago

        Seems like a stylistic choice to me. Leaving out the “have been” makes it sound more poetic, but I don’t think it’s wrong per se

      • lugal@lemmy.ml
        2·
        30 days ago

        Not a native speaker but for me it sounds fine. The “are now” is left out because it would be repeated if that makes sense.

        “The people, [who were] tied to them, [are now] killed in a crosswalk.”

          • lugal@lemmy.ml
            1·
            29 days ago

            So that’s the missing word everyone is bothered by. It wasn’t in the post but in a low level comment. What an unexpected but well executed pay-off!

      • Mac@mander.xyz
        1·
        30 days ago

        Grammar has so many “technically correct” yet odd sentence structures.
        The sentence definitely has a weird flow and could absolutely contain reader assistance via punctuation.