Oi vey!

[pecunium]

So, matociquala has a feature, wherein she informs us of the words Word didn't know.

I have long ago given up on the grammar checker in Word being able to keep track of subject/verb relationships when an intermediate phrase intrudes, but today I got one I just had to share. I was roughing out some text, and wrote the following (clunky) sentence.

One of my film bodies is an FE2, which has no mirror lock-up, but when I activate the self-timer the first thing to happen is the mirror flips up.

It needs some work, mostly in the last half. Word agreed with that assessement, kindly offering up this version instead.

One of my film bodies is an FE2, which has no mirror lock-up, but when I activate the self-timer the first thing to happen be the mirror flips up.

Right now, I'm tending toward something like this:

One of my film bodies is an FE2, which has no mirror lock-up, but the first thing to happen when I activate the self-timer is the mirror flipping up.

Comments

[bohemiancoast.livejournal.com]

My FE2 film body has no mirror lock-up, but when I activate the self-timer, the first action is that the mirror flips up.

I'm British, and in UK English the 'that' is not optional here.

However, I think what you're actually trying to say is nearer to this:

Many cameras, such as my FE2 film body, have no mirror lock-up setting, but do have a self-timer cycle that flips the mirror out of the way well before the shot.

Oh yes, Microsoft grammar checker. Ho ho ho. It is never, ever right.

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

Actually, many cameras don't, it's rare enough that mentioning the FE2 is almost needful.

As to well before the shot, it's variable, as the self-timer on the cameras I know with this feature use a cocking spring, and how far one rotates the ratchet lever determines the amount of delay.

If digital cameras do that, odds are the delay is variable (2 to 20 seconds for mine). That's enough time for what I'm talking about to happen, but not "well before" in other contexts.

And I'd not use, "that flips up," but rather, "which flips up."