Quote:
Originally Posted by Catlady
No, it isn't cumbersome at all. The example in the link "Tell the next caller that they won" (I believe that was the wording) is clearly something that would only arise in spoken English that's being quoted, or in dialog or first-person narration, in all of which cases it would and should be left alone--it's how people speak. It's not, however, something that should ever be written otherwise.
And if one wanted to be pedantic, even that sentence could probably be altered to "The next caller will be the winner"--slight change in emphasis there might or might not matter depending on the context.
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The problem with such limited examples is that they do not really explore the problem. Write a 500 page novel and you'll get a better idea. If you could be tempted with science-fiction (which I know you can't) I would suggest you look at
Too Like the Lightning by Ada Palmer for a more comprehensive example of what is involved. I didn't enjoy it, didn't even manage to finish it, but it was an interesting example of exactly this problem, and I respect the work it must have taken. Until you've attempted something like it you can't judge the difficulties involved.