GNU bug report logs - #68375
29.1; lispref documentation fixes

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Package: emacs;

Reported by: Xiyue Deng <manphiz <at> gmail.com>

Date: Wed, 10 Jan 2024 22:57:02 UTC

Severity: normal

Found in version 29.1

Done: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>

Bug is archived. No further changes may be made.

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Message #61 received at 68375 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Drew Adams <drew.adams <at> oracle.com>
To: "rms <at> gnu.org" <rms <at> gnu.org>, Stephen Berman <stephen.berman <at> gmx.net>
Cc: "68375 <at> debbugs.gnu.org" <68375 <at> debbugs.gnu.org>,
 "manphiz <at> gmail.com" <manphiz <at> gmail.com>
Subject: RE: [External] : bug#68375: 29.1; lispref documentation fixes
Date: Sat, 13 Jan 2024 19:07:04 +0000

>   > In this sentence "need" is not in the subjunctive mood but is being used
>   > as a modal verb, like "can", "must", etc.  What's special about "need"
>   > in this usage is that it only occurs in so-called polarity contexts
>   > (e.g. negative, interrogative), unlike the ordinary modal verbs (so
>   > e.g. "A buffer need be displayed" is ungrammatical but "A buffer
>   > can/must/may be displayed" is fine).
> 
> Is there a grammatical name for this sort of verb usage practice?

Dunno, but these might help:

https://english.stackexchange.com/a/128785/51214

https://english.stackexchange.com/a/281467/51214
This bug report was last modified 1 year and 131 days ago.

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