June 30, 2007
Is it possible to be “killed by stab wounds”? According to the Seattle Times, it is. Today’s story about the murder of Mike Webb, a former radio talk show host, says Webb was “killed by stab wounds.” That may be technically, medically, and/or forensically correct (I really don’t know), but it sounds grammatically and/or semantically incorrect. “Died from stab wounds” and “stabbed to death” sound correct.
Not the point of the article, I know. The point is, Webb was last seen alive in mid-April, reported missing approximately one month later and, despite multiple police visits to Webb’s home—one with a cadaver dog—, Webb’s body was not discovered until the end of June. And it was discovered not by police, but by a worker hired by Webb’s landlord.
But it does go to the point of this post and one of my … um, tendencies.