Grammar (late hit; was West Penn Today - The back Line)

[Donald Galt]

On 10 Jul 00, at 14:45, Edward H. Lybarger wrote:

> 
> The point, of course, is that "System" or "Railways" is a grammatically
> correct noun, whereas "West Penn" is adjectival and as such cannot stand
> alone.  To correctly use "the" with West Penn Railways, one must add the
> word "Company."

I take second place to nobody in my admiration for Ed's command of the 
language. However, dropping a noun, keeping an adjective and adding the 
definite article is an accepted feature in colloquial English. Consider "The 
Met" or "The Fourth." It's been going on since long before West Penn 
Railways ever turned a wheel.

"The West Penn" may well grate on the ears of purists for all I know, but 
that would be a peculiarity of local usage. Just as London's Metropolitan 
Electric Tramways were never called "the Met" but always "the M-E-T." Or 
as a New York City ticket agent's reference to Great Northern's Empire 
Builder as "The Empire" instead of "The Builder" was a terrible faux pas in 
my ears.

These West Penn travelogues are fascinating!

D2