I agree with your smoothness example, but with consistency both "has" and "is" a... | Hacker News

Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit

		_delirium on Jan 13, 2018 \| parent \| context \| favorite \| on: Inside One of America’s Last Pencil Factories I agree with your smoothness example, but with consistency both "has" and "is" are common. Usage seems to vary by specific object and context. One example where almost all authors go with "is": there are thousands of recipes saying to heat butter until it "is" a particular consistency, versus only a handful saying to heat it until it "has" a particular consistency. Compare https://www.google.com/search?q=%22until+the+butter+is+the+c... vs. https://www.google.com/search?q=%22until+the+butter+has+the+....

mturmon on Jan 14, 2018 [–]

Nice examples. It would take more of a grammar nut than I am (and I read Garner's book cover to cover) to untangle it. I'm not able to detect any relevant search terms, either.

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact