Helicopters and rescue boats mobilised and searches continuing near French town of Wimereux, say reports
  • lnxtx@feddit.nlEnglish
    11·
    7 months ago

    Weird use of the word “killed”.
    They died:

    Five people including a child have died in an attempt to cross the Channel near the town of Wimereux, south of Calais, French authorities have said.

    • Lmaydev@programming.devEnglish
      65·
      7 months ago

      kill /kɪl/ verb cause the death of (a person, animal, or other living thing). ‘her father was killed in a car crash’

      Totally normal use.

      Both words are acceptable. Killed is a bit more emotive.

      It’s like the difference between big and colossal. They mean the same technically but invoke different feelings.

      • lnxtx@feddit.nlEnglish
        21·
        7 months ago

        Is the nature a “living thing”?

        My first thought was that they died by gunshot or something.

        I’m not a native speaker, but anyway.

        • geissi@feddit.deEnglish
          5·
          7 months ago

          While I agree that “died” would have been a bit more neutral, killed is not wrong.

          A common expression is “It’s not the fall that kills you, it’s the sudden stop at the bottom.”
          In this case neither the fall nor the sudden stop are people but they can still “kill” you.

          The “living thing” in the quote above refers to that which is killed by the way. It’s the object, not the subject of the sentence.

        • Lmaydev@programming.devEnglish
          2·
          7 months ago

          No they are the person / living thing referred to in the definition. “Cause the death of a person” not “a person caused the death”

          The attempt to cross killed a person / people.