[Grammar] "San Francisco writer" or "San Franciscan writer"?

[Mike MC]

Passages 1, third edition, page 9
Shouldn't it be San Franciscan writer?

 

[teechar]

San Franciscan implies a native of that city. We don't know whether this person is a native of San Francisco or if he's just based/working/living there. Even if he was a native, "San Francisco writer" would still work.

Note that it is very common in English to use city names as adjectives.
The Glasgow merchant was acquitted of all charges.
The Santa Barbara bus driver has been in a coma for a week.
The police are interviewing a Brisbane woman in connection with the shooting.

 

[Mike MC]

San Franciscan implies a native of that city. We don't know whether this person is a native of San Francisco or if he's just based/working/living there.

Makes sense. :up:

Note that it is very common in English to use city names as adjectives.
The Glasgow merchant was acquitted of all charges.
The Santa Barbara bus driver has been in a coma for a week.
The police are interviewing a Brisbane woman in connection with the shooting.

Thanks for the examples, but an example from a reliable reference would be appreciated.

 

[Rover_KE]

Makes sense. :up:


Thanks for the examples, but an example from a reliable reference would be appreciated.

teechar's a reliable reference.

 

[PeterCW]

teechar's a reliable reference.

I would have passed any of teechar's examples for publication.

It is probably more a matter of personal style but I would be more likely to write "a San Francisco based writer". To describe them as San Franciscan tells us that they were born there, not that they are living or working there now.

 

[teechar]

It is probably more a matter of personal style but I would be more likely to write "a San Francisco based writer".

I would hyphenate that "a San Francisco-based writer".

To describe them as San Franciscan tells us that they were born there, not that they are living or working there now.

That's exactly what I said above.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

View attachment 3686
Passages 1, third edition, page 9
Shouldn't it be San Franciscan writer?

No. But the writer is probably a San Franciscan.

 

[probus]

San Franciscan implies a native of that city.

Perhaps that is so in BrE -- I wouldn't know. But it's certainly not true in my variety of English. Torontonian just means someone who is currently living in my hometown. I was born and raised in Toronto, but very few of us were. It was a smallish city way back then.

 

[Tarheel]

I have often said that everybody in Charlotte is from somewhere else. (That's not strictly true, of course.?)