Is the phrase “Those one track minds” grammatically correct? [on hold]





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There is an interesting grammatical construction in the song Shout by Tears For Fears.




They really really ought to know



Those one track minds



That took you for a working boy



Kiss them goodbye




I'm interested in the phrase "Those one track minds" which for me sounds incorrect. It feels like there should be "That" instead of "Those". First, I though that they broke the rules because of the rhyme, but "That one tracks minds" would have fitted ok without braking the rhyme.



Is there an explanation of such usage? Is it grammatically correct?










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put on hold as off-topic by Janus Bahs Jacquet, Dan Bron, David, Mark Beadles, Kris 16 hours ago


This question appears to be off-topic. The users who voted to close gave this specific reason:


  • "Proofreading questions are off-topic unless a specific source of concern in the text is clearly identified." – Dan Bron, David

If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.









  • 1




    Those is correct. It refers to those people with one-track minds”. Also, you are parsing it as connected to the first line. It is actually a new thought which connects to the third line.
    – Jim
    yesterday












  • That minds is not correct; it must be that mind or those minds. The demonstrative determinatives agree with the nouns they qualify in number.
    – Janus Bahs Jacquet
    yesterday












  • @JanusBahsJacquet - How do you know they're not all of one mind?
    – Hot Licks
    yesterday






  • 1




    Thank you. Now I get it. I didn't know that "one-track mind" is an idiom.
    – Oleksandr Shpota
    yesterday






  • 1




    @HotLicks I don’t; wouldn’t make a difference if they were, though.
    – Janus Bahs Jacquet
    yesterday

















up vote
0
down vote

favorite












There is an interesting grammatical construction in the song Shout by Tears For Fears.




They really really ought to know



Those one track minds



That took you for a working boy



Kiss them goodbye




I'm interested in the phrase "Those one track minds" which for me sounds incorrect. It feels like there should be "That" instead of "Those". First, I though that they broke the rules because of the rhyme, but "That one tracks minds" would have fitted ok without braking the rhyme.



Is there an explanation of such usage? Is it grammatically correct?










share|improve this question













put on hold as off-topic by Janus Bahs Jacquet, Dan Bron, David, Mark Beadles, Kris 16 hours ago


This question appears to be off-topic. The users who voted to close gave this specific reason:


  • "Proofreading questions are off-topic unless a specific source of concern in the text is clearly identified." – Dan Bron, David

If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.









  • 1




    Those is correct. It refers to those people with one-track minds”. Also, you are parsing it as connected to the first line. It is actually a new thought which connects to the third line.
    – Jim
    yesterday












  • That minds is not correct; it must be that mind or those minds. The demonstrative determinatives agree with the nouns they qualify in number.
    – Janus Bahs Jacquet
    yesterday












  • @JanusBahsJacquet - How do you know they're not all of one mind?
    – Hot Licks
    yesterday






  • 1




    Thank you. Now I get it. I didn't know that "one-track mind" is an idiom.
    – Oleksandr Shpota
    yesterday






  • 1




    @HotLicks I don’t; wouldn’t make a difference if they were, though.
    – Janus Bahs Jacquet
    yesterday













up vote
0
down vote

favorite









up vote
0
down vote

favorite











There is an interesting grammatical construction in the song Shout by Tears For Fears.




They really really ought to know



Those one track minds



That took you for a working boy



Kiss them goodbye




I'm interested in the phrase "Those one track minds" which for me sounds incorrect. It feels like there should be "That" instead of "Those". First, I though that they broke the rules because of the rhyme, but "That one tracks minds" would have fitted ok without braking the rhyme.



Is there an explanation of such usage? Is it grammatically correct?










share|improve this question













There is an interesting grammatical construction in the song Shout by Tears For Fears.




They really really ought to know



Those one track minds



That took you for a working boy



Kiss them goodbye




I'm interested in the phrase "Those one track minds" which for me sounds incorrect. It feels like there should be "That" instead of "Those". First, I though that they broke the rules because of the rhyme, but "That one tracks minds" would have fitted ok without braking the rhyme.



Is there an explanation of such usage? Is it grammatically correct?







grammar grammatical-structure songs






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asked yesterday









Oleksandr Shpota

1084




1084




put on hold as off-topic by Janus Bahs Jacquet, Dan Bron, David, Mark Beadles, Kris 16 hours ago


This question appears to be off-topic. The users who voted to close gave this specific reason:


  • "Proofreading questions are off-topic unless a specific source of concern in the text is clearly identified." – Dan Bron, David

If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.




put on hold as off-topic by Janus Bahs Jacquet, Dan Bron, David, Mark Beadles, Kris 16 hours ago


This question appears to be off-topic. The users who voted to close gave this specific reason:


  • "Proofreading questions are off-topic unless a specific source of concern in the text is clearly identified." – Dan Bron, David

If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.








  • 1




    Those is correct. It refers to those people with one-track minds”. Also, you are parsing it as connected to the first line. It is actually a new thought which connects to the third line.
    – Jim
    yesterday












  • That minds is not correct; it must be that mind or those minds. The demonstrative determinatives agree with the nouns they qualify in number.
    – Janus Bahs Jacquet
    yesterday












  • @JanusBahsJacquet - How do you know they're not all of one mind?
    – Hot Licks
    yesterday






  • 1




    Thank you. Now I get it. I didn't know that "one-track mind" is an idiom.
    – Oleksandr Shpota
    yesterday






  • 1




    @HotLicks I don’t; wouldn’t make a difference if they were, though.
    – Janus Bahs Jacquet
    yesterday














  • 1




    Those is correct. It refers to those people with one-track minds”. Also, you are parsing it as connected to the first line. It is actually a new thought which connects to the third line.
    – Jim
    yesterday












  • That minds is not correct; it must be that mind or those minds. The demonstrative determinatives agree with the nouns they qualify in number.
    – Janus Bahs Jacquet
    yesterday












  • @JanusBahsJacquet - How do you know they're not all of one mind?
    – Hot Licks
    yesterday






  • 1




    Thank you. Now I get it. I didn't know that "one-track mind" is an idiom.
    – Oleksandr Shpota
    yesterday






  • 1




    @HotLicks I don’t; wouldn’t make a difference if they were, though.
    – Janus Bahs Jacquet
    yesterday








1




1




Those is correct. It refers to those people with one-track minds”. Also, you are parsing it as connected to the first line. It is actually a new thought which connects to the third line.
– Jim
yesterday






Those is correct. It refers to those people with one-track minds”. Also, you are parsing it as connected to the first line. It is actually a new thought which connects to the third line.
– Jim
yesterday














That minds is not correct; it must be that mind or those minds. The demonstrative determinatives agree with the nouns they qualify in number.
– Janus Bahs Jacquet
yesterday






That minds is not correct; it must be that mind or those minds. The demonstrative determinatives agree with the nouns they qualify in number.
– Janus Bahs Jacquet
yesterday














@JanusBahsJacquet - How do you know they're not all of one mind?
– Hot Licks
yesterday




@JanusBahsJacquet - How do you know they're not all of one mind?
– Hot Licks
yesterday




1




1




Thank you. Now I get it. I didn't know that "one-track mind" is an idiom.
– Oleksandr Shpota
yesterday




Thank you. Now I get it. I didn't know that "one-track mind" is an idiom.
– Oleksandr Shpota
yesterday




1




1




@HotLicks I don’t; wouldn’t make a difference if they were, though.
– Janus Bahs Jacquet
yesterday




@HotLicks I don’t; wouldn’t make a difference if they were, though.
– Janus Bahs Jacquet
yesterday










2 Answers
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Note here that 'minds' is not a verb. It is not like saying he minds the shop while they're eating - it is a noun and the object of to know.
one track should really be hyphenated because it's an idiomatic compound adjective. one-track originates from description of trains (see this page) and means that someone/something is repetitive or obsessed with something (i.e. their thoughts always return along the same track to the same ideas).
Because one track is only an adjective, applying to minds, you can understand the pronoun those by removing this adjective. This way, you get those minds, which makes sense - I think the confusion here is just misapplication of the pronoun as applying to 'one' or 'one track'.






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Joseph Paduch is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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    Song lyrics like poetry use enjambment In poetry, "enjambment (/ ɛ n ˈ dʒ æ m b m ən t / or / ɛ n ˈ dʒ æ m m ən t /; from the French enjambement) is incomplete syntax at the end of a line; the meaning runs over from one poetic line to the next, without terminal punctuation," Wikipedia. The meaning of the last three lines is "Kiss goodbye those one-track minds that took you for a working boy." But rock music like poetry gains power by slicing things up and moving them around, to both fit the music and provoke the listener. Grammar and syntax don't much obtrude, and likely for the best. Had Jagger and Richards ran their song by the English Stack Exchange, we would now have (I Can't Get Any) Satisfaction. Would you buy the album?






    share|improve this answer






























      2 Answers
      2






      active

      oldest

      votes








      2 Answers
      2






      active

      oldest

      votes









      active

      oldest

      votes






      active

      oldest

      votes








      up vote
      1
      down vote



      accepted










      Note here that 'minds' is not a verb. It is not like saying he minds the shop while they're eating - it is a noun and the object of to know.
      one track should really be hyphenated because it's an idiomatic compound adjective. one-track originates from description of trains (see this page) and means that someone/something is repetitive or obsessed with something (i.e. their thoughts always return along the same track to the same ideas).
      Because one track is only an adjective, applying to minds, you can understand the pronoun those by removing this adjective. This way, you get those minds, which makes sense - I think the confusion here is just misapplication of the pronoun as applying to 'one' or 'one track'.






      share|improve this answer








      New contributor




      Joseph Paduch is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
      Check out our Code of Conduct.






















        up vote
        1
        down vote



        accepted










        Note here that 'minds' is not a verb. It is not like saying he minds the shop while they're eating - it is a noun and the object of to know.
        one track should really be hyphenated because it's an idiomatic compound adjective. one-track originates from description of trains (see this page) and means that someone/something is repetitive or obsessed with something (i.e. their thoughts always return along the same track to the same ideas).
        Because one track is only an adjective, applying to minds, you can understand the pronoun those by removing this adjective. This way, you get those minds, which makes sense - I think the confusion here is just misapplication of the pronoun as applying to 'one' or 'one track'.






        share|improve this answer








        New contributor




        Joseph Paduch is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
        Check out our Code of Conduct.




















          up vote
          1
          down vote



          accepted







          up vote
          1
          down vote



          accepted






          Note here that 'minds' is not a verb. It is not like saying he minds the shop while they're eating - it is a noun and the object of to know.
          one track should really be hyphenated because it's an idiomatic compound adjective. one-track originates from description of trains (see this page) and means that someone/something is repetitive or obsessed with something (i.e. their thoughts always return along the same track to the same ideas).
          Because one track is only an adjective, applying to minds, you can understand the pronoun those by removing this adjective. This way, you get those minds, which makes sense - I think the confusion here is just misapplication of the pronoun as applying to 'one' or 'one track'.






          share|improve this answer








          New contributor




          Joseph Paduch is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
          Check out our Code of Conduct.









          Note here that 'minds' is not a verb. It is not like saying he minds the shop while they're eating - it is a noun and the object of to know.
          one track should really be hyphenated because it's an idiomatic compound adjective. one-track originates from description of trains (see this page) and means that someone/something is repetitive or obsessed with something (i.e. their thoughts always return along the same track to the same ideas).
          Because one track is only an adjective, applying to minds, you can understand the pronoun those by removing this adjective. This way, you get those minds, which makes sense - I think the confusion here is just misapplication of the pronoun as applying to 'one' or 'one track'.







          share|improve this answer








          New contributor




          Joseph Paduch is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
          Check out our Code of Conduct.









          share|improve this answer



          share|improve this answer






          New contributor




          Joseph Paduch is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
          Check out our Code of Conduct.









          answered 18 hours ago









          Joseph Paduch

          894




          894




          New contributor




          Joseph Paduch is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
          Check out our Code of Conduct.





          New contributor





          Joseph Paduch is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
          Check out our Code of Conduct.






          Joseph Paduch is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
          Check out our Code of Conduct.
























              up vote
              -1
              down vote













              Song lyrics like poetry use enjambment In poetry, "enjambment (/ ɛ n ˈ dʒ æ m b m ən t / or / ɛ n ˈ dʒ æ m m ən t /; from the French enjambement) is incomplete syntax at the end of a line; the meaning runs over from one poetic line to the next, without terminal punctuation," Wikipedia. The meaning of the last three lines is "Kiss goodbye those one-track minds that took you for a working boy." But rock music like poetry gains power by slicing things up and moving them around, to both fit the music and provoke the listener. Grammar and syntax don't much obtrude, and likely for the best. Had Jagger and Richards ran their song by the English Stack Exchange, we would now have (I Can't Get Any) Satisfaction. Would you buy the album?






              share|improve this answer



























                up vote
                -1
                down vote













                Song lyrics like poetry use enjambment In poetry, "enjambment (/ ɛ n ˈ dʒ æ m b m ən t / or / ɛ n ˈ dʒ æ m m ən t /; from the French enjambement) is incomplete syntax at the end of a line; the meaning runs over from one poetic line to the next, without terminal punctuation," Wikipedia. The meaning of the last three lines is "Kiss goodbye those one-track minds that took you for a working boy." But rock music like poetry gains power by slicing things up and moving them around, to both fit the music and provoke the listener. Grammar and syntax don't much obtrude, and likely for the best. Had Jagger and Richards ran their song by the English Stack Exchange, we would now have (I Can't Get Any) Satisfaction. Would you buy the album?






                share|improve this answer

























                  up vote
                  -1
                  down vote










                  up vote
                  -1
                  down vote









                  Song lyrics like poetry use enjambment In poetry, "enjambment (/ ɛ n ˈ dʒ æ m b m ən t / or / ɛ n ˈ dʒ æ m m ən t /; from the French enjambement) is incomplete syntax at the end of a line; the meaning runs over from one poetic line to the next, without terminal punctuation," Wikipedia. The meaning of the last three lines is "Kiss goodbye those one-track minds that took you for a working boy." But rock music like poetry gains power by slicing things up and moving them around, to both fit the music and provoke the listener. Grammar and syntax don't much obtrude, and likely for the best. Had Jagger and Richards ran their song by the English Stack Exchange, we would now have (I Can't Get Any) Satisfaction. Would you buy the album?






                  share|improve this answer














                  Song lyrics like poetry use enjambment In poetry, "enjambment (/ ɛ n ˈ dʒ æ m b m ən t / or / ɛ n ˈ dʒ æ m m ən t /; from the French enjambement) is incomplete syntax at the end of a line; the meaning runs over from one poetic line to the next, without terminal punctuation," Wikipedia. The meaning of the last three lines is "Kiss goodbye those one-track minds that took you for a working boy." But rock music like poetry gains power by slicing things up and moving them around, to both fit the music and provoke the listener. Grammar and syntax don't much obtrude, and likely for the best. Had Jagger and Richards ran their song by the English Stack Exchange, we would now have (I Can't Get Any) Satisfaction. Would you buy the album?







                  share|improve this answer














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                  edited 22 hours ago

























                  answered yesterday









                  Zan700

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