grammar - Why is there a comma in "Man discusses his, wife's experience"


Why is there a comma after "his" in the headline? Does this mean his AND his wife's experience? Is it correct english, or slang?


"Man discusses his, wife's experience being injured during the Boston marathon bombings."


Source: http://abcnews.go.com/US/video/boston-marathon-explosion-video-attack-victim-hard-mad-18969745



Answer



It's short for "Man discusses his and his wife's experience...." It does not mean "Man discusses his wife's experience."


News headlines are trying to achieve maximum impact with as few words as possible, so they often take liberties with omitting unnecessary words, while preserving the message of the story.


This particular headline might be somewhat awkward English, but there's nothing technically incorrect about it.


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