the missing word bothers me, too. It also got killed in an intersection on its way to work, to show up in this meme.

  • Track_ShovelOP
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    13 hours ago

    A comma maybe, then.

    the people once tied to them killed in a crosswalk’ really sounds weird to me.

    Heck, my phone agrees.

    • @[email protected]
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      210 hours ago

      Seems like a stylistic choice to me. Leaving out the “have been” makes it sound more poetic, but I don’t think it’s wrong per se

    • @[email protected]
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      110 hours ago

      Grammar has so many “technically correct” yet odd sentence structures.
      The sentence definitely has a weird flow and could absolutely contain reader assistance via punctuation.

    • Zagorath
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      313 hours ago

      I think a colon would be the most apt punctuation here.

      The tracks are now unruly and wild, the people tied to them: killed in crosswalks

      But to be honest I was fine with no punctuation. The bit that most bothers me is the choice of preposition. You don’t go in a crosswalk. You go on it. Or maybe you’re at the crosswalk when you’re killed. But certainly not in.

      • @Trail
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        17 hours ago

        In (the area of) a crosswalk would make sense?

        That said, not English native speaker.

    • @[email protected]
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      213 hours ago

      Not a native speaker but for me it sounds fine. The “are now” is left out because it would be repeated if that makes sense.

      “The people, [who were] tied to them, [are now] killed in a crosswalk.”

      • @x00z
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        16 hours ago

        You’re missing “once”