In high school, someone asked me to edit a story she'd written about U2. In her article, she referred to U2 as "rock's leading band."
"How is U2 rock's leading band?" I asked. "Does U2 lead in some measurement of record sales, chart hits, or concert attendance? Is there a survey of critics or fans that names them the best band of the year?"
"No, they're just rock's leading band," she replied.
"I would leave out the phrase, 'rock's leading band,' then," I said. "It isn't defined in the article, and it's an opinion."
"No, it's a fact," she said. "They're rock's leading band."
I drew a line through the phrase when I edited the article, but my guess is that "rock's leading band" appeared in her final version.
