SOTD [Spam of the Day]

Hi!

Today I got an amusing spam. The content wasn't so amusing, but the title was, in a picky grammar_mavens sort of way. The title was: "Do you want for a prosperous future?" Surely the author meant to write: "Do you want a prosperous future?", but the line works either way, due to interesting and seldom-used properties of the word 'want'. First, current accepted definitions of the verb 'want', from the Merriam Webster Online Dictionary:

Main Entry: 1want Pronunciation: 'wont also 'wänt & 'w&nt Function: verb Etymology: Middle English, from Old Norse vanta; akin to Old English wan deficient intransitive senses 1 : to be needy or destitute 2 : to have or feel need <never wants for friends> 3 : to be necessary or needed 4 : to desire to come, go, or be <the cat wants in> <wants out of the deal> transitive senses 1 : to fail to possess especially in customary or required amount : LACK <the answer wanted courtesy> 2 a : to have a strong desire for <wanted a chance to rest> b : to have an inclination to : LIKE <say what you want, he is efficient> 3 a : to have need of : REQUIRE <the motor wants a tune-up> b : to suffer from the lack of <thousands still want food and shelter> 4 : OUGHT -- used with the infinitive <you want to be very careful what you say -- Claudia Cassidy> 5 : to wish or demand the presence of 6 : to hunt or seek in order to apprehend <wanted for murder> synonym see DESIRE

The content of the message was less interesting, and can speak for itself. Pick it apart at your leisure; you don't want for my help (emphasis mine):

We can assist with Diplomas from prestigious non-accredited universities based on your present knowledge and life experience.

generalist