| Author |
Message |
Elisabetta
Guest
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| Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2004 9:53 am
Post subject: A little help |
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Hello all
As you were so helpful a few months ago, I wonder if you could help again.
Following is an exchange between two people:
| Quote: | they [the Greeks] built colonies, in the best meaning of the word,
although not peacefully.
Remarkable, this one.
remarkable and true.
True my ass. "Although not peacefully" for me means always
"war".
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A third person chipped in that the last sentence (""although not peacefully"
for me... ") was completely wrong in English: the construct was wrong and
there should be an "it" after "for me".
I replied that although it could have been put better so it'd roll off the
tongue more easily, there shouldn't be an "it" anywhere as the subject of
the sentence is the phrase "although not peacefully" itself.
For that I was accused of being off my head on Guinness, which I wouldn't
mind but I don't even like Guinness!
Anyway, as none of us is an English native speaker, could someone here
settle the dispute and confirm that the sentence is grammatically correct,
although stilted, or that it is completely wrong?
Thank you.
E
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david56
Guest
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| Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2004 3:33 pm
Post subject: Re: A little help |
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Elisabetta typed thus:
| Quote: | Hello all
As you were so helpful a few months ago, I wonder if you could help again.
Following is an exchange between two people:
they [the Greeks] built colonies, in the best meaning of the word,
although not peacefully.
Remarkable, this one.
remarkable and true.
True my ass. "Although not peacefully" for me means always
"war".
A third person chipped in that the last sentence (""although not peacefully"
for me... ") was completely wrong in English: the construct was wrong and
there should be an "it" after "for me".
I replied that although it could have been put better so it'd roll off the
tongue more easily, there shouldn't be an "it" anywhere as the subject of
the sentence is the phrase "although not peacefully" itself.
For that I was accused of being off my head on Guinness, which I wouldn't
mind but I don't even like Guinness!
Anyway, as none of us is an English native speaker, could someone here
settle the dispute and confirm that the sentence is grammatically correct,
although stilted, or that it is completely wrong?
|
The only thing actually wrong with your final sentence is the word
order:
"Although not peacefully" for me always means "war".
although it would be more idiomatic to say:
"Although not peacefully" always means "war" to me.
--
David
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John Briggs
Guest
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| Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2004 6:32 pm
Post subject: Re: A little help |
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david56 wrote:
| Quote: | Elisabetta typed thus:
Hello all
As you were so helpful a few months ago, I wonder if you could help
again.
Following is an exchange between two people:
they [the Greeks] built colonies, in the best meaning of the word,
although not peacefully.
Remarkable, this one.
remarkable and true.
True my ass. "Although not peacefully" for me means always
"war".
A third person chipped in that the last sentence (""although not
peacefully" for me... ") was completely wrong in English: the construct
was wrong and there should be an "it" after "for me".
I replied that although it could have been put better so it'd roll off
the tongue more easily, there shouldn't be an "it" anywhere as the
subject of the sentence is the phrase "although not peacefully" itself.
For that I was accused of being off my head on Guinness, which I wouldn't
mind but I don't even like Guinness!
Anyway, as none of us is an English native speaker, could someone here
settle the dispute and confirm that the sentence is grammatically
correct, although stilted, or that it is completely wrong?
The only thing actually wrong with your final sentence is the word
order:
"Although not peacefully" for me always means "war".
although it would be more idiomatic to say:
"Although not peacefully" always means "war" to me.
|
And "ass" in the first sentence should be "arse" (although how you punctuate
it is anyone's guess). Unless you are speaking American, of course. The
Americans don't know their arse from a donkey 
--
John Briggs
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Elisabetta
Guest
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| Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2004 8:56 pm
Post subject: Re: A little help |
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| Quote: | "Although not peacefully" for me always means "war".
although it would be more idiomatic to say:
"Although not peacefully" always means "war" to me.
And "ass" in the first sentence should be "arse" (although how you
punctuate
it is anyone's guess). Unless you are speaking American, of course. The
Americans don't know their arse from a donkey
|
Thank you David and John :)
I think the person who said ass lives in Germany, but not sure. However, one
of the 4 lives in US. Myself and the other one are in UK. I was going to
comment on that too but thought it might be better not to add to the fuel!
:D
E |
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