Wordsmith.org: the magic of words

Wordsmith Talk

About Us | What's New | Search | Site Map | Contact Us  

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Page 2 of 3 1 2 3
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 456
addict
Offline
addict
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 456
But context is not always obvious or accessible.

"They are all out standing by Jove."


ÅΓª╥┐↕§
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 2,154
Z
Zed Offline
Pooh-Bah
Offline
Pooh-Bah
Z
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 2,154
Lucky Jove.

Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,295
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,295
Back here for a punctuation consult, if possible please.

"Much of that maintenance metabolism goes to our invisible scheduled replacement." (that's a logic sentence) But then this follows:

"And so I'd guess that where we cost more than a mouse is in putting a bigger fraction of our energy into self-repair, and a smaller fraction into other purposes like keeping warm or caring for babies."

I've read this phrase over and over again and I cannot read it's clear meaning.

Is here a word missing? Should it be " than a mouse is costing"?
Or is this a totally normal running sentence and do I not see it?

Comma's maybe missing?


Last edited by BranShea; 05/31/07 05:07 PM.
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 120
member
Offline
member
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 120
Replacing "we cost" with 'human's maintenance metabolism is" may help.

Last edited by Maven; 05/29/07 07:41 PM.

tempus edax rerum
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,295
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,295
Thanks Maven, it helps getting more of the general meaning , but it still looks like an odd sentence to me, when I replace this for that.

Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,439
W
wow Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,439
Headlines are fun too.
Local Man Is Out-
Standing In Field

Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,295
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,295
You know, I even think headlines are more fun.

Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 120
member
Offline
member
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 120
Long sentences are harder to parse. Technical writers try to avoid them, but sadly, many professions no longer emphasize writing skills. Grammar? Spelling? Punctuation? Ha! Who cares, it's word count that matters, right?


tempus edax rerum
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,295
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,295
Well, it's a good writer and a good book. Maybe a word was lost in the process of editing-printing. But such a sentence becomes like a little riddel I want to solve. And I read over and over again. Compare it with a scratch in an old gramophone record. Doesn't ultimately stop me from reading on.:~)

Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 2,154
Z
Zed Offline
Pooh-Bah
Offline
Pooh-Bah
Z
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 2,154
Does the concept of a run on sentance as a grammatical fault occur just in English or in other languages as well?

Page 2 of 3 1 2 3

Moderated by  Jackie 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Forum Statistics
Forums16
Topics13,913
Posts229,317
Members9,182
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
Newest Members
Ineffable, ddrinnan, TRIALNERRA, befuddledmind, KILL_YOUR_SUV
9,182 Registered Users
Who's Online Now
1 members (wofahulicodoc), 727 guests, and 1 robot.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Top Posters(30 Days)
Top Posters
wwh 13,858
Faldage 13,803
Jackie 11,613
tsuwm 10,542
wofahulicodoc 10,534
LukeJavan8 9,916
AnnaStrophic 6,511
Wordwind 6,296
of troy 5,400
Disclaimer: Wordsmith.org is not responsible for views expressed on this site. Use of this forum is at your own risk and liability - you agree to hold Wordsmith.org and its associates harmless as a condition of using it.

Home | Today's Word | Yesterday's Word | Subscribe | FAQ | Archives | Search | Feedback
Wordsmith Talk | Wordsmith Chat

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5