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Old 20-Nov-2006, 07:51
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Default How do you understand the following sentence?

How do you understand the following sentence?


tha ability to deal with people is as purchasable a commodity as sugar or coffee

In my opinion, I think it's much easier to understand:

tha ability to deal with people is as purchasable a commodity as sugar or coffee a commodity to be deleted

or tha ability to deal with people is as a purchasable commodity as sugar or coffee position reversed.

But I'm not sure if this is making sense
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Old 20-Nov-2006, 12:23
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Default Re: How do you understand the following sentence?

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Originally Posted by Johnny View Post
How do you understand the following sentence?


tha ability to deal with people is as purchasable a commodity as sugar or coffee

In my opinion, I think it's much easier to understand:

tha ability to deal with people is as purchasable a commodity as sugar or coffee a commodity to be deleted

or tha ability to deal with people is as a purchasable commodity as sugar or coffee position reversed.

But I'm not sure if this is making sense
The text says commodity because it's saying that 'people skills' can be bought and sold in just the same way as tea or coffee - that the decisions a hiring executive makes are essentially the same as the decisions anybody makes when buying other commodity goods. (Incidentally, I disagree, but that's not the point.)

As for the 'as adjective a noun as' model, it's quite normal - it compares whatever-adjective-you-choose in the field of whatever-noun-you-choose.

As red a lobster as I've ever seen [though other things can be redder]

As big a house as they have in that village [where houses are generally not very big]

b
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Old 22-Nov-2006, 17:06
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Default Re: How do you understand the following sentence?

Thank you Bob, so generally speaking this is a normal form in English.

And I'm wondering if it's ok to say:

As red lobster as I've ever seen

or not
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