fierce disagreement

[jiang]

Dear teachers,

Please read the following sentence:

They had a fierce debate as to whether their company should restore the trade relationship which was broken years ago.

We can't replace debate with disagreement because we can say fierce debate but we can't say fierce disagreement. Am I right?

I am looking forward to hearing from you.

Thank you in advance.

Jiang

[RonBee]

While fierce might seem to go with debate better than with disagreement, "fierce disagreement" is used.

• By the mid-1980s, everyone knew something had to be done. But just what
  to do and how to do it became subjects of fierce disagreement.
  http://www.freep.com/voices/columnis...4_20030304.htm
  
  As to the substance of the alleged debate — whether or not it is a core tenet of Islam that believers must wage holy war against non-believers wherever they are found — there is fierce disagreement on that issue even among acknowledged experts in Muslim culture and theology, so I will not attempt to defend one side or the other in this brief commentary.
  http://urbanlegends.about.com/librar...h_or_jesus.htm
  
  With so much agreement, the stumbling block was fierce disagreement over whether airports or airlines should be responsible for the assistance at airports.
  http://europa.eu.int/comm/transport/...obility_en.pdf
  
  And what role does this meaning play in the code? We have several millennia of fierce disagreement as to _every_ core issue of meaning.
  http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/...0Jun/0835.html
  
  The field of developmental instability has generated a large amount of controversy recently, mostly because of fierce disagreement over the genetic basis of fluctuating asymmetry and its role in mate selection.
  http://www.oup.com/us/catalog/genera...43450&view=usa

:)

[jiang]

Thank you for your examples.
I wanted to make things easy for you but it seems it didn't work.
That is a multiple choice. The sentence is as follows:

They had a fierce________ as to whether their company should restore the trade relationship which was broken years ago.

a. debate b. disagreement

The correct answer is 'a'. That's why I thought fierce is the reason that we could choose 'b'. According to what you cited now I am sure both are correct. Right?

Jiang

While fierce might seem to go with debate better than with disagreement, "fierce disagreement" is used.

• By the mid-1980s, everyone knew something had to be done. But just what
  to do and how to do it became subjects of fierce disagreement.
  http://www.freep.com/voices/columnis...4_20030304.htm
  
  As to the substance of the alleged debate — whether or not it is a core tenet of Islam that believers must wage holy war against non-believers wherever they are found — there is fierce disagreement on that issue even among acknowledged experts in Muslim culture and theology, so I will not attempt to defend one side or the other in this brief commentary.
  http://urbanlegends.about.com/librar...h_or_jesus.htm
  
  With so much agreement, the stumbling block was fierce disagreement over whether airports or airlines should be responsible for the assistance at airports.
  http://europa.eu.int/comm/transport/...obility_en.pdf
  
  And what role does this meaning play in the code? We have several millennia of fierce disagreement as to _every_ core issue of meaning.
  http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/...0Jun/0835.html
  
  The field of developmental instability has generated a large amount of controversy recently, mostly because of fierce disagreement over the genetic basis of fluctuating asymmetry and its role in mate selection.
  http://www.oup.com/us/catalog/genera...43450&view=usa

:)

[Casiopea]

They had a fierce________ as to whether their company should restore the trade relationship which was broken years ago.

a. debate b. disagreement

The correct answer is 'a'. That's why I thought fierce is the reason that we could choose 'b'. According to what you cited now I am sure both are correct. Right?

Both are correct, but, a) is the better choice. Why? Can you figure it out? :D

Hint: One implies the other.

[Tdol]

Wouldn't it depend on how they handled it?

[RonBee]

I would choose a, but I wouldn't say b is wrong. (I agree that a is the better choice.)


:)

[Tdol]

I agree, but if they were screaming and shouting...

[jiang]

Because people debate because they disagree with each other. Am I right?

They had a fierce________ as to whether their company should restore the trade relationship which was broken years ago.

a. debate b. disagreement

The correct answer is 'a'. That's why I thought fierce is the reason that we could choose 'b'. According to what you cited now I am sure both are correct. Right?

Both are correct, but, a) is the better choice. Why? Can you figure it out? :D

Hint: One implies the other.

[jiang]

:?
I have thought hard but I don't understand what you meant. If they were screaming and shouting what then?

I agree, but if they were screaming and shouting...

[Tdol]

If you're screaming, it isn't much of a debate, but it is a disagreement.