at the edge of/near the shore of the lake

[angliholic]

We saw several beautiful, brown deer standing at the edge of the lake.
We sighted several beautiful brown deer standing at/near the shore of the lake.
We sighted senveral beautiful brown deer standing on the side of the lake.



I doubt if all of the above versions sound right and mean about the same. Thanks.

[Anglika]

We saw several beautiful, brown deer standing at the edge of the lake.
We sighted several beautiful brown deer standing at/near the shore of the lake.
We sighted senveral beautiful brown deer standing on the side of the lake.



I doubt if all of the above versions sound right and mean about the same. Thanks.

You are right.

#1 is fine.

#3 is not.

#2 I do not like the use of "sighted.

"We saw several beautiful, brown deer standing near the lake shore/standing on the lake shore."

[angliholic]

Thanks, Anglika, for the helpful reply.

For the sake of clarification, could you explain in a few words why the third doesn't sound right? what about the following?
... on the lakeside.

[amigos4]

Thanks, Anglika, for the helpful reply.

For the sake of clarification, could you explain in a few words why the third doesn't sound right? what about the following?
... on the lakeside.

Hi, Angliholic!

I agree with Anglika! In your third sentence, if you are seeing the brown deer without the aid of binoculars, or the scope of a hunting rifle, the word 'sighted' feels awkward to say.

In conversation, the word 'sighted' usually means the ability to see something. 'Helen Keller was blind but her teacher was sighted."

In hunting, a hunter will 'sight' his intended target using a scope or guide on his rifle. The casual observer will 'see' a brown deer.

As for 'lakeside'... used as an adjective, you could say 'a lakeside resort'.
'Lakeside' used as a noun usually refers to a specific body of land by the side of a lake. 'The summer cottage was located on the lakeside.'

Your best choice is still sentence #1: 'We saw several beautiful, brown deer standing at the edge of the lake.'

Cheers,
Amigos4

[angliholic]

Thanks, Amigos, for the helpful and crystal clear reply.
Got it.
By the way,for curiosity's sake, why do you use the plural amigos intead of amigo as your alias?

[amigos4]

Thanks, Amigos, for the helpful and crystal clear reply.
Got it.
By the way,for curiosity's sake, why do you use the plural amigos intead of amigo as your alias?

Hi, Angliholic!

I am happy that my reply to you was 'crystal clear' and not 'crystal clean'!

To satisfy your curiosity, I will tell you why I use the plural amigos instead of amigo as my alias. At the time I registered the alias, there were 4 people living in our home; my wife and I and our two sons. Thus, we were the Four Amigos! Our sons have subsequently moved out of the house and have started their own families in another city in Arizona. It would be way too much trouble to have to change my alias at this point... so, Amigos4 it shall be!

I think your alias is terrific! The name says a great deal about the time and effort that you expend in learning English! Congratulations!

Cheers,
Amigos4

[angliholic]

Thanks, Amigos, for your kind and encouraging words.
It's great to know that you have such a friendly as well as amusing alias along with a happy family.
It's not a cushy job to master English here. I really appreciate your help and kind words.

[amigos4]

Thanks, Amigos, for your kind and encouraging words.
It's great to know that you have such a friendly as well as amusing alias along with a happy family.
It's not a cushy job to master English here. I really appreciate your help and kind words.

Angliholic,

It's not a cushy job to master English here, either!

As ancient as I am, I still have difficulty trying to correctly answer some of your questions! The finer points of learning a language -- even the language of our native tongue -- can be intimidating and confusing. I appreciate your questions and comments because they keep my mind active and focused on improvement for both of us!

Keep practicing, my amigo!