I'm on a really bad typing day- 'change my interpretation'. ;-(
The sentence about Americans suggests it isn't an ability but a quality of a mature and sensible person.
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- 06-Aug-2004, 13:26 #21
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OK. So you mean the correct interpretation is " people can change...(and people can) make...and get to work", which is different from the answer of my book, right?
Originally Posted by tdol
Well, that's possible, I think. But as I said to Cas, originally the sentence has this in front:
Americans believe that mature, sensible person sets goals for the future and works systematically toward them.
According to this sentence, I think for Americans it is not a matter of ability that they make appropriate plans and get to work.
Do you think your interpretation (people can change...(and people can) make...and get to work) is still contextualized?
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By the way, I don't understand this part of your comment (especially the underlined part):
Originally Posted by tdol
- 07-Aug-2004, 00:20 #22
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- 07-Aug-2004, 10:06 #23
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Right. But you said: Originally Posted by tdol The sentence about Americans suggests it isn't an ability but a quality of a mature and sensible person.
If you interpret the sentence as "...people can change... poeple can make appropriate plans, and people can get to work.", isn't it going to be about an ability, not a quality, of a mature person? Originally Posted by tdol
- 07-Aug-2004, 11:12 #24
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Yes, but that interprtation, wrong as it was, was made before I knew about the sentence about Americans. The use of 'can' would suggest ability or possibility in that way, rather than a quality.
- 07-Aug-2004, 11:16 #25
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So, how do you interpret the sentence now?
- 08-Aug-2004, 15:02 #26
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tdol?
- 09-Aug-2004, 16:25 #27
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t~~~dol, I've been waiting for you here. :wink:
- 10-Aug-2004, 00:16 #28
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Oooops, sorry. Given that I misread the original, then I have to change to the other possibility.
- 10-Aug-2004, 14:30 #29
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Which means [(a): if they decide...make...and get to work] is correct? Originally Posted by tdol Oooops, sorry. Given that I misread the original, then I have to change to the other possibility.
- 10-Aug-2004, 18:02 #30
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In the absence of the phantom 'can', yes.
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