Forum newsfeeds
Forum Newsfeeds


Sites for Teachers

Sites for Teachers


Go Back   UsingEnglish.com ESL Forum > Learning English > Ask a Teacher

Notices

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1 (permalink)  
Old 07-Jun-2008, 19:24
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Country: Tunisia
Posts: 1,018
Current Location: Tunis
First Language: Arabic
Member Type: Student or Learner
Thanks: 27
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
hela
Default peace talks founder

Dear teachers,

Would you please explain these excerpts to me?

1) "the fighting in Darfur is entering a new and deadly phase --one in which the government is planning an aggressive campaign against the rebel groups fighting here as efforts to find a negotiated peace founder. "

2) "Today two dozen rebel groups are jockeying for territory and influence in Darfur. Some analysts say the government has sown chaos by splintering the rebel groups to weaken them."

- The government has sown chaos among the population, the rebel groups, both ?
- "splintering the rebels" means that the gvt have / has (?) managed to cause division, disagreement, discord among them? They have / It has (?) succeeded in splitting / breaking them up, disunifying them which made them fight one another and so cause even more casualties and havoc among the civilian population ?

Many thanks,
Hela
Reply With Quote
Sponsored Links
  #2 (permalink)  
Old 07-Jun-2008, 20:02
RonBee's Avatar
Moderator
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Country: USA
Posts: 13,536
Current Location: North Carolina
First Language: English
Member Type: Other
Thanks: 73
Thanked 901 Times in 806 Posts
RonBee is a splendid one to beholdRonBee is a splendid one to beholdRonBee is a splendid one to beholdRonBee is a splendid one to beholdRonBee is a splendid one to beholdRonBee is a splendid one to beholdRonBee is a splendid one to beholdRonBee is a splendid one to behold
Default re: peace talks founder

Quote:
Originally Posted by hela View Post
1) "the fighting in Darfur is entering a new and deadly phase --one in which the government is planning an aggressive campaign against the rebel groups fighting here as efforts to find a negotiated peace founder. "
They have failed to negotiate a peace settlement.


Quote:
Originally Posted by hela View Post
The phrase "splintering the rebels" means that the gvt have / has (?) managed to cause division, disagreement, discord among them?
Yes.

Quote:
Originally Posted by hela View Post
They have / It has (?) succeeded in splitting / breaking them up, disunifying them which made them fight one another and so cause even more casualties and havoc among the civilian population ?

Possibly.

__________________
~R
Reply With Quote
  #3 (permalink)  
Old 08-Jun-2008, 06:07
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Country: Tunisia
Posts: 1,018
Current Location: Tunis
First Language: Arabic
Member Type: Student or Learner
Thanks: 27
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
hela
Default re: peace talks founder

Good morning RonBee,

Sorry, but I still don't understand the meaning of the sentence.
Quote:
They have failed to negotiate a peace settlement.
Who "they": the gvt, the rebels ?

1) "the fighting in Darfur is entering a new and deadly phase --one in which the government is planning an aggressive campaign against the rebel groups fighting here as efforts to find a negotiated peace founder."

Should I read the passage this way?
a) "the gvt is planning a campaign against the rebel groups [who are] fighting here" ? (= in this place, in this instance ?)

b) "the gvt is planning an aggressive campaign [= attack ?] to find a negociated peace founder"
What I don't understand is why do they have to fight with the rebels and kill civilians to find peace (??)

c) "the rebel groups fighting here as efforts to find a negotiated peace founder"
Or is it the rebels who are trying to settle a peace agreement ?
Who is making efforts to find peace?

d) what does "a negociated peace founder" mean ?

See you
Reply With Quote
  #4 (permalink)  
Old 08-Jun-2008, 10:17
RonBee's Avatar
Moderator
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Country: USA
Posts: 13,536
Current Location: North Carolina
First Language: English
Member Type: Other
Thanks: 73
Thanked 901 Times in 806 Posts
RonBee is a splendid one to beholdRonBee is a splendid one to beholdRonBee is a splendid one to beholdRonBee is a splendid one to beholdRonBee is a splendid one to beholdRonBee is a splendid one to beholdRonBee is a splendid one to beholdRonBee is a splendid one to behold
Default Re: negotiated peace talks founder

"They" are the rebel groups and the government - both parties to the conflict. They tried to negotiated a peace but failed to do so.

Re:
The fighting in Darfur is entering a new and deadly phase --one in which the government is planning an aggressive campaign against the rebel groups fighting here as efforts to find a negotiated peace founder.
an aggressive campaign - war; a military campaign
the rebel groups fighting here - the rebel groups fighting in Darfur against the government

Peace talks have broken down, and the government is going to make another effort to defeat the rebel groups militarily. (More people will die. Inevitably, civilians will be among them.)

__________________
~R
Reply With Quote
  #5 (permalink)  
Old 08-Jun-2008, 10:24
RonBee's Avatar
Moderator
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Country: USA
Posts: 13,536
Current Location: North Carolina
First Language: English
Member Type: Other
Thanks: 73
Thanked 901 Times in 806 Posts
RonBee is a splendid one to beholdRonBee is a splendid one to beholdRonBee is a splendid one to beholdRonBee is a splendid one to beholdRonBee is a splendid one to beholdRonBee is a splendid one to beholdRonBee is a splendid one to beholdRonBee is a splendid one to behold
Default Re: negotiated peace talks founder

Quote:
Originally Posted by hela View Post
What I don't understand is why they have to fight the rebels and kill civilians to find peace.
They don't have to. They want to. They could just let them alone, but they want to subdue them. They want to force their will on those who are rebelling against the government. If innocent civilians die that is part of the cost of war. (Indeed, one point of view is that those innocent civilians aren't so innocent if they agree with the rebels.)

__________________
~R
Reply With Quote
  #6 (permalink)  
Old 09-Jun-2008, 17:22
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Country: Tunisia
Posts: 1,018
Current Location: Tunis
First Language: Arabic
Member Type: Student or Learner
Thanks: 27
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
hela
Default re: peace talks founder

RonBee, please, there is something I still don't understand:
"the government is planning an aggressive campaign against the rebel groups fighting here as efforts to find a negotiated peace founder."
Reply With Quote
  #7 (permalink)  
Old 09-Jun-2008, 22:28
Anglika's Avatar
Moderator
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Country: UK
Posts: 15,232
Current Location: UK
First Language: English
Member Type: Other
Thanks: 3
Thanked 3,102 Times in 2,924 Posts
Anglika has a reputation beyond reputeAnglika has a reputation beyond reputeAnglika has a reputation beyond reputeAnglika has a reputation beyond reputeAnglika has a reputation beyond reputeAnglika has a reputation beyond reputeAnglika has a reputation beyond reputeAnglika has a reputation beyond reputeAnglika has a reputation beyond reputeAnglika has a reputation beyond reputeAnglika has a reputation beyond repute
Default re: peace talks founder

Quote:
Originally Posted by hela View Post
RonBee, please, there is something I still don't understand:
"the government is planning an aggressive campaign against the rebel groups fighting here as efforts to find a negotiated peace founder."
...as efforts to find a negotiated peace are not successful.


"founder" here = to be unsuccessful; to fail
Reply With Quote
  #8 (permalink)  
Old 10-Jun-2008, 00:55
RonBee's Avatar
Moderator
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Country: USA
Posts: 13,536
Current Location: North Carolina
First Language: English
Member Type: Other
Thanks: 73
Thanked 901 Times in 806 Posts
RonBee is a splendid one to beholdRonBee is a splendid one to beholdRonBee is a splendid one to beholdRonBee is a splendid one to beholdRonBee is a splendid one to beholdRonBee is a splendid one to beholdRonBee is a splendid one to beholdRonBee is a splendid one to behold
Default Re: peace talks founder

foun·der2
verb (used without object)
3.
to become wrecked; fail utterly: The project foundered because public support was lacking.

founder - Definitions from Dictionary.com


foun·der
1. intransitive verb break down: to fail ( refers to an undertaking )
Negotiations foundered on a single issue.
http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/features/dictionary/DictionaryResults.aspx?refid=1861613180

founder
3. To fail utterly; collapse: a marriage that soon foundered.
http://www.bartleby.com/61/91/F0279100.html
__________________
~R
Reply With Quote
  #9 (permalink)  
Old 10-Jun-2008, 20:12
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Country: Tunisia
Posts: 1,018
Current Location: Tunis
First Language: Arabic
Member Type: Student or Learner
Thanks: 27
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
hela
Default Re: peace talks founder

Good evening everyone,

Hum... I think I've got it now.
"as efforts" means "since efforts" ?
So the gvt have attacked the rebels once again because every attempt they made to find peace failed (i.e. "foundered" ??) ?
Is the verb "founder" in the sentence above in the simple present tense ?
Reply With Quote
  #10 (permalink)  
Old 11-Jun-2008, 02:08
RonBee's Avatar
Moderator
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Country: USA
Posts: 13,536
Current Location: North Carolina
First Language: English
Member Type: Other
Thanks: 73
Thanked 901 Times in 806 Posts
RonBee is a splendid one to beholdRonBee is a splendid one to beholdRonBee is a splendid one to beholdRonBee is a splendid one to beholdRonBee is a splendid one to beholdRonBee is a splendid one to beholdRonBee is a splendid one to beholdRonBee is a splendid one to behold
Default Re: peace talks founder

Quote:
Originally Posted by hela View Post
Good evening everyone,

Hum... I think I've got it now.
"as efforts" means "since efforts" ?
So the gvt have attacked the rebels once again because every attempt they made to find peace failed (i.e. "foundered" ??) ?
Every attempt to negotiate a peace agreement failed ("foundered").
Quote:
Originally Posted by hela View Post
Is the verb "founder" in the sentence above in the simple present tense ?
Simple past.


__________________
~R
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
what can children do bring peace in the world? samfat33 Ask a Teacher 1 20-Nov-2007 06:22
Please proofread these talks. juliana0403 Ask a Teacher 3 19-Feb-2007 12:44
man for peace yervand Ask a Teacher 9 25-Oct-2006 19:37
peas piece peace ripley Ask a Teacher 4 26-Sep-2004 13:07
PEACE AND JOY jwschang Ask a Teacher 2 06-Dec-2003 20:55


New To Site? Need Help?

All times are GMT. The time now is 06:04.


vBulletin, Copyright ©2000 - 2008, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.2.0
Copyright © 2002 - 2008 UsingEnglish.com