invalid form of "to cast something in a certain light"

Status
Not open for further replies.

matt234

New member
Joined
Apr 28, 2013
Member Type
Student or Learner
Native Language
German
Home Country
Germany
Current Location
Germany
You can cast, throw (?), shed something in a certain light. It can be positive, negative and many more things, apparently including "ironic". Would you go with sarcastic? I said something was thrown in a sarcastic light, in view of certain constrastive, problematic data. It wasn't a brilliant expression, for sure, but I think it expressed something. But apparently the corrector didn't think so. Do you think it is tolerable even if it's a little awkward, or what is supposedly so terrible about it?
Certain statitics in an argument may cast a certain position in a certain light, which would make one sarcastic about the position... That "light" is not literal and the expression "in a sarcastic light" would only be used for its simplicity rather than its beauty. I don't stand by the necessity to use it, but I see no reason to be smug about the error.
 

5jj

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 14, 2010
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
Czech Republic
Current Location
Czech Republic
I don't think you can cast or throw anything in a certain light. Somethingor someone can throw a light on something else, or you can view something in the light of something else.
 

matt234

New member
Joined
Apr 28, 2013
Member Type
Student or Learner
Native Language
German
Home Country
Germany
Current Location
Germany
I don't think you can cast or throw anything in a certain light. Somethingor someone can throw a light on something else, or you can view something in the light of something else.

I have retained that in the actual case (though I don't think it is necessarily excluded that someone by his speech for example can throw something in a certain light). It is cast in a certain light, and this is perceived in a certain way. A sarcastic way. Actually now that I think of this more again, since it was a relatively old text, I'm beginning to think there is no error at all. It all depends on whether one understands the text's intention of a hypothetical, implied observer, who perceives the arrangement in a certain way, and there is no difference to "sarcastic" or any other evaluating adjective. The corrector didn't understand the intention to begin with and so he just saw the comic "literal" meaning of "sarcastic light", whereas it's a structure that is argued to be perceived by an implied observer in a certain light (whatever it is).
 
Last edited:

Route21

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 27, 2010
Member Type
Interested in Language
Native Language
British English
Home Country
England
Current Location
Thailand
As an NES but not a teacher:

I have heard the expression "cast something in a certain/favourable light", essentially meaning "view something from a particular angle/perspective", effectively using the word "cast" more in terms of "molded" rather than "thrown". It's what "spin doctors" are supposed to do.

In the context of "cast" = "thrown", I would expect to see it more in "cast a shadow over".

Regards
R21
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top