[Grammar] Paired Conjunction: either -- or

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atabitaraf

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I think sometimes I shouldn't be so careful about trivial changes in structure but to be sure I come here. These are the sentences I think are correct.

1. Smoking should either be banned or restricted.
2. Smoking should be either banned or restricted.
3. Smoking should either be banned or be restricted.

Would you please select the correct ones with your precious help in making reasons?
Thanks,
 

probus

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They are all correct, natural and perfectly comprehensible.

To me, 1 is the most natural. It is impossible to give reasons for one`s choice of the most natural. The judgment comes from the sum total of a lifetime spent hearing and speaking your native tongue. And therefore it depends on where you spent your life. I think that 3 is a close second to 1 and 2 is slightly less natural, but I suspect that native speakers from elsewhere may well have other opinions.
 

atabitaraf

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They are all correct, natural and perfectly comprehensible.

To me, 1 is the most natural. It is impossible to give reasons for one`s choice of the most natural. The judgment comes from the sum total of a lifetime spent hearing and speaking your native tongue. And therefore it depends on where you spent your life. I think that 3 is a close second to 1 and 2 is slightly less natural, but I suspect that native speakers from elsewhere may well have other opinions.

Thank you for the comment and for the LIKEs. You know even your simple answers are worth so much to us because I need them for my classes. Thanks again. <3
 

philo2009

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1 is incorrect (representing ungrammatical *Smoking should be banned or smoking should restricted.)
3 is correct but needlessly wordy.

Hence #2 is best.
 

bhaisahab

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1 is the most natural.
 

MikeNewYork

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I think sometimes I shouldn't be so careful about trivial changes in structure but to be sure I come here. These are the sentences I think are correct.

1. Smoking should either be banned or restricted.
2. Smoking should be either banned or restricted.
3. Smoking should either be banned or be restricted.

Would you please select the correct ones with your precious help in making reasons?
Thanks,

1 or 2 is best.
 

bhaisahab

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I'm afraid not, unless your definition of 'best' includes solecisms.

I didn't use the word "best", I said it was the most natural.
 

philo2009

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That is true; you did (someone else referred to it as 'best').

However, I don't believe that we should be giving tacit approval to structurally unsound sentences - no matter how commonly natives may inadvertently produce them - without at least pointing out their unsoundness!
 

atabitaraf

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That is true; you did (someone else referred to it as 'best').

However, I don't believe that we should be giving tacit approval to structurally unsound sentences - no matter how commonly natives may inadvertently produce them - without at least pointing out their unsoundness!

I should mention that the sentence No. 1, which is under discussion here, is from one of the advanced references we use here for our ESL classes.
SUMMIT by Joan Saslow and Allen Ascher
 

atabitaraf

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Yes, you should indeed. In fact, you should have probably stated that in your first post, IMO.

Thanks, and I believe the teachers here are more reliable or at least at the same level as the authors of our books. Since there is a free discussion among several precious native professors here so I rely more on their opinions.
 

charliedeut

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I'm not trying to tell you whose opinions you must accept. I was just pointing out that everyone is expected to acknowledge the sources of their phrases/sentences/texts if they are quoting. No more, no less. :)
 

probus

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1 is incorrect (representing ungrammatical *Smoking should be banned or smoking should restricted.)
3 is correct but needlessly wordy.

Hence #2 is best.

I think there is a pretty general consensus among teachers here that we take a descriptive rather than a presciptive approach to teaching ESL.
 

philo2009

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If that is an excuse for recommending structures that no careful user would accept, then so be it!

I have fully answered the original question and have nothing further to add.

EOC
 

5jj

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If that is an excuse for recommending structures that no careful user would accept, then so be it!
It seems that your definition of 'careful user' would be along the lines of 'person who does not use constructions [STRIKE]philo disapproves of[/STRIKE] of which philo disapproves'.
 

Barb_D

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