[Grammar] breaking a world record, as some 156 people simultaneously threw out ...

[kadioguy]

Taiwan's baseball team sets record with 156 ceremonial first pitches

Wei Chuan Dragons returning to CPBL for 1st time since 1999

By Central News Agency 2021/03/27

The Tianmu-based Wei Chuan Dragons professional baseball team celebrated their 2021 home opener on Friday (March 26) by breaking a world record, as some 156 people simultaneously threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

[...]

https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4161510

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1. Can I take the blue part to mean "Wei Chuan Dragons' returning to CPBL ..." (i.e., a possessive)?

2. Does the "as" mean "in the way that"?

 

[Tarheel]

Taiwan's baseball team sets record with 156 ceremonial first pitches

Wei Chuan Dragons returning to CPBL for 1st time since 1999

By Central News Agency 2021/03/27

The Tianmu-based Wei Chuan Dragons professional baseball team celebrated their 2021 home opener on Friday (March 26) by breaking a world record, as some 156 people simultaneously threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

[...]

https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4161510

-------
1. Can I take the blue part to mean "Wei Chuan Dragons' returning to CPBL ..." (i.e., a possessive)?

No. Insert "are" between "Dragons" and "returning".

It's a headline (or subheadline) so they omit certain words.

2. Does the "as" mean "in the way that"?

No. It simply means that's what they did. (The word "as" there is what you might call a bridge word.

That's all!

 

[kadioguy]

1. Can I take the blue part to mean "Wei Chuan Dragons' returning to CPBL ..." (i.e., a possessive)?

No. Insert "are" between "Dragons" and "returning"?

It's a headline (or subheadline) so they omit certain words.

2. Does the "as" mean "in the way that"?

No. It simply means that's what they did. (The word "as" there is what you might call a bridge word.

But for (1), I see little sense in using the present progress here. The present progress would mean that it would return to CPBL; however, the game had happened before this report. :-?

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

. . . 2. Does the "as" mean "in the way that"?

No. It means at the same time as / at the moment that / while.

It tells us that the two things happened at the same time.

As always shows a parallel, a match, a sameness. It can be in time:

- We woke up as the sun rose = We woke up and the sun rose at the same time.

. . . or in space:

- The corn is as high as an elephant's eye: The corn and the elephant's eye are the same height.

. . . or in anything else:

- She is as smart as her father: She and her father have the same amount of brains.

- He is as stupid as a bag of hammers: He and a bag of hammers have the same amount of brains.

 

[kadioguy]

No. It means at the same time as / at the moment that / while. It tells us that the two things happened at the same time.

Thank you, Charlie.

If you don't mind, what do you think about my question (1)?

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Thank you, Charlie.

If you don't mind, what do you think about my question (1)?

Tarheel is exactly right. It's a headline. You can add are to make it a complete sentence.

 

[Tdol]

As records go....

 

[kadioguy]

But for (1), I see little sense in using the present progress here. The present progress would mean that it would return to CPBL; however, the game had happened before this report.

Well, I've got it.

Practically, the baseball game was followed by the 156 ceremonial first pitches, so it is reasonable to say "(After the ceremonial first pitches) Wei Chuan Dragons are returning to CPBL for 1st time since 1999".

 

[jutfrank]

Right. The present progressive relates to the future. It means the season hasn't started yet.

 

[kadioguy]

[...]
- She is as smart as her father: She and her father have the same amount of brains.

- He is as stupid as a bag of hammers: He and a bag of hammers have the same amount of brains.

Do "brain" and "brains" both work here? I suppose that some native speakers would the singular while others would prefer the plural. What do you think?

Another example:

I have a red pen, and Mary also has exactly the same one. So,

a. We have the same pen.
b. We have the same pens.

Which one would you say?

 

[Tarheel]

You can say two people have the same amount of brains. It's not meant literally, of course.

You can say two people have the same pen.

 

[kadioguy]

You can say two people have the same amount of brains. [...]

You can say two people have the same pen.

1. They have the same amount of brain.
2. They have the same amount of brains.

3. They have the same pen.
4. They have the same pens.

How about (1) and (4)? Do they also work?

 

[Tarheel]

If I say something it's for a reason. If I don't say something it's also for a reason. So, if I said "brains" that's what I meant. (There may be instances in which the singular would be used, but don't worry about it.)

If you say two people have the same pen that means, of course, that they are identical. (You may use the plural if you want to.)

 

[kadioguy]

If I say something it's for a reason. If I don't say something it's also for a reason. So, if I said "brains" that's what I meant. (There may be instances in which the singular would be used, but don't worry about it.)

If you say two people have the same pen that means, of course, that they are identical. (You may use the plural if you want to.)

I asked that in post #12, because they looked the same structure to me. So, while all of the four are possible, "brains" is more natural than "brain" and "pen" is more natural than "pens". Is that right?

 

[jutfrank]

The word brains, when used to mean 'intelligence', must be plural.

 

[Tarheel]

It might be possible to use the singular. For example, you might say "He had the brain of a genius." However, it would be more natural to say (of people like Einstein or Newton) that that person was a genius. (An extraordinarily gifted individual.)

 

[jutfrank]

It might be possible to use the singular. For example, you might say "He had the brain of a genius."

In your example, brain is the organ. If you mean to talk about being intelligent, it's always brains, plural.