......replace the time now spend / spent on mindless device use.

[Chun Hsu]

How to understand the meaning of a sentence?

Here is the sentence: "In these chapters, I examine issues such as the importance of solitude and the necessity of cultivating high-quality leisure to replace the time now spend on mindless device use."
This sentence appears in the third passage in 2023 Chinese National College Entrance Examination. How should I comprehend the use ofthe word "spend" in the part "......to replace the time now spend on mindless device use."? Why not use "spent" as Past Participles Used as Attributes？Thank you for your help.

 

[Tarheel]

The word "spend" is wrong there. It should be "spent".

It's an error.

Try: "How can I understand the meaning of a sentence?"

 

[emsr2d2]

How to can I/should I/ do we understand the meaning of a the following sentence?

Here is the sentence:

"In these chapters, I examine issues such as the importance of solitude and the necessity of cultivating high-quality leisure to replace the time now spend on mindless device use."

This sentence appears in the third passage in of the 2023 Chinese National College Entrance Examination. How should I comprehend the use of space here the word "spend" in the part "... to replace the time now spend on mindless device use no full stop here"? Why not use "spent" as a past participle s used as an attributes？

Thank you for your help. Unnecessary. Thank us after we help you, by adding the "Thanks" icon to any post you find helpful.

Please note my corrections and comments above.

Remember this one thing (even if you forget everything else) - we never start a "How" question with "How to".

 

[teechar]

to replace the time (that is typically) now spend spent (by many people) on mindless device use."

I agree that "spend" should be "spent". It was probably a typo that was not caught by the proofreader. The added words in parenthesis are mine. Do you understand it now?

 

[Chun Hsu]

Please note my corrections and comments above.

Remember this one thing (even if you forget everything else) - we never start a "How" question with "How to".

I agree that "spend" should be "spent". It was probably a typo that was not caught by the proofreader. The added words in parenthesis are mine. Do you understand it now?

Thank you for your guidance.

 

[emsr2d2]

Please note that I have changed your title (for the second time). Your actual question/request should appear only in the main body of the post. Titles should be unique, relevant to the thread and contain some/all of the words/phrases/sentences you are asking us to talk about.

 

[Chun Hsu]

Please note my corrections and comments above.

Remember this one thing (even if you forget everything else) - we never start a "How" question with "How to".

I am an English beginner, so I made many grammar mistakes in my post. Thank you for pionting them out.

 

[Chun Hsu]

I agree that "spend" should be "spent". It was probably a typo that was not caught by the proofreader. The added words in parenthesis are mine. Do you understand it now?

Yes, I understand it now. Thank you.

 

[Chun Hsu]

Please note that I have changed your title (for the second time). Your actual question/request should appear only in the main body of the post. Titles should be unique, relevant to the thread and contain some/all of the words/phrases/sentences you are asking us to talk about.

It is my first time that I have sought help from foreign forums. I habitually express myself according to the Chinese online posting method. Now I know how to create a proper title. Thank you for your help.

 

[Chun Hsu]

I am an English beginner, so I made many grammar mistakes in my post. Thank you for pionting them out.

I have changed my title. Is it proper now?

 

[Tarheel]

The word "spend" is wrong there. It should be "spent".

It's an error.

Try: "How can I understand the meaning of a sentence?"

Ron, say: "How should I understand the meaning of the following sentence?"

 

[Chun Hsu]

I agree that "spend" should be "spent". It was probably a typo that was not caught by the proofreader. The added words in parenthesis are mine. Do you understand it now?

I've been thinking about this sentence for a long time. I can't believe they would make such mistakes. I think it might be a grammatical phenomenon that I don't understand. After all, the college entrance examination is the most important exam in China, and in my opinion, there should be no grammatical mistakes in such a paper.

 

[Chun Hsu]

Please note my corrections and comments above.

Remember this one thing (even if you forget everything else) - we never start a "How" question with "How to".

China's college entrance exam is like the SAT in the United States. I don't think there should be any grammatical mistakes in the paper. But the use of “spend” in that sentence does not agree with the English grammar I have learned.

 

[5jj]

I can't believe they would make such mistakes. I think it might be a grammatical phenomenon that I don't understand.

It is a mistake.

After all, the college entrance examination is the most important exam in China, and in my opinion, there should be no grammatical mistakes in such a paper.

There shouldn't be, but there sometimes are.

 

[Chun Hsu]

Please note my corrections and comments above.

Remember this one thing (even if you forget everything else) - we never start a "How" question with "How to".

There are a lot of articles with the title "how to......"as a title. And I thought it was okay to use it as a title of a post in forums. Now, I know it is wrong. Thank you for your instruction.

 

[5jj]

How to understand the meaning of a sentence?

That is a question, not a title.

 

[Tarheel]

There are a lot of articles with the title "how to......"as a title. And I thought it was okay to use it as a title of a post in forums. Now, I know it is wrong. Thank you for your instruction.

I would imagine that they explain how to do something in those articles. You didn't do that, did you?

 

[peterking]

There are a lot of articles with the title "how to......"as a title. And I thought it was okay to use it as a title of a post in forums. Now, I know it is wrong. Thank you for your instruction.

It's from a book entitled "Digital Minimalism," which is written by a tech-savvy intellectual named Cal Newport, Hsu. And the original one is "To replace the time most now dedicate to mindless device use."

 

[emsr2d2]

It's from a book entitled "Digital Minimalism", which is written by a tech-savvy intellectual named Cal Newport, Hsu. And The original one excerpt is "... to replace the time most now dedicate to mindless device use."

The original is grammatically correct. Whoever tried to paraphrase it in order to put it in the exam made a mistake and put "spend" instead of "spent". They also completely changed the meaning of the sentence.

 

[emsr2d2]

I am an English beginner no comma here so I made many a lot of grammar mistakes in my post. Thank you for pointing them out.

Note my corrections above. We rarely use "many" in positive statements.

It is my the first time that I have sought help from a foreign forums forum.

I have changed my title. Is it proper correct/suitable/appropriate now?

I've been thinking about this sentence for a long time. I can't believe they would make such mistakes a mistake.

China's college entrance exam is like the SAT in the United States. I don't think there should be any grammatical mistakes in the paper no full stop here but the use of “spend” in that sentence does not agree with the English grammar I have learned.

There are a lot of articles with the title starting "How to ..." as a title. And I thought it was okay to use it as a title of a post in forums. Now no comma here I know it is wrong. Thank you for your instruction help/advice.