[Vocabulary] Fight with [ to fight with small submarines ]

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Lumia625

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Hello there,

I have got problem with the phrasal verb "fight with". It has three meanings and according to my text I think all of them are possible. I'm confused :cry:

Below is the sentence :

these "frogmen" were trained to fight undercover and underwater with small submarines and assault boats armed with a variety of torpedoes

First I thought that the sentence is wrong because I never heard "fight with". I thought it would have been written "fight against". Anyway after investigation I found that "fight with" is also correct and it has three different meanings :

1) fight with (someone or something)

2) to fight on the same side as (someone or something)

3) to fight by using (something, such as a weapon)

I don't know which of these terms are correct. But I guess even specialist frogmen or commanders are not able to fight against a submarine !

In addition, they are not even able to work with a submarine. So, I guess the correct definition is number 2.


I don't know whether am I right or not ! But I just considered useful to explain my thoughts here.

I would appreciate you to help me on this question.

Thank you so much,
 
J

J&K Tutoring

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You're right- it is ambiguous. I'm pretty certain definition #3 is what the writer meant. You'd be surprised what the military can dream up...
 

Barb_D

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The submarines and small assault boats armed with torpedoes were the tools they used in their warfare.

Perhaps you had the idea that "fighting with" something meant that you had to hold in your hands and swing it. It simply means that you're using it to accomplish were fighting task.

Surely that makes more sense than the idea that the submarines are sentient beings and they're fighting on the same side as them?
 
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Eckaslike

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The full paragraph makes it clearer:

"The elite World War II Italian naval unit Decima Flottiglia MAS is considered by many to be the first modern naval commando squad. Assembled by Prince Junio Valerio Borghese at the beginning of the war, these "frogmen" were trained to fight undercover and underwater with small submarines and assault boats armed with a variety of torpedoes—pioneering tactics that remain a standard for Special Forces around the world today."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junio_Valerio_Borghese

However it would have been clearer by writing "using" instead of "with":

"...these "frogmen" were trained to fight undercover and underwater [STRIKE]with[/STRIKE] using small submarines and assault boats armed with a variety of torpedoes..."
 

bhaisahab

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"fight with" is not a phrasal verb.
 

Lumia625

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Surely that makes more sense than the idea that the submarines are sentient beings and they're fighting on the same side as them?

Well, maybe it seems silly but in Persian sometimes we can consider submarines as sentient beings ! Actually we mean the crews of the submarines but we eliminate the "crew" in our sentences and just mention "submarines."

It's like to say: White House announced something. Well it's obvious that White House is just a palace and cannot do that but we mean the president of the United States.

You see why I selected number 2 ?
 

MikeNewYork

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Lumia, using that logic, what do you do with "assault boats"?
 

Lumia625

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Lumia, using that logic, what do you do with "assault boats"?

Well, assault boats like submarines have some crews. Do they not have? So it's completely logical for me. At least in my language.

I mean, the frogmen or commandos can be placed in submarines or assault boats and then at the attack time they can get out of them and those submarines or assault boats can support them in the invasion.

I searched, no frogmen or commando can use a submarine!

P.S. I won't have access to the internet for a few days. Maybe you guys want to reply but unfortunately I cannot respond. Please don't construe it as impoliteness.


Thank you so much,
 

MikeNewYork

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Well, back to the beginning. In my language, I would choose #3. The equipment was used by the frogmen to fight.
 
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