social distancing is an anomaly

[alpacinou]

Hello,

Have I used "anomaly" and "intertwined" correctly in this sentence?

Lives are so closely intertwined in New York City and people are so interconnected that social distancing is a complete anomaly for people here.

 

[Raymott]

How about "oxymoron"? It's an anomaly and an oxymoron for most people everywhere.
How are lives more intertwined in New York? Do you mean there's a large population density?

 

[alpacinou]

How about "oxymoron"? It's an anomaly and an oxymoron for most people everywhere.
How are lives more intertwined in New York? Do you mean there's a large population density?

Does anomaly work? Oxymoron is a good suggestion too.

New York is one of the most densely populated and most active cities in the world. Also, people tend to be very sociable and they go to cafes and restaurants a lot.

 

[GoesStation]

"Anomaly" doesn't really fit.

 

[jutfrank]

No, anomaly is not the right word.

 

[tedmc]

How about "an incongruity"?

 

[jutfrank]

How about "an incongruity"?

That's not as bad but I don't think it's a great choice, either.

It's not completely clear to me what alpacino means to say, however, so it's hard to give a better suggestion. Is the idea that this is something difficult for people to do?

 

[alpacinou]

That's not as bad I don't think it's a great choice, either.

It's not completely clear to me what alpacino means to say, however, so it's hard to give a better suggestion. Is the idea that this is something difficult for people to do?

I mean to say that it is peculiar and strange for people and it is contrary to what they are used to.

 

[Tarheel]

It certainly is.

 

[alpacinou]

No, anomaly is not the right word.

Are you okay with "intertwined" ?

 

[jutfrank]

Are you okay with "intertwined" ?

Not greatly.

I suggest interconnected.

 

[alpacinou]

Not greatly.

I suggest interconnected.

I already have that. So, what do you suggest instead of anomaly?

Lives are so closely intertwined in New York City and people are so interconnected that social distancing is a complete anomaly for people here.

I mean to say that it is peculiar and strange for people and it is contrary to what they are used to.

 

[jutfrank]

I suggest using an adjective phrase instead of a noun phrase.

 

[alpacinou]

I suggest using an adjective phrase instead of a noun phrase.

Could you offer an example?

 

[jutfrank]

Could you offer an example?

difficult

That seems to me to be what the sentence is really saying. The degree of interconnectedness of people's lives means that social distancing is difficult to do. If you just mean that people are unaccustomed to it, then I don't see the point of the whole first part of the sentence about the degree of interconnectedness. That doesn't seem to have a bearing on how unaccustomed people are to the habit of social distancing. It strikes me that people living in, say, a small village, might find this new practice equally strange. The difference is that they might find it less difficult to do, given their living conditions.

 

[Tarheel]

You could say it's unnatural.