comprehension

[jiang]

Dear teachers,

I have two questions:

No.1
The following sentence is difficult to understand. Please explain it to me:

This larger unity was the most important central fact of our time---something on which people could build at a time when hope seemed misty, almost unreal.

No.2
If I do something in two steps can I use the word procedure? For example,
The procedure is: first......; second....?
Or only when there are more than three steps can we use "procedure" ?

Looking forward to hearing from you.
Thank you in advance.

Jiang

 

[Jay Louise]

Dear teachers,

I have two questions:

No.1
The following sentence is difficult to understand. Please explain it to me:

This larger unity was the most important central fact of our time---something on which people could build at a time when hope seemed misty, almost unreal.

This group of people are facing a situation which seems to them to be hopeless and perhaps they have no control of the situation or are having difficulty dealing with the reality of what is happening to them. In spite of the situation, they have something that is holding them together, they are unified in some way as a people. This feeling of being united is what the people will use as a foundation to build their future.


[/QUOTE]
No.2
If I do something in two steps can I use the word procedure? For example,
The procedure is: first......; second....?
Or only when there are more than three steps can we use "procedure" ?

Looking forward to hearing from you.
Thank you in advance.

Jiang[/QUOTE]

*I am not a teacher, this is simply my opinion*

procedure:

1. the act, method, or manner of proceeding in some action; especially, the sequence of steps to be followed
2. a particular course of action or way of doing something

I think that technically you could call anything where you say "If A do B" a procedure. I personally would consider a procedure to be a process that involves at least two steps. <process: a particular method of doing something, generally involving a number of steps or operations>