strive

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bieasy

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May 30, 2007
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Hi,

Can I say "You should strive" instead of "you shuld make an effort"?

And "Microsoft thrives more than Nokia"?

"The wrath of mother nature will be unprecedented?
 
Hi,

Can I say "You should strive" instead of "you shuld make an effort"? You can say both.

And "Microsoft thrives more than Nokia"? No, this does not make much sense. You need more context.

"The wrath of mother nature will be unprecedented? This is acceptable

John
 
Can I say "You should strive" instead of "you shuld make an effort"?
I agree with John that you can say both, but I think that 'strive' has a very formal ring.
 
...
And "Microsoft thrives more than Nokia"?

"The wrath of mother nature will be unprecedented?

I'm not used to seeing 'thrive' used in this comparative way. I makes sense to say, for example, 'Microsoft is thriving' (although it would make more sense if you specified an area - M$'s US sales are thriving'. But in comparing the two, it would be more natural to say 'Miscrosoft is doing better than Nokia.' 'Do well' means, more or less, 'thrive', and saves your readers a visit to the dictionary. ;-)

The wording of the last phrase is rather shrill. The anthropomorphism strikes me as rather silly. But, even if natural disasters can sensibly be described as being the result of 'Mother Nature's anger' [and if you must use it, use capitals], you might want to reconsider 'unprecedented'. (Or, if you are talking about some critical/system-wide/terminal ecological disaster - like sea levels rising by a metre, say - then use 'unprecedented' but emphasize its literal sense with some qualifying word such as 'truly' or 'indeed' or 'literally'.

b
 
...
And "Microsoft thrives more than Nokia"?

"The wrath of mother nature will be unprecedented?

I'm not used to seeing 'thrive' used in this comparative way. It makes sense to say, for example, 'Microsoft is thriving' (although it would make more sense if you specified an area - 'M$'s US sales are thriving'. But in comparing the two, it would be more natural to say 'Miscrosoft is doing better than Nokia.' 'Do well' means, more or less, 'thrive', and saves your readers a visit to the dictionary. ;-)

The wording of the last phrase is rather shrill. The anthropomorphism strikes me as rather silly. But, even if natural disasters can sensibly be described as being the result of 'Mother Nature's anger' [and if you must use it, use capitals], you might want to reconsider 'unprecedented'. (Or, if you are talking about some critical/system-wide/terminal ecological disaster - like sea levels rising by a metre, say - then use 'unprecedented' but emphasize its literal sense with some qualifying word such as 'truly' or 'indeed' or 'literally'.

b
 
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