Thank you teachers:)

[zzang418lee]

I was wriing an essay, and I made a sentence "it makes the argument that teachers deserve higher salary unreliable" It looks a little bit unnatural since the phrase in object position is so long. Is there a good way to solve this?

 

[lauralie2]

I was wri[t]ing an essay, and I [STRIKE]made[/STRIKE] wrote a sentence "it makes the argument that teachers deserve [a] higher salary unreliable" It looks a little bit unnatural since the phrase in object position is so long. Is there a good way to solve this?

I like the structure. It works, but the word 'unreliable' doesn't.

 

[bhaisahab]

I was writing an essay, and I made a sentence "it makes the argument that teachers deserve higher salary unreliable" It looks a little bit unnatural since the phrase in object position is so long. Is there a good way to solve this?

"it makes the argument that teachers deserve higher salary unreliable"
To make this a valid sentence, you need to capitalise the first letter and put a full stop at the end. Otherwise it's a good sentence.

 

[5jj]

What do you think this sentence means?

It (= something already mentioned) makes a certain argument unreliable.

Which argument does it make unreliable?

The argument that teachers deserve a higher salary.

 

[Raymott]

I'm pretty sure 'unreliable' is not the right word here.

 

[5jj]

I'm pretty sure 'unreliable' is not the right word here.

I agree. I was concentrating on the structure.

IMO, unreliable is not impossible, but I would prefer unsound/invalid/indefensible?/untenable?

 

[5jj]

Yes, but shouldn't it be - it makes the argument that teachers deserve a higher salary unreliable"

Indeed. That had gone previously unremarked, so I just put it into my version without comment. You are right - it needs to be pointed out that the original version also needs the article.

 

[bhaisahab]

I missed the absence of the article, sorry. I agree that "unreliable" is perhaps not the best word to use but it's not incorrect.

 

[lauralie2]

I missed the absence of the article, sorry. I agree that "unreliable" is perhaps not the best word to use but it's not incorrect.

Agreed. It's not incorrect, just vague.

 

[BobK]

...
IMO, unreliable is not impossible, but I would prefer unsound/invalid/indefensible?/untenable?

:up: ... or, indeed, any other word that collocates* with "argument" - "disputable", "without [firm] foundation", "shaky", "questionable", "ridiculous", "puerile", "fatuous" .... They don't mean the same, but they're all possible. ;-)

b

PS * 'Collocation" [='placing with'] has to be stronger if the words aren't next to each other; so I'd be tempted, in a case where I found 'unreliable' to be le mot juste, to rewrite the sentence to make the words "argument" and "unreliable" 'co-locate'!

 

[zzang418lee]

Thanks all the teachers, I really appreciate it