think highly of sb (being sth|as sth)

[AlexAD]

Hello.

Are these sentences correct? Do they make any sense to you?

1. Sarah thinks highly of Tom being an engineer.
2. Sarah thinks highly of Tom as an engineer.

Thanks.

 

[abaka]

Both sentences are correct.

If Sarah thinks highly of Tom being an engineer, she likes the very fact he is an engineer, as opposed to a beggar.

If Sarah thinks highly of Tom as an engineer, she believes he is a good engineer and will trust him to design her new bridge.

 

[emsr2d2]

"Sarah thinks highly of Tom because he is an engineer" means that she has a high opinion of him as a person but she seems to be basing that opinion mainly on the fact that he is an engineer.