So, to start this thread off, there was one such recent post on a thread on the ESP forum. I won't supply the link, because I've suggested that we continue any discussion here rather than there, and towards this end, have quoted below from that thread:
Ms.mcGlover wrote:My students came up with some wuestions I can't find the answers to.
Why do we say difference in culture rather than difference of culture?
And, in these sentences " Sweeten to taste as desired" or "Add sugar as needed" Why is the verb in past tense? Is it conditional? What is the subject?
Please help. Thanks, Sarah
and then:In reply, I wrote:I'm pretty sure it is a ("passive"*) participle and not a past-tense verb. The subject and verb can be omitted/ellipted as they aren't necessary (for native speakers, anyway) to understand the instructions (obviously).
We could, if necessary, expand the sentence to make things clearer for learners: [Sweeten to taste] [as (and when/if) desired (by you or whoever)].
The above could also be expressed actively: Sweeten to taste if you desire (it/want (to (do that))).
Viewing it as a sort of conditional seems valid ('if' can replace 'as (and when)'), but that was not the central concern here.
I wouldn't necessarily object to 'a difference of culture' (I don't expect students to know every little native collocation when it comes to expressing themselves, if indeed 'a difference of culture' is a non-native oddity - I haven't checked the statistics, and don't feel offhand as a native speaker that it is that unclear or odd), but it must be said that 'a difference in culture(s)', 'a difference between cultures' and 'a cultural difference' or 'cultural differences' do all sound better. This is the sort of instance where it is probably better to ask 'How can I express this, and how do most people express it?' rather than 'Why is it (not) expressed in this manner?'.
*I hesitate to call it a passive because there is no verb 'BE'. Perhaps we should call this a "verbless clause" - 'an adverbial clause with ellipsis of the verb be and the subject.' (Longman Student Grammar of Spoken and Written English, pg 261).
Obviously, the link given there leads to here!I've asked guys over on the Applied Linguistics forum (haunt of some "mean" grammarians ) to take a look at your questions, Sarah, and offer their take on things. I'd like to suggest that we all continue whatever discussion there rather than here (please follow link below).
I've given what I feel is a reasonable answer, but if anyone fancies improving upon it, be my guest! Most of us could stand to learn something, or at least see something better expressed than we were(n't!) able to express it.