Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

navi · Joined: 02 Mar 2005 Posts: 104

A-The people who rob banks are criminals, not honest people.
B-Criminals rob banks, not honest people.

Can one use B instead of A, given that only a minority of criminals rob banks?

C-Diamonds get stolen. Worthless stones don't.

Is C correct, given that only a limited number of diamonds get stolen?

Lorikeet · Joined: 08 Oct 2005 Posts: 1877 Location: San Francisco

LucentShade · Joined: 30 Dec 2003 Posts: 542 Location: Nebraska, USA

I think C is fine. I agree with Lorikeet that B could have two meanings. To give another example like C, you could say, "In war, people get killed." It's a limited number of people that get killed, but the statement is still true.

Bob S. · Joined: 29 Apr 2004 Posts: 1767 Location: So. Cal

I agree with Lorikeet on B. When writing the statement form "this, not that", you generally want this and that to be close together to be understood. So it can be better written as Lori states, or you can write:
Criminals rob banks, honest people don't.

"C" sounds fine and a right smart little proverb because, though diamond theft might be relatively uncommon, it is more common than the theft of worthless stones to which they are compared in the statement.
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"It is impossible to speak in such a way that you cannot be misunderstood." -- Karl Popper