Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[missdaredevil]

1. He cut the tree with *full strength*.

2. Initially, the ship had been equipped with enough lifeboats, but before sailing, they were removed to make room for ....
or
Initially, the ship had been equipped with enough lifeboats but, before sailing, they were removed to make room for ....

I saw the second one in a writing piece. Was it a typo?

3.
She needs to prepare lunch(or lunches) for a lot of people.
Which one is correct?

4. Is equipment always written as singular, so it never with an s?

Thanks

[bud]

1. I'm not sure, but "vigorously" is a possibility.

2. Both are fine. The second one puts a little more stress on "before sailing."

3. Singular is most likely, especially if it is a lunch for a group of people. It would be possible to use the plural if the lunch was different for each individual, but singular could be used in that case as well. (If you are thinking of the general concept of lunch, then use singular. If you are thinking of the different foods in each lunch, then you could use plural. Either way, it is amounts to the same statement.)

4. I can't imagine a situation where I would use plural for this word.

[kerstin]

2. Initially, the ship had been equipped with enough lifeboats, but before sailing, they were removed to make room for ....
or
Initially, the ship had been equipped with enough lifeboats but, before sailing, they were removed to make room for ....

I saw the second one in a writing piece. Was it a typo?


Could you use it in another sentence to explain more about different emphasis?
Thanks

[bud]

Kerstin, every comma represents a slight pause, so "before sailing" is heard a little more distinctly in the second example. That adds a stress to the phrase. It's a subtle effect, but it does make it a little more important. (Also, in the second example the speaker may raise his voice when saying "before sailing, adding to the stress.)

Another example:

He said that if needed, he would help out.

He said that, if needed, he would help out.

(In the second eample, I'd be a liitle more sure that I really needed help before asking him for it.)