Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[tisogai]

Teachers, please help!

For this project to succeed requires a very high level of expertise, manpower, and money.

Does the part "a very high level of" relate with manpower and money, too?? Also please tell me why in both case of yes and no.

Look forward to your answers. Thanks so much.

[battlecryorsilence]

In the sentence as it is written, "a very high level" modifies "expertise." Reason: we often make use of the phrase "level of expertise", but we do not usually refer to "levels" of manpower, and even less often would we say "level of money."

If, on the other hand, you want to modify all three objects with the same phrase, some phrase other than "a very high level" should be used. "Vast amounts" or "considerable amounts" are phrases which would each be equally appropriate as a modifier for any one of the objects (expertise, manpower, and money), and thus more appropriate for a modifier intended to have all three objects in its scope.

Hopefully I've answered your question! I might add, by the way, that the sentence is grammatically awkward due to the use of a prepositional phrase as the subject. I would suggest the following revision:
"The success of this project requires a very high level of expertise, manpower, and money."

[tisogai]

you've perfectly answered my questions.

thank you so much.