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navi
Joined: 02 Mar 2005 Posts: 104
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Posted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 11:08 am Post subject: diamonds |
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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? |
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Lorikeet

Joined: 08 Oct 2005 Posts: 1877 Location: San Francisco
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Posted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 1:57 pm Post subject: Re: diamonds |
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navi wrote: |
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? |
I'll be interested to see what other people say to your question. For B, I prefer "Criminals, not honest people, rob banks." The way you have it, it sounds like criminals rob banks, but they don't rob honest people.
I think your general statements are correct, however. They are generalizations. Diamonds get stolen. While not every diamond gets stolen, it is a possibility for all of them. |
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LucentShade
Joined: 30 Dec 2003 Posts: 542 Location: Nebraska, USA
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Posted: Wed Mar 22, 2006 2:15 am Post subject: |
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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. |
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Bob S.

Joined: 29 Apr 2004 Posts: 1767 Location: So. Cal
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Posted: Wed Mar 22, 2006 12:07 pm Post subject: |
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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. _________________ "It is impossible to speak in such a way that you cannot be misunderstood." -- Karl Popper |
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