Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[sejpdw]

Is it gramatically right to use "identified" instead of "influenced" even if its meaning is different from the "influenced"?

A person�s weight is greatly [u]influenced[/u] by his genetic makeup. Some people say that changing lifestyles have led to the increase of overweight people. Others say that all of us can reduce our weight by changing our diets. But these are not always true. There have always been fat people throughout human history. I think that being overweight is beyond a person�s control. According to one study published in 1986, children who are adopted shortly after birth are likely to achieve adult weights that are more similar to their biological parents� weight than that of their adoptive parents�.

[bud]

Well, technically speaking, it's grammatical. In my opinion, though, it's not a very good substitute. "Influenced" means that genetic makeup affects weight. "Identified" implies that genetic makeup is the sole factor determining weight.