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jays
Joined: 13 Oct 2005
Posts: 221
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 Posted: Mon Jul 20, 2009 8:07 pm Post subject: as few |
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Is "as" in the following sentence OK ? If OK, what does it mean?
---------- the following ---------------
Although men are accused for not knowing their own weakness, yet perhaps as few know their own strength. |
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dragn
Joined: 17 Feb 2009
Posts: 450
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| Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2009 1:56 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
Is "as" in the following sentence OK ? If OK, what does it mean?
---------- the following ---------------
Although men are accused for not knowing their own weakness, yet perhaps as few know their own strength. |
Don't worry, it's perfectly correct. A comparison is being made, one indicating the lack of difference rather than a difference. For example:
Tom only has six months experience; Sue also has only six months experience. Tom has as few months experience as Sue.
This is the type of comparison that shows two things are about equal.
The suggestion is that some men (maybe not many, but a few) are accused of not knowing their own weakness. At the same time, however, as few (a comparably small number) know their own strength.
The sentence could be paraphrased thusly:
"Few men truly know their own weakness; equally few know their own strength."
The point is that both require a degree of self-knowledge possessed by relatively few men.
Hope this is clear.
Greg |
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lotus
Joined: 25 Jan 2004
Posts: 862
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| Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 9:49 am Post subject: |
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Hi Jays,
Sometimes less is better. To be more concise and to the point, I would say:
Although men have been accused of not knowing their own weakness, few know their own strength.
--lotus
_________________
War does not make one great --Yoda |
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