help with meaning

Guest   Mon Jul 30, 2007 10:47 pm GMT
<"I fitted the ship with all the new features, so finally it fit the definition of the greatest ship in the world!" >

Sorry, I don't understand why you use one form and then the other, there. Can you please explain?
Divvy   Mon Jul 30, 2007 10:50 pm GMT
<The only explanation I can give is that this form is used by native speakers, simply put, for the reasons of precision and clarity that I had given above.>

But truly, from reading the above, we can see that very few native speakers do use it and it is only in special circumstances - as in IT world. Why do you think the majority of native speakers don't use your form?
Dolly   Mon Jul 30, 2007 10:53 pm GMT
<Of course, you move from one thing to the other, hoping that your previous mistake would have gone unnoticed. Trust me, it hasn't. >

But yours was the original mistake. You used that form in the wrong register. See what M56 said about it.
Pos   Mon Jul 30, 2007 10:59 pm GMT
< As much as we want to get rid of native speaker dominance over things or say that native speakers of English are now inherently inferior to computers because they wanted to add 'to' in this case to help parse the phrase, things are the way they are.>

And we can still call it poor usage.
M56   Mon Jul 30, 2007 11:06 pm GMT
White and Arndt (1991:4) say "readers expect writers to use language which is clear, unambiguous, and appropriate to the context and type of text concerned".

Seems Kef and Benefishy disagree with the last part of that.
M56   Mon Jul 30, 2007 11:21 pm GMT
<<"I fitted the ship with all the new features, so finally it fit the definition of the greatest ship in the world!" >>

Is that ellipting "would" before fit?
Guest   Mon Jul 30, 2007 11:21 pm GMT
<Sorry, I don't understand why you use one form and then the other, there. Can you please explain?>

fitは二つの意味を持ちます。米語では、どちらの意味で使うのかによって、過去形が変化することはあります。fit動詞が「合う」に相当する場合、fit過去形が可能ですが、他の場合は、(例えば、「合わせる」に相当する場合)fittedの方が自然だと思われます。
Guest   Mon Jul 30, 2007 11:28 pm GMT
<Is that ellipting "would" before fit?>

いいえ。省略はありません。笑
beneficii   Mon Jul 30, 2007 11:43 pm GMT
Guest,

>><"I fitted the ship with all the new features, so finally it fit the definition of the greatest ship in the world!" >

Sorry, I don't understand why you use one form and then the other, there. Can you please explain?<<

I won't explain. Why don't you find out for yourself?

Divvy,

>>
But truly, from reading the above, we can see that very few native speakers do use it and it is only in special circumstances - as in IT world. Why do you think the majority of native speakers don't use your form?<<

Don't know. As I stated before on the thread, my initial inclination was to omit the 'to', but I added it in afterward to separate the double-quoted terms. (Do you know what I mean by "separate the double-quoted terms"?)

And yes, I have stated this before on the thread. Check back to some of my earlier posts (you can't edit posts on this forum, I don't think).

Pos (aka M56),

>>Seems Kef and Benefishy disagree with the last part of that.<<

I wonder what you find so fishy about me.
beneficii   Mon Jul 30, 2007 11:48 pm GMT
Pos (aka M56),

BTW, as for this:

>>Pos,

>>Please remember, do not dictate the law to me, son. Your argument above sounds like the ones I've heard many nonnatives use when they've made an error in usage. <<

Actually, I'm curious. What arguments do you hear "many nonnatives use when they've made an error in usage"?<<

You still have yet to answer my question.
Guest   Mon Jul 30, 2007 11:48 pm GMT
<I won't explain. Why don't you find out for yourself? >

Why don't you want to help? This forum is partly about helping students, isn't it?
beneficii   Mon Jul 30, 2007 11:49 pm GMT
Guest,

>><I won't explain. Why don't you find out for yourself? >

Why don't you want to help? This forum is partly about helping students, isn't it?<<

Correct. I'm helping them by giving them examples of the different usages available. I actually think I would be hindering them by explaining every little thing.
Divvy   Mon Jul 30, 2007 11:50 pm GMT
<Check back to some of my earlier posts (you can't edit posts on this forum, I don't think). >

Your use of English is curious, if I may say so.

Why didn't you say "I think" instead of "I don't think" above?
Guest   Mon Jul 30, 2007 11:53 pm GMT
Divvyさん、何人ですか?
beneficii   Mon Jul 30, 2007 11:53 pm GMT
Divvy,

>><Check back to some of my earlier posts (you can't edit posts on this forum, I don't think). >

Your use of English is curious, if I may say so.

Why didn't you say "I think" instead of "I don't think" above?<<

Don't know, that's the way it came into my head.