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Takehisa Tanaka Posted 12 years ago
Grammar
About "what it means."
Hi,
I have trouble understanding this sentence:
"it is a single mother bringing up two boys without a father to provide guidance -- someone who would have experience with what it means to be male."
Could you help me?
When I rewrite this part:"someone who would have experience with what it means to be male", can I write like this:"someone who would have experience with something that it means to be male"?
Thanks in advance.
I have trouble understanding this sentence:
"it is a single mother bringing up two boys without a father to provide guidance -- someone who would have experience with what it means to be male."
Could you help me?
When I rewrite this part:"someone who would have experience with what it means to be male", can I write like this:"someone who would have experience with something that it means to be male"?
Thanks in advance.
Top answer
No, that doesn't work. g. in terms of life issues arising).
- No, that doesn't work.
- g.
- in terms of life issues arising).
- "have experience with" seems slightly odd wording to me.
- It reads as if being male is something you do for a while before maybe trying something else.
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6 Answers
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No, that doesn't work. "what it means to be male" means the nature of existence as a male, or the consequences of being male (e.g. in terms of life issues arising).
"have experience with" seems slightly odd wording to me. It reads as if being male is something you do for a while before maybe trying something else. I would try to say it another way, perhaps "someone who understands what i
"have experience with" seems slightly odd wording to me. It reads as if being male is something you do for a while before maybe trying something else. I would try to say it another way, perhaps "someone who understands what i
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Thank you GPY for your reply.
But I have still been confused about "what".
In this sentence, does "what" work as pronoun?
But I have still been confused about "what".
In this sentence, does "what" work as pronoun?
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Yes, it is a pronoun. "what it means to be male" essentially means something like "the things that it means to be male", although idiomatically the latter does not quite do the same job.
The thinking behind your original substitution of "something that" may have been roughly along the right lines. However, in practice "something that it means to be male" reads incorrectly.
Sorry,
The thinking behind your original substitution of "something that" may have been roughly along the right lines. However, in practice "something that it means to be male" reads incorrectly.
Sorry,
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The original sentence is correct, but might be clearer if reworded as: "It is a single mother bringing up two boys without a father to provide guidance, without someone who would have experience with what it means to be male."
The phrase "what it means to be male" means: "the things that are characteristic of men: strength, machoness, dominance, leadership, combativeness, competitivene
The phrase "what it means to be male" means: "the things that are characteristic of men: strength, machoness, dominance, leadership, combativeness, competitivene
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