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SuperESL Posted 15 years ago
Grammar
All of this - All of these
"Their avarice propelled them to dominate the means of production and the market of their own countries and also to morph into imperialists stretching grasping tentacles outward for those of other nations. And all of [this] had found expression in unmitigated......"
Are there any reasons why either [this] or [these] is preferable than the other? (By the way, is this question itself phrased correctly, grammar-wise?)
Thank you
Joe.
Are there any reasons why either [this] or [these] is preferable than the other? (By the way, is this question itself phrased correctly, grammar-wise?)
Thank you
Joe.
Top answer
Are there any reasons why either [this] or [these] is preferable to the other? -- I think that 'this' is intended to refer to the process as a whole.
- Are there any reasons why either [this] or [these] is preferable to the other?
- -- I think that 'this' is intended to refer to the process as a whole.
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7 Answers
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Are there any reasons why either [this] or [these] is preferable to the other?-- I think that 'this' is intended to refer to the process as a whole.
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Mr. Miscawber,
Thanks for your reply. Just to follow up, if I did say "all of these," would it be grammatically wrong? And how would that change the meaning of the sentence?
Thank you.
Joe
Thanks for your reply. Just to follow up, if I did say "all of these," would it be grammatically wrong? And how would that change the meaning of the sentence?
Thank you.
Joe
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As I've already explained, "'this' is intended to refer to the process as a whole." 'These', then, would refer to the individual actions.
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I don't mean to be tedious, but I still would like to pursue this a bit further for the sake of clarity.
I understood very well that "this" refers to the whole process. But if I say "all of these" and this phrase is interpreted as meaning, as you pointed out, "individual actions," the question remains as to which "individual actions" would the phrase be referring to in the context of the
I understood very well that "this" refers to the whole process. But if I say "all of these" and this phrase is interpreted as meaning, as you pointed out, "individual actions," the question remains as to which "individual actions" would the phrase be referring to in the context of the
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It is the speaker's viewpoint, that it all. Like, is the glass half full or half empty?
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So your point is it doesn't make any difference at all whether I say "all of this" or "all of these" - both are equally valid and grammatically correct in the given context?
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