An affect to which two recent inventions contributed.

Question

can you explain the sentence especially which is written in bold.

They even seem a little garish, an effect to which two recent inventions contributed. One was the sewing machine,and the other the introduction of aniline dyes.

Avangi · Accepted Answer

heyoseThey even seem a little garish, an effect to which two recent inventions contributed.

The main clause describes them with an adjective.
The adjective in turn describes a certain effect. (disturbingly bright/vivid colors)

This garish effect is further explained in an appositive, claiming two new inventions helped to make it possible.

Heyose · Answer

can we think the sentence like this " two recent inventions was contributed by an affect which they even seem little garish.

Avangi · Answer

heyosetwo recent inventions was contributed by an affect which they even seem little garish.

This needs some repair work. The facts are a little bit muddled here. There are many ways to express these ideas, but this is not one of them.

If you want to use "two recent inventions" as the subject of the main clause and "contributed" as the main verb, you'll need to use active voice. "Was contributed" is in passive voice.

You want to say that the inventions did something, not that something was done to them.

What did they do? They contributed.

What did they contribute to? They contributed to an effect.

Two recent inventions contributed to an effect (or the effect).

Watch out for the pronoun "they." What will it refer to? What will be its antecedent?

In your original sentence, we must assume that "they" refers to some items of wearing apparel, as described in some prior context.

In your new sentence, you imply that it's the inventions which seem garish. This makes no sense at all.

You'll probably need to change the adjective "garish" to the noun "garishness."

Two recent inventions contributed to the effect of garishness (which these garments seemed to possess).

The project of recasting the original sentence is a very difficult one. Even a "native speaker" would find it challenging!

Heyose · Answer

yes I know the book which I try to translate to my own language have lots of difficult sentences the writer wrote is very difficult way. sentences is like a puzzle to make me think much more on them.
and sometimes or maybe always I think as if I know nothing about english.

thanks for good explainations.

An affect to which two recent inventions contributed.

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