As distinct from that for

Question

A. The military is demanding medical assistance for higher-ranking officials on the battle field as distinct from that for lower-ranking soldiers.

Q1) Is sentence A correct English?

Q2) In sentence A, does "as distinct from that for lower-ranking soldiers" modify "medical assistance"?

Q3) In sentence A, is "that for lower-ranking soldiers" compared to "medical assistance for higher-ranking officials"?

If sentence A is rewritten without "as" as this sentence B "B. The military is demanding medical assistance for higher-ranking officials on the battle field, distinct from that for lower-ranking soldiers",

Q4) Is sentence B correct English even without "as"?

Q5) In sentence B, does "distinct from that for lower ranking soldiers" describe "medial assistance for higher-ranking officials"?

I'd say yes to these five questions.

Would you please answer my five questions?

I won't ask nothing else without these questions.

Clive · Accepted Answer

A. The military is demanding medical assistance for higher-ranking officials on the battle field as distinct from that for lower-ranking soldiers.

Q1) Is sentence A correct English? Yes. (The word battlefield is usually spelled without a hyphen.)

Q2) In sentence A, does "as distinct from that for lower-ranking soldiers" modify "medical assistance"?

Yes, but I would say qualify, not modify.

A longer version of the sentence would be The military is demanding medical assistance for higher-ranking officials on the battle field as distinct from medical assistance for lower-ranking soldiers. on the battle field.

Q3) In sentence A, is "that for lower-ranking soldiers" compared to "medical assistance for higher-ranking officials"?

Yes, but I'd say it is contrasted, not compared.

If sentence A is rewritten without "as" as this sentence B "B. The military is demanding medical assistance for higher-ranking officials on the battle field, distinct from that for lower-ranking soldiers",

Q4) Is sentence B correct English even without "as"? I suppose so, but 'as distinct from' is close to being a fixed phrase, so why not say it that way?

Q5) In sentence B, does "distinct from that for lower ranking soldiers" describe "medical assistance for higher-ranking officials"? Yes

I won't ask nothing else without these questions <<< This sentence is atrocious English!

Clive

Anonymous · Answer

fire1Q1) Is sentence A correct English?

It doesn't make sense. For one thing, I think you meant "officers" where you have "officials", and "higher-ranking officers" is at best tautological if you mean officers as distinct from enlisted men. Just write "officers". Also, your use of "as distinct from" is wrong. You can't demand assistance as distinct from assistance. I think you mean something more like "The military is demanding that medical assistance for officers on the battlefield be different from that for lower-ranking soldiers."

As distinct from that for

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