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Jooney Posted 14 years ago
Grammar
As if
Hi,
ex1) On this night, it seemed as if the fight that actually took place was more interesting than the one that did not. It did not seem to matter if Mayweather was not fighting Manny Pacquiao.
A: It seemed as if this fight was more interesting than the one that did not take place.
B: It seemed that this fight was more interesting than the one that did not take place.
Q1) What is the difference in meaning between the two? Isn't it true that both suggest that this fight gave the appearance of being more interesting?
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ex2) At the weigh-in, the fighters conducted the usual staring contest as if attempting a world record.
Q2) Is it possible for an as-if phrase to take a gerund as its complement? I hadn't encountered such thing until I found this example. Is this grammatically correct?
I'd appreciate your help.
ex1) On this night, it seemed as if the fight that actually took place was more interesting than the one that did not. It did not seem to matter if Mayweather was not fighting Manny Pacquiao.
A: It seemed as if this fight was more interesting than the one that did not take place.
B: It seemed that this fight was more interesting than the one that did not take place.
Q1) What is the difference in meaning between the two? Isn't it true that both suggest that this fight gave the appearance of being more interesting?
____________________
ex2) At the weigh-in, the fighters conducted the usual staring contest as if attempting a world record.
Q2) Is it possible for an as-if phrase to take a gerund as its complement? I hadn't encountered such thing until I found this example. Is this grammatically correct?
I'd appreciate your help.
Top answer
A: It seemed as if this fight was more interesting than the one that did not take place. B: It seemed that this fight was more interesting than the one that did not take place. Q1) What is the difference in meaning between the two?
- A: It seemed as if this fight was more interesting than the one that did not take place.
- B: It seemed that this fight was more interesting than the one that did not take place.
- Q1) What is the difference in meaning between the two?
- -- We use them differently.
- A is as you say: it speaks of the appearance.
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4 Answers
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A: It seemed as if this fight was more interesting than the one that did not take place.
B: It seemed that this fight was more interesting than the one that did not take place.
Q1) What is the difference in meaning between the two? Isn't it true that both suggest that this fight gave the appearance of being more interesting?-- We use them differently. A is as you say: it speaks of
B: It seemed that this fight was more interesting than the one that did not take place.
Q1) What is the difference in meaning between the two? Isn't it true that both suggest that this fight gave the appearance of being more interesting?-- We use them differently. A is as you say: it speaks of
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Thank you for your reply, Mr. M.
We use them differently. A is as you say: it speaks of the appearance. B is used in diffidence: the speaker hesitates for courtesy or other reasons to make the outright claim.
I see. I think I understand the difference now.
It is not a gerund; it heads a participial clause: 'as if [they were] attempting a world record.'
We use them differently. A is as you say: it speaks of the appearance. B is used in diffidence: the speaker hesitates for courtesy or other reasons to make the outright claim.
I see. I think I understand the difference now.
It is not a gerund; it heads a participial clause: 'as if [they were] attempting a world record.'
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I don't see any difference in meaning or construction (both are absolute clauses); the infinitive form sounds a less natural choice to me.
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