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Believer Posted 20 years ago
Grammar

beating the dead horse?

0Hi,02br
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00I don't think I am beating the dead horse here because to me, the purpose is 01u00still alive02u00 in that I still don't fully comfortable with the workings of it. (Would you say the underlined personification of a noun like 01i00purpose02i00 is good here? In what instances would you resort to the tactic of personification in the world of writing?) Please help.02br
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00In the article titled "For New U.N. Chief, a Past Misstep Leads to Opportunity" by the New York Times, it had this sentence.02br
02br
00The eldest of six children, he was a standout student, applying himself with particular zeal to learning English.02br
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00Sound a very good sentence with any flaws. I am going to change some parts to make the word "zeal" countable. Did I do it correctly?02br
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00The eldest of six children, he was a standout student, immerse himself in a particular zeal in learning English. 02br
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00Sorry if I asked too broad questions in one post. 0-
  

Top answer

02br 02br 001) Hi, I'm a little confused about what you are asking in your first bit - the purpose being alive stuff? 02br 02br 00Ok, firstly the idiom is 'flog' a dead horse not 'beat'. Then the second clause is a bit difficult to understand.

— Nona the brit

  • 02br 02br 001) Hi, I'm a little confused about what you are asking in your first bit - the purpose being alive stuff?
  • 02br 02br 00Ok, firstly the idiom is 'flog' a dead horse not 'beat'.
  • Then the second clause is a bit difficult to understand.
  • Are you asking whether it is ok to personify 'purpose' by saying it is alive?
  • but I can't really work out what it means.
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7 Answers
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0It would be best to ask separate questions in separate posts.02br
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001) Hi, I'm a little confused about what you are asking in your first bit - the purpose being alive stuff? Are you asking whether that first sentence is correct?02br
02br
00Ok, firstly the idiom is 'flog' a dead horse not 'beat'. Then the second clause is a bit difficult to understand
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0 Believer: 02br
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00 Start stating the problem first, then your reservations about doing it. 02br
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00>The eldest of six children, he was a standout student, immerse himself in a particular zeal in learning English. 02br
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01i01b00Immersing/immersed in zeal02b02i00 is non-idiomatic, IMO
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0 01blockquote
01cite10Believer12cite10Hi,12br
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10I don't think I am beating the dead horse here because to me, the purpose is 11u10still alive12u10 in that I still don't fully comfortable with the workings of it. (Would you say the underlined personification of a noun like 11i10purpose12i
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0 01blockquote
01cite10Nona The Brit12cite10Ok, firstly the idiom is 'flog' a dead horse not 'beat'. 12br
12br
12blockquote
10I think that is true only for BrE. As far as I know, Americans do use 'beat' in this idiom.0-
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0 01blockquote
00Americans do use 'beat' in this idiom12blockquote
10 Yup. Either one in the U.S.02br
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00 CJ0-
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0<..."abstruct"...>02br
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05002br
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00MrP010id7
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0Ooops !02br
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00I need to improve my typing … I meant [Abstract] 050010id10
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