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Believer Posted 18 years ago
Grammar

can operate or can be operated

0Hi,02br
02br
00I have this one dictionary definition 01u00between02u00 the two definitions my Collins Cobuild Advanced Learner's Dictionary have. Can you tell me why it has the phrase 'can operate' and not 'can be operated'? I am sensing both can work.02br
02br
00module A module is a part of a spacecraft which can operate by itself, often away from the rest of the spacecraft.02br
02br
00Also, which word is appropriate for the place underlined besides the one used? among? But that is usually used for things 3 or more, isn't it? 0-
  

Top answer

02br 02br 00 A car's engine can be thought of as a module of the car because it may be replaced with another suitable engine without the need to affect anything other in the car (_weak coupling_). 02br 02br 00 HTH02br 02br 00 EDIT: Plus, there're many purely automatical systems in a spacecraft module, so it does operate! 0-

  • 02br 02br 00 A car's engine can be thought of as a module of the car because it may be replaced with another suitable engine without the need to affect anything other in the car (_weak coupling_).
  • 02br 02br 00 HTH02br 02br 00 EDIT: Plus, there're many purely automatical systems in a spacecraft module, so it does operate!
  • 0-
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2 Answers
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0 No, I think operate is better because it more effectively expresses its autonomy.02br
02br
00 Module (be it a spacecraft's module or a program's module) is always relatively autonomous (less 01i00coupled02i00 with the environment than the module's internals coupled with each other), you may think of it a subgraph with a strong connectivity.02br
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1i00can operate by itself:02i00 doesn't need a driver/controller, works alone, operates alone, as a robot perhaps does 02br
01i00can be operated by itself02i00: does 01b00not 02b00mean it works/operates alone; 01i00operat01b00ed02b02i00 means there's an extra agent imposing the oper

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