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Enchantress Posted 7 years ago
Grammar

Can rodents survive if they

I don't know which question is more natural and grammatical. Particularly the difference between do and can.

a. Can rodents survive if they fall into a hidden trap?
b. Can rodents survive if they get caught in a hidden trap?
c. Do rodents survive a hidden trap if they fall into it?
d. Do rodents survive a hidden trap if get caught in?

  

Top answer

Regarding c and d, when you say "Do", you're asking for a firm generalization: "Yes, they do survive" or "No, they don't survive", whereas, as implied in a and b, neither their survival nor their death is guaranteed. They're in a trap. Rodent traps are intended to kill rodents, but they're rarely 100% effective.

— Jack Dammit

  • Regarding c and d, when you say "Do", you're asking for a firm generalization: "Yes, they do survive" or "No, they don't survive", whereas, as implied in a and b, neither their survival nor their death is guaranteed.
  • They're in a trap.
  • Rodent traps are intended to kill rodents, but they're rarely 100% effective.
  • " Based on that logic, your choices are narrowed down to a and b, the meanings of which are essentially the same.
  • If I had to choose between them, I would choose b, because regardless of common usage, a literally describes falling, implying that the trap involves gravity, whereas b describes a trap of any variety, be it toxic, traumatic, incendiary, radiological or other.
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2 Answers
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Regarding c and d, when you say "Do", you're asking for a firm generalization: "Yes, they do survive" or "No, they don't survive", whereas, as implied in a and b, neither their survival nor their death is guaranteed. They're in a trap. Rodent traps are intended to kill rodents, but they're rarely 100% effective. That's quite a bit of uncertainty under which to make a generalization like "Do ro

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Broadly speaking,

can focuses on possibility and not with whether it actually happens

do focuses on whether it actually happens.

We don't usually say 'a hidden trap', just 'a trap'.


a. Can rodents survive if they fall into a hidden trap? Correct English. But the normal collocation is'caught in a trap', not 'fall into a trap'.

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