0
Angliholic Posted 18 years ago
Grammar

dating back to//tracing back to the 10th century B.C.

The archaeologists dug up a woman skeleton dating back to the 10th century B.C. in central Rome.
... tracing back to ...

Hi,
Do both of the above sound right and mean about the same to you?
By the way, is "back" optional in both cases? Thanks.
  

Top answer

C. in central Rome. " "back" can be left out and the sentence actually sounds more natural without it.

— RayH

  • C.
  • in central Rome.
  • " "back" can be left out and the sentence actually sounds more natural without it.
  • C.?
  • C.
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

3 Answers
0
The archaeologists dug up a woman's skeleton dating back to the 10th century B.C. in central Rome.

I would not use "tracing." "back" can be left out and the sentence actually sounds more natural without it.

By the way, are you sure you mean 10th century B.C.? I thought Rome was generally thought to have been founded in the 8th century B
0
0
RayHThe archaeologists dug up a woman's skeleton dating back to the 10th century B.C. in central Rome.

I would not use "tracing." "back" can be left out and the sentence actually sounds more natural without it.

By the way, are you sure you mean 10th century B.C.? I thought Rome was generally thought to have been founded in the 8th century B.C.
0
0
AngliholicBy the way, why doesn't "tracing" work for you? Could you shed more light?
"trace" is used when there is a more or less continuous line of evidence or events. So, you might see someone say "We can trace the evolution of the horse in the fossil record for millions of years to an ancestor about the size of a modern-day sheepdog."
0

Related Questions