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Liveinjapan Posted 18 years ago
US light crude fell more than $3.12 a barrel to $43.67, its lowest level since January 2005.
London Brent fell by $3.16, to $42.24 a barrel, also a near four-year low.
(from BBC)
Can I put 'by' after 'fell' in the first sentence?
Or if you say 'fell by more than', then does 'by' seem unnecessary?
Thanks.
Grammar
Fall by
US light crude fell more than $3.12 a barrel to $43.67, its lowest level since January 2005.
London Brent fell by $3.16, to $42.24 a barrel, also a near four-year low.
(from BBC)
Can I put 'by' after 'fell' in the first sentence?
Or if you say 'fell by more than', then does 'by' seem unnecessary?
Thanks.
Top answer
Going strictly by ear, you could remove the "by" from the second example and put it in the first, and both would be well understood; but neither would sound as smooth or as professional. The other differences which may contribute to this are, the second claims to be exact while the first does not (although quoting to the penny), and in the first, the "a barrel" is appended to the drop, while in the second, it goes with the final price. To me, it's mainly a matter of smoothness.
- Going strictly by ear, you could remove the "by" from the second example and put it in the first, and both would be well understood; but neither would sound as smooth or as professional.
- The other differences which may contribute to this are, the second claims to be exact while the first does not (although quoting to the penny), and in the first, the "a barrel" is appended to the drop, while in the second, it goes with the final price.
- To me, it's mainly a matter of smoothness.
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4 Answers
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Going strictly by ear, you could remove the "by" from the second example and put it in the first, and both would be well understood; but neither would sound as smooth or as professional.
The other differences which may contribute to this are, the second claims to be exact while the first does not (although quoting to the penny), and in the first, the "a barrel" is appended to the drop, w
The other differences which may contribute to this are, the second claims to be exact while the first does not (although quoting to the penny), and in the first, the "a barrel" is appended to the drop, w
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Thanks, Avangi.
Got it!
I've also found dropping 'by' in a second type sentence in the same site.
Got it!
I've also found dropping 'by' in a second type sentence in the same site.
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You could also swap the tenses The market lost ground, falling by more than 300 points.
The price of crude dropped below $50 a barrel.
The price of crude dropped below $50 a barrel.
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