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Taka Posted 22 years ago
Grammar

Hunter

The sentences:

The dog and the cat. Two things they have in common, namely, that both belong to the order of carnivores and both serve man in their captivity of hunters .
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My book interprets " both serve man in their captivity of hunters" as "both animals work as hunters and help man to capture other animals". Is this correct? Does the word "hunters" refer to the dog and the cat??

I thought "hunters" referred to "man", and "in their captivity of hunters" meant "confined by man"...
  

Top answer

Hello Taka Could it possibly have been: 'in their capacity as hunters'? MrP

  • Hello Taka Could it possibly have been: 'in their capacity as hunters'?
  • MrP
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9 Answers
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Hello Taka

Could it possibly have been: 'in their capacity as hunters'?

MrP
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No. I checked over, but it says "in their captivity of hunters".

Plus, I'm wondering if the cat can be used as a hunter...
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Hello Taka

I suppose cats hunt mice.

'In their captivity of hunters' isn't really English, but to judge by the
interpretation in your book, it means 'as captive hunters'.

My previous post was slightly askew - I should have said 'in the
capacity of hunters'.

MrP
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I suppose cats hunt mice.


Yes, I know.

But I'm still wondering if you can use cats, like dogs, when you enjoy hunting.
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Could "cats" mean the entire species of cats, which would include cats in the wild that are hunters?

http://www.onlinelearningmarketplace.com/
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'The cat family' - that's an interesting thought - cheetahs are used in some Middle Eastern
countries to hunt gazelle, for instance.
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It has this in front:
Only two animals have entered the human household otherwise than as prisoners and become domesticated by other means than those of enforced servitude.


I think the cat is simply the cat.
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Hello Taka

I would probably interpret it as a reference to hunting rats and mice for
the benefit of their human masters, in that case.

It's not an entirely true statement...The Romans used weasels as we
use cats; and I believe snakes are often kept about the house as
mouse-catchers in other countries.

MrP
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OK, I understand.

Thanks, MrP!

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