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Tinanam0102 Posted 15 years ago
Grammar

If not inevitability

Hi teachers,

Excerpts:

In New York City, there is a palpable sense of impending danger, if not inevitability, among senior law-enforcement officials.

1. Would you please tell me the excerpts means?

2. Why is it "inevitability" and not "inevitable"?

Thank you.

Tinanam
  

Top answer

There exists an obvious sense of danger -- impending (= possibly in the very near future) inevitability (=definite expectation, no doubts) "Danger" is a noun, while "inevitable" is an adjective; the author is keeping the structure in a parallel form.

— Philip

  • There exists an obvious sense of danger -- impending (= possibly in the very near future) inevitability (=definite expectation, no doubts) "Danger" is a noun, while "inevitable" is an adjective; the author is keeping the structure in a parallel form.
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2 Answers
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There exists an obvious sense of danger --

impending (= possibly in the very near future)

inevitability (=definite expectation, no doubts)

"Danger" is a noun, while "inevitable" is an adjective; the author is keeping the structure in a parallel form.
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Hi Philip,

Thank you for your help.

Do you mean "this sense of impending danger exists among the senior law-enforcement officials?"

What is "if not inevitability" doing in the sentence? I don't understand this structure very much.

Thank you.

Tinanam
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