is this sentence grammatically correct?

Question

The sentence is:"After the user finishes editing the file, it must be saved as a tab-delimited (.txt) file.If you look at the second part of the sentence, does "it" refer to "the file" or "editing the file"?  Since i think that the object in first part of the setences is "editing the file" and therefore the sentence will not be grammatically correct.Thanks,

Ruslana · Accepted Answer

Well, common sense tells me that it is referring to the file. Otherwise the sentence hardly makes sense.

Anonymous · Answer

Hi Ruslana,

Thanks for your prompt response but I want to understand what you mean by "Otherwise the sentence hardly makes sense".

Ruslana · Answer

I mean that if you take it referring to editing the file, it doesn't make sense since you cannot save editing as a thing. A file is a thing (well, a kind of), so you can save it, open it, or do other operations with it later. You can save the edited file but not editing the file. As I see it, though.

Edit:

After a second thought, I guess editing can be saved, but it is somehow in the file, within it, 'included' in it, so in the end what you save is the file anyway.

Clive · Answer

Hi,

"After the user finishes editing the file, it must be saved as a tab-delimited (.txt) file.

Let's try replacing the pronoun.

"After the user finishes editing the file, editing the file must be saved as a tab-delimited (.txt) file." This makes no sense.

"After the user finishes editing the file, the file must be saved as a tab-delimited (.txt) file." This makes sense.

Try to avoid repetition of words in English. To eliminate the word 'file' from the end of the sentence, reword it as

"After the user finishes editing the file, it must be saved as tab-delimited (.txt)."

Best wishes, Clive

Anonymous · Answer

Hi Ruslana,

Sorry i am getting more confused. I know it makes sense that "it" refers for the file itselfs but is it gramatically correct to say in this way?

I know there are some theories about the subject and object in a sentence and when you have a complex sentence(that is 2 sentences joined together), the "it" referes to the object.

So i think the object is "editing the file".

First i thought that it is file but now i am thinking that it should really refer to "editing the file" since it is the object in first part of the sentence.

Please correct me if i am wrong.

Thanks for your help,

Ruslana · Answer

It's good to know rules and to follow them trying to make everything crystal clear, but besides rules there's also common sense which should prompt us when something is right and reasonable and when it's not.

I must confess that I don't know the rule you mentioned, but when I read the sentence, it sounded natural to me and I linked it to the fileintuitively. In most cases our first feeling is right (tried by my own experience), but when we try to dig too hard, everything becomes more complicated.

Yankee · Answer

Hi Anon

Did you also read Clive's post?

If it's only the idea of objects that is bothering you, don't forget that the word 'file' is the object of the action expressed by the gerund in the gerund phrase.

Anonymous · Answer

It's grammaticall correct.  "it" refers to "the file."

is this sentence grammatically correct?

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