Is what he said correct?

Question

Is what he said correct in the video
https://plus.google.com/105404651185610293279/posts/7RukuNNrh53

At around 7:25

In the video he says : ... To manipulate your appearance
Is that correct to say?

He also says
There is nothing wrong in it in the context of what is being done.

Thank you

Deadrat · Accepted Answer

"Manipulate" has two meaning. The first is to handle skillfully. (The words comes from Latin meaning "handful.") The second is to change or influence (particularly people) in an unfair and deceitful fashion. The narrator's usage is the latter when he is talking about elective plastic surgery, which his religion forbids. There's nothing wrong with using "manipulate" with appearance, and sometimes people do change their appearance with plastic surgery to deceive others, e.g., about age. But in the context of the video, deceit is not the reason for the proscription against cosmetic surgery, but rather a rule against changing one's ***-given body for frivolous reasons.

Anonymous · Answer

Thanks

Does the 3 quotes make sense? At this they are all wrong.
https://plus.google.com/105404651185610293279/posts/7RukuNNrh53

at around 7:35 he says
there is nothing wrong in it in the context of what is being done.

http://youtu.be/gc98EkEa2X At 1:05
i cut myself 10 seconds short of the duration I was supposed to be doing it for.

At 1:45
The same principle follows here. (Is follows the correct verb?)

thank you

Deadrat · Answer

Remember that you're listening to speech, which is much less formal and has a tendency to be much less organized than the written word. Yeah, the quotes kind of make sense. "There is nothing wrong in it in the context of what is being done" is a discursive way of saying that the reason for the procedure makes it religiously acceptable.

At 1:05, he says he cut himself 10 seconds short. What he means is that he cut his exercise routines 10 seconds short. He's clearly disappointed with his workout. If you believe in Freudian mechanisms, you might decide that he thinks his workout hurt him more than helped him so he actually says that he harmed ("cut") himself.

At 1:45, it's the right verb, but the wrong subject. Principles don't follow. People follow principles, so to be technically correct he should say "The same principle is followed here" or "I followed the same principle." But people aren't precise in conversation.

Anonymous · Answer

Ok,
but If you were to say the following sentences how would you have phrased them yourself?

There is nothing wrong in it in the context of what is being done.

I cut myself 10 seconds short of the duration I was supposed to be doing it for.

Thank you

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