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Tinanam0102 Posted 14 years ago
Vocabulary

It should just as often

Hi teachers,

Excerpts:

Pushing ourselves to write will often reveal that we know more about a subject than we at first supposed; it should just as often reveal large gaps in our understanding of matters we thought ourselves fairly sure of.

1. Is the first 'it' a dummy it?
2. I'm familiar with 'as...as' but what is 'as often'?
3. Why a semi colon is used after 'we at first supposed'?

Thanks
  

Top answer

1. - - No. Its referent is 'pushing ourselves to write'.

— Mister Micawber

  • 1.
  • - - No.
  • Its referent is 'pushing ourselves to write'.
  • 2.
  • as' but what is 'as often'?
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5 Answers
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1. Is the first 'it' a dummy it?-- No. Its referent is 'pushing ourselves to write'.
2. I'm familiar with 'as...as' but what is 'as often'?- It is another comparative structure.
3. Why a semicolon is used after 'we at first supposed'?-- Semicolons can replace comma-plus-coordinating-conjunctions.
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Hi Mister Micawber,

Thanks for the help. When you say 'as often' is another comparative structure. Do you mean the second sentence (after the semicolon) is comparing with the first sentence?

Thanks
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Logically, yes; I'm not sure that the grammatical comparison extends that far, though.
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tinanam0102 it should just as often reveal
Here's the implied missing as.

it should just as often
reveal large gaps in our understanding of matters we thought ourselves fairly sure of
as (it)
reveals that we know more about a subject than we at first supposed.

Obviously, the writer doesn't want to repeat every
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Hi CalifJim,

Thanks for breaking it down.

TN
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