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Akdom Posted 16 years ago
1. "an exercise in" is this a common pattern in english? idiom?
i understand "exercise of" but not "exercise in"
e.g. We urge the exercise of patience and restraint.
2. why follow the preposition 'in' with adjectives?
the meeting was an exercise in the banal (adj after 'in')
as oppose to:
this is an exercise in the book (noun after 'in')
3. do the following also make sense?
the meeting was an exercise in the banal [ORIGINAL]
the meeting was an exercise of the banal
the meeting was an banal exercise.
Vocabulary
It's an "EXERCISE IN" the unreasonable
As are most United Nations events these days, the UN Conference on Climate Change in this past week was an exercise in the banal and the bizarre.
The corporate world is an exercise in the unreasonable, inept, and frequently just plain unfair.
1. "an exercise in" is this a common pattern in english? idiom?
i understand "exercise of" but not "exercise in"
e.g. We urge the exercise of patience and restraint.
2. why follow the preposition 'in' with adjectives?
the meeting was an exercise in the banal (adj after 'in')
as oppose to:
this is an exercise in the book (noun after 'in')
3. do the following also make sense?
the meeting was an exercise in the banal [ORIGINAL]
the meeting was an exercise of the banal
the meeting was an banal exercise.
Top answer
1. "an exercise in" is a common English idiom. If "X is an exercise in Y" it means that Y was the real outcome or nature of X.
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- "an exercise in" is a common English idiom.
- If "X is an exercise in Y" it means that Y was the real outcome or nature of X.
- It's often used disparagingly, and may imply that the ostensible outcome or nature was different.
- 2.
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3 Answers
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1. "an exercise in" is a common English idiom. If "X is an exercise in Y" it means that Y was the real outcome or nature of X. It's often used disparagingly, and may imply that the ostensible outcome or nature was different.
2. "an exercise in" is followed by a noun: "an exercise in futility", "an exercise in stupidity" etc. In your examples, "the banal", "the unreasonable" etc. are actu
2. "an exercise in" is followed by a noun: "an exercise in futility", "an exercise in stupidity" etc. In your examples, "the banal", "the unreasonable" etc. are actu
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Thank you Mr. Wordy, great answer, very thorough. [Y]
Not that you have to to add more, but I'd really appreciate it if you could provide me a source/reference/definition online, an idiom dictionary site of some sort. For example, you say it's often used disparagingly. I'd really like to see it in an source, not that what you've given me isn't already perfect.
Not that you have to to add more, but I'd really appreciate it if you could provide me a source/reference/definition online, an idiom dictionary site of some sort. For example, you say it's often used disparagingly. I'd really like to see it in an source, not that what you've given me isn't already perfect.
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akdomThere seems a slight difference between this example and the examples you provided. In this example, the implied ul
(webster)
exercise:
4 : a performance or activity having a strongly marked secondary or ulterior aspect
<party politics has always been an exercise in compromise — H. S. Ashmore>
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