0
Silly Sally Posted 12 years ago
Grammar
of/for
Good greetings, good teachers! 
Which way does the sentence make more sense and what implication does each have?
1. The application of this technique requires sharp abilities as a vital source FOR sharp function.
2. The application of this technique requires sharp abilities as a vital source OF sharp function.
Thanks.
Which way does the sentence make more sense and what implication does each have?
1. The application of this technique requires sharp abilities as a vital source FOR sharp function.
2. The application of this technique requires sharp abilities as a vital source OF sharp function.
Thanks.
Top answer
'Sharp' seems odd in this context, but the nature of the context is not clear. In most cases where this confusion is raised, both prepositions are acceptable, but learners tend to choose 'of' where native speaker usually use 'for'.
- 'Sharp' seems odd in this context, but the nature of the context is not clear.
- In most cases where this confusion is raised, both prepositions are acceptable, but learners tend to choose 'of' where native speaker usually use 'for'.
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
7 Answers
0
'Sharp' seems odd in this context, but the nature of the context is not clear.
In most cases where this confusion is raised, both prepositions are acceptable, but learners tend to choose 'of' where native speaker usually use 'for'.
In most cases where this confusion is raised, both prepositions are acceptable, but learners tend to choose 'of' where native speaker usually use 'for'.
00
Thanks. How about "....abilities as a vital attribute to help sharp function."?
00
Since the original seems odd, so does this. I think the initial idea needs rephrasing.
00
OK. But which one would you pick from the two - "vital source for sharp function" or "vital attribute to help sharp function"? There must be one somewhat better than the other.
00
Silly Sally But which one would you pick from the two - "vital source for sharp function" or "vital attribute to help sharp function"? There must be one somewhat better than the other.That just cannot be answered with assurance without knowing what 'sharp function' is supposed to mean and what the context is. This is an example of why it is often so difficul
00
The intended meaning of the line: The application of the technique needs good abilities to help someone function well.
[Please do not mind the choice of words. It was randomly made for the sake of questioning the issue.]
[Please do not mind the choice of words. It was randomly made for the sake of questioning the issue.]
00
Silly SallyPlease do not mind the choice of words. It was randomly made for the sake of questioning the issueYou don't seem to have learned from our discussion on the other thread that that is precisely what is wrong with many students' posts! Random word choice in the hands of learners usually leads to more oddities and errors than what was initially being
0
Related Questions