One Sentence--Grammar: internally of which...

Question

The CPU maintains a counter internally of which instruction is to befetched the next time an instruction is requested.Does this sentence make sense to you? How would you fix it?Thanks

Clive · Accepted Answer

Hi,

The CPU maintains a counter internally of which instruction is to be fetched the next time an instruction is requested.

Does this sentence make sense to you? If you mean 'Can I find a meaning?', yes. How would you fix it?

Clive

Avangi · Answer

The CPU maintains a counter internally of which instruction is to be fetched the next time an instruction is requested.

I think we fetch something "from" somewhere, not "of" somewhere.

The use of the uncountable "instruction" directly followed by the countable "instruction" is confusing. I suppose it's permissible.

There's a very limited amount of information to be gleaned from a counter. I think it's a stretch to call it "instruction." But again, I suppose it's possible.

Who or what do you fancy requests an instruction, and of/from whom/what?

You put all this stuff in the passive, which seems like a very impractical way to describe any kind of process - unless you're writing poetry.

I appreciate that you're given to pushing the envelope, but it defies common sense.

I believe you know how to fix it yourself.

Clive · Answer

Hi,

Here's how I see it.

The next instruction is not fetched from the counter.

eg If the counter says '15', that tells the computer to go to where the instructions are stored and fetch instruction number 15 from tthat place.

Clive

Avangi · Answer

Hi, Clive,

So you're saying that the CPU is counting instructions rather than time. Maybe so.

I always thought of the CPU as a dumb thing which didn't even know what operating system you might be running at the time. But you may have it right.

As I reread the OP's post, that's what he seems to be saying. You're right about that. I guess I didn't read it that way because it made no sense to me at the time.
(Plus, I mis-parsed "of which.")

Rgdz, - A.

CalifJim · Answer

English 1b3Does this sentence make sense to you?

Perfect sense. The position of "internally" splits the meaning group "counter of which instruction ...", however.

English 1b3How would you fix it?

It doesn't need fixing, but you could rewrite it a bit.

The CPU maintains an internal counter indicating which instruction is to be fetched the next time an instruction is requested.

How to add 2 and 2.

Just keep on performing whatever instruction is found at the location indicated by the instruction counter. Begin with instruction number 587.

After each instruction is performed, reset the instruction counter as shown in brackets.

Instruction number Instruction
587 Store 2 in the add register. [588]

588 Add 2 to the contents of the add register. [589]

589 Store the contents of the add register at location 26584. [590]

590 Call print routine for location 26584. (Set instruction counter to 10632.)

591 (Continuation of program)

...
...

Print routine.

10632 ...

10633 ... Prints number found at location 26584.

...

10954 Set instruction counter at 591.
...

26583

26584 Contains "4" after instruction 589 is performed.
26585

CJ

Dimsumexpress · Answer

A program counter is part of the CPU structure, which keeps track of and stored the next set of  instruction to be executed. There are specific terms used in the CPU basics. A CPU is made up of these circuitries: ALU, stack pointer, multiplexer, buffer, registers for various functions, program counters, clock generator (oscillator) and most importantly the E-proms. They contain the basic operating instructions that directs the information traffic on the bus. So the OP's question seemed confusing to me as the language used to construct the sentence didn't appear to correlate with the meaning clearly. Jsut my two cents...

Avangi · Answer

"Indicating which instruction" solves my problem. Thanks.

(I hadn't seen the "store" command for 30 years. I feel stupid.)

We used to use that language in primitive industrial process controllers.

Sorry to have made such a fuss.

Clive · Answer

Hi,

So you're saying that the CPU is counting instructions . . . .

I was just saying how I understand the meaning of the original sentence.

I wasn't expressing my own opinion of how a CPU works.

Clive

Avangi · Answer

Got it.  Thanks, Clive.

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