reference

Question

Japan is very much like the USA in the proprotions of electricity-generation sources, dominated by heat-power generation.About 'dominated', which does it refer to; 'Japan' or 'the proprotions of electricity-generation sources'?

Rishonly · Accepted Answer

The modifier 'dominated...'  goes with the subject 'Japan'.

Clive · Answer

Hi Taka,

Japan is very much like the USA in the proprotions of electricity-generation sources, dominated by heat-power generation.

About 'dominated', which does it refer to; 'Japan' or 'the proprotions of electricity-generation sources'?

I've learned that it's a bit risky to offer the first opinion about your 'simple questions', but here goes.

I don't see the sentence as well written.

I think 'dominated' is meant to refer to 'sources', since surely only sources can be dominated by one kind of source? However, if it refers to sources, I suggest the comma should be omitted.

I wouldn't even try to read it as referring just to Japan. If you wanted to go in that direction, I think you'd have to try to read it as referring to both Japan and the USA, since they are both linked in the thought.

The main thing that bothers me, that I find confuses the meaning, is the use of the word 'proportions'. If you speak of this, you need to speak of two things, of 'the proportion of A to B'. What are the two things here? Does it mean that Japan and the USA have the same number of such sources? Then just say number. Or does it mean that, in Japan, the proportion of electricity sources to grammarians is the same as the like proportion in the USA? The sentence is very lacking in information to explain what it means by 'proportion'.

Let's see what other thoughts people have to offer.

Best wishes, Clive

CalifJim · Answer

I think that in order to understand what refers to what, one must first understand the sentence.
Personally, I can't make any sense of it!
I don't have a sense of what it would mean to be dominated by heat-power generation, whether it was Japan, the USA, the proportion, or the sources that are so dominated!
Semantically, I don't see how a proportion could be dominated, unless figuratively, so I'm somewhat inclined to eliminate "proportion" as a choice. And yet ...

CJ

Taka · Answer

Glad to know that I'm not the only one who got confused by the sentence.<img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' alt='Emotion: smile'/>

Davkett · Answer

My guess, on a semantic level, is that Japan and the United States are alike in the proportion of electric-generated sources used for heating. That heat dominates the full range of uses powered by electricity.

Thus dominated ought to refer to proportions. Is it really grammatically correct, though, to say that something can 'dominate proportions'? If for instance, 10% of electric-generated sources is for lighting, 20% for power equipment, and 70% for heating, can we correctly say that heat-generation dominates the proportions?

MrPedantic · Answer

TakaJapan is very much like the USA in the proprotions of electricity-generation sources, dominated by heat-power generation.

About 'dominated', which does it refer to; 'Japan' or 'the proprotions of electricity-generation sources'?

I'd say "sources" too.

Let's say there are 3 things that generate electricity ("electricity-generation sources"): heat-power generation, X, and Y.

Let's then say that the proportion of total Japanese electricity production that each produces is 70%, 20%, and 10% respectively.

Then "heat-power generation" would be the dominant Japanese source of electricity.

Not that I have a clue what it means.

MrP

Davkett · Answer

CliveThe main thing that bothers me, that I find confuses the meaning, is the use of the word 'proportions'. If you speak of this, you need to speak of two things

Clive, I tend, likewise, to prefer this definition of the word proportion; however, it seems (at least, according to Merriam-Webster) that one of the valid uses is percentage, which appears to be the obvious context here.

The only reasonable thing we can do with this badly worded sentence, is to read between the words for the most likely meaning. Heat-power is generated from the source, as are other types of power requiring electricity as a source. A higher percentage of that source goes into heat generation. What heat-generation dominates is the total distribution of electrically-generated power. Neither source nor proportion seems a viable referent of the word dominated.

Davkett · Answer

MrPedanticThen "heat-power generation" would be the dominant Japanese source of electricity.

MrP,

Are you sure you want to say that?

MrPedantic · Answer

Davkett
MrPedantic
Then "heat-power generation" would be the dominant Japanese source of electricity.

MrP,

Are you sure you want to say that?

Well, I suppose I was thinking of e.g. steam-driven as opposed to wind-powered turbines.

But I don't know. Power Generation, Wind Turbines, Generation X – it's turning into a list of bad bands I'd prefer to forget...

MrP

Davkett · Answer

It's just that electricity is the source of heat-power, not the other way around...although there are certainly other generating sources of heat-power.

reference

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions