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Christanford Posted 17 years ago
Grammar
Research into/ on; plural vs singular
Hi,
Here are two sentences extracted from the same news article:-
The summary also found that oseltamivir, but not zanamivir, cut the risk of getting complications such as an ear infection, or an asthma attack.
But it disagrees about whether antiviral drugs can cut the chances of children getting ear infections or asthma attacks.
Why " cut the risk" but "cut the chances"? Shouldn't they both be singular or both be plural?
Another sentence from the same article:-
Since the 2005 review, more research has been done into the use of these antiviral drugs.
Does "into" imply more thorough research than if "on" were used? Or are they just completely interchangeable?
Thank you very much in advance
Here are two sentences extracted from the same news article:-
The summary also found that oseltamivir, but not zanamivir, cut the risk of getting complications such as an ear infection, or an asthma attack.
But it disagrees about whether antiviral drugs can cut the chances of children getting ear infections or asthma attacks.
Why " cut the risk" but "cut the chances"? Shouldn't they both be singular or both be plural?
Another sentence from the same article:-
Since the 2005 review, more research has been done into the use of these antiviral drugs.
Does "into" imply more thorough research than if "on" were used? Or are they just completely interchangeable?
Thank you very much in advance
Top answer
Christanford Why " cut the risk " but "cut the chances "? Shouldn't they both be singular or both be plural? No.
- Christanford Why " cut the risk " but "cut the chances "?
- Shouldn't they both be singular or both be plural?
- No.
- They don't have to be the same.
- chance chances are both used to mean probability.
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3 Answers
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ChristanfordWhy " cut the risk" but "cut the chances"? Shouldn't they both be singular or both be plural?No. They don't have to be the same. chance chances are both used to mean probability.
ChristanfordDoes "into" imply more thorough research than if "on" were used?I would not say so, no. I think "
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Lazy writing IMHO. "Cut" and "chances" are very informal too, as is "getting".
It should read "lower the risk" or "limit the risks".
For example:
"The summary also found that oseltamivir, but not zanamivir, lowers/minimises the risk of complications such as an ear infection, or an asthma attack.
But it disagrees about whether antiviral drugs can reduce the l
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