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Cadzao Posted 20 years ago
Grammar

Scale

"The oppotunity to exchange work, merchandise, and ideas, these are primary to the concept of a city. It is the scale on which these things are humanly possible that has been lost sight of, and which must be restored."

Is it possible to rewrite the blue sentence as "these things (exchange work, merchandise, and ideas) can be done by human beings, but they have fogotten the importance of that, and these things must be restored?"

What does "scale" mean in the context?

Thank you.

Cadzao
  

Top answer

Scale = magnitude, size. Your rewrite is a bit awkward and I think a bit off; I would paraphrase it as: They have forgotten how much exchange of work, merchandise, and ideas can be accomplished in a city, and this (volume of exchange, etc) must be restored .

— Mister Micawber

  • Scale = magnitude, size.
  • Your rewrite is a bit awkward and I think a bit off; I would paraphrase it as: They have forgotten how much exchange of work, merchandise, and ideas can be accomplished in a city, and this (volume of exchange, etc) must be restored .
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8 Answers
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Scale = magnitude, size. Your rewrite is a bit awkward and I think a bit off; I would paraphrase it as: They have forgotten how much exchange of work, merchandise, and ideas can be accomplished in a city, and this (volume of exchange, etc) must be restored.
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Once again thank you very much, Mister Micawber.
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Honestly, I am not sure if the author is a pessimist or an optimist in terms of human capability, but he seems to be on the positive side of it with the end of the phrase. But he could've been more convincing
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The author wrote it in a rather complicated way, so it is so difficult for me to get what he means.

Could you tell me what makes you think he seems to be on the positive side of it?
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CadzaoThe author wrote it in a rather complicated way, so it is so difficult for me to get what he means.

Could you tell me what makes you think he seems to be on the positive side of it?
which must be restored
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I know, but why "which must be restored?" (because of "MUST"?)
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CadzaoI know, but why "which must be restored?" (because of "MUST"?)
must be restored because they are valuable
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Once again, thank you very much.
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