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Hi,
I am reading (a novel) The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and there is a phrase i am not sure.
"On the other hand, the aboriginal people of Australia regarded as sacred the region and the flora around Ayers Rock."
I am used to hearing people say," something is regarded as something," which means think about in a particular way. And in my Oxford dictionary, it is okay to put the other way around," I have little information as regards her fitness for the post." In the case, it means "I have little information concerning her fitness for the post."
But i think these two explanations cannot be applied to the quoted sentence, right? The aboriginal people was thought sacred, or the people think the region sacred? how about the flora around Ayers Rock?
Is definite article "the" placed in the wrong place in the highlighted sentence? Should it be the sacred region?

Also, is it okay to write "a novel" in the sentence?

Thanks,

Ryan

Sam1947 · Accepted Answer

It is fine to say, "I'm reading a novel, The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo.

For the sentence in question:

On the other hand, the aboriginal people of Australia regarded as sacred the region and the flora around Ayers Rock."

It is the aboriginal people of Australia who believe that the region (area of land) and the flora (plants) around Ayers Rock are sacred.

"the" is not misplaced. They regard as sacred THE region that exists around Ayers Rock, and the flora that is found there.

Another sentence that might exemplify this concept a little more simply is: "Catholics regard as sacred the Shroud of Turin."

or, "Muslims regard as sacred the birthplace of Mohammed."

or, "The Jews regard as sacred the remnants of the wall of the Temple."

(I'm not making any assertions in the above for any religious group; I'm just using those as examples of sentences. The theology or iconography might not be correct, but the sentences are just meant as examples.)

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