The meaning of ‘the first’
The passage below is from The Library A Fragile History by Andrew Pettegree.
As an adult, Colon would impress with his talent as well as his resilience. With the accession of Charles V, King of Spain (1516) and Holy Roman Emperor (1519), Colon was at last able to move on from defending his father’s complex financial legacy and build his own career. Charles V was taken by this young man with the interesting past and impressed by his versatility, always a useful quality in
a Renaissance court: the emperor would make use of him as an administrator, diplomat and surveyor, conducting the first thorough mapping of Castile.
In this paragraph I have two questions.
First, I’m not sure what is the sense subject of ‘conducting’.
My sense tells me that it is Colon. (Am I right?)
Last and foremost, I cannot figure out what ‘the first’ refers to in this context.
Let me tell you my not-so-sure understanding.
I figure out the first as the role of an administrator, since it was the first role that Charles V to Colon.
Am I right?
Thanks in advance.
Top answer
Colon, as a surveyor, conducted the first thorough mapping of Castile. Until Colon did it, no surveyor had ever made a thorough mapping of Castile.
- Colon, as a surveyor, conducted the first thorough mapping of Castile.
- Until Colon did it, no surveyor had ever made a thorough mapping of Castile.
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Colon, as a surveyor, conducted the first thorough mapping of Castile. Until Colon did it, no surveyor had ever made a thorough mapping of Castile.
0Stenka25First, I’m not sure what is the sense subject of ‘conducting’.My sense tells me that it is Colon. (Am I right?)
Yes, but the writer messed that up. What is on the page says that the emperor conducted the mapping, but he obviously meant that Colon did it.
0
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