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Taka Posted 21 years ago
Grammar

To MrP: need interpretation

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00 I fly to my book as the opium-smoker to his pipe. I would sooner read the catalogue of the Army and Navy Stores than nothing at all. At one time I never went out without a secondhand bookseller's list in my pocket. I know no reading more fruity. Of course to read in this way is as reprehensive as doping, and I never cease to wonder at the impertience of great readers who, becouse they are such, look down on the illiterate. 11b10 From the standpoint of what eternity 12b10 is it better to have read a thousand books than to have ploughed a million furrows? 12blockquote
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00Hello, MrP. 02br
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00How do you interpret 'from the standpoint of what eternity' here? 0-
  

Top answer

0 Hi Taka, 02br 02br 00I know this addressed to Mr. P, so I won't answer it, but it seems to me that it may be missing an "is". " 0-

— Abbie1948

  • 0 Hi Taka, 02br 02br 00I know this addressed to Mr.
  • P, so I won't answer it, but it seems to me that it may be missing an "is".
  • " 0-
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27 Answers
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0 Hi Taka, 02br
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00I know this addressed to Mr. P, so I won't answer it, but it seems to me that it may be missing an "is". 02br
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00"From the standpoint of what eternity is, is it better ..." 02br
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00OR "From the standpoint of eternity, is it better ..." 0-
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0 Yes, there should be 'is' there grammatically. I think you are right. 02br
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00But what does 'Form the standpoint of (what) eternity (is)' anyway?? 0-
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0 I fly to my book as the opium-smoker to his pipe. I would sooner read the catalogue of the Army and Navy Stores than nothing at all. At one time I never went out without a secondhand bookseller's list in my pocket. I know no reading more fruity. Of course to read in this way is as reprehensive as doping, and I never cease to wonder at the impertience of great readers who, becouse they are such
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0 Hi Guys, 02br
00I hope you don't mind me butting in a little, although Mr. P hasn't even had a chance to answer yet. 02br
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00I just want to comment on the earlier thought that an extra 'is' may be required. I think not. 02br
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00The original quote is 02br
00"From the standpoint of what eternity is it better to have read a t
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0 01blockquote
00I never cease to wonder at the impertinence of great readers who, because they are such, look down on the illiterate. From the standpoint of what eternity is it better to have read a thousand books than to have ploughed a million furrows? 12blockquote
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00Hello Taka 02br
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00I would read the final sentence
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0 PS: 02br
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00Haven't seen you here for a while, Clive – please do '****'. 02br
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00Plenty of ambiguity to go round. 02br
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00MrP 0-
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0Clive - have re-read using your interpretation, and yes, it works. 050010id1
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0 Clieve. 02br
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00You seem to treat 'eternity' and 'eternities' as almost the same. But my dictionary says 'eternity', the singular, means infinite time, whereas 'eternities', the plural, means the absolute truth. Why did you treat them as the same? 02br
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00abbie1948. 02br
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00You say 'from the beginning to the end of time',
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0 Hi Taka, 02br
00This is getting a tad philosophical, but that can be interesting. 02br
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00I checked my dictionary, and it too has 'absolute truth' as one meaning of 'eternities'. I've never heard it used that way before. I would perhaps have said 'verities' for such a meaning. 02br
00We do occasionally find the phrase 'eternal verities'. 02br
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0 Oh dear. Never let grammarians loose near poetical writing! Of course Clive is quite right. Mr.P is also right to say that it "is a slightly sarcastic rhetorical question", but of course any comparison looks pretty pointless from the "standpoint of eternity", as far as we can make out what that is. The phrase "from the standpoint of what eternity" is a slightly silly, a little fey, and probabl
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