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Taka Posted 18 years ago
Grammar

use

Any substantial use of cloning batches of people could only be justified by some very pressing reason, of a kind not now apparent.

Which is the meaning of the 'use' above, if you use the definitions here?

http://www.bartleby.com/61/57/U0155700.html
  

Top answer

" (the act of using; the application or employment of something for a purpose) Any use of the restrooms is restricted to our customers. Any use of swearing at students could only be justified by the teacher losing his temper. Any use of waterboarding detainees could only be justified by national security considerations.

— Avangi

  • " (the act of using; the application or employment of something for a purpose) Any use of the restrooms is restricted to our customers.
  • Any use of swearing at students could only be justified by the teacher losing his temper.
  • Any use of waterboarding detainees could only be justified by national security considerations.
  • Any use of clearcutting huge areas of the rain forest could only be justified by some very pressing reason, of a kind not now apparent.
  • - A.
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5 Answers
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Hi, Taka,

I'd go with "Noun 1a." (the act of using; the application or employment of something for a purpose)

Any use of the restrooms is restricted to our customers.

Any use of swearing at students could only be justified by the teacher losing his temper.

Any use of waterboarding detainees could only be justified by national security co
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Yes, I thought so too.
But if so, isn't 'use of doing' kind of redundant? Is such redundancy acceptable?

Any substantial use of cloning batches of people could only be justified by some very pressing reason, of a kind not now apparent.
?Cloning batches of people could only be justified by some very pressing reason, of a kind not now apparent.
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I share you feeling about the redundancy. The use of "use" seems to push the gerund away from it's verb origin, and closer to a pure noun. Likewise, it makes us think of the phrase (swearing at students / cloning batches of people) as a compound noun. That is, we're "using" the whole routine, not just the "doing." Does that make any sense?

I have no idea as to the degree of acceptanc
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OK. Thanks, Avangi!
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or:
Any (substantial) cloning of (batches of) people could only be justified by some very pressing reason, of a kind now not apparent.
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