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Stenka25 Posted 5 years ago
Vocabulary

What do the two underlined pronouns stand for?

What do the two underlined pronouns stand for?


The passage below is from The Library A Fragile History by Andrew Pettegree.


Colon’s systematic register of every purchase also allows us to reconstruct the fruits of his Venetian buying spree, since the books themselves never made it to Seville. The ship dispatched with the books succumbed to the notoriously fickle winds and tides of the Mediterranean, and the entire cargo was lost. This Venetian collection was to have been the glory of Colon’s library, a consignment which itself was larger than most libraries of the age. Gone were not only these magnificent volumes, but the 2,000 crowns donated by the emperor that Colon had invested in them. Yet printed books, though expensive, were easily replaced. What marks out Colon’s collection from that of other great libraries of the day is his interest not only in the milestones of scholarship, but in the ephemeral literature of the day: pamphlets, songs, cheap works of devotional literature and other practical books.


At first, I’m not sure what the two underlined pronouns ‘that’ and ‘them’ stand for.

Let me tell you what I have in my mind.

To me ‘that’ seems to refer to ‘2,000 crowns’ and ‘them’ seems to refer to ‘these magnificent volumes’.

(Am I right?)


Then does that sentence with the two pronouns mean that Colon bought books with 2,000 crowns donated by the emperor to Colon and that with the ship containing the books sunk under the Mediterranean, the 2,000 crowns he invested came to nothing.


Actually at first, I thought in the sunken ship there were both books and 2,000 crowns. Now I changed my idea of this sentence as the above, that is, Colon bought the books with 2,000 crowns and as the ship has sunk so consequently have the money that was invested to buy books and his efforts to collect them.


Am I right?


Thanks in advance.

  

Top answer

Stenka25 To me ‘that’ seems to refer to ‘2,000 crowns’ and ‘them’ seems to refer to ‘these magnificent volumes’. Right. Stenka25 Colon bought the books with 2,000 crowns and as the ship has sunk so consequently have the money that was invested to buy books and his efforts to collect them.

  • Stenka25 To me ‘that’ seems to refer to ‘2,000 crowns’ and ‘them’ seems to refer to ‘these magnificent volumes’.
  • Right.
  • Stenka25 Colon bought the books with 2,000 crowns and as the ship has sunk so consequently have the money that was invested to buy books and his efforts to collect them.
  • Right.
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1 Answers
0
Stenka25To me ‘that’ seems to refer to ‘2,000 crowns’ and ‘them’ seems to refer to ‘these magnificent volumes’.

Right.

Stenka25Colon bought the books with 2,000 crowns and as the ship has sunk so consequently have the money that was invested to buy books and his efforts to collect them.

Right.

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