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Do the following two sentences have the same meaning?

  • If the data misses a desired object, then information relevant to that object do not exist in the database.
  • If a desired object is being missed in the data, then information relevant to that object do not exist in the database.
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The second one isn't grammatical. – Matt Эллен Nov 14 '12 at 21:42
@Matt Эллен: sorry did some ammenments,, do both give same meaning now? – gnp Nov 14 '12 at 21:44
It is the collecting of data rather than the data itself that would / could miss something. The data would include or fail to include that item. – Edwin Ashworth Nov 14 '12 at 21:51
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The first one isn't grammatical either. Information is singular, so it does not exist, not do not exist. The whole idea of data missing objects is so metaphorically weird anyway that I think the sentence is only marginally "English" in the first place. – FumbleFingers Nov 14 '12 at 21:52
@niro - see Barrie's answer – Matt Эллен Nov 14 '12 at 21:55

closed as not a real question by FumbleFingers, MετάEd, StoneyB, Zairja, Will Hunting Nov 15 '12 at 20:22

It's difficult to tell what is being asked here. This question is ambiguous, vague, incomplete, overly broad, or rhetorical and cannot be reasonably answered in its current form. For help clarifying this question so that it can be reopened, see the FAQ.

1 Answer

up vote 3 down vote accepted

They give the same meaning, but not the same emphasis. The active form foregrounds the data, while the passive form foregrounds the desired object.

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