Timeline for Is this sentence comprehensible?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
11 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| Apr 5, 2015 at 7:35 | answer | added | aparente001 | timeline score: 0 | |
| Apr 5, 2015 at 6:00 | answer | added | Sven Yargs | timeline score: 1 | |
| Feb 3, 2015 at 19:57 | comment | added | Hot Licks | It should be "has" instead of "have". Beyond that it's wrong, but we never worry about truth on English SE. | |
| Feb 3, 2015 at 18:11 | answer | added | Mark | timeline score: 0 | |
| Feb 2, 2015 at 16:33 | answer | added | Fred Bailey | timeline score: -1 | |
| Feb 2, 2015 at 11:40 | comment | added | Erik Kowal | Edwin is right. In my opinion, whenever someone with a reasonable grasp of the language tells the author of a piece of writing that they are having trouble understanding it, that is usually a good indicator that the text ought, at the very least, to be reviewed. Your girlfriend has good grounds for her doubts: I had to read that sentence three times before I could make proper sense of it, and I speak as someone whose profession consists of interpreting and rewriting poorly constructed and/or garbled prose. | |
| Feb 2, 2015 at 10:32 | history | edited | Edwin Ashworth | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
added 11 characters in body; edited title
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| Feb 2, 2015 at 10:24 | comment | added | Edwin Ashworth | I'd choose 'has' instead of 'have' here myself, but 'have' is grammatically quite acceptable (and some prescriptivists would probably argue 'mandatory' after a coordinated subject). I'd rephrase OP's sentence though to avoid the garden-pathiness. "Therefore, working alongside engineers in structuring and planning technically complex products has always been successful and productive." | |
| Feb 2, 2015 at 10:22 | comment | added | AverageGatsby | "structuring and planning", although it may be interpreted as two actions, in generall refers to one process. Therefor the infliction with an -s ending should in my oppinion apply. I am neither native and can't confirm this for sure. It is just based on my understanding and grammatical instinct. | |
| Feb 2, 2015 at 10:16 | comment | added | AverageGatsby | It is comprehensible. Nevertheless the infliction error (have instead of has) does not help. This error is related to this post The subject of the sentence is "structuring and planning". Since you want to express that structuring and planning has always been successful. | |
| Feb 2, 2015 at 10:12 | history | asked | Cube42 | CC BY-SA 3.0 |