Took me a while to figure out

Discuss any questions in English. Practise your writing skills.

Модератор: zymbronia

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#101

Сообщение acapnotic »

The collision drove the guard all the way to the wall, where it was sandwiched momentarily between rocklike earth and a human projectile. With something to push against, Bhodi turned his fall to the floor into a twisting roll and came up with the Allison in his hand. He burned his opponent's chest pack with his first shot, and only in the light of its exploding circuitry did he see that his opponent was Qeth, disarmed, and quite unconscious.

One Bhodi did not linger. He snatched up the fallen warrior's sidearm with his free hand, tested it with several shots down the dark passage to the left, then started himself down the passage to the right with both weapons at the ready, like a two-gun sharpshooter from a four-horse Western.
What does that 'one' do there? The only idea I have is that it might be a misrecognized 'on'. That is, the sentence is the inversion of "Bhodi did not linger on". But are such inversions really used? Or does 'one' make some unknown to me sense there? Like he had one gun and then he had two?
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#102

Сообщение acapnotic »

Nobody any ideas? Not even "I've never seen anything like that, so it must be some error"? Rather disappointing.

In the meantime, I've remembered seeing in another part of the book a missing period between two sentences, and figured it could be the case here too. It's not clear from the quote above but the guard Bhodi had defeated was the first of three. So he probably just counted him. Scored a point. But since he didn't do so for the other two, this guess isn't guaranteed to be correct either. Still it's the most plausible so far, I think.
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#103

Сообщение zymbronia »

I think it could mean "Only" "single" as opposite the others who lingered.
Or "once", but this is more complicated - we need to know if he could have lingered before to compare that it was the only moment when he didn't
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#104

Сообщение Easy-Breezy English »

acapnotic пишет: 21 дек 2020, 08:01 Rather disappointing.
Oh dear. I couldn’t possibly live another day knowing we’ve let you down quite so miserably, could I? So here – I’ve no clue what this is. Looks like a misprint to me.

Now, do you feel less alone in this world? :-)
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#105

Сообщение acapnotic »

zymbronia пишет: 21 дек 2020, 09:43 I think it could mean "Only" "single" as opposite the others who lingered.
No, there weren't any others. He was alone there from start to end. Except for his opponents, of course.
zymbronia пишет: 21 дек 2020, 09:43 Or "once", but this is more complicated - we need to know if he could have lingered before to compare that it was the only moment when he didn't
Hmm... He had been cautious, but I don't know if it could qualify as lingering. Besides, 'once' at the beginning of a sentence is typically used for something like "Once inside the gate, Sam hurried up the path." So it would probably look unnatural there with a different meaning. But I can't be sure, of course.
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#106

Сообщение acapnotic »

Easy-Breezy English пишет: 21 дек 2020, 11:50 Now, do you feel less alone in this world? :-)
No, unfortunately. Дорога ложка к обеду. A stitch in time saves nine. Now you owe me answers to nine other questions. And they have to be in time, or else your debt will grow.
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#107

Сообщение VictorB »

acapnotic пишет: 21 дек 2020, 13:17 Except for his opponents, of course.
Can't that be it? Weren't those lingering--as far as Bhodi's prompt actions go?
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#108

Сообщение acapnotic »

VictorB пишет: 21 дек 2020, 13:33 Weren't those lingering--as far as Bhodi's prompt actions go?
Yes, he turned out to be faster, at the end of the day. But at that particular point the other two of them were still ahead. It was unknown how he would tackle them.
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#109

Сообщение Easy-Breezy English »

acapnotic пишет: 21 дек 2020, 13:21
Easy-Breezy English пишет: 21 дек 2020, 11:50 Now, do you feel less alone in this world? :-)
A stitch in time saves nine. Now you owe me answers to nine other questions. And they have to be in time, or else your debt will grow.
Boy oh boy. I'll sure try to be prompt with my stitching next time. :-)

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#110

Сообщение Olya »

acapnotic,
(Being) one Bhodi didn’t linger (?)
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#111

Сообщение acapnotic »

Olya, what is it supposed to mean?
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#112

Сообщение acapnotic »

Jeffrey Ford in The Girl in the Glass пишет: Some days ago I sat by the window in my room, counting the number of sedative pills I've palmed over the course of the last three months.
An interesting combination of tenses, isn't it? What could the author have meant by it? The number had not changed since that last counting? Or could there be some other explanation?
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#113

Сообщение VictorB »

Some days ago I sat by the window in my room, counting the number of sedative pills I've palmed over the course of the last three months.
acapnotic пишет: 28 окт 2023, 12:28 An interesting combination of tenses
Yes, it's worth taking note of even if no conflict of tenses may be or not seen by anyone you might address this question to.
Just to get the ball rolling, my humble take on this is this:
Some days ago he did sit, yes, but he still sat within the time frame of the current three months still going on at the moment he narrates the story.
What could the author have meant by it?
If not that he was counting the number of pills he'd up to that very moment gotten, then which other pills? Anyway, once he did palm more of those during that three-moths period, what pills other than those he'd had right then could he be counting?
Should you want my opinion on this whole issue... That you've noticed and mentally registered it as somewhat an oddish thing in writing, alone is as good as enough to not dig any deeper - imho, though :)
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#114

Сообщение VictorB »

acapnotic пишет: 28 окт 2023, 12:28Jeffrey Ford
acapnotic, by the way, bud, how come you came across him not sharing the name with me the moment you did?
A retorical question is it - since now I have gotten what you have - but it seems like we're being fed from the same trough, no?
Anyway, I did put the name on my read list )
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#115

Сообщение VictorB »

acapnotic, oh, just one more thing:
Since you're an early bird, me being an old owl, please don't be angry awaiting my response to what you may have responded to my previous silly comments earlier than after this new day's midday - I still have my thirty or so pages of fiction to read into the night before hitting the sack :)
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#116

Сообщение acapnotic »

VictorB пишет: 28 окт 2023, 23:53 how come you came across him not sharing the name with me the moment you did?
For no other reason but because I learned his name from you. :) A while ago you listed it among a few others in a personal message or email.
VictorB пишет: 28 окт 2023, 22:39 Some days ago he did sit, yes, but he still sat within the time frame of the current three months still going on at the moment he narrates the story.
Not sure I can see your logic. Mine is: the number of pills you have palmed is a thing you have now. How could you count it several days ago when it didn't exist yet? Then it was the number you had palmed by that moment. The only explanation I have is that the number hasn't changed since that time. Then it's the same thing.
VictorB пишет: 29 окт 2023, 00:10 Since you're an early bird,
Not only I but also the sun, which in our parts gets up two hours earlier than in yours. So either the earth is indeed round or we are served by two different suns, mine being an early riser and yours a late sleeper.
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#117

Сообщение VictorB »

acapnotic пишет: 29 окт 2023, 06:48 For no other reason but because I learned his name from you. :)
acapnotic, on checking up on my entire virtual library:
There's only one author there whose first name is pronounced the same way as Jeffrey, and that one is Jeffery Deaver. How came that I'd shared the name of Jeffrey Ford with you and failed to add some of his work to my library is now totally beyond me. So let's just put it down to the brain, aging faster than one might have expected it to, shall we? ))
acapnotic пишет: 29 окт 2023, 06:48 The only explanation I have is that the number hasn't changed since that time. Then it's the same thing.
Since in the cool light of the day that logic of mine does seem twisted to me too, I can't but accept yours, which you know I always do. )
acapnotic пишет: 29 окт 2023, 06:48 mine being an early riser and yours a late sleeper.
Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise? ))
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#118

Сообщение acapnotic »

VictorB пишет: 29 окт 2023, 14:34 and that one is Jeffery Deaver.
Wait, whose library are these folders from, then? :)

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#119

Сообщение VictorB »

acapnotic пишет: 29 окт 2023, 14:47 Wait, whose library are these folders from, then? :)
ROFL! Then it's much worse than I thought it to be: I clean forgot to replace it, together with the other August-September folders, from a temporal to the permanent place of storage. Thank you so much for pointing that out.
Back to your question, how could I forget to readdress it to the Bot! )) Let's see if its answer makes sense to you:
Q: Here's a sentence: Some days ago I sat by the window in my room, counting the number of sedative pills I've palmed over the course of the last three months. Why is there used the Present Perfect, not the Past Perfect in " I've palmed over the course of the last three months"?
A: The use of the present perfect tense in the sentence "I've palmed over the course of the last three months" suggests that the action of palming the sedative pills started in the past and has some connection to the present moment. The speaker is reflecting on their recent past and the cumulative number of pills they have palmed up until now. It implies that the action might still be ongoing or relevant in some way. The past perfect tense ("I had palmed") would have conveyed a sense of completion or a clear break from the present, which might not be the intended meaning in this context.
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#120

Сообщение acapnotic »

VictorB пишет: 29 окт 2023, 15:05 Let's see if its answer makes sense to you
Maybe it does, but it's a bit over my head at the moment. And obviously it doesn't clarify how he could count several days ago "the cumulative number of pills he has palmed up until now". Could he see into the future?
VictorB пишет: 29 окт 2023, 14:34 Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise? ))
I believe so. Unfortunately I don't have another life to test it. :)
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#121

Сообщение VictorB »

acapnotic пишет: 29 окт 2023, 15:34 I don't have another life to test it
As neither did those who used to repeat this merry (?) saying (the translation is mine):

Those who never smoke and drink
Will in good health die, they think.
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#122

Сообщение acapnotic »

VictorB пишет: 29 окт 2023, 15:47 Those who never smoke and drink
Will in good health die, they think.
There is truth in every joke. The better your health, the longer you live. The longer you live, the more opportunities you will have to die not of a disease but in an accident or from an act of violence. In both cases you will die in good health, actually, if not in a good mood.
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#123

Сообщение Kind_Punk »

acapnotic пишет: 28 окт 2023, 12:28 What could the author have meant by it?
A sort of direct speech to me. He's 'in the moment' so uses the Present Tense.
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#124

Сообщение acapnotic »

Kind_Punk, then it would be "I sit", not "I sat", it seems to me.
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#125

Сообщение Kind_Punk »

acapnotic пишет: 29 окт 2023, 18:11 then it would be "I sit", not "I sat", it seems to me.
Well, first he 'sat', then the 'direct speech' began )

Some days ago I sat by the window in my room, counting the number of sedative pills *flashback starts* I've palmed over the course of the last three months. Even though my fingers tremble, I've discovered that the erratic action can be a boon to tricks involving sleight of hand. *flashback ends* In the midst of my tabulation, I happened to look outside...
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