Reply
Mon 24 Nov, 2003 09:13 pm
As an ESL student, sometimes I could not clearly comprehend some sentence, for example:
The embryonic stem cell, a holy grail for cell and developmental biologists, has become the subject of a more controversial quest over the last few years as some policymakers have clamored to ban its use and alternative sources of stem cells have been uncovered.
The problem is that I could not get this clearly -- "...to ban its use and alternative sources of stem cells have been uncovered".
To ban what? (1) To ban "its use"; (2) To ban " alternative sources of stem cells".
I guess you would say, no, (1) is right while (2) is wrong. But my vague defense might be " alternative sources of stem cells have been uncovered" may mean " alternative sources of stem cells (that) have been uncovered" -- that is, "that" has been intentionally ignored.
My sense tells me I should admit "(2) is wrong". But, how can I get it very clearly in grammatical analysis?
Thank you in advance.
PS. If the orginal content "... as some policymakers have clamored to ban its use and alternative sources of stem cells have been uncovered" can be rewritten like this:
... as some policymakers have clamored to ban its use. But, alternative sources of stem cells have been uncovered.
It would be very clear and wouldn't get misunderstood. (At least for an ESL student).
"Cut" the sentence into segments . . .
If possible, "cut" sentences like this one into segments. Also, you can often re-word and change, add, or delete punctuation for easier understanding. For example,
The embryonic stem cell, a holy grail for cell and developmental biologists, has become the subject of a more controversial quest over the last few years. Some policymakers have clamored to ban its use. Alternative sources of stem cells have been uncovered.
This is one idea. There are probably other - perhaps better - versions. Even the first sentence here could be cut down. The usual guide for concise, clear understanding is a maximum of ten to twelve words. Give or take a couple.
The first sentence:
The embryonic stem cell is a holy grail for cell and developmental biologists. It has become the subject of a more controversial quest over the last few years.
Thanks Charli, I've gotten better understanding on that long sentence.