Reply
Sun 18 Jan, 2004 04:33 am
Context:
The only argument I hear from conservatives in regards to our system being better than say..Canada's is that for example if you have a heart condition here you dozens of times more facilities to go to than there.They leave out the fact that you have to be able to afford the damn places. (Note: The speaker was an American, he was talking about his health plan and US system")
(1) I didn't get what "say" meant here; if it meant "The right or power to influence or make a decision", it seemed not fit to the context.
(2) facilities = conveniences?
(3) Does "more facilities to go to than there" mean "more conveniences to go to US hopspital than go to Canada's hospital?
**********************************
Context:
You need to stop talking out of your ass, its a safe bet I pay a hell of a lot more in taxes then you do and as someone who served 10 years in the Army, I have seen firsthand the absolute idiocy and waste that goes on in goverment.
(1) Who "waste"? and "waste" what?
TIA
Re: being better than say
oristarA wrote:Context:
The only argument I hear from conservatives in regards to our system being better than say..Canada's is that for example if you have a heart condition here you dozens of times more facilities to go to than there.They leave out the fact that you have to be able to afford the damn places. (Note: The speaker was an American, he was talking about his health plan and US system")
(1) I didn't get what "say" meant here; if it meant "The right or power to influence or make a decision", it seemed not fit to the context.
(2) facilities = conveniences?
(3) Does "more facilities to go to than there" mean "more conveniences to go to US hopspital than go to Canada's hospital?
**********************************
Context:
You need to stop talking out of your ass, its a safe bet I pay a hell of a lot more in taxes then you do and as someone who served 10 years in the Army, I have seen firsthand the absolute idiocy and waste that goes on in goverment.
(1) Who "waste"? and "waste" what?
TIA
on the second one they are talking about the way the government waste tax payers money, paid in taxes.
I don't know about in America but in England 'talking out of your ass' is crude and would NOT be said in polite conversation but the sort of conversation a group of men might have when drinking in a pub. Don't use it indiscriminately!
Re: being better than say
oristarA wrote:Context:
The only argument I hear from conservatives in regards to our system being better than say..Canada's is that for example if you have a heart condition here you dozens of times more facilities to go to than there.They leave out the fact that you have to be able to afford the damn places. (Note: The speaker was an American, he was talking about his health plan and US system")
(1) I didn't get what "say" meant here; if it meant "The right or power to influence or make a decision", it seemed not fit to the context.
(2) facilities = conveniences?
(3) Does "more facilities to go to than there" mean "more conveniences to go to US hopspital than go to Canada's hospital?
incidentally - Americans seem more coy about 'facilities' as in 'going to the bathroom' - we English are more blunt about it and use the word toilet. Hey not every bathroom has a loo!!!!!
TIA
1 say is used as 'for instance' and is correct usage
2 facilities is hospitals/equipment/medical staff etc, a sort of shorthand way of saying all that (not as in conveniences = toilets! )
3 it means there are less hospitals etc in Canada to choose from or go to
are you studying English or just practising for yourself?? where are you and what language do you speak? I'm curious! you may have said somewhere but i haven't seen it
being better than, say = in comparison
facilities = In this specific example he meant health care facilities, hospitals. It's used as a euphemism to mean toilets, rooms with excecise equipment ect., places, amenities or services.
more conveniences = The writer is comparing the number of hospital/medical services in Canada and the United States. He believes there are more hospitals in the US compared to Canada, more opportunities or places to receive medical treatment. Which would make sense considering the disparity in population, Canada population is 30 million compared to 300 million Americans.
Waste = overspending by government on useless endeavors. In other words the writer believes his government is spending too much money on things he disaproves of, or feels inapropriate.
"..being better than, let's say for example,...."
is a longer way of putting it and may help you understand.
Thank you all.
I knew that usage of "say", but heck, the writer obviously used wrong punctuation so that I got confused. I am glad Ceili corrected the punctuation.
Stumble It!
Tweet This
Bookmark on Delicious
Share on Facebook
Share on MySpace