# My General Questions \[consolidated thread for questions on English usage\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 3, 2010, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-general-questions-consolidated-thread-for-questions-on-english-usage/545390 "2010-07-03T03:23:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![themajestic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@themajestic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/themajestic)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-general-questions-consolidated-thread-for-questions-on-english-usage/545390/201 "2010-08-10T02:23:33Z")
Please look at this Text… Whether there are insect pests that sometimes reduce feed-corn yields, but against which commonly used insecticides and the genetic modification are equally ineffective I’m getting confused with this text. trouble is here _but against which commonly used insecticides and the genetic modification are equally ineffective_ _against which_ work upon what ? _feed-corn yields_ or _insect pests_ equally ineffective to what ? I’m breaking down this way… ---
**Author:** ![zut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zut/32/2875_2.png) [@zut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zut)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-general-questions-consolidated-thread-for-questions-on-english-usage/545390/202 "2010-08-10T11:37:45Z")
This is a little hard to parse, because 1) you haven’t given the entire sentence, 2) it’s not a great example of writing, anyway, and 3) there seems to be an extraneous “the” in front of “genetic,” which is confusing. Nonetheless… The “commonly used insecticides and the genetic modification” are ineffective against “insect pests.” You can tell this because “insect pests” is the subject of the first phrase, and the second phrase is discussing the subject of the first. “Insecticides and the genetic modification” are equally ineffective compared to _each other_. in other words, insecticides are just as ineffective as genetic modification, and genetic modification is just as ineffective as insecticides. ---
**Author:** ![themajestic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@themajestic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/themajestic)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-general-questions-consolidated-thread-for-questions-on-english-usage/545390/203 "2010-08-10T12:00:30Z")
yes…that makes sense. feeling comfortable now. ---
**Author:** ![themajestic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@themajestic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/themajestic)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-general-questions-consolidated-thread-for-questions-on-english-usage/545390/204 "2010-08-11T15:57:29Z")
Please look at this English text… In the past the country of Malvernia has relied heavily on imported oil. Malvernia recently implemented a program to [COLOR=“Red”]convert heating systems from oil to natural gas. Malvernia currently produces more natural gas each year than it uses, and oil production in Malvernian oil fields is increasing at a steady pace. If these trends in fuel production and usage continue, therefore, Malvernian reliance on foreign sources for fuel is likely to decline soon.[/COLOR] convert heating systems from oil to natural gas. …what is this ? _convert heating systems_ means ? This part is confusing. Could you please give me an example to understand it better way ? how the conversion of heating systems is related with oil and natural gas ? ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-general-questions-consolidated-thread-for-questions-on-english-usage/545390/205 "2010-08-11T16:21:37Z")
Oil is burned as a heating fuel. Natural gas is burned as a heating fuel. Oil is a liquid. Natural gas (methane) is a gas. The method of delivery, and the burning temperature are different for these different fuels. So, you need to convert (change) some of the furnace parts. ---
**Author:** ![themajestic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@themajestic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/themajestic)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-general-questions-consolidated-thread-for-questions-on-english-usage/545390/206 "2010-08-11T16:33:11Z")
Not yet clear . I’m putting my comments in your post. > [@Leaffan](#): > > Oil is burned as a heating fuel. // did you mean oil is used to generate heat . …they said “heating systems” …is it a furnace ? or some Engine which generate heat taking oil as fuel ? > Natural gas is burned as a heating fuel. // I think cooking gas could be an example here > > Oil is a liquid. > > Natural gas (methane) is a gas. > > The method of delivery, and the burning temperature are different for these different fuels. So, you need to convert (change) some of the furnace parts. > > why ? what conversion ? Not getting this part. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-general-questions-consolidated-thread-for-questions-on-english-usage/545390/207 "2010-08-11T16:41:27Z")
In this instance, yes the heating system is a furnace. I don’t know all of the technical aspects behind the conversion; I thought this was an English thread, not a technical thread on furnace conversions. I would suggest Googling or opening another thread if you really need to know which furnace parts need to be changed. I would guess that the actual burner would be different, as would pipe diameters but I’m not familiar with this process. ---
**Author:** ![themajestic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@themajestic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/themajestic)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-general-questions-consolidated-thread-for-questions-on-english-usage/545390/208 "2010-08-11T17:18:43Z")
Yes. I too did not want to know technical aspect too ! wanted to know English part 🙂 look at the sentence again on red parts… \>\>Malvernia recently implemented a program to convert heating systems from oil to natural gas. I wanted to know the possible meaning of these red markers . ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-general-questions-consolidated-thread-for-questions-on-english-usage/545390/209 "2010-08-11T17:28:11Z")
A lot of people in Malvernia had furnaces that burned oil for heat in the winter. The government wanted them to use natural gas instead, so they started a program that might have, say, given tax incentives or forced people to convert or required all new constructions to use natural gas - it doesn’t say how the program works, just that there’s a program. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-general-questions-consolidated-thread-for-questions-on-english-usage/545390/210 "2010-08-11T18:00:51Z")
A heating system is a system whose purpose is to generate heat. So it would not be an engine, for instance. It could be a furnace, or a hot water heater, and integrated Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning system. One thing I notice from this thread is that you are often confused by broad, general nouns. ---
**Author:** ![J\_Cubed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@J\_Cubed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/J_Cubed)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-general-questions-consolidated-thread-for-questions-on-english-usage/545390/211 "2010-08-11T18:38:56Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > One thing I notice from this thread is that you are often confused by broad, general nouns. I think that **themajestic** has a pretty good understanding of English at this point; certainly better than 50% of American high school students. Wherever these sentences are coming from (ESL study guide, economics textbook, LSAT tests, etc), it’s obvious that the emphasis is not on quality and clarity. The writers seem to overgeneralize a lot, which is why **themajestic** keeps running into problematic broad nouns. Another problem seems to be dense noun phrase constructions where the root words can appear in nouns, verbs, and adjectives. So s/he will get the basic meaning of individual words, but not what they’re specifically doing in the sentence. But I wouldn’t be surprised if even the words themselves don’t always know what they’re doing in these sentences. One thing I would point out, **themajestic** , is that these text samples all seem to be intended to teach people something they didn’t know, or explain a disagreement. So, besides doing separate research on the more technical facts and concepts, as **Leaffan** said, keep in mind that the thing you don’t understand might be the exact thing that the text is trying to teach you or provide an alternate explanation for. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-general-questions-consolidated-thread-for-questions-on-english-usage/545390/212 "2010-08-11T20:19:05Z")
> [@J\_Cubed](#): > > > [@Hello\_Again](#): > > > > One thing I notice from this thread is that you are often confused by broad, general nouns. > > I think that **themajestic** has a pretty good understanding of English at this point; certainly better than 50% of American high school students. I agree, I was simply pointing out a certain commonality with many of his questions. I believe **themajestic** is studying for the MCAT, and might find the observation helpful in directing his studies. ---
**Author:** ![themajestic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@themajestic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/themajestic)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-general-questions-consolidated-thread-for-questions-on-english-usage/545390/213 "2010-08-13T16:54:42Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > A heating system is a system whose purpose is to generate heat. So it would not be an engine, for instance. It could be a furnace, or a hot water heater, and integrated Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning system. Thanks …but still there is a confusion . Let me explain where I’m facing problem . \>\>\>\*Malvernia recently implemented a program to convert heating systems from oil to natural gas. \* Ok…Now people can use natural gas to generate heat . they used oil earlier to generate heat…its a change …heating systems are now accepting natural gas to generate heat …earlier they accepted oil only to generate heat…i guess program = technical process here . \>\>\>\>_Malvernia currently produces more natural gas each year than it uses, and oil production in Malvernian oil fi elds is increasing at a steady pace. If these trends in fuel production and usage continue, therefore, Malvernian reliance on foreign sources for fuel is likely to decline soon._ Please see , both the oil & natural gas which are used to generate heat is rising ,and so Malvernian reliance on foreign sources for fuel is likely to decline soon. This is not because of **heating systems conversions** …its purely because of fuel sources are rising now …I don’t see the connection of **heating systems conversions** and the **decline** of import of oil. Does it have any implicit connection anywhere I’m missing ? ---
**Author:** ![zut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zut/32/2875_2.png) [@zut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zut)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-general-questions-consolidated-thread-for-questions-on-english-usage/545390/214 "2010-08-13T17:15:16Z")
> [@themajestic](#): > > Does it have any implicit connection anywhere I’m missing ? Yes. The author is saying that, right now, Malvernia _exports_ natural gas and \*imports \*oil. They are doing two things to decrease their oil imports: 1. They’re converting heating systems from oil to gas, meaning they need less oil, and 2. They’re producing more oil themselves, meaning they have to import less. Both of these things mean they need to _import less oil_. The paragraph does NOT say that natural gas production is rising, only that \*oil \*production is rising. ---
**Author:** ![themajestic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@themajestic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/themajestic)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-general-questions-consolidated-thread-for-questions-on-english-usage/545390/215 "2010-08-13T18:05:26Z")
Thanks for the post . Here are my comments in red .. > [@zut](#): > > > [@themajestic](#): > > > > Does it have any implicit connection anywhere I’m missing ? > > Yes. > > The author is saying that, right now, Malvernia _ **exports** _ natural gas and \*imports \*oil. They are doing two things to decrease their oil imports: > > where did you get that ? which line says that ? > > 1. They’re converting heating systems from oil to gas, meaning they need less oil, and > 2. They’re producing more oil themselves, meaning they have to import less. > > Both of these things mean they need to _import less oil_. > > The paragraph **does NOT say that** natural gas production is rising, only that \*oil \*production is rising. > > Yes it says . please see this line “Malvernia currently produces \*\*more \*\*natural gas each year than it uses”. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-general-questions-consolidated-thread-for-questions-on-english-usage/545390/216 "2010-08-13T18:15:36Z")
“It produces more than it uses,” does not mean that production is rising. It means that more is being produced than is being used. Example. Production = 1 million cubic meters of gas. Consumption = 800,000 cubic meters of gas. Regarding the export of gas, I believe that **zut** inferred this from the above. I mean, the surplus goes somewhere, right? For the production to be rising, Malvernia must continually produce more and more each year, regardless of the consumption. Understand? ---
**Author:** ![themajestic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@themajestic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/themajestic)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-general-questions-consolidated-thread-for-questions-on-english-usage/545390/217 "2010-08-13T18:34:48Z")
Thanks for the post . my comments are in blue. > [@Leaffan](#): > > “It produces more than it uses,” does not mean that production is rising. > > \*true. but they used a word " **each year"**. so **each year** production is more than it uses =\> effectively this means production is rising …is not it ? That was my understanding. > \* > > It means that more is being produced than is being used. Example. > > Production = 1 million cubic meters of gas. > Consumption = 800,000 cubic meters of gas. > > Regarding the export of gas, I believe that **zut** inferred this from the above. I mean, the surplus goes somewhere, right? > > could be ..so we are exporting surplus gas and importing less oil ( because we have in-house oil rising) …fine…no issue. > > For the production to be rising, Malvernia must continually produce more and more each year, regardless of the consumption. Understand? > > Yes…Exactly and this is also mentioned in the para. > So, As a summary , when they say “Malvernian reliance on foreign sources for fuel is likely to decline soon” …what is root cause then ? my thinking is , its because we have now enough fuel at home…but how does the heating system conversion impact came into picture here …I’was just worried about that . We could just simply \*\*erase \*\*that “heating system conversion stuff” from the para and still the para stand the same. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-general-questions-consolidated-thread-for-questions-on-english-usage/545390/218 "2010-08-13T18:45:42Z")
I think I see your confusion. “Natural gas” is not made from oil. It’s methane, or propane, or some sort of flammable gaseous fuel. So, the malvernians ARE NOT making oil themselves. They are harvesting natural gas, a completely different type of fuel (this is why a “conversion” is needed - the same equipment does not burn both types of fuel). ---
**Author:** ![zut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zut/32/2875_2.png) [@zut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zut)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-general-questions-consolidated-thread-for-questions-on-english-usage/545390/219 "2010-08-13T19:17:11Z")
> [@themajestic](#): > > where did you get that [Malvernia exports natural gas]? which line says that ? As **Leaffan** says, I inferred it from “Malvernia currently produces more natural gas each year than it uses.” If the country uses less than it makes, the rest has to go somewhere–either they’re selling it or they’re stockpiling it, and I inferred that they’re selling it. > [@themajestic](#): > > Yes it says [natural gas production is rising]. please see this line “Malvernia currently produces \*\*more \*\*natural gas each year than it uses”. Aha! I see the English usage question here. \*If \*the sentence said “Malvernia currently produces more natural gas each year,” and nothing else, you would be right. “Produces more natural gas each year” = “Every year it makes more than it did the last year.” However, the sentence says “Malvernia currently produces more natural gas each year _than it uses_.” This means the same thing as “every year, Malvernia uses less natural gas than it produces.” The English words to pay attention to are “produces more natural gas than it uses;” the fact that “each year” gets stuck in the middle doesn’t change the meaning (although I see how it’s confusin). > [@themajestic](#): > > We could just simply \*\*erase \*\*that “heating system conversion stuff” from the para and still the para stand the same. Sort of. The Malvernians are doing \*two \*seperate things to decrease reliance on foreign sources for fuel. One thing is increasing oil production, and that alone would cause a decrease in reliance on foreign sources for fuel, and the paragraph stands. But they are _also_ converting heating systems, and that also would cause a decrease in reliance on foreign sources for fuel. ---
**Author:** ![themajestic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@themajestic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/themajestic)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2010, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-general-questions-consolidated-thread-for-questions-on-english-usage/545390/220 "2010-08-14T13:05:12Z")
wonderful .I loved that . I am feeling comfortable now . Thanks for your time. Here is another text… Although the earliest surviving Greek inscriptions written in an alphabet date from the eighth century B.C., the fact that the text of these Greek inscriptions sometimes runs from right to left and sometimes from left to right indicates that the Greeks adopted alphabetic writing at least two centuries before these inscriptions were produced. After all, the Greeks learned alphabetic writing from the Phoenicians, and presumably, along with the alphabet, they also adopted the then-current Phoenician practice with respect to the direction of text. And although Phoenician writing was originally inconsistent in direction, by the eighth century B.C. Phoenician was consistently written from right to left and had been for about two centuries. \>\>\>\>sometimes runs from **right to left** and sometimes from **left to right** indicates \>\>\>Phoenician was consistently written from **right to left** …there is NO \*\*left to right \*\* here ! So, I think Greek inscriptions are not adopted from Phoenicians but the para seems to argue that . please comment . [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-general-questions-consolidated-thread-for-questions-on-english-usage/545390.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-general-questions-consolidated-thread-for-questions-on-english-usage/545390.md?page=12)