The Mechanic Example
The following statement has been posted on antimoon: "About the example you gave, a mechanic isn't ALWAYS a better driver because when he's trying to know more about an engine there are people who are ACTUALLY driving, which makes the difference. "
There is something wrong with this statement. Can anyone spot it? In saying this, I note that a very skilled person with plenty of time and energy could put forward a reasonable defence.
Just a quick random guess: should the 'when' be a 'while'? The sentence is fairly awkward to begin with! :) (Notice how not including the 'with' in the sentence I just made would result in nonsense, hence prepositions can end a sentence... just FYI for others who are in on that topic!)
Besides the issue raised by Shaun, there should be a comma between "driver" and "because", and between "engine" and "there".
I would say: "A mechanic USUALLY isn't a better driver"
Good points, but I am actually looking for something else. There is something significant missing in the original statement.
No one has worked it out yet
I suppose "know" isn't the best word here. Perhaps "learn" would be better.
Of course, the whole sentence sounds a bit off. It doesn't hang together as well as it could.
Change "..., which makes the difference" to "..., and that makes a/the difference"
The whole sentence isn't well structured and I hardly know what it's trying to say.
My take:
_About the example you gave, a mechanic isn't ALWAYS the best driver out there, because when he's trying to know more about an engine, there are people who are ACTUALLY driving, which makes the difference._
Also:
_About the example you gave, a mechanic isn't ALWAYS your best driver, because when he's trying to know more about an engine, there are people who are ACTUALLY driving, which makes the difference._
Be that as it may, I think the imagine the statement conjures up is pretty lifeless, as a mechanic isn't supposed to drive well in the first place. A mechanic is supposed to repair stuff.
An example contrasting a sexologist and people who are actually having sex could be much more fitting, ditto for one focusing on financial columnists and brokers that are actually trading stocks and bonds.
With every good wish,
Achab
The answer that I am looking for has still not been provided.
@Eddy: Then why don't you provide it to yourself and save the world some wasted bytes? :-)
Achab,
Did you really mean a "goose" wish? That means to feel someone up, or possible grab their bum, etc. Please tell me that this was a typo.
Maybe you were thinking about "Comma Gets a Cure" when you wrote that?
<<About the example you gave, a mechanic isn't ALWAYS a better driver because when he's trying to know more about an engine there are people who are ACTUALLY driving, which makes the difference.">>
A vehicle can be driven by only one person at a time.