ReDSanchous  +  64779 Sun, 02 Jan 05 02:28 PM I'd like to ask a few questions on grammar. 1. In spite of a comparatively scarce population Canada is amongst the seven most developed and rich countries of the world. Can I change this sentence as follows: In spite of a comparatively scarce population Canada is amongst the seven richest and most developed countiries of the world. ??? 2. Is there any difference between 'located in...' and 'situated in'? To my mind, the difference between these two expressions is quite minuscule. Australia is situated on the shore of the ocean. Can I replace 'situated' with 'located' in this sentence? ReDSanchous Joined on Fri, Nov 5 2004 Russia, Moscow Junior Member 83 "I'm a pacifist too... I just don't have the luxury of acting like one." (Digital Fortress by Dan Brown) Grammar, Difference Between

	Mister Micawber  +  64784 Sun, 02 Jan 05 02:54 PM Hi Red, (1) Your sentence is much better: 'In spite of a comparatively scarce population, Canada is amongst the seven richest and most developed countries of the world.' 'Most rich and developed' would also be preferable to the original. However, I do not like the word 'scarce', which usually has the connotation of 'hard to find'; I would suggest simply 'small' instead. (2) I see no difference in this context either. For smaller dimensions and distances, 'located' seems a bit more natural: 'the bathroom is located next to the elevators'. Mister Micawber Joined on Wed, Aug 4 2004 Yokohama Veteran Member 30,805 'The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, 'which is to be master-- that's all.'

	Mister Micawber  +  64790 Sun, 02 Jan 05 03:14 PM Text books are notorious for being hurriedly written and poorly edited. Mister Micawber

	ReDSanchous  +  64815 Sun, 02 Jan 05 06:40 PM I'm of the same opinion but there are not sometimes any other ways of learning something, are there? I reckon that only geniuses are able to master some art without any text books or teachers. ReDSanchous

	CalifJim  +  64824 Sun, 02 Jan 05 08:10 PM 1. Yes, you can change the sentence that way. 2. "situated" is of a slightly higher register than "located" and can be used figuratively more easily than "located" can. ("He is now very well situated to receive a promotion to Vice President of Office Supplies." - Not usually "well located to receive ...") Other than that, the meaning is the same. CJ CalifJim Joined on Mon, Aug 2 2004 California Veteran Member 22,415 "There are no facts, only interpretations" - Nietzsche Promotions

	ReDSanchous  +  64828 Sun, 02 Jan 05 08:23 PM Thank you very much. What about the verb 'lie'? For example, -My village lies in a picturesque locality near Moscow. I know you cannot say: He now lies very well - to mean - he is now very well situated to receive... but I've got a question: can the verb 'to lie' totally replace 'located' and 'situated'? By the way, is it correct to say: can something TOTALLY replace something? ReDSanchous Verbs

	CalifJim  +  64835 Sun, 02 Jan 05 09:50 PM Something totally replaces something else when the first thing replaces every part of the second thing. I think what you mean is different. I think you want to say "Can 'lie' replace 'be located' and 'be situated' in every possible case?". I would answer "yes" with the understanding that surely there must be an exception or two, but I just can't think of any just now! CalifJim

	MrPedantic  +  64855 Mon, 03 Jan 05 12:12 AM I notice that Merriam-Webster defines this sense of 'lie' as 'to occupy a certain relative place or position'. This seems clear enough, till you try to imagine a place or position that isn't relative. I wonder whether the 'thing that lies' has to be in contact with the ground (cf 'the lie of the land'). For instance, you can say 'the hummingbird is situated/located above your head'; but I don't think you could say 'the hummingbird lies above your head'. (But what if it was dead, on a shelf? Hmm. Or is that simply 'lie' = 'be recumbent'?) Also, to switch to estate-agent-speak: 1. The bathroom is situated next to the master bedroom. 2. The lounge is located on the second floor. I don't think you could idiomatically use 'lies' here. Even if the lounge is on the ground floor, it sounds odd. So does the 'thing that lies' have to be a whole? Perhaps with 'lie', there has to be an underlying (?) sense of 'resting on something'; which isn't necessarily the case with 'situated/located'. Interesting one. MrP MrPedantic Joined on Tue, Oct 12 2004 Veteran Member 12,592 ...opella forensis / adducit febris...