as it is

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Johnleo

#528485 Tue, 17 Jun 08 08:48 AM

But the understanding of Nature, incomplete as it is, which is to be derived from science, I hold to be a thing which is good and delightful on its own account.
What is the meaning of as it is here? Usually there is no adj. before it.
Hold here is still a transitive verb, right? We can rearrange the sentence elements and it's like I hold the understanding of Nature to be ...
Thanks.

Johnleo

Joined on Wed, Nov 15 2006

China

Junior Member (72)

Verbs

CalifJim

#528487 Tue, 17 Jun 08 08:53 AM

Johnleo
But the understanding of Nature, incomplete as it is, which is to be derived from science, I hold to be a thing which is good and delightful on its own account.

Take incomplete as it is to mean even though it is incomplete.

Yes. hold is transitive, and your rearrangement of the sentence is correct.

CalifJim

Joined on Mon, Aug 2 2004

California

Veteran Member (16,933)

"There are no facts, only interpretations" - Nietzsche

Johnleo

#528489 Tue, 17 Jun 08 08:57 AM

thanks. But

There are two entries in the dictionary for as it is: 1. already

2. because of the situation that actually exists - used when that situation is different from what you expected or need

It seems to me that both of them are not appropriate put into the sentence, therefore I think this is more like as it is incomplete. Is that so? How is the phrase to be used like that?

PS: This editor is a bit difficult to use. Sleep

Thanks

Johnleo

CalifJim

#529373 Thu, 19 Jun 08 01:30 AM

See www.m-w.com. Note definition 6 for as, the conjunction.

Our understanding of nature, incomplete as it is, = Our understanding of nature, incomplete though it is, = Our understanding of nature, though our understanding of nature is incomplete,

Main Entry: ²as Function:conjunction Date:12th century

1 : as if <looks as he had seen a ghost — S. T. Coleridge> 2 : in or to the same degree in which <soft as silk> —usually used as a correlative after an adjective or adverb modified by adverbial as or so<as cool as a cucumber> 3 : in the way or manner that <do as I do> 4 : in accordance with what or the way in which <quite good as boys go> 5 : while, when <spilled the milk as she got up> 6 : regardless of the degree to which : though <improbable as it seems, it's true> 7 : for the reason that : because, since <stayed home as she had no car> 8 : that the result is <so clearly guilty as to leave no doubt>

CalifJim

Adverbs, Dates, Verbs