Choice of between possessive and adjective

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Anonymous

#507921 Thu, 01 May 08 01:19 AM

Hi,

How a person go about deciding which forms to use if that person seems to be confronted with several viable choices?

1. In the realm of office management new procedures, techniques, and equipment to improve office efficiency are continually being developed.

For this, several options seem to be available to him:

to improve the efficiency of the office -- long, perhaps

to improve his office's efficient running -- slightly different but overall the same, I think.

2. Improvements in copy reproducing techniques are another example.

an option available, as it seems to me:

in techniques of copy repoducing

Is long running adjectives OK as long as the adjectives don't go against their lexical meanings?

CalifJim

#507963 Thu, 01 May 08 03:41 AM

Anonymous
How should a person go about deciding which forms to use if that person seems to be confronted with several viable choices?

Several options are possible.

1. Consult a native speaker.

2. Google various alternatives to see what's being used or to eliminate one or more of your choices.

3. Do a lot of reading within your topic of concern and imitate the expressions used there.

4. Keep in mind that succinct expression is usually better than expansive description.

_____

The length of any given adjective phrase is of less importance than its idiomaticity.

"improve office efficiency" is brief and to the point. There's no reason to look for further alternatives.

"copy reproducing" is redundant. A reproduction of something is a copy of it.

"improvements in reprographics" is enough.

Joined on Mon, Aug 2 2004

California

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"There are no facts, only interpretations" - Nietzsche