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Teleostomi

#413904 Tue, 04 Sep 07 05:57 AM

(1) Less than half of the people think an earthquake will ever occur within this decade.

(2) More than half of the people think an earthquake will ever occur within this decade.

(3) Most people think an earthquake will ever occur within this decade.

Could you tell me which sentence are unnatural?

Teleostomi

Joined on Sat, Jun 10 2006

Regular Member (557)

Yoong Liat

#413905 Tue, 04 Sep 07 06:01 AM

The sentences sound fine to me.

Yoong Liat

Joined on Mon, Sep 4 2006

Singapore

Veteran Member (6,092)

Yoong Liat

Grammar Geek

#413906 Tue, 04 Sep 07 06:02 AM

If something won't happen "ever" it won't happen at all. It doesn't work to confine it to a decade.

I don't think it will ever happen. I think it will never happen.

Grammar Geek

Joined on Tue, Jan 10 2006

Pennsylvania, USA

Veteran Member (16,064)

Barbara, who answers in American English.

Clive

#413907 Tue, 04 Sep 07 06:02 AM

Hi,

1) Less than half of the people think an earthquake will ever occur within this decade.

(2) More than half of the people think an earthquake will ever occur within this decade.

(3) Most people think an earthquake will ever occur within this decade.

Could you tell me which sentence are unnatural? To me, all 3 of them sound unnatural because of the use of 'ever'. I would omit it.

Best wishes, Clive

Clive

Joined on Thu, Oct 28 2004

Canada

Veteran Member (22,464)

El tango argentino es un pensamiento triste que se puede bailar (The tango argentino is a sad thought which can be danced) Enrique Santos Discépolo

Teleostomi

#413920 Tue, 04 Sep 07 07:13 AM

I had thought the "less than" in (1) functions similarly as "not".
Do you all agree that even (1) sounds unnatural?

Teleostomi

Grammar Geek

#414027 Tue, 04 Sep 07 02:39 PM

I still think that #1 sounds unnatural, but I do want to ammend my prior post.

You can include a time frame with "ever" in the context of an awaited event/thing, and it's used as intensifier.

Darn - we missed the goal again this month. No bonus for us.
I know. Do you think we'll ever get a bonus this year?

In your #1, it's the "ever" and the "decade" together that are the problem.

Fewer than half the people surveyed thought there would ever be a typhoon in Mongolia.

Grammar Geek