May go through..

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Pucca

#492529 Mon, 24 Mar 08 09:33 PM

Hi everyone!

Again, I need your help, I don't seem to be able to understand a sentence completely..

"A crocodile may go through several thousand during a lifetime of over seventy years."

What confuses me is the "may go through several thousand" - Several thousand of what?

Several thousand of teeth? The sentence before this one was: "Should they lose one of their eight-centimetre-long teeth, a replacement is always ready."

And then, "over seventy years" - Does it mean "in seventy years"?

Thanks in advance!

Pucca

Joined on Sun, Aug 27 2006

Advanced Member (2,681)

¿Alguna vez has tenido un sueño tan real que al despertarte no sabías qué creer?

Clive

#492532 Mon, 24 Mar 08 09:39 PM

Hi,

I don't seem to be able to understand a sentence completely..

"A crocodile may go through several thousand during a lifetime of over seventy years."

What confuses me is the "may go through several thousand" - Several thousand of what?

Several thousand of teeth? Yes, teeth. The writer just didn't repeat the word 'teeth'. The sentence before this one was: "Should they lose one of their eight-centimetre-long teeth, a replacement is always ready."

And then, "over seventy years" - Does it mean "in seventy years"? No. 'A lifetime of over seventy years' means 'a life time of more than seventy years'.

Consider 'The price was over $10', meaning it was more that $10.

Best wishes, Clive

Clive

Joined on Thu, Oct 28 2004

Canada

Forum Guru (18,032)

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

Pucca

#492541 Mon, 24 Mar 08 10:05 PM

Hello Clive, thanks for your answer! Smile

Clive
And then, "over seventy years" - Does it mean "in seventy years"? No. 'A lifetime of over seventy years' means 'a life time of more than seventy years'.
Consider 'The price was over $10', meaning it was more that $10.

That example helped a lot but, in the sentence of the crocodile..does it mean that only those crocodiles who live more than seventy years can have severan thousand of teeth?
I'm just making this more complicated that it seems. While writing the question I realised that the text said "may" so, I guess that I got the meaning. "Those who live more than seventy years can have several thousand teeth", right?

Pucca

Clive

#492543 Mon, 24 Mar 08 10:09 PM

Hi,

Yes. Smile

Clive

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