Hi,

Here some extracts from conversation (about baseball) I'd like you to help me understand:

"...And now that Roger Clemens, who is to pitching in this era what Bonds has been to hitting."  - could you explain in terms of grammar why gerund is used? For the same reason that we say 'Pitching is an important part of baseball'. The gerund form is like the abstract noun to describe the activity.

"...The report gives Barry Bonds more esteemed company as a cheat, doesn't it?" - does it means that the report rates Barry Bond above cheater? No. It means Bonds was the only known cheater but now the report has named others, so Bonds has company,

And the last one - who are/were Bonnie and Clyde? Famous US criminals, now dead. There is a famous Hollwood movie about them, with the same title.

Best wishes, Clive