Taka  +  86342 Sun, 03 Apr 05 06:31 PM My book (written by a Japanese) says this sentence is really weird. It is strange that a college student should be ignorant of the fact. Is it? If so, in what point do you native speakers think it's weird? Taka Joined on Tue, Sep 7 2004 Japan Senior Member 2,625

	pieanne  +  86345 Sun, 03 Apr 05 06:44 PM Hi, Taka, WHAT fact? pieanne Joined on Thu, Jan 20 2005 South of France ...But I'm Belgian! Veteran Member 7,517 I'm glad to help, but I'm not a native! And please excuse my typos...

	pieanne  +  86352 Sun, 03 Apr 05 06:56 PM Maybe "weird" instead of "strange"? But really, the sentence doesn't sound "strange" to me... pieanne

	MrPedantic  +  86452 Mon, 04 Apr 05 01:19 AM Hello Taka and Pieanne It doesn't sound weird to me either; though 'ignorant of the fact' usually continues with a 'that' clause. Perhaps the writer interpreted 'should' as 'had to be', instead of 'happened to be'. 'MissQ claims not to have known that male visitors are prohibited between the hours of 11pm and 7am. It is perhaps a little strange that a college student should be ignorant of the fact. There are, after all, notices to that effect in every college room. Nonetheless, since this is her first offence...' MrP MrPedantic Joined on Tue, Oct 12 2004 Veteran Member 12,592 ...opella forensis / adducit febris... Clauses

	CalifJim  +  86466 Mon, 04 Apr 05 02:55 AM You mean Susie, I assume. Oh, the shameless little sl .... No comment. CalifJim Joined on Mon, Aug 2 2004 California Veteran Member 22,452 "There are no facts, only interpretations" - Nietzsche

	pieanne  +  86511 Mon, 04 Apr 05 08:48 AM Does she provide them with vodka too? pieanne

	Taka  +  86571 Mon, 04 Apr 05 12:17 PM MrP. My book says unless I have some sort of 'premise' that a college student should know the fact, I cannot say 'it is strange that...' Is it true?? Taka

	MrPedantic  +  86723 Mon, 04 Apr 05 11:06 PM Hello Taka Yes, that's true – we need to be told (or to know) the fact our student is ignorant of, to understand the sentence! Or – to put it more cautiously – I can't think of a context where we could understand the sentence, yet ourselves be ignorant of the fact. (I now wait for an ingenious member to provide one.) MrP MrPedantic