Anonymous  +  928036 Sun, 04 Oct 09 04:14 PM Hi teachers,   Could you help me with this sentence?  I'm quite confused.   "The president rode into office on a tide of discontent"   1.  Does it mean the president physically went into his office grumpy?   2.  Does it mean he swore in office despite a tide of discontent?   Thank you.   Regards, Tinanam Anonymous Regards, Sentences

	tinanam0102  +  929108 Mon, 05 Oct 09 04:31 PM Hi Anonymous,   It suddenly makes sense.  I think "on" in the sentence had really stumbled me.  I thought "the tide of discontent" was directed at the newly elected president.  So "on" here means like "by ways of", correct?   Thanks again. Regards, Tinanam tinanam0102 Joined on Wed, May 6 2009 Full Member 410 Regards, Sentences

	Grammar Geek  +  929147 Mon, 05 Oct 09 04:58 PM Anonymous “It's great that you want to learn another language. I know very little about science, but I think that when the sun and moon pull the water and make movements on the surface of the ocean, those movements are called tides.  Maybe it would be easier to use the word "waves of water." So a "tide of discontent" = the anger of the people was like a big wave of water rushing over the country. Therefore, BECAUSE OF this tide of discontent, everybody wanted him to be the new leader. In plain English: Everyone wanted him to be the new leader BECAUSE the people were very dissatisfied with the old leader. ”     This is a great answer. Nicely done.   Grammar Geek Joined on Tue, Jan 10 2006 Veteran Member 19,660 Barbara, who answers in American English. My housekeeping skills attest to the truth of the second law of thermodynamics: Left to themselves, things get more and more random! Languages

	AlpheccaStars  +  929444 Mon, 05 Oct 09 09:29 PM Hi Tinanam; It Anonymous “ "The president rode into office on a tide of discontent" ” This is a wonderful metaphor, as aonther poster beautifully explained concerning the physical tides of the oceans and seas on earth.  Have you seen surfers on surfboards on the coast of California or Hawaii where the waves are very big? They "ride the waves on to the shore". The "shore" in your sentence is the office of president, and the tide is the sentiment of the voters, who figuratively carried him into the office by the force of their votes in the election. The force of the votes is the energy of the tides, driven by the voter's sentiment of ill-feelings toward the existing political situation. AlpheccaStars Joined on Sun, Oct 12 2008 Senior Member 3,508 The pen is mightier than the sword. Edward Bulwer-Lytton (1803-1873) Metaphors, Sentences, Countries, United States