ESL General English Grammar Questions

Re: correct sentence 06/08

optilang — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 18:40:47 GMT

1.) I believe I've heard the verb "to founder" used to describe a ship which is just begining to sink. A Negotiatiated peace would be one achieved through discussions and compromises in terms, rather than through bloodshed. The work being done toward this objective began to look as if it would fail completely.

Correct - you can also use it when talking about a business - the business foundered.

Re: correct sentence 06/08

Avangi — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 18:35:15 GMT

2.) The verb "to sow" means to plant seeds. ("As ye sow, so shall ye reap.") This is a metaphor, suggesting the government has planted seeds that will grow into chaos, or a complete lack of organization and order. I suppose the implication is that the rebel groups were organized to some extent, and now even this semblance of order will be gone. That is, weakening the rebels will lead to an organizational vacuum.

Re: correct sentence 06/08

Hela — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 17:46:36 GMT

Dear teachers,

Would you please explain these excerpts to me?

1) "the fighting in Darfur is entering a new and deadly phase --one in which the government is planning an aggressive campaign against the rebel groups fighting here as efforts to find a negotiated peace founder."

2) "Today two dozen rebel groups are jockeying for territory and influence in Darfur. Some analysts say the government has sown chaos by splintering the rebel groups to weaken them."

- The government has sown chaos among the population, the rebel groups, both ?
- "splintering the rebels" means that the gvt have / has (?) managed to cause division, disagreement, discord among them? They have / It has (?) succeeded in splitting / breaking them up, disunifying them which made them fight one another and so cause even more casualties and havoc among the civilian population ?

Thanks

Re: correct sentence 06/08

Marius Hancu — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 08:52:33 GMT

the "bon déroulement" of international aid and rescue operations.

the progress of international aid and rescue operations

Re: correct sentence 06/08

Hela — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 04:43:38 GMT

Good morning

What do you think of the following, please?

1) The oberservers say that
a) the campaign waged / the battle engaged in Darfur was illegitimate.
b) it was not right to conduct bombing campaigns against civilian targets in Darfur.

2) After the rebels had (?) attacked innocent civilians, prevented humanitarian militants (?) from assisting the victims, and hampered UN forces / peacekeepers from protecting the region and monitoring the ceasefire, the Sudanese government conducted a military operation / intervention to defend the villagers from those bandits / brigands and ensure the "bon déroulement" of international aid and rescue operations.
[It's very long, I know. But could it be acceptable?]

3) The governement is taking advantage of rebels' attack / is using (??) the rebels' attack as a pretext to destroy (is there a better verb?) / terrorize (what other verb has the same meaning as this one?) the towns that tend to back the rebels / dissidents.

All the best

Re: correct sentence 06/08

Avangi — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 18:18:40 GMT

The janjaweed are paramilitaries recruited from the civilian population by the Sudanese government, and set up for the purpose of discouraging support for the rebels, by terrorizing and murdering those civilians who give them aid. (Sorry, I know this isn't very good. - I don't know where they're from.)

Best wishes, - A.

Re: correct sentence 06/08

Marius Hancu — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 18:07:12 GMT

Red Men of Fire: A History of the Cherokee Indians - Page 73

by Irvin M. Peithmann - Social Science - 1964 - 165 pages

Indians were picked to do the dirty job of killing these four brave Cherokee.
This was another way to humiliate these people. However, General Scott kept ...

correct sentence 06/08

Hela — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 16:42:11 GMT

Dear teachers,

Would you please correct and complete this sentence of mine ?

The janjaweed are paramilitaries / paramilitary group (?), a military force raised from the civilian population and set up by the Sudanese government, appointed / instructed to supplement the regular army “pour faire le sale boulot”.[= kill civilians to weaken the support given to the rebels].

Do the Janjaweed originate from the North of Darfur ?

Best regards,

Hela