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Date:      Sun, 1 Jun 2003 04:13:29 +0200
From:      calvin8@t-online.de (Andi Scharfstein)
To:        Sue Blake <sue@welearn.com.au>
Cc:        chat@freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: grammar
Message-ID:  <152193951140.20030601041329@myrealbox.com>
In-Reply-To: <20030601113948.G33085@welearn.com.au>
References:  <3ECD3A8C.1040506@potentialtech.com> <00ae01c32668$2ff5ad70$2441d5cc@nitanjared> <20030531072026.O33085@welearn.com.au> <20030530213625.GA41089@wopr.caltech.edu> <20030531080645.Q33085@welearn.com.au> <qvsmqvnjtq.mqv@localhost.localdomain> <20030601113948.G33085@welearn.com.au>

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Hi,

> On the other hand, "in case" _by_itself_ is very different indeed.
> It is one of those phrases that has obtained its own unique meaning,
> mostly used in the form "In case..., do ...", sometimes "Do ... in
> case ...", and always used to state a precaution. [...]

I think that this might pose an explanation as to why people who
learned English only as a second language might have problems with
that construction. I, for one, didn't know of said distinction until
encountering this thread. I also spoke with a few people today, two of
which had spent a year in the US. They all agreed that the meaning of
"In case X, do Y" (that's what I asked, verbatim) was "If X occurs, do
Y", so it's not just me.

-- 
Bye: Andi S.                          mailto:nullpointer@myrealbox.com



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