 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
| HomeDiscussion GroupsEnglish UsageBritish EnglishESL Teaching Learnglish.com Contact UsLink To UsSearch & Site Map |
Discussion Groups / English Usage / February 2007"size" vs. "sized"
Hi- What do you consider to be proper: What is the average size book? or What is the average sized book? Any explanation would be very helpful! >Hi- > >What do you consider to be proper: Should be "Which". >What is the average size book? >What is the average sized book? Neither one. Some possibilities, depending on what you actaully want to say: - What is the average size of a book? - What is a typical size for a book? - [either of the above, substituting "length" for "size"] - Name (or get, pick up, point out, etc.) a book of average size. - Name an average-sized book. To speak of the size of a book (particularly in a way which implies a quantity, as here) normally refers to its physical dimensions, which are probably of concern only to printers, publishers, librarians, and booksellers. The length of a book might be measured in pages, in chapters or even volumes, or (for authors and editors) in words. -GAWollman  SignatureGarrett A. Wollman | The real tragedy of human existence is not that we are wollman@csail.mit.edu| nasty by nature, but that a cruel structural asymmetry Opinions not those | grants to rare events of meanness such power to shape of MIT or CSAIL. | our history. - S.J. Gould, Ten Thousand Acts of Kindness Thanks, Mr Wollman! In this case, the answer to "What is the average size book?" is "The average size book contains 300-400 recipes and is between 120 and 160 pages." Considering this doesn't answer physical dimensions, would you agree that the question should read: "What is the average length of a book" with the answer: "The average length of a book is 300-400 recipes and between 120 and 160 pages." I appreciate your help! > In article <1172518020.274419.257...@v33g2000cwv.googlegroups.com>, > [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] > Opinions not those | grants to rare events of meanness such power to shape > of MIT or CSAIL. | our history. - S.J. Gould, Ten Thousand Acts of Kindness >"The average length of a book is 300-400 recipes and between 120 and >160 pages." I would say, "The average [or typical] book has 300 to 400 recipes and is between 120 and 160 pages long." -GAWollman SignatureGarrett A. Wollman | The real tragedy of human existence is not that we are wollman@csail.mit.edu| nasty by nature, but that a cruel structural asymmetry Opinions not those | grants to rare events of meanness such power to shape of MIT or CSAIL. | our history. - S.J. Gould, Ten Thousand Acts of Kindness > In this case, the answer to "What is the average size book?" > is > "The average size book contains 300-400 recipes and is between 120 and > 160 pages." In my experience, most books contain no recipes. SignaturePeter Moylan http://www.pmoylan.org Please note the changed e-mail and web addresses. The domain eepjm.newcastle.edu.au no longer exists, and I can no longer receive mail at my newcastle.edu.au addresses. The optusnet address could disappear at any time. > gonnabespammy wrote: >> In this case, the answer to "What is the average size book?" >> is "The average size book contains 300-400 recipes and is between >> 120 and 160 pages." > In my experience, most books contain no recipes. In my experience, most books contain naughty pictures. Purl Gurl > > gonnabespammy wrote: > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > In my experience, most books contain naughty pictures. Finally got past "A is for Apple", Kira? Well done. >>> gonnabespammy wrote: >>>> is "The average size book contains 300-400 recipes and is between >>> In my experience, most books contain no recipes. >>In my experience, most books contain naughty pictures. > Finally got past "A is for Apple", Kira? Well done. Yes! I am now learning about "B is for Booty." For me, this is a big topic! Purl Gurl > >>> gonnabespammy wrote: > >>>> is "The average size book contains 300-400 recipes and is between [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > Purl Gurl What is C for, Purl(you naughty girl!)? >>>>> gonnabespammy wrote: >>>>> In my experience, most books contain no recipes. >>>> In my experience, most books contain naughty pictures. >>> Finally got past "A is for Apple", Kira? Well done. >> Yes! I am now learning about "B is for Booty." > What is C for, Purl (you naughty girl!)? "C" is for Cat. All know "C" is for Cat, as with kitty or pussy; "pussy n booty." Meow. Purl Gurl done. > >> Yes! I am now learning about "B is for Booty." > > What is C for, Purl (you naughty girl!)? [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > Purl Gurl And T, my dear: What is T for? >>>> Yes! I am now learning about "B is for Booty." >>>What is C for, Purl (you naughty girl!)? >> "C" is for Cat. All know "C" is for Cat, as with >> kitty or pussy; "pussy n booty." > And T, my dear: What is T for? I have not advanced this far. I am still working on "C" is for Cat. "D" is my next letter lesson. Purl Gurl > >>>> Yes! I am now learning about "B is for Booty." > >>>What is C for, Purl (you naughty girl!)? [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Purl Gurl Oh, I'm sure you'll like your next lesson to be long and stiff(and wide around, you chippie!) (snipped) >>>> "C" is for Cat. All know "C" is for Cat, as with >>>> kitty or pussy; "pussy n booty." >>> And T, my dear: What is T for? >> I have not advanced this far. I am still working >> on "C" is for Cat. "D" is my next letter lesson. > Oh, I'm sure you'll like your next lesson to be long and stiff(and > wide around, you chippie!) I may like this, however, reality dictates otherwise, significantly so. Purl Gurl > (snipped) > [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > Purl Gurl Nice burn! Alas, too true. Nature can be so cruel sometimes. (snipped) >>>>I have not advanced this far. I am still working >>>>on "C" is for Cat. "D" is my next letter lesson. >>>Oh, I'm sure you'll like your next lesson to be long and stiff(and >>>wide around, you chippie!) >>I may like this, however, reality dictates otherwise, significantly so. > Nice burn! Alas, too true. Nature can be so cruel sometimes. Topic is "size vs. sized." I especially like my use of a "D" word in my response. Women will tell you, "Size does not matter." However, a well sized man, such as my husband, is delightful. "Size does matter" is the theme of my husband's tiny web site. He does not allow me to change much nor add much being fearful of what I might do as a surprise; he knows me well. I have to restrict myself to car talk. What women are truly telling boys is, "Size does not matter as much as emotional gratification." Size does matter but is not a high priority. We women are sensible and seek stability in a relationship and in home. Sexual gratification is relative low on our priority list. Besides, you boys have tongues. You should learn to use those tongues of yours. However, this is an upcoming "T is for" lesson, as mentioned earlier. Purl Gurl > (snipped) > [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > I especially like my use of a "D" word in my response. Oh, yeah I hadn't noticed. (You naughty girl!) > Women will tell you, "Size does not matter." However, > a well sized man, such as my husband, is delightful. [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > > Purl Gurl Yeah, by compensation, nature has given me a quite mobile tongue which I can also roll into a tube!(it's true). Add to that the fact that I'm a really nice guy and easily bossed around besides, and maybe I'm not such a bad catch after all. Say, you chicks aren't too hung up on looks are you? I'm not hideous but that's about the best that can be said about me. (snipped) >> What women are truly telling boys is, "Size does not >> matter as much as emotional gratification." Size does > Yeah, by compensation, nature has given me a quite mobile tongue which > I can also roll into a tube!(it's true). Add a poison dart and you are a naturally talented hunter! > Add to that the fact that I'm a really nice guy This is what truly counts for almost all, female and male. You do present yourself as a fun and nice person. Unpleasant people are truly ugly regardless of good looks. > Say, you chicks aren't too hung up on looks are you? Mother Teresa is an exceptionally ugly woman. She is also a saint highly respected by all, worldwide. With no money, she enriched the lives of literally millions, around our world. Anna Nicole is an exceptionally beautiful woman. Anna wasted her life away through drug abuse. With lots of money, millions, Anna enriched the lives of none, around our world. Quite a no brainer, there, which would be a better mate. > I'm not hideous but that's about the best that can be > said about me. You have forgotten you are a nice person, which is the only quality which truly matters, well, that and your being able to use your tongue as a blowgun for hunting small game. Purl Gurl [comparisons] >> I'm not hideous but that's about the best that can be >> said about me. > > You have forgotten you are a nice person, which is the only > quality which truly matters, well, that and your being able > to use your tongue as a blowgun for hunting small game. If he had bifocals, he could stalk his prey underwater. >Mother Teresa is an exceptionally ugly woman. She is also a saint >highly respected by all, worldwide. With no money, she enriched >the lives of literally millions, around our world. Respected by all? Not hardly. There are many critics of Mother Teresa on the ground. >Anna Nicole is an exceptionally beautiful woman. Anna wasted her >life away through drug abuse. With lots of money, millions, Anna >enriched the lives of none, around our world. >Quite a no brainer, there, which would be a better mate. Quite. I'd clearly prefer a hedonistic rich woman over a nun for a mate. SignatureTony Cooper Orlando, FL >> Mother Teresa is an exceptionally ugly woman. She is also a saint >> highly respected by all, worldwide. With no money, she enriched >> the lives of literally millions, around our world. > Respected by all? Not hardly. There are many critics of Mother > Teresa on the ground. Infidel! I will saw off your head with a banana for your heresy! >> Anna Nicole is an exceptionally beautiful woman. Anna wasted her >> life away through drug abuse. With lots of money, millions, Anna >> enriched the lives of none, around our world. >> Quite a no brainer, there, which would be a better mate. > Quite. I'd clearly prefer a hedonistic rich woman over a nun for a mate. Ha! Ha! You horny old man, you are not easily fooled by my wording! Careful, Tony, you know what happened to the last older man Anna took on as a mate. He did not last long and was not long, but died with a grin on his face, most likely while looking up at Anna. He might not have been able to see her face but I doubt he really cared; he died grinning with nice double vision in mind. Purl Gurl >>Mother Teresa is an exceptionally ugly woman. She is also a saint >>highly respected by all, worldwide. With no money, she enriched [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > Quite. I'd clearly prefer a hedonistic rich woman over a nun for a > mate. Well, you could go for Anna Nicole, for now. She isn't in the ground yet. Peter Moylan filted: >In my experience, most books contain no recipes. This is not true of the book that defined the concept of "book" for an entire generation...I refer, of course, to the autobiography "Vanna Speaks".... I once found a whole stack of copies of the "books on tape" version of that one...I wish I'd bought them up to give as gifts....r Signature"You got Schadenfreude on my Weltanschauung!" "You got Weltanschauung in my Schadenfreude!" > Peter Moylan filted: >> [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > entire generation...I refer, of course, to the autobiography "Vanna > Speaks".... "Vowels sold separately" ? SignatureRoland Hutchinson Will play viola da gamba for food. NB mail to my.spamtrap [at] verizon.net is heavily filtered to remove spam. If your message looks like spam I may not see it. gonnabespammy wrote: > What do you consider to be proper: > What is the average size book? > or > What is the average sized book? Both are correct, both are incorrect, both depending on context. As always, context rules. "average size book" This is a book, with specific dimensions representing the average of a number of books. However, this does not represent the average size based on numbers, this represents the book most close to the numerical average size. A book cannot be re-sized to precise dimensions of a numerical based average. "average sized book" This is a book which is selected by size which is close to sizes of other books; books of a similar size. This could be paper back books, pocket size books, compared to coffee table hard bound books; different sized books. However, your "average sized book" could infer this is a book which represents the average size of many books, but, again, not so much a precise fit for numerical average size. Size is a comparison of things regardless of mixture of sizes. Sized is a comparison of things which are a group of select sizes. Both cases, for books, neither case would be a precise fit for a calculated numerical average size. "What is your hip measurement?" "My hips are forty inches around." "Oh good, Omar the Tent Maker _sized_ your dress to fit you. His custom dress _size_ will fit you nicely but snug." "Fine, as long as my dress does not rip then expose my big butt when I bend over." Size - a measure independent of externalities. Sized - a measure dependent on externalities. Average size - average size of a thing based on mixed things. Average sized - average size of a thing based on selected things. Purl Gurl > What is the average size book? > or > What is the average sized book? Both are undesirable so far as they redirect attention from the average book (which is what the question is truly about) to the average size (sum of sizes divided by their numbers). English is flexible so we can usually rephrase as here: How big is the average book? SignatureDon Phillipson Carlsbad Springs (Ottawa, Canada) Thank you, Mr. Phillipson. I like "How big is the average book." It is simple. Is "big" an acceptable measurement for page numbers? We are ultimately addressing the length of the cookbook, so I want to be as clear as possible. This really has nothing to do with dimensions. This is very enlightening! I really appreciate all the feedback! > I like "How big is the average book." It is simple. > > Is "big" an acceptable measurement for page numbers? Not for your purposes, because big means both physical size (measured in length or weight) and length (as of a book, play, piece of music etc.) The question you need is: "How long is the average book?" The answer is more often counted in words (not pages) but both are used. SignatureDon Phillipson Carlsbad Springs (Ottawa, Canada) gonnabespammy@gmail.com filted: >What do you consider to be proper: > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > >What is the average sized book? Despite people telling you that the questions are not the right way to ask for such information, the first is correct...one context in which it might legitimately appear is a problem in a math book: Gunderson Publishing Company prints and distributes four books. "A Brief History of Pork Products" weighs 4 ounces and sells 8,000 copies per year. "The Secret Life of Yma Sumac" weighs 7 ounces and sells 2,000 copies per year. "How I Learned to Bite My Own Toenails: A Memoir" weighs 2½ ounces and sells 5,000 copies per year. "Sexual Satisfaction through FORTRAN" weighs 25 ounces, counting the included set of 4 CD-ROMs, and sells 7,500 copies per year. What is the average size book Gunderson sells? The second form would also work if you hyphenate the qualifier: "average-sized".... >Any explanation would be very helpful! This was before you got one from Purl Gurl....r Signature"You got Schadenfreude on my Weltanschauung!" "You got Weltanschauung in my Schadenfreude!" > Hi- > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > What is the average sized book? Both are okay, if you insert the necessary hyphens, though the former is a little colloquial. Adrian > What do you consider to be proper: > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > What is the average sized book? I share with some others on this thread a difficulty in understanding either question as phrased. However, it if is a bare matter of (say) a medium-size book versus a medium-sized book then: 1. Both are grammatical, tho their grammar is different: "medium-size" is the noun phrase "medium size" used attributively, whereas "medium-sized" is the result of adding "-d" to that noun phrase to form an adjective, along the lines of "horned cattle", "blue-eyed beauty", etc. 2. Both are in common use, but my impression is that "-sized" is more popular & has been for some time. 3. As far as regularity goes, IMO "-size" is the better choice, in that most quantitative expressions of that kind do not take "-d" (a large-areaed net? a high-speeded chase?). "-sized" sounds faintly vulgar to me. True, the vulgar can cite "high-priced". But in that phrase, "priced" may well be a participle: very plausibly, high-priced merchandise may have been priced high, rather than merely having a high price. In the examples you give, guessing at the meaning, I would make it What is the average size of a book? or, picturesquely, What is the size of an average book? The latter is only a manner of speaking, of course; averaging is something one properly does to numbers, not to books. Signature--- Joe Fineman joe_f@verizon.net ||: Happiness is the best preparation for misery, if misery must :|| ||: come. :|| On Feb 27, 12:27 am, gonnabespa...@gmail.com wrote: > Hi- > [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > Any explanation would be very helpful! It should be: What is an average-sized book? You'd get an answer like 'Bridget Jones's Diary, for instance.' |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2012 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.