Tomomi
Could you tell me the meaning of 'but better' in the sentence? I'm listening to a podcast but I don't understand 'but better' of the sentence. Could you tell me the meaning of it in the sentence? Because the antidote to this problem of the undisciplined pursuit of more is the disciplined pursuit of less but better. Thanks in advance!
May 7, 2015 2:22 AM
Answers · 8
1
Because the antidote to this problem of the undisciplined pursuit of more is the disciplined pursuit of less but better. Undisciplined persuit of more - just wanting a lot of stuff, regardless of quality. Disciplined persuit of less but better - getting less stuff, but of better quality.
May 7, 2015
Sounds like it could be related to an English phrase: "less is more". Disciplined pursuit of less (stuff/things), but better (stuff/things) Here's an example that might help you: Jim goes to the store in pursuit of sales. Because Jim is undisciplined, he buys a lot of things. Sarah goes to the store in pursuit of sales too, but Sarah is more disciplined than Jim. She buys less things than he, but the things she buys are better (quality).
May 7, 2015
Thank for your comment, AL. Your explanation makes me read it easily!
May 8, 2015
A sentence like this really emphasizes how a comma, or lack thereof, can make a sentence more readable. Because the antidote to this problem of the undisciplined pursuit of more[,] is the disciplined pursuit of less but better. The comma adds a pause to mark the end of the phrase "the undisciplined pursuit of more." The lack of a comma before "but better" notes that it is part of a larger piece, "the disciplined pursuit of less but better." This was probably hard to pick up from a podcast, but hope this still helps!
May 7, 2015
Thank you for your comment. For non-native speaker, it's hard to understand or imagine the sentence like this. That's really helpful and easily understandable!
May 7, 2015
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