How would you interpret this sentence? How would you interpret this sentence ‘Certainly the synovial fluid must re-form’? Does it mean the synovial fluid must re-form before operation? Or does it mean the synovial must re-from by then? Thanks. It’s from A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway (Chapter 15). the context: "You see, doctor?" the first captain pointed to one of the foreign bodies which showed spherical and clear against the light. They examined the plate for some time. "Only one thing I can say," the first captain with the beard said. "It is a question of time. Three months, six months probably." "Certainly the synovial fluid must re-form." "Certainly. It is a question of time. I could not conscientiously open a knee like that before the projectile was encysted." "I agree with you, doctor."