İngilizce Öğretmeni Bul
Tarsier
Why is there an “a” before medium in the following sentence?
Still, it seems unlikely that a miracle is being worked on so evanescent a medium.
Thanks
2 Kas 2024 14:21
Yanıtlar · 7
1
I guess that 'medium' refers to the material on which a work of art has been made. 'A miracle is being worked' plays on the dual meaning of 'work' in this context: the working out of a miracle, and the creation of a work of art. Paper, card, wood, fabric, etc are examples of media in the production of artwork. Each of these is a 'medium' [a countable noun]. The particular medium referred to is one that may quickly dissipate, making it unlikely that the artwork will endure - that would be a miracle.
All the above is guesswork on my part, and the reference may be quite different, but the logic of the expression would still apply.
3 Kasım 2024
"so evanescent a medium" = "such an evanescent medium"
"so delicious a dinner" = "such a delicious dinner"
"so difficult a language" = "such a difficult language"
... and so forth.
The difference between using "so" and "such" is that "so" is an adverb while "such" is a pronoun. Since "so" is an adverb, it is able to directly modify the adjective ("evanescent") whereas "such" can only do that indirectly.
3 Kasım 2024
The standard construction is:
It seems unlikely that a miracle is being worked on a medium which is so evanescent.
There are multiple media. ‘A medium’ tells you it is one of those. ‘So’ tells you that it has a high degree of evanescence.
3 Kasım 2024
As you may have noticed, 'medium' has several different definitions. It would be easier to answer this question if you provided more context.
3 Kasım 2024
In that sentence, the "a" before "medium" is used to indicate that "medium" is being described in a particular way. The phrase "so evanescent a medium" is a stylistic choice, often seen in more formal or literary English. It emphasizes the quality of the medium by placing the adjective ("evanescent") before the article ("a").
This construction is a bit unusual in modern usage, but it adds a rhythmic and poetic feel to the sentence. Essentially, it could be rephrased as "a medium that is so evanescent."
2 Kasım 2024
Daha fazla göster
Hâlâ cevap bulamadın mı?
Sorularını yaz ve ana dil konuşanlar sana yardım etsin!
Tarsier
Dil Becerileri
Çince (Mandarin), İngilizce, Fransızca
Öğrenim Dili
Çince (Mandarin), İngilizce, Fransızca
Beğenebileceğin Makaleler

Speak More Fluently with This Simple Technique
10 beğeni · 2 Yorumlar

How to Read and Understand a Business Contract in English
16 beğeni · 3 Yorumlar

6 Ways italki Can Help You Succeed in Your School Language Classes
12 beğeni · 7 Yorumlar
Daha fazla makale