Confusion of a Thing and Its Name Exercise (74)
Revise each of the following sentences so that the name of the thing, not the thing itself, is defined.
Answers and Explanations
1.
Original: He coined the term "the Silk Road," a network of Eurasian roads and trade routes.
Correct : He coined the term "the Silk Road" to refer to a network of Eurasian roads and trade routes.
The term "the Silk Road" is a not a network of Eurasian roads and trade routes; it is the name for such a network.
2.
Original: Polygyny translates to "having many wives."
Correct : "Polygyny" translates to "having many wives."
The word polygyny is used to describe a concept. However, the concept is not translated to "having many wives"; the word for it is so translated. (The correction encloses the word in quotation marks because the tool for constructing these exercises does not allow italics for the sample sentences; the word should be italicized rather than set in quotation marks.)
3.
Original: We were introduced to the precocious child Prof, short for "Professor."
Correct : We were introduced to the precocious child Prof, whose nickname is short for "Professor."
The child is not an abbreviation of Professor; his or her name is. Here, too, Professor should be italicized rather than framed in quotation marks.
4.
Original: Karaoke, which means "empty orchestra," is singing along to a recording of a song in which the original vocals have been deleted.
Correct : Karaoke (the name means "empty orchestra") is singing along to a recording of a song in which the original vocals have been deleted.
Alterna.: Karaoke -- the word is Japanese for "empty orchestra" -- is singing along to a recording of a song in which the original vocals have been deleted.
The name for karaoke, not the activity itself, means "empty orchestra."
5.
Original: A resume, or a CV (which means "curriculum vitae"), basically a more detailed resume, is the most important document in your job search.
Correct : A resume, or a CV (the initials stand for "curriculum vitae"), basically a more detailed resume, is the most important document in your job search.
The initials for the document, not the document itself, represent the term "curriculum vitae."
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