Produce or product
Dear Dr English,
I found a label that read ÒProduce of FranceÓ and am curious as to why the word ÒproduceÓ is used here and not ÒproductÓ. I would appreciate your explanation. Thanks.
Somdej Chayaporn
Produce is goods or other agricultural materials such as fruits and vegetables, which are grown in large quantities to be sold but do not include grains and other staple crops. Produce is an uncountable noun.
Most farmers we visited mentioned that this yearÕs produce is of higher quality than the one they harvested last year due to better weather conditions.
A product is something that is produced by industrial methods and sold in large quantities.
This rice cooker is a product of Thailand.
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Which is correct?
Dear Dr English,
I have questions regarding the following sentences:
1. While Mrs Ann is going to Europe next week, her husband will have her car
fixed, while her daughter will do all the housework.
2. While Mrs Ann is going to Europe next week, her husband will have her car
fixed, and her daughter will do all the housework.
Which sentence is grammatically correct?
Can a complex sentence be composed with one main clause and two subordinate clauses?
Thank you for your kind assistance and I hope to hear from you soon.
Porntip Kongkreingkrai
This is quite an interesting sentence (Sentence 1) since it uses ÒwhileÓ in two different meanings - at the same time, and in contrast to.
However, using the same word in one sentence twice is rather unusual in English and is generally regarded to be a stylistic error before anything else. Sentence 2 is better. It gives the two focal points of at home and away from home. Away from home has only one action, at home has two actions that then are logically
combined with ÒandÓ.
We write not as a grammatical exercise but to deliver a message and to be understood. Before I even worry about grammar, I would ask myself if what I write makes sense.
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