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>>Check this one out. Would you use a comma instead?
>> Atlas Inc. consist of a scientific team; combining thier experience
>>and education to provide you with the highest quality products.
>>One of my books says a comma, the other book says a smicolon.
>>thanks for your help,
>>Timothy Schablin
>i would *definitely* use a comma. More importantly, though, i would change
>"consist" to read "consists". Also, since "their" immediately follows
>"team",
>it ought to be changed to "its".
I second the comma. Assuming that the omission of the ending "s" proposed
for "consist" was not merely a typo, I wonder whether the book in question
was British; the English often treat collective nouns as plural constructions.
>Therefore: "Atlas Inc. consists of a scientific team, combining its
>experience
>and education to provide you with the highest quality products."
>i have other problems with this sentence, including the question of whether a
>"team" can "combine" its experience, as the idea of combining appears to
>indicate
>multiple inputs, while a team is a singular entity.
But the complete phrase was "combining its [or "their," if he rejected your
suggestion!] experience and education"; a singular entity, such as a team,
can combine attributes (such as experience and education). I can certainly
combine a variety of ingredients in a recipe. For that matter the recipe can
be said to combine a variety of ingredients. The fact that I am a singular
entity does not contradict the idea that I may deal with or possess multiple
attributes and combine (mix, arrange) them in a variety of ways.
--
steve wax 62 stevewx -at- eskimo -dot- com
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After the final no there comes a yes
and on that yes the future world depends. --Wallace Stevens
