[projectaon] Re: 25totw errata
- From: David Davis <feline1@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <projectaon@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2011 15:32:48 +0100
I too would advise a correction to either "you recognise these bacteria"
or "you recognise the bacteria".
Even Lone Wolf's super eyesight is not going to be able to see a single
bacterium.
--
http://www.feline1.co.uk
On Tue 26/04/11 3:21 PM , Sam Seaver samseaver@xxxxxxxxx sent:
OK, I'm not used to seeing the word 'bacteria' in this context. It
doesn't sound right to me, or the use of the word bacterium. In the
first instance you might say:
"...this bacterial growth to be Gnallia,..."
I don't know the correct grammatical term for this, but we do not
normally use "this/these" in front of a word like bacteria, its
actually too generic of a term. But then, I typically refer to
individual species in my work. Come to think of it, its the same with
"people", its rare to hear someone say "These people."
The word "Bacillus" is a genus name, it should be capitalized (ie our
genus is Homo, our species is sapiens.) Ironically, the use of the
word bacteria fits better than in the other two places.
In the second context, I think saying "The" instead of "This" fits
better.
On an unrelated point, it seems incredible that there's enough for 5
meals. Bacteria grow on surfaces, they don't grow in volume, only
where there's food in direct contact. Imagine for 1 meal, you'd need
enough bacteria to fill the volume of your average apple, the surface
area required to grow bacteria to fulfill this requirement for one
meal alone is staggering.
S
On Tue, Apr 26, 2011 at 8:50 AM, Simon Osborne wrote:
> On 26/04/2011 14:20, Sam Seaver wrote:
>>
>> As a recent graduate of bacterial metabolism, I can tell you with
>> confidence that you should be saying 'these bacteria'. A bacterium
>> is a single micro-organism which, of course, you can only distinguish
>> under a microscope.
>
> Well, the text reads: "At once you recognize this bacteria to be
Gnallia, a
> benign bacillus that is often used to prevent and cure infections of
the
> blood. This raw bacteria is edible and rich in protein, and there is
> sufficient here for 5 Meals."
>
> Are both occurrences of "bacteria" correctly used here? If so, let's
leave
> as-is. Otherwise, which should we change to 'bacterium', or both? ;-)
>
> --
> Simon Osborne
> Project Aon
>
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