Language Overflow

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2:08 AM

My untrained eyes alarming caution about the use of "engaged" in the following sentence. Is the use of "engaged" correct?

> Since 1893 hundreds of spiritual leaders from nearly thirty world religions had gathered in a different location every few years to spend a week engaged in interfaith dialogue.

And just for a clarification: the gathering took place in a particular location, I mean the same location since 1893 that is different from the location of the speaker of the sentence, right?

M.A.R.

I like "engaging" better, but can't rule out ed as wrong

Anonymous

I agree with @M.A.R.

M.A.R.

@Man_From_India I gather they've chatted in a gazillion different places.

@Man_From_India "in a different location every few years" means 1893 in Rome, 1897 in Rio, 1899 in Tokyo, and so on for example

2 hours later…

Man_From_India

4:02 AM

Thank you @M.A.R. and @snailplane

What is surprising is that why not locations and dropping a?

Is there any good answers regarding this?

V.V.

5:03 AM

Because of "every few years there was a different location". One location, not many.@Man_From_India. Greetings, hope you are OK.

2 hours later…

Man_From_India

6:34 AM

@V.V. thanks vv. I am good. How r u doing?

CowperKettle

7:24 AM

3 hours later…

CowperKettle

10:26 AM

A: Which is more correctly "should" or "can't"

If you want to describe a recommended behavior, you should use should: Why are you late? You should have taken a taxi. The use of "can't" will render a sentence that indicates your belief: You can't have taken a taxi! (Meaning: I stongly believe that you did not take a taxi) If you...

@snailplane, for some reason there are few search results for "Couldn't you have". I wonder if this phrase is okay grammatically.

CowperKettle

10:48 AM

@snailplane - I wonder if the most-upvoted answer to this is correct:

Q: "Why couldn't" vs. "why couldn't you have"

Reading Harry Potter 2, I came across the following, and I wonder if the use of couldn't have is the equivalent of couldn't in this context? "I have got a question, Oliver," said George, who had woken with a start. "Why couldn't you have told us all this yesterday when we were all awake?" I...

2 hours later…

userr2684291

12:58 PM

@CowperKettle If you couldn't have is grammatical, couldn't you have has to be grammatical. The uncontracted form could you not have turns up more results on Google, however.

userr2684291

1:16 PM

And yes, their answer looks good.

Feeds

1:30 PM

-1

Q: Survey for the University of Barcelona on English Prepositions

Native speakers of English, please participate in my survey for the University of Barcelona. It will take max. 10 minutes of your time. https://goo.gl/forms/FwYByBcAHSKf11Ts1 Also, I believe that to say "in the train" is grammatically incorrect unless the train has crashed and you are inside it...

2 hours later…

3:44 PM

First stanza of this song

3 hours later…

Man_From_India

6:21 PM

@snailplane i really have trouble explaining this use of "engaged" in that sentence. Can you please help?

Or point out some pages from CaGEL, CGEL or OMEG?

skullpatrol

6:34 PM

16 hours ago, by Man_From_India

> Since 1893 hundreds of spiritual leaders from nearly thirty world religions had gathered in a different location every few years to spend a week engaged in interfaith dialogue.

What they mean is they "talked."

I can be engaged in a conversation.

"...to spend a week engaged in interfaith dialogue." means to spend a week talking about their religious faiths

An engaged reader really focuses on the words and maybe even jots down questions or comments in the pages' margins. If you're busy or involved with something, you're engaged in it. ... You can see this meaning in the word's origin, the French word engagier, meaning "to pledge."

Engaged means fully occupied or having your full attention.

skullpatrol

7:06 PM

you could replace "engaged" with "intensely involved"

"...to spend a week intensely involved in interfaith dialogue."

which makes sense, since they are spiritual leaders

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