On Fri, Jan 10, 2014 at 07:56:58PM -0500, Stephan Sokolow wrote:
> On 14-01-10 09:43 AM, Andrej N. Gritsenko wrote:
> >>> 2) More complex case:
> >
> >>> Changing attributes of files: 1, 2, 3, ...
> >>> ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
> >>> Changing attributes of file 53
> >
> >>> Q: Is the 'of' correct word here or should it be 'for' instead?
> >
> >> That's a very tricky case to explain. Both are "valid enough" but
> >> determining which is more valid requires an understanding of English
> >> grammar and the nature of "attributes" that most native speakers lack.
> >
> >> ("on" would also be valid enough though less because it's intuitive and
> >> more from seeing it used so often that it becomes normal.)
> >
> >> I can try to make a suggestion but first I need a clearer understanding
> >> of which operations that message will and will not be displayed for. Is
> >> it just for setting the mode bits or does it cover other attributes as
> >> well?
> >
> > Well, changeable attributes may be (not valid for every file, it's why
> > the "may" is used here):
> > - mode bits
> > - owner and group
> > - displayable name
> > - associated icon
> > - "hidden" attribute
> > - link's target
> >
>
> Yeah, I think "of", "for", or "on" would all be equally correct. The
> distinctions they embody don't really have a clear meaning in terms of
> file attributes.
>
> "of" refers to something which "belongs to" the file, "for" refers to
> something that "applies/refers to" the file, and "on" refers to
> something that is "attached to (but not contained in)" the file. All
> three are equally accurate ways to describe the relationship between a
> file and its filesystem attributes.
>
> My only further advice would be that, in my personal, subjective
> experience as a native English speaker, "for" and "on" feel *slightly*
> more natural than "of" in that sentence.
Interesting, a friend of mine and I had exactly the opposite reaction...
So I guess either would work?
Henry
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