6. In virtually all types of tissue in every animal species, dioxin induces the production of enzymes that are the organism's trying to metabolize, or render harmless, the chemical that is irritating it.
(A)trying to metabolize, or render harmless, the chemical that is irritating it (B)trying that it metabolize, or render harmless, the . chemical irritant (C)attempt to try to metabolize, or render harmless, such a chemical irritant (D)attempt to try and metabolize, or render harmless, the chemical irritating it (E)attempt to metabolize, or render harmless, the chemical irritant
Although an "-ing" verb such as trying can sometimes be used as a noun, the phrase the organism's trying to metabolize in A is unidiomatic because trying is used as the object of organism's. In B, trying that it metabolize is ungrammatical. The noun attempt could follow organism's; also, it would parallel the noun enzymes, and parallelism is needed here because the sentence uses the linking verb are to equate enzymes and attempt. In C and D, however, attempt to try is redundant. Choice E, which says attempt to metabolize, is best. The phrase the chemical irritant is also the most concise and precise conclusion for the sentence because it clearly refers to the dioxin mentioned earlier.
question 1: how to understand "render harmless"? (render is a verb. but harmless is an adj. )??
question 2: is the "it" in answer A and D right? I don't think it is good since it is hard to find the referenee of "it". Am I right?
According to LDOCE, the meaning of render is : to cause someone or something to be in a particular condition, eg.: render somebody/something impossible/harmless/unconscious etc
In this sentence, "render harmless the chemical irritant" is the inverted form of "render the chemical irritant harmless", the construction with which we may be more familiar. To keep the parallel construction, "metabolize, or render harmless, sth.," the writer reverses the word order. Such use is common in English: A similar example from LDOCE
Such knowledge has rendered meaningless the notion that every conjugal act should be open to the transfer of life.
good question! 1, render sth harmless 2, the problem is that metabolize and render have the same object, which is put at the end. that's why there is comma here
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发表于 2003-12-13 14:30:00
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