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Ask for help > meaning of a sentence
meaning of a sentence
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t.javanshir
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meaning of a sentence
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Dear Friends, I �m having a hard time understanding the underlined sentence, which I have come across in one of the readings of IELTS. Would you tell me what it exactly means? Thanks Toofan |
12 May 2018
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Jitterbug
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Hello, I understand that they behave so much like humans do in so many ways that it �s disturbing, degrading for the human race, kind of akward... The author seems to mean that humans are not that different from ants! |
13 May 2018
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jannabanna
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Yes, I agree! Humans do, unfortunately, a lot of unacceptable things which cause anger, disgust and "embarrassment", just like ants! |
13 May 2018
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marzouga
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The writer wants to say that botants can cause trouble and embarrasement just like human beings. And he gave examples of war and of accumilation of goods,which means greed and we know that humans are greedy by nature,with very few exceptions.
He also refered to some human unjust behaviours like spying and engaging kids in hard works. |
14 May 2018
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cunliffe
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I like Jitterbug �s explanation. When we see our behaviour mirrored by ants, it is really surprising, but seeing as their behaviour mirrors our many faults, it �s a kind of uneasy feeling! |
14 May 2018
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t.javanshir
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Thank you dears.
It�s sort of weird to me. I keep telling myself why the writer should have said �embarrassing,� while this is fascinating, given the fact that the author is comparing ants to humans not vice versa. So this means that the fact that �ants are like humans� is embarrassing, which makes it strange to me. |
15 May 2018
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spinney
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Hi Toofan! I think the writer is kind of implying that the bad aspects of ants are shared with humans and it �s that bad side to our nature that is embarrassing (slavery, warfare, child labour etc.), not so much that we share a similarity with ants in other aspects. However, the wording can lead you very easily to that conclusion. Perhaps it could also be taken to mean that the ant is a small and humble creature that leads a complex and organised life similar to our own and, as such, we are not as special as we like to think. It certainly is food for thought if put that way. Have a great week! Dale |
15 May 2018
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