Mar 25, 2010 08:07
14 yrs ago
English term

more

English Medical Medical (general) Alzheimer
If caregivers expect improvement, they might pay more attention to positive changes, remember more positive changes, and report more positive changes.
[the 2. and 3. occurrence of 'more' means quantity or intensity?]

Responses

+2
2 mins
Selected

more

Quantity. 'more' applies the the following noun in each of the three instances.
Peer comment(s):

neutral Catharine Cellier-Smart : while I agree with quantity for 2 & 3, for me the first use is intensity. But it's true that the asker's question only concerned 2 & 3
2 mins
agree B D Finch
4 hrs
agree Anna Herbst : Intensity for 1, but for 2 & 3 quantity is the most likely.
1 day 19 hrs
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Selected automatically based on peer agreement."
3 hrs

some ambiguity

The use of more three times in succession here sounds a bit odd at first, and I would suggest that the author in the second useage could be using the device of ambiguity.

He could be suggesting that the caregiver remember more (since the patient is remembering less), implying intensity of remembering. With an Alzheimer's patient it is easy to be overwhelmed by the patient's repeated questions about the same thing that the caregiver has just answered. At the same time the author is telling the caregiver to remember those "more postitive changes," so that the caregiver can report those same "more positive changes." In the third use more seems to only modify changes.

Ambiguity as I am suggesting in the second instance is used frequently to provoke more thought in the reader or the reader or the listener. By remembering more the caregiver will be less apt to get angry at the patient, thus enhancing the quality of care that the caregiver will then be able to give.





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Note added at 4 hrs (2010-03-25 12:28:02 GMT)
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Let me add, to directly address your question, that more in the second instance would imply both more intensity to remembering as well as quantity.

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+1
5 hrs

all three are quantity (the repetition is a rhetorical device)

IThis sentence is of course completely open to interpretation and none of the various answers can be "proved" unless you ask the original writer what he or she intended to say.

. But when I say this sentence out loud the way it falls into place for me is thus:
If caregivers expect improvement, they might pay more attention - this means paying an increased amount of attention compared to beforehand - to positive changes, remember more positive changes - this means remember more (like 10 instead of 5) positive changes compared to beforehand - and report more positive changes - this means they would end up telling the doctors or whoever more incidents where there have been positive changes, say 10 instead of 5 .
So for me all three are quantity

I think the sentence flows much better if all three "mores" follow on immediately from their verbs, viz
pay more, remember more, report more. This gives it a rhythm which I see as a way of emphasizing the three good things which will happen if the caregivers start out with a positive outlook.
.
Peer comment(s):

agree Tina Vonhof (X)
11 hrs
Thank you, Tina!
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4 days

2nd and 3rd imply intensity

as opposed to negativity, look for positive changes or progress
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