[Grammar] However, graduates and postgraduates proved to have the greatest level of ownership .

[nininaz]

Hello,
I want to know what is the grammatical role of "however" and what does it mean?!

"There were also considerable increases, of approximately 30 percentage points, for those with a high school diploma or an unfinished college education (reaching 65% and 85% respectively in 2010). However, graduates and postgraduates proved to have the greatest level of ownership in 2010, at 90% and 95% respectively, 20 percentage points higher than in 2002."

 

[Roman55]

I am not a teacher.

'However' is an adverb normally used to introduce an idea that contrasts with something mentioned earlier.

What is this about? The subject is ownership of what? I think the distinction between graduates and postgraduates is only relevant while the studying is taking place, and at that point they rarely own much.

 

[BobK]

It's an adverb, as Roman55 said. It is what's called a 'discourse marker', because it shows where a text is going. Once you hear the word 'However' you know that there's something coming up that is at odds with what's gone before.

b

 

[nininaz]

It's an adverb, as Roman55 said. It is what's called a 'discourse marker', because it shows where a text is going. Once you hear the word 'However' you know that there's something coming up that is at odds with what's gone before.

b

Thanks. but What is the contrast on the bold sentence?!I can't find any contrast on the following sentence:
However, graduates and postgraduates proved to have the greatest level of ownership in 2010, at 90% and 95% respectively, 20 percentage points higher than in 2002.

There is noting which makes me surprised !

 

[nininaz]

I am not a teacher.

'However' is an adverb normally used to introduce an idea that contrasts with something mentioned earlier.

What is this about? The subject is ownership of what? I think the distinction between graduates and postgraduates is only relevant while the studying is taking place, and at that point they rarely own much.

This is about the IELTS writing task 1 , (about bar graph).
Here is the full sentence:

"An analysis of the data by level of education shows that higher levels of education correspond to higher levels of computer ownership in both of those years. In 2002, only around 15% of those who did not finish high school had a computer but this figure had trebled by 2010. There were also considerable increases, of approximately 30 percentage points, for those with a high school diploma or an unfinished college education (reaching 65% and 85% respectively in 2010). However, graduates and postgraduates proved to have the greatest level of ownership in 2010, at 90% and 95% respectively, 20 percentage points higher than in 2002."

 

[BobK]

You have a point. I don't think I'd've chosen 'However' there. I'd probably have started with 'But' (not a wise choice for people taking an exam, as some examiners still frown on this sort of thing!), and rejigged the sentence so that it started 'But the greatest...' so that the contrast is this: 'The lowest was 45%... but the greatest was in Higher Edn - 90% of graduates and 95% of postgraduates'.


b

 

[nininaz]

You have a point. I don't think I'd've chosen 'However' there. I'd probably have started with 'But' (not a wise choice for people taking an exam, as some examiners still forwn on this sort of thing!), and rejigged the sentence so that it started 'But the greatest...' so that the contrast is this: 'The lowest was 45%... but the greatest was in Higher Edn - 90% of graduates and 95% of postgraduates'.


b

Could you please explain in simple way?! I didn't understand what did you said.

 

[Roman55]

I am not a teacher.

Quite apart from the grammar issues I'm still not happy with the sense of the whole thing.

The ownership of computers by almost all of the different groups of people being discussed is considered after they have attained the level of education in question. If you are talking about people who didn't finish high school or college, that must be after the fact. So it's about what people (who in the past hadn't finished their education) owned at a later date. The same goes for graduates or those with high school diplomas. It's not considering what students (who went on to graduate later) owned at the time they were studying. Therefore, these groups grow in size with the passage of time. The 2010 group includes the 2002 group, and those of all the intervening years

Postgraduates, in BrE at least, are graduates who are doing further study. So, for this group it's about their level of computer ownership while they were still studying. It's either a poor analysis or a poorly written statement.

 

[BobK]

Could you please explain more simply?! I didn't understand what [delete did] you said.

I've fixed a typo in my first post.

The important part is my last point: 'the contrast is this: the lowest [measure of ownership] was 45%... but the greatest was 90% among graduates and 95% among postgraduates.'

b