To hear some men talk, you'd think that women belonged to a different species!

[it-is-niaz]

This is supposed to be an enlightened age, but you wouldn't think so if you could hear what the average man thinks of the average woman.
Women won their independence years ago. After a long, bitter struggle, they now enjoy the same educational opportunities as men in most parts of the world.
They have proved repeatedly that they are equal and often superior to men in almost every field.
The hard-fought battle for recognition has been won, but it is by no means over.
It is men, not women who still carry on the sex war because their attitude remains basically hostile.
Even in the most progressive societies, women continue to be regarded as second-rate citizens.
To hear some men talk, you'd think that women belonged to a different species!

Source: For and Against L.G.Alexander


Can the bold part be rewritten in this way with keeping its original meaning?

"If you hear/heard some men talk, you'd think that women belonged to a different species!"

 

[jutfrank]

Your rephrasing shows that you've understood the meaning of the sentence, yes.

 

[Skrej]

Not what the excerpt is discussing, but I immediately thought of this book when I read the thread title.

 

[Tarheel]

I have relatives on Mars.

 

[Tarheel]

I would use present tense, thus;

To hear some men talk you'd think that women belong to a different species.

(I think they are the same species. They can reproduce.
;-) )

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Can the bold part be rewritten in this way with keeping its original meaning?

"If you hear/heard some men talk, you'd think that women belonged to a different species!"

It has the same literal meaning, but it isn't natural.

"To hear __________, you'd think that ____________," is a standard construction. Yours is not.

 

[Luckysquirty]

Can the bold part be rewritten in this way with keeping its original meaning?

"If you hear/heard some men talk, you'd think that women belonged to a different species!"

Consider this rewrite: "Some men talk as if women were a different species." It's saying almost the same thing with fewer potholes. Let your ears keep rearranging your sentences.