What is wrong with this first sentence?

[Robertgus]

Is this sentence really wrong? This sentence. >

"In this part of the article, they are explaining about the tree of life and how Adam and Eve lost their immortality."

Why does Grammarly want me to write: "In this part of the article, they are explaining the tree of life and how Adam and Eve lost their immortality."

Please explain this to me. I think the first sentence looks okay to me!

Robert G.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

The only difference I see is that you used about and Grammarly didn't.

I don't know whether it's really wrong, but about is not needed and wordy. Maybe Grammarly deletes unnecessary words. I like Grammarly's version better.

 

[emsr2d2]

I'm with Grammarly on this one. I delete "about" when people write "explain about".

 

[GoesStation]

You explain things. You don't explain about them.

 

[tedmc]

The same goes with discuss. We don't discuss about things.

 

[Phaedrus]

Another option is to keep about and change explaining to talking. No one, not even Grammarly, can deny that people talk about things.

In this part of the article, they are talking about the tree of life and how Adam and Eve lost their immortality.

Personally, however, I'm OK with the fairly common usage of "explain about" to mean "talk explanatorily about," i.e., "talk about in an explanatory way."

 

[Tdol]

Anyone prefer the present simple form instead of the progressive as it is talking about an article?

 

[Phaedrus]

For those who tolerate both expressions, explaining something is much stronger than explaining about something. Compare these two sentences:

1. In this part of the article, the authors explain about original sin.
2. In this part of the article, the authors explain original sin.

The first sentence makes me expect a discussion of the tree, the apple, the serpent, Adam and Eve, and their expulsion from the Garden of Eden.

The second sentence, which leads one to expect a philosophical account of original sin, would make me want to read the article.

 

[Tdol]

I'll tolerate both, though I prefer it without about, but the simple form bothers me more.

 

[jutfrank]

I agree with Phaedrus that there's a difference in meaning between 'explaining something' and 'explaining about something'. Grammarly obviously doesn't recognise the latter, which explains the suggestion to delete the preposition. Grammarly also doesn't understand your intended meaning, which explains why deleting the preposition would be a mistake.

To solve the problem, replace the problem verb explain with talking.

 

[Phaedrus]

I think the semantics of "explain about" can be explained by saying that it is equivalent to "explain something about" or "explaining things about."

We could imagine Adam saying to Eve, "Let me explain about the Tree of Knowledge."

(That works infinitely better than ?? "Let me explain the Tree of Knowledge," doesn't it?)

"Let me explain about the Tree of Knowledge" works rather like "Let me explain something about the Tree of Knowledge."

Possible continuation: "We are not to eat of it."