word combinations

[Mzungu39]

Hello,

My first post here
I'd like to know how do you understand the word 'corresponding' in the sentence below. Could it be replaced by 'similar'? Any other synonym that would fit the sentence?

Decreasing emissions early this century will have a corresponding effect on reducing the maximum sea level rises.

 

[Barb_D]

Hi, and welcome to Using English.

No, it's not "similar." A better choice would be "resulting."

 

[kfredson]

Hello,

My first post here
I'd like to know how do you understand the word 'corresponding' in the sentence below. Could it be replaced by 'similar'? Any other synonym that would fit the sentence?

Decreasing emissions early this century will have a corresponding effect on reducing the maximum sea level rises.

I find the sentence to be somewhat confusing and would suggest you rewrite it. For instance, you might say the following: "Decreasing emissions early this century will have the effect of reducing the maximum rise in sea level."

I am not sure what role "corresponding" (or, for that matter, "similar") plays here. Corresponding to what? Perhaps there is an earlier sentence to which you are referring. It can't be a corresponding effect to that of decreasing emissions, since decreasing emissions is a cause, and not an effect.

 

[2006]

Decreasing emissions early this century will reduce the rise in sea level.

 

[Mzungu39]

Thanks for your comments. Maybe I should have given you a bit more context and background.
The sentence is taken from an article and was adapted for an English competition task where students will have to change words in bold with given synonyms. 'Corresponding' is the 'original' word and one of the teacher suggested 'similar' as a synonym and I didn't agree... However, I couldn't find a more appropriate word instead...

So 'do you think that 'resulting effect' is OK?

 

[Mzungu39]

Sorry, I forgot to paste this:
'The 1.9m increase will occur if greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase on their present trajectory which happens to be the worst-case scenario of the IPCC. Decreasing emissions early this century will have a corresponding effect on reducing the maximum sea level rises,' the scientists said.

 

[BobK]

Sorry, I forgot to paste this:
'The 1.9m increase will occur if greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase on their present trajectory which happens to be the worst-case scenario of the IPCC. Decreasing emissions early this century will have a corresponding effect on reducing the maximum sea level rises,' the scientists said.

This smacks of lazy journalism. If the scientists said 'corresponding' they must have mentioned a previous rise, to base the correspondence on (something like 'There was a rise when X happened, and there will be a corresponding rise...'); X might have been something to with the Industrial Revolution. In that case, I'd say 'similar' would come close(-ish) to the intended meaning; 'comparable' would be better. But I agree with Barb that, if you consider just that quote,; 'similar' isn't a synonym.

b

 

[Mzungu39]

I agree. It makes sense. Previous rise (because of melting ice sheets and mountain glaciers) has been mentioned before.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Raymott]

Hello,

My first post here
I'd like to know how do you understand the word 'corresponding' in the sentence below. Could it be replaced by 'similar'? Any other synonym that would fit the sentence?

Decreasing emissions early this century will have a corresponding effect on reducing the maximum sea level rises.

I'd assume they mean 'proportionate'.
That is, the more we decrease emissions, the more effect it will have on reducing the sea level rises.

The 1.9m increase will occur if greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase on their present trajectory which happens to be the worst-case scenario of the IPCC. Decreasing emissions early this century will have a corresponding effect on reducing the maximum sea level rises,' the scientists said.

The correspondence is here:
As '1.9m' is to 'the projected greenhouse gas emissions', so is: 'less sea level rise' to 'decreasing emissions'.

 

[Mzungu39]

I'd assume they mean 'proportionate'.
That is, the more we decrease emissions, the more effect it will have on reducing the sea level rises.

The 1.9m increase will occur if greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase on their present trajectory which happens to be the worst-case scenario of the IPCC. Decreasing emissions early this century will have a corresponding effect on reducing the maximum sea level rises,' the scientists said.

The correspondence is here:
As '1.9m' is to 'the projected greenhouse gas emissions', so is: 'less sea level rise' to 'decreasing emissions'.

I agree. Thanks a lot. Sometimes it's difficult to think of an appropriate word.
Anyway, I think that thesaurus should be upgraded as it didn't offer an appropriate synonym

 

[Raymott]

I agree. Thanks a lot. Sometimes it's difficult to think of an appropriate word.
Anyway, I think that thesaurus should be upgraded as it didn't offer an appropriate synonym

But if 'corresponding' was not the right word for the meaning, how would a thesaurus help anyway? Wouldn't it simply give you a whole lot of other words that are inappropriate?

 

[kfredson]

But if 'corresponding' was not the right word for the meaning, how would a thesaurus help anyway? Wouldn't it simply give you a whole lot of other words that are inappropriate?

Yes, that is true. But it can help give you ideas which can then be tested out here!

 

[Mzungu39]

But if 'corresponding' was not the right word for the meaning, how would a thesaurus help anyway? Wouldn't it simply give you a whole lot of other words that are inappropriate?

'Corresponding' was the original word. When we wanted to replace it by a synonym we got to the problem, and thesaurus was of no help.