Can I say "she cannot come in person to give me a hand with producing this journal but she is willing to help remotely"?
Is this fluent English?
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2It's grammatically and idiomatically sound. I wouldn't use the term 'fluent', which means "flowing easily" and is ordinarily used of speech rather than writing, and of longer passages than this.– StoneyB on hiatusJan 18, 2014 at 3:43
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thx. So a text may be sound but it cannot be fluent./how should I say a text is not only grammatically right but nice? rhetoric? @StoneyB– JuyaJan 18, 2014 at 7:16
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@StoneyB "is ordinarily used (of) speech rather than writing" Does of here equal (for)? very interesting. Can I use of instead of for everywhere after used?– JuyaJan 18, 2014 at 7:18
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1@Juya 'use of speech' and 'and of longer...' means as a part it. And, no you cannot use it every time. The tool is used for cutting the grass and not of.– Maulik VJan 18, 2014 at 7:23
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1@Juya "is used of X" is a long-established idiom, abbreviating "is used in speaking of X", where of = about, so No, the usage cannot be generalized. It's rather old-fashioned and academic, but I am elderly and I used to be an academic. :)– StoneyB on hiatusJan 18, 2014 at 13:13
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1 Answer
You can say:
She cannot come in person and help me make/produce this journal, but she's willing to help remotely.
That's proper English and not (preferably?) fluent as stated by StoneyB.
The adverb remotely is used to describe something from a distance.
Remotely (adv.) - from a distance
answered Jan 18, 2014 at 5:41
