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I might be asking a lot but it's worth trying.

  • At one point of an essay I am writing, I make several arguments
  • The last of these arguments implies questions, which I mention
  • What I then wish to convey is:

1/ That I want to leave aside these questions for now since I will answer them later in the essay

2/ That apart from these questions and IF one agrees with the previous arguments made, then another thing can be said

Here is the sentence I tried to write but which feels awkward to me

"Leaving aside this last point for now and assuming what precedes is agreed upon, (...)"

Could you please tell me if it seems correct or what should be modified?

Thanks a lot!

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I think that the issue with your sentence is that you are saying leave it aside and assume that it's agreed upon. These seem to contradict each other as you can't leave something aside and do something to it at the same time.

I think the more natural/ common way to say this would be something like: "If we assume this is true then..." "If we assume this to be true then..."

If you have a list of arguments and just want to reference the last one then you need to make sure this is clear. Just using 'preceding' may unintentionally refer to your whole list of arguments.

"If we assume the last argument is correct/true then..."

It may also be worth consdering why you have chosen to explain why it's true after already following on from it but if this is the most appropriate structure then you should be fine with one of these options.

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  • Thanks a lot for this answer, which I fear shows that my sentence does not convey what I want it to convey. It is NOT my last point which I assume is agreed upon. It is all my previous points which I assume are agreed upon. If they indeed are, and while leaving aside my last point, then my next idea is valid. That is what I want to convey! – Miles Nov 20 '20 at 10:52
  • In that case, you can simaply make the noun plural or explicitly specify the list. "If we assume the previous arguments are true/correct, then..." or "If we assume this list to be true/correct, then..." or something like that – ededededed87 Nov 20 '20 at 11:00
  • (Thanks again) OK, but 1/ I want to start by saying that we will not give an answer for now to the questions raised "just before the present sentence but after the previous points". 2/ I have no doubt about my "previous arguments" being correct, I have a doubt that everyone will agree that they are - So shall I say "Leaving aside this last point for now and assuming the previous ones are agreed upon"? "approved"? Thanks – Miles Nov 20 '20 at 11:54
  • Oh I see. Sorry, I have been misunderstanding. The issue here is if you say "assume they are agreed upon" and the reader doesn't agree then it seems like you're dismissing their thoughts. They don't agree so how can they assume that they do? You could try: "If we leave aside the last point for now and assume the others are correct, then...". This invites the reader to join you in accepting your arguments temporarily even if they don't agree yet. – ededededed87 Nov 20 '20 at 13:01
  • OK, thanks a lot, I think I will go with that. I think the issue comes from my misunderstanding of the expression "assuming (that)". I was under the "assumption" that it kind of meant "if" or "let's suppose we are in a situation where (...) even though it is not certain we are", not that every reader has to "take for granted" that they themselves agree, which, as you point out, would make no sense. The exact thing I want to say is "let's suppose we all agree on this matter, although some of us actually might not. If we do so, then (...)" - Sorry, can't upvote yr answer ! Not enough points yet! – Miles Nov 20 '20 at 13:34

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