Rene Uittenbogaard wrote:
> So which sentences are correct? And what is more, which sentences are
> usual/unusual?
>
> Choosing the right preposition is currently one of the things that I
> find hardest about English. I'd really appreciate it if you would keep
> correcting me :)
OK...
> I wrote:
>
> > Man is inferior to wolf in ferocity.
> > (I'm not sure about the choice of the preposition "in" in that
> > last English sentence; is that correct?)
>
> Keith Gaughan wrote:
>
> > Perfect english.
Agreed. (It would be a little better with _the_ wolf, IMO)
>
> Carsten Becker wrote:
>
> > René: Maybe it would have been better to choose "as for"
> > instead of the second "is". Maybe it would have been
> > better, too, to say "was seine Wildheit betrifft" (what
> > concerns his ferocity) instead of "in seiner Wildheit".
If you're going to use "as for" I think it has to come first (topicalizing):
As for ferocity, man is inferior to the wolf. In this case, instead of "as
for" you could substitute "with respect to" or "as concerns". If you want
the "ferocity" clause to come at the end, only "with respect to" works: Man
is inferior to the wolf w.r.t. ferocity. Neither "as for" nor "as concerns"
sound right here; awkward at best, or non-native "translationese" perhaps.
>
> I wasn't sure whether I could say:
>
> Man is inferior to wolf in ferocity.
> Man is inferior to wolf with respect to ferocity.
Yes to these two.
> Man is inferior to wolf as concerns ferocity.
Marginal. The meaning is clear; it just doesn't sound right to me.
> Carsten suggests if I understand correctly:
>
> Man is inferior to wolf as for ferocity.
> Man is inferior to wolf what concerns his ferocity.
No to both, especially "what concerns"-- definitely marked as Germanic
translationese in my book (was betrifft..., wat betrefft...)
>
> My dictionary lists "as concerns" as a synonym for "in respect to";
> should I have used that instead?
>
> Man is inferior to wolf in respect to ferocity.
I feel "with respect to" is far more frequent nowadays. "In/with regard to"
is also synonymous.
>
>
> BTW, is there a general term for "prepositional constructs" like "with
> respect to"? I usually refer to them as "compound prepositions", but
> what is the official terminology?
I'm not sure there is an official term; both of your proposals make sense.
Hope this helps!!