Apr 1, 2004 13:00
20 yrs ago
English term
Hungary
TRANSLATOR AND INTERPRETER SINCE 1989
Native in: Russian 
Works in: English to Russian, Hungarian to Russian, Russian to English, and 3 more.
Grammar question
English
Bus/Financial
Government / Politics
Budgeting
"For the last few centuries budgeting has undergone various cycles in its evolution initially being a set of rudimentary accounting sheets to evolve into a comprehensive line item based system by the 1940s".
There is something that bothers me here grammar-wise. Does it sounds OK to your ear and if not why?
Thank you.
There is something that bothers me here grammar-wise. Does it sounds OK to your ear and if not why?
Thank you.
Responses
Responses
+9
2 mins
Selected
A few changes
Apart from a comma famine, it looks OK to me - here's a slightly reworded version.
"For the last few centuries, budgeting has undergone various cycles in its evolution, initially being a set of rudimentary accounting sheets and then evolving into a comprehensive line item-based system by the 1940s".
"For the last few centuries, budgeting has undergone various cycles in its evolution, initially being a set of rudimentary accounting sheets and then evolving into a comprehensive line item-based system by the 1940s".
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Krisztina Lelik
10 mins
|
| agree |
Vicky Papaprodromou
18 mins
|
| agree |
Ian Bradburn
1 hr
|
| agree |
elenus
: It sounds okay to me even without that comma...
1 hr
|
| agree |
Kornelia Longoria
1 hr
|
| agree |
Hacene
: yes, agreement -ing -ing
2 hrs
|
| agree |
Daniel Mencher
3 hrs
|
| agree |
Jörgen Slet
18 hrs
|
| agree |
Rajan Chopra
1 day 52 mins
|
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thank you. "
+3
3 mins
CLS Lexi-tech
Specializes in field
Language innovations for the future
Native in: Italian 
Works in: English to Italian, French to Italian, Italian, and 3 more.
evolving from .... into
not necessarily wrong, but not necessarily the best way to say it. Read it as: budgeting has undergone..., evolving from a set of rudimentary accounting sheets into a comprehensive system. Line item based is an apposition to system.
paola
paola
+5
3 mins
Marian Greenfield
Native in English
&
English
Over 30 years in financial translation
Native in: English
Works in: Spanish to English, Portuguese to English, English
Related KudoZ points
:
4
most a problem of punction, although the wording is a bit awkward
Try:
"For the last few centuries, there have been various budgeting cycles, with an initial set of rudimentary accounting sheets that evolved into a comprehensive line-item based system by the 1940s".
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Note added at 31 mins (2004-04-01 13:32:03 GMT)
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oops, talk about awkward... I meant \"mostly\"...
"For the last few centuries, there have been various budgeting cycles, with an initial set of rudimentary accounting sheets that evolved into a comprehensive line-item based system by the 1940s".
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Note added at 31 mins (2004-04-01 13:32:03 GMT)
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oops, talk about awkward... I meant \"mostly\"...
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Elena Sgarbo (X)
: Crystal-clear
4 mins
|
|
tks
|
|
| agree |
Lucie Brione
: the best so far
11 mins
|
|
tks
|
|
| agree |
Vicky Papaprodromou
17 mins
|
|
tks
|
|
| agree |
ohemulen
47 mins
|
| agree |
Daniel Mencher
3 hrs
|
| neutral |
chica nueva
: what is 'punction'... Did you mean punctuation?
1 day 9 hrs
|
+3
2 hrs
Craft.Content
Specializes in field
Word Builders In Hindi-Marathi-Sanskrit
Native in: Hindi
Works in: English to Hindi, English, English to Gujarati, and 2 more.
Try this ...
"Over the last few centuries, the budgeting exercise has undergone quite a few cycles on the evolution path - from being a set of rudimentary accounting sheets, to a comprehensive line-item based system by the 1940s."
+2
3 hrs
Daniel Mencher
United States
United States
Native in English
&
English
Works in field
United States
Native in: English
Works in: zzz Other zzz to English, Spanish to English, English, and 8 more.
another suggestion:
Here's how I would re-word it:
For the last few centuries, budgeting has undergone various cycles in its evolution: starting out as a set of rudimentary accounting sheets, it evolved into a comprehensive line item based system by the 1940s.
Good luck!
-Dan
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Note added at 3 hrs 12 mins (2004-04-01 16:12:47 GMT)
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On second thought, I would insert a \'has\' between \'it\' and \'evolved\':
...accounting sheets, it HAS evolved into a comprehensive...
-Dan
For the last few centuries, budgeting has undergone various cycles in its evolution: starting out as a set of rudimentary accounting sheets, it evolved into a comprehensive line item based system by the 1940s.
Good luck!
-Dan
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Note added at 3 hrs 12 mins (2004-04-01 16:12:47 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
On second thought, I would insert a \'has\' between \'it\' and \'evolved\':
...accounting sheets, it HAS evolved into a comprehensive...
-Dan
3 days 18 hrs
Henry Hinds
United States
United States
Native in English
&
English
Works in field
United States
43 years of Border Experience and fast.
Native in: English , Spanish
Works in: English to Spanish, Spanish to English
reply
"During the last few centuries budgeting has undergone various cycles in its evolution, starting as a set of rudimentary accounting sheets that later evolved into a comprehensive line item based system by the 1940s".
I'd do it like that.
I'd do it like that.
Discussion
"For the last few centuries budgeting has undergone various cycles in its evolution, initially being a set of rudimentary accounting sheets that has later evolved into a comprehensive line item based system by the 1940s".