including

20:54 Oct 23, 2020
This question was closed without grading. Reason: Other

English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Other
English term or phrase: including
If I have done A, B, C, and D, which sentence would sound more natural/correct:
1. I have done a lot of things, including A, B, C, D.
2. I have done a lot of things, including A and B.

I.e., what should be expected after "including": a full list of what is included or only some partial list.

Thank you.
boostrer
United States
Local time: 07:11


SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
4 +4both meanings
Tony M
4 +3Part of the whole you choose to highlight
Kristopher Brame
4part of the whole being considered
Clauwolf


  

Answers


7 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
part of the whole being considered


Explanation:
:)

Clauwolf
Local time: 08:11
Does not meet criteria
Native speaker of: Native in PortuguesePortuguese
PRO pts in category: 36
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42 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +3
Part of the whole you choose to highlight


Explanation:
It is part of the whole, and the A and B should the best or most important (whatever you choose to highlight).

Kristopher Brame
United States
Local time: 07:11
Meets criteria
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Yvonne Gallagher: yes, of course something may be highlighted. Without surrounding context impossible to know for sure what is best. Not really a translation question
16 hrs

agree  Tina Vonhof (X): There has to be some indication at the beginning of the sentence how many things there are, for example: I have visited many countries, including A, B, and C. I like to name at least three to make it a more complete sentence.
16 hrs

agree  Daryo: exactly, if you wanted to quote the full list you would use some other introduction, like "consisting of ..."
21 hrs
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44 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +4
both meanings


Explanation:
In fact, in your specific example sentence, both meanings are possible, because the subject is the non-specific 'lot', and as such, we cannot know if 'A, B, C, and D' is actually an exhaustive list of the things in that 'lot' or not; the fact that you enumerate certain specific things after 'lot' seems to imply that there are also others not mentioned.
In other constructions not involving an indefinite like 'lot', the slant of the interpretation might be different, tending to infer that 'including' meant 'only some' of the things.

Tony M
France
Local time: 12:11
Meets criteria
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 168

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  David Hollywood: and the pro non-pro question is getting boring as we see in the Communican quandry a couple of days ago...
5 hrs
  -> Thanks, David!

agree  Yvonne Gallagher: Yes, of course both are possible depending on exact surrounding context (which we don't have). And of course it should be simple for a true native English speaker
16 hrs
  -> Thanks, Yvonne!

neutral  Daryo: I wouldn't use "including" as introduction to the full list, only for items of particular interest.
21 hrs
  -> My point was that after 'a lot', you can't tell for sure if it is all or some.

agree  Christine Andersen: I agree that 'a lot' implies that the list is not exhaustive, and that 'including' would not be used to introduce a full list.
2 days 19 hrs
  -> Thanks, Christine!

agree  Seamus O Donnell: Ultach
17 days
  -> Thanks, Seamus!
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