This site uses cookies. Some of these cookies are essential to the operation of the site, while others help to improve your experience by providing insights into how the site is being used. For more information, please see the ProZ.com privacy policy.
Cookie settings
set alongside
is dispossessed of ...as to
Jan 31, 2015 06:09
9 yrs ago
1 viewer *
English term

one narrative strategy, second guesses it

English Art/Literary Linguistics sentence
The term comes from this:" In asides and footnotes,the writer decides on one narrative strategy, second guesses it, then tries another, as he works his way toward an ending he cannot quite imagine."

I wonder what does "one narrative strategy, second guesses it" mean here?
Responses
3 +3 Selects one narrative strategy, and then questions that narrative strategy
4 +3 one narrative strategy, predicts the outcome
References
to second-guess
Votes to reclassify question as PRO/non-PRO:

Non-PRO (2): Teresa Reinhardt, Yvonne Gallagher

When entering new questions, KudoZ askers are given an opportunity* to classify the difficulty of their questions as 'easy' or 'pro'. If you feel a question marked 'easy' should actually be marked 'pro', and if you have earned more than 20 KudoZ points, you can click the "Vote PRO" button to recommend that change.

How to tell the difference between "easy" and "pro" questions:

An easy question is one that any bilingual person would be able to answer correctly. (Or in the case of monolingual questions, an easy question is one that any native speaker of the language would be able to answer correctly.)

A pro question is anything else... in other words, any question that requires knowledge or skills that are specialized (even slightly).

Another way to think of the difficulty levels is this: an easy question is one that deals with everyday conversation. A pro question is anything else.

When deciding between easy and pro, err on the side of pro. Most questions will be pro.

* Note: non-member askers are not given the option of entering 'pro' questions; the only way for their questions to be classified as 'pro' is for a ProZ.com member or members to re-classify it.

Discussion

acetran Jan 31, 2015:
Please see the end of statement ...an ending he cannot quite imagine.
Carol Gullidge Jan 31, 2015:
2 terms These are two separate terms. I presume you're only asking for help with one of them (second guess)?

Responses

+3
11 mins
Selected

Selects one narrative strategy, and then questions that narrative strategy

Second guess is defined as to question a decision or action that has already been completed.

So, here the writer selects one narrative strategy, questions it. And probably drops it and tries finding another narrative strategy.
Peer comment(s):
agree JaneTranslates
3 hrs
:)
agree Jacek Kloskowski
6 hrs
Thanks :)
agree Teresa Reinhardt : the term is "to secondguess"
12 hrs
neutral writeaway : @Teresa Reinhardt: the term in English is second guess or second-guess. Two words, not one
18 hrs
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thank you for help!"
+3
4 hrs

one narrative strategy, predicts the outcome

In my use of English, to 'second guess' something is to anticipate (predict) the result before it has happened. In 'The Times English Dictionary', the second definition of 'second'guess' is 'to attempt to anticipate or predict (a person or thing)'. (The 1st definition is 'to criticize or evaluate with hindsight' - not appropriate here.)
Peer comment(s):
neutral Peter Simon : I can't see why not the 1st def., meaning the author follows the first option for a while and finds it would be appropriate and so takes another course. That's evaluation, and with hindsight looking back to the result in his own mind.
54 mins
agree writeaway : Funny, your definiton is the one I always heard. Guess we're a minority here. looks like we're foreigners in our own language.
13 hrs
agree Rachel Fell : agree, + with writeaway; personally never have liked the term, but it certainly isn't (yet) one word, and "the writer" is the subject of all the following verbs
14 hrs
agree Yvonne Gallagher : how I understand it too
2 days 22 hrs
Something went wrong...

Reference comments

18 hrs
Reference:

to second-guess

[transitive] second-guess somebody/something to guess what somebody will do before they do it It was impossible to second-guess the decision of the jury.

[transitive, intransitive] second-guess (somebody/something) (especially North American English) to criticize somebody after a decision has been made; to criticize something after it has happened

http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english...
Peer comments on this reference comment:
agree Rachel Fell
41 mins
Something went wrong...
Close search
Term search
  • All of ProZ.com
  • Term search
  • Jobs
  • Forums
  • Multiple search