Discussed or As Discussed?

[Terry Broadhurst]

I frequently see the phrase "as discussed" after a comma at the end of
many sentences, such as this one:

"For the sake of parsimony, we report forecasts based on models
estimated using only the first two DIs, as discussed above." --
"Recent Advances in Estimating Nonlinear Models . . ."

And I also frequently see it in apposition in sentences, such as this
one:

The critical aim of “conventional randomization”, as discussed above,
is to have comparable treated and untreated groups at baseline in
demographic and clinical characteristics.


However, I see no reason to use commas or "as" in either sentence. So
I would have written the sentences this way:

"For the sake of parsimony, we report forecasts based on models
estimated using only the first two DIs discussed above."

"The critical aim of “conventional randomization” discussed above is
to have comparable treated and untreated groups at baseline in
demographic and clinical characteristics."


Would I have been wrong for some reason if I had written these
sentences this way?

Thanks very much for your opinions.


Adam

[Richard Tobin]

In article <iqqu5adocq2tanaam...@4ax.com>,

Terry Broadhurst <tbr...@comcast.net> wrote:

>"For the sake of parsimony, we report forecasts based on models
>estimated using only the first two DIs, as discussed above." --

To me this suggests that the discussion above concerned what sort of
forecasts to report, or possibly the forecasts themselves, while this:

>"For the sake of parsimony, we report forecasts based on models
>estimated using only the first two DIs discussed above."

suggests that the discussions was about some (more than two) DIs.

-- Richard

[micky]

On Sun, 09 Nov 2014 09:00:21 -0500, Terry Broadhurst
<tbr...@comcast.net> wrote:

>I frequently see the phrase "as discussed" after a comma at the end of
>many sentences, such as this one:
>
>"For the sake of parsimony, we report forecasts based on models
>estimated using only the first two DIs, as discussed above." --
>"Recent Advances in Estimating Nonlinear Models . . ."
>
>And I also frequently see it in apposition in sentences, such as this
>one:
>
>The critical aim of “conventional randomization”, as discussed above,
>is to have comparable treated and untreated groups at baseline in
>demographic and clinical characteristics.

I'm not sure, but I think the writer wants to set off "discussed above"
with commas, to separate it from the rest of the sentence so the rest
will be more clear. Once he does that, he needs the "as". But I'm
not sure.

>
>However, I see no reason to use commas or "as" in either sentence. So
>I would have written the sentences this way:
>
>"For the sake of parsimony, we report forecasts based on models
>estimated using only the first two DIs discussed above."
>
>"The critical aim of “conventional randomization” discussed above is
>to have comparable treated and untreated groups at baseline in
>demographic and clinical characteristics."
>
>
>Would I have been wrong for some reason if I had written these
>sentences this way?
>
> Thanks very much for your opinions.
>
>
>Adam
>

--
Please say where you live, or what
area's English you are asking about.
So your question or answer makes sense.
. .
I have lived all my life in the USA,
Western Pa. Indianapolis, Chicago,
Brooklyn, Baltimore.

[Bertel Lund Hansen]

Terry Broadhurst skrev:

> I frequently see the phrase "as discussed" after a comma at the end of
> many sentences, such as this one:

> "For the sake of parsimony, we report forecasts based on models
> estimated using only the first two DIs, as discussed above." --
> "Recent Advances in Estimating Nonlinear Models . . ."

> And I also frequently see it in apposition in sentences, such as this
> one:

> The critical aim of “conventional randomization”, as discussed above,
> is to have comparable treated and untreated groups at baseline in
> demographic and clinical characteristics.

These are a parenthetical remarks. They can be removed with no
change in meaning.

> However, I see no reason to use commas or "as" in either sentence. So
> I would have written the sentences this way:

> "For the sake of parsimony, we report forecasts based on models
> estimated using only the first two DIs discussed above."

Now it has a defining status and cannot be removed. The practical
difference is probably not significant.

In Danish it is just as common as in English to use such
constructions as those you want to change.

> Would I have been wrong for some reason if I had written these
> sentences this way?

No. Your versions are entirely correct English, but they do not
mean quite the same.

--
Bertel, Denmark

[Jerry Friedman]

To me too.

--
Jerry Friedman

[Athel Cornish-Bowden]

And to me. I find both "discussed above" and "as discussed above" have
their place.

--
athel