as in the good old days/comma

[arth...@yahoo.com]

Which are correct:

1-These days people don't have to stay at home for their favorite TV programs as in the good old days. They can record them.

2-These days people don't have to stay home for their favorite TV programs, as in the good old days. They can record them.

3-In our town, people don't jog in the streets as in the good old days. They use the treadmill and waste electricity.

4-In our town, people don't jog in the streets, as in the good old days. They use the treadmill and waste electricity.

Gratefully,
Navi.

[Derek Turner]

To my BrE ears they all need 'they did' inserted after 'as'. First comma
is wrong in 3 and 4. Other commas optional IMO.

[Peter Moylan]

On 06/04/13 22:42, arth...@yahoo.com wrote:

> 3-In our town, people don't jog in the streets as in the good old days. They use the treadmill and waste electricity.

Silly, isn't it? A properly designed treadmill would generate electricity.

--
Peter Moylan, Newcastle, NSW, Australia. http://www.pmoylan.org
For an e-mail address, see my web page.

[Robert Bannister]

On 6/04/13 7:42 PM, arth...@yahoo.com wrote:
> Which are correct:
>
> 1-These days people don't have to stay at home for their favorite TV programs as in the good old days. They can record them.
>
> 2-These days people don't have to stay home for their favorite TV programs, as in the good old days. They can record them.

Did you mean to drop the "at" in sentence 2? Using "home" for "at home"
strikes me as American. I can't see the commas are very important.

>
> 3-In our town, people don't jog in the streets as in the good old days. They use the treadmill and waste electricity.
>
> 4-In our town, people don't jog in the streets, as in the good old days. They use the treadmill and waste electricity.
>
> Gratefully,
> Navi.
>

--
Robert Bannister

[arth...@yahoo.com]

Thank you all very much.

I generally use both "stay home" and "stayed at home", but the first one is the one I use more often. In the course of my life, I have talked both to Britishers and to Americans and I think I have been influenced by both groups.

As for the comme, I think in certain cases it does change the meaning:

a-At the party they sang as in the fifties.=in that style; in that manner
b-At the party they sang, as in the fifties.=maybe they sang in a different style but the important thing is that they sang and that was what was done in the fifties.

But when negation comes in, then things become more complicated!

a1-At the party they did not sing as in the fifties.=they did sing, but in a different manner/ or did they not sing at all?

b1-At the party they did not sing, as in the fifties.=this sounds to me as if in the fifties they did not sing and they did not sing at the party either.

What do you think?
Gratefully,
Navi.

[arth...@yahoo.com]

Yes, people waste electricity to lose weight. I think the system wants us to consume more.
People drive to the gym, walk on the treadmill and drive back home. Why not just walk to the gym?!

Respectfully,
Navi.

[Mike L]

And then walk home again without going in, thus saving not only
electricity but also money.

--
Mike.

[arth...@yahoo.com]

People don't seem to see that there is free distance everywhere.

Respectfully,
Navi.

[Robert Bannister]

Agreed, although I would write "as they did in the fifties" in the
version with the comma.

>
> But when negation comes in, then things become more complicated!
>
> a1-At the party they did not sing as in the fifties.=they did sing,
> but in a different manner/ or did they not sing at all?
>
> b1-At the party they did not sing, as in the fifties.=this sounds to
> me as if in the fifties they did not sing and they did not sing at
> the party either.
>
> What do you think? Gratefully, Navi.
>

I agree again. You're getting very good at this.

--
Robert Bannister