Can a single thing make a 'concerted' effort? 2

[jsteph]

Hi all,
I just wanted to run this by the language experts and see if this sentence makes sense:

Its new Bing search engine is a concerted attempt to take market share from dominant leader Google...

From the article in Yahoo Finance:

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Micro...0.html?x=0&sec=topStories&pos=5&asset=&ccode=

I would think it could be "part of" a concerted attempt, but not a concerted attempt by itself.
--Jim

 

[jsteph]

Yep...it ranks up there with real-a-tor!
--Jim

 

[2ffat]

The Elementary School Orchestra will make a concerted effort to give the audience a concert.

So based upon everyone's reasoning, does the above sentence make sense since orchestra, audience, and concert are all singular? Orchestra and audience imply multiple entities within their structure.



James P. Cottingham
^{I'm number 1,229!
I'm number 1,229!}

 

[KenCunningham]

To my simple mind, and as pointed out above, one can make a concerted effort (with two or more faculties) as an individual. Driving comes to mind. Perhaps that's more co-ordination, but pretty much the same in essence?

Some days are diamonds, some days are rocks - make sure most are the former.

 

[jsteph]

James,

The Elementary School Orchestra will make a concerted effort to give the audience a concert.

I think it would make more sense to say

The members of the Elementary School Orchestra will make a concerted effort to give the audience a concert.

Since "Orchestra" is a collective but singular, I don't believe the Orchestra alone could make a concerted effort.
I may be taking this too literal though...
--Jim

 

[AnotherHiggins]

I think you might need to adjust your understanding of the word.

[tt][blue]-John[/blue][/tt]
[tab][red]The plural of anecdote is not data[/red]

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[traingamer]

I'm with John on this one. You guys seem to be simply making up objections to this clearly defined usage.

Greg
People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use. Kierkegaard

 

[mjldba]

I've always understood (or assumed) that "concerted effort", whether made by an individual or a group, meant "focused or organized to achieve a singular goal".

 

[Trevoke]

I'm pretty sure that it -should- have been 'conceited'.
Microsoft is making a CONCEITED effort.
As usual.

I'm sorry, did I miss the point of the conversation?

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