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by afandian 3398 days ago
In English you can say "as X, Y", for example "as Google, Microsoft releases code, "as last time, I was late" or "as the author, I love the US". It doesn't mean that "Microsoft = Google", or "I am last time" or "I am the author".

Google's dictionary (wherever it comes from) has

> conjunction 2: used to indicate by comparison the way that something happens or is done

I think you're thinking of

> preposition 1: used to refer to the function or character that someone or something has
2 comments
efaref 3398 days ago
In this case, "as the original author" would be taken by a native speaker to mean the person is speaking with the authority of being the original author, i.e. they are the original author. "As" is only used for comparison when it is clear from context that that's the case. The idiomatic way to express what I think is intended is "like the original author".
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infodroid 3398 days ago
That's just wrong. In the original comment, "as" was used as a preposition and not as a conjunction. But it is grammatically incorrect to use the preposition "as" to draw a comparison instead of "like". See for example: http://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/as-o....
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schtitt 3398 days ago
You all bring up good points, and I agree that the usage was imprecise and/or wrong, though the original comment did, IMO, contain enough information that you should be able to deduce with a significant probability (in the Bayesian sense) whether or not I am, indeed, the great French historian Henry Rousso!
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infodroid 3393 days ago
No, there wasn't enough information to conclude anything either way. That's why I asked the question.
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afandian 3398 days ago
Ah well. You win. Congratulations? I'm not here to argue over grammar. It seems like you have sufficient grip on the language to have understood the comment you quibbled with.
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infodroid 3398 days ago
This isn't a competition. While I appreciate that you were only trying to be helpful, in reality proposing false theories doesn't add anything of value to a discussion, especially when the issue can be settled with a basic web search.
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salvar 3398 days ago
Do you think asking a question sarcastically was the best way for you to add value to the discussion?
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infodroid 3398 days ago
What makes you think I was being sarcastic?

I never anticipated anybody would be so moronic as to think that.

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