"Genetic diversity brings with it diversity of genetic disease. Cystic fibrosis—in any case rarer in Africa than in Europe—is often caused there by a different mutation from the one involved in the European version, and is thus missed by tests developed in the West." [from The Economist]
The first sentence structure looks wired for me. From my understanding, it means “Genetic diversity brings a variety of genetic disease.”
Can anyone help explain it?
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Hi, Sarah—To bring something with you is to have it with you as you go from one place to another. You can also carry things with you. Genetic diversity, when it figuratively comes somewhere, figuratively brings/carries with it all the stuff it involves. Genetic diversity is being personified as someone who can bring things with him- or herself wherever he or she goes.
@David, Moderator posted:Hi, Sarah—To bring something with you is to have it with you as you go from one place to another. You can also carry things with you. Genetic diversity, when it figuratively comes somewhere, figuratively brings/carries with it all the stuff it involves. Genetic diversity is being personified as someone who can bring things with him- or herself wherever he or she goes.
Thank you David.
But the sentence structure still looks weird to me because "diversity of genetic disease" follows "it". Can I change the sentence to "Genetic diversity brings diversity of genetic disease with it"
@Sarah Zhou posted:But the sentence structure still looks weird to me because "diversity of genetic disease" follows "it". Can I change the sentence to "Genetic diversity brings diversity of genetic disease with it"
"It" refers to the subject "genetic diversity." You can place the prepositional phrase "with it" either before or after the object. Its position before the object is preferred mainly when the object is long. Imagine this sentence:
- Genetic diversity brings with it diversity of genetic disease as well as a large variety of other health-related factors.
It would be very awkward to place "with it" at the end.
@Gustavo, Co-Moderator posted:"It" refers to the subject "genetic diversity." You can place the prepositional phrase "with it" either before or after the object. Its position before the object is preferred mainly when the object is long. Imagine this sentence:
- Genetic diversity brings with it diversity of genetic disease as well as a large variety of other health-related factors.
It would be very awkward to place "with it" at the end.
Thanks for your explaination Gustavo.
I understand "it" refers to the subject "genetic diversity."
But the sentence does not includ " as well as a large variety of other health-related factors". Where did you got this information from?
@Sarah Zhou posted:I understand "it" refers to the subject "genetic diversity."
But the sentence does not include " as well as a large variety of other health-related factors". Where did you get this information from?
I just made that phrase up to further increase the length of the object and to show you that, the longer the object, the more likely "with it" will appear before it.
