Help me understand this sentence! Many Thanks!

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Wahtwadu
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Help me understand this sentence! Many Thanks!

Post by Wahtwadu »

the following is a sentence from a speech by Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

We have seen things on too large a scale to listen at this date to trifles, or to believe in the adequacy of trifling men.

Here is my question, what does "on too large a scale to listen at this date to trifles and "or to believe in the adequacy of trifling men" mean?

Thank you for your help!
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Tukanja
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Re: Help me understand this sentence! Many Thanks!

Post by Tukanja »

Hmm, it could mean
"We've got not enough details to either judge on it properly or believe to all sorts of irrelevant people."
Wahtwadu
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Re: Help me understand this sentence! Many Thanks!

Post by Wahtwadu »

Tukanja wrote:Hmm, it could mean
"We've got not enough details to either judge on it properly or believe to all sorts of irrelevant people."


thanks a lot!!! very helpful!
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sueandcat
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Re: Help me understand this sentence! Many Thanks!

Post by sueandcat »

Hi,

'Trifles' and 'trifling' refer to things/people that are unimportant and not deserving of our respect. So my interpretation of what Roosevelt said is that things that have been seen or experienced in the past have been so important that we cannot now listen to or pay attention to unimportant things talked about by unimportant people who we do not respect. Or words to that effect...

Hope this helps,

Sue
http://www.theenglishgrammarblog.com

Teacher of English for 10 years. CELTA and DTLLS qualified. Linguistics and Anthropology graduate.
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