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16:27 May 2, 2011
English to English translations [PRO] Linguistics / Grammar
English term or phrase:used to function
Temporarily they (buildings) used to function exclusively as primary school premises.
Explanation: Based on the fragment I would say "In the past, they funcioned as (temporary) primary school facilities" or "In the past, they were used to house temporary primary school facilitates. The question is what the writer (perhaps not native?) meant by "temporarily".
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 11 mins (2011-05-02 16:39:06 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
Amel is correct in his explanation, however, given the rest of the sentence, it would a bit more elegant to say "were used as" instead of "used to function as".
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 18 mins (2011-05-02 16:46:08 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
OK. Try "In the past, they were temporarily used used as primary school facilities". (forgive spelling error above). This still sounds a bit off, as "in the past" clashes with "temporarily". If you could stretch it, I would say "A a certain point in the past it was used to house temprary school facilities" or "It formerly served as temporary primary school facitlities". Example: Located at a prominent campus gateway, the site formerly served as a ... common entry plaza for the Natural Sciences Building and two adjacent laboratories. ... www.bcj.com/public/projects/project/26.html - En caché. I hope this helps!
Without trying to be the odd one out here I tend to agree with eski's and Amel's (first) answer. Only that the phrase lacks of punctuation. Or
Temporarily they (buildings) used to function<,> exclusively<,> as primary school premises.
Consider ''function''as a to mean that the purpose of the buildings was adequate (enough) for a period of time. As in the sense that the building(s) were suitable/worked well for the purpose of... etc etc.
Yes, drop the "used" or I suggest saying "As a temporary measure, the entire building was used as a primary school and later kinderkartens were once again incorporated".
It seems from the additional information that you should use "temporarily" and drop "used to". You can ditch "function" as well as the buildings were probably functioning in much the same way (accommodation, shelter, warmth, light, storage) whether they were housing a primary school or a kindergarten.
I suggest: Temporarily, they were used exclusively as primary school premises.
The idea of "used to" is that it is an event or a state in the indeterminate past that no longer applies in the present. The grammar of "used to" forbids a specific past time reference. By using "temporarily", the writer is referring to a particular time period, or time periods, in the past, even though we, as readers, don't know exactly when. You simply cannot combine the two.
BD, here it goes: "The kindergartens remain the public property. Temporarily they used to function exclusively as primary school premises, but as required the buildings were turned into kindergartens again. Since 2001, five preschool institutions have resumed their work, therefore, the number of places rose to 340, and considering the formation of the new groups in the existing ones this number rose to 560 places."
The sentence you asked about doesn't tell us that the premises are not used as primary school premises anymore. However, it is perfectly compatible with that current situation as it is only telling us about past use. The question is, what exactly is the writer trying to say? Because s/he seems to have got into quite a muddle.
It could also mean that the primary school still uses the whole of the premises, but now they are also used in the evenings by adult education classes or a jazz club or whatever.
The problem is not with "exclusively", but with the use of "temporary", which implies a use never intended as long term and "used to", which implies a use that was long term.
BD is correct. It's difficult not to end up with a contradiction of terms here. The "exclusively" could be replaced with "the entire building was used as/served as" or the "entire building housed". That might help.
Oleg, this is a point of English that a lot of native writers don't have a grasp of, as it's very slippery. Have a look at: http://www.learnenglish.de/grammar/usedtotext.htm and http://www.5minuteenglish.com/mar20.htm to get a good understanding of how it is used, its relationship to the idea of "would" and the distinction between "use to" and "used to".
The problem is the use of both "temporarily" and "used to function". Compare the two sentences:
A. Temporarily, the buildings functioned exclusively as primary school premises. Meaning: for a period in the past, which was always intended to be limited, no other use of the buildings occurred.
B. The buildings used to function exclusively as primary school premises. Meaning: for a period in the past, which may have been thought of then as permanent, no other use of the buildings occurred.
Thank you, Jenni. I am aware of the right transformation of the original sentence. I just came across the phrase and it sounded out of place. You appear to have answered my question - it's poor usage.
Still, is this correct grammatically? Can be used in colloquial English or is totally unacceptable?
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Answers
8 mins confidence: peer agreement (net): +5
poor usage
Explanation: Based on the fragment I would say "In the past, they funcioned as (temporary) primary school facilities" or "In the past, they were used to house temporary primary school facilitates. The question is what the writer (perhaps not native?) meant by "temporarily".
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 11 mins (2011-05-02 16:39:06 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
Amel is correct in his explanation, however, given the rest of the sentence, it would a bit more elegant to say "were used as" instead of "used to function as".
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 18 mins (2011-05-02 16:46:08 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
OK. Try "In the past, they were temporarily used used as primary school facilities". (forgive spelling error above). This still sounds a bit off, as "in the past" clashes with "temporarily". If you could stretch it, I would say "A a certain point in the past it was used to house temprary school facilities" or "It formerly served as temporary primary school facitlities". Example: Located at a prominent campus gateway, the site formerly served as a ... common entry plaza for the Natural Sciences Building and two adjacent laboratories. ... www.bcj.com/public/projects/project/26.html - En caché. I hope this helps!
Jenni Lukac Local time: 03:18 Native speaker of: English PRO pts in category: 24
Grading comment
Thank you, colleagues!
Notes to answerer
Asker: for a limited period of time
Asker: Jenny, I agree with your "elegant" version. That's what I would say myself.
The translation workplace 
peer agreement (net): +5