help or hinder/ to ply with young women with alcohol

18:32 Oct 30, 2007

This question was closed without grading. Reason: Errant question

English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature / literature

English term or phrase: help or hinder/ to ply with young women with alcohol

He wondered if another Manhattan would help or hinder, and whether he should be plying with young with alcohol and then letting them go and fend for themselves out on the mean streets of London.

(Context info.: he -a private detective- and the girls met at the Langham and start talking about the death of another woman)

In my opinion the writer says :"He was not sure whether another glass of Manhattan cocktail would make the girl speak or not and he was also wondering that he looked like a man who cheated women with alcohol and then encouraged (or forced) them to work as a prostitute on the cruel streets of London"

Do you think this is a correct explanation?

fortunetelle (X) KudoZ activity Questions: 89 (none open) (5 closed without grading) Answers: 0
Local time: 17:53

SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED

4 +1

good thing or not/keep persuading young women to drink alcohol

Jack Doughty

help or hinder => to help make the girl talk, or to make her less talkative

Carol Gullidge

Discussion entries: 4

Answers

2 hrs confidence:

help or hinder => to help make the girl talk, or to make her less talkative

Explanation:
since you've asked the question about "plying young women with alcohol" elsewhere, there seems no need to reproduce others' efforts here.

The detective is merely wondering whether the alcohol he's offering the girl will make her give away any useful information, or if, on the other hand, it might have the opposite effect

Carol Gullidge
United Kingdom
Local time: 15:53
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 56

10 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

good thing or not/keep persuading young women to drink alcohol

Explanation:
He wondered whether another Manhattan (cocktail, as you say) would help or not, and whether is was right that he should be persuading young women to drink alcohol and then let them fend for themselves out on the mean streets of London.
They might well resort to prostitution if thus left to fend for themselves, but this passage does not say that they will.
It should be plying young women with alcohol, not plying with young women with alcohol.

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Note added at 1 day38 mins (2007-10-31 19:10:51 GMT)
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It is good English. I would need to read more of it before passing judgment on it as literature

Jack Doughty
United Kingdom
Local time: 15:53
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 518

Notes to answerer

Asker: I'm sorry it was my mistake. There should not be with befor "ply". Do you think this sentence is an example of good English or good literature?

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