some will swim into a lake or ocean far past the point of safety.

[hirashin]

Dear native English speakers、
would the above sentence sound correct?

Hirashin

 

[johnnyG]

It sounds correct grammatically, but in terms of content, it seems that you're entering the realm of philosophy.

Like it's a reply a master might make to a question asked by an acolyte.

 

[hirashin]

Thanks for the help, johnnyG.

I think it's not about philosophy. The original passage is like this:
Most swimmers know enough not to swim too far from the beach, but some will swim into a lake or ocean far past the point of safety.

 

[johnnyG]

Most swimmers know enough not to swim too far from the beach, but some will swim into a lake or ocean far past the point of safety.

That sounds fine.

Can I ask that when you post questions like this, please start with the original (like this), instead of abbreviating it?

 

[hirashin]

I'm sorry, johnnyG. But your comment was interesting to me. You taught me that the sentence can have a figurative meaning.

 

[joadbres]

Yes, I agree with @johnnyG . You often provide short sentences without any surrounding context. It is difficult for us to evaluate if something sounds natural without knowing the context in which it is being used.

In this case, it is not clear to me why you would take a perfectly fine sentence (Most swimmers know...) and then strip out parts of it and ask us if it "sounds correct"? What does that accomplish?

 

[hirashin]

I often ask about short sentences mainly because they are from grammar textbooks. Grammar textbooks often provide short sentences to explain the sentence structures.

But this particular case is not from a grammar book. The previous sentence sounds all right to me, so I only asked about the latter part. I was not sure whether you can say "swim into a lake or ocean".

Can you also say "some will swim beyond the point of safety in a lake or ocean"?

Hirashin

 

[joadbres]

The previous sentence sounds all right to me, so I only asked about the latter part.

Yes, but that part of the sentence is necessary for understanding the context. It explains who "some" are. You should always try to provide as much context as possible. Otherwise, we won't be able to answer as accurately.

I was not sure whether you can say "swim into a lake or ocean".

Then you should have provided the full sentence, and asked if that part sounds OK. (It does.)

Can you also say "some will swim beyond the point of safety in a lake or ocean"?

It is OK, but "into" sounds a little better in this particular case.

 

[hirashin]

Thanks for the further help, joadbres.

You should always try to provide as much context as possible. Otherwise, we won't be able to answer as accurately.

Yes. I'll do that.

 

[Habaek]

it makes it sound stupid when you add "lake" "ocean"