Question for people from english speaking countries!

[TheBrazilianFly]

I know this may be a bit silly for you but it is important for me. Can anyone tell me if the following two lines are correct:

Don't be an accomplice.

Don't be its accomplice.

What comes before those lines is: Living In the streets is a crime.

I must know if the grammar on those two lines are correct. If any of them is. It's very important for me. I hope someone can help me. Thank you.

 

[snowbunny00774]

you should pm beav. he likes to be critcal about that stuff.

 

[LMP]

An accomplice, I believe.

It should be Living "in" the streets is a crime, too... jus' sayin'.

 

[snowbunny00774]

Is it a verse of something? can you post the few lines before?

 

[lazarus]

I think they're both a bit wrong. The second one definitely is--you can't be an accomplice TO a crime. You can only be an accomplice to someone else who COMMITTED the crime, i.e. the perpetrator.

I understand the idea behind putting these sentences together, but even the first one is a bit strange because you're mentioning the crime, and telling the reader not to be part of the "problem" of homelessness, but you're not really saying who the main perpetrator of the crime is. Society?

There's got to be a clearer way to phrase that idea. Like "Life on the streets is a crime. Don't be a silent witness". That's a little wobbly too, but you see what I mean?


And YLB, did you mean to say "on" instead of "in"? Because you didn't even correct anything.

 

[cobl04]

If you want to be ultra-technical, then no, you can't be an accomplice to a crime. But hell everyone uses that anyway. I'd say the first one's fine, but what's wrong with living on the streets?

 

[Angela Harlem]

I think they're both a bit wrong. The second one definitely is--you can't be an accomplice TO a crime. You can only be an accomplice to someone else who COMMITTED the crime, i.e. the perpetrator.

I understand the idea behind putting these sentences together, but even the first one is a bit strange because you're mentioning the crime, and telling the reader not to be part of the "problem" of homelessness, but you're not really saying who the main perpetrator of the crime is. Society?

There's got to be a clearer way to phrase that idea. Like "Life on the streets is a crime. Don't be a silent witness". That's a little wobbly too, but you see what I mean?


And YLB, did you mean to say "on" instead of "in"? Because you didn't even correct anything.

YLB changed it from "In" to "in".

Also, perhaps it would be better to say an "accessory" rather than an accomplice.

 

[UberBeaver]

Why is Living in the streets a crime? Like homeless people? Don't they have enough to worry about without having to be told that their way of lie = their very existence - is a crime?

 

[Zoots]

And YLB, did you mean to say "on" instead of "in"? Because you didn't even correct anything.

I think it's Living "in" the streets... but Life "on" the streets.

And it's Don't be an accomplice.

 

[Zoomerang96]

I think it's Living "in" the streets... but Life "on" the streets.

And it's Don't be an accomplice.

regional dialect regarding "in" v "on", i do believe.

much like "at" the weekend v "on" the weekend.

regardless, brazilianfly, your english is very good. you should be proud.

 

[lazarus]

I don't know how you live "in" a street, unless they poured the asphalt and tar over you while they were working on it. Seems pretty clear to me.

And as for Beav's comment, it's not saying that homeless people are criminals, but that the society allowing people to be homeless is guilty of putting (or keeping) them there.
Of course, your interpretation is just another reason why neither sentence really works grammatically.

 

[mad1]

I don't know how you live "in" a street, unless they poured the asphalt and tar over you while they were working on it. Seems pretty clear to me.

LOL! wise comebacks, love 'em!

 

[LMP]

YLB changed it from "In" to "in".

Also, perhaps it would be better to say an "accessory" rather than an accomplice.

Yes, that's what I was going for. Apart from that, I'm not sure how else to help with the sentence.

 

[Dalton]

No, 'cybering' does not mean what you think it means.

 

[TheBrazilianFly]

Thank you for the answers everybody! Those are not verses by the way, they are for an ad I made in college and I have to send them to an American School for admission and I must have it in English. It's an ad I made for Amnesty International about homeless people living in the streets. Now I am in doubt between "don't be an accomplice" and "don't be an accessory"... I understand the first on may be wrong but if people do say it than maybe that makes it ok in this case... I don't think they are going to judge me too much based on the grammar from that line but on the entire ad, still I would like to be sure. Gotta make up my mind now...

regardless, brazilianfly, your english is very good. you should be proud.

Thank you.

 

[Zoots]

Yeah, your English is definitely good and sounds almost on par with native English speakers I would say! Heck, some native English speakers are terrible at grammar. We all heard that Miss America or whoever that was talking about maps.

I'm not a native English speaker myself but have been communicating in English pretty much all my life.

 

[TheBrazilianFly]

Thank you very much! That's great to hear!

 

[VintagePunk]

Thank you for the answers everybody! Those are not verses by the way, they are for an ad I made in college and I have to send them to an American School for admission and I must have it in English. It's an ad I made for Amnesty International about homeless people living in the streets. Now I am in doubt between "don't be an accomplice" and "don't be an accessory"... I understand the first on may be wrong but if people do say it than maybe that makes it ok in this case... I don't think they are going to judge me too much based on the grammar from that line but on the entire ad, still I would like to be sure. Gotta make up my mind now...



Thank you.

Even though the more correct term may be accessory, I like the sound of accomplice better, and I think it gets across very well exactly what you're trying to communicate.

Good luck with the admission!

 

[Angela Harlem]

Why is Living in the streets a crime? Like homeless people? Don't they have enough to worry about without having to be told that their way of lie = their very existence - is a crime?

The very notion that living in or on the streets is criminal to some. "I think it's a crime that so many of our seniors end up on the streets" etc. And I reckon you can suggest that our turning a blind eye can make us an accessory. I'm not sure this is the message originally being conveyed, but it makes sense to me.


And yeah, good luck with your submission, BrazilianFly! The message will get across no matter how you word it.

 

[anitram]

Your English is wonderful.

It's my third language, so I definitely appreciate when people become so fluent! It's hard work.

 

[TheBrazilianFly]

Wow, thanks everybody! Thank you for the support!

The very notion that living in or on the streets is criminal to some. "I think it's a crime that so many of our seniors end up on the streets" etc. And I reckon you can suggest that our turning a blind eye can make us an accessory. I'm not sure this is the message originally being conveyed, but it makes sense to me.


And yeah, good luck with your submission, BrazilianFly! The message will get across no matter how you word it.

You got it right Angela Harlem! That's what I ment! And thank you, I hope you are right! If all goes well I will post my ad here for all to see.