Apr 26, 2014 13:04
10 yrs ago
5 viewers *
English term
Poland
Automotive tEXtPERT
Native in: Polish
Works in: English to Polish, German to Polish, Polish to English, and 2 more.
coupled with
English
Other
Linguistics
correct English usage
My question is really about the correct usage of "coupled with".
I do understand "coupled with" is used when two objects/parts are joined/fastened/bolted together (like and engine to transmission in motor vehicles), or when two (often unwelcome) phenomena occur side by side/at the same time (usually to make things worse etc...)
But is it correct to say "problems coupled with..." in the sense of "the problems of...."
as inthe sentence below:
"Problems coupled with trafficking in human beings in terms of organized crime are no longer ..."
Any comments are welcome.
I do understand "coupled with" is used when two objects/parts are joined/fastened/bolted together (like and engine to transmission in motor vehicles), or when two (often unwelcome) phenomena occur side by side/at the same time (usually to make things worse etc...)
But is it correct to say "problems coupled with..." in the sense of "the problems of...."
as inthe sentence below:
"Problems coupled with trafficking in human beings in terms of organized crime are no longer ..."
Any comments are welcome.
Responses
| 4 +3 | No |
Lincoln Hui
|
| 3 +9 | associated with/linked to |
Mark Nathan
|
| 4 +1 | It depends |
B D Finch
|
| 3 | I don't like it, eprsonally |
Tony M
|
Responses
+3
44 mins
Lincoln Hui
Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Native in English
&
English
Hong Kong
Excellence is a basic requirement.
Native in: Chinese (Variants: Cantonese, Traditional) 
, English
Works in: Chinese to English, English to Chinese, Japanese to Chinese, and 1 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
8
Selected
No
This would be an unnatural usage at best. "Associated with" is what you're looking for.
Note from asker:
| Thank you. This has been my feeling all along. |
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
JaneTranslates
3 hrs
|
| agree |
Victoria Britten
16 hrs
|
| agree |
David Moore (X)
21 hrs
|
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thank you very much indeed!"
+9
18 mins
associated with/linked to
In the example you give I would be more likely to say "associated with" or "linked to" but I do not think it is actually wrong to say "coupled with".
In my experience "coupled with" is often used when the sum is greater than the parts (e.g. "his grasp of statistics coupled with his exceptional memory made him an excellent poker player").
In my experience "coupled with" is often used when the sum is greater than the parts (e.g. "his grasp of statistics coupled with his exceptional memory made him an excellent poker player").
Note from asker:
| Thank you for your valuable input. While I do agree with your overall verdict but still, somehow, I am just uncomfortable with your reservation that "coupled with" in this context is actually not wrong ;-) |
| I do agree absolutely that 'associated with/linked to' should be used in this context. And I do hope that all those colleagues who posted their 'agrees' agree with that, and not necessarily with the view that it is not incorrect to use 'coupled with'. |
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
P.L.F. Persio
26 mins
|
| agree |
Tina Vonhof (X)
34 mins
|
| agree |
B D Finch
: Now we have a little bit of context, I think "coupled with" is wrong.
4 hrs
|
| agree |
Charles Davis
: Yes, "coupled with" means "combined with", whereas clearly the intended meaning here is "connected with" (or associated with or linked to).
4 hrs
|
| agree |
acetran
7 hrs
|
| agree |
Christine Andersen
20 hrs
|
| agree |
ghassan al-Alem
: Although it is rare usage, but it is not wrong: https://www.google.com.sa/search?es_sm=122&q=coupled with us...
21 hrs
|
| agree |
David Moore (X)
21 hrs
|
| agree |
Jean-Claude Gouin
: My 'agree' is a moot point since the asker has already made up his mind ...
4 days
|
1 hr
I don't like it, eprsonally
I can't give you a reason or explanation, but it is my 'feeling' that it just sounds wrong; 'coupled with' has the sense of 'in conjunction with': "The strong wind coupled with the lashing rain made their walk home a miserable one" — this is a quite different sense from 'connected with / associated with', which means 'relating to': "The car breakdown was connected with the fule line problems the week before"
There really are two quite distinct notions between these groups of expressions. Maybe a test would be to re-write the sentence with a verb in the middle: "His illness was connected with years of heavy smoking" — in this construction, 'coupled with' clearly wouldn't work.
There really are two quite distinct notions between these groups of expressions. Maybe a test would be to re-write the sentence with a verb in the middle: "His illness was connected with years of heavy smoking" — in this construction, 'coupled with' clearly wouldn't work.
Note from asker:
| Thank you for your input. |
+1
2 hrs
It depends
At first glance, I agreed with Tony's comment about finding it a poor choice of vocabulary. However, on second thoughts, you really haven't given adequate context for it to be clear whether or not this is so. The use of "coupled with" rather than e.g. "associated with" might be deliberate in order to emphasise that most people would make that association automatically or instinctively. The only way to know whether that is the case is to see a longer extract from your text, which would put this in context and also give one a chance to assess the quality of writing.
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Note added at 4 hrs (2014-04-26 17:27:48 GMT)
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Now you have given a little context, "coupled with" is clearly wrong. The sentence could also do with some punctuation.
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Note added at 4 hrs (2014-04-26 17:27:48 GMT)
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Now you have given a little context, "coupled with" is clearly wrong. The sentence could also do with some punctuation.
Note from asker:
| Thank you for your input. |
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
David Moore (X)
: I didn't like 'it depends' at all, but the addition is okay
19 hrs
|
|
Thanks. I think it would have depended had we not had the fuller context! That's why I agreed with Mark's answer.
|
Discussion
"Problems coupled with trafficking in human beings as organized crime are no longer limited to those traditionally existing on the regional level."
or
"Problems coupled with trafficking in human beings in terms of organized crime are no longer limited to those traditionally existing on the regional level."