one sentence - some questions

[Nicholas]

A sentence which I have seen in one technical manual written probably by an ESL-speaker:

".. that ensures ideal viewing posture, enabling long hours of observations to be carried out in perfect comfort"

It has caused some questions:

1. I assume, its author meant:
"...that ensures ideal viewing posture, enabling long hours observations to be carried out in perfect comfort"
or
"... that ensures ideal viewing posture, enabling long hours of observations to be passed in perfect comfort"

2. Is the bare infinitive more appropriate here?
"... that ensures ideal viewing posture, enabling long hours observations (enabling them) be carried out in perfect comfort"?

3. Is the presence of "of" noticeable?
"... that ensures ideal viewing posture, enabling long hours observations (to) be carried out in perfect comfort"
looks for me more formal and less emotional than
"... that ensures ideal viewing posture, enabling long hours of observations (to) be passed out in perfect comfort"

Thank you in advance for your comments.

[OddThomas]

First, of is essential. Its grammatical purpose is to relate observations to hours. It tells us what kind of hours these are: they are hours spent observing. So, of observations is a prepositional phrase acting as an adjective describing hours.

Second, it is the observations that are to be carried out, not the hours that are to be passed, in perfect comfort. The designer of the apparatus (a chair?) does not care that the time pass comfortably, only that the observations be performed comfortably. You may still be miserable during the entire time, but every observation will be a joy.:) (Long hours of observations is a measure of the amount of observations, not a measure of time.)

Third, a bare infinitive just won't work here. It's too much reduction, and would read strangely.

[Nicholas]

Thank you very much for your answer.

The "apparatus" is a well-designed microscope.

Probably, I have understood what you mean - "to make long hours of obsevations" is a phrase of the same type as "to eat a box of sweets"

But are the following variants correct
(without "of"): "...that ensures ideal viewing posture, enabling long hours observations to be carried out in perfect comfort".
"...that ensures ideal viewing posture, enabling to make long hours (/of) observations in perfect comfort"?

And is the comma before "enable" necessary?

[OddThomas]

Again, of is essential for the reason I described before. You could remove "long hours of" and the sentence would survive with the same meaning, and only a little reduced intensity. This serves to verify that observations are made comfortable.that ensures ideal viewing posture, enabling observations to be carried out in perfect comfort
Unfortunately, enable doesn't take to in quite the way you are asking. Some other words, such as offer or guarantee, might fit.that ensures ideal viewing posture, offering to make long hours of observations perfectly comfortable
It is reasonable to mark off the participial phrase with a comma. It is not strictly parenthetical, but it is some distance removed from the word it modifies (in fact, you don't show it at all) and the phrase is an abrupt change in thought.

[Marius Hancu]

More compact:

".. that ensures ideal viewing posture, which allows/facilitates hours-long observations in perfect comfort

.. that ensures ideal viewing posture, allowing/facilitating hours-long observations in perfect comfort

.. that ensures ideal viewing posture, contributing to hours-long observations in perfect comfort

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Hubble Vision: Further Adventures with the Hubble Space Telescope‎ - Page 28 (http://books.google.com/books?id=c6FOAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA28&dq=%22hours-long+observations%22&lr=)


by Carolyn Collins Petersen, John C. Brandt - Science (http://books.google.com/books?q=+subject:%22Science%22&lr=) - 1998 - 224 pages

Since HST is in orbit, hours-long observations continue over many orbits.
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[Nicholas]

Thank you for the answers.

1. I guess, "long hours" in 'long hours of observation" is a metaphor which reflects the hardness of the work (hours seem long) and therefore the title of a formal article like "a deviced made for long hours of use" could cause a smile. Am I right?

2. How to express correctly the idea that each of observations continues for some hours (I have not found in a dictionary the term multi-hours)? I suppose "hours-long observations" is a variant, but are there some other ways to do it?

[OddThomas]

You raise a good point. Sometimes idioms are not obvious to native speakers and it requires a knock on the head from an outsider for us to see. (Observe clouds parting, sun coming out)

Long hours does not mean the work is hard. Long hours means that the work takes many hours. Each hour does not seem long...many hours in a row are a long hours. That is the meaning. Examples:
My husband works long hours at the mill. Meaning: he gets up early and works until late.
This new business means I put in long hours. Meaning: starting a new company takes 16 hours or more every day.
On this project, you'll spend long hours in front of that microscope. Meaning: expect to spend 6 to 8 hours a day staring at little wiggly things.:rolleyes:Long hours of observation = many hours in a row of observation.

This should also answer question number two.

And, by the way, on your week off you could put in long hours lying on the beach looking at the pretty people in bathing suits. Not so difficult.