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imchongjun
08-09-2006, 08:27 AM
Hello, teachers.
I am not sure how to interpret the last sentence in the following paragraph.

I think you forget how much we who deal chiefly in new books are at the mercy of the publishers. We have to stock the new stuff, a large proportion of which is always punk. Why it is punk, goodness knows, because most of the bum books don't sell.

Does the last sentence mean
(1) Gee (="why"), the new stuff is no good, because most of them don't sell.
or
(2) I don't understand why the publishers send us bum books, because they don't sell.
??
I appreciate any suggestion. Thank you in advance!!

Rusty
08-10-2006, 03:31 AM
Hello, teachers.
I am not sure how to interpret the last sentence in the following paragraph.

I think you forget how much we who deal chiefly in new books are at the mercy of the publishers. We have to stock the new stuff, a large proportion of which is always punk. Why it is punk, goodness knows, because most of the bum books don't sell.

Does the last sentence mean
(1) Gee (="why"), the new stuff is no good, because most of them don't sell.
or
(2) I don't understand why the publishers send us bum books, because they don't sell.
??
I appreciate any suggestion. Thank you in advance!!
Why it is punk, goodness knows, because most of the bum books don't sell. Number 2 is a good intrepretation.