Saturday, April 28, 2012

grammaticality - Which one is correct: "Materializes as" or "Materializes into"




I am confused about how to use the verb "materializes". Consider the following sentence:



"Being a blacksmith is great because all the effort you put into your profession materializes as actual physical objects that you can marvel at."



Is it correct to say "materializes as"? Or is it more appropriate to say "materializes into"? They both sound correct to me in this context, which is why I am unsure about which one to use.


Answer



I think materialize may be the wrong word in this case. Rather than materializing into or as something, a thing materializes when it moves from potentiality to actuality.



(of ideas and wishes) to become real or true




Instead, I propose yield:



"to supply or produce something positive such as a profit, an amount of food, or information"



"Being a blacksmith is great because all the effort you put into your profession yields actual physical objects that you can marvel at."


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