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Quote susan53

If XXX is subject to YYY, then XXX is affected by YYY

So :

Central Italy is subject to earthquakes = Central Italy is often affected by earthquakes

The results are subject to correction = The results are not definite but may be corrected.

Hi susan,
1. When would you use 'be subject to' to mean ' be often affected by'?

2. Does "The results are subject to correction." mean 'the results are likely to be corrected' according to your answer?

Thank you very much for your help.

[susan53]

1. It depends on the context. You interpret which meaning is intended (often affected by vs dependent on) depending on what else is said. So eg you should be able to work out which is which in the following :

a) We've put in a recommendation that workers should be allowed to cut their lunch break to 30 minutes and then go home 30 minutes earlier. Most people seem to like the idea but it's subject to the boss's approval.

b) My mother was subject to migraines all her life. She'd have these terrific headaches which would last up to 24 hours.

2. No. As I said - they may be corrected. It's a possibility, not a probability.

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Quote susan53

b) My mother was subject to migraines all her life. She'd have these terrific headaches which would last up to 24 hours.

Hi susan,

1. Does it mean 'my mother doesn't suffer from migraines any more now?

2. "I'd rather not live in an area that is subject to flooding."
Does 'subject to' mean often floods or may flood here?

3. "Clothing purchases over $200 are subject to tax."
What does this sentence mean?

Thanks a lot.

[susan53]

1. Yes. As all the verbs are in the past tense (would = used to) and the time period is "all her life", it indicates that she's dead. If she were still alive, the verbs would be present tense and the sentence would read :
My mother has been subject to migraines all her life. She has these terrific headaches which last up to 24 hours.

2. Could be either. As I said in the first message : subject to = affected by. So you could interpret it either way. You'd need to follow it up with precise questions to find out - eg How often does it happen?

3. Again, as I said : subject to = affected by. So here it means that tax is added to the price.

Subject to only means affected by. It's the context that tells you exactly how, how often etc. You can usually interpret it by using your knowledge of the world - as with your question about prices But if the information is not in the context, you need to ask for more information.

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Hi susan,

What does 'open to' or 'exposed to' in this sentence mean below?


Open or exposed to some unfortunate or undesirable thing, as in subject to criticism.

It's one of the definitions of 'subject to' from the website:
http://www.businessdictionary.com/de...ubject-to.html

Thanks and I wish you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

[susan53]

Thank you for the Xmas greetings - just back from a lovely holiday in Germany with family.

If something is "open to criticism" it simply means that it can be criticised - ie there are obvious weak points.

Here are some other examples from various corpora :

However, despite the insight of many of his observations, his own conclusions are open to suspicion because of his failure to employ at all times the correct research methods.

it is still used in making current population estimates in post-census years, though the value of these estimates is open to question.

...but in the absence of textual evidence this is necessarily speculation based on archaeological artefacts and open to debate.

Relating this discussion back to the labour theory of value is problematic as Marx's definitions are open to interpretation and it is therefore impossible to provide definite categories of productive and unproductive labour.

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Quote susan53

If something is "open to criticism" it simply means that it can be criticised

Hi susan,

Does it mean it's possible to be criticized?

Thank you very much.