How can I make this message clearer and less wordy?

Use your mobile phone to take 2 photos. Your photos must be related to the following topics ‘actors’, ‘cars’, or ‘technological devices’. Your two photos must not be on the same topic.

3 Likes

Take 2 photos with your cell phone. Your photos must be related to the following themes: “actors”, “cars” or “technical devices”. Your two photos must not belong to the same theme.

2 Likes

Thanks Torsten

1 Like

If your audience requires British English, I would recommend one small change to the first sentence of Torsten’s excellent suggestion.

‘Take 2 photos with your mobile’ or ‘Take 2 photos with your phone’. ‘Cell phone’ is not used in the UK and using the words ‘mobile phone’ together is very old fashioned. :smiley:

3 Likes

With your phone, take two photos each relating to either Actors or Cars or Technological Devices.

2 Likes

So you can use ‘either’ even if there are more than 2 options? In the weekend you can either go fishing or watch a movie at the cinema or dine out in a restaurant. In this case the word either is used correctly?

3 Likes

“Either” … “or”… connects two or more choices.

On weekends you can either go fishing, watch a movie at the cinema or go out to eat at a restaurant.

2 Likes

I think we can. I have seen it used by many educated speakers and writers.
When there are more than two options, we cannot help it as we find in this case where we have a phrase common in all the three options:
You may take a laptop computer.
You may take a mobile phone.
You may take a smart television.
So, when we combine them using the correlative ‘either’ … ‘or’, we get this single sentence:
You may take either a computer or a mobile phone or a smart television.
I notice that Torsten has used one ‘or’ though he has combined all the three options.
@Alan may please offer his comment.

3 Likes

Hi Lawrence,
Thank you for the invitation to comment. It seems we are the longest serving contributors these days!
Back to the topic. As always with English there is more than one way to kill a cat.

I suggest the following are acceptable -
(The final ‘or’ before ‘6 ‘ suggests that one indeed is also possible).
You can bring either 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6.
You can bring either 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 or 6.

3 Likes

You may be confused because it depends on the usage. Either can mean one of only two option. It can mean one of several options. It can also mean BOTH options.

Wrong!
The car dealer has red, blue, white and black cars for sale. You can choose either option.

OK
The car dealer has white and black cars for sale. You can choose either option.

OK
You can buy either a red, blue, white or black car.

Meaning both
At the theater I had someone sitting on either side of me.
This means someone sitting on the left and right.

Meaning also ( you can’t directly exchange the words though )
If you don’t go swimming, I won’t either.

Jane doesn’t take sugar in her coffee.
James doesn’t either.

2 Likes

In the US, ‘cell’ was used for almost 30 years. The use of the words ‘cell’ and ‘mobile’ have become uncool. But some of us old farts still say it that way. Nowadays people just say phone and it’s understood that they mean cell or mobile phone. It’s also assumed that it’s a smart phone, so smart is no longer used either.

From the technical point of view, a cell phone and mobile phone are not the same thing. All cell phones are mobile phones, but not all mobile phones are cell phones. Mobile phones have been around several decades longer than cell phones.

Actually I have the tendency to call a smart phone a computer, because that’s what it really is. The phone part is a very minor usage these days.

2 Likes

Thank you, Alan. :relieved:

1 Like

I can only agree with this assessment. The hard disk of my first computer, which I bought in December 1995, had only 750 MB! Now my smartphone has 128 GB and a computing power that is several hundred times greater than that of my first PC.

2 Likes

What’s wrong with using ‘dog’? :joy: :joy: (Rhyming Slang: Dog & Bone = Phone)

2 Likes

Exactly :wink:

1 Like

Error, please ignore

2 Likes

Yes,@NearlyNapping and @Torsten, I do concur with you. It IS a mini and handy computer!

2 Likes