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"... disheartened and humbled as we are,..."?

English Language & Usage Asked on January 18, 2021

I wonder if we need as we are in this sentence.

In our present state, disheartened by failures and humbled by our weaknesses as we are, it is impossible to win this battle.

The presence of In our present state makes as we are redundant, but as I was writing the sentence, it just sounded natural to add as we are, as if I heard a kind of refrain in my mind. When I realised the problem, I tried removing it:

In our present state, disheartened by failures and humbled by our weaknesses, it is impossible to win this battle.

Is not the second sentence a bit dry? Shall I leave "as we are" in, or will it come across as disturbingly redundant?

Edit: There were some good answers but in the form of comments, so I cannot resolve the question by accepting them.

2 Answers

There are literary precedents for this construction that reinforce my own experience of its acceptable use, as in your example.

"Conscious as I am, sir, of the disadvantage of making such a declaration to you, under such circumstances, I have come here, because ..."

"Enthusiastic as we are in the noble cause to which we have devoted ourselves, we should ..."

Pickwick Papers

"But the fact is, that being, as I am, to inherit this estate"

"Intimate as you are, you must know how it is to be done."

Pride and Prejudice

The phrase seems to emphasise the state of the person speaking: now; at this moment; in particular relation to the surrounding circumstances, be they past or future.

Writing as I am from a literary perspective, I suggest that despite a spurious redundancy the phrase is useful and acceptable.

Correct answer by Anton on January 18, 2021

fav,

My own two cents here: I would absolutely ditch the, "as we are". I don't read your second sentence as dry at all, I see it as a concise, pithy statement. In your first sentence, "as we are" is not only redundant but as a first-time reader of the sentence, it's jarring and threw me off. I'll be interested to see if others feel differently.

Answered by Jim Simson on January 18, 2021

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