![]() | Chapter 8: Change | ![]() ![]() |
8.14. Counting the number of things |
It is very often useful to know how many things are in a given situation, and for this purpose we have the "number of ..." construction. For instance:
the number of edible things carried
the number of things on the table
the number of people in the Dining Room
Whereas "a woman is holding an animal" makes the same test as "an animal is held by a woman", getting the same result, counting is not so even-handed:
the number of women holding animals
the number of animals held by women
are different questions and, unless the ration is strictly one lapdog per baroness, will have different answers. If Cruella de Vil has 101 dalmatians, they may be very different indeed.
It can also be helpful to count things with no particular location, like so:
the number of rooms
the number of closed doors
For instance:
When play begins, change the right hand status line to "Explored: [number of visited rooms]/[number of rooms]".
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