The Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary gives, for the word witness, an example sentence as follows:
(Original Version)
Authentic Italian cooking is very healthy —— witness the low incidence
of heart disease in Italy.
To me, the sentence should be rephrased as follows:
(My Version)
Authentic Italian cooking is very healthy —— as witnessed by the low incidence
of heart disease in Italy.
So, I have several questions:
-
What is the subject of witness in the sentence?
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Why isn't witness in the third-person singular form?
-
Can we take it as an imperative sentence?
Best Answer
To witness something is to observe it. The sentence could be paraphrased
"Look at the low incidence .." is another, less formal paraphrase.
In many contexts "witness", "observe" and "look at" have slightly different meanings, but here they are equivalent.