Don't over analyse :) It's a nice chuck of English. Use it. Also, remember, present simple is used for facts, routines & habits - your example is none of those.

1. Neglect (v) + noun: (not care for / look after) "He's been neglecting his parents' house while they've been away" 2. Often with passive: "That poor dog has been neglected. You can see wounds all over its body" 3. Neglect (v) + infinitive verb: (forget to do something; semi-formal) "He neglected to tell me that he'd crashed my car" 4. As a noun: "This poor child has been suffering from neglect. She's not eaten for days."

I'd agree with Michael, though it does sound slightly odd.

It is also regarded as quite a sophisticated way to express yourself, hence the reason poets like to use it.

1. "Bat away" - To dismiss (to decide that something is not important and not worth worrying about.) We often "bat away" criticism, speculation, rumours, etc. I imagine (though not 100% sure) that it is a cricketing term. In the English sport cricket, players use a bat (like in baseball) to hit the ball away from them and thus defend their team's "wicket". 2. "An eye roll" / "To roll your eyes" A dismissive gesture which means we are annoyed or bored with something, someone or something a person says. Example: "She gave me an eye-roll when I told her I'd be late again" "The students rolled their eyes when the teacher asked them to turn to page 23" Type "gif eye-roll" into Google images and you'll see what I mean... Hope that helps! Ben

Hi Sonia, "any prisoner" here means that the prisoner is not important - it is one prisoner (from all prisoners). "any prisoners" means that the prisoners (plural) are not important - they are some prisoners (from all prisoners). Other examples: "In my job I can wear any shirt I like." "Pick any card. Don't tell me what it is." "You can book a lesson with me any day next week. I'll be available." :)

Hola Susana. Yo soy profesor de Ingles y, obviamente, hablo Espanol tambien. Si quiere clases o solo si tiene mas preguntas estoy disponible...