I've stumbled across this phrase, and it confuses me to say the least. I'm not allowed to post the entire sentence (somewhat classified work stuff), but part of it goes "...is reviewing the procedures in place for forecasting possible..." This is a legal document, but I'm used to that sort of language, yet I've never heard this phrase before. Is my English not as great as I thought it was? As I think more about it, maybe they mean "the procedures in place, for forcasting possible..."
It basically means whoever is reviewing the existing procedures for forecasting possible ... problems? I am guessing? I can't see the full sentence obviously so I wouldn't know.
It's usual for legal documents to contain zero commas to minimize possible interpretations, so your "correction" wouldn't happen. I'm guessing that a plausible expanded rewrite would be: The director is reviewing the procedures in place for the purpose of forecasting possible problems.
To expando-clarify it even more: The director is reviewing the procedures that are in place for the purpose of forecasting possible problems.
The director is reviewing the procedures that exist for forecasting possible problems. If you read the phrase like that you should be fine. Basically, "something in place for x" means "something that exists for x reason". It also implies someone put it there and usually refers to something like procedure that isn't necessarily tangible. The implications I guess don't have to be true but usually are.
Yeah, I deleted that part because I realized most words are like that. Sometimes I just don't think about how words are constructed until I come across a thread asking about specific words. I never realized the s went on singular words before at least consciously even though I don't think I've ever written it wrong. I think at college I've had foreign teachers who get that wrong. It would be a confusing thing to have to learn consciously.
