Thursday January 3, 2008
Exception for link verbs
YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED by FADZILAH AMIN
I LEARNED at school that an adjective was used to describe a noun or pronoun. However, in the sentence “I feel sad”, “sad” is an adjective but it is used to describe the verb “feel”. Shouldn’t an adverb be used in this case although it sounds wrong to say “I feel sadly”?
Please explain.
– Rachel
“Feel” belongs to a category of verbs called “link verbs” and such verbs are followed by adjectives, not adverbs. Other common link verbs are “be”, “appear”, “look”, “smell”, “sound”, “taste”, “grow”, “remain”, “stay”.
So we say “I feel sad”. But “She spoke sadly of her father’s death.” because “speak” is not a link verb. We also say “I am/appear sad.”, etc.
True or correct, false or wrong?
IS there any difference between true and correct, and false and wrong? Sometimes I’m not sure which words to use.
– Siti Fatimah
Yes, although there are some overlaps in meaning. Let me give you some examples:
If you say “My name is Siti Fatimah”, that is both a true and a correct statement (assuming that is your real name).
But if you write a sentence that has no grammatical errors, that sentence is “grammatically correct”, but not “grammatically true”.
If you work out a sum and you don’t get the correct answer, your answer is “wrong” but not “false”.
If you make a mistake in pressing the numbers on your phone, you’ll probably get an answer from someone you don’t know, who says “I think you’ve got the wrong (not false) number.”
But if you phone someone and deliberately tell the person that your name is “Britney Spears”, you are making a false (and wrong) statement.
There are other meanings of those words, but it would take too long to go into them.
Joining sentences
1. WHAT are the correct ways to use the preposition “despite” to join these two sentences:
I apologised to him. John refused to forgive me.
a. Despite apologising to him, John refused to forgive me.
b. Despite apologising to John, he refused to forgive me.
c. Despite my apologising to him, John refused to forgive me.
d. Despite my apology, John refused to forgive me.
Do you think sentence (a) is ambiguous in a manner similar to a dangling participle – John is the subject in the second part of the sentence but he’s not the one apologising in the first part – or is it all right?
Is it preferable to put the subject’s name in the principal clause rather than the dependent clause?
2. Use of prepositions and possessive pronouns when joining sentences:
He lost his wallet. He lost his shoes.
He lost his wallet and shoes. OR He lost his wallet and his shoes.
Meet my brother. Meet my sister.
Meet my brother and sister. OR Meet my brother and my sister.
You can go there by car. You can go there by train.
You can go there by car or by train. OR You can go there by car or train.
We have English lessons this afternoon. We have Science lessons this afternoon.
We have English and Science lessons this afternoon. OR We have English lessons and Science lessons this afternoon.
3. Should we use or/and in the situation below? Is there any difference in meaning between the two?
Do not tell Mary about this. Do not tell Jane about this.
Do not tell Mary or Jane about this. OR Do not tell Mary and Jane about this.
4. Sam is taller than I.
Are there other cases like this where we use “I” instead of “me”?
– Jenny
1. Sentences c. and d. are correct.
As you say, sentences a. and b. use “dangling participles” or “misrelated participles” (Michael Swan, 2005). It is not clear who does the “apologising” there.
Also, I think it is better to put the subject’s name first in the sentence, so we know who is doing what. For example, sentence d. can be better written as “John refused to forgive me despite my apology.” In fact, I think this is the best way to convey your meaning, using the noun “apology” instead of the participle clause “despite my apologising to him” or the other participle clauses.
2. “He lost his wallet and shoes.” and “Meet my brother and sister.” sound all right. There is no need to repeat the possessive “his” and “my” in those sentences, because their meanings are clear enough without the repetition.
Likewise, “You can go there by car or train.” and “We have English and Science lessons this afternoon.” are clear enough without the repetition of “by” and “lessons” respectively.
If there are many items to be mentioned, it might sound better to repeat the possessives and prepositions, e.g. “He lost his wallet, his shoes, his school bag, and his watch.” and “You can go there by car, by train, by plane, or by bus.”
3. Usually we would use “or” in a negative sentence, i.e. “Do not tell Mary or Jane about this.” It means the same thing as “Do not tell Mary and Jane about this.” But in a positive sentence, we use “and”, e.g. “Please tell Mary and Jane about this.”
4. “Sam is taller than I (am).” is used in a formal style, in which the subject pronoun (“I”) is used after “than”, usually followed by a verb. In an informal style, the object pronoun “me” is used after “than”, hence “Sam is taller than me.”
The subject pronoun is also used after “be” verbs in very formal usage, e.g. “It is I.” in answer to “Who’s there?” The reasoning behind this is that “be” verbs don’t have objects, only complements, and so the object forms of pronouns must not be used after “be” verbs.
However, in informal usage, the object forms are used, e.g. “It’s me” in answer to “Who’s there?”, or “That’s him.” in answer to a question such as “Which one is Ahmad?” The formal reply to this would be “That is he.”
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