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x.mehrdad

#83092 Wed, 23 Mar 05 02:22 AM

Hello,

I have some doubts about the structure of the following sentence, would you mind telling me if there is anything wrong:'I saw all that splendid architecture turned into sand castles melting into the sea, and ebbing away by the flow of a smooth tide.'
Thank you

x.mehrdad

Joined on Fri, Mar 4 2005

Full Member (186)

pieanne

#83175 Wed, 23 Mar 05 09:37 AM

Hello, XM,
I'd say: "... and ebbing away with the flow of a smooth tide."

pieanne

Joined on Thu, Jan 20 2005

South of France ...But I'm Belgian!

Veteran Member (7,512)

I'm glad to help, but I'm not a native! And please excuse my typos...

x.mehrdad

#83258 Wed, 23 Mar 05 03:56 PM

Hello pieanne

You are right, there is something wrong with that, but I think it should be 'ebbed away by'.
Thank you

x.mehrdad

pieanne

#83260 Wed, 23 Mar 05 04:10 PM

Cher ami!
'I saw all that splendid architecture turned into sand castles melting into the sea, and ebbing away by the flow of a smooth tide.'

I checked "ebb", it's not transitive, so you can't use it in the passive voice, so "*ebbed by" isn't correct.

pieanne

x.mehrdad

#83265 Wed, 23 Mar 05 04:34 PM

Are you sure pieanne, the phrsal verb 'ebb away' is not neither transitive?
" un grand merci"

x.mehrdad

Verbs

pieanne

#83269 Wed, 23 Mar 05 05:02 PM

As sure as I can be ... which leaves some margin!
Mais de rien!

pieanne

x.mehrdad

#83345 Wed, 23 Mar 05 09:20 PM

Hello again pianne,

I know that I am a headache, but would you mind to take a look at the final cut:
'I saw all that splendid architecture turned into the sand castles, melting into the sea, and ebbed away with the flow back of a smooth tide.'

"Tu es formidable"

x.mehrdad

pieanne

#83472 Thu, 24 Mar 05 09:06 AM

Let me try:

"I saw all that splendid architecture turned /have you considered "'turn'?/into sand castles, melting into the sea, and ebbed away with the backflow of a smooth tide"

You could also use -ing forms everywhere:
"... turning int sand castles, melting into the sea, and ebbing away with the backflow of a smooth tide"

(the flow back doesn't make sense to me...)

C'est trop!

pieanne

x.mehrdad

#83542 Thu, 24 Mar 05 02:51 PM

Hello piean,

You are right about the flow back, and first one looks pretty good with"turn". Thank you

x.mehrdad