[title]Family quotes[/title] [description]Welcome to our family quotes section! Here you'll find some of the funniest (and wisest) quotes on the subject of family life![/description]
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Latest post Wed, Apr 1 2009 5:46 PM by copysnake. 4 replies.
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copysnake  +  692741 Tue, 31 Mar 09 05:57 AM
On the streets of London this weekend, people vented their fears, frustrations and anger at the bankers and the politicians they see as responsible for the economic woes they are feeling in their daily lives.



Here is a parallel structure, but which does the clause "at the bankers and the politicians" modify? and how to find out?


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Avangi  +  692750 Tue, 31 Mar 09 06:50 AM
Others may have better advice, but I treat it as a process of trial and error.

I usually begin by picking out the main verb, because that gives me the best sense of what's happening in the sentence.

Try to decide if it's a transitive verb or not.  You have to understand what sort of action the verb describes.

The verb is "to vent." It's transitive, so it takes a direct object.  In this particular case the object is compound.

"To vent" means to release something, or to allow something to blow off.  That something would be the object.

What is the something they're releasing?  Their bad feelings, specifically, fears, frustrations, and anger.

If instead of three objects there were only one, anger, the sentence could be ambiguous, because we can have anger at someone.

So we might be talking about "their anger at the bankers and the politicians, and the phrase in your question could modify "anger," telling what anger.

But that idea doesn't work for "fears" and "frustrations."  Those are not directed at someone. We're afraid of, and frustrated by.  So we must reject that analysis.

So let's go back to the verb itself.  Let's say you're venting water out of a hose.  Can you vent it at someone?  If you're venting bad feelings, can you vent them at someone?

Does it work for all three direct objects   -   fears, frustrations, anger?   All affirmative.

If I vent my hose at my friend, does "at my friend" modify the object "my hose" or the action verb "to vent"?

This is probably the hardest question to answer.  With some experience, you'll learn that these things modify the verb, telling how I vent the hose, not where the hose is pointed.

I'd say that's the situation you have here.  "At the bankers and politicians" answers the question of how the action is performed.
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". . . le plaisir delicieux et toujours nouveau d'une occupation inutile." - Henri de Regnier
copysnake  +  692937 Tue, 31 Mar 09 07:02 PM
Thank you, and it's quite understandable!
but can it be like this: "at the bankers and politicians " is to modify "anger",and "fear", "frustration " and "anger at the bankers and politicians"
they three integrate as a whole parallel structure?

Avangi  +  692948 Tue, 31 Mar 09 07:47 PM
I would say "no."  It's pretty well established tradition that items in a series are functionally the same.  You can't expect the reader to split them up and give them various assignments.  (:)) Smile
copysnake, 238 days ago
Thank you!
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