[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 Tue, Apr 28 2009 9:49 PM by Eddie88. 4 replies.
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Eddie88  +  705543 Tue, 28 Apr 09 11:36 AM
Sentences in question:

 

 I stuttered, red-faced, sweating.

 

In this sentence, I have a main clause 'I stuttered, followed by two adjectives.

 

1)Do you think this is grammatical with adjectives or do they have to be verbs: I stuttered, went red-faced, and was sweating?

 

--

 

I went red-faced, stuttered, and began to sweat

 

2)Could you say stuttered is either a verb or an adjective here?

 

 

Thanks in advance.

Joined on Mon, Nov 10 2008
New Zealand
Full Member 466
Mr Wordy  +  705630 Tue, 28 Apr 09 01:25 PM
1) The sentence is grammatical. Typically, you would say "I stuttered, red-faced and sweating". The omission of "and" gives it a more literary feel, as if the author is consciously crafting a style.

 

2) "Stuttered" is a verb. For "stuttered" to be an adjective (in any context) it would have to correspond to the use of a transitive verb ("something stuttered me"), which isn't possible in any sense of "stutter" that I'm familiar with.

 

"Went red-faced" is inelegant.

Joined on Tue, May 27 2008
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Goodman  +  705694 Tue, 28 Apr 09 05:41 PM
<<I stuttered, went red-faced, and was sweating?>>

 

This is my train of thoughts and I'd approach it this way. stuttered, red-faced and sweating are mental and emontioanl states of mind. I feel this sentece can be alternatively expressed as follows to depict one's feelings in different dimensions:

Stuttering and sweating, I began to feel red-faced.... Adverbial > main sentence

Feeling red-faced, I began to stutter and sweat..... Adverbial > main sentence

I was sweating, beginning to feel red-face and stutter ...Main sentence > participle

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Eddie88  +  705885 Tue, 28 Apr 09 09:46 PM
Thanks, Goodman.

 

The alternatives are definitely better.

 

I suppose here is another alternative:

 

I was sweating, feeling red faced, (and) stuttering.

 

 

Eddie88  +  705886 Tue, 28 Apr 09 09:49 PM
Thanks, Mr Wordy! Your first answer was great, but could you explain #2 again, please.

 

Stuttered" is a verb. For "stuttered" to be an adjective (in any context) it would have to correspond to the use of a transitive verb ("something stuttered me"), which isn't possible in any sense of "stutter" that I'm familiar with.

 

Could you explain this further, please? I would have thought this could be an adjective, possibly a past participle adjective...

 

Cheers

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