ESL General English Grammar Questions

Re: wrong sentence

New2grammar — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 13:48:04 GMT

Grammar Geek
Well, obviously, the rest of the person showed up too. How gross would it be if just the faces showed up!

LOL...That's a good one.

Re: wrong sentence

Grammar Geek — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 13:44:31 GMT

I can see they are difficult to learn. Most people who use them (and we do, every day, without realizing it) have no idea that there even are grammatical terms for what they just said.

Common ones are referring to a place/office to represent the person. "The White House said..." "The reaction from Downing Street was swift and severe."

But in reading about this just now, I found examples that I never even notice as being a figure of speech, like "a lot of new faces." Well, obviously, the rest of the person showed up too. How gross would it be if just the faces showed up! But that's another example of "one part representing the whole."

Wholegrain seems to be struggling with this too. You two should join forces.

Re: wrong sentence

New2grammar — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 13:31:48 GMT

Thanks, GG. If the poster had meant to use 'by' it would be a metonymy/synechoche right? I'm still tryin gto understand the meanings of the terms.

Re: wrong sentence

Grammar Geek — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 13:29:12 GMT

A synechoche is a subset of metonymy, but the original poster was not using is at such - the orignal poster simply made an error with the preposition.

Re: wrong sentence

New2grammar — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 13:22:51 GMT

Delmobile
," but I've heard this particular "synecdoche" often enough.

Are you referring to the metonymy in the original question?

Re: wrong sentence

natybrazil — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 12:41:28 GMT

I should have realized that I needed to use the prepo AT instead of BY.
Thanks.

Re: wrong sentence

Delmobile — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 12:37:56 GMT

Neither one is enormously wrong, although I would say "Lucy had her hair cut at an expensive beauty parlor downtown." It is the stylist, not the establishment itself, who actually cuts the hair, so your second sentence might more properly read, "Lucy had someone at an expensive beauty parlor downtown cut her hair," but I've heard this particular "synecdoche" often enough.

wrong sentence

natybrazil — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 12:28:31 GMT

Hello!

What would be the best way to correct the following sentence?

"Lucy had her hair cut by an expensive beauty parlor downtown".

Suggestion: Lucy had an expensive beauty parlor downtonwn cut her hair. OK?

Thanks a lot!