ESL General English Grammar Questions

ESL General English Grammar Questionshttp://www.englishforums.com/English/EslGeneralEnglishGrammar-Questions/Forum12.htmAsk your questions on grammar and get your sentence checked. We answer lots of different types of general English grammar questions here. <font color=red>DO NOT post paragraphs and compositions here. Post them in our <a href="http://www.englishforums.com/English/EssayReportCompositionWriting/Forum9.htm"><b>Essay, Report and Composition Writing Forum</b></a>.</font>enXMOD (Build: 3616.28671)Re: Sentence or Phrasehttp://www.englishforums.com/English/SentenceOrPhrase/3/jkcbz/Post.htm#809232Mon, 06 Jul 2009 18:58:26 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:809232Avangi0http://www.englishforums.com/English/SentenceOrPhrase/3/jkcbz/Post.htm#809232http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-809232.xmlHow thoughtless! If it weren't in iambic pentameter, I'd add: With all my worldly goods I thee endow. (Now that's really thoughtless!)Re: Sentence or Phrasehttp://www.englishforums.com/English/SentenceOrPhrase/2/jkcbz/Post.htm#809144Mon, 06 Jul 2009 17:36:33 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:809144AlpheccaStars1http://www.englishforums.com/English/SentenceOrPhrase/2/jkcbz/Post.htm#809144http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-809144.xmlTherefore, I can say, "I do." Do you take this woman to be your lawful wedded wife? I don't know of anyone who would debate that the answer does not express a complete thought! Cheers, A- sRe: Sentence or Phrasehttp://www.englishforums.com/English/SentenceOrPhrase/2/jkcbz/Post.htm#809111Mon, 06 Jul 2009 16:58:40 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:809111Avangi2http://www.englishforums.com/English/SentenceOrPhrase/2/jkcbz/Post.htm#809111http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-809111.xmlI exist. It's not a lot different from, "I am I, Don Quixote." "Don Quixote" is an appositive, which means it can be eliminiated without changing the essential meaning of the sentence. Therefore, "I am I," is a sentence. Cogito, ergo sum . Here too, you can eliminate either one of the independent clauses. "I think," is a sentence. "I am" is a sentence. If "I think, therefore I am," is a sentence, so is "I think, and I am." It's a little more difficult to justify "I do" on these grounds, but still possible. Clearly, "to be" means "to exist," apart from it's use in expressions like "I am dumb." But does...Re: Sentence or Phrasehttp://www.englishforums.com/English/SentenceOrPhrase/2/jkcbz/Post.htm#809046Mon, 06 Jul 2009 16:01:32 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:809046Soka3http://www.englishforums.com/English/SentenceOrPhrase/2/jkcbz/Post.htm#809046http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-809046.xmlAccording to the Ofxord Dictionary & Thesaurus (2007 edition), a sentence is a gramatically complete series of words with (implied ) subject and predicate, and expresses a complete thought . Now if I say this : 'I am'. ; does this express a complete thought ? If yes, then could you please explain that 'complete thought' to me ?Re: Sentence or Phrasehttp://www.englishforums.com/English/SentenceOrPhrase/2/jkcbz/Post.htm#808356Mon, 06 Jul 2009 05:38:06 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:808356Avangi4http://www.englishforums.com/English/SentenceOrPhrase/2/jkcbz/Post.htm#808356http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-808356.xmlThanks, A 's.Re: Sentence or Phrasehttp://www.englishforums.com/English/SentenceOrPhrase/2/jkcbz/Post.htm#808165Mon, 06 Jul 2009 02:36:59 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:808165AlpheccaStars5http://www.englishforums.com/English/SentenceOrPhrase/2/jkcbz/Post.htm#808165http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-808165.xmlI agree with Avangi. I am. He is. We are. She did. etc. are sentences. The context and word count is not relevant to the grammatical definition of a sentence. If a group of words is a sentence in one context, it is a sentence in all contexts. This is a sentence, too: Eat! This is a fragment: If I go to the supermarket in my car with my brother and your sister on Saturday afternoon. Cheers, A- sRe: Sentence or Phrasehttp://www.englishforums.com/English/SentenceOrPhrase/2/jkcbz/Post.htm#808134Mon, 06 Jul 2009 02:02:39 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:808134Avangi6http://www.englishforums.com/English/SentenceOrPhrase/2/jkcbz/Post.htm#808134http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-808134.xmlPerhaps I worry too much about definitions. The original poster wanted to know if his examples were sentences or phrases. My understanding is that any group of words is a phrase. Well, I guess that get's qualified by "which go together," which seems a bit loose. I think that all sentences are phrases, but not all phrases are sentences. I don't know much about fragments. I suppose they too are phrases. I don't know if the words in a fragment have to go together. I suppose both fragments and phrases could be qualified as potential parts of grammatical sentences. Of course sentences which are grammatical may not make sense, so we'd say they're not idiomatic. I believe you're saying that there's no...Re: Sentence or Phrasehttp://www.englishforums.com/English/SentenceOrPhrase/2/jkcbz/Post.htm#808029Mon, 06 Jul 2009 00:12:38 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:808029Yoong Liat7http://www.englishforums.com/English/SentenceOrPhrase/2/jkcbz/Post.htm#808029http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-808029.xml1. I did. 2. a. Who knocked? b. I did. How do I explain to the original poster that 2. b. is a sentence, but 1. is not? 1. I did is meaningless without context. 2. a. Who knocked? b. I did.. ( I did answers the question Who knocked? Who knocked? constiitutes the context.) I am is meaningless. I am what I am is a sentence.Re: Sentence or Phrasehttp://www.englishforums.com/English/SentenceOrPhrase/2/jkcbz/Post.htm#807954Sun, 05 Jul 2009 22:31:57 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:807954Avangi8http://www.englishforums.com/English/SentenceOrPhrase/2/jkcbz/Post.htm#807954http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-807954.xml1. I did. 2. a. Who knocked? b. I did. How do I explain to the original poster that 2. b. is a sentence, but 1. is not?Re: Sentence or Phrasehttp://www.englishforums.com/English/SentenceOrPhrase/2/jkcbz/Post.htm#807931Sun, 05 Jul 2009 22:13:22 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:807931Yoong Liat9http://www.englishforums.com/English/SentenceOrPhrase/2/jkcbz/Post.htm#807931http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-807931.xmlI'm more concerned with fragments, not meaningless sentence. To me, "I am" without context is not a meaningless sentence. It is a fragment.Re: Sentence or Phrasehttp://www.englishforums.com/English/SentenceOrPhrase/jkcbz/post.htm#807915Sun, 05 Jul 2009 21:59:20 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:807915Avangi10http://www.englishforums.com/English/SentenceOrPhrase/jkcbz/post.htm#807915http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-807915.xmlFor sure! What's the difference between a meaningless sentence and a meaningless sentence fragment?Re: Sentence or Phrasehttp://www.englishforums.com/English/SentenceOrPhrase/jkcbz/post.htm#807909Sun, 05 Jul 2009 21:47:53 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:807909Yoong Liat11http://www.englishforums.com/English/SentenceOrPhrase/jkcbz/post.htm#807909http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-807909.xmlI don't think you can use every word used by a singer as a yardstick in discussing English. Without context, to me, "I am" is meaningless.Re: Sentence or Phrasehttp://www.englishforums.com/English/SentenceOrPhrase/jkcbz/post.htm#807891Sun, 05 Jul 2009 21:40:02 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:807891Avangi12http://www.englishforums.com/English/SentenceOrPhrase/jkcbz/post.htm#807891http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-807891.xml"They are" and "He is" ,is this a sentence ? Okay. How would you classify the line from the Neil Diamond song, "I am," I said ? And was what he said a sentence? Is it a meaningless sentence, or a meaningless phrase or a meaningless sentence fragment?Re: Sentence or Phrasehttp://www.englishforums.com/English/SentenceOrPhrase/jkcbz/post.htm#807785Sun, 05 Jul 2009 19:54:59 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:807785Yoong Liat13http://www.englishforums.com/English/SentenceOrPhrase/jkcbz/post.htm#807785http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-807785.xmlAs Barbara said," Stated all on their own, they are meaningless." Without context, to me, they are fragments. With context added, they are used in conversation. He is. He is what. No sense to me . Is he clever? He is. (Now it makes sense. Context, context, context)Re: Sentence or Phrasehttp://www.englishforums.com/English/SentenceOrPhrase/jkcbz/post.htm#807783Sun, 05 Jul 2009 19:49:42 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:807783Avangi14http://www.englishforums.com/English/SentenceOrPhrase/jkcbz/post.htm#807783http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-807783.xmlQuestion: "Are these fragments?" Incorrect answer: "They are." Question: "Are these sentences"? Correct answer: "They are." "Is he sorry?" "He is."Re: Sentence or Phrasehttp://www.englishforums.com/English/SentenceOrPhrase/jkcbz/post.htm#807769Sun, 05 Jul 2009 19:43:33 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:807769Grammar Geek15http://www.englishforums.com/English/SentenceOrPhrase/jkcbz/post.htm#807769http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-807769.xmlThey would work only in answer to a question. Who is coming to the party? Who is picking up Grandma at the airport? Who asked to have some tea? Stated all on their own, they are meaningless.Re: Sentence or Phrasehttp://www.englishforums.com/English/SentenceOrPhrase/jkcbz/post.htm#807650Sun, 05 Jul 2009 17:39:04 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:807650Yoong Liat16http://www.englishforums.com/English/SentenceOrPhrase/jkcbz/post.htm#807650http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-807650.xml"They are" and "He is" ,is this a sentence ? They are fragments.Re: Sentence or Phrasehttp://www.englishforums.com/English/SentenceOrPhrase/jkcbz/post.htm#801437Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:35:43 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:801437Avangi17http://www.englishforums.com/English/SentenceOrPhrase/jkcbz/post.htm#801437http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-801437.xmlThey will be, as soon as you add periods.Sentence or Phrasehttp://www.englishforums.com/English/SentenceOrPhrase/jkcbz/post.htmTue, 30 Jun 2009 12:50:52 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:801419Anonymous18http://www.englishforums.com/English/SentenceOrPhrase/jkcbz/post.htmhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-801419.xml"They are" and "He is" ,is this a sentence ?