Re: Any dictionary - Exception to the rule?

Kooyeen — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 18:02:12 GMT

Thank you very much, Jim and Yankee.

CalifJim wrote:
If I won't shoot at any soldier, I won't kill any soldiers.
Just my point. In both cases I would use the plural because both are complements, not adjuncts. That's why I said complement rather than object. shoot at is a prepositional verb with complement soldier. (I think you meant If I don't shoot ...) The conditional may also be complicating things.

Yes, I think that really makes sense, I should have used "soldiers" in both cases. I think it's really a matter of complements or objects of the verb. I feel a little more confident now!

Thank you again.

Re: Any dictionary - Exception to the rule?

CalifJim — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 05:58:27 GMT

If I won't shoot at any soldier, I won't kill any soldiers.

Just my point. In both cases I would use the plural because both are complements, not adjuncts. That's why I said complement rather than object. shoot at is a prepositional verb with complement soldier. (I think you meant If I don't shoot ...) The conditional may also be complicating things.

That aside, more problems are on the horizon with Yankee's examples, in which some abstract nouns are used in the singular (excuse, reason).

The whole problem may boil down to whether one or more than one of the thing in question is usually considered usual or normal in the context of the sentence.

Oh, how awful! He doesn't have any ears!
Oh, how awful! He doesn't have any nose! (not noses.)

CJ

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Re: Any dictionary - Exception to the rule?

Re: Any dictionary - Exception to the rule?