Search results for 'tag:Prepositions tag:Quotation marks' matching tags 'Prepositions' and 'Quotation marks'

Re: tense problems

Cool Breeze — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 16:42:18 GMT

In the first sentence the use of a present tense (think) emphasises what your opinion is now. The past tense (thought) refers to the past; your opinion may have changed by now.

"I told her that I am (was?) happy in my job" Both are right. The sequence of tenses would require was but if you are still happy, the present tense is also possible.

"I said to her that I do (did?) not know where Bob had gone to" I would use did in your sentence because of the that clause. If you had a quotation within quotation marks, even do would be correct in some contexts. The last preposition should be omitted.

Re: haunting me

Feebs11 — Sun, 13 May 2007 11:57:16 GMT

User_gary wrote:
The remark made by `Bultin' on me haunted me for many days and is still haunting me.

Please correct my sentence.

No quotation marks for proper names! Otherwise, a good sentence, apart from incorrect preposition. Remarks are made to people.

Re: preposition usage

Marius Hancu — Sat, 09 Dec 2006 15:09:53 GMT

Yahoo is one of the big search machines on the Web:

http://search.yahoo.com

You type the phrase (use the quotation marks, as I mentioned), in the Web Search form, say:
"key element in becoming"
click on the button, and you will have the hits, the pages on which the phrase is found.

Re: preposition with 'office'

Marius Hancu — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 15:21:35 GMT

Both.
Make some searches at:
http://www.nytimes.com
with:
"at the office"
"in the office"
(quotation marks are important)
to see examples

Re: Ending A Sentence With A Preposition, Right or Wrong???

Matt0915 — Sun, 30 Apr 2006 20:37:51 GMT

Marius,

Thank you for that hint about the quotation marks, i had completely forgotten about that when using search engines!!! I have not gotten that source yet and will find it at the library! I go to the University of Illinois in Urbana Champaign and have a huge library, so i should be able to look up that refernce!

Thanks again, and if you have anything on this topic please keep me informed!

Re: Ending A Sentence With A Preposition, Right or Wrong???

Marius Hancu — Sun, 30 Apr 2006 20:33:32 GMT

you might have tried that already, search of course Yahoo with:
"Ending A Sentence With A Preposition"
(quotation marks are important!)
gives many links

Re: Dangling

Casi — Wed, 08 Dec 2004 14:16:47 GMT

My head fell off days ago...

1. While eating, I fixed my bike. (conjunction with omitted subject and verb; i.e., While I was eating, I fixed my bike).

2. That's right. Having already eaten my lunch (event #1), I fixed my bike (event #2).

3. Well, er, um, given our original example though, "After eating lunch, I fixed my bike", can we say that 'eating' is ambiguous re: function? I dare say we can, but then I'd be speaking for the both of us, so I won't 'dare'.

Additionally,

4. Ruling out omitted forms (i.e., While [I was] eating,) participles head, whereas gerunds are housed:

A. After arriving late, I found the door locked. ( 'arriving' = gerund)
B. Arriving late, I found the door locked. ('Arriving' = participle)

In short, structural position determines function. 'arriving' sits in a position reserved for nouns, and participles, in having one function only, that of adjectives, cannot occur in that position. If so, then

C. *After [I was] arriving, I found the door locked. (participle)

In sum, here's a way to test if the ING word is a gerund or a participle: insert a subject and the verb TO BE (i.e., is, was, etc.), and if the resulting sentence is grammatical, then the ING word is a participle.

EX: While eating, I fixed my bike.
=> While [I was eating], I fixed my bike. (participle)

EX: After eating, I fixed my bike.
=> *After [I was eating], I fixed my bike. (gerund)

What do you think?

Food for Thought (another topic.. a new thread?)
I came across the following statement just now, while researching linking verbs, and the way in which the statement was given, without example, supporting evidence or even an "i.e., this is what I mean", the whole thing struck me as odd. I don't have the web address handy, but I will submit it if you'd like. But for now, I wonder...well, what do you think about the following statement?

There is no verb in a copular construction, so there can't be an adverb.

Now here's what I find odd. Given (1) below and like constructs, what would you call the phrase in quotation marks? We know it's a preposition in form, and I know it's an adverb in function--adverbs of place can occur with copular verbs--, so if it's not an adverb, what is it?

(1) We are "in the house".

Would you call it a substantive adjective? Moreover, can adverbs function as subject complements, and if so, is it a predicate noun or a predicate adjective? Or is it some sort of substantive predicate?