Search results for 'tag:Relative pronouns tag:Adverbs' matching tags 'Relative pronouns' and 'Adverbs'

The meaning and the role of 'that'

Stenka25 — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 10:35:24 GMT

The below is a very tricky sentence I met.

I analyzed it as much as I can.

But I can't figure it out.

Can you check it for me?

In other words, even though we often mess up, most of us are doing the best that we know how with the circumstances that surround us.

<From the book, "Don't sweat the small stuff" ch. 25>

What I want to ask is how should I understand 'that'?

Is it a conjunction, relative pronoun, or relative adverb?

In each case, what's its role and meaning?

Thanks in advance.

Re: Is "There is the ..." an exceptional use?

jazzmaster — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 22:27:58 GMT

CalifJim

Probably not. There may be a better way to finesse this with a different wording.
Yes, but from the viewpoint of the authors and the teacher, this may be considered a harmless "white lie".
Out of curiosity, does the book actually use the words, "serious grammatical error"? Or is that your impressionistic paraphrase?

Thanks CJ

"Serious grammatical error" is my paraphrase. But when and if ESL students start to expressly state "this IS an exceptional usage", I suppose that means "these is a set rule on this and no one can break that in any shape or form".

"the simplification of the grammar at the beginning makes it much easier for them to navigate the language with confidence in the beginning stages" ... I fully concur with your view here. This indeed is the ideal way of teaching something to someone, I would say. However, the reality is that they will soon start feeding what a SVOC is, along with modifier/qualifier, the difference between a relative pronoun and adverb and all that good stuff to students who even cannot pronounce the word "English" correctly yet. I have an impression that they do present "grammatically acceptable" sentence structures, rock-solid rules and what not all at once. It is not a fun way to learn a foreign language. That is why some students grow not to like the subject after short while.

Let's say you are in a store with a hardcore grammatical ESL student, and you say:
*&@!#% !! I just realized I left my wallet home!!
... in stead of saying "It's all right, CJ, here, take $100. You can pay me back tomorrow.", (granting that he/she understood what you said), the ESL student will be too busy thinking "Why did he not say "I HAD left my wallet"? Because he is describing an event that happened obviously prior to the moment "he realized", it should be the past perfect tense, thus "I HAD left". It could be an exceptional use of the "realize ... that ...." structure but I am not sure. Or should I just point out his grammatical mistake?" ... this is the mentality of students who are being taught by those hardcore grammar books, and I am not exaggertating even a bit.

Thanks.

Re: where

Avangi — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 19:00:41 GMT

It seems to me that the relative adverb and the prepositional phrase with the relative pronoun as object (in which) are completely interchangeable here. But "where" is clearly not a conjunction.

I think "in which" is more common. I think of "where" in explaining formulae, "f = ma, where f is the applied force etc."

GG's point was that your "relative adverb where" is not refering to a noun of place as it should, but to a case, which it should not. "In which" is the correct choice.

You may say, "In a town where a case was pending,". You may not say, "In a case where a town was abandoned,". A case is not a place.

Re: pronoun

Mister Micawber — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 03:05:02 GMT

.
Which is a relative pronoun; wherein is an adverb. HERE is a guide to identifying the relative pronouns.

Re: i need help from grammar experts

Anonymous — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 04:31:48 GMT

a.Noun.
b.Relative pronoun
c.Article
d.Regular adjective
e.Pronominal adjective
f.Regular adverb
g.Preposition â single word
h.Preposition â group of words
I.Conjunction â single-word co-ordinate
j.Conjunction - subordinate
k.Verbal - gerund
l.Verbal - infinitive
m.Appositive
n.Expletive
o.Predicate - smiple
p.Complete subject

Taking a correspondence course involves a great amount of self-discipline on the part of the student.
When someone studies at home, there are always distractions to overcome: telephone calls from friends, favourite soap operas on TV, or sunny days beckoning outside the window. People who need to interact with their teacher on a daily basis may not wish to study a course on their own.

However, there are also definite advantages to studying âby mail.â A student may progress as rapidly as he or she wants to, instead of moving along at the same pace as a classroom full of people. A few missing high school credits can be picked up quickly, so the need to spend an extra year in school is eliminated. Instructors, or markers, are available to answer questions by telephone or e-mail.

Here are some of my answers: ( I'm having a tough time with this exercise... I need some help)

a.Noun. : home, window
b.Relative pronoun: who
c.Article: a
d.Regular adjective: sunny
e.Pronominal adjective: their
f.Regular adverb: quickly
g.Preposition â single word : on, from
h.Preposition â group of words: on the part of/instead of
I.Conjunction â single-word co-ordinate: so, and, or
j.Conjunction â subordinate: when
k.Verbal â gerund : taking/studying
l.Verbal â infinitive: to spend, to answer, to study
m.Appositive: telephone calls from friends, favourite soap operas
n.Expletive: there (and it ) , there (are also)
o.Predicate â smiple: involves a great amount of self discipline
p.Complete subject: Taking a correspondence course

Hope this helps,

Visnja

i need help from grammar experts

market-huxley — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 22:21:25 GMT

I'm taking a correspondence course. These are some of the exercises that I need to submit. So please I need help from grammar exerperts thanks.

Question 2 : In the following paragraphs, find one example of each of the parts of the sentence listed below. Lable each example clearly. You will have a total of 16 items listed as examples.

a.Noun.
b.Relative pronoun
c.Article
d.Regular adjective
e.Pronominal adjective
f.Regular adverb
g.Preposition â single word
h.Preposition â group of words
I.Conjunction â single-word co-ordinate
j.Conjunction - subordinate
k.Verbal - gerund
l.Verbal - infinitive
m.Appositive
n.Expletive
o.Predicate - smiple
p.Complete subject

Taking a correspondence course involves a great amount of self-discipline on the part of the student.
When someone studies at home, there are always distractions to overcome: telephone calls from friends, favourite soap operas on TV, or sunny days beckoning outside the window. People who need to interact with their teacher on a daily basis may not wish to study a course on their own.

However, there are also definite advantages to studying âby mail.â A student may progress as rapidly as he or she wants to, instead of moving along at the same pace as a classroom full of people. A few missing high school credits can be picked up quickly, so the need to spend an extra year in school is eliminated. Instructors, or markers, are available to answer questions by telephone or e-mail.

Here are some of my answers: ( I'm having a tough time with this exercise... I need some help)

a.Noun. : home, window
b.Relative pronoun: who (?)
c.Article: a
d.Regular adjective: sunny (?)
e.Pronominal adjective: (?)
f.Regular adverb: quickly
g.Preposition â single word : on (the part of the student) from (friends)
h.Preposition â group of words: full of , on the part of (?)
I.Conjunction â single-word co-ordinate: (?)
j.Conjunction â subordinate: (?)
k.Verbal â gerund : beckoning , taking, (?)
l.Verbal â infinitive: to spend, to answer, to study
m.Appositive: (?) (?)
n.Expletive: there (and it ) , there (are also)
o.Predicate â smiple: involves
p.Complete subject: (instructors, or markers ) (?)

How are my answers , and what would be the missing ones.. thanks

Re: Two question about "where"

Goodman — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 23:35:54 GMT

Velimir wrote:
Hello everybody, I have two questions about the word "where" . 1.I've been told that "where" in the following sentence is a pronoun by its form : Where did you get to? And the explanation is that in possible answer like: I got to page 4. it stands for the noun phrase "page 4". If it is a pronoun in this sentence,is it because of the stranding of the preposition,or in any question beginning with "where" it is to be understood as a interrogative pronoun,not an adverb.(i.e "Where are you going" --> "I am going to London",would it be interpreted that "where" stands for the noun "London"). 2.When "where" is used as a subordinator to join two clauses like in the following sentence: a) Macy's is the place where I buy my clothes. what is "where" by its form in the subordinate clause "where I buy my clothes",a pronoun or an adverb? And if "the place" is left out like: b) Macy's is where I buy my clothes. does it change anything? Is "where" to be understood as a pronoun (and what noun it replaces then),conjunction,or an adverb. Many thanks Velimir

Hi Velimir,

One of the functions of where, when, who ,what and which is to form a question. i.e. Where have you been! In this usage, itâs an adverb for places and locations.

When did you call? â âWhenâ, like âwhichâ and âwhatâ is also an adverb, and it infers time.

Another function for these words is a conjunction which joints two separate concept or ideas together in a single sentence. i.e. âIt was eight in the evening when she came homeâ.

âI saw a man who looked to be at his late 20âs coming out of your house around 4 in the afternoon when I came home from school.â This sentence contained 2 relative pronouns :who and when.

This may help you.

http://grammar.uoregon.edu/pronouns/relative.html

Re: sentences correct?

Feebs11 — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 00:05:41 GMT

Solomon_13000 wrote:
Are the sentences below correct in terms of the use of preposition and so on in italic?

Preposition

Neither Amy nor her sisters like to do ironing every week.

He is like his mother

He is always like that

Besides working at the restaurant, he also works at the garage.

He is watching TV besides eating

Everyone besides Jane went to the birthday party

The ferry departs at hourly interval.intervals

I stay at my parents' house

He wasnât at home last night

John was accused of stealing the box of coins.

John is the son of Jacob

I knew him since January of last year

Verb

Miss Wong came early to make coffee for everyone, didnât she?

There are things we didnât know until John told us

He didnât study yet he passed in his exams passed his exams

The naughty boy was running at that time, wasnât he?

I wasnât hungry just now

He wasnât accepted for the job

I shall Madam Andrea in Scotland after my examinations. incomplete - have you missed out part of your verb?

I shall visit my aunty next week

After lunch we shall visit the school

John decided to go to the library and borrow some books.

John plans to borrow some money from the bank

It is not a good habit to borrow something from people

The musical concerts will be held in Germany next year.

The elections will be held by December

He will be held responsible for the incident

Neither of the girls are keen on taking up sewing.

They are having their dinner

They are cleaning the house

Aaron usually drinks milk but yesterday he asked for tea instead.

He drinks a lot of water

He drinks water from the tap

Harry, like his brother, is a good athlete.

He is washing his car

He is pressing the wrong button

Either of the shirts looks good on you.

It looks like he is searching for something

He looks handsome

Adverb

Kim does not want to join us for dinner as she has already ~~taken~~ hers. eaten OR had

He has already ~~taken~~ his lunch eaten OR had

The building is already completed

Since you are not the culprit, you should not be worried about the interrogation.

Since yesterday there was no rain at all Ungrammatical>>There has been no rain at all since yesterday.

I have worked for the company since the 1990s.

It is the most exciting movie I have seen

That is the most attractive colour

Most people love shopping

Auxiliary Verb

Everyone in my family has a mobile phone.

It's a car that has air bags

The cat has run away

I usually have my dinner at half past seven in the evening.

I have studied today

I have slept this afternoon

Relative pronoun

No matter what she did or said, he would not forgive her.

He really enjoys what he does best

He only does what is right in life

This is the girl whom we were talking about.

The man whom you met is my friend

This is the person to whom I sent my job application

Conjunction

The pant was uncomfortable so Jack refused to wear it. "pants" = trousers - always in the plural.

He was hungry so he ate some food

It rained so I did not go out today

sentences correct?

Solomon_13000 — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 11:36:17 GMT

Are the sentences below correct in terms of the use of preposition and so on in italic?

Preposition

Neither Amy nor her sisters like to do ironing every week.

He is like his mother

He is always like that

besides working at the restaurant, he also works at the garage.

He is watching TV besides eating

Everyone besides Jane went to the birthday party

The ferry departs at hourly interval.

I stay at my parents house

He wasnât at home last night

John was accused of stealing the box of coins.

John is the son of Jacob

I knew him since January of Last year

Verb

Miss Wong came early to make coffee for everyone, didnât she?

There are things we didnât know until John told us

He didnât study yet he passed in his exams

The naughty boy was running at that time, wasnât he?

I wasnât hungry just now

He wasnât accepted for the job

I shall Madam Andrea in Scotland after my examinations.

I shall visit my aunty next week

After lunch we shall visit the school

John decided to go to the library and borrow some books.

John plans to borrow some money from the bank

It is not a good habit to borrow something from people

The musical concerts will be held in Germany next year.

The elections will be held by December

He will be held responsible for the incident

Neither of the girls are keen on taking up sewing.

They are having their dinner

They are cleaning the house

Aaron usually drinks milk but yesterday he asked for tea instead.

He drinks a lot of water

He drinks water from the tap

Harry, like his brother, is a good athlete.

He is washing his car

He is pressing the wrong button

Either of the shirts looks good on you.

It looks like he is searching for something

He looks handsome

Adverb

Kim does not want to join us for dinner as she has already taken hers.

He has already taken his lunch

The building is already completed

Since you are not the culprit, you should not be worried about the interrogation.

Since yesterday there was no rain at all

I have worked for the company since the 90âs

It is the most exciting movie I have seen

That is the most attractive colour

Most people love shopping

Auxiliary Verb

Everyone in my family has a mobile phone.

Its a car that has air bags

The cat has run away

I usually have my dinner at half past seven in the evening.

I have studied today

I have slept this afternoon

Relative pronoun

No matter what she did or said, he would not forgive her.

He really enjoys what he does best

He only does what is right in life

This is the girl whom we were talking about.

The man whom you met is my friend

This is the person to whom I sent my job application

Conjunction

The pant was uncomfortable so Jack refused to wear it.

He was hungry so he ate some food

It rained so I did not go out today

Re: BUT, pronoun, verb

Clive — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 05:59:38 GMT

Hi,

In fact, if you look in a good dictionary you will see that the word but has six jobs to do:

verb, noun, adverb, pronoun, preposition and conjuction! http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/parts-of-speech_3.htm

I cannot find any examples of but used as a verb or a pronoun in the online dictionary. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/but

Can anyone help me?

My dictionary lists it as a verb in the standard phrase 'But me no buts'. However, I don't really think that makes it a 'real' verb.

My older Concise Oxford Dictionary lists 'but' as a 'negative relative pronoun'. I think the relevant example from its long list is 'I don't doubt but that she loves you'. However, it's pretty odd and unusual. If I were you, I wouldn't concern myself with 'but' as a pronoun.

Best wishes, Clive