Grammar Questions

[Dream Merchant]

Cher, can go toilet? :lovegrin:

Wlong!

Is sposed to be:

Cher go toilet!

or if you're particularly cultured, well-brought up and courteous, it can be expressed as:

Tee-Cher go toilet plish!

:devil::lovegrin::bsmilie:

 

[Galdor]

Hi, not to worry, this is not meant to test you.

Which of these sentences are correct? 1, 2 or both? Would also appreciate some explanations too ..



Set 1:

1. Peter runs with his dog every day.
2. Peter runs every day with his dog.

Set 2:

1. Who went with Peter to the library?
2. Who went to the library with Peter?

TIA!

Looking at the sentences as they are, below are my views:

Set 1 - Peter runs with his dog everyday is correct.

Set 2 - Shouldn't it be 'who did Peter go with to the library'?

 

[theRBK]

I would agree with ZerocoolAstra... all 4 are correct and the difference lies with the different emphasis of the following adverbials (the stuff that usually give more info on the 5 'W' questions (who, when, why, what, how) regarding the verb)...

 

[rayms]

Actually all four sentences are grammatically correct.
It depends on which word/term is placed higher in importance. True, the sentence 'peter runs every day with his dog' sounds strange, but it isn't grammatically wrong.
One occasion you might write it this way is if you wish to stress the time.
For example, "Peter goes for a run every morning at 630 with his dog".

For set 2, sentence 1 can be used as a clarification question. Say for example 3 friends are gossiping about Peter going to the library with a girl (secret date).

Person 1: hey, did you know that Peter went to the library with Gill?
Person 2: wow! I didn't know they were seeing each other!
Person 3: Who did you say? Who went with Peter to the library?

so in conclusion, all sentences are grammatically correct, just that some might sound a bit strange and hence are not frequently used.

+1 :thumbsup:

 

[WuffRuff]

Actually all four sentences are grammatically correct.

so in conclusion, all sentences are grammatically correct, just that some might sound a bit strange and hence are not frequently used.

They may all be grammatically correct, but grammar is not the only thing in English language!
Sentence construction/ stucture is also just as important and some of these are incorrect in structure.

 

[Wibblo]

My Primary 2 son confirms that (1) for Q1 and (2) for Q2 is correct...last thursdy baru finish
English exams....:angel:

 

[theRBK]

They may all be grammatically correct, but grammar is not the only thing in English language!
Sentence construction/ stucture is also just as important and some of these are incorrect in structure.

actually, sentence construction/structure is grammar... I think what you are commenting on has more to do with preference rather than structure

Peter runs every day with his dog - wrong... 'every day' should not be in the middle of a sentence. It is an awkward sentence construction when put in the middle. 'Every day' should either be in front or at the end. E.g.:
Every day, Peter runs with his dog - also correct.

just because it is awkward does not make it wrong...

Just imagine, if I tell you I go. Your next question would be where? Not with who. So I should say I go to the library or I went to the library. "with Peter" is extra information, not essential information, so it should be put at the back.

not necessarily... in the case in set 1, his daily repetition could be more important, like if medical advice were sought... in set 2, someone might be asking who it was who was with Peter rather than where the destination was... its just a matter of context...

Language should follow a logical sequence. While sentence 1 may not be wrong, sentence 2 is definitely a better sentence and should be chosen over sentence 1.

logic is relative... although English normally follows the form of

(Subject Verb Object) (Jack ate the apple),

with other forms being of literary use only

(VSO) (Ate the apple Jack),
(SOV) (Jack the apple ate),
(VOS) (Ate Jack the apple),

and some that are plain impossible without changing meaning

(OSV) (The Apple Jack Ate),
(OVS) (The apple ate Jack),

all the other structures may actually be possible as the default structure in other languages... you could do a wiki search for examples of languages...

Place is just a noun... it can be used as any other noun... you can put it anywhere in the sentence.

er... its a bit more complicated than that... nouns are a class of words, not a part of speech... part of speech would be subject, verb, object, complement, but it is true that nouns can form parts of those 4 parts of speech...

sorry for going all grammarian like... just wanted to point out the possibilities in English ;p

 

[Wibblo]

in other words...I faint........

hin oh....../faint

 

[contaxable]

Everyone who responded is wrong.

It all depends on the answer script the teacher has. Even if he/she is wrong, IT IS FINAL~!

 

[contaxable]

I once attended an english course in canada, taught by a Canadian (caucasian).
He declared openly (at the beginning in every semester) in class that all Asians will never get an A in his class.

He corrected my English usage on a certain word. And because of that word, he fault the whole paragraph.

I made an appointment to meet with him. I brought along a Canadian dictionary. Before I showed him the script, I showed him the dictionary and pointed on Canadian word at the front cover. Then I flipped to the page and pointed the big X he placed on the word. I flipped to that word in the dictionary. He went speechless, embarrassed, and reluctantly, up my marks.

I made him looked like a fool right at that instance. Well, I got a B, but I hoped he would wipe his stereotype on Asians henceforth.

You see, there are all kinds of teachers out there. Some good, and some bad. :bsmilie: You cant fault them until you have some bloody good grounds.

 

[ZerocoolAstra]

errrrr.
Ok.... But you're now diverting the thread off-topic towards an uncomfortable area, namely, racism.

I'm enjoying the sharing of opinions about English Grammar!
Would TS AdamGoi kindly give us another few sentences to debate over?

 

[ZerocoolAstra]

Looking at the sentences as they are, below are my views:

Set 1 - Peter runs with his dog everyday is correct.

Set 2 - Shouldn't it be 'who did Peter go with to the library'?

For set 2, i think there is a problem with the 'with to' part of the sentence, which might make it grammatically wrong. Many people ask the question in this manner though. The intention of the question is clear enough. But is it incorrect? I think so.
I would probably write "With whom did Peter go to the library?" if I were to REALLY stress the importance of wanting to know who the other person was.

 

[ZerocoolAstra]

My Primary 2 son confirms that (1) for Q1 and (2) for Q2 is correct...last thursdy baru finish
English exams....:angel:

You didn't state clearly whether this means that (2) for Q1 and (1) for Q2 are wrong...
I propose that ALL FOUR sentences are grammatically correct :angel:

 

[ninelives]

My Primary 2 son confirms that (1) for Q1 and (2) for Q2 is correct...last thursdy baru finish
English exams....:angel:

For those who don't know, Adam is an English teacher. This is a trick question !!!!!!

 

[ZerocoolAstra]

aiyah...!
kena tricked!

but being a teacher, he can give us sentences everyday, for us to debate over!
(see, I used 'everyday' in the middle of a sentence)

 

[Daedalus Trent]

For those who don't know, Adam is an English teacher. This is a trick question !!!!!!

:bigeyes: Phoenix Wright does it again!

 

[Galdor]

For those who don't know, Adam is an English teacher. This is a trick question !!!!!!

Ha...ha. Kena tricked too.

So Adam, can you enlighten us with by revealing to us what should the model answer be?

 

[vince123123]

Teacher doesn't mean automatically correct mah. I reckon he wants to have a broader sampling of which is the correct answer because he encountered this thorny issue at work Nothing wrong with that.

 

[woojacky]

hehe actually hor, everyone is wrong.
The test / exam is a MANDARIN PAPER!
Bu4 Ke2 Yi3 Yong4 Ying1 Wen2! (Cannot use english) *evil laughter*

 

[Adam Goi]

Aiyo ... it wasn't meant to test you all lah; just want to get some views, particularly those that can be backed up by certain Grammar rules and conventions ...

For me, I never like to tell teachers or even kids that 'this statement is wrong because it sounds awkward'' ... if we keep doing that all the time, nobody is going to learn anything ...

Anyway, thanks again people; it's been a lively discussion!