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Lounge / Happy New Year!
« on: December 29, 2015, 09:18:41 PM »
Joe, I just want to wish you happy Holidays and New Year and thank you for your great help!
News:
English Plain and Simple 3rd Updated Edition now available at National Book Store and Fully Booked in Metro Manila
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You Asked Me This Question / What do the terms “word form,” “base form,” and “dictionary form” mean?
« on: January 27, 2015, 05:31:53 PM »
I don’t understand the meaning of the term “word form”. That is, it is clear for me that “worker” is a form of the word “work”. But is it possible to say that “is working” in “he is working” is a compound/complex form of the verb “work”? Can we say that “more interesting” is a form of the adjective “interesting”?
And I think that it is a related question – what are tenses in English. Why do the modern grammarians say that tenses should be morphological ones only? In older grammars, as far as I know, “will work” in “he will work” was considered to be a “future tense”.
Also I don’t understand what “dictionary form” and “base form” are. Is it something which exists separately from the forms which are used in our sentences?
And I think that it is a related question – what are tenses in English. Why do the modern grammarians say that tenses should be morphological ones only? In older grammars, as far as I know, “will work” in “he will work” was considered to be a “future tense”.
Also I don’t understand what “dictionary form” and “base form” are. Is it something which exists separately from the forms which are used in our sentences?
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Getting to Know English / Should comparative clauses be classified as a fourth type of dependent clause?
« on: January 13, 2015, 07:40:40 PM »
I have a small question. Some grammarians write in their books that there are four types of dependent clauses: a) noun clauses, b) relative clauses, c) adverbial clauses and d) comparative clauses. Is there any good reason indeed for separating comparative clauses as a special type of clauses?
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You Asked Me This Question / Raising
« on: December 23, 2014, 11:41:17 PM »
I have read about raising in Wikipeida but to be frank I didn’t understand much.
There are some examples there:
a. They seem to be trying. - seem is a raising-to-subject verb.
b. Prices appear to be increasing. - appear is a raising-to-subject verb.
c. You seem to be impatient. - seem is a raising to subject verb.
Why is it called ‘raising-to-subject’ and what is raising in the first place?
There are some examples there:
a. They seem to be trying. - seem is a raising-to-subject verb.
b. Prices appear to be increasing. - appear is a raising-to-subject verb.
c. You seem to be impatient. - seem is a raising to subject verb.
Why is it called ‘raising-to-subject’ and what is raising in the first place?
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Getting to Know English / How many types of adverbial clauses are there in English?
« on: October 15, 2014, 01:31:56 AM »
And, of course, a question about adverbial clauses 
What is the best scheme for studying them and how many types of adverbial clauses exist?
What is the best scheme for studying them and how many types of adverbial clauses exist?
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Use and Misuse / The workings of the three kinds of grammatical objects in English
« on: October 06, 2014, 11:42:14 PM »
After re-reading the topic ("Noun clauses"), I see that I don’t understood some things about objects.
Probably it would be correct to say that a direct object answers the question "What?" or "Whom?" so, for example, “a new computer” in “We bought a new computer’ is a direct object.
The indirect object shows to or for whom the action of the verb is performed, so “me” is an indirect object in “She gave me the report”.
1. But what is “me” in “she gave it to me”? and ‘she did it for me’? Can we call it a prepositional object or it is a wrong term and it is better to say that “to me’ and “for me” are just prepositional phrases?
2. What is “me” in “she told me about her dog”? If it is an indirect object where is the direct object (I’ve heard that there is a rule that an indirect object can’t go without a direct object)? And what is “about her dog” in the sentence? I think that it answers the question “what”:
What did she tell? – She told me a story/She told me about her dog.
Probably it would be correct to say that a direct object answers the question "What?" or "Whom?" so, for example, “a new computer” in “We bought a new computer’ is a direct object.
The indirect object shows to or for whom the action of the verb is performed, so “me” is an indirect object in “She gave me the report”.
1. But what is “me” in “she gave it to me”? and ‘she did it for me’? Can we call it a prepositional object or it is a wrong term and it is better to say that “to me’ and “for me” are just prepositional phrases?
2. What is “me” in “she told me about her dog”? If it is an indirect object where is the direct object (I’ve heard that there is a rule that an indirect object can’t go without a direct object)? And what is “about her dog” in the sentence? I think that it answers the question “what”:
What did she tell? – She told me a story/She told me about her dog.
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Getting to Know English / Are clauses linked by “where,” “when,” “why” considered as relative clauses?
« on: October 06, 2014, 11:02:37 PM »
Thank you very much, Joe! Of course, I need some time to read the information you gave carefully ("An extensive review of the types and workings of relative clauses"), but I have a small question right away.
Are there relative clauses with antecedents referring to time, place and manner?
For example:
Can you show me the place where Jane lives?
I’ll never forget the evening when Jane came to my house.
That’s the reason why Jane came here.
Or they are not relative clauses but something else?
Are there relative clauses with antecedents referring to time, place and manner?
For example:
Can you show me the place where Jane lives?
I’ll never forget the evening when Jane came to my house.
That’s the reason why Jane came here.
Or they are not relative clauses but something else?
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Getting to Know English / An extensive review of the types and workings of relative clauses
« on: October 05, 2014, 10:22:42 PM »
I very much like the scheme/table (I am not sure what is the right word for it) in the topic about the noun clause (http://josecarilloforum.com/forum/index.php?topic=6289.0). Is there something like this on relative clauses? And how many types of them exist?
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Use and Misuse / Direct and indirect speech
« on: September 28, 2014, 11:34:16 PM »
Is it correct to say that indirect speech is a kind of that-clauses? And what is direct speech grammatically?
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Use and Misuse / Predeterminers are distinct from determiners
« on: September 19, 2014, 02:25:29 AM »
Great, now I think that everybody can see that John Johnson and Ivan Ivanov are the same person from Russia, not the US (I have never been there, as well as in England)
I have some more questions about determiners.
I think that it is safe to say that the following words are determiners:
A, the/ these, this, that, those/what, which, whose/ my, our, your… /no, neither, (a) few, (a) little, several, some, half, enough, many, much, either, both, every, each, any, all
But I am not that sure for some other words and phrases. Can we call these ones determiners?
1) a great amount of, a good deal of, a great deal of, a lot of
Lots of, a good/great many, many a, a (great) number of, plenty of
2) the only, such, other, another
3) the same, the very, the next
If it is so for ‘the next’, why is it sometimes listed as a determiner while ‘the previous’ is not?
I have some more questions about determiners.
I think that it is safe to say that the following words are determiners:
A, the/ these, this, that, those/what, which, whose/ my, our, your… /no, neither, (a) few, (a) little, several, some, half, enough, many, much, either, both, every, each, any, all
But I am not that sure for some other words and phrases. Can we call these ones determiners?
1) a great amount of, a good deal of, a great deal of, a lot of
Lots of, a good/great many, many a, a (great) number of, plenty of
2) the only, such, other, another
3) the same, the very, the next
If it is so for ‘the next’, why is it sometimes listed as a determiner while ‘the previous’ is not?
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Use and Misuse / Conjunctions and adverbs
« on: September 13, 2014, 03:24:52 AM »
I have read on some sites that there are seven coordinating conjunctions: and, but, or, nor, for, yet, so.
What is the difference between ‘pure’ conjunctions and adverbs which are used as conjunctions? Are ‘yet’ and ‘so’ conjunctions or adverbs in such use as in ‘She said she would be late, yet she arrived on time’ and why?
What is the difference between ‘pure’ conjunctions and adverbs which are used as conjunctions? Are ‘yet’ and ‘so’ conjunctions or adverbs in such use as in ‘She said she would be late, yet she arrived on time’ and why?
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