Dcomest Posted 21 years ago
Grammar
From Pandemonium...
I have several questions today.
Question 1]
a) The letter came to me only yesterday. --> Only yesterday did the letter come to me.
In intro adverbial inversion, when [Only yesterday] is emphasized, the aux. [did] should be inserted, but what about this one?
b) Only yesterday come the letter to me.
Is b) grammartically correct? Like "The men fell down --> Down fell the man"?
Questions 2]
a) The rich are never happy.
b) The rich are not always happy at all.
c) The rich are not always happy in the least.
Do those three sentences convey the same meaning? To me, b) and c) sound a bit redundant. Do native speakers commonly use the construction [not... in the least]?
Question 3]
a) When you enter into a conversation or write a letter or report, you have to have something to say and some purpose and interest in expressing [that something], whatever it is.
...expressing [that something]... Does this part sound correct to native speakers?
Question 4]
a) When it came to our music, we could each understand what the other was saying.
IMHO, "When it comes to" is a fixed phrase like a preposition, so I don't think we need to inflect the verb "comes" even though the tense is past. So, then should I say "when it came to..." like a) or is it OK to use "when it comes to..." in that context.
Questions 5]
a) John is a high school senior and wants to go college.
b) You should apply to the colleges you want to go.
Is "Go college" instead of "Go to college" acceptable in this context?
Thanks in advance!
Jay from ROK
Question 1]
a) The letter came to me only yesterday. --> Only yesterday did the letter come to me.
In intro adverbial inversion, when [Only yesterday] is emphasized, the aux. [did] should be inserted, but what about this one?
b) Only yesterday come the letter to me.
Is b) grammartically correct? Like "The men fell down --> Down fell the man"?
Questions 2]
a) The rich are never happy.
b) The rich are not always happy at all.
c) The rich are not always happy in the least.
Do those three sentences convey the same meaning? To me, b) and c) sound a bit redundant. Do native speakers commonly use the construction [not... in the least]?
Question 3]
a) When you enter into a conversation or write a letter or report, you have to have something to say and some purpose and interest in expressing [that something], whatever it is.
...expressing [that something]... Does this part sound correct to native speakers?
Question 4]
a) When it came to our music, we could each understand what the other was saying.
IMHO, "When it comes to" is a fixed phrase like a preposition, so I don't think we need to inflect the verb "comes" even though the tense is past. So, then should I say "when it came to..." like a) or is it OK to use "when it comes to..." in that context.
Questions 5]
a) John is a high school senior and wants to go college.
b) You should apply to the colleges you want to go.
Is "Go college" instead of "Go to college" acceptable in this context?
Thanks in advance!
Jay from ROK
Top answer
Question 1] a) The letter came to me only yesterday. --> Only yesterday did the letter come to me. In intro adverbial inversion, when [Only yesterday] is emphasized, the aux.
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Question 1]
a) The letter came to me only yesterday. --> Only yesterday did the letter come to me.
In intro adverbial inversion, when [Only yesterday] is emphasized, the aux. [did] should be inserted, but what about this one?
b) Only yesterday come the letter to me.
Is b) grammartically correct? No. "came" is what you want - and no inversion. "Only
a) The letter came to me only yesterday. --> Only yesterday did the letter come to me.
In intro adverbial inversion, when [Only yesterday] is emphasized, the aux. [did] should be inserted, but what about this one?
b) Only yesterday come the letter to me.
Is b) grammartically correct? No. "came" is what you want - and no inversion. "Only
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You're welcome.
I misspoke on the following issue:
Here you want either "The letter came to me only yesterday" or "Only yesterday did the letter come to me".
By
I misspoke on the following issue:
b) Only yesterday come the letter to me.
Is b) grammatically correct? No. "came" is what you want - and no inversion. "Only yesterday the letter came to me"
Here you want either "The letter came to me only yesterday" or "Only yesterday did the letter come to me".
By
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Hello CJ
Could you allow me to ask you a question just for confirming my English knowledge.
Do you say "The rich are not in
Could you allow me to ask you a question just for confirming my English knowledge.
Dcomest's question:
Do native speakers commonly use the construction [not... in the least]?
CalifJim's answer:
I don't use it often. I would add "bit" and use something like "The rich are not the least bit happy"
Do you say "The rich are not in
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Paco,
My attention is not drawn to either form - with or without "in" - so I wouldn't say that "in" sounds redundant. It simply sounds like another equally acceptable variant. (But I would not use either one without "bit"!)
CJ
My attention is not drawn to either form - with or without "in" - so I wouldn't say that "in" sounds redundant. It simply sounds like another equally acceptable variant. (But I would not use either one without "bit"!)
CJ
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Hello CJ
The google result about this matter is;
(1) not the least bit happy 888
(2) not the least happy 343
(3) not in the least bit happy 258
(4) not in the least happy 397
I feel the sample sizes are a bit too small.
paco
(But I would not use either one without "bit"!)
The google result about this matter is;
(1) not the least bit happy 888
(2) not the least happy 343
(3) not in the least bit happy 258
(4) not in the least happy 397
I feel the sample sizes are a bit too small.
paco
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