Stenka25 Posted 18 years ago
Grammar
The problem of Inconsistency
StartFragment>
Please read the three sentences below.
a. A large basket of herbs rests against the fence to the west.
b. What you'll be left with is a set of images that is pretty good.
c. Of course I had good backups, but now a copy of my e-mails, client files, personal writings, and book manuscripts were somewhere.
In the sentence a & b, we can see the subject of underlined part is 'basket' and 'set.' But in the sentence c, it seems like the subject is not 'copy' but 'my e-mails, client files, personal writings, and book manuscripts.'
Can you tell me why?
(Can you also show me more example sentences?)
Please read the three sentences below.
a. A large basket of herbs rests against the fence to the west.
b. What you'll be left with is a set of images that is pretty good.
c. Of course I had good backups, but now a copy of my e-mails, client files, personal writings, and book manuscripts were somewhere.
In the sentence a & b, we can see the subject of underlined part is 'basket' and 'set.' But in the sentence c, it seems like the subject is not 'copy' but 'my e-mails, client files, personal writings, and book manuscripts.'
Can you tell me why?
(Can you also show me more example sentences?)
Top answer
I can see what is meant, but it is not well expressed. What I would call sloppy writing - something you may well hear colloquially but which is ungrammatical. is somewhere" OR "but now copies of my ....
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
0
I can see what is meant, but it is not well expressed. What I would call sloppy writing - something you may well hear colloquially but which is ungrammatical.
"...but now a copy [of each of] my ....is somewhere" OR "but now copies of my .... are somewhere".
"...but now a copy [of each of] my ....is somewhere" OR "but now copies of my .... are somewhere".
0