Grammar question

Welcome to ESL Printables, the website where English Language teachers exchange resources: worksheets, lesson plans, activities, etc.
Our collection is growing every day with the help of many teachers. If you want to download you have to send your own contributions.

ESL Forum:

Techniques and methods in Language Teaching

Games, activities and teaching ideas

Grammar and Linguistics

Teaching material

Concerning worksheets

Concerning powerpoints

Concerning online exercises

Make suggestions, report errors

Ask for help

Message board

ESL forum > Message board > Grammar question

Grammar question

leisel

Grammar question

I need some help, thank you.

Did you see my car fixed?

Could you explain why this sentence is grammatically incorrect. I know it needs (get). Smile

16 Jun 2014

yanogator

I can �t explain it very well, but I can take it apart for you.

My car got fixed. Did you see my car get fixed?

The "get" in the question has to be there for the same reason it has to be there in my first sentence. You couldn �t say "My car fixed." Likewise, "Did you see my car fixed?" doesn �t work, either.

Does that help?

Bruce

16 Jun 2014

leisel

Thanks so much Bruce!

I was hoping for a grammatical rule to show the sentence is incorrect...that is the difficult part. Thank you so much for your help :)

16 Jun 2014

nasreddine Sarsar

The mechanic fixed my car. You cannot say Did you see my car fixed as the subject cannot perform the action. So did you see my car being fixed is grammatically correct as you experienced the action of the mechanic fixing your car. Alternatively, you can say Did you see my car was fixed? , which means that you did not see the action of fixing your car in progress, but you do emphasize the fact that it was fixed (emphasizing the completion of the action). I hope this explanation is clear to you!

16 Jun 2014

jamiejules

hi,

I don �t usually post when it is a grammar question but this sentence doesn �t look wrong. let me explain:

I am a very messy person (that �s the bit about my personal life...)

and it is a common joke with my friends and one of them often comes round my house and would for instance say or rather exclaim:

I �d never seen your floor swept!

I may sometimes say, to insist on something unusual: did you see my hedge trimmed? (now, I have to say that when saying that there is a pause in the sentence between the last two words-probably to make up for the fact that the words was/has been... were omitted)

I know that if natives say it it doesn �t mean it is correct...but still.

So to cut a long explaination short: I think the sentence is correct but there should be a pause when saying it between the last two words to make imaginary room for "since it has been"(I know guys! "imaginary room" isn �t a very accurate term when it comes to grammar but what the hell)

have a lovely evening

Jamiejules

P.S: before anyone starts, there is nothing wrong with a trimmed hedge!

(I hope I didn�t offend anyone... I am in a cheeky mood tonight)

17 Jun 2014

leisel

Thanks a million guys.

18 Jun 2014