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ESL forum >
Ask for help > Can anyone help me??
Can anyone help me??
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HARIM
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For the first sentence,I �d say �The room was familiar.It had belonged to me since I was a child �
For the second sentence,If no car was mentioned before,I �d say it in two ways to mean what the person wants to mean:
- .... were as old as mine,or ..... were old like mine. A third way is a typo.
Cheers |
11 Aug 2009
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Jayho
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My two cents worth ...
The second sentence is perfectly acceptable and accurate - its form is as an implied comparative and commonly used by native speakers.
Here is some info on it:
The use of ellipsis
In comparisons using the comparative form of an adjective, the second half of the comparison is often omitted completely, when it is considered obvious what is meant. In each of the following examples, the part of the comparison which might normally be omitted is enclosed in square brackets.
e.g. Things could get worse [than they are now].
I do not want to walk much further [than this].
Would you like more milk [than you already have]?
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11 Aug 2009
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HARIM
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Jayho,
I don �t see any similarities between your examples and the sentence in question.
These are comparative adjectives used as presupposition triggers:
Things could get worse [than they are now].
I do not want to walk much further [than this].
Would you like more milk [than you already have]?
Unless other cars are mentioned before,This is a typo because the adjective is followed by the conjunction�like � denoting similarity:
The room was older like mine
I hope it �s clear |
11 Aug 2009
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goodnesses
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Agree with harim, Jayho �s examples are completely different from the given example..
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11 Aug 2009
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Spagman63
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There is nothing wrong with the second sentence. Native English speakers know this to mean older compared to the other cars at the location.There is no need to mention the other cars. If the writer had said old � it would imply an old model but he/she means there were other cars there that were used, as his/hers was. NOT everything can be black and white. That �s the nature of language.
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11 Aug 2009
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HARIM
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Spagman,
I kow that you are pointing the guns at me;but sorry to tell you that in the field of linguistics known as pragmatics,comparative adjectives are sometimes considered as presupposition triggers and the presupposition must be mutually known or assumed by the speaker and addressee for the utterance to be considered appropriate in context. This is why I said in my sentence:Unless.....,or else it �s a typo.In pragmatics it �s either black or white.
Would my sentence: �She�s nicer� tell you who I �m comparing?
Have a nice day |
11 Aug 2009
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**********
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So, I realize the debate went on and had relevant developments with Harim �s posts. Very well put, Harim: your arguments are consistent and well informed. Besides, being a native speaker doesn �t justify all kinds of mistakes and bad reasoning, both of grammar and of logic. In fact, such an argument is no more than a fallacious appeal to an authority that is, either anchored in sound arguments, or no authority at all. Have a nice day. |
11 Aug 2009
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JudyHalevi
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The first sentence should be:
The room was familiar, it has belonged to me since I was born.
The second sentence: The use of the word older denotes that it is not a new car, but not an old one either.
Judy |
11 Aug 2009
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Jayho
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Hi everyone
Ok - you may not see the examples as similar - it was an internet reference for the average TESOL teacher who wants to know why comparatives are not always black and white. Commercial coursebooks often don�t include implied comparatives and therefore it is often assumed that it must be black and white but in reality this is not so. Often there is an implication. It�s a topic for advanced learners of English.
If NNSs disagree so be it - in reality the second sentence is perfectly correct and accurate.
Cheers
Jayho
"Arguments over grammar and style are often as fierce as those over IBM versus Mac, and as fruitless as Coke versus Pepsi and boxers versus briefs" - Jack Lynch
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11 Aug 2009
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! Here u have more typos related to this book: 