#1  
Old 22-Apr-2006, 00:35
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 80
Default "inside" As Adverb And Question Tags

Hi, how is it going? My first question is about "inside". I donīt know if itīs well-used in this sentence: "I want to see what is inside". For instance in a closed box. I know itīs right when I use the noun: "I want to see what is inside the closed box", but without the name, is it correct?. Itīs supposed I used "closed box" in a sentence before. On the other hand, I always hesitate if i need a subject before the verb, "to be" in this case. "I want to see what "it" is inside". Is it right?. I am afraid I donīt need it. If i use "it", it would be incorrect, not?. I am thinking about a similar sentence now: "I donīt know what is going on". Thereīs no "it" before "is", and it is right, not?. I canīt imagine "I donīt know what "it" is going on". In this kind of sentences, donīt we need to put a subject in the subordinate clause? Why?
About question tags. Imagine this sentence, "You are telling lies". At first, I thought of "Isnīt it true" in order to say that someone is really telling lies, but then I realized I could use a question tag. "You are telling lies, are you not?". Can I use both? I mean "Isnīt it true" and "Are you not?". Does it mean the same thing?.

Thanks a million for replying me last time!
Learning English is really wonderful!

Jesús
  #2  
Old 22-Apr-2006, 14:11
Casiopea's Avatar
VIP Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 12,971
Member Type: Other
Default Re: "inside" As Adverb And Question Tags

[1] I want to see what is inside. <correct>
=> "inside" is a preposition, and its object "in the box" has been omitted for the sake of efficiency.

[2] I want to see what it is inside. <incorrect>
=> "what" is the subject of the verb "is". Adding another subject ("it") makes the sentence ungrammatical.

[3] I donīt know what is going on.
=> "what" is the subject. "what" replaces a noun, like this,

An apple was in the box.
I didn't know an apple was in the box.
I didn't know what was in the box.

[4] I donīt know what "it" is going on".
=> "what" is the subject. Every verb should have one subject only, not two.

[5] You are telling lies, are you not?
OR
[5] You are telling lies, aren't you? <that one is a contraction>

[6] Isn't it true that you're telling lies?
[7] You are telling lies. Isn't that true?

[8] You are telling lies, isn't that true?
=> "isn't is true" is a sentence, not a phrase, so it can't function as a tag.

All the best.
Closed Thread

Bookmarks

Tags
quotinsidequot, adverb, question, tags


Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Are the 5 basic sentence patterns sacred? infinikyte General Language Discussions 49 28-Aug-2009 21:52
sentence structure question Unregistered Ask a Teacher 6 17-Jan-2008 09:53
which verb does this adverb modify? peteryoung Ask a Teacher 4 18-Sep-2007 14:52
"After", a conjunction or an adverb spot Ask a Teacher 7 28-Nov-2004 15:24
A noun as an adverb pdh0224 Ask a Teacher 20 05-Jun-2004 20:06


All times are GMT. The time now is 18:08.



Content Relevant URLs by vBSEO ©2011, Crawlability, Inc.