compound adjective etc.

[jiang]

Dear teachers,

I have three questions to ask:

No.1

Could you please explain if I can put a compound adjective used as adverbial at the end of a sentence? For example it is correct to say 'She came back home, exhausted'. Then about about the sentence ' She came back, dog-tired'?

No.2

Please read the sentence
Wherever there are water and air there is possibly life.
I think there are two mistakes:
a. It should be 'Wherever there IS water and air' because in 'There be' structure the verb should agree with the noun that is next to it. Is that right?
b. I have a feeling that a 'wherever clause' should always followed by a clause with definite meaning instead of something uncertain. Is that right?

No.3
May I say 'I incline to do something' is the same as 'I am inclined to do something' and the only difference is that in the first sentence 'incline' is a verb while in the second sentence 'inclined' is an adjective"?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Thank you in advance.

Jiang

[MikeNewYork]

Originally Posted by jiang

Dear teachers,

I have three questions to ask:

No.1

Could you please explain if I can put a compound adjective used as adverbial at the end of a sentence? For example it is correct to say 'She came back home, exhausted'. Then about about the sentence ' She came back, dog-tired'?

No.2

Please read the sentence
Wherever there are water and air there is possibly life.
I think there are two mistakes:
a. It should be 'Wherever there IS water and air' because in 'There be' structure the verb should agree with the noun that is next to it. Is that right?
b. I have a feeling that a 'wherever clause' should always followed by a clause with definite meaning instead of something uncertain. Is that right?

No.3
May I say 'I incline to do something' is the same as 'I am inclined to do something' and the only difference is that in the first sentence 'incline' is a verb while in the second sentence 'inclined' is an adjective"?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Thank you in advance.

Jiang

1. Yes, but it is not an adverbial. It is still an adjective modifying the subject. You can call it a subject complement.

2. Wherever clauses can be followed by possibilities.
The verb is a bit tricky. If the two words connected by "and" are so closely related as to compose a set, the singular verb is acceptable. Things like "bread and butter", "salt and pepper", etc. In this case, "water and air" is a close call. I would probably use a plural verb.

3. No. One can use "incline" as an active voice verb, but the circumstances do the inclining.

The facts incline me to sign the bill.
I am inclined to sign the bill.

[jiang]

&
Dear Mike,

I guess the website broke and I couldn't receive your reply until now.

No.1 I understand.
No.2
In my grammar book it states that in 'There be structure' the verb should agree with the noun that is next to the verb. The example is:
There is food and drink enough for everyone.
If you think it should be 'are' could you please explain if it has something to do with the word 'wherever'?
No.3
The sentence is from my dictionary:
I incline to believe him. That's why I got confused.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Thank you in advance.

Jiang

Originally Posted by MikeNewYork

1. Yes, but it is not an adverbial. It is still an adjective modifying the subject. You can call it a subject complement.

2. Wherever clauses can be followed by possibilities.
The verb is a bit tricky. If the two words connected by "and" are so closely related as to compose a set, the singular verb is acceptable. Things like "bread and butter", "salt and pepper", etc. In this case, "water and air" is a close call. I would probably use a plural verb.

3. No. One can use "incline" as an active voice verb, but the circumstances do the inclining.

The facts incline me to sign the bill.
I am inclined to sign the bill.

[MikeNewYork]

Originally Posted by jiang

&
Dear Mike,

I guess the website broke and I couldn't receive your reply until now.

No.1 I understand.
No.2
In my grammar book it states that in 'There be structure' the verb should agree with the noun that is next to the verb. The example is:
There is food and drink enough for everyone.
If you think it should be 'are' could you please explain if it has something to do with the word 'wherever'?
No.3
The sentence is from my dictionary:
I incline to believe him. That's why I got confused.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Thank you in advance.

Jiang

2. The subject is a compound here -- two items connected by "and". Compound subjects are usually plural. I think you may have misunderstood the book.

3. I have never seen that usage. Which dictionary is it?

[jiang]

Dear Mike,
No.2
I am confused. There are more such examples in this grammar book:

a. There was a sofa and two chairs.
b. There is my wife and children to consider.
c. There were not his children but his wife to consider.

No.3
This is from Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English:
I incline to accept the official version of events.

Is it possible that it is American and British difference?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Thank you in advance.

Jiang

Originally Posted by MikeNewYork

2. The subject is a compound here -- two items connected by "and". Compound subjects are usually plural. I think you may have misunderstood the book.

3. I have never seen that usage. Which dictionary is it?

[MikeNewYork]

Originally Posted by jiang

Dear Mike,
No.2
I am confused. There are more such examples in this grammar book:

a. There was a sofa and two chairs.
b. There is my wife and children to consider.
c. There were not his children but his wife to consider.

No.3
This is from Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English:
I incline to accept the official version of events.

Is it possible that it is American and British difference?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Thank you in advance.

Jiang

2. With the sofa and two chairs, I would use a plural verb. Some may consider them to be a unit, however. I would use a singular in the second. Even I consider wife and children to be a unit. The third is a strange sentence. I would write: There were not only his children, but also his wife to consider.

3. Perhaps that use of "incline" is correct in BrE, but it is very odd for me.

[jiang]

Dear Mike,
Now I see. There must be something wrong with my grammar book.

Jiang

Originally Posted by MikeNewYork

2. With the sofa and two chairs, I would use a plural verb. Some may consider them to be a unit, however. I would use a singualr in the second. Even I consider wife and children to be a unit. The third is a strange sentence. I would write: There were not only his children, but also his wife to consider.

3. Perhaps that use of "incline" is correct in BrE, but it is very odd for me.

[jiang]

Dear Mike,

In my grammar book it states:
a. Brown bread and butter IS usually eatern with amoked salmon.
b. Whisky and soda IS always my favourite drink.
In these two sentences 'Brown bread and butter ' and 'Whisky and soda ' are the subjects of the sentences. Is it possible that 'There be' is a special case?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Thank you in advance.

Jiang

Originally Posted by MikeNewYork

2. With the sofa and two chairs, I would use a plural verb. Some may consider them to be a unit, however. I would use a singualr in the second. Even I consider wife and children to be a unit. The third is a strange sentence. I would write: There were not only his children, but also his wife to consider.

3. Perhaps that use of "incline" is correct in BrE, but it is very odd for me.

[MikeNewYork]

Originally Posted by jiang

Dear Mike,
Now I see. There must be something wrong with my grammar book.

Jiang

Don't burn Longman. I have heard it is very good. Sometimes we disagree even with good books.

[MikeNewYork]

Originally Posted by jiang

Dear Mike,

In my grammar book it states:
a. Brown bread and butter IS usually eatern with amoked salmon.
b. Whisky and soda IS always my favourite drink.
In these two sentences 'Brown bread and butter ' and 'Whisky and soda ' are the subjects of the sentences. Is it possible that 'There be' is a special case?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Thank you in advance.

Jiang

First of all, "bread and butter" and "whiskey and soda" are considered singular sets.

The contruction "there is" or "there are" is a delayed subject construction. The real subject follows the verb, but the rules for verb number are the same.