Sound natural?

[asad hussain]

Does the questions and answers sound natural to you? I have answered question no. 2 in two ways. Please tell me which one sounds more natural?

Thanks a trillion in advance.

Stanza 1
Come to me, O ye children!
For I hear you at your play,
And the questions that perplexed me
Have vanished quite away.

(This isn't the whole poem. I've only put down the first stanza, since the questions below are only related to it.)

1. What are the children doing?

They are playing.

2. What were the questions that were disturbing the poet?

It’s quite unclear from the poem. They might be some questions regarding genaral problems of life.

OR?

We have no way of knowing the questions that were perplexing him. They might be regarding some genaral problems of life.

3. How have the questions been answered?

They have been answered by the sound of the soft and sweet voices of the children.

[Lynque]

Asad<

For item no. 2: As written, the poem does not address the questions, so anyone's guess is valid.

For item no. 3: As written, the questions are not anwsered; rather, the writer has been diverted from thinking about them by the sight and sound of the children at play.

Cheers!

[asad hussain]

Oh! Lynque, It's so kind of you. I am so grateful to you for taking out some of your very precious time out for me, and helping me. Many many many many many many many thanks for giving me a hand.

I have two more perplexities. Could you please clarify them as well?



2. OK. Thanks a lot. Could you please tell me which one of the following sounds more natural to you. And please also tell me if there are any grammar mistakes.

It’s quite unclear from the poem. They might be some questions regarding genaral problems of life.

OR?

We have no way of knowing the questions that were perplexing him. They might be regarding some genaral problems of life.

OR?

The poem doesn’t address the questions. However they might be regarding some general problems of life.

3. OK. You mean my answer is wrong, and I should write " The questions are not anwsered; rather, the poet has only been diverted from thinking about them by the sight and sound of the children at play.


Thanks a lot once again.

[sploke]

hi asad. Try 'The poem does not address the questions. However, they may relate to some of life's general problems'. But I would like to throw you one possible scenario. The poet was a fair distance away when he heard noises he could not decipher. As he came nearer to the children, he recognised the sounds of children playing. That somewhat cleared his doubts of what were those noises and where they came from (Questions). The answer for Qn 3 would be : when he clearly identified the sounds of children playing... have a good weekend..

[asad hussain]

hi asad. Try 'The poem does not address the questions. However, they may relate to some of life's general problems'. But I would like to throw you one possible scenario. The poet was a fair distance away when he heard noises he could not decipher. As he came nearer to the children, he recognised the sounds of children playing. That somewhat cleared his doubts of what were those noises and where they came from (Questions). The answer for Qn 3 would be : when he clearly identified the sounds of children playing... have a good weekend..

Dear Sploke,
Many thanks for giving me a hand. It's so nice of you. I am so grateful to you.

I am sorry to say that I am still up the creek with no. 3. It's "how" (i.e. How have the questions been answered?). But you have used "when" (an adverb of place). Second, the question is in the present perfect, but your answer is in the past. Could you please please clarify it to me?

[sploke]

hi asad. How have the questions been answered? In other words, in what manner has the questions been answered? We can then say, 'The questions have been answered when he .........." I hope this clears things up for you. In general, answers need not follow the same tense as the question as long as it makes sense. rgds

[asad hussain]

Hi, Sploke, Thanks a trillion trillion for giving me a hand. many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many thanks.

But look above, and see what Lynque has suggested. I am still a bit confused.

The questions have been answered when he clearly identified the sounds of (the ) children playing. Don't I need to use 'the' here?

[BobK]

...

The questions have been answered when he clearly identified the sounds of (the ) children playing. Don't I need to use 'the' here?

The 'the' makes the sentence apply to a specific instance; but in Sploke's example, the poet hear the sound of children playing [he or she knew they were children, but didn't know their names]. A mother, in the kitchen, might 'hear the sound of the children playing in the garden' (a father too, for that matter ), but someone in an office (it had better be a woman in an executive suite !) would find it impossible to think because of 'the sound of children playing nearby'.

b