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Thread: Inversion

  1. #1
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    Default Inversion

    If I write " There lies a big tree and a moutain", is the sentence grammatically correct?

  2. #2
    Casiopea's Avatar
    Casiopea is offline VIP Member
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    Default Re: Inversion

    Grammatically, yes.

    There lies this and that. <two separate units>
    There lie this and that. <one whole unit>

    Correction
    mountain

  3. #3
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    Default Re: Inversion

    But when to separate, and when to consider it as a whole unit?

  4. #4
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    Default Re: Inversion

    Quote Originally Posted by Belly T View Post
    But when to separate, and when to consider it as a whole unit?
    When Casiopea said 'Grammatically, yes' I think she was suggesting that in that case it would be more likely that the speaker would regard them as separate:

    At the end of the trail, there lie a mountain and a tree [separate - two features of the landscape]

    At the end of the trail, there lies a tree and a disused well [whole unit - one scene]

    But what makes 'a scene', and what bits of it count as 'features', is a very subjective thing. So the speaker decides.

    b

  5. #5
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    Default Re: Inversion

    So how about this:
    Here come or comes the cars?

  6. #6
    BobK's Avatar
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    Default Re: Inversion

    Plural subject, so 'here come'.

    b

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