Past Tense

[jack]

I would have made him turn around. <--correct? if not, why?
I would have made him turned around. <--correct? if not, why?
What's the difference in meaning between the two?

"It feels stuffed." <--correct?
"It feels stuff." <--incorrect? can you explain to me why?
If both of them are correct, what's the difference in meaning between the two?

[Casiopea]

Originally Posted by jack

I would have made him turn around. <--correct? if not, why?
I would have made him turned around. <--correct? if not, why?
What's the difference in meaning between the two?

A verb needs a subject in order to carry tense. For example, I is the subject of would have made:

I would have made him turn around.

The verb 'turn around' remains in its base form because it doesn't have a subject. The pronoun 'him' is the semantic subject or do-er of 'turn around', but it's not the grammatical subject of 'turn around'. It's the grammatical object of 'made'. 'him' can't be both the object and the subject of two different verbs.

In short, since 'turn around' lacks a grammatical subject, it remains in its base form: turn around.

I would have made him turned around. (Not OK; 'turned' doesn't have a grammatical subject).[/u]

[jack]

What about this:

"It feels stuffed." <--correct?
"It feels stuff." <--incorrect? can you explain to me why?
If both of them are correct, what's the difference in meaning between the two?

'It' is the subject and 'feels' is the verb right? How do I knwo if it is "stuffed" or "stuff"?

[Casiopea]

"It feels stuffed." (OK; Subject+Verb+Predicate Adjective)
"It feels stuff." (Not OK; Subject+Verb+Noun)

stuff is a noun and stuffed is an adjective: be stuffed :wink: stuff can also be a verb (e.g., I am going to stuff the chicken with bread.)

By the way, you need not use quotation marks "...", and you need not write <--- Is this correct?

At the top of your page, write: Are these correct?, like this,

Are these correct? Do they mean the same thing?

1. It feels stuffed.
2. It feels stuff.

All the best, :D

[jack]

Thanks, sorry about the arrows and my unorganized way of asking questions.I just didn't know how to lay it out to make it look clear of what I am trying to ask.

What's the subject and verb for these sentences and are these correct:

1. I just didn't know how to lay it out to make it look clear of what I am trying to ask.
2. I just didn't know how to lay it out to make it looks clear of what I am trying to ask.


Are these correct and why? What's the difference in meaing between the two?

1. It is valued.
2. It is value. (I can say 'It is value' but not 'It is kill', why?

3. They feel like a valued client.
4. They feel like a value client.

5. There is a detail newsletter. ( I've checked this with Microsoft Word but it didn't catch any mistakes, so I am not sure if this is correct or not)
6. There is a detailed newsletter.

7. There will be a detail newsletter.
8. There will be a detailed newsletter.

9. There is a kill person over there.
10. There is a killed person over there.

11. He is a killed person.
12. He is a kill person.

13. I am trouble by him. ('I am kill.' is incorrect, how is this corrrect?)
14. I am troubled by him.

[Casiopea]

Originally Posted by jack

What's the subject and verb for these sentences and are these correct:

1. I just didn't know how to lay it out to make it look clear of what I am trying to ask.
2. I just didn't know how to lay it out to make it looks clear of what I am trying to ask.

make has the following structure:

make + object + bare infinitive (make it look)


Are these correct and why? What's the difference in meaning between the two?

1. It is valued.
2. It is value. (I can say 'It is value' but not 'It is kill', why?

3. They feel like a valued client.
4. They feel like a value client.[/quote]

1. and 3. are OK; 2. and 4. are not OK: Try, valuable OR of value.

Originally Posted by jack

5. There is a detail newsletter.
(I've checked this with Microsoft Word but it didn't catch any mistakes, so I am not sure if this is correct or not)
6. There is a detailed newsletter.

detailed, an adjective, means, itemized, whereas detail, a noun used an adjective, means, a minor duty or a small military detachment. Same holds true for 7. and 8.

Originally Posted by jack

9. There is a kill person over there.
10. There is a killed person over there.

There is a dead person over there.

Note that, 'kill' is not an adjective. Same holds true for 11. and 12.

Originally Posted by jack

13. I am trouble by him.
('I am kill.' is incorrect, how is this corrrect?)
14. I am troubled by him.

He troubles me; I am troubled by him/his behavior. :D

Note that, troubled functions as an adjective. :wink:

I am kill is incorrect because 'kill' is not an adjective. It's a verb:

I am kill. (Subject + Verb + Verb) :(
I am dead. (Subject + Verb + Adjective) :D

All the best, :D

[jack]

Are these correct and what's the difference in meaing between them:

1. I am trouble.
2. I am troubled.

How do you know when to add -ed for certain words?

[Casiopea]

Originally Posted by jack

Are these correct and what's the difference in meaing between them:

1. I am trouble.
2. I am troubled.

1 is incorrect; 2. is correct. :D

Originally Posted by jack

How do you know when to add -ed for certain words?

-ed adjectives usually come after linking verbs (e.g. I feel tired, I am tired). Note that, BE + -ed pair well. :wink:

BE stands for: am, is, are, was , were, be

All the best, :D

[jack]

Thanks.

I saw this on a tv show:

1. I am trouble. (I think the tv show meant that the guy is a trouble maker. That is still incorrect though right?

Are these correct?
1. I am a trouble maker.
2. I am a troubled maker.

1. I quilt this job two weeks ago. (This is incorrect right?)
2. I quilted this job two weeks ago. (correct)

[Casiopea]

Originally Posted by jack

Thanks.

I saw this on a tv show:

1. I am trouble. (I think the tv show meant that the guy is a trouble maker. That is still incorrect though right?

Yes. It's correct. Sorry.
As a noun: I am trouble. (OK)

Are these correct?
1. I am a trouble maker. (OK)
2. I am a troubled maker. (Not OK)

1. I quilt this job two weeks ago. (This is incorrect right?) (Not OK)
2. I quilted this job two weeks ago. (Not OK)

Check the meaning of the word "quilt".

Try, quit,

I quit this job. (OK)
I quitted this job. (Not OK; present, quit; past, quit)

All the best, :D