Forum newsfeeds
Forum Newsfeeds


Sites for Teachers

Sites for Teachers




Go Back   UsingEnglish.com ESL Forum > Learning English > Ask a Teacher

Notices

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1 (permalink)  
Old 18-Oct-2004, 21:00
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 1,344
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
jack
Default Side

Are these correct? What do they mean?

1. Only the side of my truck went over the curb. (
2. Only one side of my truck went over the curb. (Does this make sense? If I say one side, so does that mean my car has two sides? Is that right?)

What is the difference in meaing between #1 and #2?

Are these correct? What do they mean?
3. Only a part of my truck went up.
4. Only part of my truck went up.
Reply With Quote
Sponsored Links
  #2 (permalink)  
Old 19-Oct-2004, 11:59
Mister Micawber's Avatar
Key Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Country: USA
Posts: 1,822
Current Location: Japan
First Language: English
Member Type: English Teacher
Thanks: 0
Thanked 15 Times in 15 Posts
Mister Micawber is on a distinguished road
Default

Hi Jack,

Re 1 & 2: Both mean essentially the same thing-- not all of the truck went over the curb, but just the two wheels on one side or the other.

Re 3 & 4: Both are grammatically correct, but neither is semantically meaningful to me. If we finished the sentence thus: 'only (a) part of my truck went up over the curb', then they would have about the same meaning as 1 & 2.
Reply With Quote
  #3 (permalink)  
Old 29-Oct-2004, 10:43
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 1,344
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
jack
Default

Quote:
'only (a) part of my truck went up over the curb', then they would have about the same meaning as 1 & 2.
So I can either use 'a' or leave it out? Why can I do that? Isn't 'part' countable? Don't I need an article there?
Reply With Quote
  #4 (permalink)  
Old 29-Oct-2004, 11:15
Mister Micawber's Avatar
Key Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Country: USA
Posts: 1,822
Current Location: Japan
First Language: English
Member Type: English Teacher
Thanks: 0
Thanked 15 Times in 15 Posts
Mister Micawber is on a distinguished road
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by jack

So I can either use 'a' or leave it out? Why can I do that? Isn't 'part' countable? Don't I need an article there?
'Part' is one of those words that can be countable or non-count, Jack, considered to mean either 'a section of' or 'some of'.

Swan (Practical English Usage) expresses it more tentatively, saying " 'A' is usually dropped before 'part' if there is no adjective':

'Part of the roof was missing.'
'A large part of the roof was missing.' "
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Tags
side

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may 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 On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
English Idioms and Sayings RonBee English Idioms and Sayings 367 09-Nov-2007 05:00
Etymology NewHope Ask a Teacher 3 15-Sep-2004 03:13
Help on understanding the meaning of a sentence Tombraiders Ask a Teacher 8 03-Aug-2004 04:50
"a side of" equals "a side to"? Joe Ask a Teacher 1 18-Feb-2004 16:42
preach, take out of context ? whl626 Ask a Teacher 4 28-Oct-2003 14:46


New To Site? Need Help?

All times are GMT. The time now is 08:49.


vBulletin, Copyright ©2000 - 2009, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.2.0
Copyright © 2002 - 2008 UsingEnglish.com