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 21-Oct-2004, 13:35
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Country: China
Posts: 618
Thanks: 0
Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts
NewHope is an unknown quantity at this point
Default Fruit 'n' Bran

I guess "Fruit 'n' Bran" refers to a brand of soem food can
. When opnning the can, a jingle would hear.
Right?

And why using "amble", not "ambled"? I think when "watch" is in front of a verb, the verb should keep its bare form, like "is" should be "be".
Right?

Context:
Harry listened to a jingle about Fruit 'n' Bran breakfast cereal while he watched Mrs.Figg, a batty cat-loving old lady from nearby Wisteria Walk, amble slow past.
Reply With Quote
Sponsored Links
  #2 (permalink)  
Old 21-Oct-2004, 15:32
Editor, UsingEnglish.com
 
Join Date: Nov 2002
Country: UK
Posts: 25,131
Current Location: Phnom Penh
First Language: English
Thanks: 2
Thanked 243 Times in 232 Posts
Tdol has disabled reputation
Default

I'd imagine he had the TV or radio on to hear the jingle. Fruit'n'Bran comes in a packet. It's 'amble' because watch + bare infinitive is used when the watcher sees the whole action.
Reply With Quote
  #3 (permalink)  
Old 21-Oct-2004, 21:28
Natalie27
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: Fruit 'n' Bran

Quote:
Originally Posted by NewHope
I guess "Fruit 'n' Bran" refers to a brand of soem food can
. When opnning the can, a jingle would hear.
Right?

And why using "amble", not "ambled"? I think when "watch" is in front of a verb, the verb should keep its bare form, like "is" should be "be".
Right?

Context:
Harry listened to a jingle about Fruit 'n' Bran breakfast cereal while he watched Mrs.Figg, a batty cat-loving old lady from nearby Wisteria Walk, amble slow past.


Fruit'n Bran is a Kellogg's cereal we eat for breakfast.
The sentence you have posted up I read as:

Harry listened to an advertising slogan ("jingle" can also mean some catchy phrase used in commercials hundreds of times...this is the way commercials work - they are repetative and boring :mad: ) while he watched Mrs.Figg...amble (=walk leisurely).

he watched somebody do sth = always infinitive in that combination.
other verbs using the same principle are "see" and "hear".

hope it helps.
Reply With Quote
  #4 (permalink)  
Old 21-Oct-2004, 21:38
Nahualli
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Doesn't seem right...

shouldn't the last part of that sentence be "... as she ambled slowLY past" ?

In any case I think it's redundant to include amble & slow(ly).

am·ble
intr.v. am·bled, am·bling, am·bles
To walk slowly or leisurely; stroll.

Amble already connotes slow walking. Saying someone is ambling slowly is akin to saying someone is muttering quietly or shouting loudly.

I hope I didn't take this post out of context, I am new here. :(

-Nah-
Reply With Quote
  #5 (permalink)  
Old 22-Oct-2004, 00:59
Natalie27
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: Doesn't seem right...

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nahualli
shouldn't the last part of that sentence be "... as she ambled slowLY past" ?

In any case I think it's redundant to include amble & slow(ly).

am·ble
intr.v. am·bled, am·bling, am·bles
To walk slowly or leisurely; stroll.

Amble already connotes slow walking. Saying someone is ambling slowly is akin to saying someone is muttering quietly or shouting loudly.

I hope I didn't take this post out of context, I am new here. :(

-Nah-
" to amble" means to walk leisurely and you can amble fast or slow a or anything in between.
Personally, "slow" sounds good to me in this context.
Reply With Quote
  #6 (permalink)  
Old 22-Oct-2004, 01:17
Nahualli
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: Doesn't seem right...

Quote:
Originally Posted by Natalie27
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nahualli
shouldn't the last part of that sentence be "... as she ambled slowLY past" ?

In any case I think it's redundant to include amble & slow(ly).

am·ble
intr.v. am·bled, am·bling, am·bles
To walk slowly or leisurely; stroll.

Amble already connotes slow walking. Saying someone is ambling slowly is akin to saying someone is muttering quietly or shouting loudly.

I hope I didn't take this post out of context, I am new here. :(

-Nah-
" to amble" means to walk leisurely and you can amble fast or slow a or anything in between.
Personally, "slow" sounds good to me in this context.
I really don't mean to belabor the point but I pulled the definiton for amble from the dictionary. You can't amble quickly, since the word describes a slow/leisurely stroll. I agree that the adverb modifying "amble" may have a definite place there. It was only my perception that it was redundant, it certainly doesn't make the sentence untrue to its meaning by leaving slow in there.

However, the redundancy of slow in the sentence wasn't the real issue here. Slow in this case, if left in, is an adverb and must therefore change form. You can't "walk slow". That's incorrect. You must walk slowly.

-Nah-
Reply With Quote
  #7 (permalink)  
Old 22-Oct-2004, 03:59
Natalie27
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: Doesn't seem right...

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nahualli
Quote:
Originally Posted by Natalie27
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nahualli
shouldn't the last part of that sentence be "... as she ambled slowLY past" ?

In any case I think it's redundant to include amble & slow(ly).

am·ble
intr.v. am·bled, am·bling, am·bles
To walk slowly or leisurely; stroll.

Amble already connotes slow walking. Saying someone is ambling slowly is akin to saying someone is muttering quietly or shouting loudly.

I hope I didn't take this post out of context, I am new here. :(

-Nah-
" to amble" means to walk leisurely and you can amble fast or slow a or anything in between.
Personally, "slow" sounds good to me in this context.
I really don't mean to belabor the point but I pulled the definiton for amble from the dictionary. You can't amble quickly, since the word describes a slow/leisurely stroll. I agree that the adverb modifying "amble" may have a definite place there. It was only my perception that it was redundant, it certainly doesn't make the sentence untrue to its meaning by leaving slow in there.

However, the redundancy of slow in the sentence wasn't the real issue here. Slow in this case, if left in, is an adverb and must therefore change form. You can't "walk slow". That's incorrect. You must walk slowly.

-Nah-

why ask if you know the answer?
Reply With Quote
  #8 (permalink)  
Old 22-Oct-2004, 04:08
Nahualli
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default

You can answer a question by posing a second question. A direct statement isn't the only way to do it. :)

-Nah-
Reply With Quote
  #9 (permalink)  
Old 22-Oct-2004, 04:28
Natalie27
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nahualli
You can answer a question by posing a second question. A direct statement isn't the only way to do it. :)

-Nah-
I see. Well, I will stick to an easier approach myself.
Reply With Quote
  #10 (permalink)  
Old 22-Oct-2004, 04:31
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Country: China
Posts: 618
Thanks: 0
Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts
NewHope is an unknown quantity at this point
Default

Thank you all.

I think Fruit 'n' Bran = Fruit and Bran.
Right?
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Tags
fruit, bran

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
fruit flies like a banana???????????? Mazen Ask a Teacher 2 24-Apr-2004 16:06


New To Site? Need Help?

All times are GMT. The time now is 05:10.


vBulletin, Copyright ©2000 - 2008, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.2.0 RC5
Copyright © 2002 - 2008 UsingEnglish.com