Can I delete the "is" in this sentence?

Status
Not open for further replies.

c2k5

Member
Joined
Dec 19, 2021
Member Type
Student or Learner
Native Language
Chinese
Home Country
China
Current Location
Thailand
‘read the fine print of whatever loan document is shoved under your nose’
https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/fine_print

#1 Read the fine print of the loan document shoved under your nose.
#2 Read the fine print of whatever loan document shoved under your nose.

Is my creation #1 and #2 grammatically correct?
If the "is" is compulsory, please explain the reason.
 

jutfrank

VIP Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2014
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
English
Home Country
England
Current Location
England
In the original, the verb is is an auxiliary forming a passive voice construction.

In your sentence 1, the auxiliary is omitted but you can still understand it as being there in some underlying way. To help you understand this, add that is before shoved.

In your sentence 2, the auxiliary is not there at all, which means the sentence is read in the active voice, which doesn't make sense.
 
Joined
Nov 27, 2017
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
Russian
Home Country
Russian Federation
Current Location
Canada
In the original, the verb is is an auxiliary forming a passive voice construction.

In your sentence 1, the auxiliary is omitted but you can still understand it as being there in some underlying way. To help you understand this, add that is before shoved.

In your sentence 2, the auxiliary is not there at all, which means the sentence is read in the active voice, which doesn't make sense.
However, one can say: "Read the fine print of any document shoved under your nose."

NOT A TEACHER.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

emsr2d2

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jul 28, 2009
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
UK
The important word in your original sentence is "whatever".

John: What sort of cake do you want for your birthday?
Helen: I'll eat whatever cake is provided!!

James: Should I read the fine print of the contract? I'm not sure what they're going to send me.
Sarah: You should read the fine print of whatever document is attached to the email.
 

c2k5

Member
Joined
Dec 19, 2021
Member Type
Student or Learner
Native Language
Chinese
Home Country
China
Current Location
Thailand
In the original, the verb is is an auxiliary forming a passive voice construction.
However, one can say: "Read the fine print of any document shoved under your nose."
The important word in your original sentence is "whatever".

Thanks, is my understanding correct?
#3 Read the fine print of whatever document is shoved under your nose. (correct)
#4 Read the fine print of whatever document that is shoved under your nose. (correct, #3 = #4)
#5 Read the fine print of any document shoved under your nose. (correct)
#6 Read the fine print of any document that is shoved under your nose. (correct, #5 = #6)
#7 Read the fine print of any document is shoved under your nose. (wrong)
 

emsr2d2

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jul 28, 2009
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
UK
Thanks, is my understanding correct?
#3 Read the fine print of whatever document is shoved under your nose. (correct)
#4 Read the fine print of whatever document that is shoved under your nose. (correct, #3 = #4)
#5 Read the fine print of any document shoved under your nose. (correct)
#6 Read the fine print of any document that is shoved under your nose. (correct, #5 = #6)
#7 Read the fine print of any document is shoved under your nose. (wrong)

Almost there! Sentence 4 above is wrong. You can't use "whatever" and "that is" in that sentence. If you want to use "that is", you have to use "any".
 

Tarheel

VIP Member
Joined
Jun 16, 2014
Member Type
Interested in Language
Native Language
American English
Home Country
United States
Current Location
United States
Almost there! Sentence 4 above is wrong. You can't use "whatever" and "that is" in that sentence. If you want to use "that is", you have to use "any".
Why?
 

PaulMatthews

Banned
Joined
Mar 28, 2016
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
English
Home Country
Great Britain
Current Location
Great Britain

Read the fine print of [whatever loan document is shoved under your nose].

"Whatever loan document is shoved under your nose” is a noun phrase in a ‘fused’ relative construction where the fusion involves “whatever loan document”.

In "whatever loan document" we have an NP serving simultaneously as the head of a larger NP and as the wh-phrase at the beginning of a relative clause.

Externally, "whatever loan document is shoved under your nose” behaves like a noun phrase; internally it looks just like a relative clause (though with a wh-word, "whatever", not ordinarily allowed in relative clauses in Standard English), where “is” is head and hence is obligatory.

Since the relativised element in the relative clause already contains fused “whatever”, it cannot also contain “that”, which explains why the OP's example #4 is ungrammatical.
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top