Hi,
- The snow fell nor did it cease to fall. *Why this sentence is composed like this? Could somebody please point out the part "nor did it cease"?
Thanks,
Joe
***** NOT A TEACHER *****
Hello, Joe:
(1) The teacher has already given you the answer.
(2) May I just add a few points?
(a) One very good grammar book says that "nor" in sentences
such as yours really means "and" + "not."
(i) So I guess we could rewrite it as:
The snow fell,
and it did
not cease to fall.
(ii) I think that "The snow fell nor did it cease to fall" is more
elegant, don't you?
(iii) If I understand my books correctly, it could also be written:
The snow fell. Nor did it cease to fall.
(3) There is something in English (and probably in other languages, too)
called "inversion." That is, the words are NOT in regular order. One book
explains that if a sentence begins with a negative-like word, inversion
is the rule:
NEVER have I seen such a ghastly [horrible] sight.
ONLY THEN did I realize how lucky I was.
That's why you need to invert subject and verb in:
NOR did it cease to fall.
Sincerely,
James
Credits: (a)
A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language.
(b)
The Oxford Dictionary of English Grammar.