"a such example" or "such example"

[birdeen's call]

While it's admittedly very unlikely, I think that that one is possible:

A:What we need is a cunning, resourceful, brave, possibly foolhardy, man, but at the same time one who will not let you down.
B: There is such a man on whom I can rely. He worked for me in MI6.

I don't think 'such' is necessarily redundant here. B is speaking of a man of that type (cunning, resourceful, etc) on whom he can rely, not just 'a man'.

I think I can defend by asking whether this sentence doesn't need a comma before "on whom". "Such" defines the man already, doesn't it?

 

[5jj]

I think I can defend by asking whether this sentence doesn't need a comma before "on whom". "Such" defines the man already, doesn't it?

I wondered about that. I think we have these two possibilities:

1.
A:What we need is a cunning, resourceful, brave, and possibly foolhardy, man.
B: There is such a man, on whom I can rely. He worked for me in MI6.

Here 'such' defines 'a man', and we have a non-defining relative clause following..

2.
A:What we need is a cunning, resourceful, brave, possibly foolhardy, man, but at the same time one who will not let you down.
B: There is such a man on whom I can rely. He worked for me in MI6.

Here 'such' defines 'a man on whom I can rely', which contains a defining relative clause.

 

[BobK]

Actually, I would also like to know why these sentences sound awkward. I agree with zorank that

Is there such an example where a cat is green?

employs correct syntax. It is also understandable but there's something wrong with it. I think this is what. The sentence looks as if the speaker thought there was a class of entities called "examples" and were asking whether some of them were examples of a green cat. But this is not how we understand examples. Nothing is an example by itself. Things can be used as examples.

:up: It would be OK if it had a comma and if it meant something other than what is intended.

Is there such an example [referring to a kind of example given previously - e.g. 'kinds of coloured cat'], where a cat is green?

This use of 'where' to mean 'in which there is' is dubious, but not uncommon.

As to there being a subject and so on, there are innumerable examples of such sentences. I think it was Chomsky, or maybe someone he was quoting, who gave the example of 'Colourless green ideas sleep furiously'. Being grammatical isn't a guarantee of naturalness.

b

 

[BobK]

No.

Is there an example of green cats?
...

Aha, what about

"Is there AN EXAMPLE OF a green cat?"

would that be correct?

:up: ... as 5jj's original responseshows . There's really no need for all this il-feeling. 5jj can sometimes seem a little short-tempered, but the first thing he says is often worth listening to.

b

 

[5jj]

5jj can sometimes seem a little short-tempered,

Moi? I have never heard such rubbish. I am the most even-tempered person I know. If you dare show your face on this forum again, I'll make mincemeat of you.


;-)