english reading

[year2004]

Will you use a diagram to explain the structure of the following sentence?
" This book was lacking its front cover, the back held on by strips of pasted paper, now turned golden, in several layers, and the pages stained, flecked, and tattered around the edges."
Can we rewrite the sentence like this: The book was lacking its front cover, with the back held on by strips of pasted paper, with the back turned golden, with the back in several layers, and with the pages stained, flecked and tattered around the edges"?
If it can be rewritten like this, how will you explain the usage of the word "turned" here? We usually say, for example, The leaves turned yellow. Can we say The leaves were turned yellow?

 

[Tdol]

In the rewrite, I'm not sure that the repetition of 'with the back'. We can use 'turned' with this meaning in the passive, but I wouldn't do it here. 'Turned' denotes the change. ;-)

 

[mavau]

The book was lacking its front cover, its back cover held on by strips of pasted paper, which had been applied in several layers and had now turned yellow, its pages were stained...

 

[Casiopea]

Additionally, the missing words are in pink:

This book was lacking its front cover, [and] the back [cover was] held on by strips of pasted paper, [which had] now turned [a] golden [color], . . . .

Note, turned functions as a past participle in that context, and it's part of the past perfect verb 'had turned':

EX: The paper had turned golden. (past perfect)

If you want, you could replace 'had' with "was", but you'd also have to change 'turned' into a present participle, like this,

EX: The paper was turning golden. (past continuous)

'were now turning' also works, but not with our subject, 'paper', which is a non-count noun. Try a count-noun:

EX: The pages were now turning golden. (plural subject + plural verb)

Hope that helps.

 

[Casiopea]

Welcome, Mavau. :hi: