Any Mistake with Adjective Clause?

Question

Hi Everyone,

I am wondering that if there is any mistakes with the following sentence:

Dissatisfied with the service at the restraunt, the meal really was not enjoyable.

One of my friends thinks that there is something wrong with adjective caluse in this sentence. Is that right?

Thanks a lot,

Marius Hancu · Accepted Answer

I'd say:

We were dissatisfied with the service at the restaurant; the meal really was not enjoyable.

or:

We were dissatisfied with the service at the restaurant. The meal really was not enjoyable.

Jonny5 · Answer

Kalehpook1Hi Everyone,
I am wondering that if there is any mistakes with the following sentence:
Dissatisfied with the service at the restraunt, the meal really was not enjoyable.
One of my friends thinks that there is something wrong with adjective caluse in this sentence. Is that right?
Thanks a lot,

The sentence as written reads as though the emphasis is on the word REALLY.
'the meal REALLY was not enjoyable'

As a self-professed speaker of colloquial American English, rather than 'really was not',
I would be more comfortable saying 'was not really'.
I could see the phrase, 'the meal really was terrible', (emphasis on WAS)
but when speaking I would prefer 'the meal was really terrible' (emphasis on REALLY)

Additionally the sentence has no implicit subject, and thus seems a little 'clunky',
Who is dissatisfied with the service?
I doubt you are saying the meal, is dissatisfied with the service.
You might need a pronoun here. Perhaps it should read 'our meal',
'Randolf's meal', or 'the customers meal, instead just of 'the meal'.

It could also benefit from an adjective explaining what
was wrong with the service. Was it slow? Was it rude?

In context of a paragraph explaining those points, I would find the sentence
acceptable, as it is, if used in modern composition. If however you are writing
in an "older" style (ala Emily Dickinson) then I'd say all hats are out the window...

Lastly, my spellchecker thinks you've mis-spelled restaurant
but as I said, I'm an American, so what do I know?
jonny5

BarbaraPA · Answer

Kalehpook1Hi Everyone,

I am wondering that if there is any mistakes with the following sentence:

Dissatisfied with the service at the restraunt, the meal really was not enjoyable.

Yes, it reads as thought the MEAL was not satisfied. Presumably the meal feels rather neutral about it, being (at least at this point) an inanimate object. But the diners were disssatisfied.

Dissatisfied with the service, we really did not enjoy the meal.

Although logic tells you that it was the diners and not the meal that had feelings, this type of structure can lead to the wrong meanings. For example:
Being one of the meaest and most ill-tempered people I kow, I really didn't want to work with Carl.

Which one of you is mean and ill-tempered?

Kalehpook1 · Answer

Thanks a lot for your helpful comments.

Take Care,
Bye

Anonymous · Answer

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BarbaraPA · Answer

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10Hi - Please start a new thread when you have a question, instead of adding on to a very old thread.02br
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00Your sentence will be correct if you use capital letters and end punctuation when you re-write it.0-

Anonymous · Answer

Thank you for your comments. That was my problem too

Any Mistake with Adjective Clause?

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