Are these sentences Okay?

Question

Please, are these sentences Okay?

Greg went away quite angry.

The berry was too sweet.

Dan was extremely hurt.

They had a fairly good education.

I polish only four pairs of shoes every 15 minutes.

Cathy nearly bumped into the owner of the shop the other day.

My grandparents don’t go out very much.

Cindy saved up almost $ 300 last month.

Thanks,
Janet

Fandorin · Accepted Answer

Anonymous Please, are these sentences Okay?

Greg went away quite angrily. You can only use adverb here, "angrily" is an adverb that modifies an adverb "quite"

The berry was too sweet. OK.

Dan was extremely hurt. OK.

They had a fairly good education. OK.

I can only polish four pairs of shoes in every 15 minutes. OK.

Cathy nearly bumped into the owner of the shop the other day. OK.

My grandparents don’t go out very much. OK.

Cindy saved up almost $ 300 last month. Ok. "Almost" is generally used with Present Perfect.

Thanks,
Janet

Tanit · Answer

Hi,

FandorinGreg went away quite angrily. You can only use adverb here, "angrily" is an adverb that modifies an adverb "quite"

It seems to me that "Greg went away quite angry" works, too.
The adverb (angrily) would describe the way he went away (answering the question "How did he went away?"), while the adjective describes Greg (answering the question "How was Greg when he went away?"). Anyway, I'd wait for a native, because I didn't find any specific reference to back up my intuition, as the only one I found (M. Swann) explicitly mentions sit, stand, lie and fall, but not go.
Practical English Usage, para. 329.5Sometimes other verbs, too, can be followed by adjectives. This happens when we are really describing the subject of the sentence, and not the action of the verb. It is common in descriptions with sit, stand, lie and fall.
The valley lay quiet and peaceful in the sun.
She sat motionless, waiting for their decision.
He fell unconscious on the floor.

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FandorinThey had a fairly good education.
The indefinite article here is OK (I'd say it's mandatory) because there's an adjective before the uncountable noun (education). Here's an example from the http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=24811&dict=CALD: It's important for children to get a good education.
Compare also:
He has a good knowledge of Russian. -- but, if there's no adj: He has some knowledge of Latin.
She has an unshakeable faith in ***. -- but, if there's no adj: I have faith in you.

--------------------------------------
I hope what I have written make sense. If it doesn't, I am sure somebody will fix what needs fixing.

Fandorin · Answer

Thanks Tanit. The Articles still keep me thrilling. Happy New Year. <img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/5.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/5.gif' alt='Emotion: wink'/>

Anonymous · Answer

It's as
Greg went away quite angrily

Fandorin · Answer

By the way, isn't Swan's book too complicated? What do you make of it?<img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' alt='Emotion: smile'/> Would you recommend it?

Anonymous · Answer

Hello, Fandorin

Thanks for checking my sentences.

Have a nice day,
Janet

Tanit · Answer

Hi Fandorin,

Thank you, but (as I wrote in my previous post) I'm still not 100% sure about my first comment.

As for Swan's book, I don't think it's too difficult, but it does require at least some knowledge of the English grammar (maybe at intermediate or upper-intermediate level), because you won't find any basic grammar rules there.
I use it as a reference book. I mean, I've never tried to study it from page 1 to page 658

, but whenever I am not sure about something related to either grammar or usage, I look it up there (and not only there). I understand this is the way the book is supposed to be used, but others may think differently. I believe quite a few people in the forums have or have used it, so you might want to hear also from others. (By the way, I find it very useful).

Fandorin · Answer

Hey, Tanit. I have already downloaded the book

. Yeah, I think it would be great effort even to glance through this one. But I find it rather interesting.

It looks like research into a thicket of Grammar.

CalifJim · Answer

Anonymous Please, are these sentences Okay?

Greg went away quite angry.

The berry was too sweet.

Dan was extremely hurt.

They had a fairly good education.

I polish only four pairs of shoes every 15 minutes.

Cathy nearly bumped into the owner of the shop the other day.

My grandparents don’t go out very much.

Cindy saved up almost $ 300 last month.

Thanks,
Janet

Yes, all are fine, including the first and last.

Compare to the first:

Greg went away angry.
I returned hungry.
Sally left empty-handed.
Karen escaped unscathed.
The officials arrived unannounced.
We entered unchallenged.

Compare to the last:

Jack owes me almost $100.
Don found almost $300 in a drawer.
Susan needed almost $50.
David will probably spend almost $1500 on his vacation.
By my calculations George must earn almost $1000 a week.

CJ

Anonymous · Answer

Hi, Tanit!

Thank you very much for your help!

Best wishes,
Janet

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