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Tony2010 Posted 20 years ago
Grammar
Confusions about adverbial clause
I'm a non-English speaker. I'm confused by adverbial clause. I wonder if the following sentences are correct in formal English writings.
1. While Tom was reading novels, Jim was reading comics because novels were difficult.
2. Although English is hard, I still like it because it is being used worldwidely.
I think these sentences are not idiomatic. I can use compund-complex sentences to rewrite sentence 1, as "Tom was reading novels, but Jim was reading comics because novels were difficult." But are sentence 1 and 2 correct? Do westerners use that kind of sentence structures? Thanks.
1. While Tom was reading novels, Jim was reading comics because novels were difficult.
2. Although English is hard, I still like it because it is being used worldwidely.
I think these sentences are not idiomatic. I can use compund-complex sentences to rewrite sentence 1, as "Tom was reading novels, but Jim was reading comics because novels were difficult." But are sentence 1 and 2 correct? Do westerners use that kind of sentence structures? Thanks.
Top answer
Yes, those are OK and natural. The adverb is worldwide , not 'worldwidely'.
- Yes, those are OK and natural.
- The adverb is worldwide , not 'worldwidely'.
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9 Answers
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Yes, those are OK and natural. The adverb is worldwide, not 'worldwidely'.
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I would prefer:
Although English is hard, I still like it because it is used worldwide.
Cf.:
He is stupid. (a permanant characteristic, he has a low IQ)
He is being stupid. (in this particular situation, on this occasion, not always)
Since the use of English as a lingua franca is not a passing, temporary phenomenon, I would not use the progressiv
Although English is hard, I still like it because it is used worldwide.
Cf.:
He is stupid. (a permanant characteristic, he has a low IQ)
He is being stupid. (in this particular situation, on this occasion, not always)
Since the use of English as a lingua franca is not a passing, temporary phenomenon, I would not use the progressiv
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The continuous or progressive is also used when the speaker wishes to stess the ongoing activity as opposed to the simple existence of the situation; this gives the utterance more immediacy--to make it more obviously 'now'.
In the present case (Although English is hard, I still like it because it is being used worldwide), the continuous emphasizes the active use of the language, ju
In the present case (Although English is hard, I still like it because it is being used worldwide), the continuous emphasizes the active use of the language, ju
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I want to ask a related question.
It seems that in formal English writings writers would like to use some devices, such as present participle, past participle and indefinite to indicate sentences' inner logic rather than use so many subordinate words, such as altough, because,etc. to make a complicated "long" complex sentence to express any complex thought.
Some English writing books sug
It seems that in formal English writings writers would like to use some devices, such as present participle, past participle and indefinite to indicate sentences' inner logic rather than use so many subordinate words, such as altough, because,etc. to make a complicated "long" complex sentence to express any complex thought.
Some English writing books sug
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I think you mean 'infinitive', not 'indefinite', Tony. Yes, it is often good style to truncate clauses, and not just in formal writing.
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Yes, it should be infinitive, and my English name is Tony. :-)
I know that for a complex sentence, compared with dependent clause, the principle clause carries more important meanings.
If a writer composes a very complicated complex sentece, which contain more than two advberial clauses, readers will have difficulties in understanding which point or idea he wants to emphasize. Maybe
I know that for a complex sentence, compared with dependent clause, the principle clause carries more important meanings.
If a writer composes a very complicated complex sentece, which contain more than two advberial clauses, readers will have difficulties in understanding which point or idea he wants to emphasize. Maybe
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If a writer composes a very complicated complex sentence, which contains more than two adverbial clauses, readers will have difficulties in understanding which point or idea he wants to emphasize. Maybe we can call the phenomenon 'sentence redundancy'.
Not 'redundancy', Tony-- that means repetition of the same information twice (or
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