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SheltieBites Posted 14 years ago
Grammar
Ellipsis
Let's say these are true:
"I gave an apple to Peter."
"I gave an orange to Michael."
"I gave a banana to Jessica."
"I gave a peach to Jennifer."
I want to put all these in one sentence, so I write:
"I gave an apple to Peter, an orange TO Michael, a banana TO Jessica, and a peach TO Jennifer."
Are the "to"s after the "I gave an apple to Peter" clause (1) absolutely necessary, (2) optional, or (3) absolutely unnecessary?
"I gave an apple to Peter."
"I gave an orange to Michael."
"I gave a banana to Jessica."
"I gave a peach to Jennifer."
I want to put all these in one sentence, so I write:
"I gave an apple to Peter, an orange TO Michael, a banana TO Jessica, and a peach TO Jennifer."
Are the "to"s after the "I gave an apple to Peter" clause (1) absolutely necessary, (2) optional, or (3) absolutely unnecessary?
Top answer
They are necessary.
- They are necessary.
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8 Answers
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You could omit the "to" prepositions like this:
"I gave Peter an apple, Michael an orange, Jessica a banana, and Jennifer a peach.
BillJ
"I gave Peter an apple, Michael an orange, Jessica a banana, and Jennifer a peach.
BillJ
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Hi,
Let's say these are true:
"I gave an apple to Peter."
"I gave an orange to Michael."
"I gave a banana to Jessica."
"I gave a peach to Jennifer."
I want to put all these in one sentence, so I write:
"I gave an apple to Peter, an orange TO Michael, a banana TO Jessica, and a peach TO Jennifer."
Are the "to"s after the "I gave an apple to P
Let's say these are true:
"I gave an apple to Peter."
"I gave an orange to Michael."
"I gave a banana to Jessica."
"I gave a peach to Jennifer."
I want to put all these in one sentence, so I write:
"I gave an apple to Peter, an orange TO Michael, a banana TO Jessica, and a peach TO Jennifer."
Are the "to"s after the "I gave an apple to P
00
Clive:
(1) absolutely necessary
But you could say
"I gave Peter an apple, Michael an orange, Jessica a banana, and Jennifer a peach."
00
No, I would not add commas. It makes the sentence too disjointed.
Here is an interesting aside about scientific writing and another way to write your sentence.
Scientists and medical writers often use the following style:
I gave an apple, an orange, a banana and a peach to Peter, Michael, Jessica and Jennifer, respectively.
SheltieBites - what do you th
Here is an interesting aside about scientific writing and another way to write your sentence.
Scientists and medical writers often use the following style:
I gave an apple, an orange, a banana and a peach to Peter, Michael, Jessica and Jennifer, respectively.
SheltieBites - what do you th
00
Isn't th
Here is an interesting aside about scientific writing and another way to write your sentence.
Scientists and medical writers often use the following style:
I gave an apple, an orange, a banana and a peach to Peter, Michael, Jessica and Jennifer, respectively.
SheltieBites - what do you think of this?
John
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Actually, it is the use of the word "respectively" at the end of the sentence that assigns (in order) an apple to Peter, an orange to Michael, etc.
Some say that this style is, in fact, totally unambiguous because it forces you to make the association between the person and the fruit. While I agree with that, it is also a the sort of style that takes much more time to clarify in your mind and
Some say that this style is, in fact, totally unambiguous because it forces you to make the association between the person and the fruit. While I agree with that, it is also a the sort of style that takes much more time to clarify in your mind and
00
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