Grammar Structure

Question

Explain the phrases in bold and in italic to me, please!!

The sentences below are extracted from my grammar exercises. The phrases in bold and italic are keys, but I don't know why they are. Please explain to me!!

Though no liquid an investment as a money-market account, a certificate of deposit is recommended by financial experts for its high yield.
Has Bob made any suggestions for the new project? - No all he does is to be complaining about it.
Last I heard, he was seeing his daughter off to Australia.
Not to have gone to the wedding would have turned the whole family against me.
Excuse me. I was wondering if I could audition for a part in the play. ( why not I am wondering?? )
' The meeting is going to be postponed till Friday.' - ' Oh, I'd prefer it if it weren'tas I won't be able to attend.'

7. He really deserved the award because he performed much better than was expected of him.

8. He sold all his property and went away to America never being heard about again.

9.The spectators watched agape, they couldn't believe what they were seeing on the playing field. ( I suppose this sentence is grammatically wrong because there are two clauses, and they are connected just by a comma.)

10. As often happens with young people, creative interests are put to one side as we struggle with our academic subjects.

11. If you can win his attention, so much the better for you.

12. To see him walk down the street, you would never know he was blind.

13. So, what do you think? - I think it's a crazy idea if ever there was one.

14. Not even I had guessed that the party would be such a success.

15. Has Claire really thought that getting a pet tarantula? ( I suppose the key is wrong. )

AlpheccaStars · Accepted Answer

Nh?t BìnhThough no liquid an investment as a money-market account, a certificate of deposit is recommended by financial experts for its high yield.

This is poorly worded and unnatural.

Though not as liquid an investment as a money-market account, a certificate of deposit is recommended by financial experts for its high yield.

You need to know the meaning of "liquid" in a financial or business context.

http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/liquid.html

Nh?t BìnhHas Bob made any suggestions for the new project? - No all he does is to be complaining about it.

That is not grammatical English.

No all he does is complain about it.

Nh?t BìnhLast I heard, he was seeing his daughter off to Australia.

Informal, casual.

It means: The last time I heard about him, / The last information I have about him is...

Nh?t BìnhNot to have gone to the wedding would have turned the whole family against me.

This is formal, old-fashioned and stilted. We don't talk like this.

If I hadn't gone to the wedding, the whole family would have turned against me.

Nh?t BìnhExcuse me. I was wondering if I could audition for a part in the play.

The past tense is common. It refers to the past time, up until one second ago. It is more polite as a question to the person who can give permission.

I am wondering if I could audition for a part in the play. You can say this to a friend. You are asking your friend for advice. Your friend is not in charge of auditions.

Nh?t Bình The meeting is going to be postponed till Friday.' - ' Oh, I'd prefer it if it weren't as I won't be able to attend.'

This is natural English. It is the use of the subjunctive form to express a preference. It is somewhat formal, though.

Anonymous · Answer

Nh?t BìnhThough no liquid an investment as a money-market account, a certificate of deposit is recommended by financial experts for its high yield.

I see your problem. I had to read that about seven times. That is a peculiar and awkward use of the idiom, and I would just forget it if I were you.

Nh?t BìnhHas Bob made any suggestions for the new project? - No all he does is to be complaining about it.

This is a questionable application of the progressive, to put it mildly. Do not use it as a model for your own English.

Nh?t BìnhLast I heard, he was seeing his daughter off to Australia.

This is normal casual speech. The opening phrase is a condensed version of "The last time that I heard anything about it". "Last I heard" almost amounts to an idiomatic expression.

Nh?t BìnhNot to have gone to the wedding would have turned the whole family against me.

That is plain English. "To have gone" is the perfect infinitive. You could also say "My not going to the wedding", more awkwardly.

Nh?t BìnhExcuse me. I was wondering if I could audition for a part in the play. ( why not I am wondering?? )

"Am" works, too, but we usually use the past tense as a deferential formula.

Nh?t Bình' The meeting is going to be postponed till Friday.' - ' Oh, I'd prefer it if it weren't, as I won't be able to attend.'

I corrected the typo and missing comma. This is good English. That is a placeholder "it" after "prefer". Some people leave it out and say things like "I hate (it) when that happens", but the grammar technically needs it because to make a noun of a phrase like "when that happens" or "if it weren't" is anomalous.

Nh?t Bình 7. He really deserved the award because he performed much better than was expected of him.

Grammar is out the window here. This is good English, but it does not analyze well. You can think of it as omitting "what": "he performed much better than (what) was expected of him." But that is not really what it is. Also, it sounds a bit labored to me in this setting, and I would expect "he performed much better than expected."

Nh?t Bình8. He sold all his property and went away to America, never being heard about again.

That is broken English, unidiomatic. It needed a comma, too. The expression goes "never heard from again." Also, grammar wants "he never being heard from again," but no one would put it that way, which is why the natural form is "He sold all his property and went away to America and was never heard from again."

Nh?t Bình9.The spectators watched agape, they couldn't believe what they were seeing on the playing field. ( I suppose this sentence is grammatically wrong because there are two clauses, and they are connected just by a comma.)

Right, comma splice.

Nh?t Bình10. As often happens with young people, creative interests are put to one side as we struggle with our academic subjects.

I'm going to call this an idiomatic use of "as". It is good English.

Nh?t Bình11. If you can win his attention, so much the better for you.

"So much the better for" is an idiomatic expression. Winning his attention will benefit you. But it usually requires an alternative for the thing to be better than, and none is in evidence in this little sentence, so I can't say more.

Nh?t Bình12. To see him walk down the street, you would never know he was blind.

This is normal English and highly idiomatic. You could also say "Seeing him walk …", but "to see" is better.

By the way, it would be better for you to ask only one question in a post. I had to stop to eat breakfast halfway through.

AlpheccaStars · Answer

Nh?t Bình7. He really deserved the award because he performed much better than was expected of him.

That is natural and good English. It is the passive voice with no agent.

People expected him to perform at an intermediate level, but he actually performed at an advanced level.

Nh?t Bình9.The spectators watched agape, they couldn't believe what they were seeing on the playing field.

Yes, technically, it is incorrectly punctuated. You will see this error in informal contexts.

Sentences 10-14 are good.

Nh?t Bình15. Has Claire really thought that getting a pet tarantula? ( I suppose the key is wrong. )

Yes, it is incorrect.

Did Claire really think that she was getting a pet tarantula?

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