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Reegis Posted 10 years ago
Grammar
He behaves strange/strangely. I like him, though.
Hello,
I have just encountered one sentence in my program to learn English that made me truly perplexed. Namely:
He behaves strange. I like him, though.
Either we have a mistake in this program or my knowledge lacks something.
I thought that the rules are as listed here:
http://college.cengage.com/english/raimes/digitalkeys/keyshtml/adjecti6.htm
Let me quote:
Some verbs, such as appear, look, feel, smell, and taste, are sometimes used as linking verbs, sometimes as action verbs. If the modifier tells about the subject, use an adjective. If the modifier tells about the action of the verb, not the subject, use an adverb.
Adjective: She looks confident in her new job.
Adverb: She looks confidently at all the assembled partners.
At first, it seems to be confusing for non-native speakers, but when you digest it, it gets rather clear. It all comes down to what you would like to modify. In our example, I think we should use strangely (an adverb) as we would like to describe how this person acts, not who he is.
Could you please explain this? If I am wrong, then please elaborate upon it, so I can fully understand it.
I have just encountered one sentence in my program to learn English that made me truly perplexed. Namely:
He behaves strange. I like him, though.
Either we have a mistake in this program or my knowledge lacks something.
I thought that the rules are as listed here:
http://college.cengage.com/english/raimes/digitalkeys/keyshtml/adjecti6.htm
Let me quote:
Some verbs, such as appear, look, feel, smell, and taste, are sometimes used as linking verbs, sometimes as action verbs. If the modifier tells about the subject, use an adjective. If the modifier tells about the action of the verb, not the subject, use an adverb.
Adjective: She looks confident in her new job.
Adverb: She looks confidently at all the assembled partners.
At first, it seems to be confusing for non-native speakers, but when you digest it, it gets rather clear. It all comes down to what you would like to modify. In our example, I think we should use strangely (an adverb) as we would like to describe how this person acts, not who he is.
Could you please explain this? If I am wrong, then please elaborate upon it, so I can fully understand it.
Top answer
Your understanding is correct. Where did you read the sentence? Sometimes a usage that is not correct grammatically is still used idiomatically.
- Your understanding is correct.
- Where did you read the sentence?
- Sometimes a usage that is not correct grammatically is still used idiomatically.
- This one seems odd, but in full context, it might seem more natural.
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11 Answers
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Your understanding is correct. Where did you read the sentence?
Sometimes a usage that is not correct grammatically is still used idiomatically. This one seems odd, but in full context, it might seem more natural.
Sometimes a usage that is not correct grammatically is still used idiomatically. This one seems odd, but in full context, it might seem more natural.
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ReegisHe behaves strange.It's OK. "behave" can be considered a linking verb. "act" is more common in ordinary conversation. For example, He's been acting strange lately sounds better to my ear than He behaves strange. On the other hand, I wouldn't lead the charge against anyone who said "strangely" in those sentences. It's not a serious gra
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I took this sentence from a program to learn English, it was out of context.
CalifJim For example, He's been acting strange lately sounds better to my ear than He behaves strange.Hmmm, maybe an author purposefully used the present simple tense to indicate that being strange is somebody's personal trait. Thus, strange in He behaves strange might pe
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ReegisHe behaves strange [in general]. = He is strange [in general].Yes. The present simple connotes generality here.
ReegisDid you mean that you also prefer He's been acting strange lately to He's been acting strangely lately?Are both grammatically correct?Yes and yes, in my opinion. I believe this is a case wher
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ReegisAdjective: She looks confident in her new job.Adverb: She looks confidently at all the assembled partnersShe looks confident in her new job.
looks is a linking verb here. We observe her (from outside) as a confident person, hence the adjective here.
She looks confidently at all the assembled partners.
looks i
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CalifJimYes and yes, in my opinion. I believe this is a case where opinion may enter into the calculations. Others may insist on one version or another.I see. If even you are not 100% certain, then I think it is best for me to just remember that both versions are OK, leave this topic, and concentrate on another subjects. Still there are many of them:)
Tha
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Reegisauthor didn't treat behave as an action verb.I think that "behave" in "He behave strange" describes a state (his state that is strange) rather than action; you can replace it with the linking verb "is".
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You all may find this Google Ngram eye-opening.
https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=behave+strange%2Cbehave+strangely&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=
https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=behave+strange%2Cbehave+strangely&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=
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Hello . Form negative and interrogative : The paralympic games have Always been held in The same year as The Olympic games .
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