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Ccyiming Posted 16 years ago
Grammar
How to understand the 'thinking' in this sentence?
I came across a sentence like this 'A computer does only what thinking people have it do.'
i can nearly understand the meaing of this sentence, but i am not quite sure about the usage of 'thinking' in the sentence. Is it used to modify people and they together are used as the subject of the sentence "what thinking people have it do" or is it used as the object of 'do' in the sentence?
Thank you!
i can nearly understand the meaing of this sentence, but i am not quite sure about the usage of 'thinking' in the sentence. Is it used to modify people and they together are used as the subject of the sentence "what thinking people have it do" or is it used as the object of 'do' in the sentence?
Thank you!
Top answer
The verb participle "thinking" modifies the noun "people". Together they form the noun phrase "thinking people" which is the subject of the relative clause. If you'd like me to explain how the relative clause works in this sentence, just put in another post.
- The verb participle "thinking" modifies the noun "people".
- Together they form the noun phrase "thinking people" which is the subject of the relative clause.
- If you'd like me to explain how the relative clause works in this sentence, just put in another post.
- Welcome to EF, by the way.
- BillJ
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5 Answers
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The verb participle "thinking" modifies the noun "people". Together they form the noun phrase "thinking people" which is the subject of the relative clause.
If you'd like me to explain how the relative clause works in this sentence, just put in another post.
Welcome to EF, by the way.
BillJ
If you'd like me to explain how the relative clause works in this sentence, just put in another post.
Welcome to EF, by the way.
BillJ
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ccyimingDo you think the second understanding also reasonable?
No, I'm afraid not. Your sentence contains a special kind of relative clause called a fused relative construction where the antecedent and the relative word are fused together instead of being expressed separately as in simpler constructions. In the sentence "A computer does only wha
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ccyiming or is it used as the object of 'do' in the sentence?I assume you mean this sort of structure.
It does only what tasks people have it do.
It does only those tasks people have it do -- no other tasks.
In other words, what ~ whatever
It does only what thinking (i.e., whatever thinking) (that) people have it do.
It doe
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