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Taka Posted 12 years ago
Grammar
Imagine
She cannot imagine living without a smartphone.
If the sentence above was converted to this below, would it still make the same sense?
She cannot imagine that she lives without a smartphone.
If the sentence above was converted to this below, would it still make the same sense?
She cannot imagine that she lives without a smartphone.
Top answer
No. It's hard for me to make any sense at all out of that.. Clive
- No.
- It's hard for me to make any sense at all out of that..
- Clive
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9 Answers
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Then what about this, with "can"?
She cannot imagine that she can live without a smartphone.
She cannot imagine that she can live without a smartphone.
00
Hi
Your first sentence (first post) leads us to understand that she does have a smartphone and she cannot imagine living without it. That's OK
Your second sentence is interesting, because I don't think it's grammatically wrong. For example, we could have:
- She knows the Chief Executive is a busy man. She cannot imagine that he lives without a smartphone
Your first sentence (first post) leads us to understand that she does have a smartphone and she cannot imagine living without it. That's OK
Your second sentence is interesting, because I don't think it's grammatically wrong. For example, we could have:
- She knows the Chief Executive is a busy man. She cannot imagine that he lives without a smartphone
00
Hi
Re-reading, I realise that you want us to understand that she does have the smartphone, but cannot imagine how she would manage without it. My last example, is probably not what you wanted. If she does still have the phone, then a small amendment to your third sentence works:
- She cannot imagine that she could live without a smartphone.
The change fro
Re-reading, I realise that you want us to understand that she does have the smartphone, but cannot imagine how she would manage without it. My last example, is probably not what you wanted. If she does still have the phone, then a small amendment to your third sentence works:
- She cannot imagine that she could live without a smartphone.
The change fro
00
dave_anon.The change from 'can' to 'could' gives us the subjunctive: it is used to suppose that something that is true, is notDaveThanks for the comment, Dave.
Do you mean it HAS TO BE the subjunctive, otherwise it won't work? Or is it that the indicative "can" works fine but the subjunctive might work better?
00
Here's my take on this.
The first sentence is okay. She has a smartphone and cannot do without it.
The second sentence is not quite right. This is a frequently used pattern in English and the verb used in it is always "believe": "She cannot believe that she lives without a smartphone." - she doesn't have a smartphone and wants one.
The first sentence is okay. She has a smartphone and cannot do without it.
The second sentence is not quite right. This is a frequently used pattern in English and the verb used in it is always "believe": "She cannot believe that she lives without a smartphone." - she doesn't have a smartphone and wants one.
00
The third sentence is not quite right. Again, this is a set pattern in English, and the verb used in it is alway "believe": "She cannot believe that she can live without a smartphone." - she doesn't have a smartphone and is amazed that she can get by without one, since everybody she knows has one.
00
Hi
In the last sentence I gave, I think 'can' would work. But I went for 'could', partly because it emphasizes that she is imagining something that is not so, and perhaps because it avoids the 'cannot-can' echo in the sentence
Dave
In the last sentence I gave, I think 'can' would work. But I went for 'could', partly because it emphasizes that she is imagining something that is not so, and perhaps because it avoids the 'cannot-can' echo in the sentence
Dave
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