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Stenka25 Posted 10 years ago
Grammar
Inversion
Inversion
The passage below comes from 'On the shortness of life' by Seneca.
https://archive.org/stream/minordialoguesto00seneuoft/minordialoguesto00seneuoft_djvu.txt
What piteous expressions he uses in a letter to Atticus when Pompeius the father had been defeated, and his son was recruiting his shattered forces in Spain? "Do you ask," writes he, "what I am doing here? I am living in my Tusculan villa almost as a prisoner."
I'd like to ask a question regarding the underlined phrase.
The underlined inversed expression 'writes he' should be corrected to be 'he writes.'
The ground of my grammar comes from Practical English Usage.
https://www.google.co.kr/?gfe_rd=cr&ei=6oykVv2wFqeg8wf4-Ji4Ag&gws_rd=ssl#safe=off&q=%22if+the+subject+is+a+pronoun+it+usually+comes+before+the+verb%22
If (in a reported speech) the subject is a pronoun, it usually comes before the verb.
'What do you mean?' he asked.
Am I right?
Regards.
The passage below comes from 'On the shortness of life' by Seneca.
https://archive.org/stream/minordialoguesto00seneuoft/minordialoguesto00seneuoft_djvu.txt
What piteous expressions he uses in a letter to Atticus when Pompeius the father had been defeated, and his son was recruiting his shattered forces in Spain? "Do you ask," writes he, "what I am doing here? I am living in my Tusculan villa almost as a prisoner."
I'd like to ask a question regarding the underlined phrase.
The underlined inversed expression 'writes he' should be corrected to be 'he writes.'
The ground of my grammar comes from Practical English Usage.
https://www.google.co.kr/?gfe_rd=cr&ei=6oykVv2wFqeg8wf4-Ji4Ag&gws_rd=ssl#safe=off&q=%22if+the+subject+is+a+pronoun+it+usually+comes+before+the+verb%22
If (in a reported speech) the subject is a pronoun, it usually comes before the verb.
'What do you mean?' he asked.
Am I right?
Regards.
Top answer
' No, it is a common permutation in literary works, especially older ones.
- ' No, it is a common permutation in literary works, especially older ones.
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2 Answers
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Stenka25The underlined inversed expression 'writes he' should be corrected to be 'he writes.'No, it is a common permutation in literary works, especially older ones.
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