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Zazzex Posted 17 years ago
Grammar

It can be interpreted as that I love her; is this correct?


"It can be interpreted as that I love her. " Is this alright?

(which means "It can be interpreted as my loving her.")


Can we use the verb, "understand," in the same way?


"It can be understood as that I love her. " Is this alright?

(which means "It can be understood as my loving her.")
  

Top answer

Even though I can put my finger on no distinct error, I am afraid to defend that grammar because the structure seems so awful. I would certainly find a different way of expressing it, with both verbs!

  • Even though I can put my finger on no distinct error, I am afraid to defend that grammar because the structure seems so awful.
  • I would certainly find a different way of expressing it, with both verbs!
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21 Answers
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Even though I can put my finger on no distinct error, I am afraid to defend that grammar because the structure seems so awful. I would certainly find a different way of expressing it, with both verbs!
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Shouldn't it be 'as me loving her'?
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Not formally, ferdis. It is the 'loving' that is being referenced, not the person himself.

I like you, but I hate your having a dog.

However, the object pronoun is appearing more often in that position in informal English.
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Ok. I'm asking this because I've read about two different stances on this subject in books. One author says that the form is grammatically incorrect, while another says there is a subtle difference between 'my' and 'me'. Consider this:

John was known for his highly controversial works. He asked, "Is it my writing that annoys you?" -- is it the words that I write down that annoy you?
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I wouldn't say that either is incorrect (though 'me' is still not a safe choice for an essay), but I fail to see that difference your other source suggests. That difference would properly emerge from context, not the pronoun case:

John was known for his highly controversial works. He asked, "Is it my writing that annoys you?" -- is it the words that I write down that ann
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"The words written on the wall can be understood as that the town was doomed."

Is this correct but awkward expression?

How do you improve it?

Thanks a lot.
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ferdisShouldn't it be 'as me loving her'?
"Loving her" is a gerund phrase. A gerund phrase functions as a noun in the great sentence. If you substitute the gerund phrase for a simple noun it can be clearly seen that "me" is incorrect: "do you like me new haircut" for example, but, using "me" in place of "my" in this context seems to be becoming c
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zazzex"It can be interpreted as that I love her. "

"It can be understood as that I love her. "

as that doesn't work. In these cases, you need a noun phrase after as. Rephrase.

It can be [interpreted / understood] as my love for her.

CJ
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Hi. I think the part "that I love her" is a noun clause. I think it isn't a noun phrase, though.
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Huevos"Loving her" is a gerund phrase. A gerund phrase functions as a noun in the great sentence. If you substitute the gerund phrase for a simple noun it can be clearly seen that "me" is incorrect: "do you like me new haircut" for example, but, using "me" in place of "my" in this context seems to be becoming commonplace amongst the uneducated British.

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