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Cho7712 Posted 14 years ago
Grammar
meaning
I am not sure if the below sentence is vague in its meaning.
e.g. You asked me to leave, and so did I.
To what extent does the word 'did' have its scope?
Does it hinge on the context? Or else Should some rule be applied to this structure so that the only one way of interpretation makes sense?
a. ....and I also asked you to leave.
b. ....and I also asked myself if it is possible to leave.
c. ...and I also left.
The above three are what I've thought as the possible alternatives.
Which one is correct?
e.g. You asked me to leave, and so did I.
To what extent does the word 'did' have its scope?
Does it hinge on the context? Or else Should some rule be applied to this structure so that the only one way of interpretation makes sense?
a. ....and I also asked you to leave.
b. ....and I also asked myself if it is possible to leave.
c. ...and I also left.
The above three are what I've thought as the possible alternatives.
Which one is correct?
Top answer
Your sentence is perfectly clear. It can only mean that you asked yourself to leave, which is nonsense. It doesn't mean choice b, because although we can ask ourselves something, we can't ask ourselves to do something.
- Your sentence is perfectly clear.
- It can only mean that you asked yourself to leave, which is nonsense.
- It doesn't mean choice b, because although we can ask ourselves something, we can't ask ourselves to do something.
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7 Answers
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Your sentence is perfectly clear. It can only mean that you asked yourself to leave, which is nonsense. It doesn't mean choice b, because although we can ask ourselves something, we can't ask ourselves to do something.
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Thank you for the answer,
And then it seems impossible to add the comment 'so did I' in that situation.
But still it might be possible to have the interpretation of the choice A because the direct object of the verb 'ask' can be the deictic reference, I think. Does native speakers not consider it as possible?
And then it seems impossible to add the comment 'so did I' in that situation.
But still it might be possible to have the interpretation of the choice A because the direct object of the verb 'ask' can be the deictic reference, I think. Does native speakers not consider it as possible?
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This sentence makes sense if you change the "so did I" to "so I did." It then means that, as a consequence of being asked to leave, you left.
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One concise way of saying what you want is this: You asked me to leave, and I, you.
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Thank you for the answer.
So it can be concluded that the only replaced part is the subject not the predication in the construction like 'so did I'.
So it can be concluded that the only replaced part is the subject not the predication in the construction like 'so did I'.
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cho7712 Thank you for the answer.So it can be concluded that the only replaced part is the subject not the predication in the construction like 'so did I'.I'm sorry, but I don't follow you.
Take "You asked him to leave, and so did I." That works, because we both asked him to leave. "So" takes the place of everything you did. "You asked him to leave,
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enoonTake "You asked him to leave, and so did I." That works, because we both asked him to leave. "So" takes the place of everything you did. "You asked him to leave, and [asked him to leave] did I.It seems that the way I expressed my thought was somewhat wrong.
As your example indicates, which is what I wanted to say.
Thank you for your answer.
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