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Anonymous Posted 17 years ago
Grammar
Motionless or motionlessly?
Can anyone tell me which is grammatically correct?
1. He hold the magnifying glass motionless.
2. He hold the magnifying glass motionlessly.
Someone told me that motionless is correct because it can be converted into 'The magnifying glass was motionless.' But if the verb 'hold' is taken into account, I think motionlessly(adverb) should modify 'hold'(verb). Which one is correct?
1. He hold the magnifying glass motionless.
2. He hold the magnifying glass motionlessly.
Someone told me that motionless is correct because it can be converted into 'The magnifying glass was motionless.' But if the verb 'hold' is taken into account, I think motionlessly(adverb) should modify 'hold'(verb). Which one is correct?
Top answer
Neither is correct, since the subject does not agree with the verb. But, both motionless and motionlessly can be correct. The meaning is a bit different, though.
- Neither is correct, since the subject does not agree with the verb.
- But, both motionless and motionlessly can be correct.
- The meaning is a bit different, though.
- 1) He holds the glass so that it is motionless.
- The glass is not moving as he holds it.
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1 Answers
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Neither is correct, since the subject does not agree with the verb.
But, both motionless and motionlessly can be correct. The meaning is a bit different, though.
1) He holds the glass so that it is motionless. The underlined words can be omitted.The glass is not moving as he holds it.
2) He holds the glass motionlessly. (He does not move at all while he holds the glass. )
But, both motionless and motionlessly can be correct. The meaning is a bit different, though.
1) He holds the glass so that it is motionless. The underlined words can be omitted.The glass is not moving as he holds it.
2) He holds the glass motionlessly. (He does not move at all while he holds the glass. )
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