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Anonymous Posted 14 years ago
Grammar
Poking holes in the text
I had an issue today with a student who likes to try and pick holes in what I am teaching--asking why we do things that I frankly have simply always done without ever really learning why.
We were talking about run-on sentences, and I asked my students to turn two sentences--"he often watched TV when there were only reruns" and "She preferred to read instead"--into one complete sentence. He tried to make it into "He often watched TV, when there were only reruns she preferred to read, instead." He knew he was altering the meaning of the sentence, but he wanted a specific answer as to why the grammar is correct. I wasn't sure how to explain this to him because it's... well, so obviously wrong that I was never taught why it would be. Is there a good way I could give him a concrete reason rather than "we just don't write that way"?
We were talking about run-on sentences, and I asked my students to turn two sentences--"he often watched TV when there were only reruns" and "She preferred to read instead"--into one complete sentence. He tried to make it into "He often watched TV, when there were only reruns she preferred to read, instead." He knew he was altering the meaning of the sentence, but he wanted a specific answer as to why the grammar is correct. I wasn't sure how to explain this to him because it's... well, so obviously wrong that I was never taught why it would be. Is there a good way I could give him a concrete reason rather than "we just don't write that way"?
Top answer
Anonymous He often watched TV, when there were only reruns she preferred to read, instead You are unclear as to why that sentence is not correctly structured? instead ) without a conjunction between them. That is not a possible structure.
- Anonymous He often watched TV, when there were only reruns she preferred to read, instead You are unclear as to why that sentence is not correctly structured?
- instead ) without a conjunction between them.
- That is not a possible structure.
- With a conjunction: He often watched TV when there were only reruns, but she preferred to read instead.
- With one finite and one non-finite verb: He often watched TV when there were only reruns , she preferring to read instead.
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2 Answers
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AnonymousHe often watched TV, when there were only reruns she preferred to read, insteadYou are unclear as to why that sentence is not correctly structured? It is because you have two finite verbs (were, preferred) in a single clause (when...instead) without a conjunction between them. That is not a possible structure.
With a conjuncti
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Thanks for your reply!! I'm just having a bit of trouble figuring out how to explain this to a kid whose whole point is to trip me up. I'm not terribly good at explaining why things are--in this case, exactly why it is not a possible structure. I can tell him it's an issue of having two finite verbs in a single clause without a conjunction between them, but when he asks exactly why that is... w
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