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Omnipotensdeus Posted 22 years ago
Grammar
"She must be home by now" <-- is it grammatically incorrect?
Hi,
Today a friend of mine asked me if this sentence is wrong grammar-wise;
"She must be home by now"
I thoroughly scrutinized the sentece, although it's very short.
It seemed OK to me, but he told me the sentence is grammatically incorrect.
I wasn't able to figure out what's wrong with that sentence.
Can anyone explain to me if the sentence above is wrong?
If so, why is it wrong?
Today a friend of mine asked me if this sentence is wrong grammar-wise;
"She must be home by now"
I thoroughly scrutinized the sentece, although it's very short.
It seemed OK to me, but he told me the sentence is grammatically incorrect.
I wasn't able to figure out what's wrong with that sentence.
Can anyone explain to me if the sentence above is wrong?
If so, why is it wrong?
Top answer
I have been having difficulty logging on and posting responses. The server seems to take a while sometimes. Anyway, I replied at the above post, though it is in the incorrect location.
- I have been having difficulty logging on and posting responses.
- The server seems to take a while sometimes.
- Anyway, I replied at the above post, though it is in the incorrect location.
- MountainHiker
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12 Answers
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I have been having difficulty logging on and posting responses. The server seems to take a while sometimes. Anyway, I replied at the above post, though it is in the incorrect location.
MountainHiker
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MountainHiker,
Join the club. The site has been flaky lately.
OPD,
The sentence is completely correct. It means something like:
The only logical conclusion we can have under the circumstances is that she is now home.
Or, shorter: It must be that she is home now.
Join the club. The site has been flaky lately.
OPD,
The sentence is completely correct. It means something like:
The only logical conclusion we can have under the circumstances is that she is now home.
Or, shorter: It must be that she is home now.
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Hi CalifJim,
demicjusz raises a good question/point in the post:
1) "She must be home by now."
As a native English speaker, I recognize this sentence immediately and accept it. But if you were learning our language, you would almost think that she has become a house. If you wrote instead, 2) "She must be AT home by now," then it might make more sense to someone l
demicjusz raises a good question/point in the post:
1) "She must be home by now."
As a native English speaker, I recognize this sentence immediately and accept it. But if you were learning our language, you would almost think that she has become a house. If you wrote instead, 2) "She must be AT home by now," then it might make more sense to someone l
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MountainHiker,
(I'm having a rough time trying to post this -- flaky site!)
"home" is positively, absolutely, without a doubt, an adverb (of place) in the example sentence.
(I'm having a rough time trying to post this -- flaky site!)
"home" is positively, absolutely, without a doubt, an adverb (of place) in the example sentence.
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Thank you people!
Wow, I feel like I have virtual tutors answering any questions related to English.
Being a non-native English speaking person (especially being a Korean whose language has
nothing in common with English) , I think even those of us who speak
and learn English as a second language can undertand the meaning of the sentence
on the condition that there
Wow, I feel like I have virtual tutors answering any questions related to English.
Being a non-native English speaking person (especially being a Korean whose language has
nothing in common with English) , I think even those of us who speak
and learn English as a second language can undertand the meaning of the sentence
on the condition that there
00
Re: Server issues
We're currently building the new server (quad processor intel Xeon 2.8ghz) with unlimited bandwidth.. Lately we've crawled into mad mad traffic and we're having problems keeping up. This will be rectified shortly; please bear with us
We're currently building the new server (quad processor intel Xeon 2.8ghz) with unlimited bandwidth.. Lately we've crawled into mad mad traffic and we're having problems keeping up. This will be rectified shortly; please bear with us
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hitchhiker,
I am absolutely delighted to hear that news!!!
This is the best site of its kind in my opinion, and although I don't know a Xeon 2.8ghz from a cream cheese Danish, it sounds like you guys are doing a great job keeping on top of the situation.
Thanks!
California Jim
P.S. It's September now, and all the summer vacationers are back to their
I am absolutely delighted to hear that news!!!
This is the best site of its kind in my opinion, and although I don't know a Xeon 2.8ghz from a cream cheese Danish, it sounds like you guys are doing a great job keeping on top of the situation.
Thanks!
California Jim
P.S. It's September now, and all the summer vacationers are back to their
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Hi CalifJim,
Great, thank you for your answer. Could I ask you to expand on it slightly?
An adverb is a "The part of speech that modifies a verb, adjective, or other adverb." (GuruNet)
"She must be home now."
What is "home" modifying? Is home modifying the verb "be"?
Just want to make sure that I am clear in my understanding.
Thank you
Great, thank you for your answer. Could I ask you to expand on it slightly?
An adverb is a "The part of speech that modifies a verb, adjective, or other adverb." (GuruNet)
"She must be home now."
What is "home" modifying? Is home modifying the verb "be"?
Just want to make sure that I am clear in my understanding.
Thank you
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Hi MountainHiker!
Yes, "home" modifies "be" -- almost by default: There is no other element in the sentence that it could modify. Are you troubled by the word "modify"? If so, I agree that when it's a matter of linking verbs like "be" and "seem", the following adverb seems more to be a completer of the thought rather than a modifier.
Jim
Yes, "home" modifies "be" -- almost by default: There is no other element in the sentence that it could modify. Are you troubled by the word "modify"? If so, I agree that when it's a matter of linking verbs like "be" and "seem", the following adverb seems more to be a completer of the thought rather than a modifier.
Jim
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Hi CalifJim,
Thank you for your response.
I am used to thinking of things like "home" as nouns. It is a thing that you can feel touch etc. Here's my convoluted thought process.
1) She is home. If we're not saying she is a house, then home can't be a noun.
So that leaves either an adjective or an adverb.
2) She is hot. Hot is clearly an adjecti
Thank you for your response.
I am used to thinking of things like "home" as nouns. It is a thing that you can feel touch etc. Here's my convoluted thought process.
1) She is home. If we're not saying she is a house, then home can't be a noun.
So that leaves either an adjective or an adverb.
2) She is hot. Hot is clearly an adjecti
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