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Wangqh2696122 Posted 14 years ago
Grammar

Sentence interpretation

Smile! You'll be rewarded with a returned smile.
A question writer says that the sentence shows that if treated kindly, others are friendly.
What does he mean by saying ""if treated kindly, others are friendly""?
By the way,can you tell me if the sentence "if treated kindly, others are friendly" is correct?
  

Top answer

It's a kind of shorthand called an elliptical clause. It is grammatically correct. The missing words are taken from the main clause.

  • It's a kind of shorthand called an elliptical clause.
  • It is grammatically correct.
  • The missing words are taken from the main clause.
  • If (others are) treated kindly, they (others) will be friendly.
  • Still the wording is not quite natural.
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2 Answers
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It's a kind of shorthand called an elliptical clause. It is grammatically correct.
The missing words are taken from the main clause.

If (others are) treated kindly, they (others) will be friendly.

Still the wording is not quite natural. I would say:

If treated kindly, people will be friendly.

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