0
Taka Posted 21 years ago
Grammar

Suspicion

0 The sentences: 01blockquote
00 The ideal of the free individiual has had a profound effect on the way Americans view their government. There is deep suspicion that government is the natural enemy of freedom, even if it is elected by the people. The bigger and the stronger the govenment is, the more dangarous to individual freedom Americans believe it to be. 12blockquote
12br
02br
00What suspicion is it here? Is it the one that government is the natural enemy of freedom? Or is it that government is the natural enemy of freedom even if it is elected by the people? 02br
02br
00In other words, is it; 02br
02br
001:{There is deep suspicion that government is the natural enemy of freedom}, {even if it is elected by the people.} 02br
02br
00or 02br
02br
002:{There is deep suspicion [that government is the natural enemy of freedom, even if it is elected by the people.]} 02br
02br
00I think it's #1, but my book interprets it as #2... 0-
  

Top answer

-- 02br 02br 00- There is deep suspicion 02br 00- that gov't is is the natural enemy of freedom 02br 00- even if it is elected by the people. 02br 02br 00It seem to me that the basic 'suspicion' is the first subordinate clause (a subject complement), and that the second subordinate clause is an adverbial. 02br 02br 00I can't figure out if that fits into either of your two bracketing systems, though.

— Mister Micawber

  • -- 02br 02br 00- There is deep suspicion 02br 00- that gov't is is the natural enemy of freedom 02br 00- even if it is elected by the people.
  • 02br 02br 00It seem to me that the basic 'suspicion' is the first subordinate clause (a subject complement), and that the second subordinate clause is an adverbial.
  • 02br 02br 00I can't figure out if that fits into either of your two bracketing systems, though.
  • 02br 02br 0-
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

6 Answers
0
0We've got a main clause and two subordinates here, don't we, Taka?-- 02br
02br
00- There is deep suspicion 02br
00- that gov't is is the natural enemy of freedom 02br
00- even if it is elected by the people. 02br
02br
00It seem to me that the basic 'suspicion' is the first subordinate clause (a subject complement), and that the sec
0
0
0 I can see two subtle differences in meaning. 02br
02br
00We are suspicious of the government even though we were the ones who elected it. 02br
02br
00We are suspicious despite the fact that it is an elected government (therefore part of a democratic 'freedom') rather than an unelected one. 0-
0
0
0 To MM. 02br
02br
00I'm just wondering if the adverbial 'even if...' modifies 'There is deep suspicion' or 'gov't is the natural enemy of freedom.' 02br
01blockquote
00 I can't figure out if that fits into either of your two bracketing systems, though. 12blockquote
12br
02br
00Seems like yours is #1, my interpre
0
0
0What I wanted to say but failed to, Taka, is that I think the second 'even if' adverbial clause modifies all the rest of the sentence. I don't know how to operate your bracket system, but I would diagram it as something like this: 02br
02br
00[There is deep suspicion {that government is the natural enemy of freedom}], [even if it is elected by the people]. 02br
0
0
0
0 Yes. Your interpretation is still the same as mine. To paraphrase, I thought it was something like this: 02br
02br
00There is deep suspicion, even if government is elected by the people. And the suspicion is that it is the natural enemy of freedom. 0-
0
0
0 Further to Nona's differences, – they seem to depend on the slight ambiguity in 'if it is', which only a stress (or italics) could bring out: 02br
02br
001. ...despite the fact that it's elected by the people. (= 'even if it 01i00is02i00...') 02br
00— this starts with the set of {states where universal suffrage exists}, and looks at one as
0

Related Questions