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Anonymous Posted 9 years ago
Grammar

Syntax

Hi Everyone,

Can anybody help me explain why the sentences:

The opposite of 'up' is 'down'.

My favourite food is pizza.

My name is Paul.


Seem more likely and is more common than:

'Up' is the opposite of 'down'.

Pizza is my favourite food.

Paul is my name.


And does anybody see a similar difference between:


Rome is the largest city in Italy.

and

The largest city in Italy is Rome.


Thanks in advance for any comments! Emotion: smile

Aaron

  

Top answer

My name is Paul. Paul is my name. #1 above eens more likely to me because it warns the listener that you are going to tell him your name.

— Clive

  • My name is Paul.
  • Paul is my name.
  • #1 above eens more likely to me because it warns the listener that you are going to tell him your name.
  • So he;d better pay attention!
  • As for the two examples below, in #1 you want to talk primarily about Rome but in #2 you want to talk primarily about the largest city in Italy.
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3 Answers
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My name is Paul.
Paul is my name.

#1 above eens more likely to me because it warns the listener that you are going to tell him your name. So he;d better pay attention!

As for the two examples below, in #1 you want to talk primarily about Rome but in #2 you want to talk primarily about the largest city in Italy.

Rome is the largest city in Italy.
The largest city
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When the verb is the copula "be" the predicate and subject can be interchanged.

There is no bias toward either of these. I hear both versions.

The opposite of 'up' is 'down'.
'Up' is the opposite of 'down'.
Pizza is my favourite food.  (A frequently-heard comment at a pizza restaurant.)
My favourite food is pizza.  (Answers the question: What is your favorite
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comments

These are all equative sentences.
The subject is 'the thing to be identified'.
The complement is 'the identifier'.

What is Rome? / "Identify" Rome.
Rome is the largest city in Italy. / Rome can be identified as the largest city in Italy.
What is the largest city in Italy? / "Identify" the larg
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