0
Park sang joon Posted 10 years ago
Grammar
The analyses of a text #3
The narrator recalls his childhood; he came home from the boarding school for his mother's sudden death.
Now all the funeral finished and several days have passed away.
Mr. Murdstone is his stern stepfather and Peggotty is the only maid in his house from old days.
"Peggotty," I said in a thoughtful whisper, one evening, when I was warming my hands at the kitchen fire, "Mr. Murdstone likes me less than he used to. He never liked me much, Peggotty, but he would rather not even see me now, if he can help it."
"Perhaps it's his sorrow," said Peggotty, stroking my hair.
"I am sure, Peggotty, I am sorry too. If I believed it was his sorrow, I should not think of it at all. But it's not that, oh no, it's not that."
"How do you know it's not that?" said Peggotty, after a silence.
"Oh, his sorrow is another and quite a different thing. He is sorry at this moment, sitting by the fireside with Miss Murdstone, but if I was to go in, Peggotty, he would be something besides."
"What would he be?" said Peggotty.
"Angry," I answered, with an involuntary imitation of his dark frown. "If he was only sorry, he wouldn't look at me as he does. I am only sorry, and it makes me feel kinder."
[David Copperfield by Charles Dickens]
I think "something" means any other feeling.
So I was wondering why it is "be something," not "be of something."
And I'd like to know "what" plays the role of an adjective in "What would he be?".
Thank you in advance for your help.
Now all the funeral finished and several days have passed away.
Mr. Murdstone is his stern stepfather and Peggotty is the only maid in his house from old days.
"Peggotty," I said in a thoughtful whisper, one evening, when I was warming my hands at the kitchen fire, "Mr. Murdstone likes me less than he used to. He never liked me much, Peggotty, but he would rather not even see me now, if he can help it."
"Perhaps it's his sorrow," said Peggotty, stroking my hair.
"I am sure, Peggotty, I am sorry too. If I believed it was his sorrow, I should not think of it at all. But it's not that, oh no, it's not that."
"How do you know it's not that?" said Peggotty, after a silence.
"Oh, his sorrow is another and quite a different thing. He is sorry at this moment, sitting by the fireside with Miss Murdstone, but if I was to go in, Peggotty, he would be something besides."
"What would he be?" said Peggotty.
"Angry," I answered, with an involuntary imitation of his dark frown. "If he was only sorry, he wouldn't look at me as he does. I am only sorry, and it makes me feel kinder."
[David Copperfield by Charles Dickens]
I think "something" means any other feeling.
So I was wondering why it is "be something," not "be of something."
And I'd like to know "what" plays the role of an adjective in "What would he be?".
Thank you in advance for your help.
Top answer
park sang joon I think "something" means any other feeling. Right. park sang joon So I was wondering why it is "be something," not "be of something.
- park sang joon I think "something" means any other feeling.
- Right.
- park sang joon So I was wondering why it is "be something," not "be of something.
- Just look at how the word would be substituted: 'he would be something besides' => 'he would be angry besides'.
- ".
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
3 Answers
0
park sang joonI think "something" means any other feeling.Right.
park sang joonSo I was wondering why it is "be something," not "be of something.Just look at how the word would be substituted: 'he would be something besides' => 'he would be angrybesides'.
park sang joonAnd I'd like
00
Thank you, Mr.Micawber, for your very helpful answer.
Then I was wondering if "something" is adjectival here.
Just look at how the word would be substituted: 'he would be something besides' => 'he would be angry besides'.
00
park sang joonThen I was wondering if "something" is adjectival here.That is how it is being used, yes. Again, I doubt that lexicographers have recorded (or perhaps even noticed) this kind of usage, but it is common enough in speech (and evidently was in Dickens' time). We use such to substitute for adjectives and for verbs, as a kind of marker:
0
Related Questions