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Anonymous Posted 10 years ago
Grammar

Usage of past simple without personal pronouns

I am translating a text from Croatian to English. In Croatian, it is possible to use past simple without using personal pronouns. For example: Born in 1963, finished University of Zagreb and wrote three novels. I was wondering if it is possible to do the same thing in English (because in Croatian it represents a certain style of writing.
Thank you
  

Top answer

Anonymous Born in 1963, finished University of Zagreb and wrote three novels. In English this style is very noticeably not grammatically complete. It might be used when making rough notes, for example, but not in full prose.

— GPY

  • Anonymous Born in 1963, finished University of Zagreb and wrote three novels.
  • In English this style is very noticeably not grammatically complete.
  • It might be used when making rough notes, for example, but not in full prose.
  • At least, it would be a very unusual stylistic choice in full prose, deliberately chosen for unusual effect, and it would (in my opinion) quickly become annoying to read if extended to any length.
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2 Answers
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Anonymous Born in 1963, finished University of Zagreb and wrote three novels.
In English this style is very noticeably not grammatically complete. It might be used when making rough notes, for example, but not in full prose. At least, it would be a very unusual stylistic choice in full prose, deliberately chosen for unusual effect, and it would (in my opinion)
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AnonymousIn Croatian, it is possible to use past simple without using personal pronouns.
One of the basic properties of all the world's languages is whether or not a given language requires an explicit subject. English and French, for example, require an explicit subject, a pronoun if necessary. Spanish and Italian do not require an explicit subject.
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