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Shanks8532 Posted 14 years ago
Grammar
usage of suspicious
Hello. I don't know the context of the following sentences.
Hagrid shuffled into view, hiding something behind his back. "Jus' lookin'," he said in a shifty voice that caught our interest at once. "An' what're you lot up ter?" He suddenly looked suspicious. "Yer not still lookin' fer Nicolas Flamel, are yeh?" ... He suddenly looked suspicious.
The bold sentence means that
1) Hagrid was looking suspicious ( like looked shady).
or
2)Hagrid was giving a suspicious look to them.
Which one is correct ?
I thought it is No. 1 's case but not sure at all.
I would be grateful if someone could give me the answer.
Yoshi
Hagrid shuffled into view, hiding something behind his back. "Jus' lookin'," he said in a shifty voice that caught our interest at once. "An' what're you lot up ter?" He suddenly looked suspicious. "Yer not still lookin' fer Nicolas Flamel, are yeh?" ... He suddenly looked suspicious.
The bold sentence means that
1) Hagrid was looking suspicious ( like looked shady).
or
2)Hagrid was giving a suspicious look to them.
Which one is correct ?
I thought it is No. 1 's case but not sure at all.
I would be grateful if someone could give me the answer.
Yoshi
Top answer
or2)Hagrid was giving a suspicious look to them. 2. He was suspicious that the people who he was talking to were there for a purpose he would not like.
- or2)Hagrid was giving a suspicious look to them.
- 2.
- He was suspicious that the people who he was talking to were there for a purpose he would not like.
- CJ
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7 Answers
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Shanks8532The bold sentence means that1) Hagrid was looking suspicious ( like looked shady).or2)Hagrid was giving a suspicious look to them.2. He was suspicious that the people who he was talking to were there for a purpose he would not like.
CJ
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Hagrid looked like he was hiding something or doing something that he shouldn't be doing and feeling guilty for it. ( 1 )
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Well that was interesting. Two answers just seconds apart -- and totally different! 
CJ
CJ
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CalifJimoIt's a bit ambiguous - Hagrid could feel guilty himself and suspicious of the others' intentions, too. In any case, there's something suspicious going on!
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Thank you so much CJ and Alphecca. So the word "Suspious" can mean both depending on the idea of listeners. I thought it was No, 1 but No.2 may seem a bit more suitable for the scene. Anyway only the author knows the answer. I will take it we can have both meaning in this kind of case.
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Shanks8532 I will take it we can have both meaning in this kind of case.Yes. I prefer CJ's reading, but AS's is possible. In most cases, it does not matter very much if the reader chooses the interpretation that the writer did not intend.
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Yes, fivejedjon. I see what you mean, I might be too cautious about interpreting the story, I should rather enjoy it than the grammar thing.
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