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JIM1984 Posted 15 years ago
Grammar

Verbs\infinitives

'Those like the customer in my local butchers pointing out she didn't only support Chelsea as consider them part of the family.' Could anybody tell me if the phrase 'pointing out she didn't' disqualifies 'did' (as in didn't) as a finite verb, and therefore renders the sentence gramattically incorrect ( as to be considered viable, a semtence needs a finite verb)? I'm asking in respect of the infinitive 'pointing' being the head word in the phrase?
  

Top answer

To answer as specifically as I can, no: _didn't _ is a finite verb in this text. Looking just at the phrase, "pointing out she didn't," it looks like an adverbial clause was intended there, but the structure of the clause is not correct. I think that the intent was to chracterize a customer at the butcher shop, identifying that customer as one who pointed out her particular level of support for Chelsea...

— Anonymous

  • To answer as specifically as I can, no: _didn't _ is a finite verb in this text.
  • Looking just at the phrase, "pointing out she didn't," it looks like an adverbial clause was intended there, but the structure of the clause is not correct.
  • I think that the intent was to chracterize a customer at the butcher shop, identifying that customer as one who pointed out her particular level of support for Chelsea...
  • The phrase isn't structured in a way that definitely says that, and after that part of the writing, the intension becomes even less clear.
  • If I could tell what the passage was trying to say, I could offer a correct way of saying it, but I cannot tell at all what is intended here.
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26 Answers
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To answer as specifically as I can, no: _didn't _ is a finite verb in this text.

Looking just at the phrase, "pointing out she didn't," it looks like an adverbial clause was intended there, but the structure of the clause is not correct. I think that the intent was to chracterize a customer at the butcher shop, identifying that customer as one who pointed out her particular level of sup
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Those (people) like the customer in my local butchers (who was) pointing out (that) she didn't only support Chelsea but as consider them (as) part of the family.'

I read this as a fragment, with a subject and a modifying complex clause.
There is no predicate.
The confusing aspect is that a lot of the structural words have been omitt
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AnonymousTo answer as specifically as I can, no: _didn't _ is a finite verb in this text.Looking just at the phrase, "pointing out she didn't," it looks like an adverbial clause was intended there, but the structure of the clause is not correct. I think that the intent was to chracterize a customer at the butcher shop, identifying that customer as one who pointed out her
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AlpheccaStarsThere is no predicate.
Isn't ' didn't only support' a predicate?
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JIM1984Isn't ' didn't only support' a predicate?
Yes, it is the predicate in the noun clause that is the direct object of the (phrasal) present participle "pointing out."
It is not the predicate in the main clause. The main clause has no predicate.

Here is the original:

Those (people) like the customer in my local butchers (who was) point
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AlpheccaStars
JIM1984Isn't ' didn't only support' a predicate?
Yes, it is the predicate in the noun clause that is the direct object of the (phrasal) present participle "pointing out."It is not the predicate in the main clause. The main clause has no predicate.Here is the original:Those (people) like the customer in my local butchers (w
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AlpheccaStars
JIM1984Isn't ' didn't only support' a predicate?
Yes, it is the predicate in the noun clause that is the direct object of the (phrasal) present participle "pointing out."It is not the predicate in the main clause. The main clause has no predicate.Here is the original:Those (people) like the customer in my local butchers (w
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Those, like the woman in my local butchers pointing out she didn't only support Chelsea as consider them part of the family.

If you take out the phrase beginning with "like the woman", what would you say? Maybe one of these (main verb is underlined):

Those (people) supported Chelsea and consider them part of the family.
Those (people) point out that the
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AlpheccaStarsThose, like the woman in my local butchers pointing out she didn't only support Chelsea as consider them part of the family. If you take out the phrase beginning with "like the woman", what would you say? Maybe one of these (main verb is underlined):Those (people) supported Chelsea and consider them part of the family.Those (people) point out that they suppor
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JIM1984The level of dedication shown by some football buffs can sometimes take one aback. Those like the customer in my local butchers exemplify - the woman pointing out she didn't only support Chelsea as consider them part of the family.
Yes, the main clause (the core of the sentence) now has a subject (those) and a verb (exemplify).

The connection
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