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Anonymous Posted 19 years ago
Grammar
weren't there AND as were
I'm an assistant language teacher in Japan and an English teacher often asks me some tough grammar questions. Here's two recent ones:
1.) In 1990, more than half the 501 different jobs you could have were jobs that weren't there in 1940.
He asked about the usage of weren't there. I told him that it simply means ''didn't exist'' but then he asked why, in that case, is the word order not THERE+(to be). So I told him that there is the inferred place of the job market, world, universe ect... He didn't seem all that satisifed and neither was I.
2.) Half of the women surveyed from Brazil were satisfied with their looks, as were 40% of women from such countries as Canada, Italy and the US.
He had never come across the '', as were...'' construction before and I don't think I explained it all that well. I told him it was the same as '', so were...'' but I think he was wanting a more in-depth grammar explanation to account for the word order.
Thanks for your help.
-matt
1.) In 1990, more than half the 501 different jobs you could have were jobs that weren't there in 1940.
He asked about the usage of weren't there. I told him that it simply means ''didn't exist'' but then he asked why, in that case, is the word order not THERE+(to be). So I told him that there is the inferred place of the job market, world, universe ect... He didn't seem all that satisifed and neither was I.
2.) Half of the women surveyed from Brazil were satisfied with their looks, as were 40% of women from such countries as Canada, Italy and the US.
He had never come across the '', as were...'' construction before and I don't think I explained it all that well. I told him it was the same as '', so were...'' but I think he was wanting a more in-depth grammar explanation to account for the word order.
Thanks for your help.
-matt
Top answer
1. Your explanation was correct. You might have added that that begins a relative clause in the sentence and is the subject of the clause.
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- Your explanation was correct.
- You might have added that that begins a relative clause in the sentence and is the subject of the clause.
- There is not what some grammarians call a preparatory there in the clause.
- 2.
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1 Answers
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1. Your explanation was correct. You might have added that that begins a relative clause in the sentence and is the subject of the clause. There is not what some grammarians call a preparatory there in the clause.
2. Inverted word order, in other words finite verb before subject, is quite a common phenomenon i
2. Inverted word order, in other words finite verb before subject, is quite a common phenomenon i
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