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ABC Part 130

This document discusses the importance of verbs in creating meaningful utterances and proper grammar. It states that verbs transform lists of nouns into sentences by adding meaning through action. The chapter then explains that while earlier discussions focused on word meanings, this section will examine how words are structured in sentences. Specifically, it will address the correct use of verbs, which are key to proper structure and grammar. Errors in verb usage can widely corrupt language, so examining these problems is important to avoid mistakes.

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36 views

ABC Part 130

This document discusses the importance of verbs in creating meaningful utterances and proper grammar. It states that verbs transform lists of nouns into sentences by adding meaning through action. The chapter then explains that while earlier discussions focused on word meanings, this section will examine how words are structured in sentences. Specifically, it will address the correct use of verbs, which are key to proper structure and grammar. Errors in verb usage can widely corrupt language, so examining these problems is important to avoid mistakes.

Uploaded by

Ilias
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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CHAPTER 5

The Use of Verbs

The key to meaningful utterance is the verb. The verb transforms the
indeterm inate utterance the plum ber into the meaningful utterance
Call the plum ber. You can utter nouns or pronouns by the dozen
w ithout making sense. Potatoes, peas, cabbage, carrots. The nouns make
meaningful utterance only if a verb is added or is understood. Please
supply me w ith . . . In earlier chapters we w ere concerned w ith the
choice o f words. Our subject was primarily the m eaning o f individual
words. Here, however, we are m ore concerned w ith the way in w hich
w ords can properly be arranged. And since the verb is a key element in
the structure of utterance, good w riting is impossible w ithout correct
use o f verbs. W here we go w rong in the use o f verbs is something
we cannot afford to ignore. If we examine current error carefully, we
shall find that a few false uses of the verb corrupt current usage widely.
It is our task to examine these bad habits and show how they can be
avoided.

USE OF S I N G U L A R A N D P L U R A L
We say The bird sings sweetly and The birds sing sweetly and we do
not think o f the choice between the singular sings and the plural sing
as a grammatical danger zone. Yet we may feel less confident in choosing
between The choir is singing tw o madrigals and The choir are singing
tw o madrigals.

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