Need grammar help. Ugh!

[Hot Lava Mama]

Ds's grammar book includes vocabulary words that he is to look up, then use in a sentence. I can't figure this one out. Can you help?

 

The word is "ecstasy", which he defined as "a state of being beyond reason and self-control." The sentence he wrote was:

The man was very ecstasy.

 

I can't put my finger on what went wrong. Is it being used as a noun (which the dictionary said it was)? Geez, this is when my crummy education makes me mad. I didn't learn diagramming (although, I am learning now with my kids), so I can't figure out what the problem is with the sentence.

 

I said something like "Playing my new computer game was ecstasy." would work, but I can't explain why it's so different from his sentence.

 

Is there a smart person out there that can help?

Thanks

Hot Lava Mama

[radiobrain]

I should not attempt this....

Edited November 4, 2010 by radiobrain

[NanceXToo]

The way he's using it, it would be "the man was ecstatic."

 

He could have used: "the man was IN ecstasy." As in, "the man was in [a state of] ecstasy."

 

But not "the man was ecstasy."

[Kuovonne]

The word is "ecstasy", which he defined as "a state of being beyond reason and self-control." The sentence he wrote was:

The man was very ecstasy.

 

 

Reason 1) The sentence is making an equation "man" = "ecstasy." However, a man is *not* a state of being. A man can be *in* a state of being, but generally isn't a state of being itself.

 

Reason 2) In his sentence, the adverb "very" is trying to modify the noun "ecstasy." However, adverbs cannot modify nouns. Adverbs can modify verbs, adjectives, and even other adverbs, but not nouns, and thus the sentence doesn't work.

 

The way he's using it, it would be "the man was ecstatic."

:iagree:

[johnandtinagilbert]

The word is "ecstasy", which he defined as "a state of being beyond reason and self-control." The sentence he wrote was:

The man was very ecstasy.

To elaborate, in this sentence, was is a linking verb (a verb that connects the subject to the predicate) and a linking verb must be followed by a predicate noun (aka predicate nominative) (a noun that renames the subject in the predicate) or a predicate adjective (a word in the predicate that describes the subject). Since the man cannot be ecstasy, which is a state of being, it cannot rename him. Should he want to describe the man (predicate adjective) the form of the word would change as noted above.

 

I said something like "Playing my new computer game was ecstasy." would work, but I can't explain why it's so different from his sentence. Your example works because "ecstasy" renames the understood subject (it OR that)...read your sentence like this, "Playing my new computer game, it was ecstasy." OR "Playing my new computer game, that was ecstasy."

 

"Playing my new computer game" is a subordinate clause being used as a subject noun; therefore "playing my computer game" is the "it/that" which is understood.

 

Since you have a subject that is being renamed by another noun in the predicate, you have a predicate nominative, keeping ecstasy a noun and sticking to the correct part of speech.

 

Just in case, a subordinate clause is a phrase with a subject{game} and a conjugated verb {playing} that does not express a complete thought.

 

 

Is there a smart person out there that can help?

Thanks

Hot Lava Mama

[Hot Lava Mama]

I knew you would figure it out for me! And, I actually understand the answers! Hooray! :001_smile: