Korean Job Discussion Forums

[some waygug-in]

My boss asked me this today, and try as I may, I can't find an easy way to explain this.


The question was:

There is a book in the bag. (correct)

A book is in the bag. (not correct)


Why is the first sentence correct and not the second? Being a native speaker, I automatically know this, but explaining it is another matter.


Yes, I am the ungrammatical-oxymoron that I however seemingly, seem to emulate, and affirmatively, there's the friction induced by contact. To emulate or not to emulate, that is the subject of all those emulations.

Thanks in advance

[d503]

This is me taking a stab at it. The second sentence sounds lacking to an English speaker, 'book' is not qualified. "There is a book in the bag," makes it suffieciently clear where the focus is. You are telling me what is in the bag and where a book is. "A book is in the bag," has an undetermined focus. If you expand the sentence to "A book, I like to read, is in the bag." It is okay because you understand that the focus is on the book.

Again this is just me stab at it.

[Ya-ta Boy]

What's in the bag?

A book is in the bag.


It's a perfectly acceptable sentence.

There are LOTS of bad text books out there leading many students to confusion.

[some waygug-in]

Thank you for your responses.

I agree with both of you.

I gave that very example to my boss.

But without the context of a preceeding question,

"A book is in the bag."

does seem rather odd.

He pulled this out of one of those TOEIC prep books, and I haven't seen the full question, so I can't be more specific.


Anyway, thanks again.

[turtlepi1]

Don't accept questions that you can't answer if they are not in context...

politely ask that the question (sentence) be put in context...

(can't always do this but it is a good rule...)