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oldfatfarang
Joined: 19 May 2005
Location: On the road to somewhere.
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 Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 3:32 pm Post subject: grammar - possessives |
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"I wonder if you have any men's sweaters."
I'm confused and I can't access to my grammar book at the moment.
(1) Is the possessive apostrophe in the correct location here?
That is, is this location for all men - or just a single man?
I think this sentence is talking about all men and their sweaters. So is the apostrophe in the correct place.
(2) Also, what's the rule for implied questions? Should this sentence have a question mark?
Any help appreciated. |
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K-in-C
Joined: 27 Mar 2003
Location: Heading somewhere
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| Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 4:55 pm Post subject: Grammar Lesson |
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I don't think you need the apostrophe because it's not like the sweaters belong to someone specific. I need to do a grammar review myself.  |
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Freaka
Joined: 05 Jun 2007
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| Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 5:55 pm Post subject: |
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Your sentence is correct.
1) men's - men's sweaters, women's sweaters, children's sweaters, kids' sweaters, girls' sweaters, boys' sweaters
2) No question mark. I am "wondering" but I am not asking a question, I am making a statement.
Hope that helps!  |
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rhinocharge64
Joined: 20 Sep 2006
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| Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 7:31 pm Post subject: |
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| What the last poster said is correct. |
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oldfatfarang
Joined: 19 May 2005
Location: On the road to somewhere.
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| Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 8:20 pm Post subject: |
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| Where's Woland??????? |
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icnelly
Joined: 25 Jan 2006
Location: Bucheon
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| Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2007 3:42 am Post subject: |
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| Freaka wrote: |
Your sentence is correct.
1) men's - men's sweaters, women's sweaters, children's sweaters, kids' sweaters, girls' sweaters, boys' sweaters
2) No question mark. I am "wondering" but I am not asking a question, I am making a statement.
Hope that helps! |
"I wonder..." is a declarative sentence and not a question. You can add to it a conjunction such as 'if' and end up with what you called an implied question:
Usage Note: In informal writing both if and whether are standard in their use to introduce a clause indicating uncertainty after a verb such as ask, doubt, know, learn, or see: We shall soon learn whether (or if) it is true.
Wikipedia had a sentence almost exactly like yours in structure:
Complementizers can be considered to be special subordinating conjunctions that introduce complement clauses (e.g., "I wonder whether he'll be late."
No question mark.
I wonder whether he'll be late. (subject + intransitive verb + clause)
I wonder if you have any men's sweaters. (subject + intransitive verb + clause)
Edit: Meaning: Freaka was correct. |
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Woland
Joined: 10 May 2006
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2007 3:02 pm Post subject: |
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On vacation. Checking in rarely this month.
Freaka has it right. |
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oldfatfarang
Joined: 19 May 2005
Location: On the road to somewhere.
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| Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2007 4:39 pm Post subject: |
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Well done chaps. Sometimes I really wonder if English is my native language when you grammar gurus analyse a sentence for me.
Who could believe there are so many rules driving everyday English.
Thanks again. |
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