Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[snd2tsy]

Dear Madam or Sir,

I was discussing the correctness of "I was busy with study." with a friend. I said because "study" is a verb he should not use an adjective to modify study. Instead he should use an adverb "busily" and the sentence should become "I was busily studying." While he agreed with my amendment he said his original sentence is also correct.

My question is : Is the sentence correct ? If it is wrong, what is the severity? I mean is it absolutely, possitively dead wrong or it depends or acceptable but informal or OK but awkward or simply it is correct ?


Thanks

[lotus]

Hi snd2tsy,

Your friend was probably trying to say:

I was busy with studying.
I was busy with my studies.


--lotus

[snd2tsy]

[lotus]

Hi snd2tsy,

The major error is that "study" is a verb in the sense that you're using it. The noun is studies.

I was busily studying. (sounds odd, better with)
I was busy studying.

I was studying busily. (sounds odd, better with)
I was studying hard.

I was busy with studying. (ok, but could do without the with)
I was busy studying.

I was busy with my study. (use the noun studies)
I was busy with my studies.


No, I don't hang around my computer all day. I work. I've been ill lately and have had extra time to assist students here at Dave's ESL Cafe. It relaxes me.


--lotus

[alan.es]

snd2tsy,hope this helps to convince your friend and support lotus's already completely correct advice.

Study, singular noun, means a room in a private house which is used as an office or place for reading, writing works of literature.

Studies, plural noun, means that work which is done by students of all ages in learning or improving knowledge of different subjects.

So - ' I am busy with my study ' means that I am busy rearranging, decorating or somehow occupied with a room in the house - not as the speaker intends to say that he is busy learning his academic subjects.

The sentence is awkward rather than totally or badly incorrect. A native listener would know instantly that the speaker was not a native speaker of English. They would be able to understand what he was trying to say. It's much more likely that the speaker was busy with his studies rather than his study.

Just in case your friend is very pedantic,

if he is trying to use 'study' as a verb then after 'with', clearly a preposition, it has to be studying. All verbs take the gerund after a preposition.

If he still is unconvinced, the verb 'to be' is like an equals sign in an equation so 'busy' is describing ' I ' , a person, so is an adjective not an adverb qualifying the verb study.


As a final point and a very general one, many native speakers or speakers who have spent lot of time reading, listening to English, maybe spent time in an English-speaking country will know that something is awkward or doesn't sound right ---- but will not be able to justify it with a grammatical rule. It's worth listening to their advice.

[snd2tsy]

Dear Lotus and Alan.ex

I've got it now. Thanks both of you very much for the detail explanation. I don't know to express my gratitude but if you can see me or just hear me, you will know how sincere I am.

By the way, dear Lotus, thanks for the URL. I found something else I've been finding for quite a while.


Thanks again