Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[jasonlulu_2000]

This is a sentence about which I am not so sure.

"Now I think English fun to learn."
From the point of grammatical view, English acts as an object, while fun is an object complement. Someone tells me that we should say "I think English is fun to learn" instead. I think the latter sentence is "I think +object clause". Both of them are right.

Am I right?

Thanks.

Jason

[CP]

I think it fine to leave out the linking verb in short sentences such as yours. If leaving out the verb (usually "is" or "are") would cause confusion, however, put it in.
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You live a new life for every new language you speak. -Czech proverb

[Mary W. Ng]

The verb think can take "an object + object complement" or a subordinate clause. From a grammatical point of view, both sentences are correct.
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Mary W. Ng
Helping students learn grammar
http:www.aimpublishing.com

[Anuradha Chepur]

So, can we say, I think him intelligent?

(For me, it's either

I think he is intelligent. I think English is fun to learn.
Or
I think him to be intelligent. I think English to be fun to learn.)

[Mister Micawber]

.
Yes-- I think him intelligent is fine, though it smacks of careful composition. As does I think him to be intelligent, come to think of it. I too would most likely say I think he is intelligent.
.
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"I really do not know that anything has ever been more exciting than diagramming sentences." � Gertrude Stein
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Canadian-American who teaches English for a living at Mr Micawber's