I come home to have a huge deer jump out in front of my car
Giovanni Drugo
day, I come home to have a huge deer jump out in front of my car"
Why "jump out"?
It sounds correct but I can't understand the reason. What's the tense?
Giovanni Drugo
Correction: What's the verb mood?
Giovanni Drugo
I think "mood" is wrong too. "Form" maybe?
Tony The Ice Man
It's not "jump out", it's "to have jump out".
The form is "to have (infinitive).
Does that make more sense, or should we have some nerd drag out his
grammar book and look up the rule invented to describe this modo di dire?
I could have said, "should we ask some nerd to drag out his grammar book."
Joe/Joey da New York
(in article <00444730$0$6871$c3e...@news.astraweb.com>):
The implication is that the deer jumped out of the bushes or the forest or
out of some concealing flora and caught the driver by surprise.
--
Joe/Joey da New York
English as she is spoken (and sometimes written) in the US
mymo
> On Thu, 29 Oct 2009 05:01:43 -0400, Giovanni Drugo wrote
> (in article <00444730$0$6871$c3e...@news.astraweb.com>):
>
>> "It's bad enough I have to avoid getting into accidents in Boston all
>> day, I come home to have a huge deer jump out in front of my car"
>>
>> Why "jump out"?
>>
>> It sounds correct but I can't understand the reason. What's the
>> tense?
>
> The implication is that the deer jumped out of the bushes or the
> forest or out of some concealing flora and caught the driver by
> surprise.
Why "jump" and not "jumping"?
Joe/Joey da New York
(in article <NgmGm.87090$1s6....@twister2.libero.it>):
Tony already explained that.
Tony The Ice Man
>>>> day, I come home to have a huge deer jump out in front of my car"
>>>> Why "jump out"?
>>>> It sounds correct but I can't understand the reason. What's the
>>>> tense?
>>> The implication is that the deer jumped out of the bushes or the
>>> forest or out of some concealing flora and caught the driver by
>>> surprise.
>> Why "jump" and not "jumping"?
> Tony already explained that.
I've heard people use a variation of that, for example: "I come home to
find a huge deer jumping out in front of my car." That doesn't sound
very good to me, and I wouldn't say it, but I've heard such things said.
If anyone knows that grammar rules that describe these usages, don't let
my "nerd" comment dissuade you from posting, I was half joking. I have a
healthy regard for grammar rules, I just believe that over time usage
trumps them, and they have to play catch up.
Tony The Ice Man
typo
mymo
Certo non voglio aprire una discussione sulla grammatica prescrittiva e
quella descrittiva. In ogni caso qualche regola pu� servire a mettere un po'
di ordine, soprattutto quando, come in questo caso, la frase sembra andare
contro ci� che uno studente straniero normalmente direbbe...
Joe/Joey da New York
(in article <hccul9$4bp$1...@news.eternal-september.org>):
And I agree 100%. Rules is rules [sic] but rules are made to be broken, and
broken they are, over and over again. Eventually the breaks become the norm,
and the rule that forbade the break fades into oblivion. Language lives and
mutates, sometimes improving, sometimes not.
It becomes a matter of personal, subjective preference whether one accepts a
rule's violation or not, but most often the breaking of the rule is made in
favor of efficiency.
I don't really see any reason not to use the gerundive form "...a deer
jumping out..." except that it's not as efficient as "... a deer jump
out...." The meaning is essentially the same, but as you said, I just
wouldn't bother to say it because it's not necessary in order to make my
point.
The abhorrent "I'm like..." is an example. It's everywhere, but it's so much
more efficient than saying "And so my reaction [to the statement] was..." or
"And as a result I was forced to reply...." and other similar inferences,
that I fear everyone will be "liking" the usage in the near future.
Neologisms will always be born, "like" it or not.
Sorry if I'm babbling... I've decided that cocktail hour should start at 4
today...
Joseph Curtin
"Joe/Joey da New York" <joe...@invalid.invalid> wrote in message
news:0001HW.C70F3FA6...@news.eternal-september.org...
> On Thu, 29 Oct 2009 05:01:43 -0400, Giovanni Drugo wrote
> (in article <00444730$0$6871$c3e...@news.astraweb.com>):
>
> > "It's bad enough I have to avoid getting into accidents in Boston all
> > day, I come home to have a huge deer jump out in front of my car"
> >
> > Why "jump out"?
> >
> > It sounds correct but I can't understand the reason. What's the tense?
>
> The implication is that the deer jumped out of the bushes or the forest or
> out of some concealing flora and caught the driver by surprise.
>
"Out" definitely clarifies the meaning, and is necessary
If a man ran out into the road from behind a car, you would be surprised and
have to take evasive action..
If you say a man ran in front of your car on the road, it could mean he was
running down the road in front of you, and you had to slow down until he got
out of the way so you could pass him.
Joe from Massachusetts
.
Enrico il Pentolaio
> The abhorrent "I'm like..." is an example. It's everywhere, but it's so much
> more efficient than saying "And so my reaction [to the statement] was..." or
> "And as a result I was forced to reply...." and other similar inferences,
> that I fear everyone will be "liking" the usage in the near future.
It's so tempting to use it but I always try to find a way around it,
even if it means dropping "I'm like" all together and introducing a
direct speech in the past. When it fits, I also say "so I thought...".
> Sorry if I'm babbling... I've decided that cocktail hour should start at 4
> today...
Wasn't it 3 when you posted your message? My computer says it was 4, but
I don't live in your same time zome, do I? I'm central standard time.
Ciao,
Enrico il Pentolaio.
Tony The Ice Man
> I don't live in your same time zome, do I? I'm central standard time.
The newsgroup reader clients that I know, identify the time of posts, no
matter where they originate, as per the time zone specified in your
configuration.
Joe/Joey da New York
(in article <hcdl25$qti$1...@aioe.org>):
> Wasn't it 3 when you posted your message? My computer says it was 4, but
> I don't live in your same time zome, do I? I'm central standard time.
According to the header on the post I sent it was 5:02 PM Eastern Daylight
Time. By then I had been "enjoying" cocktail hour for an hour and 2 minutes.
(It was the 2 minutes that got to me.)
Clocks go back an hour tomorrow morning at 2 AM but I'll be DA*NED if I wait
another hour to start cocktails tomorrow. :-D
Giovanni Drugo
> It's not "jump out", it's "to have jump out".
> The form is "to have (infinitive).
I have to say I would have written the sentence with "jumping out".
> Does that make more sense
Absolutely, it does.
> or should we have some nerd drag out his
> grammar book and look up the rule invented to describe this modo di dire?
> I could have said, "should we ask some nerd to drag out his grammar
> book."
The thing is, grammar could be a powerful ally.
"My ally is the Grammar, and a powerful ally it is." cite, sort of.
Sorry, you called for a nerdy joke. :-)