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I need help with a sentence.
Are the sentences correct?
Are you always that sparing with words or is it just me? Are you always that sparing with words or you only do it with me? Are you always that sparing with words or do you only do it with me? Thanks beforehand.
The first example you gave means "Are you always that sparing with words or am I just imagining that you are?"
The second example is not grammatically correct, although it could pass for colloquial. It has the same meaning as the third example : "Are you always so sparing with words or only towards me?" Note the changes I made and the succinct structure. That phrasing is actually something of an improvement, for form, than any of the three sentences you provided. But even better for a consistent meaning would be the following : "Are you so sparing with words towards everybody, or only towards me?" I say it is more consistent because "always" oddly refers to time or frequency in your examples, whereas properly there should be implied another person or persons for the "or" comparison to the word "me" which states the present object of the sparingly offered words. In either case you can use "so sparing" (which is standard) instead of "that sparing" (which is acceptable, but very informal).
<I say it is more consistent because "always" oddly refers to time or frequency in your examples, whereas properly there should be implied another person or persons for the "or" comparison to the word "me" which states the present object of the sparingly offered words. >
This is overdoing it a little. "Always" itself implies those other persons, since obviously the speaker would be talking to someone else on those non-"me" occasions: a. Are you always that sparing with words [which means "are you like that with everybody"] b. or is it just me? [which means either "or are you just like that with me" or "or am I just imagining that you are sparing with words"] As for "that", I would stick with it: the context is informal, as "or is it just me" demonstrates. (Though "sparing with words" is a bookish phrase.)
Daina, just to clue you in :
1) HOAX ALERT - The fake signing in as "Quintus" on Mon 8:44 pm GMT is a hoaxer. Eventually you'll be able to spot the difference between a genuine Antimoon post and a fake one, for the nameless hoaxer is simply never ever clever enough to mask the tone of his panicky little tantrums, the poor little fellow ! 2) ALLEGED OVERDOING - Please keep my original recommendations in mind as written above. There will always be those others who like to disparage the classical forms in language usage ("bookish" be damned) ; the same sort of wrong-headed people who will contemn Mozart and Haydn as Imperial toadies, shun the first and second editions of Fowler in favour of the disastrous third, and scorn Thackeray as devilish dull. 3) 'EVERYBODY' IN THE CLAUSE GETS TIPPED - The adverb "always" is of course acceptable, but still rather odd in the context of your sample sentences, and therefore not preferable. Best regards, ~Quintus~
Shut up Quintus, who do you think you are..? Daina is probably in a relationship so stop sniffing around you greasy prick..!!
^ There's an example of the hoax, Daina, and it's best ignored. Delusional outbursts were never so boring.
"Are you always that sparing with words or you only do it with me?"
and "Are you always that sparing with words or do you only do it with me?" are both grammatically incorrect. If you have "are" at the beginning of the sentence, then you should have it at the end, rather than "do". Also, "only" applies to "with me", not "are", so it should be next to the clause that it modifies. So it would be "Are you always that sparing with words, or are that way only with me?" |