[etni] Re: grammar question
- From: "sbshai" <sbshai@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <bnirenberg@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 15 Feb 2011 15:34:57 +0200
I think the answer lies in considering the difference between the strict
rules of grammar and the looser form of usage -- or, if you prefer, the
diff. bet. formal / written language and informal / spoken language.
In the case of the former, your student is correct: Since the result will
occur in the future, that's the way it SHOULD be expressed. (In other
words, this should be an example of the first conditional -- i.e., ...will
happen.)
However, your native speaker's ear is used to hearing the sentence as it's
written in the story (note that's it's part of a dialogue*) since that's the
way we often speak. No one (except, perhaps, for a grammarian or an Eng.
teacher who's a stickler for rules!) will bother to correct this because the
speaker's message is clearly understood. (That's the excuse my students
often give me when they get perfect scores on a grammar quiz, but they write
the same kind of sentence incorrectly on a test: "Oh. please, what
difference does it make? You know what I mean!")
The way I explain this inconsistency is to tell them that we're loathe to
embarrass someone publicly by correcting his grammar. In any case, his
exact wording will probably soon be forgotten. This is not the case for the
written word, however, where the error is imprinted forever!
(*I also tell students that an author is "allowed" to use the vernacular
when he writes dialogue!)
Further confusion might arise from the fact that the zero conditional uses
the present tense in both clauses (condition and result) when the situation
warrants it , as in the case of reporting a scientific fact:. I once had a
student who was so bothered by this that she insisted on saying, "Water will
freeze if / when the temperature reaches zero degrees Celsius", rather than
"Water freezes ..."!
Hope this helps,
Batya
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bari Nirenberg" <bnirenberg@xxxxxxxxx>
To: "Etni" <etni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, 14 February, 2011 11:13 PM
Subject: [etni] grammar question
> One of the "disadvantages" of teaching gifted students is that they're
> really good at coming up with questions that you don't know how to answer.
> My 9th graders read The Monkey's Paw and this sentence appeared in the
> story:
> "If you keep it, don't blame me for what happens."
>
> So one of my students asked me why the verb "happen" is in the present
> tense
> here, when clearly it is what will happen in the future. I know the
> sentence is correct because my native-speaker ear tells me it is (and
> because it was in the story...), but I have no idea why. Can anyone
> explain
> this to me so that I can give him an answer?
>
> Bari
>
>
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