Timeline for How to understand: "he was talking about interfering with what the planets say is going to happen"?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
6 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 16, 2018 at 15:35 | comment | added | Lambie | You have parsed: "what ... is going to happen" incorrectly. For example: I don't know what is going to happen. Right? But that is not: I don't know what my friends say is going to happen. //They disliked "what my friends said". Versus:They disliked what my friends said was the problem. = My friends said x was the problem and they disliked that. | |
| Oct 16, 2018 at 15:24 | comment | added | dan | Actually, I dont understand what your example sentence means:They disliked what their friends said was the problem? | |
| Oct 16, 2018 at 15:20 | comment | added | dan | I still have a hard time to get it. Can you see my comments I put in the other answer? | |
| Oct 16, 2018 at 15:06 | comment | added | Lambie | @dan I am merely saying that it's best to think that JK Rowling's text is most likely right. I think that what is confusing is using an entire clause as a direct object: what the planets say. Consider a simpler one: They disliked what the their friends said was the problem. | |
| Oct 16, 2018 at 14:37 | comment | added | dan | I'm not challenging, but trying to learn. As a non-native, I had a hard time to make it make sense internally. I just felt "he was talking about interfering with what the planets say" is just fine and clear to express the idea. Adding "is going to happen" looks like the whole sentence is the object of the prep word: With, which is against the rules I learnt from the grammar books. But I might take all this wrong anyway. | |
| Oct 16, 2018 at 14:04 | history | answered | Lambie | CC BY-SA 4.0 |