17
votes
Why does T S Eliot use "he do" in The Rum Tum Tugger?
I think Eliot wanted to match it with the 'do' in the preceding line.
Or it was 'As he does* do' (which — although whimsical — is a grammatical sentence), but he changed the 'does' to 'do' to fit the ...
- 18.1k
10
votes
Accepted
What's this kind of sentence or style called in the grammar terminology?
As far as I know, most typically, this kind of grammar is referred to as the emphatic do. At least, that's the name you see most often used on all those numerous websites dedicated to English language ...
- 37.7k
10
votes
Why does T S Eliot use "he do" in The Rum Tum Tugger?
It is a subjunctive, but a silly-sounding one, and very "non-natural" which is why the Elliot has used it: for the joke of having "do do".
It's not something to use in normal ...
- 231k
8
votes
Why does T S Eliot use "he do" in The Rum Tum Tugger?
You are perfectly correct: standard English would be "as he does do". But many dialects of English, especially a hundred years ago, used the infinitive form of auxiliary verbs such as do and ...
- 1,436
7
votes
Do these sentences mean the same: "He has been found not guilty" and "He has not been found guilty"
They do not mean the same thing! In one, the trial has concluded and the verdict given. In the other, the trial may not have even begun yet.
You are correct that "not guilty" is a fixed ...
- 13.9k
5
votes
Is "I do drink" a strange form of the Present Simple?
The use of the auxiliary 'do' in conjunction with a positive verb form is used for emphasis, usually to correct a corresponding negative sentence.
Consider the following example:
Other person: You ...
- 7,776
4
votes
What is the difference between 'EVERY TIME' and 'EVERY SINGLE TIME'
There's not really any difference in meaning, only in emphasis.
When you add the word single, you are intensifying the emotion with which something is said, whether that be frustration (as in the ...
J.R.♦
- 110k
4
votes
Emphasis in "Why are you making noise"
Yes, as written, it is ambiguous. You would apply emphasis when speaking. With no special emphasis, I would assume it means the first thing, "What is your reason for making noise?" But that's because ...
- 637
4
votes
Accepted
Care to elaborate?
I've always treated "Care to elaborate?" as a neutral statement without any ill will, additional politeness or passive aggressiveness. It's just a shorthand for the more formal sounding alternative ...
- 237
4
votes
Accepted
to mince vs to mince up
The particle "up" is very common to indicate "completion". It forms separable phrasal verbs with many verbs. Another related sense of phrasal verbs with "up" is "...
- 231k
4
votes
Qutation marks in American English for emphasis and bracketing: single or double?
You should not use quotes for emphasis.
In your given examples you should not use emphasis at all! The proper way to write this is to remove all single quotes, and replace them with nothing at all.
...
- 231k
4
votes
Accepted
Word order and focus ("this finding needs to be cautiously interpreted")
There is no difference in meaning between any of those clauses. In each case, what is being mandated is cautious interpretation.
Personally, I find “to be cautiously interpreted” slightly awkward and ...
- 32.2k
4
votes
Accepted
Is it natural to say 'never did do something' instead of 'never did something'?
Yes, an expression such as :
I never did tell you why I quit.
is natural, and might well be used by a fluent speaker. It carries much the same meaning as:
I never told you why I quit.
but with ...
- 41.4k
4
votes
Is the usage of “that too“ grammatically OK?
I disagree with the poster who answered prior to me. I think in this context "that too" means "on top of" or moreover. The author here is implying that scoring 8 Bands is ...
- 151
4
votes
He is a Captain with the big letter. ( = great captain?)
You're probably thinking of the idiom "with a capital [first letter]," like "He's a Captain with a capital 'C.'" You're right; this doesn't mean quite what you're looking for; it ...
- 18.4k
4
votes
Accepted
Emphatic statement and questions
Perhaps "emphasis" isn't the most helpful word for OP to use here. The example statement...
1: He does know the truth
...would be unlikely (but not impossible) if it was simply intended to ...
- 74.6k
3
votes
Accepted
"fall down to", "fall down in" or "fall down into"? How to emphasis?
You can fall into a pit, or you can fall down a pit, which roughly mean he entered a pit by falling (what I think you intend). Fall down into also seems possible to me, if you take it to be the ...
- 45.4k
3
votes
Accepted
Chew longer before swallow
Chew longer before swallowing.
is the correct phrase, but often a child will not know what "longer" may mean, so it might be better to say
Chew your food 25 times before swallowing.
assuming they ...
- 66.4k
3
votes
It's not/ It isn't tag questions
1)
The sentences are the same. In fact, the emphasis doesn't make a difference in meaning at all as far as I can tell. The first may sound better simply due to how the sentence flows (I'm not a poet, ...
- 563
3
votes
Accepted
Can i use "if and only if" and "then and only then" in the same sentence for emphasis?
I'd say that it's OK. There's no grammatical rule that says you can't do this. I'm guessing that I've seen it done before - though I'd guess it's done more for comedic effect than in a serious way. I'...
- 25.4k
3
votes
What would be the difference if I use "never once" with perfect aspect sentences?
I would tend to use your third case when there is a continuing relationship with "her", so the occasions (or possibilities) of treating her in any particular way continue to the present (and beyond).
...
- 77.1k
3
votes
Accepted
Is this question trying to find out "whether or not the action was done" or "who did it?" A: Did you plant that tree.? B: My father planted it
Answering questions:
A: Did you plant that tree?
B: My father planted it.
Short form: No, I didn't.
Short form plus extra information: No, I didn't. My father planted it.
Answering by using a ...
- 49k
3
votes
Accepted
Emphasizing a Sentence in Perfect Tense
"I did come here" is not general emphasis, it means "Although you think I didn't come here, in fact I did."
I have come here.
The marked stress on the auxiliary has a similar ...
- 231k
3
votes
Where to place the word "even": 1) "I am amazed even you would choose the day ......" or 2) "I am amazed you would even choose the day ....."
The meaning changes depending on where you put even.
I'm just amazed that even you would choose the day after I learn the man I love is dead to try out a new fashion.
She is comparing you to other ...
- 10k
3
votes
He was bawling his eyes out. (his eyes are complement or object?)
There's an idiomatic tradition in English of adding figurative phrases like "his eyes out", "her ears off", "their lungs out" and so on after intransitive action verbs.
...
- 51.1k
2
votes
Can I end a sentence with "it is not"?
Peter's answer is correct but I think it misses a nuance of the word pattern.
Reversing the sequence to "it is not a killer rhyme" makes "it" the subject and treats rhyming as a continuous quality, ...
- 5,726
2
votes
Can i use "if and only if" and "then and only then" in the same sentence for emphasis?
You can, sure, but the distinction is redundant. At least in mathematical logic, "iff" is used alone for the equivalence relation. If the condition is vital, the repetition might distract from the ...
- 750
2
votes
Usage of ''doing'' in "You are doing fine"
to be doing fine is not always the same as to be fine.
That's right, one step at a time. Don't look down. You're doing fine. Keep your hands on the ladder.
Keep pedaling and look ahead, not ...
- 137k
2
votes
Care to elaborate?
Care to elaborate? is elliptic (conversational) for Would you care to elaborate?
The literal meaning of that is "Would you (be willing to) take the trouble to elaborate?"; so, far from being rude, ...
- 77.1k
2
votes
what does "in a way" emphasize?
In a way means "looking at something with one perspective" ( as opposed, perhaps, to another). And in a way may be used to indicate a partial assessment of something.
The link Teacher KSHuang ...
- 1,408
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible