• tigeruppercut@lemmy.zip
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    1 day ago

    Here’s some discussion of omitting “that” after a noun. I don’t agree with Grammar Girl on what sounds awkward but she acknowledges that sentences can sound awkward but not be “wrong”.

    The Packers haven’t drafted a quarterback despite rumors they were interested in doing so.

    Again, these sentences aren’t wrong, but they would sound a lot better with “that” inserted after the nouns “allegations” and “rumors.”

    https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/articles/when-to-delete-that/

    • Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world
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      18 hours ago

      Quaterback Love [that] Greenbay Packers drafted, played Detroit Lions.

      Some sentences can drop the relative pronouns and still make sense. This isn’t one of them.

          • tigeruppercut@lemmy.zip
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            7 hours ago

            That’s only because in the original sentence it’s talking about things generally (eg “strawberries are red”), so it needs a plural or a mass noun, which is the case in the original sentence. You could say “Quarterbacks Packers draft” instead. Or think of a team name that can’t use “the”, like “goalies West Ham United signed”.

            The point of the buffalo sentence is that it’s technically grammatically correct, even if it sounds awkward. It’s a really famous sentence among linguists, so do you really think all the language nerds who’ve seen it have missed that it’s actually not grammatical and needs a relative pronoun?

            • Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world
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              6 hours ago

              Quaterback Twins Greenbay Packers draft, play Detroit Lions.

              Nope. Still missing a word.

              If the sentence was technically grammatically correct then a direct substitution of all 8 words (without adding more) should make sense.

              I’ve already provided a counter example where it doesn’t make sense. I’ll drop my argument if you can find one that does.

              • tigeruppercut@lemmy.zip
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                5 hours ago

                Quaterback Twins Greenbay Packers draft, play Detroit Lions.

                This sounds fine to me (although I wouldn’t use the comma), I dunno what to tell you. Maybe it’s different in your idiolect, but again, do you really think you’re picking up on something that countless other linguists missed?

                • Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world
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                  5 hours ago

                  Without an additional word between words 2 and 3, this is just a list. That’s why it makes no sense.

                  You only think it makes sense because you are adding in words subconsciously.

                  Still waiting for an example that actually works.

                  • tigeruppercut@lemmy.zip
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                    5 hours ago

                    You only think it makes sense because you are adding in words subconsciously.

                    do you really think you’re picking up on something that countless other linguists missed?