Question
Updated on
11 Aug 2021
- Simplified Chinese (China)
-
English (US)
Question about English (US)
"Anyone saying they wanna go out with you is pretty great, isn’t it? "
This is the quote from Notting Hill. Is the grammar of this sentence right? I know the meaning is " It is pretty great when anyone says they wanna go out with you". However for me the basic structure is "Anyone is pretty great". Could you help me to understand the grammar structure of this sentence? Thanks a lot.
"Anyone saying they wanna go out with you is pretty great, isn’t it? "
This is the quote from Notting Hill. Is the grammar of this sentence right? I know the meaning is " It is pretty great when anyone says they wanna go out with you". However for me the basic structure is "Anyone is pretty great". Could you help me to understand the grammar structure of this sentence? Thanks a lot.
This is the quote from Notting Hill. Is the grammar of this sentence right? I know the meaning is " It is pretty great when anyone says they wanna go out with you". However for me the basic structure is "Anyone is pretty great". Could you help me to understand the grammar structure of this sentence? Thanks a lot.
Answers
When you "disagree" with an answer
The owner of it will not be notified.
Only the user who asked this question will see who disagreed with this answer.
Read more comments
- English (US)
The most important word here is "saying". It is the action that is great, not the person. All the other words around "saying" are giving you more information about the action. Who is saying it? Anyone. What are they saying? That they want to go out with you. Other examples of the same structure would be: "You making me dinner is awesome" "Strangers talking to me is scary". Does that make sense?
- Simplified Chinese (China)
Hi Jennyeather,
Thanks for the reply. Is “saying” a gerund in this sentence ? If yes, “Anyone” is the logical subject, however it is not in the genitive case, such as “ Their coming to help was a great encouragement.” This is why I am confused. Thanks a lot.
Thanks for the reply. Is “saying” a gerund in this sentence ? If yes, “Anyone” is the logical subject, however it is not in the genitive case, such as “ Their coming to help was a great encouragement.” This is why I am confused. Thanks a lot.
- English (US)
Yep, it's a gerund. I think it's less common to use the genitive in today's English. In the example you gave, I would say "Them coming to help was..." although what you had sounds fine too. Using the genitive in the original example "Anyone's saying...." sounds awkward though. I'll try and share a screenshot of some relevant stuff on this from Wikipedia.
[News] Hey you! The one learning a language!
Do you know how to improve your language skills❓ All you have to do is have your writing corrected by a native speaker!
With HiNative, you can have your writing corrected by native speakers for free ✍️✨.
With HiNative, you can have your writing corrected by native speakers for free ✍️✨.
Sign up
Related questions
-
In this dialogue, "so" is grammatically correct?
A : I have never seen such a wonderful picture...
answerYep, you used "so" perfectly here
-
"isn't it the preposition "at" needed?"
could someone teach me if this sentence is natural?and, ...
answerHonestly, that phrase sounds natural, especially if you are correcting someone. If you are actually asking if "at" is needed, I would say "...
-
Is the man can use this sentence?
"I'm pretty good" when someone asked how are you?
answerYes.
-
Is this sentence "Simple is (the) best" grammatically correct in English? Does it sound natural? ...
answerIn English there's such phrase as" The simplier the better" In Russian we have a similar phrase"Чем проще, тем лучше!" Hope that suits you;)
-
the sentence "I am downstairs/upstairs" is correct grammar or not? what does it mean? thank you s...
answerIn casual English, that’s completely fine. Family members often call each other’s name and responses include “I’m upstairs.” Or “I am downsta...
-
"Do you know what I mean?"
"Does the sentence I used it correct? Or you can make it prettier."
...
answer"Do you know what I mean?" This sentence is correct :) “Does the sentence I used it correct? Or you can make it prettier." This one is...
-
Does this sentence make sense? Does it sound natural?
"May I ask you what the "grammatically" ...
answer"May I ask you what [the word] "grammatically" means in your sentence above?" (This would be the clearest way to say it. You can leave out ...
-
What does "who better to do this" mean?
Isn't it wrong grammatically sentence?
Plz help me out😢
answerWho does it better This would sound better
Similar questions
- Could anyone translate this quote by Lincoln?
- If anyone should call, please take me a massage. もし誰かから電話が来たらメモしておいて下さい。 Does this sound natu...
- can anyone elaborate the process shown in circle for me. Thanks.
Recommended Questions
- I was asked a question from my friend like, "what's this photo suppose to be?" in two separate...
- 日本語を人に教えてあげるときに 丁寧に話す時 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 日常会話で話す時 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX と書きたいです。 「丁寧に話す時」...
- How to respond to "I hope you are doing well"?
- what is correct? Where are you study? Or Where do you study? Thank you.
- If you are not the correct person, please direct me the correct one. Does this sentence sound nat...
Topic Questions
- Are there any mistakes here? :) Secondly, the third most popular reason why people leave big citi...
- He did *touch base with the Society for the Advanced of Travel for the Handicapped. It's a lobbyi...
- Can you tell me some alternatives for “honestly” and “to be honest”? I’d like commonly used alter...
- Do the following expressions sound natural? Mom, I made you some soup. But it's not real. It'...
- Which one is more casual? 1) Have a seat. 2) Have a chair.
Newest Questions
- Which preposition is correct in this blank, “with”, “to” or “for”? It comes off as a bit too blun...
- Things to say to welcome visitors(clients) after a long flight?
- Which one sounds more natural? 1. I'm tired of people asking me what it is like to live without ...
- How to response "You're welcome " in other words if someone says "Thank you for your visit"
- Is this sentence correct?”would you be open for the interview tomorrow morning instead?”
Previous question/ Next question
What’s this symbol?
The Language Level symbol shows a user's proficiency in the languages they're interested in. Setting your Language Level helps other users provide you with answers that aren't too complex or too simple.
-
Beginner
Has difficulty understanding even short answers in this language.
-
Beginner-Intermediate
Can ask simple questions and can understand simple answers.
-
Intermediate
Can ask all types of general questions and can understand longer answers.
-
Advanced
Can understand long, complex answers.
Sign up for premium, and you can play other user's audio/video answers.
What are gifts?
Show your appreciation in a way that likes and stamps can't.
By sending a gift to someone, they will be more likely to answer your questions again!
If you post a question after sending a gift to someone, your question will be displayed in a special section on that person’s feed.
Tired of searching? HiNative can help you find that answer you're looking for.
