<p>Hm, why is that? Why is that one wrong and the third one correct? Thanks.</p>
<p>I think I was wrong. The original sentence was correct. But I think the third sentence is wrong since “he” is the object. Someone correct me if I am wrong.</p>
<p>It is I who likes cake.</p>
<p>^Correct. Predicate nominative.</p>
<p>I’m still confused. Why then is the third one correct, since because the verb is “talked (to)” there is no predicate nominative?</p>
<p>What’s predicate nominative? :)</p>
<p>The verb ‘to be’ doesn’t take a direct object, instead it takes a ‘predicate nominative.’ The predicate nominative is in the nominative (subject) case.</p>
<p>Ex: It is I at the door.</p>
<p>NOT: It is me at the door.</p>
<p>This error is commonly made in colloquial english.</p>
<p>Someone answer the question I posted, please.</p>
<p>Can someone help me with this? Is the following sentence alright?</p>
<p>“I appreciate your doing this for me.”</p>
<p>If so, what is the grammatical term for “your doing” in the above? Thanks!</p>
<p>
This is incorrect. Correct is It is I who like cake. “I” is the predicate nominative; it renames the subject, so it has to be in the subjective form. “It is me” (“me” is the objective form) has been used for a long time in recent history and is generally acceptable, especially in everyday speech, but it is not the traditional form and is not considered correct by many.</p>
<p>Since “who” refers to “I,” you are basically renaming the subject a second time by saying, “I who like cake”: “like” is used as you say, “I like cake.” It is I who like cake. I am dead. It is I who am dead. If this sounds awkward to you, a viable option is to just reword the sentence. For example, you can avoid the second linking verb (the first one is “is” in “It is I”; the second one is “am” in “who am dead”) by renaming the predicate nominative (“I”) an impersonal noun like “man”: “It is I, a man who is. . . .”</p>
<p>CORRECT: It is I who am having a good time.
CORRECT: I, who am having a good time, would like to give a toast.
CORRECT: I, a man who is having a good time, would like to give a toast.
CORRECT: You, who are having a good time, would. . . .
CORRECT: You, a person who is having a good time, would. . . .
CORRECT: It is he who is having a good time.</p>
<p>
This is correct. “To” is a preposition; “him” is the object of the preposition. An object is treated like a third person, so you say, “who likes cake,” as you say, “He likes cake.”
This is incorrect. A subject cannot belong to a preposition.
Yes, that sentence is grammatically correct. “Doing” is a gerund, which acts as a noun representing an action. An action belongs to the doer or the recipient of the action. For example, “Bill’s killings,” or “the killing of Bill,” can refer to the killings performed by Bill (he murdered) or the killings that killed Bill (he was murdered). “The eating of the apple” technically either refers to the eating done by the apple or the act of eating the apple. Obviously, the latter is logically always the case. Now, to insert who ate the apple (for detail and whatnot), you refer to the act as “Adam’s eating of the apple.” There are two indications of possession in this sentence: The eating belongs to Adam because he ate, and the eating also belongs to the apple because the apple was eaten. </p>
<p>Besides being a gerund, “doing” can also be a present participle, which acts as an adjective representing a state of action. In the phrase “the man sleeping on the bus,” “sleeping” is the participle describing the man. If you are disgusted by the man’s act of sleeping, then you might say, “I am disgusted by the man’s sleeping on the bus.” If you are disgusted by the man himself, you might say, “I am disgusted by the man sleeping on the bus,” or “I am disgusted by the man who is sleeping on the bus.”</p>
<p>So, both “I appreciate your doing this for me” and “I appreciate you doing this for me” make sense. The first one states that you appreciate whatever was done by the person. The second one states that you appreciate the person [who is] doing it for you.</p>
<p>CORRECT: “I do not believe your doing this for me was an act of selflessness; I believe you have selfish motives.”
INCORRECT: “I do not believe you doing this for me was an act of selflessness; I believe you have selfish motives.”
(The noun phrases [the things explicitly talked about in the sentence] are italicized. The first sentence is correct because it talks about the act. The second sentence is incorrect because it talks about the person doing the act.)</p>
<p>I would like to repost my question…</p>
<p>What do whereby and wherein mean, and how are they exactly used? I had difficulties with these two questions:</p>
<p>Watermelons have been cultivated for more than 4,000 years, [and whereby thumping them] to test for ripeness has an equally long history.
A) and whereby thumping them
B) whereby thumping them
C) because thumping them
D) thumping them as a way
E) and thumping them</p>
<p>The name “transferware” [comes from a nineteenth-century technique for which] a pattern is engraved onto a copper roll, printed on tissue paper, and transferred onto earthenware dishes.
A) comes from a nineteenth-century technique for which
B) comes from a nineteenth-century technique according to which
C) comes from a nineteenth-century technique whereby
D) is a nineteenth-century technique wherein
E) means it is a nineteenth-century technique by which</p>
<p>These were from the tests from SAT Online course.</p>
<p>
“Whereby” means “by which”; “wherein” means “in which.” These phrases, and other similar phrases with the words “which,” “who,” and “whom” are used after a noun to start a new clause in relation to that noun. For example, if you want to talk about the ground that people stand on, then you can call it “the ground on which we stand.” “Which” represents “the ground.” We stand on the ground. On the ground we stand. The ground on which we stand is made out of cement.
In this sentence, the construction we are talking about does not play a role in the sentence. The answer is E because there are two clauses, two separate but related ideas, and the conjunction “and” connects them: “Watermelons have been cultivated for…years, and thumping them…has an equally long history.”
If you recall, “whereby” means “for which.” A fork is a means of eating. Through the fork, or by way of the fork, one is able to eat. You might call the fork “a fork by which we are able to eat,” or “a fork whereby we are able to eat.” Similarly, by referring to a “technique by which a pattern is engraved onto a copper roll, printed on tissue paper, and transferred onto earthenware dishes,” you are implying that through the technique, or by way of the technique, these 3 things occur (a pattern is engraved, printed, and transferred). </p>
<p>“For which” is incorrect because the 3 things don’t occur for the technique. Here is a sentence in which “for which” is correctly used: “I did it for the money, so money is something for which I do things.” (Money…for which I do things = Money…for money I do things…I do things for money.)</p>
<p>Thank you crazybandit! ^^</p>
<p>I have a quick question about college admission. I’m a senior right now, and of course I’m very close to sending in applications. However, I haven’t done any volunteering/community service or anything of that sort. Will this have a negative effect on my chances? I’ve always thought that doing volunteering like hospital, library, etc, wouldn’t be that useful since colleges sort of already know people are doing volunteering just for the sake of college admission anyway. Maybe doing something more meaningful, like helping blind people or something would be considered with more favor. What are your thoughts on this?</p>
<p>@crazybandit, can you please explain why ‘wherein’ is not suitable here? </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>This does not seem incorrect to me.</p>
<p>silverturtle,
I hope you’re still running this thread. I have one question: How do you pace yourself in a section where: there are three long passages. One is about five questions, and the other two you have to compare/contrast them. The last two give me a big deal of problem since they have few line reference questions, and more of broader ones. How do you tackle them?</p>
<p>Silverturtle-One word-Excellent.Your guide is extremely well organised and easy to read,compactly filled with a plethora of information.The Writing section specially is exceptional.Thanks a lot for this!Your guide is something I find particularly useful and it has cleared up a lot of my doubts :)</p>
<p>The name “transferware” [comes from a nineteenth-century technique “wherein”…or…“in which”] a pattern is engraved onto a copper roll, printed on tissue paper, and transferred
onto earthenware dishes. </p>
<p>This is not a choice.</p>
<p>Silverturtle: Truly a GREAT job done with a noble intention ! I couldn’t believe that a high schooler has written so well on such a vast and complicated subject. I’m sure your guide will benefit many college applicants in years to come. God bless you !</p>
<p>Thank you for the guide SilverTurtle! You have improved my writing section soo much already? are you really a highschooler?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Although grammatically ‘referent’ should be pluralized (because of “of the pronouns”), in The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation, Jane Straus says “Apparently, the SAT testing service considers ‘none’ as a singular word only.”</p>
<p>So in this battle against CoBo, should we consider the singular referent an error?</p>