Grammar Question. Help!

[flacaltenn]

Generally, I'm a competent writer, but it recently occurred to me that I might not be using a particular, metaphoric device of simile correctly. For example, which is correct?

Its sound was that of an approaching train.

OR

Its sound was that of an approaching train's.

In other words: His wont was that of a beggar (or beggar's?). . . .

Thanks.

Go for the first one. The train is an analogy. It "possesses" nothing... And it's clear you're talking about the one to one equivalence of the sound.

 

[Ringtone]

Go for the first one. The train is an analogy. It "possesses" nothing... And it's clear you're talking about the one to one equivalence of the sound.

Agree. Thinking it of as a matter of possession was all wrong in the first place. Thanks.

 

[ClaireH]

Books LOL. They won't even exist. Hallmark Channel is proof positive civilization is effed. They take the same three story lines and make 10 different movies with different names out of them, and people will watch them all day long.

I have no doubt there is much wisdom in your observation Dexter, but we still have a chance to slow that effort down immensely. To ward off all efforts that promote a society that is so lazy that getting out of bed is too much effort. Where using our eyes to read will be considered a lowly act of a peasant. That all “elevated beings” will have everything done for them and will ridicule the peasants for expressing their freedom to exist.

 

[ClaireH]

Agree. Thinking it of as a matter of possession was all wrong in the first place. Thanks.

Sorry about that Ringtone! I might’ve thrown you off track about possessive nouns and using the contraction to identify. FLA Cal zoomed in and caught allegorical aspect over sentence structure.

I’d be interested to know what ESL teachers would tell their students prior to testing. I doubt that ESL exams include allegorical passages to dissect. I used to teach non-English speakers online and those students were “on it”about the rules since their ESL teachers focus on structure. These new English speakers would blow many US students out of the water with the rules.

 

[justinacolmena]

Its sound was that of an approaching train's.

Someone had heard a whistle perhaps, in this case, and it was the sound of the train's whistle, not the train itself. Or that of the train's wheels on the track.

But probably not the sound of the approaching train's sound. That would be redundant.

 

[Ringtone]

Sorry about that Ringtone! I might’ve thrown you off track about possessive nouns and using the contraction to identify. FLA Cal zoomed in and caught allegorical aspect over sentence structure.

I’d be interested to know what ESL teachers would tell their students prior to testing. I doubt that ESL exams include allegorical passages to dissect. I used to teach non-English speakers online and those students were “on it”about the rules since their ESL teachers focus on structure. These new English speakers would blow many US students out of the water with the rules.

That's okay. My understanding came around to the allegorical. I confused myself.

 

[DudleySmith]

Replace 'its' with 'the'; its is poor grammar and it isn't obvious from that sentence what the fuck 'its' is. A peanut? An old hooker? It's redundant if it is referring to a train already.

 

[schmidlap]

Its sound was that of an approaching train.

Its sound was an approaching train's.

Using both "of" and "'s" is redundant.

 

[ClaireH]

Replace 'its' with 'the'; its is poor grammar and it isn't obvious from that sentence what the fuck 'its' is. A peanut? An old hooker? It's redundant if it is referring to a train already.

Good catch DS…. The poor old hookers will just have to wait for recognition elsewhere

 

[Ringtone]

Its sound was that of an approaching train.

Its sound was an approaching train's.

Using both "of" and "'s" is redundant.

Good eye.