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#126225 03/26/04 10:55 PM
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I have been working with a poetry class and have found myself trying to figure out if the usage of "I AM" within a sentence is correct when one is denoting ones self with in a sentence. Such as, “I am trying to understand the connotations of this particular usage of the English language.”

If I were to check my computers grammar checker it says that it is wrong, yet if I speak with different people they inform me that it is correct.

So here is my question, is it a correct usage of the English language to say “I am”?

Rev. Alimae


Rev. Alimae
#126226 03/26/04 11:14 PM
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Whatever might your grammar checker say it should be?


#126227 03/26/04 11:17 PM
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I'm quite sure it might be.


#126228 03/26/04 11:22 PM
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Hard to say. What's the sentence? And what's the suggested correction? The verb to be has a lot of functions in English some of which are grammatical.


#126229 03/26/04 11:26 PM
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I don't see what is wrong with that sentence at all Alimae. It's a shame your grammar-checker doesn't give you the reason it says it is wrong. That might enlighten us a bit.


#126230 03/26/04 11:29 PM
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My grammar checker says that when using the sentence, “I am trying to understand the connotations of this particular usage of the English language.” That I should Check to see if you are missing a linking verb. (change “as you probably aware” to “as you are probably aware.”)

It says this when ever I employ the usage of “I” and “am” next to each other, no matter what the connotations of the sentence used.

Rev. Alimae


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#126231 03/26/04 11:34 PM
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Well, you're right, there is no help there.

I'll let our linguistic experts handle this one because I can't spot the error at all.


#126232 03/26/04 11:44 PM
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I think the error lie in your tools and any reliance on them. Is it MS Word by any chance?


#126233 03/26/04 11:46 PM
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I have MS Word. I plugged the sentence in and it came out fine. No grammar call-outs at all.


#126234 03/26/04 11:46 PM
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As a matter of fact it is Microsoft WordPerfect 9 that I have been using.

Rev. Alimae


Rev. Alimae
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