# MC studies more grammar (Peikoff course) **URL:** https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/t/mc-studies-more-grammar-peikoff-course/1824 **Category:** Mini Projects **Tags:** grammar **Created:** [May 1, 2023, 9:04am UTC](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/t/mc-studies-more-grammar-peikoff-course/1824 "2023-05-01T09:04:13Z") **Posts on this page:** 1 **Showing post:** 7
### Author: ![MetaCreation](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/user_avatar/discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/metacreation/32/2670_2.png) [@MetaCreation](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/u/MetaCreation) #### Post date: [May 13, 2023, 9:54pm UTC](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/t/mc-studies-more-grammar-peikoff-course/1824/7 "2023-05-13T21:54:55Z")
I took a break from this as a result of burnout (from another project) and then because I made a misquote mistake that I needed to think seriously about. The full PDF of exercises can be downloaded from this page: > **[Principles of Grammar - ARI Campus](https://courses.aynrand.org/campus-courses/principles-of-grammar/)** > > Grammar is the science that studies the methods of combining words into sentences. Discover how this normally dry subject is transformed into an engrossing epistemological field of study. Learn why a mastery of the principles of grammar is essential... Quotes in this post are lines from the PDF. Doing the homework for part 1: The first exercises are to parse the sentences. > 1. When Jack came into the room, he began to remove his coat. A wise move. **First sentence:** When Jack came into the room, he began to remove his coat. - When - subordinating conjunction - Jack came into the room - subordinate clause - - Jack - subject noun - - came - action verb past tense inflection - - into the room - prepositional phrase - - - into - preposition - - - the - determiner adjective specifying which room - - - room - object noun - he began to remove his coat - main clause - - he - subject pronoun referring to “Jack” - - began - action verb past tense inflection - - to remove his coat - object noun phrase - - - to remove - infinitive verbal acting as an adjective - - - his - determiner adjective specifying which coat - - - coat - subject noun **Second sentence:** “A wise move.” A sentence fragment as it lacks a subject. I think the words “It was” are implied at the start of the sentence. So breaking down the modified sentence: [It was] a wise move. - It - subject pronoun referring to the previous sentence - was - linking verb - a wise move - complement - - a - determiner adjective (I think this is an adjective modifying “move” rather than an adverb modifying “wise” as the complement would still make sense if “wise” were removed.) - - wise - adjective - - move - subject noun > 1. Coming into the room, Jack began to remove his coat. - Coming into the room, Jack - subject phrase - - Coming into the room - adjective phrase - - - Coming - participle adjective affecting “Jack” - - - into - prepositional adverb modifying “coming” and governing “room” - - - the - determiner adjective specifying which room - - - room - prepositional object noun - - Jack - subject - began - action verb - to remove his coat - object noun phrase (copied from previous exercise) - - to remove - infinitive verbal acting as an adjective - - his - determiner adjective specifying which coat - - coat - subject noun > 1. Italy owes a historic debt to her great sculptors. A debt she can never repay. **First sentence:** “Italy owes a historic debt to her great sculptors.” - Italy - subject noun - owes - linking verb - a historic debt to her great sculptors - object noun phrase - - a - determiner adjective affecting “debt” - - historic - determiner adjective affecting “debt” - - debt - object noun - - to her great sculptors - prepositional adverb modifying “owes” - - - to - preposition which governs “sculptors” - - - her - adjective modifying “sculptors” - - - great - adjective modifying “sculptors” - - - sculptors - prepositional object noun **Second sentence:** “A debt she can never repay.” I don’t know how to parse this. I think I _understand_ it fine. Rewriting it in the way I understand it: It is a debt that she can never repay. I think that is the right answer - there are implied words “It is” and “that”. I think I can parse the sentence now. Parsing the sentence with implied words: [It is] a debt [that] she can never repay. - it is a debt - main clause - - It - object pronoun referring to the debt in the previous sentence - - is - linking verb - - a debt - subject noun phrase - - - a - determiner adjective affecting “debt” - - - debt - subject noun - that - subordinating conjunction OR relative pronoun - she can never repay - subordinate clause OR relative clause - - she - subject noun - - can never - verb phrase - - - can - verb - - - never - adverb - - repay - object noun **Note:** This is not a final answer and I included “OR” to indicate the answers I’m not sure about. I came across relative pronouns and relative clauses while trying to parse this and I am not sure I understand them correctly. These are incomplete notes until I better understand the distinction between subordinate clauses and relative clauses (which may come up in the Peikoff course.) There are four more exercises (which add appositives) in this homework. I will continue in my next post another day. **Concluding thoughts:** I struggled with all this and got confused quite often which I had to process before writing an answer as per the project conditions. One thing I did when confused was ask myself systematically: Is it a noun? Is it a verb? Is it an adjective? Is it an adverb? Is it a preposition? Is it a conjunction? If I only have one positive answer, then it is the right one (at least to the best of my knowledge.) If I have multiple positive answers, then I work out how to arbitrate between them. (I might also ask suitable follow-up sub-questions like: Is it a pronoun? Is it a gerund? Etc.) It’s been a few weeks since I did the exercises in Elliot’s grammar article and I don’t think I have properly automatised very much yet. I have a lot of work still to do practising my grammar. I’m going to make an effort to avoid taking a big break from studying grammar again as I think I may have lost progress. --- _[View the full topic](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/t/mc-studies-more-grammar-peikoff-course/1824)._