《評論》文法規則疑問

Yes, I made a mistake in my first statement.

Because I was tired, I went bed earlier. (not to bed, it doesn't make sense.)

2011-06-22 10:43:04 補充：
Yes, grammar does not require important information has to be put in front of a sentence, but this is a normal order. You can refer it to the grammar rule.

I can conclude having finished her work is more likely important than she went home. Usually people finish their works before going home.

2011-06-23 09:25:12 補充：
Before I go check out the problem, can you tell me why go bed is wrong?

In my own understanding, of course, she went home is the main idea, but you have to show a reason. This is important. Otherwise, you don't need the phrase, and simply say she went home.

2011-06-23 09:29:49 補充：
It doesn't matter if the phrase is finite or non-finite, all I know there's a piece of important information there.

Do you mind me ask you a question, Garlic?

You really a grammar nuts and are you living in HK?

2011-06-23 20:21:26 補充：
Your example shows two actions. First she had finished her work then she went home. The most important piece of information is her work. Garlic, information and action can't be compared! Don't be stubborn on it.

2011-06-23 20:23:33 補充：
Getting tired, she went home earlier. Main idea tells readers she went home, but if you omitted the phrase, people will ask why she went home earlier. It shows an important information has been missing.

2011-06-23 20:35:03 補充：
Garlic, I hate people never answer my question directly. I want you to tell me why "go bed" doesn't work. Don't ask me to distinguish it myself.

go home (correct) go to home (incorrect)
go to bed (correct) go bed (incorrect)

2011-06-23 20:35:22 補充：
The sentence should be revise like this: Getting tired, I went to sleep earlier instead of Getting tired, I went to bed earlier. Of course, the second sentence works, but go to bed doesn't equal to sleep.

2011-06-23 20:35:30 補充：
I guess, the writer wants to tell readers she wanna have a rest instead of lying on the bed with her eyes opened.

2011-06-24 11:22:50 補充：
Garlic, you said you couldn't explain it to me. How come? You said my answer is wrong but you never know why your answer is correct!!? It's hard to understand!

2011-06-24 11:22:58 補充：
My friend call his father is a military nuts, and does it mean something bad or impolite? You are too serious in using this word "etiquette". I'm not living in a palace of England, and I never heard of web etiquette.

2011-06-24 11:26:15 補充：
I go to bed and I go to sleep has a bit difference. "Go to sleep" isn't Chinese. Have you heard of a song called "I go to sleep"? It's written by Davies Raymond Douglas.

2011-06-24 11:35:44 補充：
"She has finished her work before she went home." (Your sentence)

This is a TYPICAL / NORMAL sentence structure example, which show an important piece of information at the front. Getting tired, I went to bed early. It also shows an important piece of information at the front.

2011-06-24 11:35:52 補充：
Don't give yourself an excuse or show off your English knowledge in this way. I know the trick! It doesn't matter with the syntax or main idea or not. You can't convince me why your thought is correct, still!

2011-06-24 11:37:41 補充：
I think our discussion will never end. Perhaps we should find a place to continue our discussion. Would you like to come out, so we can continue our discussion? What do you say?

2011-06-25 12:31:59 補充：
The question I ask is how do tell which part of the sentence is more important in the mind of the writer, not you.

First, I want to ask you what does this statement mean?

2011-06-25 12:32:25 補充：
I can answer your first question. It does. All information appears in a statement is important. In order to let people understand our messages easily, we usually organize the information in order before we say / write it out.

2011-06-25 12:32:38 補充：
We will let people know which information is relatively important and which is less important. It doesn’t matter with the idea, main clause or subordinate clause.

2011-06-25 12:33:02 補充：
Example:
I’ll never forget the date we met. (The first thing I want to tell her is I won’t forget. The second important piece of information is the date that we met. Both piece of information are equally important, but we tell people which is relatively important.)

2011-06-25 12:33:31 補充：
The date that we met, I’ll never forget. (It isn’t natural and impressive!)

2011-06-25 12:33:55 補充：
“Go home” and “Go to bed” are explainable in English. You said go to sleep is Chinese. I can prove it isn’t Chinese. There are millions of people smoking in the world. Does this mean smoking is a correct habit?

2011-06-25 12:34:03 補充：
There are millions of English speaker say: I’m good. Is this statement grammatically correct? I’m disappointed of the statement that you made in this discussion. I guess you must be very good in English, but I don’t think it’s the case.

What is wrong with
I saw that somebody was doing something?

2011-06-22 04:16:52 補充：
Because I was tired, I went to bed early.

Why does the above sentence not work?

2011-06-22 04:22:19 補充：
Grammar does requires that important information has to be put in the front of a sentence.
How do you conclude that having finished her work is more important than her going home?

2011-06-22 04:24:11 補充：
Grammar does not require that important information has to be put in the front of a sentence.

2011-06-23 04:46:48 補充：
I have never heard of "go bed". I have been writing "go to bed" since I began learning English.

You had better check it out again, "go bed".

2011-06-23 04:49:17 補充：
"Usually people finish their works before going home."
That still does not tell us that finishing work is more important than going home. For me, going home is more important no matter my work is finished or not.

2011-06-23 04:56:05 補充：
Do you know that a sentence can be made of clauses, whether finite or non-finite. There is usually a main clause and a subordinate clause or dependent clause.

She went home is the main clause in
Having finished her work, she went home.

2011-06-23 04:56:59 補充：
Having finished her work is a non-finite, subordinate clause in the sentence.

She went home is the main idea of the sentence.

2011-06-23 14:38:02 補充：
So you have to show a reason and that is a piece of information. You haven't given a reason why the reason is more important than the action.

She has finished her work before she went home.

Is this the same as the sentence in question? What is the main idea of this sentence?

2011-06-23 14:39:40 補充：
Why go bed is wrong? Let me ask you why go to home is wrong.

2011-06-23 14:40:43 補充：
Do you go school or do you go to school?

2011-06-23 23:56:20 補充：
Ahhh..., I can't explain to you why go bed is wrong but the fact is people say go to bed, not go bed. There is some generally accepted English expression that we must follow.

2011-06-24 00:02:07 補充：
Go to bed is the common English expression. Go to sleep is the Chinese expression of "go to bed".

2011-06-24 00:09:55 補充：
A phrase or a clause in a sentence gives you information. That is what language is for, to convey idea and information. Phrases of clauses of reason, place and time, mood, quality, etc. are all important in a sentence or the idea is not complete.

2011-06-24 00:16:29 補充：
There are different ways to put a sentence together. With two actions in a sentence, it can be expressed with two coordinate clauses joined by and, or, but, etc. so that each part of the sentence has an equal importance.

2011-06-24 00:20:39 補充：
You can express the two statements by a main clause and a subordinate clause, the latter adding information to the main clause.

Having finished her work, she went home.

Having finished her work gives information the sequence of events but the main idea is "she went home".

2011-06-24 00:40:03 補充：
If you want to highlight the importance of having finished the work, the sentence should be written like this:

She has finished her work before she went home.

2011-06-24 00:44:45 補充：
Do not call people nuts. Please learn some web etiquette.

2011-06-25 00:11:39 補充：
Getting tired, I went to bed early. (Your sentence)

You don't get my point. Every phrase and clause in a sentence is important or you don't put it there. The point you raised is important information has to be in the front of a sentence.

2011-06-25 00:15:29 補充：
The question I ask is how do tell which part of the sentence is more important in the mind of the writer, not you. Doesn't the fact that the writer put one event in the main clause and the other in the subordinate clause tell something about what is important in the mind of the writer?

2011-06-25 00:20:26 補充：
On your opinion #28, there are commonly accepted expressions that do not have an explanation, like the use of prepositions and phrasal verbs. They are correct because they are used by millions of English speaking people.

Go home is one such commonly accepted expression and so is go to bed.

2011-06-25 00:28:19 補充：
According to your important-first standard in opinion #32,

Before she went home, she has finished her work.

is a wrong sentence because the important information is not put in the front.
Do you stand by your standard?

2011-06-25 00:28:35 補充：
I will not write any more here. Convinced or not, your call.