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August 2005

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Subject:
From:
Craig Hancock <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Tue, 9 Aug 2005 08:53:57 -0400
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Chrisine,

     Here's a quick answer before>I head off to teach./  "Used to" I would
classify as a modal auxiliary, somewhat similar to "would", but
implying that the pattern is no longer operative.  It's an auxiliary
in that it can't be a main verb. (Here, it goes with "love.")  It is
invariant (no tense shift or subject verb agreement.) "Cry" is an
infinitive complement of "made".  Traditional grammar, I think, calls
it an object complement.  I cry because movies make me cry.  It's
parallel in some ways to "The vote made me President." I would call
"made" complex transitive.
     I hope that helps.

Craig


I used to love watching movies that made me cry.
>
>
>
> I see two subject-verb pairs in the above sentence: I used and that made.
>
>
>
> But what about "cry"?
>
>
>
> And would someone comment on the verb "used" as in "used to."
>
>
>
> Is it an idiom?  It doesn't actually mean to use something.
>
>
>
> Please-your thoughts and comments.
>
>
>
> Christine Gray
>
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