Grammatical or sounding awkward

[onkar]

We see most of sentences which are grammatical correct,but not sound perfect, or sound awkward.In that condition,which sentence should we choose to write or speak?: based on grammatical or based on sounding perfect.

 

[JohnParis]

To tell you the truth, Onkar, if I were to say that you should favor one over the other, I would be giving you bad advice.
I understand your question completely, and I believe that one should always write and speak grammatically. Yet, the real question seems to be 'how should I handle the built-in awkwardness English sometimes seems to possess'? And the answer is: by being creative. There are always ways of rewording and rephrasing that will get you where you need to be. That is the richness of the language - it has so many ways of saying the same thing (unlike many other languages).
Don't forget that when, and if, you have a problem, you can always come here and ask for an opinion.

 

[Barb_D]

My opinion: If you MUST choose between grammar and awkwardness (and I agree with John that you should try to rewrite so this isn't a choice you have to make), go with the one that communicates your idea more clearly.

 

[tedtmc]

We see most of sentences which are grammatical correct,but not sound perfect, or sound awkward.In that condition,which sentence should we choose to write or speak?: based on grammatical or based on sounding perfect.

not a teacher
Being grammatically correct does not make a sentence awkard.
It is how you construct the sentence that makes it sound natural or awkward. There are infinite ways to express the same thing. Rules of grammar do not hamper you from expressing yourself. It's your style of writing that you should work on.

 

[waflob]

My question to the OP is what is meant by "sounding awkward"? Compared to what?

You can't compare a new language to your own mother tongue and define the differences as awkwardness in the new language. That really isn't the best way to proceed.

When I started to learn German, it seemed awkward to me to put the verb at the end of the sentence, but as you learn more, read more, hear more and generally get more confident, you realise that this is just the way that German is structured. After a while, it seems less awkward and that's when you realise that you're on the way to fluency.

If I've completely misunderstood your question, please let me know - preferably with an example or two, to illustrate the point.

 

[TheParser]

We see most of sentences which are grammatical correct,but not sound perfect, or sound awkward.In that condition,which sentence should we choose to write or speak?: based on grammatical or based on sounding perfect.

NOT A TEACHER


(1) Do you mean: Should I write "It is I" (the grammatically correct pronoun) or


It is me" (the one that is used by 99% of speakers and thus sounds natural)?

(2) That is a hard decision. If you were a university professor, and you wrote

"me," some of your colleagues might tease you about your grammar. Since most

of us are not in the language business, it would probably be better to go with the

form that sounds natural.

(3) I have just read this beautiful sentence:

Diego Velazquez "painted with such skill that words fall away, useless."

Wow! What a writer! That is certainly grammatically correct. But most of us

ordinary people would express the idea in a more natural manner. The problem with

that sentence, IMHO, is that it is so beautiful and unusual that the reader stops

reading for a second. On the other hand, the following sentence would atrract no

attention: He painted with such skill that it is useless to try to describe it in words.

 

[Tdol]

We see most of sentences which are grammatical correct,but not sound perfect, or sound awkward.In that condition,which sentence should we choose to write or speak?: based on grammatical or based on sounding perfect.

Could you give us a couple of examples of what you mean?

 

[onkar]

NOT A TEACHER

Should we write
1- I am brought a gift.

2-I was keyed after lock of the house was changed.

I think both of above-written sentences are grammatically correct but not sound natural. I think best way to express these sentences are following-

1- A gift is brought for me.

2-I was provided a new key after .....

 

[5jj]

1- I am brought a gift.
2-I was keyed after lock of the house was changed.

I think both of [STRIKE]above-written[/STRIKE] these sentences are grammatically correct but do not sound natural.
#2 is unacceptable in BrE.
I think the best way to express these sentences[STRIKE] are following[/STRIKE] is:

1- A gift is brought for me.
This is grammatically correct, but it would be more natural to say, "X/Somebody brought me a gift"
2-I was provided a new key after .....
This is grammatically correct, but it would be more natural to say, "I was given...", in my opinion.

5

 

[tedtmc]

The two sentences would have sounded more natural if active voice was used, don't you think?

 

[5jj]

The two sentences would have sounded more natural if active voice was used, don't you think?

This is grammatically correct, but it would be more natural to say, "X/Somebody brought me a gift".

That looks pretty active to me.

As for the other sentence, I think the passive is fairly natural there.

 

[Tdol]

The original was in the present tense, so even the active is a bit strange for me: Someone brings me a present would require a bit of context to make it work.

 

[5jj]

Shouldn't it be in the present tense?

Yes. Sorry.

"X/Somebody brings me a gift."