Perfect Grammar

[BoredDude2]

You teach English? I geuss this marks the end of "Those who can't do, teach".

[Jyo]

As an English teacher, these topics make me proud.

You just implied that 'these topics' is 'an English teacher.'

I think you meant something along the lines of "As an English teacher, I am proud of these topics."

[rianbay812]

As an English teacher, these topics make me proud.

Yoo jus implied that 'these topics' iz 'an English teacher.' lolz

I think yoo meant something along the lines of "As an English teacher, I am furr one proud of these topicz lolz."

It's weird seeing you type normally. I made some corrections for you.
You're welcome, robo.

[robotmafia]

As an English teacher, these topics make me proud.

You just implied that 'these topics' is 'an English teacher.'

I think you meant something along the lines of "As an English teacher, I am proud of these topics."

Yeah Jyo, why can't you type like you have some sense (as you did in this post) more often? And I do believe that Dr. Phil's post was, in fact, grammatically correct. Though what you said was correct (besides the comma or colon you forgot after the word "of"), Dr. Phil's post was acceptable as well.

[Jyo]

That was quite the impression, Brian; splitting image, really.

Wait; does it really bother you guys that I type weird - or are you saying that for the sake of this thread?
I suppose I could type normally if popular demand so requires it...

[robotmafia]

No, it really bothers me. It also bothers a few other people in the chat, but I won't say any names. Seriously, just read some of your posts and ask yourself, "Why do I do this?" Also, I was drunk and raged on you in the "Rate the Design Above You" thread (or whatever its name is). Even though I was drunk and it was a little meaner than I intended, it still gets my point across.

[ID36]

As an English teacher, these topics make me proud.

You just implied that 'these topics' is 'an English teacher.'

I think you meant something along the lines of "As an English teacher, I am proud of these topics."

You're right.

[Jyo]

I'm sorry to hear that.
My philosophy is if you can extract from the words I put on the page the message I'm trying to get across, then spelling's but a medium.

[Kai Laddiman]

My philosophy is if you can extract from the words I put on the page the message I'm trying to get across, then spelling's but a medium.

I argee wtih tihs psot.

[BoredDude2]

I require that Jyo types normally.

[Kai Laddiman]

BoredDude2 needs to stop talking about dead topics.

And he needs to sort his grammar out.

And his humour.

[robotmafia]

I'm sorry to hear that.
My philosophy is if you can extract from the words I put on the page the message I'm trying to get across, then spelling's but a medium.

And that's fine, I'm no grammar Nazi; I was merely expressing my opinion on the matter.

[rianbay812]

Did someone call the GRAMMAR POLICE?!?!?!

[Kai Laddiman]

Did someone call the GRAMMAR POLICE?!?!?!

grammar Nazi

Nope.

[robotmafia]

Hey Kai! You never talk to me in the chat anymore. ):

[Dr. Phil]

As an English teacher, these topics make me proud.

You just implied that 'these topics' is 'an English teacher.'

I think you meant something along the lines of "As an English teacher, I am proud of these topics."

Actually, Jyo, "As an English teacher" acts as an interjection to the independent clause "these topics make me proud." A comma is what's necessary to separate the dependent clause and the independent clause. The dependent clause, like all dependent clauses, just serves to provide the reader with more information than they need.


Generally, there is more than one correct way to construct a sentence while still conveying all the information.

[Jyo]

Actually, Jyo, "As an English teacher" acts as an interjection to the independent clause "these topics make me proud." A comma is what's necessary to separate the dependent clause and the independent clause. The dependent clause, like all dependent clauses, just serves to provide the reader with more information than they need.


Generally, there is more than one correct way to construct a sentence while still conveying all the information.

Thanks for that mini-grammar lesson, Dr. Phil.
I thought "As an English teacher" acted as a modifier, in which case there is nothing (or rather, no one) to modify.
It seems I've been proven wrong. :]

[BoredDude2]

Did someone call the GRAMMAR POLICE?!?!?!

I've already seen that.

[ID36]

Dr. Phil, you need to read up on Participle clauses with adverbial meaning

"As an English teacher" here means In the role of... which is a shortened way of saying "Working as an English teacher."

(i) As an English teacher, these topics make me proud. (not OK)
(ii) Working as an English teacher, these topics make me proud. (not OK)

The implied subject of a clause is usually the same as the subject of the main clause. Let's look at the following:

"Being a doctor, my brother makes me proud."

Who is the doctor here? Hopefully you answered my brother. So, as Jyo pointed out, your sentence would be better written:

As an English teacher, I'm proud of these topics. (OK)
Working as an English teacher, I'm proud of these topics. (OK)
Being an English teacher, I'm proud of these topics. (OK)

In addition to these, you can also say "As I'm an English teacher, these topics make me proud." But here you would be using as to mean since.

[Dr. Phil]

That is all well and good, but you must look at this as it is written in a forum, from my avatar, which represents me as a person. So when I say "As an English teacher" it is referencing me as a person. And when I say "these topics make me proud" that the topics are making me proud. There is also a level of colloquialism with how I wrote. If we all spoke and typed with absolutely rigidly perfect grammar all the time we would all sound like complete tools. Just saying.

And if we took your sentence and placed it in a context (much like mine was) it changes the meaning. Let's say there is a brother who is a doctor whose younger brother just graduated from medical school to become a radiologist. They are at his graduation and the first brother says: "As a doctor, my brother makes me proud." Based on the inflection of how the brother spoke to whom he was speaking would know that he was the doctor and his brother had only made him proud.