Re: Grammar question on back of grammar book that I can't find answered by author anywhere inside the book.

Mike Lyle wrote:

Django Cat wrote:

donna_890 wrote:


Q: Should I use a singular or plural form of the noun in this
sentence?

The children were told to bite their tongue by an teacher.

This may be one for the rapidly-growing AUE collection 'strange
examples of English found in text books written by non-native
speakers' because, whether it's tongue or tongues, the irate new
teacher might have told the children to "*hold* their tongue(s)" but
not *bite* them. Except in very, very, strange circumstances...


I smell Roget. "Bite one's tongue" /was/ formerly used for "hold one's
tongue", perhaps in a more emphatic way. I'm sure I've met it in
Shakespeare: one of the Henry VIs, no?


Are you suggesting that "bite your tongue" is not in common use, or am I misunderstanding you?

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Tongue bite and orange juice
    ... a thread entitled "Question about Virginias Bite" first posted ... something acidic on the tongue. ... I know that I personally drink a lot of soft drinks just as a rule ... or you've had too much alkali / ...
    (alt.smokers.pipes)
  • Tongue bite and orange juice
    ... I have a trick for tongue bite that I'd like to share with the group. ... or you've had too much alkali / ... I think irritation and bite are different. ...
    (alt.smokers.pipes)
  • Re: Tongue bite and orange juice
    ... a thread entitled "Question about Virginias Bite" first posted ... something acidic on the tongue. ... or you've had too much alkali / ... And for this, latter, true alkali caused tongue bite, acid is the ...
    (alt.smokers.pipes)
  • Re: My dream team.....to write my MS
    ... to shut up and bite my tongue ... not jumping all at once, I'm actually not jumping at all. ... As I said, I am already having to turn away more reputable clients, so I see ...
    (uk.legal)
  • RE: FLAME____ Why is the kernel source not included
    ... "Take care you don't bite your tongue there, ... On Behalf Of Gene Heskett ...
    (Fedora)
Loading