Can I write “You must not sit when your superior is not”?
I’m trying to shorten some of the sentences in my work and this sentence came across:
“You must not sit when your superior is standing.”
Is it grammatically correct to substitute with:
“You must not sit when your superior is not” ([Not sitting])?
In both cases the second clauses are in continuous form, so I maintained that. Couldn’t find any examples online, but I’m sure I’ve seen it used somewhere.
word-choice sentence-structure
asked 5 hours ago
Simon S
524
migrated from writing.stackexchange.com 3 hours ago
This question came from our site for the craft of professional writing, including fiction, non-fiction, technical, scholarly, and commercial writing.
|
show 1 more comment
I’m trying to shorten some of the sentences in my work and this sentence came across:
“You must not sit when your superior is standing.”
Is it grammatically correct to substitute with:
“You must not sit when your superior is not” ([Not sitting])?
In both cases the second clauses are in continuous form, so I maintained that. Couldn’t find any examples online, but I’m sure I’ve seen it used somewhere.
word-choice sentence-structure
asked 5 hours ago
Simon S
524
migrated from writing.stackexchange.com 3 hours ago
This question came from our site for the craft of professional writing, including fiction, non-fiction, technical, scholarly, and commercial writing.
Is 5 characters worth it?
– bruglesco
4 hours ago
@bruglesco Lol. Good point. Let me rephrase, “I’m trying out new forms in my writing.”
– Simon S
4 hours ago
I personally wouldn't. Not sure if it is grammatically correct or not but it saves no significant space and is harder to understand. The first sentence also sounds less harsh. partly because it is phrased without the negation.
– bruglesco
4 hours ago
1
If your goal is more elegant writing, it's never a good idea to make the audience do extra work. In this case the extra work is changing the verb form of an elided word. So, regardless of whether the grammar is correct, I would advise against it, even though it is easy to understand and unambiguous. Elegant writing is almost always about reducing the audience's work, not increasing it.
– Chris Sunami
4 hours ago
You must not sit if your "superior" is not really superior after all??
– Hot Licks
3 hours ago
|
show 1 more comment
I’m trying to shorten some of the sentences in my work and this sentence came across:
“You must not sit when your superior is standing.”
Is it grammatically correct to substitute with:
“You must not sit when your superior is not” ([Not sitting])?
In both cases the second clauses are in continuous form, so I maintained that. Couldn’t find any examples online, but I’m sure I’ve seen it used somewhere.
word-choice sentence-structure
asked 5 hours ago
Simon S
524
I’m trying to shorten some of the sentences in my work and this sentence came across:
“You must not sit when your superior is standing.”
Is it grammatically correct to substitute with:
“You must not sit when your superior is not” ([Not sitting])?
In both cases the second clauses are in continuous form, so I maintained that. Couldn’t find any examples online, but I’m sure I’ve seen it used somewhere.
word-choice sentence-structure
word-choice sentence-structure
asked 5 hours ago
Simon S
524
asked 5 hours ago
Simon S
524
asked 5 hours ago
Simon S
524
asked 5 hours ago
Simon S
524
asked 5 hours ago
Simon S
524
524
migrated from writing.stackexchange.com 3 hours ago
This question came from our site for the craft of professional writing, including fiction, non-fiction, technical, scholarly, and commercial writing.
migrated from writing.stackexchange.com 3 hours ago
This question came from our site for the craft of professional writing, including fiction, non-fiction, technical, scholarly, and commercial writing.
Is 5 characters worth it?
– bruglesco
4 hours ago
@bruglesco Lol. Good point. Let me rephrase, “I’m trying out new forms in my writing.”
– Simon S
4 hours ago
I personally wouldn't. Not sure if it is grammatically correct or not but it saves no significant space and is harder to understand. The first sentence also sounds less harsh. partly because it is phrased without the negation.
– bruglesco
4 hours ago
1
If your goal is more elegant writing, it's never a good idea to make the audience do extra work. In this case the extra work is changing the verb form of an elided word. So, regardless of whether the grammar is correct, I would advise against it, even though it is easy to understand and unambiguous. Elegant writing is almost always about reducing the audience's work, not increasing it.
– Chris Sunami
4 hours ago
You must not sit if your "superior" is not really superior after all??
– Hot Licks
3 hours ago
|
show 1 more comment
Is 5 characters worth it?
– bruglesco
4 hours ago
@bruglesco Lol. Good point. Let me rephrase, “I’m trying out new forms in my writing.”
– Simon S
4 hours ago
I personally wouldn't. Not sure if it is grammatically correct or not but it saves no significant space and is harder to understand. The first sentence also sounds less harsh. partly because it is phrased without the negation.
– bruglesco
4 hours ago
1
If your goal is more elegant writing, it's never a good idea to make the audience do extra work. In this case the extra work is changing the verb form of an elided word. So, regardless of whether the grammar is correct, I would advise against it, even though it is easy to understand and unambiguous. Elegant writing is almost always about reducing the audience's work, not increasing it.
– Chris Sunami
4 hours ago
You must not sit if your "superior" is not really superior after all??
– Hot Licks
3 hours ago
Is 5 characters worth it?
– bruglesco
4 hours ago
Is 5 characters worth it?
– bruglesco
4 hours ago
@bruglesco Lol. Good point. Let me rephrase, “I’m trying out new forms in my writing.”
– Simon S
4 hours ago
@bruglesco Lol. Good point. Let me rephrase, “I’m trying out new forms in my writing.”
– Simon S
4 hours ago
I personally wouldn't. Not sure if it is grammatically correct or not but it saves no significant space and is harder to understand. The first sentence also sounds less harsh. partly because it is phrased without the negation.
– bruglesco
4 hours ago
I personally wouldn't. Not sure if it is grammatically correct or not but it saves no significant space and is harder to understand. The first sentence also sounds less harsh. partly because it is phrased without the negation.
– bruglesco
4 hours ago
1
1
If your goal is more elegant writing, it's never a good idea to make the audience do extra work. In this case the extra work is changing the verb form of an elided word. So, regardless of whether the grammar is correct, I would advise against it, even though it is easy to understand and unambiguous. Elegant writing is almost always about reducing the audience's work, not increasing it.
– Chris Sunami
4 hours ago
If your goal is more elegant writing, it's never a good idea to make the audience do extra work. In this case the extra work is changing the verb form of an elided word. So, regardless of whether the grammar is correct, I would advise against it, even though it is easy to understand and unambiguous. Elegant writing is almost always about reducing the audience's work, not increasing it.
– Chris Sunami
4 hours ago
You must not sit if your "superior" is not really superior after all??
– Hot Licks
3 hours ago
You must not sit if your "superior" is not really superior after all??
– Hot Licks
3 hours ago
|
show 1 more comment
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
To add to the answer from @JG, if you are looking for alternative forms within your writing, instead you could use
You must not be sitting when your superior is not
answered 2 hours ago
Chris Rogers
735210
add a comment |
The grammar answer is: no, you may not, just as you can't say, "You must not enter when you superior is not" (to mean they haven't entered yet). You can't pair "is not" with an imperative verb as if it's its own past participle.
The authorial answer is: if it's the words of a character for whom such an idiosyncratic speech style would be typical, or even character-defining, it might make sense. Just bear in mind any such effort has to inculcate an attitude in readers you're happy with them having. In this case, that attitude would be, "this person's hard to parse". Only beta readers can tell you whether this makes the character less sympathetic, but maybe it's a character for whom that's not a problem.
Note: the second paragraph was for the benefit of writers, as at the time of posting this question appeared on writing.se.
answered 4 hours ago
J.G.
2695
add a comment |
As J.G. says, no you cannot drop the current participle. For a direct comparison to be implied, you need to use the same verb (either "to sit" or "to be sitting") for both subjects, e.g.:
“You must not sit when your superior does not”
or
“You must not be seated when your superior is not”
Personally, though comes across as quite formal, I would phrase it as:
“You must not sit while your superior stands”
answered 2 hours ago
David John Smith
1091
New contributor
David John Smith is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
If you transpose the example @JG used with your first alternative, how can you say "You must not enter when your superior does not" when your superior has already entered some time prior?
– Chris Rogers
1 hour ago
add a comment |
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3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
To add to the answer from @JG, if you are looking for alternative forms within your writing, instead you could use
You must not be sitting when your superior is not
answered 2 hours ago
Chris Rogers
735210
add a comment |
To add to the answer from @JG, if you are looking for alternative forms within your writing, instead you could use
You must not be sitting when your superior is not
answered 2 hours ago
Chris Rogers
735210
add a comment |
To add to the answer from @JG, if you are looking for alternative forms within your writing, instead you could use
You must not be sitting when your superior is not
answered 2 hours ago
Chris Rogers
735210
To add to the answer from @JG, if you are looking for alternative forms within your writing, instead you could use
You must not be sitting when your superior is not
answered 2 hours ago
Chris Rogers
735210
answered 2 hours ago
Chris Rogers
735210
answered 2 hours ago
Chris Rogers
735210
answered 2 hours ago
Chris Rogers
735210
735210
add a comment |
add a comment |
The grammar answer is: no, you may not, just as you can't say, "You must not enter when you superior is not" (to mean they haven't entered yet). You can't pair "is not" with an imperative verb as if it's its own past participle.
The authorial answer is: if it's the words of a character for whom such an idiosyncratic speech style would be typical, or even character-defining, it might make sense. Just bear in mind any such effort has to inculcate an attitude in readers you're happy with them having. In this case, that attitude would be, "this person's hard to parse". Only beta readers can tell you whether this makes the character less sympathetic, but maybe it's a character for whom that's not a problem.
Note: the second paragraph was for the benefit of writers, as at the time of posting this question appeared on writing.se.
answered 4 hours ago
J.G.
2695
add a comment |
The grammar answer is: no, you may not, just as you can't say, "You must not enter when you superior is not" (to mean they haven't entered yet). You can't pair "is not" with an imperative verb as if it's its own past participle.
The authorial answer is: if it's the words of a character for whom such an idiosyncratic speech style would be typical, or even character-defining, it might make sense. Just bear in mind any such effort has to inculcate an attitude in readers you're happy with them having. In this case, that attitude would be, "this person's hard to parse". Only beta readers can tell you whether this makes the character less sympathetic, but maybe it's a character for whom that's not a problem.
Note: the second paragraph was for the benefit of writers, as at the time of posting this question appeared on writing.se.
answered 4 hours ago
J.G.
2695
add a comment |
The grammar answer is: no, you may not, just as you can't say, "You must not enter when you superior is not" (to mean they haven't entered yet). You can't pair "is not" with an imperative verb as if it's its own past participle.
The authorial answer is: if it's the words of a character for whom such an idiosyncratic speech style would be typical, or even character-defining, it might make sense. Just bear in mind any such effort has to inculcate an attitude in readers you're happy with them having. In this case, that attitude would be, "this person's hard to parse". Only beta readers can tell you whether this makes the character less sympathetic, but maybe it's a character for whom that's not a problem.
Note: the second paragraph was for the benefit of writers, as at the time of posting this question appeared on writing.se.
answered 4 hours ago
J.G.
2695
The grammar answer is: no, you may not, just as you can't say, "You must not enter when you superior is not" (to mean they haven't entered yet). You can't pair "is not" with an imperative verb as if it's its own past participle.
The authorial answer is: if it's the words of a character for whom such an idiosyncratic speech style would be typical, or even character-defining, it might make sense. Just bear in mind any such effort has to inculcate an attitude in readers you're happy with them having. In this case, that attitude would be, "this person's hard to parse". Only beta readers can tell you whether this makes the character less sympathetic, but maybe it's a character for whom that's not a problem.
Note: the second paragraph was for the benefit of writers, as at the time of posting this question appeared on writing.se.
answered 4 hours ago
J.G.
2695
edited 3 hours ago
answered 4 hours ago
J.G.
2695
answered 4 hours ago
J.G.
2695
answered 4 hours ago
J.G.
2695
2695
add a comment |
add a comment |
As J.G. says, no you cannot drop the current participle. For a direct comparison to be implied, you need to use the same verb (either "to sit" or "to be sitting") for both subjects, e.g.:
“You must not sit when your superior does not”
or
“You must not be seated when your superior is not”
Personally, though comes across as quite formal, I would phrase it as:
“You must not sit while your superior stands”
answered 2 hours ago
David John Smith
1091
New contributor
David John Smith is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
If you transpose the example @JG used with your first alternative, how can you say "You must not enter when your superior does not" when your superior has already entered some time prior?
– Chris Rogers
1 hour ago
add a comment |
As J.G. says, no you cannot drop the current participle. For a direct comparison to be implied, you need to use the same verb (either "to sit" or "to be sitting") for both subjects, e.g.:
“You must not sit when your superior does not”
or
“You must not be seated when your superior is not”
Personally, though comes across as quite formal, I would phrase it as:
“You must not sit while your superior stands”
answered 2 hours ago
David John Smith
1091
New contributor
David John Smith is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
If you transpose the example @JG used with your first alternative, how can you say "You must not enter when your superior does not" when your superior has already entered some time prior?
– Chris Rogers
1 hour ago
add a comment |
As J.G. says, no you cannot drop the current participle. For a direct comparison to be implied, you need to use the same verb (either "to sit" or "to be sitting") for both subjects, e.g.:
“You must not sit when your superior does not”
or
“You must not be seated when your superior is not”
Personally, though comes across as quite formal, I would phrase it as:
“You must not sit while your superior stands”
answered 2 hours ago
David John Smith
1091
New contributor
David John Smith is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
As J.G. says, no you cannot drop the current participle. For a direct comparison to be implied, you need to use the same verb (either "to sit" or "to be sitting") for both subjects, e.g.:
“You must not sit when your superior does not”
or
“You must not be seated when your superior is not”
Personally, though comes across as quite formal, I would phrase it as:
“You must not sit while your superior stands”
answered 2 hours ago
David John Smith
1091
New contributor
David John Smith is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
answered 2 hours ago
David John Smith
1091
New contributor
David John Smith is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
answered 2 hours ago
David John Smith
1091
answered 2 hours ago
David John Smith
1091
1091
New contributor
David John Smith is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
David John Smith is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
David John Smith is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
If you transpose the example @JG used with your first alternative, how can you say "You must not enter when your superior does not" when your superior has already entered some time prior?
– Chris Rogers
1 hour ago
add a comment |
If you transpose the example @JG used with your first alternative, how can you say "You must not enter when your superior does not" when your superior has already entered some time prior?
– Chris Rogers
1 hour ago
If you transpose the example @JG used with your first alternative, how can you say "You must not enter when your superior does not" when your superior has already entered some time prior?
– Chris Rogers
1 hour ago
If you transpose the example @JG used with your first alternative, how can you say "You must not enter when your superior does not" when your superior has already entered some time prior?
– Chris Rogers
1 hour ago
add a comment |
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Is 5 characters worth it?
– bruglesco
4 hours ago
@bruglesco Lol. Good point. Let me rephrase, “I’m trying out new forms in my writing.”
– Simon S
4 hours ago
I personally wouldn't. Not sure if it is grammatically correct or not but it saves no significant space and is harder to understand. The first sentence also sounds less harsh. partly because it is phrased without the negation.
– bruglesco
4 hours ago
1
If your goal is more elegant writing, it's never a good idea to make the audience do extra work. In this case the extra work is changing the verb form of an elided word. So, regardless of whether the grammar is correct, I would advise against it, even though it is easy to understand and unambiguous. Elegant writing is almost always about reducing the audience's work, not increasing it.
– Chris Sunami
4 hours ago
You must not sit if your "superior" is not really superior after all??
– Hot Licks
3 hours ago