Writing Question, please take a look at this sentence. TIA!

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   Kenna McHughposted 2 years ago

   Hi, the sentence below comes up fine on Hemingway, Grammarly and ProWriting, but I can't find the verb. This type of sentence stumps me every time. Does "thanks to" work as a verb? So, technically is it correct? Or am I overthinking this sentence?
   
   Not the typical green tea, thanks to the lemongrass and minty leaves.

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      Misbah786posted 2 years agoin reply to this

      I believe it is grammatically correct, and as thank is used for expressing gratitude or appreciation to someone/something, it is a verb.

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         Kenna McHughposted 2 years agoin reply to this

         Thank you! I had one of the idiotic writer moments.

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2. 68

   Sue Adamsposted 2 years ago

   "Not the typical green tea, thanks to the lemongrass and minty leaves."
   
   The above sentence is grammatically incorrect because, as you say, Kenna, it lacks a verb. "thanks", in this context is not a verb.
   
   The sentence should read:
   
   "Thanks to the lemongrass and minty leaves, this is not a typical green tea."
   ("is"= the missing verb)
   
   Hemingway, Grammarly, and ProWriting algorithms may think that "not the typical green tea" (subject) thanks (says thank you to = verb) lemongrass and minty leaves. But even in that case, the sentence would be:
   
   Not the typical green tea thanks lemongrass and minty leaves. (without the comma and the word "to").
   
   Just goes to show, it's best to follow your gut feeling rather than computer language.
   
   b.t.w. English is my 5th language, Spanish my 6th.

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      Kenna McHughposted 2 years agoin reply to this

      Ahh, good choice of words.

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      SerenityHaloposted 2 years agoin reply to this

      How many languages do you know and which ones? The last detail there caught my attention.

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         Sue Adamsposted 2 years agoin reply to this

         1. Hungarian -I was born in Budapest, Hungary.
         2. French - Our family fled to Paris when I was four.
         3. Dutch - When I was eleven, we moved to Amsterdam.
         4. German - At eighteen, I  joined a ballet company in Berlin.
         5. English - Aged 26, I moved to London to study choreology, got married, and raised 3 kids.
         6. Spanish - I now live in  Andalucia.

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            SerenityHaloposted 2 years agoin reply to this

            This is incredible. I love where your life has taken you. I would be interested in reading more about your experiences.

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               Sue Adamsposted 2 years agoin reply to this

               All that is off-topic for this forum thread but if you are really interested, I wrote a book. Just Google: "Magda - Sue Adams".

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      Kenna McHughposted 2 years agoin reply to this

      Agree! Nice examples!

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      bravewarriorposted 2 years agoin reply to this

      I would actually say something like; "With the added lemongrass and mint leaves, this is not your typical green tea."
      
      "Thanks to" just doesn't sit right with me.

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   PaulGoodman67posted 2 years ago

   It's not a good sentence. I would certainly add a subject and a verb.
   
   Native English speakers often talk in incomplete sentences but it's not a suitable approach for formal writing, in my opinion.
   
   You could write the following sentence and I believe it would be fine:
   
   "It's not a typical green tea, thanks to the lemongrass and minty leaves."
   
   "Thanks" means "due" in this context and is not a verb.

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      Misbah786posted 2 years agoin reply to this

      Yes, I think this makes sense!

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      Kenna McHughposted 2 years agoin reply to this

      That makes sense!

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   Stephen Tomkinsonposted 2 years ago

   Sue and Paul are quite correct. The sentence is technically incomplete because there is no verb. But the sentence does make sense without a verb. I believe that leaving out a word for stylistic effect is known as ellipsis and is very common.
   I could have said:
   Quite right, Sue and Paul.
   Instead of:
   You are quite right, Sue and Paul.

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      PaulGoodman67posted 2 years agoin reply to this

      Maximum clarity and punchiness are the things to aim for, I believe, when it comes to a sentence.

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         DrMark1961posted 2 years agoin reply to this

         If I remember my Strunk correctly didnt he say it was okay to use a lot of extra words if you are being paid by the word?

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         Miebakagh57posted 2 years agoin reply to this

         This sentence: 'I kick the ball' has a verb, kick. It's complate correct, and make sense.                               And now 'thanks to' your efforts. 'Your' qualified 'to' as a verb. If we replace 'due' with thanks per GeadHead, we still get the verb form.                                                AI can't be a better English language or grammar teacher. It's dumb or  helpless in certain cases.

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   Stephen Tomkinsonposted 2 years ago

   Agreed.

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   Misbah786posted 2 years ago

   From Mountains peaks
   To the sea and valleys.
   Grammar is being rolled,
   By its allies

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   eugbugposted 2 years ago

   Does it have to be grammatically correct as long as it scans ok? I'm sure many of us start sentences with "so" and "and" which I don't think is "proper". As long as Google doesn't disapprove. If you've read Ulysses, you'll know Joyce through out the grammar manual early on in the novel.

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      Miebakagh57posted 2 years agoin reply to this

      ...And, thanks to your ingenuity. So, this sentence is not proper? Just asking. Thanks.

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      Kenna McHughposted 2 years agoin reply to this

      Eugbug, you are correct. Pedantic editing has sometimes brought me to my knees or given me an excruciating headache.
      
      I do like the offer examples here.

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      eugbugposted 2 years agoin reply to this

      Apologies "Threw out".

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         DrMark1961posted 2 years agoin reply to this

         Hahaha. I thowt you was being Jocian on us.

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            eugbugposted 2 years agoin reply to this

            

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   Shanzyshizaposted 2 years ago

   OK, no worries, we can work through this together.

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      eugbugposted 2 years agoin reply to this

      True.

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   PaulGoodman67posted 2 years ago

   One of my favorite poems about grammar:
   
   COMMA
   
   How, great,
   to, be, a, comma,
   and, separate,
   one, word, fromma,
   
   nother.
   
   
   Brian, Bilston

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   1. 82

      Kenna McHughposted 2 years agoin reply to this

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