In this article, we’ll explore a tricky sentence structure from the English textbook ‘Polaris 1’ and break down why the correct answer is ‘call saved me the trouble of visiting’ instead of ‘call me’. The original sentence is:
Understanding the Sentence ‘Taro’s phone call saved me the trouble of visiting’
The sentence provided in the question is: ‘Taro’s phone call saved me the trouble of visiting’. This structure is a bit tricky, so let’s examine why the correct answer isn’t ‘call me…’.
Breaking Down the Sentence Structure
The sentence consists of a main clause, ‘saved me the trouble of visiting’, with the subject being ‘Taro’s phone call’. The phrase ‘saved me the trouble’ is the key part here. ‘Saved’ is the verb, ‘me’ is the object, and ‘the trouble’ is the direct object that specifies what was saved. This creates a passive structure, indicating that the phone call eliminated the trouble of visiting.
In English, it’s common to say ‘save someone the trouble of [doing something]’, which means that an action is prevented or made unnecessary. This is why ‘call saved me the trouble’ makes sense in this context.
Why ‘Call Me’ Doesn’t Work in This Sentence
If you were to use ‘call me…’, you would be altering the sentence to suggest that the call itself is being made to the speaker. This would completely change the meaning. ‘Call me’ would make the sentence about receiving a call, rather than about the phone call saving someone from an action. This is why ‘call saved me the trouble’ is the proper construction.
Understanding Sentence Syntax and Word Order
In English, the word order matters greatly. When constructing a sentence like this, you need to place the verb (‘saved’) directly before the object (‘me’), followed by the trouble being saved (‘the trouble of visiting’). The placement of ‘saved’ before ‘me’ and ‘the trouble’ ensures that the sentence flows logically and maintains clarity.
Conclusion
The key takeaway is that ‘call saved me the trouble of visiting’ is grammatically correct because it follows the proper structure for a sentence that involves saving someone from doing something. While ‘call me’ might seem tempting due to its simplicity, it changes the intended meaning and disrupts the sentence’s flow. Always remember to focus on word order and the intended meaning when constructing sentences like this!
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