How to understand “you like it the shape it is”












3















Fred and George looked at each other. Then Fred said abruptly, “I've told you before, Ron, keep your nose out if you like it the shape it is. Can't see why you would, but -”




I don't know how to understand the grammar of "you like it the shape it is". It seems to me that "you like it with the shape it is" looks more grammatical. How should we understand the grammar of the sentence?




  • Excerpted from Harry Potter.










share|improve this question
























  • "you like it in the shape it is" sounds correct to me.
    – CinCout
    2 days ago










  • What about "you like it the shape it is"? @CinCout
    – dan
    2 days ago










  • Sounds incomplete.
    – CinCout
    2 days ago










  • Adding "with" like you suggest would definitely be wrong. (That said, the whole thing is a very conversational, casual style, you wouldn't normally see it written like that outside of dialog.)
    – user3067860
    2 days ago
















3















Fred and George looked at each other. Then Fred said abruptly, “I've told you before, Ron, keep your nose out if you like it the shape it is. Can't see why you would, but -”




I don't know how to understand the grammar of "you like it the shape it is". It seems to me that "you like it with the shape it is" looks more grammatical. How should we understand the grammar of the sentence?




  • Excerpted from Harry Potter.










share|improve this question
























  • "you like it in the shape it is" sounds correct to me.
    – CinCout
    2 days ago










  • What about "you like it the shape it is"? @CinCout
    – dan
    2 days ago










  • Sounds incomplete.
    – CinCout
    2 days ago










  • Adding "with" like you suggest would definitely be wrong. (That said, the whole thing is a very conversational, casual style, you wouldn't normally see it written like that outside of dialog.)
    – user3067860
    2 days ago














3












3








3


3






Fred and George looked at each other. Then Fred said abruptly, “I've told you before, Ron, keep your nose out if you like it the shape it is. Can't see why you would, but -”




I don't know how to understand the grammar of "you like it the shape it is". It seems to me that "you like it with the shape it is" looks more grammatical. How should we understand the grammar of the sentence?




  • Excerpted from Harry Potter.










share|improve this question
















Fred and George looked at each other. Then Fred said abruptly, “I've told you before, Ron, keep your nose out if you like it the shape it is. Can't see why you would, but -”




I don't know how to understand the grammar of "you like it the shape it is". It seems to me that "you like it with the shape it is" looks more grammatical. How should we understand the grammar of the sentence?




  • Excerpted from Harry Potter.







grammar






share|improve this question















share|improve this question













share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited 2 days ago

























asked 2 days ago









dan

4,47522565




4,47522565












  • "you like it in the shape it is" sounds correct to me.
    – CinCout
    2 days ago










  • What about "you like it the shape it is"? @CinCout
    – dan
    2 days ago










  • Sounds incomplete.
    – CinCout
    2 days ago










  • Adding "with" like you suggest would definitely be wrong. (That said, the whole thing is a very conversational, casual style, you wouldn't normally see it written like that outside of dialog.)
    – user3067860
    2 days ago


















  • "you like it in the shape it is" sounds correct to me.
    – CinCout
    2 days ago










  • What about "you like it the shape it is"? @CinCout
    – dan
    2 days ago










  • Sounds incomplete.
    – CinCout
    2 days ago










  • Adding "with" like you suggest would definitely be wrong. (That said, the whole thing is a very conversational, casual style, you wouldn't normally see it written like that outside of dialog.)
    – user3067860
    2 days ago
















"you like it in the shape it is" sounds correct to me.
– CinCout
2 days ago




"you like it in the shape it is" sounds correct to me.
– CinCout
2 days ago












What about "you like it the shape it is"? @CinCout
– dan
2 days ago




What about "you like it the shape it is"? @CinCout
– dan
2 days ago












Sounds incomplete.
– CinCout
2 days ago




Sounds incomplete.
– CinCout
2 days ago












Adding "with" like you suggest would definitely be wrong. (That said, the whole thing is a very conversational, casual style, you wouldn't normally see it written like that outside of dialog.)
– user3067860
2 days ago




Adding "with" like you suggest would definitely be wrong. (That said, the whole thing is a very conversational, casual style, you wouldn't normally see it written like that outside of dialog.)
– user3067860
2 days ago










2 Answers
2






active

oldest

votes


















9














It is syntactically analogous to the way it is.




I like it the way it is.




That is, "as it is (now)".



If you like the present shape of your nose, butt out.




Would you like some more milk to cool your tea down?

-- No thanks, I like it the temperature it is.




or




Shall we keep the room the color it is?



The conveyor belt is working out nicely. Let's keep it the speed it is.




P.S. This pattern works with intrinsic attributes (shape, color, speed, temperature, age, height, width, etc). the [attribute] it is doesn't work with the extrinsic:




Shall I add more cumin?

-- No, I like it the taste it is. marginal




or




Should we make our games for children ages 7-10 more difficult? Are they challenging enough?

-- Let's keep them the difficulty they are. marginal




or




Shall we add a torx bit to our multi-function tool? Is the tool's usefulness competitive?

-- No, let's keep it the usefulness it is. ungrammatical




or




There have been many fatalities in our new Corvair model. Shall we do something about the car's safety?

-- No, let's keep it the safety it is. ungrammatical







share|improve this answer























  • Can we insert prepositions in those sentences? Any difference?
    – dan
    2 days ago






  • 1




    Yes, appropriate prepositions could be inserted there, The effect would be to make the statement a little less colloquial. in the shape it is ... at the temperature it is...in the color it is...at the speed it is. The phrase in the way it is not quite so well in this particular context, as the prepositional phrase in the way goes better with manner than with state.
    – Tᴚoɯɐuo
    2 days ago





















3















"I've told you before, Ron, keep your nose out if you like it the shape it is. Can't see why you would, but—"




From the context, this is colloquial speech, not formal speech. Artistic license and regional dialects or character-driven speech patterns may differ from strict grammar rules in this type of writing.



Even so, this example seems like a fine (if informal) literary construction to me. It is roughly equivalent to:




Keep your nose out [of my business / things that don't concern you] if you like...[your nose] the shape it is [currently in].




Here, "it" is used twice as a pronoun that refers to Ron's nose. Given the context, and the somewhat clipped speech pattern of the character being quoted, various words have been elided by the author in a way that still seems clear to me while invoking various common idioms about "being nosey" and related risks.



In this case, the apparent meaning is that Ron is intruding into something Fred thinks is none of Ron's business (e.g. sticking his nose in). Fred is either making a physical threat (i.e. Ron may get punched in the nose) or using a somewhat witty metaphor to imply that such behavior is risky for Ron.



In the second sentence:




"Can't see why you would, but—"




is probably a not-so-subtle put-down. Without additional context it's hard to be sure, but it reads as if Fred is calling Ron's nose ugly. Another way to think about this colloquial sentence pair might be to restructure it to see how the insult follows the threat:




Mind your own business if you like the current shape of your nose. I don't know why you would like it since it's so ugly, but it's probably still good advice to keep your nose out of other people's business if you don't want to get it broken.




Taken together, this is most likely the semantic meaning of the two sentences you posted. However, it loses a lot of the flavor of the original prose. Presumably, the original construction is more consistent with the rest of the material, and certainly seems more colorful.






share|improve this answer























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    2 Answers
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    2 Answers
    2






    active

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    active

    oldest

    votes






    active

    oldest

    votes









    9














    It is syntactically analogous to the way it is.




    I like it the way it is.




    That is, "as it is (now)".



    If you like the present shape of your nose, butt out.




    Would you like some more milk to cool your tea down?

    -- No thanks, I like it the temperature it is.




    or




    Shall we keep the room the color it is?



    The conveyor belt is working out nicely. Let's keep it the speed it is.




    P.S. This pattern works with intrinsic attributes (shape, color, speed, temperature, age, height, width, etc). the [attribute] it is doesn't work with the extrinsic:




    Shall I add more cumin?

    -- No, I like it the taste it is. marginal




    or




    Should we make our games for children ages 7-10 more difficult? Are they challenging enough?

    -- Let's keep them the difficulty they are. marginal




    or




    Shall we add a torx bit to our multi-function tool? Is the tool's usefulness competitive?

    -- No, let's keep it the usefulness it is. ungrammatical




    or




    There have been many fatalities in our new Corvair model. Shall we do something about the car's safety?

    -- No, let's keep it the safety it is. ungrammatical







    share|improve this answer























    • Can we insert prepositions in those sentences? Any difference?
      – dan
      2 days ago






    • 1




      Yes, appropriate prepositions could be inserted there, The effect would be to make the statement a little less colloquial. in the shape it is ... at the temperature it is...in the color it is...at the speed it is. The phrase in the way it is not quite so well in this particular context, as the prepositional phrase in the way goes better with manner than with state.
      – Tᴚoɯɐuo
      2 days ago


















    9














    It is syntactically analogous to the way it is.




    I like it the way it is.




    That is, "as it is (now)".



    If you like the present shape of your nose, butt out.




    Would you like some more milk to cool your tea down?

    -- No thanks, I like it the temperature it is.




    or




    Shall we keep the room the color it is?



    The conveyor belt is working out nicely. Let's keep it the speed it is.




    P.S. This pattern works with intrinsic attributes (shape, color, speed, temperature, age, height, width, etc). the [attribute] it is doesn't work with the extrinsic:




    Shall I add more cumin?

    -- No, I like it the taste it is. marginal




    or




    Should we make our games for children ages 7-10 more difficult? Are they challenging enough?

    -- Let's keep them the difficulty they are. marginal




    or




    Shall we add a torx bit to our multi-function tool? Is the tool's usefulness competitive?

    -- No, let's keep it the usefulness it is. ungrammatical




    or




    There have been many fatalities in our new Corvair model. Shall we do something about the car's safety?

    -- No, let's keep it the safety it is. ungrammatical







    share|improve this answer























    • Can we insert prepositions in those sentences? Any difference?
      – dan
      2 days ago






    • 1




      Yes, appropriate prepositions could be inserted there, The effect would be to make the statement a little less colloquial. in the shape it is ... at the temperature it is...in the color it is...at the speed it is. The phrase in the way it is not quite so well in this particular context, as the prepositional phrase in the way goes better with manner than with state.
      – Tᴚoɯɐuo
      2 days ago
















    9












    9








    9






    It is syntactically analogous to the way it is.




    I like it the way it is.




    That is, "as it is (now)".



    If you like the present shape of your nose, butt out.




    Would you like some more milk to cool your tea down?

    -- No thanks, I like it the temperature it is.




    or




    Shall we keep the room the color it is?



    The conveyor belt is working out nicely. Let's keep it the speed it is.




    P.S. This pattern works with intrinsic attributes (shape, color, speed, temperature, age, height, width, etc). the [attribute] it is doesn't work with the extrinsic:




    Shall I add more cumin?

    -- No, I like it the taste it is. marginal




    or




    Should we make our games for children ages 7-10 more difficult? Are they challenging enough?

    -- Let's keep them the difficulty they are. marginal




    or




    Shall we add a torx bit to our multi-function tool? Is the tool's usefulness competitive?

    -- No, let's keep it the usefulness it is. ungrammatical




    or




    There have been many fatalities in our new Corvair model. Shall we do something about the car's safety?

    -- No, let's keep it the safety it is. ungrammatical







    share|improve this answer














    It is syntactically analogous to the way it is.




    I like it the way it is.




    That is, "as it is (now)".



    If you like the present shape of your nose, butt out.




    Would you like some more milk to cool your tea down?

    -- No thanks, I like it the temperature it is.




    or




    Shall we keep the room the color it is?



    The conveyor belt is working out nicely. Let's keep it the speed it is.




    P.S. This pattern works with intrinsic attributes (shape, color, speed, temperature, age, height, width, etc). the [attribute] it is doesn't work with the extrinsic:




    Shall I add more cumin?

    -- No, I like it the taste it is. marginal




    or




    Should we make our games for children ages 7-10 more difficult? Are they challenging enough?

    -- Let's keep them the difficulty they are. marginal




    or




    Shall we add a torx bit to our multi-function tool? Is the tool's usefulness competitive?

    -- No, let's keep it the usefulness it is. ungrammatical




    or




    There have been many fatalities in our new Corvair model. Shall we do something about the car's safety?

    -- No, let's keep it the safety it is. ungrammatical








    share|improve this answer














    share|improve this answer



    share|improve this answer








    edited 2 days ago

























    answered 2 days ago









    Tᴚoɯɐuo

    108k680174




    108k680174












    • Can we insert prepositions in those sentences? Any difference?
      – dan
      2 days ago






    • 1




      Yes, appropriate prepositions could be inserted there, The effect would be to make the statement a little less colloquial. in the shape it is ... at the temperature it is...in the color it is...at the speed it is. The phrase in the way it is not quite so well in this particular context, as the prepositional phrase in the way goes better with manner than with state.
      – Tᴚoɯɐuo
      2 days ago




















    • Can we insert prepositions in those sentences? Any difference?
      – dan
      2 days ago






    • 1




      Yes, appropriate prepositions could be inserted there, The effect would be to make the statement a little less colloquial. in the shape it is ... at the temperature it is...in the color it is...at the speed it is. The phrase in the way it is not quite so well in this particular context, as the prepositional phrase in the way goes better with manner than with state.
      – Tᴚoɯɐuo
      2 days ago


















    Can we insert prepositions in those sentences? Any difference?
    – dan
    2 days ago




    Can we insert prepositions in those sentences? Any difference?
    – dan
    2 days ago




    1




    1




    Yes, appropriate prepositions could be inserted there, The effect would be to make the statement a little less colloquial. in the shape it is ... at the temperature it is...in the color it is...at the speed it is. The phrase in the way it is not quite so well in this particular context, as the prepositional phrase in the way goes better with manner than with state.
    – Tᴚoɯɐuo
    2 days ago






    Yes, appropriate prepositions could be inserted there, The effect would be to make the statement a little less colloquial. in the shape it is ... at the temperature it is...in the color it is...at the speed it is. The phrase in the way it is not quite so well in this particular context, as the prepositional phrase in the way goes better with manner than with state.
    – Tᴚoɯɐuo
    2 days ago















    3















    "I've told you before, Ron, keep your nose out if you like it the shape it is. Can't see why you would, but—"




    From the context, this is colloquial speech, not formal speech. Artistic license and regional dialects or character-driven speech patterns may differ from strict grammar rules in this type of writing.



    Even so, this example seems like a fine (if informal) literary construction to me. It is roughly equivalent to:




    Keep your nose out [of my business / things that don't concern you] if you like...[your nose] the shape it is [currently in].




    Here, "it" is used twice as a pronoun that refers to Ron's nose. Given the context, and the somewhat clipped speech pattern of the character being quoted, various words have been elided by the author in a way that still seems clear to me while invoking various common idioms about "being nosey" and related risks.



    In this case, the apparent meaning is that Ron is intruding into something Fred thinks is none of Ron's business (e.g. sticking his nose in). Fred is either making a physical threat (i.e. Ron may get punched in the nose) or using a somewhat witty metaphor to imply that such behavior is risky for Ron.



    In the second sentence:




    "Can't see why you would, but—"




    is probably a not-so-subtle put-down. Without additional context it's hard to be sure, but it reads as if Fred is calling Ron's nose ugly. Another way to think about this colloquial sentence pair might be to restructure it to see how the insult follows the threat:




    Mind your own business if you like the current shape of your nose. I don't know why you would like it since it's so ugly, but it's probably still good advice to keep your nose out of other people's business if you don't want to get it broken.




    Taken together, this is most likely the semantic meaning of the two sentences you posted. However, it loses a lot of the flavor of the original prose. Presumably, the original construction is more consistent with the rest of the material, and certainly seems more colorful.






    share|improve this answer




























      3















      "I've told you before, Ron, keep your nose out if you like it the shape it is. Can't see why you would, but—"




      From the context, this is colloquial speech, not formal speech. Artistic license and regional dialects or character-driven speech patterns may differ from strict grammar rules in this type of writing.



      Even so, this example seems like a fine (if informal) literary construction to me. It is roughly equivalent to:




      Keep your nose out [of my business / things that don't concern you] if you like...[your nose] the shape it is [currently in].




      Here, "it" is used twice as a pronoun that refers to Ron's nose. Given the context, and the somewhat clipped speech pattern of the character being quoted, various words have been elided by the author in a way that still seems clear to me while invoking various common idioms about "being nosey" and related risks.



      In this case, the apparent meaning is that Ron is intruding into something Fred thinks is none of Ron's business (e.g. sticking his nose in). Fred is either making a physical threat (i.e. Ron may get punched in the nose) or using a somewhat witty metaphor to imply that such behavior is risky for Ron.



      In the second sentence:




      "Can't see why you would, but—"




      is probably a not-so-subtle put-down. Without additional context it's hard to be sure, but it reads as if Fred is calling Ron's nose ugly. Another way to think about this colloquial sentence pair might be to restructure it to see how the insult follows the threat:




      Mind your own business if you like the current shape of your nose. I don't know why you would like it since it's so ugly, but it's probably still good advice to keep your nose out of other people's business if you don't want to get it broken.




      Taken together, this is most likely the semantic meaning of the two sentences you posted. However, it loses a lot of the flavor of the original prose. Presumably, the original construction is more consistent with the rest of the material, and certainly seems more colorful.






      share|improve this answer


























        3












        3








        3







        "I've told you before, Ron, keep your nose out if you like it the shape it is. Can't see why you would, but—"




        From the context, this is colloquial speech, not formal speech. Artistic license and regional dialects or character-driven speech patterns may differ from strict grammar rules in this type of writing.



        Even so, this example seems like a fine (if informal) literary construction to me. It is roughly equivalent to:




        Keep your nose out [of my business / things that don't concern you] if you like...[your nose] the shape it is [currently in].




        Here, "it" is used twice as a pronoun that refers to Ron's nose. Given the context, and the somewhat clipped speech pattern of the character being quoted, various words have been elided by the author in a way that still seems clear to me while invoking various common idioms about "being nosey" and related risks.



        In this case, the apparent meaning is that Ron is intruding into something Fred thinks is none of Ron's business (e.g. sticking his nose in). Fred is either making a physical threat (i.e. Ron may get punched in the nose) or using a somewhat witty metaphor to imply that such behavior is risky for Ron.



        In the second sentence:




        "Can't see why you would, but—"




        is probably a not-so-subtle put-down. Without additional context it's hard to be sure, but it reads as if Fred is calling Ron's nose ugly. Another way to think about this colloquial sentence pair might be to restructure it to see how the insult follows the threat:




        Mind your own business if you like the current shape of your nose. I don't know why you would like it since it's so ugly, but it's probably still good advice to keep your nose out of other people's business if you don't want to get it broken.




        Taken together, this is most likely the semantic meaning of the two sentences you posted. However, it loses a lot of the flavor of the original prose. Presumably, the original construction is more consistent with the rest of the material, and certainly seems more colorful.






        share|improve this answer















        "I've told you before, Ron, keep your nose out if you like it the shape it is. Can't see why you would, but—"




        From the context, this is colloquial speech, not formal speech. Artistic license and regional dialects or character-driven speech patterns may differ from strict grammar rules in this type of writing.



        Even so, this example seems like a fine (if informal) literary construction to me. It is roughly equivalent to:




        Keep your nose out [of my business / things that don't concern you] if you like...[your nose] the shape it is [currently in].




        Here, "it" is used twice as a pronoun that refers to Ron's nose. Given the context, and the somewhat clipped speech pattern of the character being quoted, various words have been elided by the author in a way that still seems clear to me while invoking various common idioms about "being nosey" and related risks.



        In this case, the apparent meaning is that Ron is intruding into something Fred thinks is none of Ron's business (e.g. sticking his nose in). Fred is either making a physical threat (i.e. Ron may get punched in the nose) or using a somewhat witty metaphor to imply that such behavior is risky for Ron.



        In the second sentence:




        "Can't see why you would, but—"




        is probably a not-so-subtle put-down. Without additional context it's hard to be sure, but it reads as if Fred is calling Ron's nose ugly. Another way to think about this colloquial sentence pair might be to restructure it to see how the insult follows the threat:




        Mind your own business if you like the current shape of your nose. I don't know why you would like it since it's so ugly, but it's probably still good advice to keep your nose out of other people's business if you don't want to get it broken.




        Taken together, this is most likely the semantic meaning of the two sentences you posted. However, it loses a lot of the flavor of the original prose. Presumably, the original construction is more consistent with the rest of the material, and certainly seems more colorful.







        share|improve this answer














        share|improve this answer



        share|improve this answer








        edited 2 days ago

























        answered 2 days ago









        CodeGnome

        41027




        41027






























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