The first/last/next/only to V or Ving
up vote
-1
down vote
favorite
Recently, I'm quite confused about the usage of the first(second,third……)/next/last/only.
He was the first ____ the school in that area.
(A)to open (B) opening
The answer is (A).
But,I remember the first(second,third……)/next/last/only can be used with the relative pronoun "that".
For example,he was the first person "that" opened the school in that area.
Also,I remember relative pronoun can be deleted with the verb it brings turning into ving or vpp.
Therefore,in my mind,the sentence"He was the first opening the school in that area" can make sense.
So,what do you think?and why？or is it just an idiom？
usage
asked Dec 6 at 4:33
Chang yo
335
|
show 7 more comments
up vote
-1
down vote
favorite
Recently, I'm quite confused about the usage of the first(second,third……)/next/last/only.
He was the first ____ the school in that area.
(A)to open (B) opening
The answer is (A).
But,I remember the first(second,third……)/next/last/only can be used with the relative pronoun "that".
For example,he was the first person "that" opened the school in that area.
Also,I remember relative pronoun can be deleted with the verb it brings turning into ving or vpp.
Therefore,in my mind,the sentence"He was the first opening the school in that area" can make sense.
So,what do you think?and why？or is it just an idiom？
usage
asked Dec 6 at 4:33
Chang yo
335
1
"He was the first person opening ..." is fine, but if you omit 'person' and expect 'first' to act as a pronoun, you create a garden path because 'the first opening' looks like a noun phrase (!"He was the first opening").
– AmI
Dec 6 at 5:59
It feels odd to use 'that' in reference to a person. 'The first parcel that arrived was from Mary" is OK, but "The first person who..." would be better.
– Kate Bunting
Dec 6 at 11:21
See also English Language Learners Good Luck.
– Kris
Dec 6 at 11:40
@AmI Tanks for your answer. Is seems to me you are right. Thus, I appreciate it very much.：)
– Chang yo
Dec 6 at 12:56
@KateBunting usingenglish.com/forum/threads/…
– Chang yo
Dec 6 at 12:57
|
show 7 more comments
up vote
-1
down vote
favorite
up vote
-1
down vote
favorite
Recently, I'm quite confused about the usage of the first(second,third……)/next/last/only.
He was the first ____ the school in that area.
(A)to open (B) opening
The answer is (A).
But,I remember the first(second,third……)/next/last/only can be used with the relative pronoun "that".
For example,he was the first person "that" opened the school in that area.
Also,I remember relative pronoun can be deleted with the verb it brings turning into ving or vpp.
Therefore,in my mind,the sentence"He was the first opening the school in that area" can make sense.
So,what do you think?and why？or is it just an idiom？
usage
asked Dec 6 at 4:33
Chang yo
335
Recently, I'm quite confused about the usage of the first(second,third……)/next/last/only.
He was the first ____ the school in that area.
(A)to open (B) opening
The answer is (A).
But,I remember the first(second,third……)/next/last/only can be used with the relative pronoun "that".
For example,he was the first person "that" opened the school in that area.
Also,I remember relative pronoun can be deleted with the verb it brings turning into ving or vpp.
Therefore,in my mind,the sentence"He was the first opening the school in that area" can make sense.
So,what do you think?and why？or is it just an idiom？
usage
usage
asked Dec 6 at 4:33
Chang yo
335
asked Dec 6 at 4:33
Chang yo
335
asked Dec 6 at 4:33
Chang yo
335
asked Dec 6 at 4:33
Chang yo
335
asked Dec 6 at 4:33
Chang yo
335
335
1
"He was the first person opening ..." is fine, but if you omit 'person' and expect 'first' to act as a pronoun, you create a garden path because 'the first opening' looks like a noun phrase (!"He was the first opening").
– AmI
Dec 6 at 5:59
It feels odd to use 'that' in reference to a person. 'The first parcel that arrived was from Mary" is OK, but "The first person who..." would be better.
– Kate Bunting
Dec 6 at 11:21
See also English Language Learners Good Luck.
– Kris
Dec 6 at 11:40
@AmI Tanks for your answer. Is seems to me you are right. Thus, I appreciate it very much.：)
– Chang yo
Dec 6 at 12:56
@KateBunting usingenglish.com/forum/threads/…
– Chang yo
Dec 6 at 12:57
|
show 7 more comments
1
"He was the first person opening ..." is fine, but if you omit 'person' and expect 'first' to act as a pronoun, you create a garden path because 'the first opening' looks like a noun phrase (!"He was the first opening").
– AmI
Dec 6 at 5:59
It feels odd to use 'that' in reference to a person. 'The first parcel that arrived was from Mary" is OK, but "The first person who..." would be better.
– Kate Bunting
Dec 6 at 11:21
See also English Language Learners Good Luck.
– Kris
Dec 6 at 11:40
@AmI Tanks for your answer. Is seems to me you are right. Thus, I appreciate it very much.：)
– Chang yo
Dec 6 at 12:56
@KateBunting usingenglish.com/forum/threads/…
– Chang yo
Dec 6 at 12:57
1
1
"He was the first person opening ..." is fine, but if you omit 'person' and expect 'first' to act as a pronoun, you create a garden path because 'the first opening' looks like a noun phrase (!"He was the first opening").
– AmI
Dec 6 at 5:59
"He was the first person opening ..." is fine, but if you omit 'person' and expect 'first' to act as a pronoun, you create a garden path because 'the first opening' looks like a noun phrase (!"He was the first opening").
– AmI
Dec 6 at 5:59
It feels odd to use 'that' in reference to a person. 'The first parcel that arrived was from Mary" is OK, but "The first person who..." would be better.
– Kate Bunting
Dec 6 at 11:21
It feels odd to use 'that' in reference to a person. 'The first parcel that arrived was from Mary" is OK, but "The first person who..." would be better.
– Kate Bunting
Dec 6 at 11:21
See also English Language Learners Good Luck.
– Kris
Dec 6 at 11:40
See also English Language Learners Good Luck.
– Kris
Dec 6 at 11:40
@AmI Tanks for your answer. Is seems to me you are right. Thus, I appreciate it very much.：)
– Chang yo
Dec 6 at 12:56
@AmI Tanks for your answer. Is seems to me you are right. Thus, I appreciate it very much.：)
– Chang yo
Dec 6 at 12:56
@KateBunting usingenglish.com/forum/threads/…
– Chang yo
Dec 6 at 12:57
@KateBunting usingenglish.com/forum/threads/…
– Chang yo
Dec 6 at 12:57
|
show 7 more comments
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
up vote
1
down vote
accepted
{combined my comments into an answer: xDD}
"He was the first person opening ..." is fine, but if you omit 'person' and expect 'first' to act as a pronoun, you create a garden path because 'the first opening' looks like a noun phrase (!"He was the first opening").
Yes, you can use a relative pronoun and say "He was the first that opened ..." or "He was the first that was opening ...", but English does prefer using 'who' when relativising a person. Using 'that' or 'which' has an advantage in that we use 'that' for restrictions and 'which' for adjuncts. With 'who' this distinction is entirely dependent on whether a comma (pause) is used before the relative pronoun.
To reiterate, 'First' can be used like a [pro]noun, and its antecedent can be a person, but 'first' can also be an adjective, and any v-ing can be a noun (gerund), so the parse gets confusing: ("She was the first arriving"). One fix is to insert another [pro]noun: "She was the first one arriving", "He was the first one opening ..."
answered yesterday
AmI
3,2521617
Well……I really appreciate your answer after combination.
– Chang yo
yesterday
add a comment |
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
1
down vote
accepted
{combined my comments into an answer: xDD}
"He was the first person opening ..." is fine, but if you omit 'person' and expect 'first' to act as a pronoun, you create a garden path because 'the first opening' looks like a noun phrase (!"He was the first opening").
Yes, you can use a relative pronoun and say "He was the first that opened ..." or "He was the first that was opening ...", but English does prefer using 'who' when relativising a person. Using 'that' or 'which' has an advantage in that we use 'that' for restrictions and 'which' for adjuncts. With 'who' this distinction is entirely dependent on whether a comma (pause) is used before the relative pronoun.
To reiterate, 'First' can be used like a [pro]noun, and its antecedent can be a person, but 'first' can also be an adjective, and any v-ing can be a noun (gerund), so the parse gets confusing: ("She was the first arriving"). One fix is to insert another [pro]noun: "She was the first one arriving", "He was the first one opening ..."
answered yesterday
AmI
3,2521617
Well……I really appreciate your answer after combination.
– Chang yo
yesterday
add a comment |
up vote
1
down vote
accepted
{combined my comments into an answer: xDD}
"He was the first person opening ..." is fine, but if you omit 'person' and expect 'first' to act as a pronoun, you create a garden path because 'the first opening' looks like a noun phrase (!"He was the first opening").
Yes, you can use a relative pronoun and say "He was the first that opened ..." or "He was the first that was opening ...", but English does prefer using 'who' when relativising a person. Using 'that' or 'which' has an advantage in that we use 'that' for restrictions and 'which' for adjuncts. With 'who' this distinction is entirely dependent on whether a comma (pause) is used before the relative pronoun.
To reiterate, 'First' can be used like a [pro]noun, and its antecedent can be a person, but 'first' can also be an adjective, and any v-ing can be a noun (gerund), so the parse gets confusing: ("She was the first arriving"). One fix is to insert another [pro]noun: "She was the first one arriving", "He was the first one opening ..."
answered yesterday
AmI
3,2521617
Well……I really appreciate your answer after combination.
– Chang yo
yesterday
add a comment |
up vote
1
down vote
accepted
up vote
1
down vote
accepted
{combined my comments into an answer: xDD}
"He was the first person opening ..." is fine, but if you omit 'person' and expect 'first' to act as a pronoun, you create a garden path because 'the first opening' looks like a noun phrase (!"He was the first opening").
Yes, you can use a relative pronoun and say "He was the first that opened ..." or "He was the first that was opening ...", but English does prefer using 'who' when relativising a person. Using 'that' or 'which' has an advantage in that we use 'that' for restrictions and 'which' for adjuncts. With 'who' this distinction is entirely dependent on whether a comma (pause) is used before the relative pronoun.
To reiterate, 'First' can be used like a [pro]noun, and its antecedent can be a person, but 'first' can also be an adjective, and any v-ing can be a noun (gerund), so the parse gets confusing: ("She was the first arriving"). One fix is to insert another [pro]noun: "She was the first one arriving", "He was the first one opening ..."
answered yesterday
AmI
3,2521617
{combined my comments into an answer: xDD}
"He was the first person opening ..." is fine, but if you omit 'person' and expect 'first' to act as a pronoun, you create a garden path because 'the first opening' looks like a noun phrase (!"He was the first opening").
Yes, you can use a relative pronoun and say "He was the first that opened ..." or "He was the first that was opening ...", but English does prefer using 'who' when relativising a person. Using 'that' or 'which' has an advantage in that we use 'that' for restrictions and 'which' for adjuncts. With 'who' this distinction is entirely dependent on whether a comma (pause) is used before the relative pronoun.
To reiterate, 'First' can be used like a [pro]noun, and its antecedent can be a person, but 'first' can also be an adjective, and any v-ing can be a noun (gerund), so the parse gets confusing: ("She was the first arriving"). One fix is to insert another [pro]noun: "She was the first one arriving", "He was the first one opening ..."
answered yesterday
AmI
3,2521617
answered yesterday
AmI
3,2521617
answered yesterday
AmI
3,2521617
answered yesterday
AmI
3,2521617
3,2521617
Well……I really appreciate your answer after combination.
– Chang yo
yesterday
add a comment |
Well……I really appreciate your answer after combination.
– Chang yo
yesterday
Well……I really appreciate your answer after combination.
– Chang yo
yesterday
Well……I really appreciate your answer after combination.
– Chang yo
yesterday
add a comment |
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1
"He was the first person opening ..." is fine, but if you omit 'person' and expect 'first' to act as a pronoun, you create a garden path because 'the first opening' looks like a noun phrase (!"He was the first opening").
– AmI
Dec 6 at 5:59
It feels odd to use 'that' in reference to a person. 'The first parcel that arrived was from Mary" is OK, but "The first person who..." would be better.
– Kate Bunting
Dec 6 at 11:21
See also English Language Learners Good Luck.
– Kris
Dec 6 at 11:40
@AmI Tanks for your answer. Is seems to me you are right. Thus, I appreciate it very much.：)
– Chang yo
Dec 6 at 12:56
@KateBunting usingenglish.com/forum/threads/…
– Chang yo
Dec 6 at 12:57