I just need to know if the verb “prophesy” can be follow by to (ex. to Macbeth), if “army” is considered as a collective noun (plural), if the word devil is used with the definitive article and if the expression “to be born by “ is correct. I also need to know if the past perfect is possible in sentence number 3.
1) The witches are unable to distinguish between opposites. For them fair is foul and foul is fair.
2)They are able to predict the future and are generally associated with the devil.
3) First, they prophesy (to Macbeth) that he will become Thane of Cowdor and king of Scotland. After Macbeth had killed Banquo, the witches tell him that he will be safe as long as Birnham Wood doesn't move to Dunsinane Castle and that no man born of (a) woman will ever hurt him.
4) Both prophecies come true since Macduff's army use the branches of the trees of Birnham Wood as camouflage to cover their advance towards Dunsinane Castle.
5) Furthermore, Macduff wasn't born by a woman since he was delivered by Caasarean section.
Thank you.
1) to distinguish opposites. (unless there are a bunch of "opposites" and one of them has to be picked out?)
For them, (reads better with comma)
3) ok "prophesy to Macbeth" Here is a "sequence of tense" thing. If you say "After Macbeth HAD KILLED (Past Perfect), the witches TOLD him that he WOULD be safe......didn't move....would hurt him. IF YOU BEGIN in the past, stay there, OR
After Macbeth kills...the witches tell him, he will be safe (using the Historical Present)
Your choice Most of yours have been Present.
4) army use (army is singular and armies is plural)...to cover the advance (or its advance?)
5) wasn't born to a woman
spelling Caesarean section
Sra
1) OK
2) OK
3) First, they prophesy to Macbeth that he will become Thane of Cowdor and king of Scotland. After Macbeth killed Banquo, the witches tell him that he will be safe as long as Birnham Wood doesn't move to Dunsinane Castle and that no man born of woman will ever hurt him. [Past perfect is not correct in the second sentence because the main verb is present tense.** Also, "no man born of woman" is a roundabout way of saying "no person."]
4) Both prophecies come true since Macduff's army uses the branches of the trees of Birnham Wood as camouflage to cover their advance towards Dunsinane Castle.
5) Furthermore, Macduff wasn't born by a woman since he was delivered by Caasarean section. [You'll have to explain that to me!!! His mother wasn't a woman??]
**Sequence of tenses: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/verbs.htm#sequence
1) The sentence "The witches are unable to distinguish between opposites. For them fair is foul and foul is fair." does not involve any specific grammatical questions. It is a statement about the witches' perception of opposites.
2) The sentence "They are able to predict the future and are generally associated with the devil." does not involve any specific grammatical questions. It is a statement about the witches' abilities and their association with the devil.
3) The sentence "First, they prophesy (to Macbeth) that he will become Thane of Cowdor and king of Scotland. After Macbeth had killed Banquo, the witches tell him that he will be safe as long as Birnham Wood doesn't move to Dunsinane Castle and that no man born of (a) woman will ever hurt him." raises several grammatical questions:
a) Can the verb "prophesy" be followed by "to" and a person (ex. "to Macbeth")?
Yes, the verb "prophesy" can be followed by "to" and a person to indicate who the prophecy is directed to. In this case, the witches are prophesying to Macbeth.
b) Is the word "army" considered as a collective noun (plural)?
No, the word "army" is not considered a collective noun in this sentence. It is used as a singular noun to refer to a single group.
c) Can the word "devil" be used with the definite article ("the")?
Yes, the word "devil" can be used with the definite article "the" in this context. It refers to the concept of the devil as an entity.
d) Is the expression "to be born by" correct?
In this particular context, the expression "to be born by" is not correct. The correct expression is "to be born of." So it should be "no man born of (a) woman will ever hurt him."
4) The sentence "Both prophecies come true since Macduff's army use the branches of the trees of Birnham Wood as camouflage to cover their advance towards Dunsinane Castle." does not involve any specific grammatical questions. It is a statement about the fulfillment of the prophecies.
5) The sentence "Furthermore, Macduff wasn't born by a woman since he was delivered by Caesarean section." does not involve any specific grammatical questions. It is a statement about Macduff's birth.