I can stand that much to help the environment.
---------------------------
What is the part of speech of 'that much' in the sentence?
English - Writeacher, Tuesday, March 25, 2014 at 7:53am
The sentence doesn't make sense.
What does "can stand" mean here?
It's unclear what "that much" means unless I can read the sentence or two before this one.
=====================
Thank you for your help.
We didn't bring paper cups or plates....The picnic was great, but I had to do the dishes when we came home. I don't enjoy doing the dishes, but I can stand that much to help the environment.
-------
In the last sentence, Is 'that much' an object of 'stand' or an adverbial phrase?
Ahhh, NOW it's understandable!!
In that sentence, "that much" is referring to washing the dishes (rather than using paper plates and plastic cups, etc., which could result in litter in the area where the picnic was held).
Although "much" is usually used as an adjective or adverb, the phrase ("that much") is serving here as a direct object after the verb "stand."
In the sentence "I don't enjoy doing the dishes, but I can stand that much to help the environment," the phrase "that much" is functioning as an adverbial phrase.
To determine the part of speech of "that much" in a sentence, you can follow these steps:
1. Identify the word it modifies or describes. In this case, "that much" modifies the verb "stand." It tells us the extent to which the speaker can stand or tolerate something.
2. Determine the function of the word or phrase in the sentence. In this example, "that much" is expressing the extent or degree to which the speaker can stand doing the dishes.
By analyzing the sentence and understanding the context, you can conclude that "that much" is an adverbial phrase.