1. I found it stupid of Tom to say so.
2. He made it clear that he loved Emily.
3. I found it unknow why Emily loved Tom.
4. Jerry made it clear what he wanted.
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Is the formal object used correctly in each sentence?
In each of the sentences you provided, there is a formal object being used. The formal object is a type of grammatical construction where the verb is followed by a dummy pronoun "it" or "what."
1. "I found it stupid of Tom to say so." - In this sentence, "it" is serving as the formal object. The verb "found" is followed by the pronoun "it," referring to an unknown thing. The sentence implies that the speaker finds Tom's statement stupid.
To determine if the formal object is used correctly, we can break down the sentence structure:
- Subject: "I"
- Verb: "found"
- Formal object: "it"
- Complement: "stupid of Tom to say so"
The formal object "it" is placed correctly in the sentence, functioning as a placeholder for the actual thing or situation that the speaker finds stupid.
2. "He made it clear that he loved Emily." - In this sentence, "it" is also serving as the formal object. The verb "made" is followed by the pronoun "it," which refers to something unspecified. The sentence implies that the person made a point to make something clear regarding their love for Emily.
Sentence breakdown:
- Subject: "He"
- Verb: "made"
- Formal object: "it"
- Complement: "clear that he loved Emily"
The formal object "it" is used correctly in this sentence, serving as a placeholder for the unspecified thing that is made clear about the person's love for Emily.
3. "I found it unknow why Emily loved Tom." - In this sentence, there is an error in the usage of the formal object. The word "unknow" should be replaced with "unknown" for correct grammar. Additionally, the sentence structure makes it unclear what the formal object is referring to.
Revised sentence: "I found it unknown why Emily loved Tom."
Sentence breakdown:
- Subject: "I"
- Verb: "found"
- Formal object: "it"
- Complement: "unknown why Emily loved Tom"
The revised sentence now correctly uses the formal object "it" to represent the unknown reason for Emily's love for Tom.
4. "Jerry made it clear what he wanted." - In this sentence, "it" is being used correctly as the formal object. The verb "made" is followed by the pronoun "it," representing an unspecified thing that Jerry made clear.
Sentence breakdown:
- Subject: "Jerry"
- Verb: "made"
- Formal object: "it"
- Complement: "clear what he wanted"
The formal object "it" is used correctly in this sentence as a placeholder for the unspecified thing that Jerry made clear about his desires.