1. Practice makes perfect.
(What is the structure of this proverb? Is 'makes' an intransitive verb, and is 'perfect' an adjective complement? Then, what is the meaning of 'makes')
2. It rolled over and over.
3. It rolled off and off
4. It rolled above and above.
5. It rolled down and down.
(Are the sentences all meaningful? Would you let me know the use of the expressions?)
6.The children swim in themselves.
7. The children swim at themselves.
8. The childrens swim by themselves.
9. The childrens swim to themselves.
10. The childrens swim on themselves.
(Which sentences are meaningful among the five sentences above?)
1 - This proverb is a shortened form of something like this: Practice makes your actions perfect. The structure of that sentence is Subject-Verb-Direct Object. Yes, "makes" is transitive, but "perfect" is actually modifying words that are assumed.
The word "makes" (3rd person singular present form of "make") has many meanings and is used in a large number of idioms.
http://www.answers.com/make
Just look at the list of meanings here!
2 - good; it means something started rolling and didn't stop rolling until someone or something stopped it.
3 and 4 don't make sense.
5 is OK if you end it after the first instance of "down."
Among 6 - 10, only 8 makes sense.
1. "Practice makes perfect" is a well-known proverb. In terms of structure, "makes" is indeed an intransitive verb and "perfect" functions as an adjective complement. The meaning of "makes" in this proverb is that through continuous practice and repetition, one can achieve perfection or improve greatly in a particular skill or activity.
2. The sentence "It rolled over and over" is meaningful. The phrase "over and over" suggests that the subject (it) rolled repeatedly or continuously.
3. The sentence "It rolled off and off" is not commonly used, and it may not be meaningful in most contexts. "Off and off" doesn't convey a clear or commonly understood meaning. It would be more grammatically correct and meaningful to say "It rolled off" without repeating "off."
4. The sentence "It rolled above and above" is also not commonly used and may not be meaningful in most contexts. "Above and above" doesn't convey a clear or commonly understood meaning. It would be more grammatically correct and meaningful to say "It rolled above" without repeating "above."
5. Similarly, the sentence "It rolled down and down" is not commonly used and may not be meaningful in most contexts. "Down and down" doesn't convey a clear or commonly understood meaning. It would be more grammatically correct and meaningful to say "It rolled down" without repeating "down."
6. The sentence "The children swim in themselves" is not meaningful. The phrase "swim in themselves" doesn't convey a clear or commonly understood meaning. It would be more grammatically correct and meaningful to rephrase it as "The children swim by themselves" to indicate that they swim without assistance or supervision.
7. The sentence "The children swim at themselves" is not meaningful. The phrase "swim at themselves" doesn't convey a clear or commonly understood meaning. It would be more grammatically correct and meaningful to again rephrase it as "The children swim by themselves."
8. The sentence "The children swim by themselves" is meaningful. It indicates that the children are swimming without any assistance or external intervention.
9. The sentence "The children swim to themselves" is a bit ambiguous and may not be commonly used. It could potentially imply that the children are swimming towards themselves, which wouldn't make literal sense. A more meaningful and common phrase would be "The children swim on their own" or "The children swim independently."
10. The sentence "The children swim on themselves" is not commonly used and may not be meaningful in most contexts. "On themselves" doesn't convey a clear or commonly understood meaning. It would be more grammatically correct and meaningful to say "The children swim by themselves" or "The children swim on their own."