I looked at my friend with a sigh
'with a sigh', does it make sense?
2007-12-18 13:24:27 · 35 answers · asked by xiangshei 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
It is grammatically correct, but doesn't make the best sense - you can't look with a sigh (because you look with your eyes). It might be better to say "I looked at my friend and sighed."
2007-12-18 13:27:46 · answer #1 · answered by Eileen 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I interpret this sentence to mean that the friend you looked at was sighing. This is not what is stated but that is how I interpret it. "with a sigh" is a prepositional phrase and makes no sense at the end of this sentence. Are you trying to say that as you looked at your friend, YOU were sighing? So, who was actually sighing, you or your friend? Do you see the problem with this sentence structure now?
2007-12-18 13:31:23 · answer #2 · answered by Barbara A 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sigh can actually be used as a noun, not just a verb.
But look at it from this way "I looked at my friend with a telescope". Here, you're essentially saying that you are looking through something at your friend.
From your previous sentence, you looked at your friend with a sigh, you wouldn't look through a 'sigh' at your friend.
Therefore, your meaning is ambiguous and the sentence does not make logical sense.
2007-12-18 13:30:12 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It does sound awkward. I'm an English major and would re-read that sentence if I saw it in writing. Then again, it could just be because you pointed it out. But grammatically, I think it's sound. I don't know what you're using it for, but if you can't rearrange it in any way (I looked at my friend and sighed, I sighed as I looked at my friend), then i don't see any problem with leaving it as is.
2007-12-18 13:31:05 · answer #4 · answered by rtm788 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
not really making sense....sounds like your friend had a sigh. Try "With a sigh, I looked at my friend." Still not sure if it's correct though but sounds better.
2007-12-18 13:28:00 · answer #5 · answered by Sarah S 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
You could word it that way, or you could also word it "With a sigh, I looked at my friend," or also "I looked at my friend and sighed." It all depends on whether or not you want to have sigh be a verb or a noun.
2007-12-18 13:28:22 · answer #6 · answered by Boredom 3333 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes that is perfectly fine. You are saying that you looked at your friend and sighed. The better way to say it is..." I looked at my friend and sighed" But either way works.. hope this helps.
2007-12-18 13:28:02 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It does not make sense.
How can you 'look' at someone with a sigh? A sigh is a sound. Here is a list of synonyms from dictionary.com that may be a better word than sigh.
http://thesaurus.reference.com/browse/sigh
Without any sort of context, I can't help you with what you're trying to say, but I do believe that you need to correct it.
2007-12-18 13:30:48 · answer #8 · answered by captainlualbano 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
I would say...With a sigh, I looked at my friend.
2007-12-18 13:29:50 · answer #9 · answered by GeekDGirl 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There are many words that are verbs that can now be used as nouns. Like elbow and elbow. I'm going to elbow you. I hurt my elbow.
So yea, you can probably get away with it, but to be safe I would change it to:
"I looked at my friend and sighed."
2007-12-18 13:29:38 · answer #10 · answered by Vito C. 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋