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TuyetMai wrote: ↑05 Sep 2019, 05:00 I recently come across this sentence in a book written in British English:
"We needed to take a cab to the hotel, so waited our turn."

It seems like a grammar error to me. The second clause needs a subject, and the sentence should have been written as:
"We needed to take a cab to the hotel, so [we] waited our turn."

When I check this sentence with Grammarly, it passes the sentence as correct, so I'm now wondering if it's something I'm not aware of. The author uses this structure repeatedly in the book, so it seems like a deliberate choice. I would appreciate it if someone could lend me their views on this.

Ben Moore wrote: ↑05 Sep 2019, 07:33 I’m pretty confident that that sentence is valid. It sort of carries over the subject from the first clause. It’s implied in the second. Does that make sense? I’d certainly write that sentence and wouldn’t bat an eyelid if I read it.

That said, English is a bizarre language so a lot of grammar and stuff is essentially just based on whether or not people accept it haha!

Intuitive Catalyst wrote: ↑05 Sep 2019, 10:01 I would never accept such a sentence nor would I write such. I agree with your addition of 'we'. That sentence is colloquial thought written down. In other words, the author writes the way he/she thinks. I don't trust Grammarly too much. I use it mainly for punctuation and comparison with Scribens.

For example, I'm Caribbean-born but I think in French and Creole English but I write and speak in standard English depending with whom I'm communicating. If I wrote as I thought in Creole English, my sentences would be vastly different. Hope that helps.

Juliet+1 wrote: ↑05 Sep 2019, 14:05 I think that sentence is fine. It does depend somewhat on who is saying the words. If it's a character in a novel and that's how s/he speaks, then it's correct. If it's a nonfiction book, perhaps someone narrating a travel adventure, then it's a little casual. But I still would not say that it's "wrong." Grammar is not that inflexible.

unamilagra wrote: ↑05 Sep 2019, 15:58 When it comes to marking errors for authors, it's important to keep in mind that authors are allowed creative liberty with their writing style in their novels. If you can tell that the author structured the sentence that way intentionally, then it shouldn't be considered an error, even if it might not pass muster a formal writing scenario (such as your review of the book when the time comes).

TuyetMai wrote: ↑05 Sep 2019, 23:49

Intuitive Catalyst wrote: ↑05 Sep 2019, 10:01 I would never accept such a sentence nor would I write such. I agree with your addition of 'we'. That sentence is colloquial thought written down. In other words, the author writes the way he/she thinks. I don't trust Grammarly too much. I use it mainly for punctuation and comparison with Scribens.

For example, I'm Caribbean-born but I think in French and Creole English but I write and speak in standard English depending with whom I'm communicating. If I wrote as I thought in Creole English, my sentences would be vastly different. Hope that helps.

Thank you, it does help immensely. I'm guessing the author probably wanted to have a more casual tone.

unamilagra wrote: ↑05 Sep 2019, 15:58 When it comes to marking errors for authors, it's important to keep in mind that authors are allowed creative liberty with their writing style in their novels. If you can tell that the author structured the sentence that way intentionally, then it shouldn't be considered an error, even if it might not pass muster a formal writing scenario (such as your review of the book when the time comes).