Date:  Fri, 22 Sep 1995 11:48:00 EST

From:  Electronic Products Magazine <0004276021[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]MCIMAIL.COM>

Subject: acceptability/grammaticality judgments, please



Here is my assessment of Bob's sentences:



1. Kim and Dale think that each other is the best.

OK. There are two clauses: "Kim and Dale" is the subject of the first,

think the verb, that the conjunction before the second clause, each

other is the subject of the second and is singular, is is the second-

clause verb (a copula), and the best is the object. Of course, since

is is a copula, the last clause would be as correct, though awkward,

as "the best is each other."



2. Who does she think said ate the cake?

Something is missing here. "Who does she think" is OK, by the above

analysis. The rest is confusing: "Who does she think ate the cake?"

would be OK. "Who does she think said, `I ate the cake'?" would also

be OK. However, what function does "said" perform in the current

sentence?









Leonard Schiefer            lschiefer[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]mcimail.com

Chief Copy Editor

Electronic Products Magazine

Garden City, NY