Is Subject There are ?

Question

Could you explain me, please

In my test my teacher corrected me the follow sentence:

To improve your memory there are three ways

by

There are three ways to improve your memory.

The question is: Is there are Subject?, and my sentence was wrong and why?

Thanks.

Answer 1

I think your teacher was incorrect. Whilst the correction is the more used sentence, yours is also perfectly acceptable with probably a comma after the word memory.

The verb of the phrase is in actual fact in the infinitive.

thanks Eddy - maylegoas, Oct 13, 2011

Answer 2

I'm pretty sure the teacher is correct. I am no grammar genius, but in the poster's sentence the infinitive use makes it an introductory clause. You are right in saying there should be a comma, but there should also be an additional clause.

"To improve your memory, there are three ways"

There are three ways what? That is the problem. I sure someone else could be much more technical about it.

thanks shakedownday - maylegoas, Oct 13, 2011

The same question can be asked of the teachers statement, What ways? - Eddy, Oct 13, 2011

Sorry, I posted this before seeing Samdie's reply which explains what I mean in far greater detail. - Eddy, Oct 13, 2011

Answer 3

The first sentence would be correct if it was complete. “To improve your memory, there are three ways that work”. The teacher’s correction would be correct as written. As for a subject it would be your memory and the action is to improve. At least that’s how I see it with my limited knowledge.

Thanks ILAle - maylegoas, Oct 13, 2011

Answer 4

There are three ways what? That is the problem.

Eddy's response is correct and though something more could be added, it's, by no means necessary. It is a simple inversion of the more common word order i.e. "There are three ways to improve your memory."

If there were, in fact some necessary piece of information missing, then that would also be true of the re-written sentence (usual word order) since it contains exactly the same information. More explicitly the reworded sentence, too, says nothing about what the three ways are. Your objection is on a par with complaining when someone says "I'm going shopping." because the person failed to mention in which stores.

Thanks samdie, This is an example of topic sentence with controlling idea. - maylegoas, Oct 13, 2011