Is the phrase “come fast” a grammatically correct imperative?
Is the following sentence grammatically correct as a command?
"Come fast."
I believe this would be a correct alternative:
"Come quick."
grammar adjectives adverbs imperative
New contributor
add a comment |
Is the following sentence grammatically correct as a command?
"Come fast."
I believe this would be a correct alternative:
"Come quick."
grammar adjectives adverbs imperative
New contributor
Come fast, before the cookies are all gone!
– Hot Licks
7 hours ago
It might depend on which English-speaking country you are in. It doesn't sound correct to my British ears (except in a sexual context!). If you mean you want someone to come to your location very quickly, I would say "come quickly". "Come quick" grates with me, because the phrase requires an adverb ("quickly") not an adjective ("quick").
– TrevorD
4 hours ago
add a comment |
Is the following sentence grammatically correct as a command?
"Come fast."
I believe this would be a correct alternative:
"Come quick."
grammar adjectives adverbs imperative
New contributor
Is the following sentence grammatically correct as a command?
"Come fast."
I believe this would be a correct alternative:
"Come quick."
grammar adjectives adverbs imperative
grammar adjectives adverbs imperative
New contributor
New contributor
edited 4 mins ago
Trevor Reid
31519
31519
New contributor
asked 9 hours ago
VyoamVyoam
42
42
New contributor
New contributor
Come fast, before the cookies are all gone!
– Hot Licks
7 hours ago
It might depend on which English-speaking country you are in. It doesn't sound correct to my British ears (except in a sexual context!). If you mean you want someone to come to your location very quickly, I would say "come quickly". "Come quick" grates with me, because the phrase requires an adverb ("quickly") not an adjective ("quick").
– TrevorD
4 hours ago
add a comment |
Come fast, before the cookies are all gone!
– Hot Licks
7 hours ago
It might depend on which English-speaking country you are in. It doesn't sound correct to my British ears (except in a sexual context!). If you mean you want someone to come to your location very quickly, I would say "come quickly". "Come quick" grates with me, because the phrase requires an adverb ("quickly") not an adjective ("quick").
– TrevorD
4 hours ago
Come fast, before the cookies are all gone!
– Hot Licks
7 hours ago
Come fast, before the cookies are all gone!
– Hot Licks
7 hours ago
It might depend on which English-speaking country you are in. It doesn't sound correct to my British ears (except in a sexual context!). If you mean you want someone to come to your location very quickly, I would say "come quickly". "Come quick" grates with me, because the phrase requires an adverb ("quickly") not an adjective ("quick").
– TrevorD
4 hours ago
It might depend on which English-speaking country you are in. It doesn't sound correct to my British ears (except in a sexual context!). If you mean you want someone to come to your location very quickly, I would say "come quickly". "Come quick" grates with me, because the phrase requires an adverb ("quickly") not an adjective ("quick").
– TrevorD
4 hours ago
add a comment |
3 Answers
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It depends on what was intended. To invite people to participate in a religious practice of not eating, “come fast” works but “come quick” doesn’t.
Grammar that doesn’t consider intent is a low bar to cross. If a sentence conveys meaning in some context - any context - it’s grammatical. And some would say that’s already too high a standard for grammaticality.
add a comment |
Let me ease any discomfort you might feel with come fast as an imperative. The source of that discomfort is probably that you think of fast as adjective rather than adverb. It can indeed be an adjective, as applied to a runner, a car, or (in a sexist pejorative sense) a woman. But it can also be an adverb, as in He ran fast.
The horror of using an adjective where an adverb (perhaps one ending in -ly) seems required is often overblown. Before yielding to it, one should remember not only the New Hampshire license-plate motto "Live free or die" but also the opening line of Lamentations in the King James Version: "How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people!"
My quick-running stopwatch endorses this answer.
– tchrist♦
53 mins ago
add a comment |
Yes it is grammatical. You can use the the idiom: come thick and fast TFD
To come rapidly and in large quantities (as in an attack).
And, come quick or come quickly works too. It all depends on context and sentence structure.
- Leona, come quick!
- They come fast at times too.
- Papa, Papa, come quickly!
add a comment |
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3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
It depends on what was intended. To invite people to participate in a religious practice of not eating, “come fast” works but “come quick” doesn’t.
Grammar that doesn’t consider intent is a low bar to cross. If a sentence conveys meaning in some context - any context - it’s grammatical. And some would say that’s already too high a standard for grammaticality.
add a comment |
It depends on what was intended. To invite people to participate in a religious practice of not eating, “come fast” works but “come quick” doesn’t.
Grammar that doesn’t consider intent is a low bar to cross. If a sentence conveys meaning in some context - any context - it’s grammatical. And some would say that’s already too high a standard for grammaticality.
add a comment |
It depends on what was intended. To invite people to participate in a religious practice of not eating, “come fast” works but “come quick” doesn’t.
Grammar that doesn’t consider intent is a low bar to cross. If a sentence conveys meaning in some context - any context - it’s grammatical. And some would say that’s already too high a standard for grammaticality.
It depends on what was intended. To invite people to participate in a religious practice of not eating, “come fast” works but “come quick” doesn’t.
Grammar that doesn’t consider intent is a low bar to cross. If a sentence conveys meaning in some context - any context - it’s grammatical. And some would say that’s already too high a standard for grammaticality.
answered 4 hours ago
LawrenceLawrence
31.5k563112
31.5k563112
add a comment |
add a comment |
Let me ease any discomfort you might feel with come fast as an imperative. The source of that discomfort is probably that you think of fast as adjective rather than adverb. It can indeed be an adjective, as applied to a runner, a car, or (in a sexist pejorative sense) a woman. But it can also be an adverb, as in He ran fast.
The horror of using an adjective where an adverb (perhaps one ending in -ly) seems required is often overblown. Before yielding to it, one should remember not only the New Hampshire license-plate motto "Live free or die" but also the opening line of Lamentations in the King James Version: "How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people!"
My quick-running stopwatch endorses this answer.
– tchrist♦
53 mins ago
add a comment |
Let me ease any discomfort you might feel with come fast as an imperative. The source of that discomfort is probably that you think of fast as adjective rather than adverb. It can indeed be an adjective, as applied to a runner, a car, or (in a sexist pejorative sense) a woman. But it can also be an adverb, as in He ran fast.
The horror of using an adjective where an adverb (perhaps one ending in -ly) seems required is often overblown. Before yielding to it, one should remember not only the New Hampshire license-plate motto "Live free or die" but also the opening line of Lamentations in the King James Version: "How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people!"
My quick-running stopwatch endorses this answer.
– tchrist♦
53 mins ago
add a comment |
Let me ease any discomfort you might feel with come fast as an imperative. The source of that discomfort is probably that you think of fast as adjective rather than adverb. It can indeed be an adjective, as applied to a runner, a car, or (in a sexist pejorative sense) a woman. But it can also be an adverb, as in He ran fast.
The horror of using an adjective where an adverb (perhaps one ending in -ly) seems required is often overblown. Before yielding to it, one should remember not only the New Hampshire license-plate motto "Live free or die" but also the opening line of Lamentations in the King James Version: "How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people!"
Let me ease any discomfort you might feel with come fast as an imperative. The source of that discomfort is probably that you think of fast as adjective rather than adverb. It can indeed be an adjective, as applied to a runner, a car, or (in a sexist pejorative sense) a woman. But it can also be an adverb, as in He ran fast.
The horror of using an adjective where an adverb (perhaps one ending in -ly) seems required is often overblown. Before yielding to it, one should remember not only the New Hampshire license-plate motto "Live free or die" but also the opening line of Lamentations in the King James Version: "How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people!"
answered 3 hours ago
Brian DonovanBrian Donovan
13.6k12460
13.6k12460
My quick-running stopwatch endorses this answer.
– tchrist♦
53 mins ago
add a comment |
My quick-running stopwatch endorses this answer.
– tchrist♦
53 mins ago
My quick-running stopwatch endorses this answer.
– tchrist♦
53 mins ago
My quick-running stopwatch endorses this answer.
– tchrist♦
53 mins ago
add a comment |
Yes it is grammatical. You can use the the idiom: come thick and fast TFD
To come rapidly and in large quantities (as in an attack).
And, come quick or come quickly works too. It all depends on context and sentence structure.
- Leona, come quick!
- They come fast at times too.
- Papa, Papa, come quickly!
add a comment |
Yes it is grammatical. You can use the the idiom: come thick and fast TFD
To come rapidly and in large quantities (as in an attack).
And, come quick or come quickly works too. It all depends on context and sentence structure.
- Leona, come quick!
- They come fast at times too.
- Papa, Papa, come quickly!
add a comment |
Yes it is grammatical. You can use the the idiom: come thick and fast TFD
To come rapidly and in large quantities (as in an attack).
And, come quick or come quickly works too. It all depends on context and sentence structure.
- Leona, come quick!
- They come fast at times too.
- Papa, Papa, come quickly!
Yes it is grammatical. You can use the the idiom: come thick and fast TFD
To come rapidly and in large quantities (as in an attack).
And, come quick or come quickly works too. It all depends on context and sentence structure.
- Leona, come quick!
- They come fast at times too.
- Papa, Papa, come quickly!
answered 8 hours ago
lbflbf
22.1k22575
22.1k22575
add a comment |
add a comment |
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Come fast, before the cookies are all gone!
– Hot Licks
7 hours ago
It might depend on which English-speaking country you are in. It doesn't sound correct to my British ears (except in a sexual context!). If you mean you want someone to come to your location very quickly, I would say "come quickly". "Come quick" grates with me, because the phrase requires an adverb ("quickly") not an adjective ("quick").
– TrevorD
4 hours ago