italki - Hi! This is a passage from the book ´Frankenstein´ by Mary Shelley. It goes ´´I had admired the perf

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Martin

Hi! This is a passage from the book ´Frankenstein´ by Mary Shelley. It goes ´´I had admired the perfect forms of my cottagers - their grace, beauty, and delicate complexions: but how was I terrified when I viewed myself in a transparent pool!´´ My question is: can you also say ´´but how terrified was I when...´´ Thanks!

Mar 22, 2024 11:43 PM

Answers · 12

Yes. In normal year-2024 US English "how was I terrified" sounds very strange and unnatural. I would almost say "wrong." "How terrified was I" is the natural word order.

March 23, 2024

I agree with the others. Also, as a native English speaker I found Frankenstein not a very easy (or enjoyable) read. It is important and influential though.

March 23, 2024

Even 200 years ago, it wasn't the most natural way to say it. It's a highly stylized form of prose. In modern conversational English, most people would probably say something like "...but I was really terrified when..."

March 23, 2024

I like it. It is both exclamatory and interrogative. That is a valid rhetorical device. If a question mark were used, the exclamatory effect would be lost. Ideally, you might use both: "How was I terrified?!?" but that would be considered grammatically illegal (which would not stop me from doing it anyhow).

March 23, 2024