Sasha
Professional Teacher
What is the meaning of "the cylinder still" in the context below? It seems to me that in this phrase "cylinder" is an adjective and "still" is a noun, isn't it? "A sudden chill came over me. There was a loud shriek from a woman behind. I half turned, keeping my eyes fixed upon the cylinder still, from which other tentacles were now projecting, and began pushing my way back from the edge of the pit. I saw astonishment giving place to horror on the faces of the people about me. I heard inarticulate exclamations on all sides. There was a general movement backwards. I saw the shopman struggling still on the edge of the pit. I found myself alone, and saw the people on the other side of the pit running off, Stent among them. I looked again at the cylinder, and ungovernable terror gripped me. I stood petrified and staring."
Jan 6, 2018 10:54 AM
Answers · 7
2
No, it's an adverb modifying the verb phrase "keeping my eyes fixed", so it could be rewritten as "still keeping my eyes fixed on the cylinder." The adjectival form of "cylinder" is "cylindrical". This book was written over 100 years ago, so the syntax probably isn't what we would use today.
January 6, 2018
1
A non-native English speaker's humble opion: The first STILL is an adjective. The sentence describes the astonished appearance of the autor. ( There are a lot of words giving the same information: chill shriek astonishment horror exclamations terror petrified and staring ). The use of an adjective, like STILL, following a verb is quite normal in English. -- The sun rose red. -- The door was hit open. The second STILL ( I saw the shopman struggling still on the edge of the pit) is an adverb. The usage in this sentence is pretty old, meaning 'keeping or repeatedly doing something. The sentence means that the shopman was keeping trying to get out of the pit, but failed because of horror and nervousness.
January 6, 2018
I think "still" here is adverb modifing keep. Althogh I half turned, i still kept my eyes fixed upon the cylinder.
January 6, 2018
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