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Caxio
Hello everyone of native English speakers.
Questions about the position of the adverb “most” and the tense in which my uncle should be --in all and in fact , two real questions.
A.
1. You need a good rest most.
2. You most need a good rest.
3. You need most a good rest.
4. A good rest is what you need most.
5. What you most need is a good rest.
B.
1. My uncle telephoned.
2. Who telephoned is my uncle.
3. The person who telephoned is my uncle.
4. The man who telephoned is my uncle.
5. The man who is telephoning is my uncle.
6. The man who was telephoning is my uncle.
7. The man who was telephoning was my uncle.
8. The person who telephoned has been my uncle.
Question: Which is grammatically correct?
14 nov. 2025 16:13
Antwoorden · 7
✅ Summary
Group Most Natural Sentences
A “A good rest is what you need most.” / “What you most need is a good rest.”
B “It was my uncle who telephoned.” / “The person who telephoned is my uncle.”
15 nov. 2025 11:44
I agree with Caroline that for A, 4 and 5 sound best.
For B, 1, 3 and 4 make grammatical sense. Purely grammatically, 5, 6 and 7 are possible (although it's rather unnatural to use the verb 'telephoning' rather than 'phoning'; or you might say 'on the phone'). Using the past continuous form could suggest phoning over a period of time (for instance, every day). 7 could imply the uncle is now deceased or no longer your uncle for some reason. :)
14 nov. 2025 19:45
B. “My uncle” – tense and structure
Let’s review each sentence in context. Suppose we’re identifying who telephoned.
1️⃣ My uncle telephoned. ✅
→ Simple past, completely correct.
2️⃣ Who telephoned is my uncle. ✅
→ Grammatically correct, though slightly unnatural. Normally we’d say:
→ “It was my uncle who telephoned.”
3️⃣ The person who telephoned is my uncle. ✅
→ Correct, natural, present tense for identification.
4️⃣ The man who telephoned is my uncle. ✅
→ Also correct and natural.
5️⃣ The man who is telephoning is my uncle. ✅
→ Correct only if the call is happening right now.
6️⃣ The man who was telephoning is my uncle. ✅
→ Correct if you’re describing something that was happening at some past moment.
7️⃣ The man who was telephoning was my uncle. ✅
→ Grammatically correct, but clumsy unless you need both verbs in past tense for narrative consistency.
8️⃣ The person who telephoned has been my uncle. ❌
→ Incorrect meaning — has been implies he used to be your uncle but maybe isn’t anymore.
✅ Best choices:
→ “It was my uncle who telephoned.” (most natural)
→ or “The person who telephoned is my uncle.”
15 nov. 2025 11:44
A. “most” – position and naturalness
You want to say: You need a good rest more than anything else.
Let’s see which versions are grammatically correct and idiomatic in English.
1️⃣ You need a good rest most. ❌
→ Not natural. In English, most doesn’t usually come at the end of this sentence.
2️⃣ You most need a good rest. ✅
→ Grammatically correct and clear, but sounds a bit formal or literary.
3️⃣ You need most a good rest. ❌
→ Incorrect word order — sounds unnatural.
4️⃣ A good rest is what you need most. ✅⭐
→ Perfectly natural, idiomatic, and the best choice.
5️⃣ What you most need is a good rest. ✅
→ Also correct and slightly more formal or elegant.
✅ Best choices:
→ “A good rest is what you need most.”
→ “What you most need is a good rest.”
15 nov. 2025 11:44
Genodigde
For A, I would use either 4 or 5, but I think 5 sounds better. For B, I think number 1 sounds most natural. Hope that helps!
14 nov. 2025 18:17
Heb je je antwoorden nog steeds niet gevonden?
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Caxio
Taalvaardigheden
Chinees (Mandarijn), Engels
Taal die wordt geleerd
Engels
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