Collins Cobuild English Grammar (174 page)

Former
and
latter
can also be adjectives. They always go before a noun.

You have the option of one or two bedrooms. The
former
choice allows room for a small bathroom.
Guy had studied Greek and philosophy at Oxford and had continued to have an interest in the
latter
subject.

USAGE NOTE

10.14
   When you want to refer generally to a whole class of things like the one that has been mentioned, you can say
things of this kind
or
things of that kind
. Alternatively you can say
this kind of thing
or
that kind of thing
.

We’ll need a special new application to deal with payments, invoices, and things
of that kind
.
Most of us would attach a great deal of importance to considerations
of this kind
.
I don’t see many advantages in
that kind of
education.
All arts theatres have
that type of
problem.

If you are referring to things of two or more kinds, you use
these
and
those
in front of
kinds
,
sorts
, or
types
, followed by
of
and a noun.

Both these countries want to reduce the production of
these kinds of weapons
.
There are specific regulations governing
these types of machines
.
Outsiders aren’t supposed to make
those kinds of jokes
.

You can also use
such
to refer back to things of a type that has just been mentioned. This is explained in paragraphs
10.28
to
10.32
.

time

10.15
   The adverb
then
is used to refer back to the time that has just been mentioned or discussed.

In ancient times poetry was a real force in the world. Of course the world was different
then
.

place

10.16
   The adverb
there
is used to refer back to the place that has just been mentioned.

I decided to try Newmarket. I soon found a job
there
.
I hurried back into the kitchen. There was nothing
there
.

manner

10.17
   After describing a way of doing something or a way in which something happens, you can refer back to it using the adverb
thus
.
Thus
is a formal word.

Joanna was pouring the drinks. While she was
thus
engaged, Charles took the guests’ coats.
It not only pleased him to work with them, but the money
thus
earned gave him an enormous sense of importance.

Note that
in this way
or
in that way
are commonly used instead.

Last week I received the Entrepreneur of the Year award. It’s a privilege to be honoured
in this way
.

Referring back in a general way

10.18
   There are various groups of nouns that are used to refer back in a general way to what has already been said. They refer to whole sections of spoken or written text.

referring to spoken or written texts

10.19
   You can often refer back to what has already been said in a text by using a noun that classes it as a type of verbal action, for example an admission, suggestion, or question.

‘Martin, what are you going to do?’ – ‘That’s a good
question
,
Larry.’ ‘You claim to know this man’s identity?’ – ‘I do.’ – ‘Can you prove this
claim
?’

The noun that you use to refer back like this not only refers to the text but also shows your feelings about it. For example, if you refer back to someone’s reply to something using the noun
response
, this shows that your feelings about it are quite neutral, whereas if you use the noun
retort
, this shows that your feelings about the reply are much stronger.

Here is a list of nouns that refer back to texts, classing them as types of verbal action:

account

accusation

acknowledgement

admission

advice

allegation

announcement

answer

apology

appeal

argument

assertion

assurance

boast

charge

claim

comment

complaint

compliment

concession

condemnation

confession

contention

correction

criticism

declaration

defence

definition

demand

denial

denunciation

description

digression

disclosure

discussion

endorsement

excuse

explanation

exposition

gossip

information

judgement

lie

message

narrative

objection

observation

plea

point

prediction

promise

pronouncement

prophecy

proposal

proposition

protest

question

reference

refusal

remark

reminder

reply

report

request

response

retort

revelation

rumour

statement

stipulation

story

suggestion

summary

tale

threat

verdict

warning

Note that many of these nouns are related to reporting verbs.
Reporting verbs
are explained in
Chapter 7
.

People will feel the need to be
informed
and they will go wherever they can to get this
information
.
’I don’t know what we should do about that.’ This
remark
was totally unexpected.
She
remarked
that she preferred funerals to weddings.

referring to ideas

10.20
   In the same way, you can also refer back to ideas that you know or think someone has by using a noun that also indicates your feelings about the ideas. For example, if you refer to someone’s idea using the noun
view
, this shows that your feelings about it are quite neutral, whereas if you use the noun
delusion
, this shows that your feelings are stronger.

His opinion of marriage is that it can destroy a relationship. Even previously unmarried people can hold
this view
if they experienced the break-up of their parents’ marriage.
There is nothing to cry for. They cannot keep me there against my will. Secure in this
belief
, he hugged her reassuringly and went out.

Here is a list of nouns that refer to ideas and show your feelings about the ideas:

analysis

assessment

assumption

attitude

belief

conclusion

conjecture

concept

deduction

delusion

diagnosis

doctrine

doubt

estimate

evaluation

fear

finding

guess

hope

idea

illusion

inference

insight

interpretation

misinterpretation

notion