Can anyone help with a little grammar query please?

[youkiddingme]

I was critting a piece for someone and one sentence feels ungrammatical to me but I can't think what the grammar rule I need to refer to is. I want to be able to clearly explain the problem. Can anyone tell me what is wrong with this?:

"They had a look of worry on their faces, but I knew they weren't."

The sentence is unfinished, it should be: but I knew they weren't worried.'
There are more fluent ways of expressing this, such as: ' Despite looking worried, I could see that their expressions were not genuine.'
Or: 'Despite their worried expressions, I was certain that they felt no anxiety.'

Its just a bit clumsy. Even though they looked worried I knew they weren't. Or I knew they were fine.

I'm sure someone more competent than I am will be along soon.

I agree it’s clumsy, doesn’t scan well. “The look of worry on their faces belied their confidence”

It might suit the character who is observing this, though — the meaning is clear, despite the stumble from ‘to have’ to ‘to be’, and the simplicity or naivety of the formulation might suit a child narrator.

Wait I’ve re-considered Sorry worried isn’t a verb ignore me!

I think it’s actually to do with tense. It should still be “wasn’t”.

I think it needs to be past tense “worried” to make sense “wasn’t worried” is fine but “wasnt worry” isn’t.

Is it to do with the lack of a main verb to compliment the auxiliary ‘to have’? Because there’s no main verb there’s no perfect tense.

“The look of worry on their faces belied their confidence”
That sounds good.

Is it not 'looks of worry on their faces' or 'a look of worry on their faces'?

I’d just write ‘clunky’ and let them figure out why

Sorry, last one should say ''a look of worry on their FACE'

The trouble is you are using elipsis (missing out part of the sentence and relying on the reader to understand from your context) BUT you are using two different verb structures. Had a look = past simple of have. Weren't = past simple of the verb to be. Because you have changed the verb you are using, it isn't easy for the reader to instinctively understand and sounds clumsy.

To omit “worried” from the last part of the sentence, the word should have already appeared in the first part of the sentence in the same grammatical form (I.e. worried, not worry).

*ellipsis

@Zerogravity

The trouble is you are using elipsis (missing out part of the sentence and relying on the reader to understand from your context) BUT you are using two different verb structures. Had a look = past simple of have. Weren't = past simple of the verb to be. Because you have changed the verb you are using, it isn't easy for the reader to instinctively understand and sounds clumsy.

This is right, but given that the OP is giving feedback on a piece of creative writing, the ungrammatical nature of the sentence may actually work for the kind of thing a particular narrator might say. Yes

Their faces looked worried, but i knew they weren’t.

@fountaining The OP specifically asked what was wrong with the grammar!

The sentence isn’t parallel. Easiest fix is ‘They looked worried but I knew they weren’t’.

[quote Zerogravity]@fountaining The OP specifically asked what was wrong with the grammar![/quote]
Yes. What I’m saying is that, as this is presumably fiction, she needs to consider whether the non-standard grammar might be a deliberate choice, and whether it might actually work as part of characterisation.

@MySocalledLoaf

The sentence isn’t parallel. Easiest fix is ‘They looked worried but I knew they weren’t’.

Parallel. I think that's what I'm looking for. Thank you.

Does, 'Non-parallel verb-forms in comparative clauses' sound like the problem?

I can easily find fixes, and take into account the context of the usage, I just want to nail the grammar for my own notes. I like to keep a small folder of tricky little bits and pieces for future reference.

@HmmmmmmInteresting

Is it not 'looks of worry on their faces' or 'a look of worry on their faces'?

Urgh, they both sound wrong. I hadn't even considered that part. I'd just run from the sentence and rework it totally if I was writing it but now I'll have to ponder that.

The sentence mixes singular and plural. They didn't have one look of worry - multiple people and multiple faces.

They (pl) had a look (s) of worry on their (pl) faces (pl)

They had looks of worry on their faces

It's still a bit odd and clunky but grammatical correct

@SummeHoliday

The sentence mixes singular and plural. They didn't have one look of worry - multiple people and multiple faces.

They (pl) had a look (s) of worry on their (pl) faces (pl)

They had looks of worry on their faces

It's still a bit odd and clunky but grammatical correct

thanks

"They had a look of worry on their faces, but I knew that they weren't."