Question 1

Since this lesson is about the -(y)Iş ending, could we say adayın titreyişi here?

Accepted Answer

You could, but it changes the meaning! The -(y)Iş ending focuses on the way an action is done. titreyişi would mean 'the way the candidate trembles'. By using the standard -mE verbal noun (titremesi), the sentence just refers to the act of trembling itself.

Question 2

Why do we need the -ın on adayın and the -si on titremesi?

Accepted Answer

This creates a possessive relationship, exactly like 'the candidate's trembling' in English. aday gets the genitive ending -ın ('of the candidate'), and the verbal noun titreme gets the 3rd-person possessive ending -si to link the trembling back to them.

Question 3

Why is the word order kötü bir işaret instead of bir kötü işaret?

Accepted Answer

In Turkish, when an adjective describes a noun with bir (a/an), the adjective usually comes first. It is literally 'bad a sign'. If you say bir kötü işaret, it sounds like you are strongly emphasizing the number 'one' (one bad sign).

Question 4

How does değil work in this sentence without a verb?

Accepted Answer

değil is the word for 'not' when you are negating nouns or adjectives. Because kötü bir işaret (a bad sign) is a noun phrase, you just put değil right after it to say that the trembling 'is not' a bad sign.

Adayın titremesi kötü bir işaret değil.

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