- Americans are puzzled
- Americans puzzled
Which one is correct? I believe 2nd one is grammatically correct, but I see the usage of 1st also.
Answer
They are both correct, when used properly. The problem is, they’re phrases, not complete sentences (sort of). Consider the following two sentences:
1) Americans are puzzled by the alien spacecraft hovering over Montana.
2) Americans puzzled over the alien spacecraft hovering over Montana.
In the first sentence, Americans (as a whole) are confused and confounded by an alien spacecraft hovering over a state.
In the second sentence, Americans are thinking about an alien spacecraft hovering over a state. They are still confused, but are thinking about it – why is it there, what is it doing, is it stealing our cows, etc.
Both phrases could be used in certain situations. The only one that is a sentence on its own, however, is “Americans are puzzled.” This states that Americans in general are attempting to figure something out (what, we don’t know).
Attribution
Source : Link , Question Author : T2E , Answer Author : GnoveltyGnome
