Is this grammatically correct?

why not? the car is not really a location is it? the car could be a thing.

If you know it is inside the car, did you really forget it, or did you just leave it there?

Interesting question. I might be completely wrong here (I claim trilingual defense in advance!) but I think that sentence would technically mean you forgot about your hat while you were in the car, not that you ‘left it in the car’ or ‘forgot to take it with you from the car’

Yes, it is more or less correct. “In the car” is modifying “hat” and not the verb “forget.”

If you were to say “In the car I forgot my hat” it would mean that the act of forgetting occurred in the car.

@wildflower – one definition of forgot is “to leave behind unintentionally; neglect to take: ”

The sentence is grammatically correct but unclear and awkward. Do you mean,” I left my hat in the car”? “I forgot my hat. It’s in the car.”?

I would also find awkward “In the car I forgot my hat.” Would anyone actually say that?
I know that I wouldn’t.

I agree with gailcalled; although it is a grammatically correct sentence, it is a little awkward. Unfortunately these things sometimes cross our lips before we have a chance to think them through completely. Then there are those of us who don’t read well enough before we post or re-read sufficiently before we’ve lost the opportunity to edit.

Is English your native language?

The issue here is not grammar, but it goes beyond just awkwardness. What you really meant was that you left your hat in the car. The verb forget is not synonymous with leave. It’s incorrect usage of that word.

@marina – i guess the American Heritage Dictionary has it wrong, then.

v. for·got (-gŏt’), for·got·ten (-gŏt’n) or for·got, for·get·ting, for·gets

v. tr.

1. To be unable to remember (something).
2. To treat with thoughtless inattention; neglect: forget one’s family.
3. To leave behind unintentionally.
4. To fail to mention.
5.
1. To banish from one’s thoughts: forget a disgrace.
2. Informal To disregard on purpose. Usually used in the imperative: Oh, forget it. I refuse to go!

v. intr.

1. To cease remembering: Let’s forgive and forget.
2. To fail or neglect to become aware at the proper or specified moment: forgot about my dental appointment.

I fail to see why this sentence is “awkward” and “unclear”. Maybe it is a cultural thing. I’ve always considered “forget” to be synonymous with “leave”.

@ccatron Dueling dictionaries. I was using Merriam Webster which reads:

Main Entry:
for·get
Pronunciation:
\fər-ˈget, fȯr-\
Function:
verb
Inflected Form(s):
for·got \-ˈgät\; for·got·ten \-ˈgä-tən\ or for·got; for·get·ting
Etymology:
Middle English, from Old English forgietan, from for- + -gietan (akin to Old Norse geta to get)
Date:
before 12th century

transitive verb1 a: to lose the remembrance of : be unable to think of or recall <I forget his name> b: obsolete : to cease from doing 2: to treat with inattention or disregard <forgot their old friends>3 a: to disregard intentionally : overlook —usually used in the imperative <I shouldn’t have said that, so just forget it> b: to give up hope for or expectation of —usually used in the imperative <as for prompt service, forget it>intransitive verb1: to cease remembering or noticing <forgive and forget>2: to fail to become mindful at the proper time <forgot about paying the bill>
synonyms see neglect
— for·get·ter noun
— forget oneself
: to lose one’s dignity, temper, or self-control

In point of fact, I strongly feel that not all dictionaries are created equal. I am no fan of the American Heritage Dictionary. My husband always jokes about an ill-advised American Heritage Dictionary ad from years ago with a voiceover that said, “Do you know the difference between the meaning of flaunt and flout? Sixty-six per cent of the elite advisory council of the American Heritage Dictionary do.” Funny, but frightening.

I still regard that as colloquial usage.

@marina – the excerpt i took was from dictionary.com, which cites other sources and most of them say “leave behind unintentionally”. Webster doesn’t seem to agree, but some people at Princeton do.

WordNet – Cite This Source – Share This
forget

verb
1. dismiss from the mind; stop remembering; “I tried to bury these unpleasant memories” [ant: remember]
2. be unable to remember; “I’m drawing a blank”; “You are blocking the name of your first wife!” [ant: call back]
3. forget to do something; “Don’t forget to call the chairman of the board to the meeting!” [ant: bear in mind]
4. leave behind unintentionally; “I forgot my umbrella in the restaurant”; “I left my keys inside the car and locked the doors”

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.

So, who knows? I guess it is one of those “gray areas” in English and grammar.

Changing usage. I am a laggard. I still hate using host as a verb or any of the other myriad noun to verbs with which the language is now studded. ccatron, I think you, and your sources, take this round.

implying you forgot your hat was in the car would simply be- I forgot my hat was in the car. ‘I left my hat in the car’ would seem as though you’d purposefully left it there. To clarify your meaning and avoid misplaced modifiers it might be more helpful to say something along the lines of: My hat is in the car. I forgot to bring it.

Why not confess that you hate the hat and had no intention of actually wearing it out in public? Why does everything has to be a secret with you? If you didn’t like the hat you could have just said so and not come up with some really lame fluther question on syntax to leave it in the car.

LOL