Forum: English Questions 
Sep 1st, 2015, 05:04 am
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Replies: 2
Views: 2,548  Re: has/had
1. No - the verb is wrong. As you say, there's a clash between the verb fprm (present) and the concept of "first" which suggests you are only talking about the past. You would have to say :
KJ...
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Forum: English Questions
Aug 29th, 2015, 08:42 am
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Replies: 4
Views: 2,850 Re: on
You see why you can't ignore context?
No - in this context, when you're talking about the cover, you must say eg John's book has an alien on the cover/front / There's an alien on the cover/front of...
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Forum: English Questions
Aug 28th, 2015, 04:01 am
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Replies: 4
Views: 2,850 Re: on
By the choice of preposition you create the context - language makes no sense out of context.
If you say There's an alien... on John's book I understand that a real alien is standing or sitting on...
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Forum: English Questions
Aug 26th, 2015, 06:31 am
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Replies: 2
Views: 2,344 Re: clarify
This doesn't make sense at all. It's not grammatical and means nothing. To clarify is a transitive verb and means to make something clear. Eg :
The students obviously don't understand the use of...
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Forum: English Questions
Aug 25th, 2015, 02:54 am
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Replies: 4
Views: 3,022 Re: wish
Unfortunately, when you're talking about language use it's rarely possible. Of course, language learners make errors that are right/wrong in the sense of being grammatically or lexically not possible...
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Forum: English Questions
Aug 22nd, 2015, 05:21 am
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Replies: 4
Views: 2,845 Re: inform
I had understood that the programme had already been scheduled and would take place in the terms indicated. That's the automatic interpretation. In that case, you have a choice. The preposition...
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Forum: English Questions
Aug 21st, 2015, 03:45 am
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Replies: 2
Views: 2,407 Re: going
No. in is always used to express direction.
Some examples :
She had to move in some direction- any direction that would take her away from this evil place.
He looked in her direction but he...
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Forum: English Questions
Aug 18th, 2015, 04:09 am
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Replies: 4
Views: 3,022 Re: wish
You've got the wrong word - hope, not wish.
Hope = a mental desire for a future event to occur :
I hope John arrives soon
I hope the glasses survive the journey.
As hope already tells you that the...
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Forum: English Questions
Aug 17th, 2015, 03:31 am
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Replies: 5
Views: 11,329 Re: countable and uncountable nouns exception
There are lots of counter examples though - again it depends on the context and how the word is being used. All of the following are authentic examples from books and websites - just Google them if...
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Forum: English Questions
Aug 15th, 2015, 04:07 am
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Replies: 4
Views: 2,483 Re: woman, they
Yes - here woman is being used uncountably, so the grammar is different. In your example above it was being used as a countable noun. See this thread...
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Forum: English Questions
Aug 13th, 2015, 10:41 am
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Replies: 4
Views: 2,483 Re: woman, they
No.
1) You can't use a singular noun without a preceding determiner - eg
No woman was allowed to...
Alternatively, you could use the plural :
Women were not allowed to ...
2) It makes no sense...
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Forum: English Questions
Aug 11th, 2015, 02:00 am
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Replies: 6
Views: 4,075 Re: Please explain what it means?
No, not really. If I was writing eg a letter to the authorities I would probably choose the slightly more formal "is it the case that..." but the difference is very slight.
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Forum: English Questions
Aug 10th, 2015, 12:47 am
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Replies: 6
Views: 4,075 Re: Please explain what it means?
It means : Is it true that...
Here, case means situation. For example I might say:
My brother might be here tomorrow. In that case, he can look after the dogs while I go shopping.
In other words,...
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Forum: English Questions
Aug 5th, 2015, 07:55 am
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Replies: 2
Views: 2,334 Re: originally
It's nothing to do with the word originally but the fact that the proposal is a past event. So was would be more appropriate here.
But in other sentences originally might well be used with a present...
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Forum: English Questions
Aug 4th, 2015, 03:57 am
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Replies: 2
Views: 2,736 Re: on
1. OK : on = about
2. No - it should be in the week of...
on is used with a specific day or date : On Tuesday; on December 1st
in is used with a period of time : in the next two weeks, in...
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Forum: English Questions
Aug 3rd, 2015, 06:32 am
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Replies: 4
Views: 2,845 Re: inform
As always, without knowing the context it's difficult to say exactly. What's the connection between the course, the education programme and the Teaching practice?? Do they clash? I'm presuming that...
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Forum: English Questions
Jul 31st, 2015, 02:41 am
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Replies: 2
Views: 2,516 Re: whether
If has three uses - it can express : a) a condition, b) the idea "given that X is true" or c) the concept possibly yes, possibly no
Whether doesn't just mean if - it means if or not. So it can only...
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Forum: English Questions
Jul 30th, 2015, 01:12 am
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Replies: 4
Views: 2,754 Re: best
Interesting. Had never thought of that one. Again, that would only be appropriate in more informal messages, but it's certainly possible. It would depend on what the specific writer was thinking. And...
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Forum: English Questions
Jul 29th, 2015, 02:28 am
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Replies: 4
Views: 2,754 Re: best
It's an abbreviation of Best regards.
It's usual to end emails in neutral style - ie not to friends - with
Best regards or just Regards. However sometimes, to make it slightly more informal, if you...
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Forum: English Questions
Jul 28th, 2015, 03:09 am
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Replies: 2
Views: 2,426 Re: find/found
1. have found because it's a past event - the moment of "finding" - with a present result - the pdf is attached now-
2, I'd prefer some....guidelines, but it's a quibble.
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Forum: English Questions
Jul 27th, 2015, 04:07 am
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Replies: 1
Views: 2,432 Re: picking up
Yes - it's a verb plus adverb, so a phrasal verb. Here it's used intransitively, but the full meaning, as you say, would be :
She's not picking up the phone.
She's not picking the phone up.
The...
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Forum: English Questions
Jul 26th, 2015, 11:31 am
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Replies: 5
Views: 4,255 |
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Forum: English Questions
Jul 25th, 2015, 11:25 am
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Replies: 4
Views: 2,802 Re: since then
But you can't say He has died since 2005 for exactly the reasons you state. Dying is something that takes place at one specific moment, so the use of the present perfect and a since time phrase,...
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Forum: English Questions
Jul 24th, 2015, 08:50 am
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Replies: 2
Views: 2,445 Re: save me from
To save something and to save someone/something from someone/something are two different constructions and involve two different meanings of the verb save.
To save something means to keep or retain...
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Forum: English Questions
Jul 23rd, 2015, 02:52 am
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Replies: 4
Views: 2,802 Re: since then
It's the choice of lexis which is wrong. Since + past date indicates an event that has been on-going for the whole of that period - from the past to the present - eg I have lived here since...
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