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Hi
Would you please tell me the differences in using of
- look,
- see and
- pay attention"?
See (something) is what our eyes do. It's a passive function in the sense that we do not consciously control it - as long as our eyes are open they will see things.
Look (at something) is what we do with out eyes. It's a conscious action. We choose to look in a particular direction or at a particular thing.
Pay attention (to something) is another way to say focus on something or concentrate on something. It means that we are taking care not to miss something because it is important.
Of course, the context in which the words are used is important too.
Hello,
I would like to ask which of the following is correct
1.He makes questions
2.He asks questions
3.I need to practice on how to make/ask questions(is this sentence correct?)
If both are correct what is their difference?
Thank you in advance
Both 1 and 2 are correct. There is a difference in meaning. To "ask" a question means to say the question to someone else. To "make" a question is the action of forming or constructing a question, and it does not necessarily mean that you ask it to anybody. For example, when a teacher is writing an exam paper, (s)he is making questions.
A small correction in 3: it should be one of these options.
"I need to practise how to ..." (here, "practise" is a verb)
"I need practice on how to ..." (here, "practice" is a noun).
Hello
I would like to ask if the following sentence is correct
Can you show me please your French book that you have for school?(I mean that I would like to see/read the book that they use for their lesson at school)
Thank you in advance
Hello I would like to ask if the following is correct
In June I will attend the French/Maths/ course which will be intensive(Many hours during the day and will last a month)
Thank you in advance
Are you asking about the verb form or the predicate of the sentence? It's difficult to evaluate the verb form without knowing more about why you're saying this. If you look at the Talking about the future page, you'll see what I mean -- we use one verb form or another depending on the purpose of our statement.
Re: the predicate, I'm also a little confused. Is it a French course or a math course? Or both? In any case, I'd probably just say 'intensive maths course' or 'intensive French course'.
Hello,
Thank you for the reply.
I would like to ask if I have used the correct verb.And also if I can use the verb in order to talk about a course that when it will be completed I will take a certificate,.Finally which preposition is ok.for example : I will attend an Intensive Math course or the Intensive month course?
Thank you in advance
As far as the verb form goes, you have several choices:
> I will attend - this describes a decision you have made and suggests that it's not something you have yet planned
> I'm going to attend - this describes an intention and suggest that it's something you have planned and not simply decided on the spur of the moment
> I'm attending - this describes an arrangement and suggests your plan is organised and already put in place (deposit paid, reservation made etc)
The correct article (not preposition) is probably 'an' since this is likely the first time you are telling the listener about it. Of course, without knowing the context it's impossible to be sure.
Hello,
I would like to ask if the following are correct
If we don't understand someone who talks can we say
1. Excuse me , can you please repeat ?
2. Could you please speak slower?
Thank you in advance
Yes, right. In 1, it sounds more natural to say "can you please repeat that?" In 2, you can also say "Could you please speak a bit slower?" to make it sound more polite.
Hello
I would like to ask which of the following is correct (IAM happy that they practice)
1.I am happy that they have the opportunity to speak in English with you during the week Or
2.I am happy that they have the opportunity to speak with you in English during the week
Thank you in advance
Sir, I would like to know about the word in this sentences.
(What are the things that can not be -brought- to school.)
(Books borrowed from the library are not to be -kept- for more than seven days.)
Are these words (brought, kept) past participle or adjective? What grammar point is it? Could you tell me please?
These are past participles. They are part of a passive structure (be + past participle). You can have a look at our Passives grammar page (linked) to learn more about it. I hope you find it useful!
Good morning ,
I would like to ask the following
Can we say
- The sugar weakens/influences the immune system during an illness-flue
-Instead you can have honey
Thank you in advance
It's hard to be sure of things like articles (a/the/no article) without seeing the sentence in context but I think the most natural way to say this in most contexts would be as follows:
Sugar weakens the immune system during a flu-like illness. Instead, you can use honey.
Influences would be too vague here as it does not tell us if sugar has a positive or negative effect. Since the second sentence makes it clear that you consider it negative, weakens is better. Strengthens would be the opposite.
Good morning. I have been looking for an answer to the following question all over the place. In vain.
"When the subject is singular but the description is plural, is the verb singular or plural?"
Example: "He discovered that Paul’s only soft spot was/were sweets."
This drives me crazy each time.
Thank you in advance.
Yes, that's correct, though in writing a full stop is needed at the end, and a comma is needed before 'but': 'My name is Marian, but John calls me Mari.'
Hello,
I would like to ask if the following are correct
Paul got an A in maths in the first semester (including his performance in class,oral, written and tests)
In such case we can say
1.Paul did well in maths this semester ?
2.Is it correct to say?
'We will stop the lesson on Friday and we will start again after Christmas holidays '
Thank you in advance
Sentence #2 needs just a couple of minor changes: We will stop the lessons on Friday and we will start again after the Christmas holidays.
Presumably you are talking about a series of lessons or a course, which is why the plural is needed. You're referring to specific Christmas holidays (those coming up), not Christmas holidays as a general idea or concept, so the definite article is needed.
Please do not post your comments more than once. We read every comment before it is published, which means it can take some time for them to appear on the pages. Posting your comments more than once just slows everything down!
Hello,
Be supposed to
Be = am/is/are/was/were/been/being
I have found this structure with only simple present and simple past tenses.
-It is supposed to rain.
-It was supposed to rain.
-----
My questions are:
1) Can we use 'be supposed to' with all 12 tenses?
-Prakash is being supposed to come. (Present Conti)
-he has been supposed to come. (Present perfect.)
-Prakash has been being supposed to come. (Present perfect cont.)
2) Can we use 'be supposed to' with other auxiliaries?
-it can be supposed to rain.
-Prakash may have been supposed to come.
-Prakash used to be supposed to come.
1) No, it's typically only used with 'be' in the present simple or past simple ('am', 'are', 'is', 'was' and 'were'). We use other forms or phrases to speak about expectations in other time periods, e.g. 'Will they expect us to finish the project before noon?' or 'We had planned on leaving early.'
2) There might be some unusual use that I'm not thinking of right now, but I don't think so.
Dear teachers,
It may not be related to the topic here, but I wonder whether the following sentence is grammatically correct or not: "I studied and studied for my driving test until I knew it by heart."
Thank you!
Hello,
I would like to ask the following
Which one is correct
1.My father takes me at school by car or
My father drives me at school?
2. When I finish lunch (or when I finish my lunch?) I take my plate and spoon at the kitchen.
Is this sentence correct?
Thank you in advance
I'm afraid neither is correct. In both sentences, 'at' should be changed to 'to'. We use 'to' when talking about the direction of movement and 'at' to talk about a place where we have arrived.
Hello,
I would like to ask the following.
If 2 friends go/ ride with their bicycles , can I say : They went for a bike?
2nd questions
Is the sentence correct?
The girl felt and found herself into a hole
Τhank you in advance
'have' can be used to speak about possession, but I wouldn't say it's a possession verb because it also has other meanings and uses (e.g. 'I have finished my homework' or 'I had a shower') that do not indicate possession.
All verbs have an imperative form. The imperative form has the same form as the base form or bare infinitive form. So the imperative form of 'take' is 'take', for 'go' it's 'go' and for 'do' it's 'do'. Just as for 'write' it's 'write', etc.
Hello,
I would like to ask the following.
If I will travel for a few days in the near future,and I would like to inform some people about it
Which sentence is correct:
1.I am traveling on Friday for a few days and I will be back on Monday OR
2.I will be out of Greece/Italy for a few days and I will return on Monday
Thank you in advance
Hello,
I would like to ask the following
When we want to know if someone has finished his breakfast /meal (the question is made by a waitress)
Which one is correct
1.Have you finished your breakfast /meal?
Or
2.Are you finished your meal?
What is the meaning of Are you finished? Is it polite?
Thank you in advance
The first one is correct (with 'have'). The second version is not grammatical.
You can say 'Are you finished?' (without an object after it) and it can be polite if it is said in an appropriate tone. However, it could be ambiguous as it could refer to other things than a meal. 'Have you finished your meal?' is the best option, I think.
Thank you
I have 2 questions
Is it correct to say
Could you help me to move the armchair?or could you help me moving the armchair?
Furthermore
Whenever I would like to make a question in this site ,I can't find the 'comment ' part in order to make a new question,that is why I wrote my question to an existing comment(reply)
Thank you in advance
The correct form is 'help me to move' or 'help me move'.
Have you tried scrolling to the bottom of the screen to make a new comment? That's where I see the space to write one.
If you don't see a space to reply at the bottom, please let us know what device and browser you're using and I'll pass it on to the technical team so they can take a look at it.
Hi
Would you please tell me the differences in using of
- look,
- see and
- pay attention"?
Thank you in advance
Hello Enny Kabora,
See (something) is what our eyes do. It's a passive function in the sense that we do not consciously control it - as long as our eyes are open they will see things.
Look (at something) is what we do with out eyes. It's a conscious action. We choose to look in a particular direction or at a particular thing.
Pay attention (to something) is another way to say focus on something or concentrate on something. It means that we are taking care not to miss something because it is important.
Of course, the context in which the words are used is important too.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello,
I would like to ask which of the following is correct
1.He makes questions
2.He asks questions
3.I need to practice on how to make/ask questions(is this sentence correct?)
If both are correct what is their difference?
Thank you in advance
Hi Nagie23,
Both 1 and 2 are correct. There is a difference in meaning. To "ask" a question means to say the question to someone else. To "make" a question is the action of forming or constructing a question, and it does not necessarily mean that you ask it to anybody. For example, when a teacher is writing an exam paper, (s)he is making questions.
A small correction in 3: it should be one of these options.
I hope that helps.
Jonathan
LearnEnglish team
Hello,
I would like to ask if the following is correct :
The lack of some vitamins have caused him dizziness
Thank you in advance
Hello Nagie23,
I think we'd normally say 'some dizziness' but otherwise that is grammatically correct.
All the best,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team
Hello
I would like to ask if the following sentence is correct
Can you show me please your French book that you have for school?(I mean that I would like to see/read the book that they use for their lesson at school)
Thank you in advance
Hello Nagie23,
The sentence is grammatically fine but it doesn't quite sound natural to me. I think something like this would be better:
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello I would like to ask if the following is correct
In June I will attend the French/Maths/ course which will be intensive(Many hours during the day and will last a month)
Thank you in advance
Hello Nagie23,
Are you asking about the verb form or the predicate of the sentence? It's difficult to evaluate the verb form without knowing more about why you're saying this. If you look at the Talking about the future page, you'll see what I mean -- we use one verb form or another depending on the purpose of our statement.
Re: the predicate, I'm also a little confused. Is it a French course or a math course? Or both? In any case, I'd probably just say 'intensive maths course' or 'intensive French course'.
Does that make sense?
All the best,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team
Hello,
Thank you for the reply.
I would like to ask if I have used the correct verb.And also if I can use the verb in order to talk about a course that when it will be completed I will take a certificate,.Finally which preposition is ok.for example : I will attend an Intensive Math course or the Intensive month course?
Thank you in advance
Hello Nagie23,
As far as the verb form goes, you have several choices:
> I will attend - this describes a decision you have made and suggests that it's not something you have yet planned
> I'm going to attend - this describes an intention and suggest that it's something you have planned and not simply decided on the spur of the moment
> I'm attending - this describes an arrangement and suggests your plan is organised and already put in place (deposit paid, reservation made etc)
The correct article (not preposition) is probably 'an' since this is likely the first time you are telling the listener about it. Of course, without knowing the context it's impossible to be sure.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello,
I would like to ask if the following are correct
If we don't understand someone who talks can we say
1. Excuse me , can you please repeat ?
2. Could you please speak slower?
Thank you in advance
Hi Nagie23,
Yes, right. In 1, it sounds more natural to say "can you please repeat that?" In 2, you can also say "Could you please speak a bit slower?" to make it sound more polite.
Jonathan
LearnEnglish team
Hello
I would like to ask which of the following is correct (IAM happy that they practice)
1.I am happy that they have the opportunity to speak in English with you during the week Or
2.I am happy that they have the opportunity to speak with you in English during the week
Thank you in advance
Hi Nagie23,
They are both correct :)
Jonathan
LearnEnglish team
Sir, I would like to know about the word in this sentences.
(What are the things that can not be -brought- to school.)
(Books borrowed from the library are not to be -kept- for more than seven days.)
Are these words (brought, kept) past participle or adjective? What grammar point is it? Could you tell me please?
Hi JameK,
These are past participles. They are part of a passive structure (be + past participle). You can have a look at our Passives grammar page (linked) to learn more about it. I hope you find it useful!
Jonathan
LearnEnglish team
Thank you Sir.
Good morning ,
I would like to ask the following
Can we say
- The sugar weakens/influences the immune system during an illness-flue
-Instead you can have honey
Thank you in advance
Hello Nagie23,
It's hard to be sure of things like articles (a/the/no article) without seeing the sentence in context but I think the most natural way to say this in most contexts would be as follows:
Influences would be too vague here as it does not tell us if sugar has a positive or negative effect. Since the second sentence makes it clear that you consider it negative, weakens is better. Strengthens would be the opposite.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Good morning. I have been looking for an answer to the following question all over the place. In vain.
"When the subject is singular but the description is plural, is the verb singular or plural?"
Example: "He discovered that Paul’s only soft spot was/were sweets."
This drives me crazy each time.
Thank you in advance.
Hello aurora kastanias,
In this particular case and similar ones, 'was' is the correct form.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Thank you so much, Kirk. Truly appreciate it, especially since it is holiday season. So thank you, and Happy New Year!
Hello,
I would like to ask if the following is correct:
My name is Marian but John calls me Mari
Thank you in advance
Hello Nagie23,
Yes, that's correct, though in writing a full stop is needed at the end, and a comma is needed before 'but': 'My name is Marian, but John calls me Mari.'
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello,
I would like to ask if the following are correct
Paul got an A in maths in the first semester (including his performance in class,oral, written and tests)
In such case we can say
1.Paul did well in maths this semester ?
2.Is it correct to say?
'We will stop the lesson on Friday and we will start again after Christmas holidays '
Thank you in advance
Hello Nagie23,
Sentence #1 is fine.
Sentence #2 needs just a couple of minor changes: We will stop the lessons on Friday and we will start again after the Christmas holidays.
Presumably you are talking about a series of lessons or a course, which is why the plural is needed. You're referring to specific Christmas holidays (those coming up), not Christmas holidays as a general idea or concept, so the definite article is needed.
Please do not post your comments more than once. We read every comment before it is published, which means it can take some time for them to appear on the pages. Posting your comments more than once just slows everything down!
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello,
Be supposed to
Be = am/is/are/was/were/been/being
I have found this structure with only simple present and simple past tenses.
-It is supposed to rain.
-It was supposed to rain.
-----
My questions are:
1) Can we use 'be supposed to' with all 12 tenses?
-Prakash is being supposed to come. (Present Conti)
-he has been supposed to come. (Present perfect.)
-Prakash has been being supposed to come. (Present perfect cont.)
2) Can we use 'be supposed to' with other auxiliaries?
-it can be supposed to rain.
-Prakash may have been supposed to come.
-Prakash used to be supposed to come.
Prakash Kesari,
Maharashtra, India.
Hello Prakash,
1) No, it's typically only used with 'be' in the present simple or past simple ('am', 'are', 'is', 'was' and 'were'). We use other forms or phrases to speak about expectations in other time periods, e.g. 'Will they expect us to finish the project before noon?' or 'We had planned on leaving early.'
2) There might be some unusual use that I'm not thinking of right now, but I don't think so.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Thank you Kirk sir.
Your answer - 2 - there might be some........
uses may be usual or unusual.
what does Kirk think as a grammarian?
Hello Prakash,
I'm afraid I don't understand your question. Could you please explain it in more detail?
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Dear teachers,
It may not be related to the topic here, but I wonder whether the following sentence is grammatically correct or not: "I studied and studied for my driving test until I knew it by heart."
Thank you!
Hello katt_79,
Yes, that sentence is fine. Well done!
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Thank you so much!
Hello,
I would like to ask the following
Which one is correct
1.My father takes me at school by car or
My father drives me at school?
2. When I finish lunch (or when I finish my lunch?) I take my plate and spoon at the kitchen.
Is this sentence correct?
Thank you in advance
Hi Nagie23,
I'm afraid neither is correct. In both sentences, 'at' should be changed to 'to'. We use 'to' when talking about the direction of movement and 'at' to talk about a place where we have arrived.
Other than that, your sentences are good!
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello,
I would like to ask if the following is correct
What is he doing?
He is greeting( say hello)
Thank you in advance
Hi Nagie23,
The verb "greet" needs an object, e.g. He is greeting somebody or He is greeting the guests. It's correct if you add the object :)
Jonathan
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello,
I would like to ask the following.
If 2 friends go/ ride with their bicycles , can I say : They went for a bike?
2nd questions
Is the sentence correct?
The girl felt and found herself into a hole
Τhank you in advance
Hi Nagie23,
It would be unusual to say "They went for a bike". The usual phrase would be "They went for a bike ride" or "They went out riding their bikes".
For the second sentence, the preposition should be "in", not "into" (since this describes position, not movement).
I hope that helps.
Jonathan
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello sir ,
Is "have "consider from the possession verb ?
Another question can we consider "take" and "go "and "do "from imperative verb?
Hello g-ssan,
'have' can be used to speak about possession, but I wouldn't say it's a possession verb because it also has other meanings and uses (e.g. 'I have finished my homework' or 'I had a shower') that do not indicate possession.
All verbs have an imperative form. The imperative form has the same form as the base form or bare infinitive form. So the imperative form of 'take' is 'take', for 'go' it's 'go' and for 'do' it's 'do'. Just as for 'write' it's 'write', etc.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello,
I would like to ask the following.
If I will travel for a few days in the near future,and I would like to inform some people about it
Which sentence is correct:
1.I am traveling on Friday for a few days and I will be back on Monday OR
2.I will be out of Greece/Italy for a few days and I will return on Monday
Thank you in advance
Hi Nagie23,
Both of those sentences are correct and they express the meaning that you want :)
Jonathan
The LearnEnglish Team
This is like the summary of what happen in the odisea
Chapters :V
Hello,
I would like to ask the following
When we want to know if someone has finished his breakfast /meal (the question is made by a waitress)
Which one is correct
1.Have you finished your breakfast /meal?
Or
2.Are you finished your meal?
What is the meaning of Are you finished? Is it polite?
Thank you in advance
Hello Nagie23,
The first one is correct (with 'have'). The second version is not grammatical.
You can say 'Are you finished?' (without an object after it) and it can be polite if it is said in an appropriate tone. However, it could be ambiguous as it could refer to other things than a meal. 'Have you finished your meal?' is the best option, I think.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Thank you
I have 2 questions
Is it correct to say
Could you help me to move the armchair?or could you help me moving the armchair?
Furthermore
Whenever I would like to make a question in this site ,I can't find the 'comment ' part in order to make a new question,that is why I wrote my question to an existing comment(reply)
Thank you in advance
Hello Nagie23,
The correct form is 'help me to move' or 'help me move'.
Have you tried scrolling to the bottom of the screen to make a new comment? That's where I see the space to write one.
If you don't see a space to reply at the bottom, please let us know what device and browser you're using and I'll pass it on to the technical team so they can take a look at it.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team