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Hello,
I would like to ask if the following is correct:
If I want to say a story ,can I start with the following phrase?
-Let's go back in time
Thank you in advance
Hello Nagie23,
Yes, you can say that. It would be more common to begin with something simple such as 'One time, ...' or 'A while ago, ...' but if you wanted to start a story with more of a dramatic rhetorical flourish then this would be fine.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello,
I would like to ask which of the following sentences is correct:
1.If he does his homework,he will do well
2.If he does his homework,he can do well.
Thank you in advance
Hello Nagie23,
It's possible to use different modal verbs in the result clause of a conditional sentence like this, so both sentences are correct. However, there is a difference in meaning:
1.If he does his homework, he will do well. [a prediction or belief]
2.If he does his homework, he can do well. [a possibility]
Other modals are possible, as I said:
...he might/may/could do well [there is a chance of it happening]
...he should do well. [a logical expectation]
...he must/has to do well. [I can't imagine anything else]
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello,
I would like to ask the following:
If you are an A student,you will be the student of the month.
If you have good grades ,you will be the student of the month.
Are the above sentences correct?
Thank you in advance
Hello Nagie23,
Yes, those sentences are both fine.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello,
I would like to ask about the following :
If two friends are talking on the phone ,and the one is very anxious and worried about his job,can I ask the following question?
-You sounded anxious,the other day.
Thank you in advance
Hello Nagie23,
Yes, you can certainly ask that. You don't need the comma, however, as 'the other day' is an adverbial expression similar to 'yesterday' or 'recently' and no comma is needed with such expressions.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello,
I would like to ask for the following sentence:
1.Is the sentence correct?
2.If I am the teacher can I use the verb to sense to talk about a student's progress?
Sentence:
Even though the student doesn't participate much during the lesson/is a little bit shy,I sense (as a teacher)that he has made a little bit of progress in Speaking.
OR
I see that even though...he has made a a little bit of progress.
3.Does a little bit of progress correct?
Thank you in advance
Hello Nagie23,
It's not wrong to use 'sense' here, but I would recommend using something like 'I see some sign of progress'.
It's OK to say 'a little progress' or 'some progress'.
I'd encourage you to give a specific example of the progress if possible.
Best wishes,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team
Hello,
I would like to ask if the following is correct :
-Could you please bring me the bill?(In a restaurant)
Thank you in advance
Hello Nagie23,
Yes, this is correct. Good work!
Best wishes,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team
Hello,
I would like to ask if the following is correct :
-To pump up the plastic swimming pool.
Thank you in advance
Hello Nagie23,
When I hear 'plastic swimming pool', I think of one that is hard plastic, which cannot be inflated.
I would say 'pump up an inflatable pool' instead.
Hope this helps.
Best wishes,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team
Hello,
I would like to ask which of the following are correct
He is really happy with his math teacher.He said that every student who passes by this teacher is really lucky because he will learn a lot of things
Thank you in advance
Hello Nagie23,
Both versions in 1 are correct. They mean exactly the same thing.
2 is fine, though I would 'has' instead of 'passes by'.
Please don't post your questions more than once -- it will just slow down our responses.
Best wishes,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team
Hello,
I would like to ask if the following phrase is correct.
Thank you in advance
Phrase:
Regarding your question about the difference among British, English, Scottish etc,the general idea is that
Hello Nagie23,
It kind of depends on what you mean by 'British', 'English' and 'Scottish'. If you're referring to people, then you need to say either 'the English' or 'English people' (and the same with the other nationalities). We also don't typically say 'etc.' to refer to people.
So if I've understood what you mean, you could say for example 'Regarding your question about the differences between the British, the English and the Scottish, the general idea is that ...'
Best wishes,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team
Thank you for your reply.
I have one more question.Does the word among among fit as well in the sentence?
...the difference among the British, the English and the Scottish, the general idea is that ...'
Thank you in advance
Hello again Nagie23,
In theory, 'between' is used when the entities are distinct from one another in some way and 'among' when not.
But really this is a matter of style, which means that there might be conflicting opinions about it. I think 'between' works better here.
Best wishes,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team
Hello, why in some sentences I see the following structure
This tool is useful to reading the books
Instead of
"To read the book"
Hello melani_95,
That sentence is not correct so either you've misread it or the writer's English is not as good as they think!
After 'for' you need to have an object, which can be a noun or an -ing form:
Perhaps you saw 'used' rather than 'useful'. Then you could say these:
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello,
I have a doubt about "to go" and "to come".
When I mean to reach someone from one place to another (near places)
"he comes to somebody"
or
"he goes to somebody"
What is the correct sentence?
Thanks for help.
Hello User_1,
The choice of come or go depends on where the speaker is. Generally come means 'to here' and go means 'to there':
Paul came home at 10.00. [the speaker is at (Paul's) home]
Paul went home at 10.00. [the speaker is somewhere else]
Please come to the office. [I am waiting at the office for you]
Please go to the office. [I am not at the office]
So in your examples the choice of verb depends on the location of the speaker.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Peter,
Thanks for your help!
Hi, can someone explain why in this example is used word ''is'' but not ''was'' as I understand it's a 2nd conditional.
Example If someone is forced, to purchase one of these more costly alternatives, it would leave people feeling exacerbated.
Hi urbonait_e,
This is called a mixed conditional (it has the condition clause of a first conditional, and the main clause of a second conditional).
Although English learning materials (including our website) usually present first and second conditionals separately, in real life speakers sometimes mix them, like your example. This mixing may be considered incorrect from a strict grammatical point of view, but it is nevertheless common.
Regarding the meaning, the first/second mix makes it somewhat unclear whether the speaker means that this situation is relatively realistic or likely to happen (as with a first conditional), or unrealistic or unlikely to happen (as with a second conditional).
I hope that helps.
Jonathan
LearnEnglish team
Is this correct English: I hear you are travelling to Spain soon.
Hi benleng,
Yes! It's grammatically correct.
Jonathan
LearnEnglish team
Hi,
1} That incident has been a turning point in my life
2] That incident was a turning point in my life.
Could you please explain what is the difference between these two sentences ?
Hello p_t_balagopal,
The difference between the present perfect and past simple is explained in some detail on our Talking about the past page (which by the way would be a good place to ask a question like this).
1 is a bit unnatural. The word 'that' implies some distance between the incident and the rest of your life, whereas the use of the present perfect suggests proximity. This discrepancy is what makes the sentence unnatural.
2 is much more natural because 'that' and the past simple go well together. Even though these two forms suggest that the incident happened some time ago, the fact that it was a turning point means it's still present in your life in some way.
Hope this helps.
Best wishes,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team
Thanks for your guidance, sir.
Hello,
Is the following sentence correct?
If I must take a few ,I would say everything that my mother used to give to me as Christmas presents
Thanks in advance
Hello Nagie23,
Grammatically the sentence has no errors but I don't understand what 'take a few' refers to. Perhaps the context would clarify it, but it's not clear from the sentence.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello,
I would like to ask if the following is correct
I paint my hair
Thank you in advance
Hi Nagie23,
If you mean to change the colour of your hair, the verb is dye: I dye my hair (black, blonde ...).
Hope that helps.
Jonathan
LearnEnglish team
Hello,
I would like to ask which of the following is correct
Resting helps to renew our batteries or
Rest helps to renew our batteries
Thank you in advance
Hello again Nagie23,
Both are fine, but I think the best verb is not 'renew' but 'recharge'.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello,
I would like to ask which of the following are correct
1.Feel yourself at home or make yourself at home?
2.Shall I bring you or shall I bring to you?
3 It smells like daisy.
Thanks in advance
Hello Nagie23,
1. You can say 'feel at home' or 'make yourself at home'.
2. You can say 'Shall I bring you the book' or 'Shall I bring the book to you'.
3. This is fine.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello,
I would like to ask if the following sentence is correct
What president is Bosh the father in succession?
Hello,
I would like to ask if the following is correct
I am taking flute lessons (I am the student).
I am a beginner
Thank you in advance
Hello Nagie23,
Yes, those sentences are fine. Well done!
By the way, in English a flute player is called a flautist.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello,
I would like to ask if the following is correct:In specifically the part :To work at your firm and provide.Is it to work and provide or to work and providing?
-I would love to work at your firm and provide my services as a math teacher.
Thank you in advance
Hello Nagie23,
Yes, that is correct, i.e. 'provide' is correct and 'providing' is not.
If you're applying for a job, best of luck!
Best wishes,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team
Hello,
I would like to ask if the following is correct:
She wants to know if the bus she took will stop at Oxford Street
Thank you in advance
Hi Nagie23,
Yes, it's fine!
In this situation, presumably she is on the bus at the moment of saying this sentence (since "will stop" refers to something that has not yet happened). So, I might say something like She wants to know if the bus she's on will stop at Oxford Street instead. Saying "took" (past simple) may give the idea that the bus journey is already over, which is not the case here.
Jonathan
LearnEnglish team
Hello,I would like to ask if the following sentence is correct.
-In specifically the part: Instead of signing page by page
I would prefer to read all pages and then sign instead of signing page by page until the last page of contract.
Thank you in advance
Hello Nagie23,
Yes, that looks great -- well done!
Best wishes,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team
Hello, I would like to ask if the following are correct
1.How was your week?
2.How has your week been?
Is there any difference?
Thank you in advance