basicamenteyo Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 when you have helping verb(like can and could) you can't use 's' after main verb for exp:'she can dance' not 'she can dances'am i right? yes, of course.. I was just meaning for the case of "thank/thanks" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nas Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 So, basically, the verb only has "s" when it´s the third person (sigular) innit? erm..in this example i wanna say yes... would you believe i got all As in english AND my mother was an english teacher but i couldn't and still can't properly identify the parts of speech in a sentence??! i just know proper usage from reading extensively...guess i'm a mini idiot-savant or something when it comes to english.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruth Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 In this case "could" is the past tense of can It is also used as conditional, as in suggestions or advices (asking or giving), or even as a possibility that is no longer available (using your example, "I could have brought something, but my mom didn't allow me") "Can" is more of a present and available possibility ("I can buy something" [it is possible to do it now]) I believe that's it, basicaly (though English is not my first language either, so if anyone could confirm that? ) I love this thread. Like nas said ^^^^^^ I love how it's often the EAL posters here who have the correct vocabulary to discuss usage and the parts of speech whereas I speak good, grammatically correct English - it's my mother tongue - but I don't always know why it's right or wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyFerrari Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 I love this thread. Like nas said ^^^^^^ I love how it's often the EAL posters here who have the correct vocabulary to discuss usage and the parts of speech whereas I speak good, grammatically correct English - it's my mother tongue - but I don't always know why it's right or wrong. haha I guess it's because we don't get a lot of chances to pactice (not so easy to find someone willing to speak other languages in a regular basis, or even books...I recently started getting the originals in english from online bookstores), so the grammar gets hammered into our heads Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silver Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 I love how it's often the EAL posters here who have the correct vocabulary to discuss usage and the parts of speech whereas I speak good, grammatically correct English - it's my mother tongue - but I don't always know why it's right or wrong. I was thinking the same thing, Ruth There's still an interesting difference between what is grammatically correct and what is accepted in common usage, which shows how language is continually evolving. That's not to say that there aren't some words and phrases that make me grit my teeth - innit? And, like, 24/7. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 I LOVE innit. Probably because I've been listening to Ricky Gervais podcasts 24/7. Ooops! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silver Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 I LOVE innit. Probably because I've been listening to Ricky Gervais podcasts 24/7. Ooops! That should be "Probably because I've been listening to, like, Ricky Gervais podcasts 24/7, innit". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 That should be "Probably because I've been listening to, like, Ricky Gervais podcasts 24/7, innit". Oh yes sorry for my mistake!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basicamenteyo Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 I love this thread. Like nas said ^^^^^^ I love how it's often the EAL posters here who have the correct vocabulary to discuss usage and the parts of speech whereas I speak good, grammatically correct English - it's my mother tongue - but I don't always know why it's right or wrong. I think it´s what happens in children. My son is only 5yo but he can use almost perfectly the simple past,past anterior, past perfect.... (in Spanish, obviously) and I know verbs in Spanish are maybe the hardest ones. This is what our kids need to learn when they are like 7 or so (and this is just the indicative... then it´s the subjunctive and imperative) Of course, before that, they all speak correctly, but they can´t explain why they use this or that form... I guess it´s something we learn by listening to people talking... After all this info that I´m sure you were all craving to read I have a couple of questions. It´s about "Good Gone Girl" and "Dog Gone Girl" (MJ and PM song). It´s not only about the meaning. Of course I want to know the meaning, but... is it just something you can only say in music? or do people talk like that in the street? And... well, I know Spanish works in a different way that English, but I hope this question is understandable: Is the word "gone" in these sentences concerning the word "girl"? Sorry I don´t know how to explain this otherwise... Aaaand, today, I was listening to PUOTF and Mika says "he don´t love you anymore", so, is it normal in the street to say "don´t" instead of ´"doesn´t"? or it is just to fill in the rythm of the song? Thank you in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nas Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 I think it´s what happens in children. My son is only 5yo but he can use almost perfectly the simple past,past anterior, past perfect.... (in Spanish, obviously) and I know verbs in Spanish are maybe the hardest ones. This is what our kids need to learn when they are like 7 or so (and this is just the indicative... then it´s the subjunctive and imperative) Of course, before that, they all speak correctly, but they can´t explain why they use this or that form... I guess it´s something we learn by listening to people talking... After all this info that I´m sure you were all craving to read I have a couple of questions. It´s about "Good Gone Girl" and "Dog Gone Girl" (MJ and PM song). It´s not only about the meaning. Of course I want to know the meaning, but... is it just something you can only say in music? or do people talk like that in the street? And... well, I know Spanish works in a different way that English, but I hope this question is understandable: Is the word "gone" in these sentences concerning the word "girl"? Sorry I don´t know how to explain this otherwise... Aaaand, today, I was listening to PUOTF and Mika says "he don´t love you anymore", so, is it normal in the street to say "don´t" instead of ´"doesn´t"? or it is just to fill in the rythm of the song? Thank you in advance! o yes i remember having to learn similar tables when i was around 6 or 7. after mastering them, i promptly forgot their names! about 'good gone' and dog gone': the former is a bit of word play made up by mika for the song. it could be a derivative of the phrase 'good as gone' (means something is basically done or over), or 'gone for good' (means something is gone forever)...the latter is actually 'doggone'. it's a quaint old expression that i'd be very surprised to hear 'on the street', but i'm sure there are people who use it. i was checking up on the origin of it and it seems it came about as a slang in the 1800s, as a nicer form of 'goddammit' .... there are certainly people (and lots of them!) who would say 'he don't love you any more' in their regular speech, but it's generally considered 'bad grammar'. the correct form would indeed be 'he doesn't love you anymore'... hope this helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basicamenteyo Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 o yes i remember having to learn similar tables when i was around 6 or 7. after mastering them, i promptly forgot their names! about 'good gone' and dog gone': the former is a bit of word play made up by mika for the song. it could be a derivative of the phrase 'good as gone' (means something is basically done or over), or 'gone for good' (means something is gone forever)...the latter is actually 'doggone'. it's a quaint old expression that i'd be very surprised to hear 'on the street', but i'm sure there are people who use it. i was checking up on the origin of it and it seems it came about as a slang in the 1800s, as a nicer form of 'goddammit' .... there are certainly people (and lots of them!) who would say 'he don't love you any more' in their regular speech, but it's generally considered 'bad grammar'. the correct form would indeed be 'he doesn't love you anymore'... hope this helps! now I´m kinda lost so... Mika means "the girl is done"?? And now that you are here... what´s what you say when you are talking about a tennis match and it is 15-0? It sounds as "fifteen-low":blink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nas Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 now I´m kinda lost so... Mika means "the girl is done"?? And now that you are here... what´s what you say when you are talking about a tennis match and it is 15-0? It sounds as "fifteen-low":blink: who knows what mika means? i was just supposing...for all i know it could be a play on 'good girl, gone bad'...the point is he made it up.. it's 'fifteen-love'..love in this sense meaning 'zero'. yes, strange use, i know... the dictionary said this is why :http://oxforddictionaries.com/words/what-is-the-origin-of-love-meaning-nil-in-tennis-scoring Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingkites Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 I was thinking the same thing, Ruth There's still an interesting difference between what is grammatically correct and what is accepted in common usage, which shows how language is continually evolving. That's not to say that there aren't some words and phrases that make me grit my teeth - innit? And, like, 24/7. I once heard a great joke from my British friend: What do you call a chav in a box? - Innit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basicamenteyo Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 who knows what mika means? i was just supposing...for all i know it could be a play on 'good girl, gone bad'...the point is he made it up.. it's 'fifteen-love'..love in this sense meaning 'zero'. yes, strange use, i know... the dictionary said this is why :http://oxforddictionaries.com/words/what-is-the-origin-of-love-meaning-nil-in-tennis-scoring Ok, you English speakers are odd Anyway, thank you very much!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astor Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 now I´m kinda lost so... Mika means "the girl is done"?? And now that you are here... what´s what you say when you are talking about a tennis match and it is 15-0? It sounds as "fifteen-low":blink: 15 - love Apparently (according to my tennis coach ), it is 'love', as originally it was 'l'oeuf' (French for egg) because the number 0 loks like an egg. 'L'oeuf' has been transformed to 'love' by English speaking people, because they sound similar. Weird. Edit: Ooh, I see Nas beat me to it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astor Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 who knows what mika means? i was just supposing...for all i know it could be a play on 'good girl, gone bad'...the point is he made it up.. it's 'fifteen-love'..love in this sense meaning 'zero'. yes, strange use, i know... the dictionary said this is why :http://oxforddictionaries.com/words/what-is-the-origin-of-love-meaning-nil-in-tennis-scoring I love how the article starts with 'What is the origin of 'love'?' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nas Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Ok, you English speakers are odd Anyway, thank you very much!!! o yes we are! ur welcome! I love how the article starts with 'What is the origin of 'love'?' didn't even notice that til you pointed it out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 I have always thought GGG was a play on "good girl gone bad" and it means more or less the same. 15 - love Apparently (according to my tennis coach ), it is 'love', as originally it was 'l'oeuf' (French for egg) because the number 0 loks like an egg. 'L'oeuf' has been transformed to 'love' by English speaking people, because they sound similar. And loo comes from the French l'eau (water). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basicamenteyo Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Thanks astor! After reading your post I may add: French speakers are odd too so, they used to say "egg" cause a zero reminded them an egg.... fantastic... Thank you both! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astor Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 I have always thought GGG was a play on "good girl gone bad" and it means more or less the same. And loo comes from the French l'eau (water). I always thought the lyric was 'Where's the good gone girl?', which makes sense, and then it was shortened for the title. But Oh dear, the English are thieves Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nas Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Thanks astor! After reading your post I may add: French speakers are odd too so, they used to say "egg" cause a zero reminded them an egg.... fantastic... Thank you both! and to further confuse you - we say 'duck' in cricket when somebody gets out before scoring a point....because the 'duck' is from 'duck-egg' - which resembles the 'zero' on the score-board... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Oh dear, the English are thieves Maybe there were no water closets before the Norman invasion? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camille* Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 How come I've never read this thread before?! I love English so much And there's always something to learn! Apparently (according to my tennis coach ), it is 'love', as originally it was 'l'oeuf' (French for egg) because the number 0 loks like an egg. 'L'oeuf' has been transformed to 'love' by English speaking people, because they sound similar. And loo comes from the French l'eau (water). I heard that 'tennis' actually comes from French too; it comes from 'tenez' (imperative for 'take'), it's what the players used to say when they touched the ball (and don't tell me that 'touch the ball' is not a correct expression ) Thanks astor! After reading your post I may add: French speakers are odd too so, they used to say "egg" cause a zero reminded them an egg.... fantastic... We're not odd, we're... practical (didn't know the story about the egg though, we just say 'zero') Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astor Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Maybe there were no water closets before the Norman invasion? Good point, well made Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basicamenteyo Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 I have always thought GGG was a play on "good girl gone bad" and it means more or less the same. And loo comes from the French l'eau (water). "good girl gone bad" has sense... It means "good girl turned bad"? And about "loo"... My best friend was once in Mexico and she told me she freaked out when she heard how Mexicans mix English and Spanish there. She heard a strange convo where they were talking about a rapped teenager saying "Tinajera ripeada" which fonetically sounds as "teenager rapped" but as in... Spanish way... Darn, hard to explain and to further confuse you - we say 'duck' in cricket when somebody gets out before scoring a point....because the 'duck' is from 'duck-egg' - which resembles the 'zero' on the score-board... Seriously... erm... Is it that hard to say just "zero". We do!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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