Freddies English Teaching Course

[basicamenteyo]

Well, the second one may not be strictly grammatically correct, but it's colloquial English and certainly acceptable in a song.

 

sooo.... If I want to speak properly I must say "all I want to do is to make you happy"?

[Christine]

sooo.... If I want to speak properly I must say "all I want to do is to make you happy"?

 

I don't know. That sounds wrong to me. I think I would either say "All I want to do is make you happy" or "All I want is to make you happy."

 

Sorry I can't be helpful with what is technically correct and why. Sometimes these technicalities are based on arbitrary rules that are just...well...arbitrary and don't necessarily reflect how people speak. I think the rules that English speakers get "wrong" most often will be modified eventually because there is no logical reason for their existence in the first place. If the rules were perfectly logical then native speakers would grasp them completely when they were children and wouldn't still be unsure about them and arguing about them as adults. Oftentimes these rules exist simply because some self appointed grammarian wrote them down in a manual in the 19th century and everyone has been beaten over the head with them for the past 100+ years.

[Soaring Simpson]

Outside of a song "the last thing on my mind is to leave you" sounds odd and I think is incorrect- "thing" is a noun, but "to leave" is a verb. I'd go for "the last thing on my mind is leaving you"

 

When it comes to "all I want...." I'd agree with Christine

[mary*]

is it

for several weeks

for a several weeks

or

for the several weeks?

[ce_mika]

I don't know. That sounds wrong to me. I think I would either say "All I want to do is make you happy" or "All I want is to make you happy."

 

Sorry I can't be helpful with what is technically correct and why. Sometimes these technicalities are based on arbitrary rules that are just...well...arbitrary and don't necessarily reflect how people speak. I think the rules that English speakers get "wrong" most often will be modified eventually because there is no logical reason for their existence in the first place. If the rules were perfectly logical then native speakers would grasp them completely when they were children and wouldn't still be unsure about them and arguing about them as adults. Oftentimes these rules exist simply because some self appointed grammarian wrote them down in a manual in the 19th century and everyone has been beaten over the head with them for the past 100+ years.

with this paragraph, you made me wonder why on earth am I studying english!!!!!! but I think you´re ok, I´ve been studying english for the last 10 years, and I think no matter how advanced you are, you always learn grammar rules, but it´s often different how people speak there...that´s why the best way to learn a language is going to a country where it´s spoken.

it happens the same with spanish...sometimes we don´t know the rules, or even when we do, we don´t follow them!

[Soaring Simpson]

is it

for several weeks

for a several weeks

or

for the several weeks?

 

for several weeks

[mary*]

for several weeks

 

thanks. so I wrote it right

[silver]

with this paragraph, you made me wonder why on earth am I studying english!!!!!! but I think you´re ok, I´ve been studying english for the last 10 years, and I think no matter how advanced you are, you always learn grammar rules, but it´s often different how people speak there...that´s why the best way to learn a language is going to a country where it´s spoken.

it happens the same with spanish...sometimes we don´t know the rules, or even when we do, we don´t follow them!

 

The spoken form of a language is always more fluid than the written version, which often lags behind modern forms of speech. I would say most native English speakers know what sounds grammatically correct without knowing the reason why.

[saint_tails_09]

sooo.... If I want to speak properly I must say "all I want to do is to make you happy"?

 

If you wanted to be very strict with grammar, the the proper way would be to say "All I want to do is to make you happy"

 

I think I've talked about it on here before, but "to make" would be the whole proper verb. But a lot of the time English speakers don't say it properly because it's not something we're taught at a young age and not something many people actually say.

 

But no one is going to think you sound weird either way you say it

[basicamenteyo]

I think I´m slightly getting used to English

 

 

 

 

The spoken form of a language is always more fluid than the written version, which often lags behind modern forms of speech. I would say most native English speakers know what sounds grammatically correct without knowing the reason why.

 

That´s how my 5yo son can use all the different verb forms we have in Spanish without knowing wtf a verb is

 

Yes, I think it´s just a matter of using the language...

If you wanted to be very strict with grammar, the the proper way would be to say "All I want to do is to make you happy"

 

I think I've talked about it on here before, but "to make" would be the whole proper verb. But a lot of the time English speakers don't say it properly because it's not something we're taught at a young age and not something many people actually say.

 

But no one is going to think you sound weird either way you say it

 

Yes.. I think I need to forget about trying to be always correct.. I should be happy if people understand me... that should be enough

[ce_mika]

The spoken form of a language is always more fluid than the written version, which often lags behind modern forms of speech. I would say most native English speakers know what sounds grammatically correct without knowing the reason why.

 

I agree 100% with you!

[mary*]

so.. I wondered if is it 'we just began' or 'we have just begun'? xD

do you always use present perfect tense when there's 'just' in the sentence?

[Micah]

so.. I wondered if is it 'we just began' or 'we have just begun'? xD

do you always use present perfect tense when there's 'just' in the sentence?

 

We have just begun.

I'm not really Sure of the second question.

[Lilasko]

What's the difference between Later and Latter? And when do you use which word?

[Ruth]

What's the difference between Later and Latter? And when do you use which word?

 

Later means at a time which is not now. (eg: See you later. The concert will start later)

Latter means (i) the second out of two. (eg: Of crisps and chocolate, I prefer the latter.) or (ii) near the end (eg: I preferred the latter part of the film.)

[Ruth]

so.. I wondered if is it 'we just began' or 'we have just begun'? xD

do you always use present perfect tense when there's 'just' in the sentence?

 

I think - and I'm not sure about this one - that it is we have just begun. I don't know the grammatical reason - but when I try to say the first one, I correct myself to say the second one.

[Lilasko]

Later means at a time which is not now. (eg: See you later. The concert will start later)

Latter means (i) the second out of two. (eg: Of crisps and chocolate, I prefer the latter.) or (ii) near the end (eg: I preferred the latter part of the film.)

 

Aha, I get it. Thank you!

[Ruth]

Oh look what I just found in Jazzy's account of the Heaven gig:

"I hadn't managed to avoid Make You Happy or Celebrate, though the former gets better with each and every listen (and there have been many of those) while the latter involved a number of gigantic balloons"

 

 

But. . . . just to muddy the waters . . .

 

I woke up early the morning after I posted on Sunday and decided I should also have said latterly is the opposite of formerly. (eg formerly he was known as Michael but latterly he goes by the name of Mika)

But as I tried to put it in a sentence and decided I would probably be more likely to say lately.

Edited July 31, 2012 by Ruth

[mary*]

don't know where to post it but.. does anybody know what's its english name?? :aah:

 

[Lilasko]

don't know where to post it but.. does anybody know what's its english name?? :aah:

 

What is it?

[mary*]

What is it?

 

that's the problem i don't know the English name but it's a fruit

[Lilasko]

that's the problem i don't know the English name but it's a fruit

 

Okay never see it before, what's the name in georgian?

[Christine]

don't know where to post it but.. does anybody know what's its english name?? :aah:

 

 

I think it's a persimmon. Does this look right? I can't really judge the scale in your photograph to know if they are the right size.

 

[mary*]

Okay never see it before, what's the name in georgian?

კარალიოკი

I think it's a persimmon. Does this look right? I can't really judge the scale in your photograph to know if they are the right size.

 

 

oh yes that's it, thank you!

[Lilasko]

კარალიოკი

 

 

oh yes that's it, thank you!

 

Okay that really helped

 

I think it's a persimmon. Does this look right? I can't really judge the scale in your photograph to know if they are the right size.

 

 

How come I never heard of them before?