English Grammar

[pilau]

Hello to everyone!

I'd like to share you with a thought I had. I want to improve my English grammar, and as a non-native English speaker I figured the best place to do it is where I currently most frequently express myself in English, i.e. - this forum

My suggestion, or, more like request from those of you who are willing to do it, is, should I make any mistake in one of my texts to leave a comment about it. It could even be on a private message, so we could avoid disrupting the threads' discussion.

What do you say? Is anybody interested?

 

[LooseCannon]

disrupting the threads' discussion.

That should be thread's, not threads'.  The latter would be if we had established the existence of multiple threads.

 

[pilau]

That should be thread's, not threads'.  The latter would be if we had established the existence of multiple threads.

Thanks, although I did mean multiple threads. Wasn't it understandable? Also, is it more common/preferale to use a singular form in the context of what I wrote or is plural form the better choice? (i.e. "thread's discussion", "threads' discussion" or "threads' discussions"?

 

[LooseCannon]

Usually you default to the singular, unless the topic has been previously established.  In addition, in this case, since you would be interrupting one thread at a time, it would be singular.

It's probably got some subjective nature to it, but I've always defaulted to the singular like that.  I do have quite good grammar as well - it was drilled into me by Mrs Wesley in Grade 11.

 

[pilau]

I do have quite good grammar as well - it was drilled into me by Mrs Wesley in Grade 11.

I belive 'lolz' is appropriate here

I understand now about that singular-plural problem.

So, after we've witnessed how this could work, I hope more people would take part in this. Of course, nobody is obliged, I just think it would be nice

 

[SinisterMinisterX]

Hey, I've been helpfully correcting the grammar of others for years. I'll be happy to point out that YOU FORGOT TO END YOUR LAST SENTENCE WITH A PERIOD, OR A FULL STOP AS SOME PEOPLE CALL IT, AND THIS CANNOT BE FORGIVEN. I CAN DESTROY YOU WITH A THOUGHT, WORM.

"Helpfully correcting" grammar may include insults, curses, abuse and vulgarity. You're welcome, YOU SLIME.

 

[Cornfed Hick]

SMX:  Is punctuation considered a subset of grammar?  Also, your penultimate sentence has no verb. 

Pilau: just remember that (1) singular verbs go with singular nouns and plural verbs go with plural nouns (on that note, remember that the word "none" is almost always singular), (2) omit adverbs wherever possible, (3) use active voice rather than passive voice wherever possible, and (4) though it is okay to split infinitives, don't end sentences with a preposition.  If you heed those rules, your grammar and overall writing will be better than 90% of Americans. 

 

[Onhell]

This just blows my mind. When we finally decide to be nice and drop the grammar nazi-ing, someone actually requests help with it... just... wow.

 

[LooseCannon]

don't end sentences with a preposition. 

Ending a sentence with a preposition is the sort of nonsense with which I will not put up.

 

[pilau]

This just blows my mind. When we finally decide to be nice and drop the grammar nazi-ing, someone actually requests help with it... just... wow.

Lol, well that's me. It's just that I think my English is very good for a non-native English speaker in general, but I don't feel like it's enough for me. I'll explain why after I deal with SMX's post.

SMX:  Is punctuation considered a subset of grammar?  Also, your penultimate sentence has no verb. 

Pilau: just remember that (1) singular verbs go with singular nouns and plural verbs go with plural nouns (on that note, remember that the word "none" is almost always singular), (2) omit adverbs wherever possible, (3) use active voice rather than passive voice wherever possible, and (4) though it is okay to split infinitives, don't end sentences with a preposition.  If you heed those rules, your grammar and overall writing will be better than 90% of Americans. 

• Here you tackled me. Why should I omit adverbs? What's wrong about them?
• I know what passive voice and active voice means, but can you give an example so I can relate to what you mean?
• Regarding your implicit opinion about split infinitives, if I get it right, what I think is in some (or most?) cases, if you don't split infinitives, you have to use an adverb instead of the splitting adjective. (like instead of "to boldly go" to say "to go boldly").
  Here's a nice paragraph about avoiding split infinitives:
  

  The meaning of certain expressions can be changed completely by avoiding the split infinitive. The sentence "He failed to completely understand the book" suggests that the understanding is not complete, whereas "He failed completely to understand the book" implies that no understanding was achieved at all. Another alternative, "He failed to understand the book completely", is ambiguous: some listeners may attach think the failure was complete, rather than the understanding incomplete. By placing the adverb after the infinitive ("He failed to understand completely the book"), a fourth variation can be obtained; this version, although unambiguous in meaning, has been called "unnatural" by Fowler, in the sense that the word order is not one most English-speakers would naturally use unless consciously trying to avoid a split infinitive.

  [sup]Source: http://www.bambooweb.com/articles/s/p/S ... itive.html[/sup]
• This one was already clear to me - and also made me chuckle - how can you end sentences with a preposition anyway?

I think that my main problems with English are firstly forming questions, and secondly my understanding of how the different forms of verb work in different times (like for example, why "you will have done" is used, or the meaning of "have had" or "had had").

 

[Cornfed Hick]

Adverbs are not improper, but they are overused and usually (adverb!) superfluous. 

Active/passive:  "My friend Joe gave me this book" is better than "This book was given to me by my friend Joe."

What would someone end a sentence with a preposition for?   

I'm not aware of any quick rules of thumb on verb tenses, you just have to know them.   

 

[Perun]

Active/passive:  "My friend Joe gave me this book" is better than "This book was given to me by my friend Joe."

Note that in active, the emphasis is on "my friend Joe", while in passive the emphasis is on "this book".

 

[pilau]

To cornfedhick:

Adverbs are not improper, but they are overused and usually (adverb!) superfluous.

Okay, well I'll keep in mind not to use them too frequently

What would someone end a sentence with a preposition for?   

Haha, I see what you mean. So instead of using what for we can use why and that would save us from ending the sentence with for (like: "Why would someone end a sentence with a preposition?")

I'm not aware of any quick rules of thumb on verb tenses, you just have to know them.

I did learn them at school, I guess I just have to put some more work into it.


to Per:

Note that in active, the emphasis is on "my friend Joe", while in passive the emphasis is on "this book".

Good way of putting it, I didn't think of it that way. Now I understand the concept even better