PLEASE CHECK IF I'M CORRECT!!!

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Editor-at-large  #465251  Thu, 17 Jan 08 03:46 AM
Someone edited my work. I am just wondering if his corrections are correct. Please see words highlighted in yellow:

1. Three poor little rabbits sat at the kitchen table one starry night. Their clothes were all covered in chocolate and cookie dough – it was way past their bedtime. - (Before, it did not have 'their'. I don't know why he edited me.)

2. Their names are Twinkle, Astro, and Crystal, and they were having so much fun. They played with wooden spoons and measuring cups like the evening had just begun! (The original is "the evening has just begun," since this is an action that recently happened.)

3. She brought her telescope and walked excitedly to spy on all the glittering stars that shine so brightly. (This used to be spy out. I chose "spy out" to mean "to observe" because spy on means "to secretly observe".)

Hope you can shed some light.

Thank you very much.
  
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Hoa Thai  #465261  Thu, 17 Jan 08 04:05 AM
 Editor-at-large wrote:
Someone edited my work. I am just wondering if his corrections are correct. Please see words highlighted in yellow:

1. Three poor little rabbits sat at the kitchen table one starry night. Their clothes were all covered in chocolate and cookie dough – it was way past their bedtime. - (Before, it did not have 'their'. I don't know why he edited me.) The addition of their is correct. Your bedtime and your sister's bedtime could be different. 'Their' is used for clarification.

2. Their names are Twinkle, Astro, and Crystal, and they were having so much fun. They played with wooden spoons and measuring cups like the evening had just begun! (The original is "the evening has just begun," since this is an action that recently happened.) They played (past tense) ..... like means as if ..... had begun). The present perfect tense does not fit here.

3. She brought her telescope and walked excitedly to spy on all the glittering stars that shine so brightly. (This used to be spy out. I chose "spy out" to mean "to observe" because spy on means "to secretly observe".) spy out: to secretly find out more information so you can plan your move; spy on: to secretly watch. What do you think would fit better?

Hope you can shed some light.

Thank you very much.

  
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Editor-at-large  #465282  Thu, 17 Jan 08 05:11 AM
hi hoa thai!

i appreciate your insight. i'm kind of confused as to when to use have, had, or has (in present perfect and past perfect tenses). can you provide some guidelines as to how these are being used? i've searched the forum and i can't seem to find guidelines that are clear enough.

i would be glad to hear from you. Smile [:)]
  
Hoa Thai  #465286  Thu, 17 Jan 08 05:28 AM
 Editor-at-large wrote:
hi hoa thai!

i appreciate your insight. i'm kind of confused as to when to use have, had, or has (in present perfect and past perfect tenses). can you provide some guidelines as to how these are being used? i've searched the forum and i can't seem to find guidelines that are clear enough.

i would be glad to hear from you. Smile [:)]

Hi,

A small note - Use I instead of small i.

About the difference between the present perfect and the past perfect tense, there are many excellent discussions in this forum, which I believe you can benefit. Try to use the search feature provided on top of the grammar-questions index. All you have to do is entering a key phrase in the 'search' window. If you rather like to jump directly to one, here it is: Post:38152.
  
Editor-at-large  #465288  Thu, 17 Jan 08 05:34 AM
ah, don't mind the small i's. haha. it's just what i usually use when posting messages. Smile [:)] anyhow,  thanks for the quick response. oh, i've tried clicking on Post:38152 and it said "the forum you requested does not exist." i wonder why... Sad [:(]
  
Hoa Thai  #465295  Thu, 17 Jan 08 05:46 AM
Here it is: Post:381526
  
Editor-at-large  #465299  Thu, 17 Jan 08 05:55 AM
muchas gracias, hoa thai! you've made my initial contact with english forums remarkable. you rock! 'til then!
  
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