Learn English and meet people on the world’s largest EFL social network

We have partnered with TradePub to bring you free industry magazines and resources - no coupons or credit cards required!

Visit: englishforums.tradepub.com


1 2 3 4
Share this topic:
This question is Not Answered
Latest post Sun, May 11 2008 7:53 PM by Ant_222. 29 replies.
Suggest an answer | | |
Vincent Teo  +  511656 Fri, 09 May 08 02:42 PM

Can I say,

One day night, while Ali was on his way to the shop, he suspiciously saw the parked car was stolen by the two thieves. They were taking out the windows of the car to steal the money from the car. He was very scared.

Joined on Sat, Mar 31 2007
Veteran Member 5,660
New2grammar  +  511659 Fri, 09 May 08 02:51 PM

One day or One night? You can't have both at the same time.

I'd say taking out the windows is strange. It sounds like they disassembled the windows to steal them. Are you trying to say they were trying to steal some money left in the car or it was the windows they tried to steal?

 

 

Joined on Tue, Nov 21 2006
Veteran Member 7,676
Who wants to go sailing around the world with me?
Grammar Geek  +  511661 Fri, 09 May 08 02:52 PM

 

One day night, while Ali was on his way to the shop,  this is okay, as long as he GOES to the shop at night. I would expect he'd be on his way home at night, and coming FROM the shop, but in terms of grammar this is fine. EDIT: I completely missed "day night." Please pick one.

he suspiciously saw -- Vincent, please stop trying to use the word "suspiciously." It's clear you don't really understand that one right now, and as a result it is showing up everywhere. The only way you can use it is to say he saw the men acting suspiciously. He did not "suspiciously see" anything. Stop trying ot use it with what "he saw."

the parked car was stolen by the two thieves. -- If the car was stolen, it was no longer parked anywhere. If they steal the car, they take the whole car. Apparently, they are tyring to steal things IN the car. Say "two thieves were breaking into a car."

They were taking out the windows of the car -- In terms of grammar this is okay, but this is not what thieves do. "They were breaking the car windows"

to steal the money from the car. -- How does Ali know what they are stealing? They are taking something from inside the car. We have said over and over not to repeat the same word so many times. They were breaking the car windows to steal whatever was inside.

He was very scared. -- This is fine.

One day, while Ali was on his way to the shop,  he saw that two thieves were breaking into a car. They were breaking the car windows to steal whatever was inside.He was very scared.

Joined on Tue, Jan 10 2006
Veteran Member 19,506
Barbara, who answers in American English. My housekeeping skills attest to the truth of the second law of thermodynamics: Left to themselves, things get more and more random!
Ant_222  +  511666 Fri, 09 May 08 03:01 PM
GG: «They were breaking the car windows to steal whatever was inside»

I think Vincent was right about this one because thiefs often ue special suckers to take windows' glasses out without breaking them. It is possible for cars whose glasses are fixed using "rubber tapes" with grooves in them. The grove on the outer side fixes the tape to the window opening and that on the inner side hold the glass...
Joined on Sun, May 21 2006
Podolsk, Russia
Contributing Member 1,716
New2grammar  +  511667 Fri, 09 May 08 03:08 PM

My thieves weren't that considerate. I wish they had been a bit more gentle when they stole my stereo. Nice country you live in :)

Ant_222  +  511670 Fri, 09 May 08 03:16 PM
I wish it were so, but the reason seems to be absolutly mere: in modern western cars glasses (especially the windscreen) are _glued_ into openings to improve the body's rigidity and maybe they just won's yield to a sucker... I am not sure though.
New2grammar  +  511674 Fri, 09 May 08 03:24 PM

By the way, how do interpret "take out" in this context?

To me, it sounds like disassemble, definitely no breaking, the glass would be intact, one piece.

Ant_222  +  511679 Fri, 09 May 08 03:30 PM
«By the way, how do interpret "take out" in this context? To me, it sounds like disassemble, definitely no breaking, the glass would be intact, one piece.»

You're right, but I don't know why "take out" doesn't convey this meaning:
«Take out — To extract; remove.»

Maybe "pull out" would sound better?
New2grammar  +  511682 Fri, 09 May 08 03:40 PM

I think to remove makes the most sense here.

I don't think we can literally pull out a window without breaking it.

1 2 3 4
© MediaCet Ltd. 2009, v5.0.3598.39794. All content posted by our users is a contribution to the public domain, this does not include imported usenet posts.*
For web related enquires please contact us on webmaster@mediacet.com, status updates are available at status.mediacet.com.
*Usenet post removal: Use 'X-No-Archive'. You may not have understood that your posts would end up in the public domain. Please send proof of the poster's email, we will remove immediately.