ESL General English Grammar Questions

Re: simple past/past perfect

Newguest — Sun, 25 May 2008 11:56:43 GMT

Thank you!

Re: simple past/past perfect

Marius Hancu — Sun, 25 May 2008 11:46:35 GMT

"It" will sound correct. "All right" will sound better for more people, which is what you want.

Re: simple past/past perfect

Newguest — Sun, 25 May 2008 11:41:21 GMT

Marius Hancu
Google Books:

127 on "be fine to use"

http://books.google.com/books?q=%22be+fine+to+use%22&btnG=Search+Books

539 on "be all right to use" [Seems indeed the dominant one
http://books.google.com/books?q=%22be+all+right+to+use%22&btnG=Search+Books

I see. So, it and all right just sound better?

Re: simple past/past perfect

Marius Hancu — Sun, 25 May 2008 11:40:06 GMT

"This" is definitely wrong, as you're describing a general, abstract situation, which needs "it". "Fine" is just less used than "all right" as shown in my previous posting.

Re: simple past/past perfect

Newguest — Sun, 25 May 2008 11:33:39 GMT

CalifJim
Newguest
I'm wondering if ~~this~~ it would also be ~~fine~~ all right to use the past simple in the first one, i.e., ..the lesson began? Would you change something?
You could change it, and the time sequence would still be clear. Personally, I would not change it.

CJ

I'm also wondering why "this" and "fine" are incorrect? Are they just more colloquial than "it" and "all right"?

thanks

Re: simple past/past perfect

Marius Hancu — Sun, 25 May 2008 11:24:35 GMT

Google Books:

127 on "be fine to use"

http://books.google.com/books?q=%22be+fine+to+use%22&btnG=Search+Books

539 on "be all right to use" [Seems indeed the dominant one

http://books.google.com/books?q=%22be+all+right+to+use%22&btnG=Search+Books

Re: simple past/past perfect

New2grammar — Sun, 25 May 2008 10:43:49 GMT

CJ, could you help me understand why 'fine' is incorrect? I thought fine and all right were interchangable.

Re: simple past/past perfect

CalifJim — Sun, 25 May 2008 08:00:20 GMT

Newguest
I'm wondering if ~~this~~ it would also be ~~fine~~ all right to use the past simple in the first one, i.e., ..the lesson began? Would you change something?

You could change it, and the time sequence would still be clear. Personally, I would not change it.

Re: simple past/past perfect

Philip — Sat, 24 May 2008 22:30:09 GMT

The past perfect (pluperfect) is correct in all three sentences. They refer to an action completed before another action expressed in the past. Good job.

simple past/past perfect

Newguest — Sat, 24 May 2008 19:16:03 GMT

Hello

1. This morning most of the students arrived at school fifteen minutes after the lesson had begun.

2. The traffic was terrible, so by the time we arrived at the airport, our flight had left.

3. When we met I had a strange feeling I had seen him somewhere else.

I would use the past perfect in all of them, however I'm wondering if this would also be fine to use the past simple in the first one, i.e., ..the lesson began? Would you change something?