Search results for 'tag:Commas tag:Learning English' matching tags 'Commas' and 'Learning English'

Re: Learning English language is not easy

Yoong Liat — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 20:35:22 GMT

Abil
Thanks Goodman. But should it not be "variety of books" in the following sentence that you have edited?

The variety list of books I have read in English covered many is not long but the subjects are varied.

But should it not be "variety of books". Yes, you're right. I believe Goodman inadvertently left out 'of'.

I read English Daily dailies and visit news webs regularly, including BBC. In short, I spend a fairly good amount of time reading English literatures. Yet, it seems to me that I have not learnt enough

A comma is needed before 'including'.

Re: question...

Grammar Geek — Fri, 30 May 2008 17:15:46 GMT

The first set require a captial letter at the start of the sentence, but either way is fine.

In the second set, "he said" is more normal, but "said he" can be used for literary purposes. People just learning English may want to stick with "he said" but there's nothing incorrect about reversing the order. In American punctuation the comma would go inside the quotation mark.

Re: From which

Clive — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 05:34:33 GMT

Hi,

I understand. Thank you, Clive." src="/emoticons/emotion-1.gif"> The period in the middle could be a comma, right? Yes, sorry.

Can I say:

Can you tell me some websites from which we can download various English learning software?

I also want to know whether various softwares is possible?

'From which' is fine.

'Software' is uncountable.

from which we can download English learning software

from which we can download some English learning software

from which we can download various pieces of English learning software

from which we can download various English learning software packages / applications

Rather than 'English learning software', it's better to say 'software for learning English'.

Best wishes, Clive

Re: "John, David, and I" OR "John, David and I"

Philip — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 16:23:44 GMT

Dawnstorm wrote:
Both are correct. American English favours the comma; I'm not sure if British English has a preference.

There are sentences, where the comma before the "and" is essential, even if you favour leaving it out.

Listing book-titles: Jane Eyre, Romeo and Juliet, and Oliver Twist. (That would be an interesting book: "Romeo and Juliet and Oliver Twist" hehe...)

Then, there are cases, where leaving out the comma before the and causes ambiguity. I like the example given by the Oxford Dictionary of English:

Wrong: "I would like to thank my parents, Anne Smith and God." (it's: "I would like to thank my parents, Anne Smith, and God." - otherwise Anne Smith and God would be your parents.)

So, if you're already leaving out the comma before the "and" by default, there's no reason to change that (but be aware of ambiguities). If you're just learning English, though, it may be easier to make the comma before the and, as you're less likely to produce confusing sentences.

I'm not sure how wide-spread it still is, but the comma before the 'and' is officially known as the Oxford comma (I suppose the reason is obvious). Reminds one of Lynne Truss' delightful Eats Shoots and Leaves, reading I would recommend on both sides of the Atlantic.

Re: "John, David, and I" OR "John, David and I"

Dawnstorm — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 15:48:38 GMT

Both are correct. American English favours the comma; I'm not sure if British English has a preference.

There are sentences, where the comma before the "and" is essential, even if you favour leaving it out.

Listing book-titles: Jane Eyre, Romeo and Juliet, and Oliver Twist. (That would be an interesting book: "Romeo and Juliet and Oliver Twist" hehe...)

Then, there are cases, where leaving out the comma before the and causes ambiguity. I like the example given by the Oxford Dictionary of English:

Wrong: "I would like to thank my parents, Anne Smith and God." (it's: "I would like to thank my parents, Anne Smith, and God." - otherwise Anne Smith and God would be your parents.)

So, if you're already leaving out the comma before the "and" by default, there's no reason to change that (but be aware of ambiguities). If you're just learning English, though, it may be easier to make the comma before the and, as you're less likely to produce confusing sentences.

comma before 'although

Ruttonjee — Mon, 25 Dec 2006 08:11:58 GMT

Hi there,

I was told not to use a comma before some adverbs such as 'because', although' , but I found a sentence in a textbook on learning English like this:

To date, we have not traced it, although we are usually very efficient when dealing with incoming remittances.

Why is there a comma in front of 'although'? Is it a modern usage?

Thanks in advance.

Simon

Re: conjunctive adverb

Tanit — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 11:20:51 GMT

Inchoateknowledge wrote:

However, I read somewhere -- I do not remember where -- that "however" may not stand elsewhere than at the beginning of a sentence.

I wonder why it should always be at the beginning.

I often see it in the middle of a sentence, between commas - something like:

He was not interested in learning English. He worked hard, however, and passed the exam.

and also at the end (Does it add emphasis? Is it too literary or formal?):

You are always saying he is lazy. He works hard, however.

Re: Abbreviations & 'the'

Clive — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 21:35:36 GMT

Hi Sergon,

Here are some comments.

(correct me if possible, I'm learning English at the moment " src="/emoticons/emotion-1.gif">,
esp marked with *)

ex: There is a labyrinth in my figure. May I call a line,
showing a path, in the labyrinth 'road'? You should call it a path.
(Check the commas, please. Is something necessary before 'road'? Yes. You need the article 'a'.)

(is it possible to say 'What if ...'? Yes.) What if I make a common rule...
When I make a common rule about all green roads (=lines) in my figures
(they differ in length, shape, etc), how must I use the abbreviations
(with 'the','a' or zero article)? You wouldn't normally use abbreviations at all. You'd just talk about 'the green paths' and 'the red paths', etc. That will also avoid the difficulties you are making for yourself about how to use articles with abbreviations.

The rest of what you wrote is hard for me to understand. For example, I thought we were talking about a figure drawn on paper, and suddenly you start to talk about the reader's town. Why is that?

If you want to reply, I'm happy to try to help. But please, make your question as short and as clear as you can.

Best wishes, Clive

Re: Abbreviations & 'the'

SergOn — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 17:37:47 GMT

(correct me if possible, I'm learning English at the moment ,
esp marked with *)

ex: There is a labyrinth in my figure. May I call a line,
showing a path, in the labyrinth 'road'?
(Check the commas, please. Is something necessary before 'road'?)

(is it possible to say 'What if ...'?) What if I make a common rule...
When I make a common rule about all green roads (=lines) in my figures
(they differ in length, shape, etc), how must I use the abbreviations
(with 'the','a' or zero article)?

The rule, in the text, might follow a figure with green and red lines (roads).
How to say about all green roads in all my figures *by using*
the abbreviations and avoid meaning of the lines in
the followed (or previous? or ???) figure.

Rule: If the length of *?* GR is less or equal to the length
of the according RR then something is wrong.
In this case, you must recheck the length of the line. (*or 'In that case'*?)

('... equal or less *than*? the length ...')

Would it be better?
src: 'What will the reader think about, if he has a green road in the town?'
to: '..., if there is a green road in his town?'

*Is it* enough of examples?
(Is it possible to write 'Enough of examples?')

BTW
I have two nouns: 'the GR', 'the RR'.
'The GR and the RR ...'
(It seems, it's impossible to shorten the phrase to 'The GR and RR ...'. Right?)

Re: Help again!!!!

anon1 — Mon, 22 Nov 2004 07:38:24 GMT

I hope you and julielai donât mind if I jump in.

[] means words or characters or punctuation deleted.

The Matrix:

What []film [] has influenced me the most? Thatâs not an easy question, since I usually learn something new from every movie I watch. However, The Matrix is the film that [] helped me decide what to do with my life. Therefore, that s the one that should receive the biggest credit. It wasnât actually the story that influenced me; it was the making of the film.

When I came to the United States, I didnât know any English. To be [honest or truthful], I wouldnât even go to the 7-Eleven near my home to buy milk because I was afraid that someone would [try to] talk to me, and I wouldnât know what to say in return. As a result, my mom suggested that I should watch lots of movies in order to get familiar with the language. So I started watching TV with subtitles in order to read and understand better what I was watching. I stayed at home for six months just watching TV as I waited for the next high school year to begin. Then, my mom decided to buy DVDs because she was told that they had better resolution than videos.

One of the first DVDs that we bought was The Matrix, which I liked very much. Then, I noticed that the DVD had special features, which included the making of the film. After having watched the movie numerous times, I thought that it would be very interesting to see how it was made. After I finished, I was amazed at how much work was put into making the film, and I realized that most people donât know that. Also, I realized that thereâs more to watching a film than having a good time following the life of fictitious characters [] and seeing how they go through changes and struggles to solve a problem or accomplish a goal. In fact, a 90 to 120-minute movie requires numerous hours of work []. Not all movies require as many special effects as the Matrix, but certainly all of them require hours and hours of work from the members of its cast and crew. Thanks to having watched the making of The Matrix, now I appreciate movies much more than I did [previously you use âbeforeâ again very soon]. Before, I used to wonder why the makers of a film even bother[ed] adding those long credits at the end if most people donât care to watch them. Now, I understand that every person listed on the credits is indispensable to the film making process because every one of them did something to make the film unique. Also, I learned that a blue or green screen is used to make special effects or to change the background and make viewers believe that the actors are in a certain place when they are actually in a studio.

Before I watched the Matrix, I used to wonder what I would do with my life once I graduated from high school. As a result, my family and friends suggested that I should study something related with one of my passions. Then, I realized that there is nothing I like more than watching movies, and to see how they are made. Now, every time my family buys or rents a DVD, I [pay special attention to the] special features [], thinking that one day I will become a great film director [] and be able to participate and to play an important role in the making of films. Although it wasnât the movie itself that actually influenced me, the fact that I liked the story and the special effects drove me to want to watch the making of the film [] and decide that I want to become a film director.

Thanks partly to The Matrix itself, and mostly to its DVD, which enabled me to see what was behind the film, I learned to appreciate the work of everyone who was involved to bring life to its story [unclearâ¦which storyâ¦the Matrix Story, or the Story of how the film is made?]. The film not only helped me realize all the work that is put into the making of a film, but it also helped me to decide what I want to do with my lifeâbecome a great film director.

General Notes:

Overall, well done.

You have a little problem with commas that we can fix quickly.

I want to go outside and wash my car. Notice that after âandâ, there is no subject. âIâ is still from the first part of the sentence.

I want to outside. Okay.

wash my car. Not okay, unless it was a command, which it isnât in this case.

I want to go outside, and I want to wash my car. See, each side of the âandâ is a complete independent sentence.

I want to outside. Okay.

I want to wash my car. Okay.

Two independent clauses require a comma.

Donât use so many contractions in an essay. While contraction are âlegalâ they should not be used excessively. They have a slight laziness feel to them. You should sprinkle your text with contractions, as it adds a bit of artistic flair. But a heavy reliance on contractions detracts from your essay.

Please Post: 56402.

While your essay is well done, it doesnât tell me much about you. I donât know if you are hardworking, studious, tenacious, quick learner, favorite subjects, did well in school, general personality traits. All I know is that you did very in learning English from DVDs and you want to study film.

I donât know what you are applying to. Is it a general arts program?

In any event, have a look at the post I referred to earlier. I donât know what the university/school is asking you to provide, but make sure that you address their specific questions. Usually, they want to know what kind of person you are and that you can communicate well.

Hope this helps.

MountainHiker