Search results for 'tag:Cookies tag:Difference between' matching tags 'Cookies' and 'Difference between'

Re: the difference between the main and auxiliary forms of have (negative) ?

Grammar Geek — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 19:08:57 GMT

That's one of those BrE/AmE things, I think.

Very generally, we form the negative with the "do" form for simple present and simple past.

I run every morning, I don't run every morning. Certainly "I runn't" is wrong.

I baked these cookies myself, I didn't bake these cookies myself. Certainly "I baken't" is wrong.

For some verbs, this construction is not used, particularly the verb "to be."

He is happy, He isn't happy. I was the manager, I wasn't the manger.

For the verb "to have" it can go either way: I have a dog, I don't have a dog, I haven't (got) a dog.

Part of the confusion could be the use of "to have" as an aux verb in the present perfect:

I have been there, I haven't been there. You have known her a long time, You haven't known her a long time.

Re: may, might and could - what's the difference

CalifJim — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 22:41:45 GMT

I am trying to formulate guidelines for learners of English as a foreign language with regards the use of may/might/could to express possibility. It seems to me that you can use these three modals (almost) interchangeably when expressing possibility.

For example, 'Where's Mary?' 'I'm not sure. She may/might/could be in her room.' or 'It may/might/could rain later on.'.

Are there any differences in use between these three modals? If so, what are they?

I assume your question is restricted to the "unconstrained modals of logic", and that you are not asking about the use of may for permission or could for ability, for example. There are a few differences, particularly with respect to could, which is, in my opinion, only an "honorary" member of the group.

1. could does not operate under negation in the same way as may and might. Whereas may not and might not express the possibility of the negated proposition, could not expresses impossibility unless some unusual stress pattern is provided by the speaker, maybe even with a slight pause after could.

She may be there. She might be there. She could be there.
She may not be there. She might not be there. *She could not be there. (in the intended reading) (Actually, even may not is a little suspect, as the 'permission' meaning of may might come through in that example.)

2. could almost requires a following be (in the intended reading).

The puppy is thin; he [might / may / could] be [hungry / lost / a stray].
That music sounds like a symphony; it [might / may / could] be by Mozart.
Susan says that the answer is 67, and she [might / may / could] be right.

Otherwise the unintended 'ability' reading or some other anomalous interpretation is too likely:

The drain is blocked; we [might / may / ?could] have to call a plumber.
Liz looks tired; she [might / may / ?could] want to take a nap.
The current rules are too confusing, so the committee [might / may / ?could] develop new rules.

There seems to be no problem if the verb is meteorological, however, because the 'ability' reading is blocked. The weather is not physically able to do things as an agent:

It [might / may / could] rain this afternoon.

The same reasoning applies with other non-agentive situations:

The cake is too big, but the cookies [might / may / could] fit in this box.

3. Unlike might and may, could does not occur with as well. This was mentioned in another post above. (It's debatable whether this is even a case of the "unconstrained modals of logic", but I'll mention it here anyway.)

This party is really dull; we [might / may / *could] as well leave.

4. In American English, the difference between may and might is one of register. may occurs in official announcements and scientific papers, for example, and might occurs more often in ordinary conversation. (Percentages of probability have nothing to do with it!)

Employees may find this information helpful in choosing a health care plan.
For hydrocarbon molecules of this type, electrophoresis may give better results.
We might take a trip to Disneyland this summer.

could would probably not be used in any of the three examples immediately above (in the intended reading).

5. may is not often used in backshifts, but both might and could are.

I [might / may / could] be ready by 10.
I thought (that) I [might / *may / could] be ready by 10.

Re: Haven't / Didn't

Kooyeen — Wed, 16 May 2007 21:12:13 GMT

Ana, if you are trying to understand the difference between the present perfect and the past simple, well, you can't? And why? Because every learner have been trying to do that since English was invented, but no one has ever succeeded! It is a trap!

Ok, seriously, I can tell you the way I see it.

The present perfect gives me the idea of an implicit "up to now", "yet", "already", "I don't now when but that thing happened in a "time window" that ends right now, and that affects the present situation". For that reason (the last thing I said), it can be used to emphasize that something is strongly related to the present situation. But be careful, because Americans like the simple past, so most use the simple past in that case.

The past simple gives me the idea of a generic past tense, which you can use in most occasions to refer to something that happened before now (even if it happened less than one second ago).

Examples:
Oh my God! Where are my cookies? Somebody ate 'em! (good. Past event.)
Oh my God! Where are my cookies? Somebody has eaten 'em! (good. You don't know when they were eaten, but that happened in a time window that lasts up to now. The fact that someone ate them is relevant now ---> surprise, oh my God, I want my cookies, etc.)
I personally tend to use the simple past, the more simple past, the less I'm likely to sound odd to Americans, hehehe.

Ouch! Oh no! It hurts... ahhh, I think I broke my leg! (good, past event, it happened 3 seconds ago, but it's the past, isn't it?)
Ouch! Oh no! It hurts... ahhh, I think I've broken my leg! (I was told to avoid this. Maybe you broke your leg, maybe you didn't, but you know that happened at a specific point in time, that is when you said "ouch". Maybe Brits find the present perfect ok, though.)

I've become what I've always hated. A police officer! (good, this is describing something that happened gradually up to now, and now I'm a police officer. I've always hated police officers, because I was a criminal once.)
I became what I (had) always hated. A police officer! (good, but it's different. It refers to an occasion in the past. You became a police officer some time ago)

I've learned two languages: English and Plectroclinthese. (good. This tells me you've learned two languages "yet", "up to now". You maybe also want to learn some other language now, or plan to do so in the future)
I learned two languages: English and Plectroclinthese. (good, this is a simple fact, something that happened in the past. You learned two languages, maybe when you were in school, or some years ago, who knows).

Conclusion: you can't learn the difference, because not even native speakers know the difference. What I do is choose the verb considering what I just wrote, and try to avoid the present perfect whenever I don't think I really need it (American English rule of thumb to play it safe, heh)
Then I hope I'll learn over time. Maybe in ten years I'll be able to use the right verb tenses, just by trusting my istinct.

That's all, I'm tired to write in this thread.

Re: I'm desperate! I need help :(

Tartan — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 04:39:28 GMT

8. Why do you say âShe is a one-eyed teacherâ and not âSheâs an one eyed teacherâ? (Focus on a phonetic explanation) The article an is used before vowel sounds, not vowel letters. The word one is pronounced wun. The w is not a vowel sound even though the o in o-n-e is a vowel. So a must be used before one.

9. Miss Justine Fair listened to the two Chilean students read their passages. One of them had a strong accent. The second student had no accent at all. Who got the best mark? Why? (Focus on a Phonetic explanation) Accent is a form of mispronunciation, of giving vowels and consonants different values from their standards. Mastery of a language requires control over the sounds of the language.

10. One of the teachers said âMy children need much exercise to improve their performance.â The other one said: âMy children need many exercises to improve their performance.â What kind of courses are they in charge of? Teacher One teaches a course with non-countable exercise, that is, exercise that cannot be identified as separate pieces and counted. This is probably physical exertion, as the earlier post suggested. Teacher Two teaches a course with countable exercise. This work can be counted. Perhaps these are separately numbered problems in an exercise book. Maybe this is a teacher of mathematics.

13. What is the difference between these two sentences?

Sheâs worked as a teacher for five yearsâ ...for the past five years up to now

âShe worked as a teacher for five yearsâ ...for five years, sometime in the past (maybe the past five years--we don't know)

14. Can the auxiliary âdoâ and the verb âbeâ ever be combined in a sentence? Don't be surprised.

15. Is it ever possible to say âfruitsâ or âfoodsâ? Yes, if you are talking about different varieties. At the party they served fruits and foods from all over the world. Or: Two foods I really like are pizza and chocolate chip cookies.

Re: Are cookies a form of spyware?

Guest — Wed, 23 Feb 2005 01:08:18 GMT

Let me pose a hypothetical question;

Would you be happy to know a tracking device had been inserted into your shoe without your knowledge? The purpose of this tracking device is to allow advertisers (and others) to change the signs on the billboards you see as you walk or drive along the road, tailoring those ads to the information they have collected (without your knowledge) about your behaviour traits?

I don't see much difference between the tracking transmitter and cookies. I think I would rather go barefoot

Re: Difference between American and British English

Dohlman — Fri, 30 Jul 2004 14:42:44 GMT

A rubber would be understood as a condom in the US. Back in more innocent times, they would have been understood as galoshes.

Here's a partial list from Modern English Usage by Fowler, although some may be out of date:

English ********** American

nappy *********** diaper
waistcoat ************ vest
chemist ********** pharmacist
ironmonger ********** hardware dealer
men's hairdresser ************ barber
post ************ mail
biscuits and small *********** crackers and cookies
cakes
corn ********* grain
maize ********* corn
scone ********* biscuit
sweets ********** candy
treacle ********* molasses
undercut ********* tenderloin
cooker ********* oven
dustbin ********* garbage can
flat ********* apartment
paraffin ********* kerosene
tap ********* faucet
veranda ********* porch
draughts ********* checkers
touch-lines ********* sidelines
pack (of cards) ********* deck
bonnet (of car) ********* hood
Boot (of car) ********* trunk
goods train ********* freight train
lorry ********* truck
pavement ********* sidewalk
return ticket ********* round-trip ticket
roundabout ********* traffic circle
single ticket ********* one-way ticket
silencer (of car) ********* muffler
wing (of car) ********* fender
aluminium ********* aluminum
caretaker ********* janitor
council school ********* public school
dust cart ********* garbage truck
perambulator ********* baby carriage
public school ********* private school
queue ********* line
scribbling-block ********* scratch-pad