Search results for 'tag:Dates tag:Nouns' matching tags 'Dates' and 'Nouns'

Re: ASK FOR

Grammar Geek — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:59:03 GMT

I'm sure you'll hear your first example said, but I prefer: All I'm asking you to do is give me the wedding date.

If you're asking "for" something you want a noun, not an action.

All I'm asking for is the wedding date.

The wedding date is what I'm asking you for.

Re: majority is or are??

Goodman — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 19:06:41 GMT

I'll say it depends. It may have to do with what context it's used but by and large, I see it as more frequently used in singular context.

The American Heritage^Â® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

majority

SYLLABICATION:	maÂ·jorÂ·iÂ·ty
PRONUNCIATION:	m-jÃ´r-t, -jr-
NOUN:	Inflected forms: pl. maÂ·jorÂ·iÂ·ties 1. The greater number or part; a number more than half of the total. 2. The amount by which the greater number of votes cast, as in an election, exceeds the total number of remaining votes. 3. The political party, group, or faction having the most power by virtue of its larger representation or electoral strength. 4. Law The status of having reached full legal age, with attendant rights and responsibilities. 5. The military rank, commission, or office of a major. 6. Obsolete The fact or state of being greater; superiority.
ETYMOLOGY:	French majoritÃ©, from Medieval Latin mirits, from Latin mior, greater. See meg- in Appendix I.
USAGE NOTE:	When majority refers to a particular number of votes, it takes a singular verb: Her majority was five votes. His majority has been growing by 5 percent every year. When it refers to a group of persons or things that are in the majority, it may take either a singular or plural verb, depending on whether the group is considered as a whole or as a set of people considered individually. So we say The majority elects (not elect) the candidate it wants (not they want), since the election is accomplished by the group as a whole; but The majority of the voters live (not lives) in the city, since living in the city is something that each voter does individually. â¢Majority is often preceded by great (but not by greater) in expressing emphatically the sense of âmost ofâ: The great majority approved. The phrase greater majority is appropriate only when considering two majorities: He won by a greater majority in this election than in the last.

Re: indefinite article before a gerund

Anonymous — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 22:48:36 GMT

Thank you, again.

Are these types of verbal nouns (as you called it) or instances of verbal nouns? What validates their placement of an indefinite article?

I did a Google Book search for the what you seem to be callling "verbal nouns" -- watching, mixing, playing, shouting and seemed to have come up with these tidbits:

a watching of the clould and pillar
a watching of the sky
a mixing of the two stratified layers
a mixing of the systems
a mixing of molecules
a playing of flutes
a playing of a symphony
a shouting of Song
a shouting of patrotic sentiments

What do all indefiinte articles indicate? An instance of mixing, watching, playing and shouting? Or a type of watching, mixing, playing, and shouting?
To make into types, I think, you can do it two ways: 1) by setting them up attributively -- eg, adding adjectives to make one different from the other or 2) by
setting them up into types contextually -- like saying "Orange juice is a liquid."

Another way to validate the use of an indefinte article seems to be to make instances of them, like how we do with the word 'discussion' -- a discussion to mean an instance of it, whereas discussion without the article to refer to it generally.

Re: minimal, minimalist, minimalistic

Avangi — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 17:13:29 GMT

I don't know either. I tend to think of the terms in connection with art. Of course "minimal" as an adjective predates all of that and is still used in the pure sense, as does and is the noun, minimum. "Please keep your paragraphs to a minimum." I guess "minimum" is also used as an adjective, but not exactly in the same way as "minimal." "Sign me up for the minimum donation." "She shows only minimal signs of having contracted the disease."

A minimalist painting is one which has been painted by a minimalist painter, who (I think) subscribes to the principles of minimalism, which could best be described as minimalistic.

Whether or not there's a parallel movement in literature which may be applied to the style of your journal entries, I'm not sure. Perhaps so.

But I don't think that's what you mean. I think you're simply talking about keeping your entries to a minimum, and not about stylistic issues. If so, I'd find another word. "I've decided to keep my journal entries as simple and as brief as possible." Or, "I've decided to keep my journal as simply and succinctly as possible."

I may be way off base.   Best wishes, - A.

Edit. Note that "keep" has slightly different meanings in these last two examples.
1."Keep it short." Keep = contain/restrict/control     I keep my dog on a leash.    I keep my gun loaded.
2. "Keep a record."   Keep = (I give up on a synomym) protect/maintain (that sounds the same as the other one) I can't get the action part of it! -   the "recording" part.           Anyway, they're different.

Re: Your help is much appreciate............

Mr Wordy — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 11:47:11 GMT

[Your capitalisation is a bit random in places. The changes I suggested in this respect are an attempt to make it more consistent, with the headings capitalised (in a standard style) and the individual points not capitalised unless proper nouns.]

Sales Targets Per Month

Wisma shop : RM 30,000

Labuan ferry terminal: RM 12,000

Training Schedule for Yean Chung:

v One Week in Kota Kinabalu (KK) Training [add space before "(KK)"]

Day 1

â¢ Visit all KK outlets and the KK office.

Day 2

â¢ Observation of training ~~as a~~ of promoter in airport outlet.

Day 3

â¢ Training in shopping mall outlets (Wisma Merdeka shop and booth).

Day 4- Day 5

â¢ Visit Labuan outlets.

Day 6

â¢ Summary and conclusion of training and the way to promote the Diamoney product.

â¢ Return to ~~headquarter~~ headquarters.

Member Card

1. Continue or renew existing Dj member card. [What you've written here is an instruction to a person to continue or renew their card. DId you mean that? Or did you mean something like "Customers can (or should be encouraged to) renew their cards"? Or something else?]

2. Promoters have the authority to give free membership to customers.

3. Dj members can redeem accumulated purchase points for selected products (free gifts).

4. Hari raya offer :

a. First item 30% discount and second item 50% discount.

b. ~~Total customers spend~~ Customers who spend RM 500 or more will be given a free Green Pua.

5. Year end sale :

a. 50% discount on every item and a mystery gift for customers spending RM 300 or more. [Add space after "RM" for consistency with elsewhere]

b. Christmas sale: 25% (net purchase RM 300) plus 25% discount. ?? [It still isn't very clear to me what this means. One possibility is: "Christmas sale: 25% discount, plus further 25% off for customers spending RM 300 or more".]

Diamoney Jewellery Input, ~~new material of~~ ~~product, new strategic~~ -- New Products, New Strategies

1. Company can consider selling 9k white gold chain.

2. Link with airport taxi.

3. Promote local souvenirs to tourists to ~~attract~~ encourage them to come to Borneo.

4. ~~For~~ Those who come to the airport by taxi can bring their taxi bills to claim ~~the~~ a souvenir or gift ~~with~~ at a special price (RM 48). [Move full stop]

5. All the taxi drivers can join as Diamoney dealers and earn extra income.

6. Taxi drivers can have Diamoney brochure (e.g. 8 special designs) to promote to the tourists.

7. Taxi drivers can earn minimum RM 5 for each item ~~from~~ that their passengers purchase.

8. Total commission will be paid to the dealers on the 15th of every month (same as our promoters).

Local Trip:

1. Pulau Redang

2. Penang

3. Kuching

Oversea Trip:

1. Bali Island, Jarkata

2. Bangkok and Pattaya, Thailand [add comma]

3. Korea

4. Singapore

Lahad Datu Mobile Team:

Venue : Dewan Rakyat, Lahad Datu Town [add comma]

Date : 27 June 2008 to 6 July 2008

1. ~~Sale~~ ~~Strategic - buy one~~ ~~free one~~ Sales strategy -- buy one, get one free

2. ~~Net purchase RM 150 - free earrings~~ Free earrings for customers spending RM 150 or more [I think that's probably what you mean]

3. All coloured stone earrings ~~list as~~ listed at RM 88 or RM 98.

4. ~~Some other colour stones series - buy one free two.~~ Some other coloured stone products -- buy one, get two free.

Re: army vs military

Grammar Geek — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 13:53:08 GMT

Using my favorite online reference, www.m-w.com:

Main Entry: ²military Function: noun Inflected Form(s): plural military also milÂ·iÂ·tarÂ·ies Date: 1709

1: military persons; especially : army officers THIS IS THE RESTRICTED VERSION - ARMY ONLY

2: armed forces THIS IS THE GENERAL VERSION - ALL ARMED FORCES

Main Entry: armed forces
Function: noun plural
: the combined military, naval, and air forces of a nation âcalled also armed services

And here's Army: 1 a: a large organized body of armed personnel trained for war especially on land b: a unit capable of independent action and consisting usually of a headquarters, two or more corps, and auxiliary troops coften capitalized : the complete military organization of a nation for land warfare

I don't know why you thought that army, strictly speaking, referred only the infantry, but you can see that it does say "especially on land" so perhaps that confused you.

A soldier is anyone who serves in the amry. It doesn't matter what his or her job is.

Correct these greetings please

Believer — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 10:54:44 GMT

Hi,

Please correct these.

1.May your new year be a blessed one, filled with joy of simplicity and sharing. -- should I say "joys of simplicity and sharing"? Can the word 'joy' as uncountable be able to accommodate two nouns that come after?
2. May your family be blessed in many ways and in many more ways and may your laughter not be ceased in your household.
3. May Him grant you good health and material well-being as not to lack in any way to carry out the work of your Father in heaven.
4. May your tomorrows always be in the sunrise and never in the sunset -- never to see gloomy days again.

Re: Medical English/mature teacher

Anonymous — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 02:40:02 GMT

Dear Loretta: Thank-you for your letter. It is always interesting to hear from someone with a similar background or interest. Let me answer some of your questions for you. I want to share with you what I have learned over the years in this business. I hope I can be blunt? 1) You asked: what is the value of these certifications if one is already fluent in english and has taught professionals as part of their professional career? I teach adults at work all the time. My response: This is a common question for people who want to teach at any an all levels of ESL. a) Simply being fluent in a language doesnât make you good at it. Think of all the regional dialects and inner city dialects of English just in the USA alone. Surely to goodness you can see this? This question (and I know from experience) is perceived as incredibly rude and un-knowing by those people who have spent the time, effort and dedication learning how to teach language. b) I am on faculty teaching nursing in a university program, full time. There is a great deal of difference in teaching in a program and curriculum (particularly a program that moves in a lengthy step wise progression) than there is in teaching patient groups and communities in short programs. I have done both of these (because I am a nurse) and am able to compare and contrast the two. c) This statement could be perceived as diminishing the importance of teaching programs everywhere. It suggests that just because a nurse has experience âteaching adults at work all the timeâ that he/she might just as well apply for a teaching job in general education! Can you see where I am going with this? Ouch. It devalues the importance of undergraduate, graduate and PhDs/MEds in education. What if the teachers were to say this about nursing? d) What is the value? Well, if you wish to teach in a school of any merit, you will need this type of credential, for the reasons I have just cited. If you donât mind teaching at âany old language schoolâ of questionable repute and wages, then the credential isnât necessary. Please donât let that discourage you. You can always, always find work without the TESL certification and this is a FANTASTIC WAY to see the world. FANTASTIC. It just depends on your personal plans. 2) You asked: if I have a web-based business for international students, do I still need TESL certification if I am not traveling abroad to teach? My response: no, you donât really ever NEED to have the TESL, as Iâve said. But having it will improve your credibility exponentially. Just in closing, Iâd like to share a bit about myself so that you will see I am speaking from experience. I am a native English speaker. I studied French in school. I started my young adult years teaching English at Berlitz School of Languages and this helped pay for part of my nursing education. In later years, I picked up the TESL Certificate because I wanted to travel and work teaching English. Then I picked up Spanish! Throughout all of this, I have been a career nurse & nursing instructor first and foremost. I have a post-graduate diploma in Adult Education and a Masters of Science in Administration (Health focus). In the next couple of months I will graduate with a Masters of Education in TESOL. I believe I have a very, very solid background in language studies, adult education and nursing combined. That is why I have been able to build up a reputation for English for Nurses and English for Medical Purposes worldwide. Loretta, you have a fabulous background in Nursing and I would really like to encourage you to pursue your idea to teach Medical English. Those of us who are dually trained (Nursing and ESL) are very, very rare. Itâs a challenging but rewarding niche market to get into! Yours very truly, Melodie Hull, RPN, MSC, BA, TESL, PID, MED (candidate) Nurse-Educator & Consultant Canada Ps: Yikes, just one more thing. If you wish to be seen as a credible English language teacher, you must, must use proper grammar and capitalize titles, names and proper nouns as appropriate, especially if you are posting on the web. (Just a friendly hint.) MH

Re: transitive or intransitive

Mr Wordy — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 17:30:57 GMT

Anonymous

Here, "is vanished", are we taking it as an intransitive?

If yes, then, are all intransitives be able to form present perfect sentences?

I'm not an expert on grammar or linguistics, but here are my thoughts as an ordinary native user of English. I hope I got all the grammatical terminology correct!

I think that all verbs -- transitive or intransitive -- are able to form present perfect sentences: "He has died", "It has vanished", "They've eaten all the pies". At least, I can't think of any verbs that can't, or any reason why they should exist.

"Is" (or, analogously, "are", "was" or "were") followed by the past participle of a transitive verb can range from a pure passive use ("I'd be astonished if that record is broken by an American") to an adjectival use ("This watch is broken."). In the latter case, the idea that the watch has been broken by something or someone, though in theory implied by the word "broken", is weak or non-existent, and "broken" behaves as an adjective that just describes the present state of the watch (just like "The watch is heavy"). Moreover it can be placed before the noun: "A broken watch".

"Is" followed by the past participle of an intransitive verb can't form an passive sentence in the usual sense: "He is/was died by a heart attack" is wrong. So, if the sentence "The watch is vanished" is interpreted as an ordinary passive then it must be the case that "vanished" is used transitively. (There is, however, something called the "impersonal passive". The usual examples are things like "it is believed", where we are not saying that the thing believed is "it" (ordinary passive), but just that there is a general sense of people believing. I'm not very clear if and how "is vanished" might fit this sense.)

The remaining possibility is that the past participles of intransitive verbs (such as, perhaps, "vanish") can, by analogy with the adjectival use of transitive past participles, be used adjectivally -- even though the "background" meaning that I mentioned earlier can't exist even in theory. Let's look at some examples. "It is existed" and "It is behaved" are completely wrong. "He is died" is not quite completely wrong but could (to me) only be used in certain special situations, such as jokey use or attempts at recreating or preserving archaic language. In most contexts it would sound unnatural. Are there any intransitive past participles that are natural adjectives in everyday language? One candidate that comes to mind is "fallen", in the sense of "fallen from a state of respectability". For example, "a fallen woman" is perfectly good English to me (though "she is fallen" still has a slight sense to me that it is an archaic form of "she has fallen").

Re: Felt like...

Avangi — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 15:42:54 GMT

Hi Mad, With this scant context, it could be taken either way. It's pretty confusing.

"Friends" is plural. Was she paired with one particular guy?

Whom is she talking to? Her date??

"Felt" is past tense, but "is" is present tense. Is she still on the date with this guy (or guys) (or girls) when she makes this statement? (like maybe at the very end of it?)

Is Neil her main squeeze? (Sorry, my eyes are getting bad.) Is Nell her main squeeze? Who the h--- is Nell? (Is Lana a guy?)

Anyway, I'm assuming "tonight" is a noun rather than an adverb. "I had to explain about tonight." Not, "Tonight, I felt like I had to explain to Nell."

It's still "tonight" when she makes the statement. It sounds like Nell is not present. If she has already explained to Nell, she must have covered a lot of ground.

But on the other hand, we don't know what it is she wants to explain. Did she feel she had to explain what happened tonight, or did she feel (in the past) that she had to explain that she was planning to go on a date without him/her??

If she's talking to the guy and they're still on the date, maybe it's, "I felt like I had to explain to Nell, but, you know what? I don't feel that way any longer." Maybe she's just telling him that she feels wierd about having felt obligated to tell Nell all her private business.

Or maybe she's warning "him" that this "date" is no secret from Nell, because she felt obligated to tell her/him.

You're asking me, "Did Lana explain to Nell about tonight?" I'll tell you. I don't know.