Search results for 'tag:English grammar tag:Translation' matching tags 'English grammar' and 'Translation'

Re: Can you help me?

Philip — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 14:59:53 GMT

IvonneViovy wrote:

Hello!

That is a great forum!

I am preparing myself for an application (one has to speak German, Spanish and English) My Spanish is very good..because it is my mother tongue, my German is good because I have been living here for almost 10 years now... and unfortunately my English is not good.. Could I ask you if I have some questions about English grammar, couldn`t I?

Here you have some of my links..they help me a lot with my work..

http://www.linguatec.de/onlineservices/pt You can search for the translation and listen to the pronunciation. I love it!

http://www.linguatec.de/onlineservices/voice_reader

http://www.leo.org/index_en.html

Was my English right? you can correct my mistakes if you like..

You will have good experiences here. Ask away!

Can you help me?

IvonneViovy — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 20:52:23 GMT

Hello!

That is a great forum!

I am preparing myself for an application (one has to speak German, Spanish and English) My Spanish is very good..because it is my mother tongue, my German is good because I have been living here for almost 10 years now... and unfortunately my English is not good.. Could I ask you if I have some questions about English grammar, couldn`t I?

Here you have some of my links..they help me a lot with my work..

http://www.linguatec.de/onlineservices/pt You can search for the translation and listen to the pronunciation. I love it!

http://www.linguatec.de/onlineservices/voice_reader

http://www.leo.org/index_en.html

Was my English right? you can correct my mistakes if you like..

Re: Is 'personal computer' a compound noun?

Clive — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 22:03:08 GMT

Hi,

In 'Longman English Grammar' section 2.10.2, it talks about compound nouns relating to locations. It says, the first part of the noun refers to location and the second part refers to the thing in this location. (As I am reading a translated version of this book, I can't figure out what's the original words the author made. But the meaning should be same.) Then offering some examples:
1) the bank safe
2) a personal computer
3) a kitchen sink

I can understand both 1) and 3) obey that rules, but what about 2)?
I think 'personal' is an adjective, right? Yes. It's OK for compound to be 'adjective + verb'.
Does 'personal' refer to a location? Or is it an error of the book? 'Personal computer' is certainly a compoun noun, but I don't see how it can be considered as referring to 'location'.

Perhaps the problem lies somewhere in the translation process?

Clive

Re: English Grammar help: all..were not / not all ... were?

Antiknck — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 00:54:25 GMT

(a) All of the dinosaurs were not dangerous.
Translation: None of the dinosaurs were dangerous.

(b) Not all of the dinosaurs were dangerous.
Translation: Some of the dinosaurs were dangerous.

"All ... were not ..." = none.
"Not all" = some.

Re: Absolute Nominative Participle Construction

Anonymous — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 09:38:13 GMT

An example would be, 'The regulation included monthly and hourly rates, daily rates having been omitted.' The five-word phrase at the end of this sentence comprises a participle with its own subject or nominative. I forget why it is called 'absolute'. The only book I know that mentions the construction is R.W. Zandvoort's A Handbook of English Grammar. It is an old book, perhaps not widely used in the English-speaking world (Zandvoort was a Dutchman), but I have seen reference to it in mainland Chinese writings about English. A good city library should have the book. I often use the construction translating, and teaching translation, from Chinese to English. The nature of Chinese is such that I find the construction indispensible. I used it without thinking until, one day, one of my Chinese students questioned its validity. That set me thinking. I justified it as an adverbial phrase qualifying the verb in the preceding clause ('included' in the example above). None of the modern grammars I consulted mentioned it, so I was relieved when I encountered Zandvoort's authoritative discussion. Today, another of my Chinese students told me that she was taught the construction when studying for the English Toeffl exam, and advised to use it, if she could, because its use would indicate an intimate knowledge of English in the writer.

Re: Does anyone knows good english grammar software ?

Rzy649 — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 09:10:45 GMT

You need translate softwere or what?

If you need translate softwere,there is a'translation',but it is chinese...but it is also can translate other language.

and u also can search in google.

http://www.t1333.com/download/translation.exe

Re: Translation of a Turkish lyric..

SunFlowerSeed — Sun, 28 Jan 2007 19:52:06 GMT

I just copied the lyric from a Turkish songs' lyrics page.
I know the song well. One of my favorites.

The word is sayÄ±lmasam, not sayÄ±lmazsam.
I don't want to get involved in a Turkish grammer question, because this is a English grammar forum.
But in case you are interested in, meaning of sayÄ±lmasam and sayÄ±lmazsam are close.

SayÄ±lmasam = If I haven't been counted by someone else. Meaning in present tense (for that moment). If I am not being counted by someone else.
( here >Ä±l< by someone else. )
SayÄ±lmazsam = If I usually haven't been count by someone else. Meaning in general tense which is also a kind of present tense I think.
Covering some of Past, Present, Future. I mean always or anytime.

This word also has the meaning of ''if you don't get it as ....(a word that you think the other person gets it offensive)......'' but not in this sentence.

If you'd like to say ''if I can't be counted'' then it should be sayÄ±lamazsam or sayÄ±lamasam.

That also shows my mistake on translation, thanks for pointing it out, it should be If I haven't been counted and .....being in a state of not counted....
I am also not sure whether it should be past perfect or past tense or present tense but not present continous.

I am really sorry for posting something on Turkish grammer.
I thought Philip wanted some explanation.

Re: Language element

Grammar Geek — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 20:31:04 GMT

Hi -

First, a moderator's note: You posted in General English Grammar, but this is more suitable for Writing World. However, because you posted anonymously, I didn't want to move it there without being able to tell you this.

Are you looking to have someone review this for grammar, etc? Or did you simply want to post it for people to think about? There are a few things here that really need correction for it to be understanable -

Now let me show you some facts first whether you admit it or not, with your right side or left side jaw. There is A herding things, But this is not lymph nodes. - Did you perhaps use a translation tool for this? It doesn't make sense.

Touch your jam,then feel left side compare to right side.then you can feel one side is bigger than another. - I don't know what word you meant, but not "jam."

According to Jew 78:22 theory(that's a mystery of jew, ... - I can't imagine what you mean, but whatever it is, I'm sure it's not "Jew."

Re: how to pronounce numbers

Eng_teach_in_germany — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 18:04:39 GMT

ok.. I would just like to clarify something - I do in fact make my students aware that zero is commonly pronounced as the letter 'O'. I teach to German people, most of whom are already aware of this due to years of English courses in school, etc..

In German, the word for 'zero' is 'Null' and it's always used for phone numbers. SO, 'Null'='zero'. That is the unamiguous, technically correct and exact translation. I teach the students that it is more correct to say 'zero' because it is literally not the letter 'O', no matter how post-modern you wish to be. I don't make a fuss over it, I'm fully aware that many/most people use 'Oh', and I don't care if my students use 'Oh'. I even use it sometimes myself. It's just not a big deal. As I stated in a previous post, I just tell the students 'the full story'. They are never confused about it afterwards and very little time is required to be spent on it. Similarly, I've spent enough time on it here as well. The End.

In regards to the related topic - whether or not there is actually such a thing as 'correct' English, my response is simply that in practice, 'on the ground' so to speak, an 'anything goes' approach is inappropriate. In a philosophy class it might be fine to discuss how everything's relative and so on, but in real world ESL teaching it's advisable to 'stick to the rules' of English grammar as much as possible. Of course language changes over time. Of course there's no perfect, absolute, master version of English set in stone forever. There are very cohesive standards and rules however(which change gradually over time) which make it possible for us to communicate clearly with each other, and to pass on the knowledge of our language to non-native speakers.

Take for example this (now online) book written 90 years ago, entitled 'How to Speak and Write Correctly':
<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext04/hwswc10h.htm" target="_blank" title="http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext04/hwswc10h.htm">http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext04/hwswc10h.htm</a>
While the author's writing style may seem slightly antiquated, it's still fine and 99% of his description of English grammar still applies today, nearly 100 years later. The other 1% consists of the sort of changes and developents that are often discussed on this forum.

The problem of what is correct or not of course often comes up in TESL when British and American English use different words or spelling. At the end of the day you have to teach either one or the other, or teach both. Usually it depends on which one the client/student is most likely to need.

Re: Gerund or Participle ?

Goodman — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 20:15:45 GMT

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As a former ESL learner, I think my personal learning experience qualifies me to offer this perspective. I really donât think majority of the foreign English learners learn their grammar through substandard grammar books. I think the difference is in the interpretation and teaching method of the teacher, as well as the perception of the students that either steer the students on the right track or otherwise. I am still learning everyday from watching programs like Discovery and The History Channel to improve my speech pattern and apply it to my writing. Definitely learning and adapting to think in English helped. The problem with many foreign learners is that the thought composing process is done in their own language. The writing part is put through a translation process. The result often is a mixture of English grammar and their own which may sound quite stiff and unnatural. I can say this. Itâs not easy for foreigners to learn and master English. By that, I mean gaining full control of fluent written and spoken skills and avoiding making common mistakes. For many Asian learners itâs particularly difficult because their languages are not formed by alphabets, compounded by the lack or consistent exposure and contact with English speaking natives. For myself, spoken English and audio-visuals have a big impact on my written English. But thatâs just me and I believe each learner perceives and learns differently. This is the best forum I have come across in terms of the level of English experts and control of the forum. Well, every now and then, a couple of strays show up but thatâs inevitable. Thatâs my two cents.