Search results for 'tag:Exclamation marks tag:Expressions' matching tags 'Exclamation marks' and 'Expressions'

Re: Merry or Happy?

Zerox — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 20:49:25 GMT

I browsed through my last year's notes and found the info I said and there a side note there saying 'obsolete' with three exclamation marks. So, I went to check from the OED the history of 'merry' and, as Clive already mentioned, 'merry' has had a meaning of boisterous joyfulness normally due to alcohol. I'm also inclined to say that my professor, who told this last Christmas, is from the UK and, moreover, he sometimes uses somewhat antiquated English expressions for the sake of both amusing us and showing how the meanings of words change.

Re: I used to; Iâm used to

Anonymous — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 23:19:31 GMT

Eladio wrote:
Whatâs the difference between these two sentences? I read both in a dictionary and Iâm confused.

She wasnât used to him away but she soon got used to it. Now she is used to seeing him once in a year.
She didnât use to him away but she soon got used to it. Now she is used to seeing him once in a year.

The point is that I believe to understand that âShe used toâ is a past tense, so âShe didnât use toâ¦â is the negative form of this past tense. Now, âSheâs used toâ is a present tense, so the negative form of this present tense is âShe isnât used toâ¦â. Now, âShe wasnât used toâ¦â sounds to me like a negative (another?) form of the past tense. Is that correct? In above sentences the use of past forms âwasnâtâ and âdidnâtâ tends to confuse, I believe, to a not English speaker, and to think that both are different forms of the past.
Did you use to play tennis when you were younger? (Past, right?)
Are you used to play tennis? (Present, right?)
I donât know if Iâm being clear in explaining my confusion.

Dear Mister Micawber and MrPedantic thank you for your help with my post âPlease, help!!â. Mister Micawber, your advice related to the title of that post (âPlease, help!!) is important to me. The fact is that Iâm a native Spanish speaker and Iâm certainly learning the real spoken English in streets and with all of you in EnglishForums; I mean, in Spanish âPlease, help!!â doesnât implies necessarily a panic situation. Weâre used to use many exclamation marks. So, Iâm sorry. And I would like to thank CalifJim and Clive for their help with my recent post âNeedless / unnecessaryâ.

Hi Eladio,

In addition to the experts' comment, here is my two cents if that may help...

I used to lived next door to John = sometime ago, John was my neighbor. [used to] is a phrasal expression which denotes the long-gone past . i.e. if someone said "I used to care about you", it means the caring no longer exists any more. The use of this phrase is not so much concerned with the exact past time but what happened in the past.

My parents used to take me to the parks on Sundays when I was little.

Be used to means something differenet. i.e. I am used to having my coffee black. This means I am accustomed to drinking coffee without sugar.

Re: comma help.

Philip — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 22:39:31 GMT

Market wrote:

Here are a few phrases that i have a problem with. Having problem with the comma.

It is all dialoq phrases. (I will try to answer them first)

1." To be quite honest with you ( ,) I'm a little nervous." (goes a comma)

2. "I just don't know what it is at the moment (. ) but trust me ( ;) I'll find out." (confused about that one)

3."Once those cars get close ( ,) does kids don't stand a chance." "does" not necessary

___Can 'once' be a introductory phrases? If yes, then there should go a comma.

4. "Once everyone finds out about who you really are ( ,) they'll want to hurt you." (if it's a intro phrase then yes.)

-having trouble with the 'than and then'-

5. "It's nothing more then/than a curse." (don't know) than

6. " I wanted to win more then/than anything." (don't know) than

7. Plus is there a comma after ( c'mon) ex: C'mon, let's go. yes However, a period or an exclamation mark (!) would be o.k. as well

I hope these help. "Then" is normally used as an expression of time ( = next , at that time).

Re: Gerund or Participle ?

Aperisic — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 13:58:20 GMT

Maple wrote:

Now I think I can feel free to use the expression ânow you can say that again" when I agree with the speaker.

Thanks for your clarification.

The expression is You can say that again. You stress slightly that in speach. You can say 'that again

You can add now, but you can add anything else as well: man, well, yes. (But you do not start a sentence with And for example.) Now is not more frequent in any sense. Exclamation mark is usual as well.

Now, you can say that again!
Yes, you can say that again!
You can say that again, man!
Well, you can say that again!

It is not rare to start the sentence with it

You can say that again: it is a perfect plan!
You can say that again: we deserve to win!

or when you advertise

You can say that again: $20 per month!

you can start a whole part with it

You can say that again. It was a wonderful morning and we decided to go to a holiday. I can't remember having a better holiday in my life.

The only what I do not know about is its usage in the middle or at the end of the sentence or as a separate sentence.

You said so good a solution that you can say that again because we might win a Nobel prize if we succeed.
You can say that again that she is ugly, but I knew it long ago.

I strongly doubt this usage because I did not find any.

You can say that again is a positive expression it means I totally agree and/or I know it already. It is a spoken phrase. In writing it can show enthusiasm or a well-known god or bad fact.

You can say that again is a pretty fixed phrase, you could occasionally change can to may, might, could but it is not recommendable, because, for example, you may say that again is used when you ask someone to repeat again what he just said. The same danger exists if you change that to it, you can say it again, usually means simply you can repeat what you say. again is never changed to anything else (one more time, for example).

Re: Thanks for your instruction, MM.

Mister Micawber — Tue, 21 Dec 2004 04:54:07 GMT