In Learning English^x, Literature^x, Conversations^x

Hi Anon,what Jim said makes a lot of sense, and we discussed it a little in another thread, I think.The point was that teaching completely descriptively is impossible. The teacher would have to say: Mr X says this, Mr Y says that, and Mr Z says another thing. Now learn what they say and then...

Patricklui wrote: Hello I am new to here. My mother tongue is Cantonese and I like to polish my English. It's known that English has two different versions : spoken and written. I have been learning English since I was a child and my written English is not too bad because this is what I have...

The short answer to your question is that you study English literature to understand English literature, and this will not necessarily be of use in understanding the conversation at a bus stop. It is important to understand that writing and speaking are two different, although related, phenonema.

Clive wrote: Parent to child: I'm going out for an hour. You'd better have done your homework by the time I get back, or you'll be in big trouble.To me, this is a perfectly normal and common construct. Let's see what any other people wish to say about it.Very interesting. PacoI'm interested in...

Goodman wrote:5)You had better have seen the doctor earlier. The tone and tense are rather odd. I would say “You had better” does not go with this context. If I guess correctly, do you mean to say” you should have seen the doctor earlier” ?HelloI'm interested in Goodman's discussion that "had...