Need help with some questions!

Confused Again — Fri, 11 Nov 2005 17:58:48 GMT

I need a few of the regulars out there to help me out again, could you please check what I've answered so far and tell me if I'm right? If I'm wrong please simply point me in the right direction and I'll try again.

Unfortunately questions B and C have stumped me, so I'd be grateful if anyone could direct me to a grammar point which I can look up in a book.

Thanks for any help you can throw my way.

Why can you sayâ¦â¦..?

A 'a car' but not 'a water'?

Because 'a car' is a countable noun, whereas âwaterâ is an uncountable noun.

B 'I'm having a bath' but not 'I'm having long hair'?

C 'He raised the prices' but not 'he rose the prices'?

D 'I waited' but not 'I goed'?

Because 'wait' is a regular verb, whereas 'go' is an irregular verb.

E 'He looked the word up' but not 'he looked the chimney up'?

Both examples contain multiword verbs. The first example is known as a phrasal verb, the direct object ('the word') can go between the verb and the particle. The second example is known as a prepositional verb and the direct object (âthe chimneyâ) canât go between the verb and the particle.

Re: Correcting English mistakes, Approaches to Teaching and Learning English

Novalee — Wed, 14 Jul 2004 13:54:01 GMT

1. "I`d like some informations about your courses."
"Certainly, here`s our brochure."

Correction: some information
Explanation in in simple terms: information is an uncountable noun. It can't be used in the plural form.

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2. âHave you got any money?â
âYes, Iâve been to the bank yesterdayâ

Correction: I went to the bank yesterday
Explanation in in simple terms: The Present Perfect needs a connection with the present, but the sentence refers to a past action (yesterday). If you want to make a connection with the present, then you must rephrase: "I've been to the bank today"
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3. âWhy donât you give up smoking?â
âIâve tried, but I just canât give up it.â

Correction: give it up
Explanation in in simple terms: give up is a phrasal verb, so if the object is a pronoun it must be used between the verb and the particle.
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4. âWhy didnât you answer the phone?â
âBecause I had a bath.â

Correction: I was having a bath
Explanation in in simple terms: It is a continuous action that started in the past and continued for a time, so a progressive tense is preferred. "As the phone was ringing, I was having a bath"
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I hope this helps. Maybe someone can help you with the second part of your question.

Search results for 'tag:Phrasal verbs tag:Uncountable nouns' matching tags 'Phrasal verbs' and 'Uncountable nouns'

Need help with some questions!

Re: Correcting English mistakes, Approaches to Teaching and Learning English