Free English language forums and chat for EFL / ESL students and teachers with discussions covering issues such as grammar, exams, qualifications, academic/business English and more. Wed, 02 Oct 2024 23:06:10 +0000 Wed, 02 Oct 2024 23:06:10 +0000 UsingEnglish.com ESL Forum https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/ Wed, 02 Oct 2024 20:55:30 +0000 https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/threads/the-disease-originated-in-britain-not-the-disease-originated.302986/ 302986 invalid@example.com (Vladv1) Vladv1 I have read that after some verbs we usually add a complement - a phrase which completes the meaning of a verb -noun or adjective.

The disease originated in Britain
( The disease originated.)

Could you please list some verbs used in this way please?]]> 4 Wed, 02 Oct 2024 20:35:29 +0000 https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/threads/did-you-understand-have-you-understood-what-i-just-said.303049/ 303049 invalid@example.com (GhotiO |fɪʃ|) GhotiO |fɪʃ| I want to know if the person I'm talking to has grasped the point of what I said just a few seconds ago. I'm pretty sure "Do you understand what I just said?" works in English, but here it's the present tense and it talks about the state "understand" while I want to ask about the action. Do you think either of these below would work in such a situation?

• Did you understand what I just said? (I'm not sure if this would work to talk about the action, not the state)...

Read more]]> 8 Wed, 02 Oct 2024 20:24:13 +0000 https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/threads/intestine-intestines.303091/ 303091 invalid@example.com (milan2003_07) milan2003_07 Good afternoon everyone,

In the Russian language there is one word "кишечник" ("kishechnik") meaning an organ in a human body - the tubes through which food passes when it has left your stomach. Is it "intestine" or "intestines" in English?

In the Collins Cobuild Dictionary I've found the word "intestine" with the definition above, but I've also come across "intestines" in some other sources.

Could you please give some examples with "intestine" and "intestines" (so as) to see the...

Read more]]> 7 Wed, 02 Oct 2024 19:24:13 +0000 https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/threads/these-types-of-song-these-types-of-songs.302933/ 302933 invalid@example.com (Ashraful Haque) Ashraful Haque "Deja vu", "non-sequitur" are foreign words. I don't like using that type of word.
If I don't like using foreign words, and I don't like using long words, then there are two types: I don't like using those types of word."
This is an answer I got on another forum. Since it wasn't the topic I decided to open a new post here.

Please let me know if the following sentences are correct.
1) (Someone playing a hip-hop song.) I don't like this type of...

Read more]]> 5 Wed, 02 Oct 2024 14:43:16 +0000 https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/threads/online-esl.303093/ 303093 invalid@example.com (plihhf) plihhf Do you know a good online ESL program in the US or canada?]]> 0 Wed, 02 Oct 2024 13:35:23 +0000 https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/threads/usage-of-stomach.303092/ 303092 invalid@example.com (milan2003_07) milan2003_07 Hello everyone,

I would like to ask you about the word "stomach". In the Russian language there are two different words used for speaking about an organ where food is digested and the front part of the body below the chest and over intestines, liver, gall bladder, and spleen.

Here are the definitions from the Collins Cobuild Dictionary:

1. Your stomach is the organ inside your body where food is digested before it moves into the intestines (e.g.: he had an upset stomach)
2. You can...

Read more]]> 0 Wed, 02 Oct 2024 11:15:10 +0000 https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/threads/diary-a-few-month-ago-i-kept-watching-horror-movies.303086/ 303086 invalid@example.com (Maybo) Maybo This is an entry from my diary. Please check it and correct any mistakes.

A few month ago, I kept watching horror movies to make myself immune to them. However, I've found that it doesn't work because sometimes, I jolt simply because of jump scares, not because I'm really scared by the scenes. Therefore, I recently turned to reading horror books because I can't stand those jump scares anymore. I might have heart attacks.]]> 0 Wed, 02 Oct 2024 11:08:54 +0000 https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/threads/diary-im-currently-reading-the-book-fairy-tale.302948/ 302948 invalid@example.com (Maybo) Maybo This is an entry from my diary. Please check it and correct any mistakes.

I'm currently reading the book Fairy Tale by Stephen King, which is a dark fantasy story follows a boy and his dog who venture into a strange world under the ground. I'm a third of way through and find the story starts getting interesting. This book's writing style is very different from the book I previously read. This one includes a lot of idiom and slang. I have another two books of Stephen King, which are...

Read more]]> 5 Wed, 02 Oct 2024 11:01:48 +0000 https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/threads/max-gets-meg-muffins.302638/ 302638 invalid@example.com (englishhobby) englishhobby Here are sentences I made for an exercise (these particurar ones are meant to practise the /m/ sound). Are they grammatically correct? (In particular, I am interested in the combinations "gets Meg" (= "gets for Meg"), "makes Meg" (= "makes for Meg"):
1) Sometimes Max gets Meg muffins.
2) Sometimes Max makes Meg muffins.]]> 13 Wed, 02 Oct 2024 10:56:19 +0000 https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/threads/to-fit-in-his-kitchen-part-2.303085/ 303085 invalid@example.com (navi tasan) navi tasan 1) He bought a tiny table to fit in his tiny kitchen.

a) He bought a tiny table that would fit in his tiny kitchen.
b) He bought a tiny table because he needed one that would fit in his tiny kitchen.

Does #1 mean (a) or (b)?

I heard a sentence on TV that was something like: He had a tiny phone to fit his tiny hand.

I had trouble parsing and understanding that sentence.]]> 1 Wed, 02 Oct 2024 10:54:06 +0000 https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/threads/sick-of-sb-ving-a-gerund-or-present-participle.303082/ 303082 invalid@example.com (sitifan) sitifan ME , HAVING A COMPLETE NERVOUS BREAKDOWN BECAUSE I'M SO SICK OF EVERYONE TALKING ABOUT MACKENZIE !
Source: Dork Diaries 10: Tales from a Not-So-Perfect Pet Sitter, by Rachel Renée Russell.

In the above quotation, is "talking" a gerund or present participle?]]> 5 Wed, 02 Oct 2024 07:05:06 +0000 https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/threads/why-was-john-concerned-to-be-perfect.303080/ 303080 invalid@example.com (Piermo) Piermo Hello, everyone.
Can two clauses be used in the same question?

—Why was John concerned to be perfect, whereas Mary was unconcerned about flaws?

Or they need to be separated in two questions:

—Why was John concerned to be perfect? Whereas, why was Mary unconcerned about flaws?

Thank you!]]> 5 Wed, 02 Oct 2024 07:00:50 +0000 https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/threads/to-fit-in-his-tiny-kitchen.303084/ 303084 invalid@example.com (navi tasan) navi tasan 1) He bought a table to fit in his tiny kitchen.
2) He bought a table that would fit in his tiny kitchen.

Do '1' and '2' mean the same?

I posted a longer question about the infinitive but it was deleted because it contained too many questions. I thought all the questions were related and all learners would benefit from the post. I am going to make a couple of posts each containing a part of the original post.

I heard a sentence on TV that was something like: He had a tiny phone to fit his...

Read more]]> 1 Wed, 02 Oct 2024 06:56:05 +0000 https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/threads/playing-games-often-gives-children-a-sense-of-pleasure.303083/ 303083 invalid@example.com (Silverobama) Silverobama Someone asked me a question at a local English club. He asked me "Why do you think children like playing games?" when we were talking about that kids love playing with their friends and games. I thought about his question and said something like:

Playing games often gives children a sense of pleasure; they're happy when playing with their playmates. Games are usually intriguing and can therefore interest curious kids.They also more of less get a sense of achievement if those games are a...

Read more]]> 1 Wed, 02 Oct 2024 00:18:36 +0000 https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/threads/these-things-always-run-on-longer-than-people-imagine-pronunciation.303043/ 303043 invalid@example.com (andypassword) andypassword The sentence below is an example sentence of Longman Dictionary.

https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/run-on
These things always run on longer than people imagine.

This dictionary provide audio for every example sentence, which is perfect for me.
The problem is that sometimes it’s hard to get its exact sound.
Most of the time when I repeat it several times it turns out that the culprit is my poor L/C.

But once in a while however I may listen to it again and again I...

Read more]]> 7 Tue, 01 Oct 2024 19:33:03 +0000 https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/threads/i-will-appreciate-it-if-you-could-help-me.302957/ 302957 invalid@example.com (effect3) effect3 Hello,
Which form below is better?

1.I will appreciate it if you could help me.
Or
2. I would appreciate it if you could help me.
I'd be grateful for your opinion.]]> 3 Tue, 01 Oct 2024 19:26:31 +0000 https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/threads/so-bad-i-dont-have-any-students-to-tutor-now.303078/ 303078 invalid@example.com (Silverobama) Silverobama Thomas is a friend of mine. A few days ago I referred a tutoring job to him and he got the job.

Thomas: Hi, Silver. I got the job. Thanks a lot. I now teach the woman's daughter once a week.
Silver: No problem. Good luck.
Thomas: How's your health? (He knows that I've been suffering from anxiety.)
Silver: Improving.
Thomas: How about your work? (He knows that I work as a tutor.)

Silver: So bad. I don't have any students to tutor now. Someone told me her son would continue to learn from...

Read more]]> 1 Tue, 01 Oct 2024 19:12:34 +0000 https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/threads/moon-the-crowd.303051/ 303051 invalid@example.com (Vladv1) Vladv1 "There was one final ‘farewell’ Saturday night show at the old Bondi Wife Swapper, on 27 March, where Billy Thorpe got up to jam with them on the encore number, ‘Baby, Please Don’t Go’, and during which Angus did something for the first time that was to become another trademark move of his at all future AC/DC shows: he dropped his shorts and mooned the crowd. He also used the long bar as his personal catwalk, running the length of it while still playing before coming to a stop with a...

Read more]]> 4 Tue, 01 Oct 2024 18:06:33 +0000 https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/threads/what-do-friends-do.303079/ 303079 invalid@example.com (CSHY) CSHY I think sentences as follows are natural.
---- What are your/my/her/their friends doing? ----
---- What do friends do?
---- They help each other.

Recently, there has been a heated discussion on the Internet among people learning and teaching English in China.

This sentence appears in a newly published textbook for kids:

"What do friends do?" (see the picture please.)

Some people believe the sentence is incorrect or unnatural.

I wonder if it might be natural in a way when people speak to...

Read more]]> 8 Tue, 01 Oct 2024 16:28:13 +0000 https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/threads/what-does-%E2%80%9Ccare-to%E2%80%9D-mean.303074/ 303074 invalid@example.com (October wind) October wind We’re influenced by the happiness of other people in more ways than we care to think of. (Entrance exam of Keio University, the source is unknown. )

Does “care to” mean “want to”?
Why do you think would the writer add “care to” instead of just writing “than we think of.”?]]> 2