Messages

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You Asked Me This Question / Singular Vs Plural; Gerunds vs Regular Nouns

« on: April 02, 2012, 04:59:02 PM »

Sir, could you tell me which of the two sentences in each set below is the correct one and why? The context for each set is also given.

(Context: I am a marriage counselor speaking before married couples)
"You husbands should, from time to time, give gifts to your wives.
"You husbands should, from time to time, give gifts to your wife.

(Context: I'm the class president and am speaking before my class)
"Everyone should surrender their cellphones before going inside the theater."
"Everyone should surrender their cellphone before going inside the theater."

I realize that I have already asked a similar question before, but what I'm trying to say here is that I'm still having so much trouble deciding whether to use the singular or plural forms of the nouns I highlighted in the sentences I presented. I feel I should use the plural because I'm not just talking about one husband or one cellphone. I'm actually talking about, in my 1st set of sentences, all the wives of all the husbands I'm speaking to, and in my 2nd set, all the cellphones of everyone in my class. And deciding gets even more difficult for me when epressing general ideas. For example, should I say "People who don't have jobs are but lazy people," or should I use the singular job instead and say "People who don't have a job are but lazy people"? Here are other examples:

"All my friends have successful careers" or "All my friends have a successful career"
"I get uncomfortable around people with strong personalities" or "I get uncomfortable around people with a strong personality"

I must admit that I am more accustomed to using the plural forms of the nouns that act as objects (or will "act as an object" do?) of a preposition (or should it be "of prepositions" instead?) for these types of sentences. This is a serious problem to me, and I'm hoping you can clear everything up for me. Also, sir, when a gerund and a regular noun seem like they can both be used as an adjective to describe another noun, which one should one prefer?

swim trunks or swimming trunks
work experience or working eperience
sleep pattern or sleeping pattern
dance partner or dancing partner

Sorry for asking too many questions in one post. I look forward to your answers and eplanations. Thanks so much in advance!

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You Asked Me This Question / Re: A questionable line from a famous song

« on: April 02, 2012, 04:01:03 PM »

OK, thanks for your explanation, sir. I figured that too, and initially thought that the lyric was wrong. But, I just realized that as a pronoun, "all" can also mean "everything," as in "All is fine now." So, I'm thinking that if that's the meaning the writer of the song intended, then the line is grammatically correct because if we replace "all" with "everything" then the verb "is" now perfectly agrees in number with the pronoun, as in this version: "Everything I hear is raindrops." Am I right in thinking this, sir? I'd appreciate any correction you may have. Thanks again for your reply!

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You Asked Me This Question / Simple present or present perfect in subordinate clauses?

« on: March 22, 2012, 04:48:25 PM »

Thanks a lot for your reply, sir. I notice that you often use the modal "would" in your explanations, although I don't quite understand why. Anyway, about using "that is/that was," I also find it confusing to choose which one to use with the word "meant." For example, if I want to say to someone that they misunderstood my statement, should I say "That IS not what I meant" or "That WAS not what I meant"? Another example, when I want to clarify what I just said to avoid confusion or misinterpretation, should I say "This IS what I meant by..." or "This WAS what I meant by..."? "What I meant by what I said IS..." or "What I meant by what I said WAS..."? Please clarify things for me. Thanks in advance!

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You Asked Me This Question / Simple present or present perfect in subordinate clauses?

« on: March 20, 2012, 05:48:48 PM »

Hi, Sir!
I just want to know what the differences in meaning, if any, between the two sentences below are. To me they mean exactly the same, and I will probably have no doubt of using them interchangeably:

After I finish my homework, I will call you.

After I have finished my homework, I will call you.

For subordinate clauses introduced by adverbs and adverbial phrases like "after," "unless," and "as soon as," which is  more common to use, the present perfect or the simple present tense? Are there any differences or subtleties in meaning between them? Thanks in advance for your answers!

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You Asked Me This Question / I WOULD do anything for love, but I WON'T do that

« on: March 12, 2012, 03:54:32 PM »

Also, can "that's" be a contraction for "that was"? I often hear native and non-natife speakers say statements like "That's what I was told," "That's what I thought," and "That's not what I did/said." Clearly in the above sentences I presented that "that's" means "that was" since all the actions or situations being described are in the past, am I correct? If yes, does this mean that "that's" can also stand for "that was"?

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You Asked Me This Question / I WOULD do anything for love, but I WON'T do that

« on: March 12, 2012, 03:33:30 PM »

Hi, Joe!
The subject of this post is that last verse from a popular rock-ballad song by a popular American rock band in the '90s. That line, however, has got me wondering why the modal verbs in it are not the same. Why is it "would" in the first half (I would do anything for love) and "will" ([But] I won't do that) in the second half of that compound sentence? What really is the difference between saying "you would/would not do something" and saying "you will/will not do something"? Please shed some light on this matter for me. Thanks loads in advance!

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You Asked Me This Question / Grammar SOS!!!

« on: March 08, 2012, 06:21:41 PM »

Hello, sir! I just posted this on Twitter, and I was wondering if my sentences are correct the way they are or need to be rewritten:

"Rarely do I get disappointed with A Korean MOVIE. In fact, THESE ARE the ones I love watching the most."

Sir, the words I wrote in capital letters, I was wondering if they are correct. Should I pluralize the word "movie" in the first sentence, and change  "these are" to "they are" in the second? Also, how much amount of time has to elapse first before one needs to use the Present Perfect Continous instead of the Simple Present Continous? For example, when should I say "I've been standing in the rain" instead of "I'm standing in the rain"? This is really causing a lot of stress to me, so I'm hoping you can help me out. Thanks in advance!

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You Asked Me This Question / Philippine music or Filipino music?

« on: March 06, 2012, 01:23:27 PM »

Hi, sir! It always is a tough job for me choosing which one between "Philippine" and "Filipino" to use when describing things that are related to the Philippines. For example, should I say "Filipino music" or "Philippine music"? "Philippine dances" or "Filipino dances"? "Philippine football" or "Filipino football"? "Philippine movie industry" or "Filipino movie industry"? "Philippine culture" or "Filipino culture"? The list just goes on and on. Please explain to me which term is more favored , preferred, or common and why, or if both can be used interchangeably for the examples I cited above. Thanks in advance!

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You Asked Me This Question / A questionable line from a famous song

« on: March 05, 2012, 09:45:26 PM »

Hi, sir!
I've always wondered if this line in a well known song is grammatically wrong: "All I hear IS raindrops falling on the rooftop." That the noun (raindrops) that follows the verb "is" in that line is plural makes me doubt the correctness of it. Could it be that the correct way to put that sentence is by changing the singular verb "is" to the plural "are," as in this revised version?
"All I hear ARE raindrops."
I also face the same issue with the pronoun "what." Oftentimes I am unsure whether I should use a singular or plural noun with it. For example, should I say "What I enjoy watching most IS horror movies." or "What I enjoy watching most ARE horror movies."? Are both examples correct? If yes, is there any difference between them? If not, why is one correct and the other wrong? I look forward to your reply. Thank you in advance!

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You Asked Me This Question / "In our own way/right" or "in our own ways/rights"?

« on: March 05, 2012, 01:03:15 PM »

Thanks so much for your explanation, sir. Does the same rule apply to the idiom "speak one's mind"? Are both of the sentences below acceptable in speech and writing? Or is one construction more common and appropriate than the other?
"People need to speak their MIND at a crucial time like this."
"People need to speak their MINDS at a crucial time like this."
Also, sir, in the sentences above, I can also replace the words "at a time like THIS" with "at a time like THESE" or "at TIMES like THESE," correct?

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You Asked Me This Question / "In our own way/right" or "in our own ways/rights"?

« on: February 28, 2012, 07:54:00 AM »

Good morning, sir! I have just a very simple question here. Are both of the following sentences correct?
"We are all unique in our own way/right."
"We are all unique in our own ways/rights."
I realize that the first construction, which uses "in our own way/right," is more common, but I was wondering if the second sentence, with "in our own ways/rights" in it, might also be just as correct and acceptable. Personally, I would use the second construction since the subject of the sentence is "we," which is in the plural, so it makes perfect sense to put "way/right" in the phrase in question in the plural too. Please tell me if my assumption is correct or wrong. Also, what do you call the word "way(s)/right(s)" in the sentences I presented? What's its function? Thanks in advance!

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You Asked Me This Question / Is or Was Part II

« on: February 06, 2012, 10:01:42 AM »

Thanks loads again and again, sir! Please allow me to ask another related question, though this one will most likely wear you out. Hehe. Everyone on Twitter today is talking about Madonna's halftime performance at the Super Bowl. Most tweets are written following these structures: "Madonna killed it! That WAS the most amazing halftime show in Super Bowl history." "Madonna's performance WAS the best halftime performance I'VE ever seen!" Now my question, sir, is this: Is the past tense WAS in the sentences I presented the correct verb to use? Should it be IS since I'm assuming that people's perception that Madonna's performance is the best of all time still subsists into the present time? Or should it really be was since the statements are made after the action took place, which is now a thing of the past? Please enlighten me again on this one. Thanks a lot in advance!

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You Asked Me This Question / Is or Was Part II

« on: January 31, 2012, 02:28:29 PM »

Sorry, what I meant was present perfect, not past perfect.

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You Asked Me This Question / Is or Was Part II

« on: January 31, 2012, 02:25:08 PM »

Thank you again and again for answering my questions, sir. I'm afraid I have to ask a similar question yet again, though. I just had a recent discussion on FB with friends on the first Filipino gay words we've ever learned. While I was typing my comment, I struggled on whether to use is or was in my sentence "The first Filipino gay word I've learned, found cute, and started using often [is/was] "chorba." Anyway, I ended up using was in that sentence. Was I correct in choosing was or was I wrong? There's one too many was's in that last sentence, no? Also, I am not sure if my use of the past perfect was right or wrong. Would the simple past in such a sentence be more appropriate? I look forward to your reply! Thanks in advance!

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You Asked Me This Question / The four types of conditional sentences

« on: January 21, 2012, 01:51:24 PM »

While on the Internet yesterday, I stumbled upon the topic of "mixed conditionals." Before that, I had always thought (is my use of the past perfect here correct?) that in unreal conditional sentences, the time in the if-clause should ALWAYS MATCH the time in the result or main clause, as in these sentences: "If I were pretty, I would have a boyfriend now," and "If I hadn't missed the train, I wouldn't have been late for my job interview." Now, my question is, are mixed conditional sentences like the ones below acceptable English?

(1) “If I had taken French in high school, I would have more job opportunities.”
(2) “If Mark had gotten the job instead of Joe, he would be moving to Shanghai.”
(3) “If I didn”t have to work so much, I would have gone to the party last night.”
(4) “If I weren”t going on my business trip next week, I would have accepted that new assignment at work.”
(5) “If Dan weren”t so nice, he wouldn”t be tutoring you in math tonight.”
(6) “If Sandy were giving a speech tomorrow, she would be very nervous.”

*sentence examples from
http://www.englishpage.com/conditional/mixedconditional.html

Also, sir, which is correct, "sample book/s" or "book sample/s"? I'm looking forward to your answers. Thanks in advance!