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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 / 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, 03:33:30 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: 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 / 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!

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You Asked Me This Question / I am Filipino vs I am a Filipino; We are Filipino vs We are Filipinos

« on: January 17, 2012, 08:38:47 PM »

Hi, Sir!

I've always wondered if there's any semantic difference between the sentence pairs that follow:

1A. I am Filipino.
1B. I am a Filipino.

2A. We are Filipino.
2B. We are Filipinos.


Are the sentence pairs above all acceptable and freely interchangeable? To me, the first pair seems like it is; but sentence 2B in the second pair, which uses the plural Filipinos, seems a little awkward to me. I really want to find out if there's any difference at all between these sentences. Your explanation will be highly appreciated. Thanks in advance, sir!

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You Asked Me This Question / Re: Is or Was Part II

« on: January 06, 2012, 03:52:57 AM »

Thanks for your clear explanation, sir. By the way, I have read on a website that backshifting in reported speech and when reporting one's own thoughts is ALWAYS CORRECT though NOT REQUIRED. I have proven this to be true and very common among native speakers and writers of English, that's why sentences like "I didn't think they sold wild animals here," "I didn't know you liked that girl," "He told me his name was Bill," and "I told my friends that I was into Korean movies" are very common, even if the conditions or situations described continue to exist in the present. Now, my question is, does it always go that in the case of complex sentences if the main verb in the main clause is in the past tense, the verb or verbs in the dependent clause should also be in the past tense? If I follow this rule, I will always be correct, won't I?

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You Asked Me This Question / Is or Was Part II

« on: December 30, 2011, 07:36:24 PM »

Sir, which would be the right statement to make in each of the following situations:

1. I just got off the phone with a stranger...
A. That is the weirdest call I've had in a long time.
B. That was the weirdest call I've had in a long time.
C. That was the weirdest call I had in a long time.
D. That was the weirdest call I'd had in a long time.
2. I just finished watching a really good movie...
A. (*insert title of the movie) is the best movie I've seen in years!
B. * was the best movie I've seen in years!
C. * was the best movie I had seen in years.
D. * was the best movie I saw in years.

Sir, I would really appreciate if you could answer my question and provide an explanation as to why my examples are wrong or right. Thanks in advance!

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You Asked Me This Question / "A perfect" or "the perfect"

« on: November 27, 2011, 08:04:39 PM »

Sir, I'm not quite sure which kind of articles to use in the following sentences:

-My mother is (a/the) perfect mother.
-This is (a/the) perfect time to go shopping.
-These are (no article/the) perfect books to read in my free time.
-We need to come up with (a/the) perfect backup plan.

Please explain to me which kind of articles to use and why. Thank you in advance!

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You Asked Me This Question / When it gets tough to decide whether a noun or noun phrase is definite or not

« on: November 25, 2011, 11:56:33 PM »

Hi, sir!
Thank you for your answers last time. They were a huge help. My question now has everything to do with how to decide whether a noun or noun phrase modified by a prepositional phrase or relative clause should take no article or the definite article "the." In the sentences below, do the prepositional phrases and relative clauses make the nouns that they modify "definite" enough to take the article the, or is the article the not needed or incorrect in these sentences? Or is it optional to the sentences, meaning they work perfectly well with or without the indefinite article?
1. Haters only hate THE things that they can't get and THE people they can't be.
2. Prevent me from knowing THE things that I don't really have to know.
3. I will check out THE hot shopping spots in South Korea.
4. I hate THE people who don't hold the elevator door open for you, no matter how loudly you say "Wait, I'll get in."
4. What are THE thing to consider when going abroad for a business trip.
I read each sentence aloud twice, first as it is written and second with the definite article removed, and both versions of all 5 sentences seem correct to me. Is there really ever any difference? Please help clear my mind. Thanks in advance!

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You Asked Me This Question / With or without "Will"

« on: November 24, 2011, 01:40:36 AM »

Hi, sir!

I wonder if there's any difference between the sentences for each set below:

Set 1
-I have to wake up early tomorrow for my job interview.
-I will (I'll) have to wake up early tomorrow for my job interview.
Set 2
-You have to meet with the board director to finalize the proposal.
-You will (You'll) have to meet with the board director to finalize the proposal.

Thanks in advance for your answer!

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You Asked Me This Question / I didn't know/think...

« on: November 23, 2011, 01:55:00 AM »

Hello again, sir!

Because I have recently become more and more active on Twitter, I have also become more and more conscious about my English, grammar and all. One thing I find extremely difficult to grasp is knowing which tense of verb to use after the phrase "I didn't know/think..." Whenever I start a sentence with that (another concern: should I use "this" instead of "that"?) phrase, I always fumble upon which tense the succeeding verbs should be (should have I ended this sentence with "in," or is it implied already?). For instance, I've just learned that my friend enjoys watching movies, which of the following responses would be correct to say? "I didn't know you LIKED movies a lot." "I didn't know/think you LIKE movies a lot." And suppose I suddenly learne that a friend of mine has been working as a model for years now, which would be the right statement to make? "Oh, I didn't know/think you WERE a model/HAD BEEN modeling" or "Oh, I didn't know/think you ARE a model/HAVE BEEN modeling"? I realize that you already clarified a similar question for me in my previous posting, but I am still quite confused. Please still help me on this one. Thanks again in advance!