MISCELLANEOUS EXAMPLES 03

Dialog

Right, you. First one. Tell me if this is correct: She was disappeared from the house.

Was disappeared... that sounds a bit odd, doesn't it? Like, she didn't do it herself. I think it's wrong.

Hmph. Not bad for you. It is wrong. Disappear is an intransitive verb, which means it doesn't take an object. Things just disappear; they don't get disappeared by someone else. So, it should be: She disappeared from the house. Get it?

Okay, next. What about this one? It is better to do some work well while young than spending all the time in play. Is that right?

Hmm. To do... than spending... No, that doesn't sound right either. You can't mix those, can you? It should be consistent.

You're actually paying attention today, aren't you? Fine. You're right. If you start with to do, you have to follow it with to spend. You can't just throw in a gerund like that. It's: It is better to do some work well while young than to spend all the time in play. Simple.

Here's a trickier one. If you would do me this favour, I shall be very grateful to you. Correct or incorrect?

Ooh, this one's a bit harder. Would do... shall be... They feel like they should go together, but... no, wait. It's a conditional. If it's would do, then it should be should be. Or if it's will do, then shall be. So, it's wrong.

Wow, you really surprise me sometimes. Don't let it go to your head. You're completely right. You need to keep the moods consistent. So it's either If you would do me this favour, I should be very grateful to you, or If you will do me this favour, I shall be very grateful to you. Don't mix them up, it just sounds daft.

Try this. Being in haste, the door was left open. Is that a correct sentence?

Being in haste... the door was left open. But the door wasn't in haste, was it? Someone else was. So, it's wrong. It needs to say who was in haste.

Right again. Are you actually studying for this, or just guessing? It's about clarity. The "being in haste" bit has to refer to the subject that actually was in haste. So you'd say: Being in haste, he left the door open. Makes more sense, doesn't it?

What about this? He played well yesterday, isn't it? Is that how you'd say it?

He played well yesterday, isn't it? No. Definitely not. Because it's past tense, and it's he. So it should be didn't he.

For once, you're absolutely spot on without me having to give you hints. It's about matching the tense and the person with the auxiliary verb. So, it's He played well yesterday, didn't he? Well done, I suppose.

Okay, focus. I come here for learning English. What do you think of that?

For learning English... that feels a bit informal, maybe? Like something you might hear but isn't quite proper. I think it should be to learn.

See? You do know things when you try. Mostly. You use the infinitive, to learn, when you're talking about the purpose of something. Not the gerund, for learning. So, it's I come here to learn English. Got it?

Imagine I ask you: Did you not see the game? If you saw it, what do you say? Yes or No?

Hmm. Did you not see...? If I saw it, I'd say... Yes. Yes, I saw it.

Exactly. You don't let the "not" in the question confuse you. You just answer truthfully about whether you did or didn't. So if you saw it, it's Yes. If you didn't, it's No. It's not rocket science, even for you.

How about this gem: He says he is not afraid of nobody. Is that a good sentence?

Not afraid of nobody... that's two negatives. So it means he is afraid of everybody, which probably isn't what they mean. It's wrong.

Good. I thought you might trip up there. Two negatives make a positive in English, so it completely changes the meaning. You have to say either He says he is not afraid of anybody, or He says he is afraid of nobody. Pick one negative, not two. Honestly, it's not that hard.

If you were absent, would you say: I was absent one time or two times? Or something else?

One time or two times. No, we say once or twice, don't we? That's just how we say it.

Finally, something you know just from living. Yes, you use once and twice for one or two occurrences. Saying "one time" sounds really clunky and unnatural. You're a native speaker, you should know that automatically.

So, if you're telling a story, would you start with: A day a fox was very hungry? Or something else?

A day a fox... no. You'd say One day a fox was very hungry. Like, a specific but not named day.

See? Sometimes you actually get it. When you mean "a certain" day or morning or evening, you use one, not "a" or "an". It sets the scene properly. Don't forget it.

Last one. He slept well and was better the other day. Is that correct?

The other day... that means a few days ago, like in the past, doesn't it? But if he slept well and was better, that sounds like it was the next day. So it's wrong.

You actually remembered an idiom. Don't tell anyone I said that. You're right. The other day means a few days ago, not the day immediately following. For that, you say the next day or on the following day. See? You're not completely hopeless after all.

Summary

• 163. Using an intransitive verb in the passive voice. Don't say: She was disappeared from the house. Say: She disappeared from the house. As a rule, intransitive verbs, like appear, seem, become, consist, cannot be used in the passive voice.
• 164. Mixing up one form of the verb with another. Don't say: It is better to do some work well while young than spending all the time in play. Say: It is better to do some work well while young than to spend all the time in play. Care should be taken that one form of the verb is not mixed with another: if the first verb in a comparison is in the infinitive mood, the second must also be in the infinitive.
• 165. Wrong sequence of moods. Don't say: If you would do me this favour, I shall be very grateful to you. Say: If you would do me this favour, I should be very grateful to you. Or: If you will do me this favour, I shall be very grateful to you. In a conditional sentence either both verbs must be in the subjunctive mood or both in the indicative.
• 166. The unrelated participle. Don't say: Being in haste, the door was left open. Say: Being in haste, he left the door open. Care must be taken to provide the logical subject relating to the participial phrase.
• 167. The question phrase "isn't it?" misused. Don't say: He played well yesterday, isn't it? Say: He played well yesterday, didn't he? NOTE. In this form of question, the same tense and person must be used as in the preceding statement and the correct auxiliary must be used.
• 168. Misuse of the gerund to express purpose. Don't say: I come here for learning English. Say: I come here to learn English. Purpose is commonly expressed by the infinitive, and not by the gerund.
• 169. "Yes" or "No" in answer to negative questions. Question: Did you not see the game? Answer: Yes, that is, I saw it. OR No, that is, I did not see it. In answering negative questions, say "Yes" if the answer is an affirmation, and "No" if it is a negation; that is, answer without any regard to the negative form of the question.
• 170. Using a double negative. Don't say: He says he is not afraid of nobody. Say: He says he is not afraid of anybody. Or: He says he is afraid of nobody. In English, two negatives are equal to an affirmative statement.
• 171. Using "one time" or "two times" instead of "once" or "twice." Don't say: I was absent one time or two times. Say: I was absent once or twice. "Once" and "twice" should be used instead of "one time" and "two times."
• 172. Using "a day," etc., instead of "one day," etc. Don't say: A day a fox was very hungry. Say: One day a fox was very hungry. "One" (not "a" or "an") should be used with day, night, morning, afternoon and evening, when the "one" means "a certain."
• 173. Using "the other day" instead of "the next day," etc. Don't say: He slept well and was better the other day. Say: He slept well and was better the next day (or on the following day). NOTE. "The other day" is an idiom meaning a few days ago.

Reference: T. J. FITIKIDES, "COMMON MISTAKES IN ENGLISH" p35 - p37