Korean Job Discussion Forums

jaderedux · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Location: Lurking outside Seoul

On one of our mid-term tests was the following sentence. To me it appears wrong:

"How do you like to have a garage sale." (This sentence was one of the right ones. In a group of sentences where the student was to pick the wrong one.)

Thank heavens the wrong one was very obvious but I am no grammar general and when they asked me if it was okay I said it didn't sound natural. But the Korean Teacher that wrote the sentence kept insisting that it was fine and grammatically perfect. (her words >> perfect)

Also they are teaching that the phrase "one day" is ALWAYS used in the past tense. There was a sentence on the test that said "One day Min-su will go fishing with his father.

Please help me understand either way is the sentence correct as written above. And the one day thing really throws me. If it said "One day last week....." I could see it being past tense. But it is NOT always past tense.

BTW I do not and have never professed here or at school to be an expert at grammar. I focus on speaking, retention and listening. But these examples seem so very very wrong.

Jade...hapless grammar retard (sometimes)
P.S. Sorry if retard is not P.C.

shantaram · Joined: 10 Apr 2007

"One day Minsu will go fishing with his Dad" is future tense, so 'one day' can evidently be used in past and future tenses. Ask your teacher what verb tense they think "will go fishing" is to clarify their mistake.

As for the garage sale, at least they didn't write "How about garage sale?"

Novernae · Joined: 02 Mar 2005

As shantaram said, one day is certainly not always past tense.

About the garage sale question; It's a weird question to ask. The question "How do you like to have a garage sale?" is asking what method you like to use when you have garage sales. The answer would have to be something like, "Well, I like to plan it a few weeks in advance and put up flyers. I also label everything with masking tape price tags." I can't really think of a context for asking that. Confused

Technically it's not grammatically incorrect in the correct context, but I'm guessing that's not what they mean by the question, which then makes it incorrect.

albazalba · Joined: 27 Dec 2006 Location: Hongdae

I think she (the korean teacher) meant to say:

"How would you like to have a garage sale?"

Edit: but even that sounds weird, maybe just,

"Would you like to have a garage sale?"

Corporal · Joined: 25 Jan 2003

I don't know if this is what you're talking about, but the tests the kids use to practice studying for their school tests are fucked up. Among others, "makes a sandwich" was declared to be a good sentence.

Woland · Joined: 10 May 2006 Location: Seoul

jaderedux · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Location: Lurking outside Seoul

Thanks the "one day" thing is pretty easy to explain to the teacher but the garage sale question is from a teacher ...I got one this year...that absolutely hates my guts. For no other reason than I exist on the planet.

My first run in with this type of teacher. She previously taught high school so this is step down as she now teaches Middle School. Everyone else thought it looked bad which is why they brought it to me. But she would not give an inch. She insisted that she was right and the grammar was perfect "that's why I didn't understand it". Native speakers don't understand grammar. However I do know $hit when I see it.

Thanks for the help...I don't understand why anyone...myself included would be averse to constructive criticism. I have gotten some and always tried to accomodate when I can. I have had my butt handed to me here several times and gotten alot of good advice and been humbled more than once. I try to learn from it. I don't understand why someone would want to be wrong. Guess I will let it drop.

Jade

ttompatz · Joined: 05 Sep 2005 Location: Kwangju, South Korea

icicle · Joined: 09 Feb 2007 Location: Gyeonggi do Korea

Mosley · Joined: 15 Jan 2003

I didn't really read the posts on this thread but all I can think of is context: shouldn't "do" be "would" ?

J.B. Clamence · Joined: 15 Jan 2003

Privateer · Joined: 31 Aug 2005 Location: Easy Street.

Maybe ask her to explain the difference in meaning between 'How do you like to have a garage sale?' and 'How would you like to have a garage sale?' just to keep her on her toes?

Grimalkin · Joined: 22 May 2005

Maybe it's the difference between British English and American English but "One day Minsu will go fishing with his dad", sounds a bit strange to me.

"Some day Minsu will go fishing with his dad", seems more natural.

Using 'one' with 'day' sounds as though your specifying a particular day.

???

Woland · Joined: 10 May 2006 Location: Seoul

From the British National Corpus (Written), a sample of just over a million words. Forty-eight examples of 'one day' were found. I have eliminated all except those referring to an unknown point in the future, leaving 21:

3 w days ago, it was -- that it would be mine one day. And I too could take in washing�"
7 in the gaze of a handsome prince who would one day be king of England. Nay, she would never be
8 throne, who issister-in-law to him who will one day be King of England? Although she accompani
11 d to return year after year in the hope that one day Daniel would keep his appointment. She had l
16 press them on demand. She was terrified that one day he might try some moral blackmail and preten
20 er, carrying sound from vast distances. "One day I shall compose a M�n symphony!" Th
21 I warned you this was just a fling And one day I'd desert you. So kindly in your spectacl
22 that funny? Doesn't everybody do that?" "One day I'll be King of England," I replied. "And peo
23 d by rock guitars, Outlives their din. One day I'll make my mark, Although I'm not from U
26 it to do with what you said as you'd tell me one day?" "In some measure -- but only in some mea
28 vileges were mine by right, Your Grace." "One day, Joan, we shall speak of that again," came th
30 of having dreams; the goal of having goals one day, once she had made her mind up what it was s
31 is audience and arouse their own. "perhaps, one day, one of you will attempt something that will
32 lady Jacquetta, and has a curious history. One day perchance I shall tell you of it. But wear i
36 said. "We are still in the Middle East and one day the government might need teeth. The lower
37 animals will have to stay in the Star Zoo. One day the Star Zoo will die. After that there will
38 because I would get too involved, so I hope one day to join the fire brigade," she said. The
41 ity Dey are militant an I like dem I hope one day we'll meet Cause I really like dere lyrics
46 whisper in their skulls that says -- " One day you are going to die." (He straightens
47 here you can keep in touch with the island. One day you may come back to see Victoria, and perha
48 rent and special," his father replied, "and one day you'll be King." Edward cried for the next

From the British National Corpus (Spoken), a corpus of just under 1 million words. Forty examples of 'one day' were found. I have eliminated all except those referring to some unknown point in the future, leaving 7. A few of these are uncertain, but it's frequent enough:

6 nty in this life. We're all going to go off one day and there's nothing better than planning for
7 n ring with one, som with so with a fighter one day and they're gonna knock seven colours of shi
14 so if I I'll I'll rephrase that, n only one day I don't appear . . If if one can go very
15 look not with this no No, perhaps go one day I think there's only one I actually need
19 three organizations erm here in County Hall one day in the first week in October well any day ba
21 pet in there now you know? It'll be right one day. Joan I think I'd better box on with the web
34 d quid Yeah anyway when I come back in one day, she says to me, she says listen to this, a

I got the data through www.lextutor.ca, as usual.