Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[hela]

Dear teachers,

1) How would you qualify this time of genitive, please? Which "title" would you give it? Is it some sort of "human activities"? but I don't really like this.

love's spirit, science's influence, my life's aim, duty's call .


2) Which tenses would you use in the following sentences and why?

a) Weather conditions have improved/improved (?) during the the last few days.

- Is it possible to say "the weather conditions" or is it definitely wrong?
- can we say "during the last days" = without "few"?


b) There has been / was (?) a real fall (?) in that town's population over/during (?) the last decade.

c) He should him that he doesn't have the time / time (?) to pick up the children from/at (?) school.

- Would you please tell me if the article here is obligatory and why?
- which preposition should be used? are both possible?

3) �Did you do both maths exercises? The first was easier than the second.� �That's right, the first was the easier of the two.�

- Is the "M" of math capitalized ? + should we say "math" or "maths" (with �s� = Br. Eng ; without � s � = Am. Eng ?)

- Would you please tell me when one should use �both� and �the two�? Is it wrong to say �did you do the two maths exercises...� and �the first was the easier of both� ?

4) My mother left on her holiday/vacation (correct?)/ went on holiday(s?)/vacation a few weeks ago.

5) I have to pick her up at/from (?) the airport on her return / when she arrives (correct?).

Many thanks,
Hela

[CP]

1. We usually just call it the possessive case, with 's indicating the possessor (singular) or s' the possessors (plural). You can substitute an of construction if you like:

love's spirit = the spirit of love
science's influence = the influence of science
my life's aim = the aim of my life
duty's call = the call of duty [the most common way this is expressed]

2a. Weather conditions have improved. Gives the feeling that the improvement occurred over time, not just all at once.

OK to say either with or without the article.

You wouldn't say "the last days" because that implies the end of the world. You could say "the last several days" or "the last few days" or "the last nine days" etc.

2b. There has been [occurred over time] / was [occurred more suddenly] a real decline / drop / diminution in that town's population over / during [either OK] the last decade.

2c. He should [missing a bare infinitive here -- he should what? tell him? advise him? warn him?] him that he doesn't have the time / time [either OK] to pick up the children from [not at] school.

Picking them up from school implies driving over and giving them a ride home. Picking them up at school implies going into the classroom and lifting them into the air.

3. No need to capitalize, and in the U.S. we say "math" only. "Maths" is British.

Use "both" when there are two and the two of them were done. You can say, "Did you do the two math exercises" but not �the first was the easier of both." You could say, "They were both easy." In reality, of course, they were both hard!

4. My mother left for [not on] her holiday [British] / vacation [U.S.] / went on holiday [British] / vacation [U.S.] a few weeks ago.

You do sometimes hear "She left on vacation," but "left for" is better, I think.

5. I have to pick her up at / from [either] the airport on her return / when she arrives [both OK].
_________________
You live a new life for every new language you speak. -Czech proverb

[hela]

Thank you very much, CP, for your comments.

1) For the possessive case I should have said "subtitle" like "expressions of time", "proper names" (= names of planets, countries...), "expressions with 'sake'". So what subtitle would you give for these cases "love's spirit / science's influence / my life's aim"?

2b) Is it correct to say: "the town's population has known (or other verb?) a real drop during the last decade" or is it poor English?

I could say "the town's pop. has declined/dropped over the last decade" but I need some kind of intensifier. The equivalent of "a vraiment chut�" in French.

2c) You said: