Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[kerstin]

1. Our school underwent a necessary personnel reshuffle this year to* better face *the future challenges.
or
Our school underwent a necessary personnel reshuffle this year to *face better* the future challenges.

Which one is better?

2.
The president of our school is Maria Hua Wu.
Hua Wu is his Chinese name. Should I put a comma between her English and Chinese name?

3.
It offers students information on further *study*

Shouldn't that be *studies*?

4.
The library will be open until 18:00.
or
The library will open until 18:00.


Thanks a million!

[CP]

1. You would hear or see "to better face the future challenges" but not "to face better the future challenges." People who do not like to split infinitives would say that "better to face the future challenges" is the correct way.

2. "Hua Wu is his Chinese name." Well, first, Maria is not a man's name, but a woman's. Second, if the woman's Chinese name is Hua Wu, I take it that Hua is her family name and Wu is her given name. Therefore, in English, she is Maria Wu Hua. If on an alphabetical list, family names first:

Adams, Nancy
Hua, Maria Wu
Sherman, George

If Wu is her family name (which seems more likely to me, although I am a Gringo and may be way off), then she is Maria Hua Wu, and on the same alphabetical list, she would be last:

Adams, Nancy
Sherman, George
Wu, Maria Hua

3. It should be study.

4. "The library will be open until 18:00" is correct.

You could also say, "The library will open at 7:00 and close at 18:00."
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