Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[luciaC]

1. What's the difference between technician and engineer?

2. What't the difference between dental hygienist and dentist?

3. What's the ifference between a busboy and waiter?

4. What does balance accounts mean?

5. Is there a profession called turner?

6. do you say a shut of tequila?s
7. In my Thanksgiving, I had a bite of potato in their jacket. Is it a correct sentence?
_________________
Mimi

[bud]

1. An engineer is the professional who designs something. A technician is a semi-professional who knows how to assemble, fix and maintain it. (Sometimes they are used synonymously, though.)

2. A dental hygenist cleans your teeth. Often they also double as the dentist's assistant.

3. A waiter takes your order and brings you the food. The busboy cleans the table and sets it up for the next customer.

4. I know what it is, but can't think of a good way to describe it. In short, it's the month-ending and year-ending procedures that a company's accounting department does to make sure that there are no errors in its financial records. It also is the final computation of totals, such as sales, and it sets up the accounts to begin the new month/year.

5. Perhaps it describes the operator of a lathe - a woodworking or metalworking machine. Just a guess, though.

6. A shot of tequila.

7. A lot of things to discuss here:

In my Thanksgiving - You need On instead of In. My is uneeded, but probably not incorrect. Still, it is much more usual to not use it, so I'd suggest: On Thanksgiving,

I had a bite - This is fine for casual conversation.

of potato in their - you need plural for potato, or its in place of their. In this sentence, plural is better.

jacket - skin is the usual term (but plural, considering the above). But I like jacket. It's very clear what you mean, and the informality of it fits well with "had a bite," I think.

So my suggestion is: On Thanksgiving, I had a bite of potatoes in their jackets.

(Nice job!)

[asterix]

You balance the books when there is an agreement between the debits and credits on an account.