Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[stevenukd]

Dear Teachers,

1. � Hurry up buddy! Those pretty girls are waiting for us.
- oh! That�s right. I almost forgot. I�ll be done in a second.
- What does �I�ll be done in second� mean here?

2. � Are we still going to have group study tonight?
- Is there other way to say?

3. � Honey! Can you come downstairs for a minute?
- Why don�t we say �go downstairs� here?

Thanks a million to Teachers,

Stevenukd

[CP]

1. "I'll be done in a second" means "I'll be finished very soon." If you say "in a second" or "in a minute" or "in a jiffy" or "in a hurry," they all mean "very soon."

2. You can always find another way to express the same thought. Your sentence is fine. You might also say, "Are we still having group study tonight?" or "Is our group still meeting tonight?" or "Are we still meeting for group study tonight?"

3. You would say "come downstairs" if you are downstairs and your honey is upstairs. You would say "go downstairs" if you are both upstairs and you want your honey to go downstairs while you stay upstairs. But if you are both upstairs and you want your honey to go downstairs with you, you would say "come downstairs" because she would be coming downstairs with you.

Yours truly, CP