Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[hela]

Dear teachers,

Would you please help me with the following sentences?

6) As expected, the staff have (GB?) / has (US?) gone on strike.

7) We'll be finished between now and the end of the summer. (If I say that is it clear that I�m talking about some renovations in the house ?)

Activists against globalisation / anti-globalisation activists (?) say that human rights are not always respected.

9) You only have / You have only (wrong? Is there a rule for the position of adverbs ?) ten minutes left, you'd better hurry (up ?). On Sunday, you nearly / narrowly (?) missed the last bus, didn't you?

10) Could you explain (to me ?) what the YMCA is?

11) Look at those clouds, it looks as if there's going to be a thunderstorm / They say we're in for a storm (colloquial / standard ?). I wish I had taken my umbrella.

12) They were working all the harder (?) as / since they knew their exam wouldn't be an easy one.

Many thanks,
Hela

[CP]

6. Yes, in Britain, a group of individuals (team, nation, staff, etc.) is treated as a plural noun, while in the U.S., it is treated as singular.

7. Yes. The sentence is fine.

8. Probably "Activists against globalisation" is more likely to be heard, but either would be understood.

9. People often say it as "You only have," but it should be said and written as, "You have only. . . ." What do you have left? Only ten minutes.

Someone else asked this recently. I copied out the lyrics of "I Only Have Eyes for You" to show how people often say it, though it is not grammatically correct.

10. It stands for Young Men's Christian Association (there's also a YWCA). It is a place to go play sports and have social gatherings, for rich and poor alike. They are the original pay-as-you-go gyms. Many Ys, as they are also called, have inexpensive sleeping quarters for travelers and others without shelter.

11. To be in for something means that it is likely to occur, or has been predicted. Often used with weather. Maybe we are in for a long, cold winter. Maybe we are in for a dry spell (little or no rain). Understood by everyone, but I don't know whether it would be called a colloquialism or something else. Looks like you're in for a trip to the dictionary.

12. In your sentence, "all the harder" means "that much harder" or "even harder than usual" and the like. A common expression. As for "as / since," either works fine.
_________________
You live a new life for every new language you speak. -Czech proverb

[hela]

Thank you very much CP for all your comments. They are very useful.

Kind regards,
Hela