Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[Wang0526]

Dear teachers:

I'd like to know how can I express my appreciation after making a presentation. In the past, I always say, "Thanks for your listening!". But I met a british friend, he told me that it was wrong. I can just say, "Thanks for listening!" Is it true? Thanks for your help!

Best wishes,

Elsa Wang

[Lorikeet]

Yes. I think, "Thanks for listening." is correct.

[Wang0526]

Thanks a lot!!!

[Kiehl]

I have a question.

We often say "Thanks for your attention".

It's like "Thanks for your listening".

However, "Thanks for your attention" is correct but "Thanks for your listening" is false.

Please tell me the reason.

Thank you.

[Teo]

*Thanks for your coming. (not acceptable)
Thanks for coming. (acceptable)
This may be influenced by the Chinese 多謝您的光臨 but 'your' is not used in
English as the person is quite clear from 'thanks/thank you'.
Common English Errors of Chinese Students [David Bunton], page 83
_________________
Thank you very much for your reply.

[m_prime]

Wang0526 - Lorikeet is right, "Thanks for listening" is definetly the right choice. However, you should probably say 'thank you' in formal situations - such as giving presentations. 'Thanks' might be a bit too informal.

Kiehl - you have asked a really good question, I'm afraid that the answer is a little complicated.

The difference is that you can give someone your attention but not 'listening'. 'Your' is being used in a possesive sense, it is something that you own or have that you are giving to someone else. We can use it in the following examples.

Thank you for your time (you have spent some of your time with someone else).
Thank you for your patience.
Thank you for your appreciation.
Thank you for your explanation.

etc etc

If we looking at Teo's example, he is quite correct to say that "thank you for coming" is acceptable. 'Coming' is simply a verb, it is not something we can possess or give. However, say that the person has made an effort to get to some where quickly we might say;

"Thank your speed in coming here".

I hope this helps but I may not have explained this very well. If you are still confused please let me know and I will try again.