|
|
 Wed Nov 10, 2004 15:23 pm By accident |
|
|
In English we often use the preposition by to express the way or means through something is achieved:
I usually go to work by car but sometimes I go by train.
By watching CNN every day I have been able to improve my listening comprehension.
She found this exciting new caf? by accident when she was strolling through the shopping mall.
_________________
Test Of English for International Communication
TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary |
|
Torsten
Site Admin
Joined: 25 Sep 2003
Posts: 6027
Location: EU
|
|
| Mon Feb 20, 2006 14:08 pm Plural? |
|
|
When you first meet someone, you usually shake them ......... the hand.
(a) with
(b) on
(c) in
(d) by
Hi all!
I have a question!
Wouldnt the sentence above be correctly spelled :"
When you first meet someone, you usually shake his hand."?
someone is singular and them is plural
i dont really understand that
 |
|
guest
Guest
|
 |
| Mon Feb 20, 2006 17:03 pm Gender war? |
|
|
| guest wrote: | Wouldn't the sentence above be correctly spelled :
" When you first meet someone, you usually shake his hand."?
Someone is singular and them is plural.
I dont really understand that
|
It sounds a bit odd to me, too. But ‘they/them/their’ are the politically correct pronouns to refer to someone of unknown gender. Otherwise, you would have to say ‘he/she’, ‘him/her’ or ‘his/her’, which is more time-consuming and which, according to some natives, sounds horrible. You see, people are becoming more and more gender-sensitive and many things have got to change accordingly, including the language.
In other languages like French or Spanish, the masculine gender dominates the feminine in the plural. Personally I’m not losing any sleep over this (though maybe, just maybe, it seems unfair, somehow), but I wouldn’t be surprised if they also changed that rule one of these days... |
|
Conchita
Moderator
Joined: 26 Dec 2005
Posts: 2702
Location: Madrid, Spain
|
|
|
| Meaning of 'Who shall I fear, but the ones who hurt me' | Convey vs. move |
