passive continuous sentences

[Harry Smiith]

[lost_soul]

So your idea is that if something is in service it is being used (engaged in this case with a telephone)

Well, I doubt it.
Lets hear what our experts say
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Alex

How much upchuck would a woodchuck upchuck if a woodchuck could upchuck ?

(a guy from Russia)

[Yankee]

Here is one more try:

When your car is being serviced, you cannot drive it. During the time that the car is being serviced, critical parts of the engine are often temporarily removed or disconnected, for example. And/or one or more of the tires be temporarily removed. Saying that a car is being serviced is similar to saying that it is being repaired. While the work is being done on the car, it cannot be driven.

If a car is in service as a taxi, that means that the intended use for that particular car is as a taxi and the car is also actually used every day as a taxi. It is not a privately used vehicle.

When someone says that their telephone is in service, that means that the telephone company has activated the telephone number so that calls can be made to and from that particular telephone number every day. In other words, when a phone is in service, the phone is functional all the time because the phone company allows it to function. This is not a reference to one particular phone call. The phone company provides you with telephone service so that you can make and receive phone calls at any time/all the time. If you don't pay your phone bill, your telephone won't be in service for very long. If you don't pay your phone bill, you may soon find that your phone is out of service -- i.e. the phone company has disconnected or deactivated your telephone number and it is no longer possible to use your phone at all.

If these explanations don't clarify things, I'm afraid I'll have to throw in the towel (give up).

..........................

By the way, I asked for a clarification of the word 'garage' because that word has different meanings:
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=garage&r=66
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Amy
.
ESL teacher, translator, and a native speaker of American English

[Alan]

Hi,

I'll tell you one thing. If a horse is walking about and pulling a carriage, it might be said to be in service. If on the other hand you flog it so hard, it drops down dead, it may well be described as out of service.

Alan
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English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story Passive Voice

[Yankee]

.
Yes, this does appear to be the case...
.
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Amy
.
ESL teacher, translator, and a native speaker of American English

[storm]

And what about "Out of service"?
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There are always things I have to learn.

[Alan]

Hi,

This usually means that something is not being used for its usual purpose at one particular time. If for example you see a bus while you are standing at a bus stop waiting for a bus and you see the words 'Out of service' in the window in the front, this means that the bus is not being used for public transport.

Alan
_________________
English as a Foreign Language
You can read my EFL story Briefly

[prodigy]

peace and love

thanks a million yankee for your last explanations.

now i understood fully

God bless you

peace