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 Tue May 13, 2008 5:01 am "to help and help" |
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I wouldn't use either sentence.
Try this instead:
- "I was busy helping my mother..."
If you didn't have time to help your mother, you could say this:
- "I was too busy to help my mother ...."
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Amy
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ESL teacher, translator, and a native speaker of American English |
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Yankee
I'm a Communicator ;-)
Joined: 16 Apr 2006
Posts: 7443
Location: Northeast US
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| Tue May 13, 2008 9:52 am "to help and help" |
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How about with:
We need help him.
We need to help him.
Which one would be suitable? |
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Molly
I'm a Communicator ;-)
Joined: 12 Feb 2008
Posts: 2866
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| Tue May 13, 2008 10:58 am "to help and help" |
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| Yankee wrote: | I wouldn't use either sentence.
Try this instead:
- "I was busy helping my mother..."
If you didn't have time to help your mother, you could say this:
- "I was too busy to help my mother ...."
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Thanks Yankee for the reply on my posting. So I would assume that the sentences I made were wrong. Your reply and examples are very helpful for me to analyze my mistakes. |
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alv
I'm new here and I like it ;-)
Joined: 11 May 2008
Posts: 19
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| Tue May 13, 2008 11:03 am "to help and help" |
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| Molly wrote: | How about with:
We need help him.
We need to help him.
Which one would be suitable? |
Hi Molly,
Do you mean my sentences are wrong? Thanks for the corrections. I'm learning... |
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alv
I'm new here and I like it ;-)
Joined: 11 May 2008
Posts: 19
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| Tue May 13, 2008 11:18 am "to help and help" |
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| Quote: | | Do you mean my sentences are wrong? |
Yes, they are wrong. Amy was correct. |
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Molly
I'm a Communicator ;-)
Joined: 12 Feb 2008
Posts: 2866
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| Tue May 13, 2008 18:05 pm "to help and help" |
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| alv wrote: | | Do you mean my sentences are wrong? |
Right, neither one of your original sentences was correct.
It is typical to use a form of the verb 'be' followed by 'busy+doing'.
'I was busy helping my mother' basically means 'I was helping my mother and that activity was keeping me busy'.
Molly's sentences were different from yours. They used a different verb (need).
Did you also have questions about the use of the verb 'need'?
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Amy
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ESL teacher, translator, and a native speaker of American English |
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Yankee
I'm a Communicator ;-)
Joined: 16 Apr 2006
Posts: 7443
Location: Northeast US
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| usage of "make" | focus in on |
