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 Sat May 31, 2008 18:46 pm Expression: "Let one's students off" |
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Hi Tom
The way you used 'let us off' in that sentence sounds fine to me. (I'd probably use 'early' rather than 'earlier', though.)
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Amy
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Yankee
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| Sat May 31, 2008 19:31 pm Expression: "Let one's students off" |
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Many thanks, Amy
By the way, what is the normal way of saying this?
Tom |
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Tom
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| Sun Jun 01, 2008 2:32 am Expression: "Let one's students off" |
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| Tom wrote: | Many thanks, Amy
By the way, what is the normal way of saying this?
Tom |
"Let us leave"? |
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Molly
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| Mon Jun 02, 2008 12:05 pm Expression: "Let one's students off" |
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"Let us leave"? It does not seem very... natural in this case...
Anyway, just my sense. |
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nessie
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| Mon Jun 02, 2008 12:06 pm Expression: "Let one's students off" |
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| nessie wrote: | "Let us leave"? It does not seem very... natural in this case...
Anyway, just my sense. |
"The teacher let us leave early today." Why doesn't it sound natural? |
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Molly
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| Mon Jun 02, 2008 12:31 pm Expression: "Let one's students off" |
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| The teacher dismissed the class early |
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lost_soul
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| Mon Jun 02, 2008 12:37 pm Expression: "Let one's students off" |
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| lost_soul wrote: | | The teacher dismissed the class early |
Does that sound natural when spoken by students? |
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Molly
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| Mon Jun 02, 2008 12:42 pm Expression: "Let one's students off" |
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Hi Tom
You could also say that the teacher "let us out half an hour early".
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Amy
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ESL teacher, translator, and a native speaker of American English |
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Yankee
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| Mon Jun 02, 2008 18:30 pm Expression: "Let one's students off" |
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| Or, jokingly, "freed us half (an) hour early". |
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Molly
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lost_soul
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| Mon Jun 02, 2008 19:28 pm Expression: "Let one's students off" |
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You never know, Alex. Perhaps that was just a variant of English and Molly wants everyone to guess which one he's referring to.
As regards "freed us half an hour early", I wouldn't expect that to be said (jokingly or seriously) by a very young student -- at least not in AmE.
However, I can imagine a student saying that the teacher "let us go half an hour early".
The word "dismissed" might sound more formal or official, but since it is frequently used in a school environment, I can also imagine a student using that word as well.
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Amy
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ESL teacher, translator, and a native speaker of American English |
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Yankee
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Location: Northeast US
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| Mon Jun 02, 2008 19:41 pm Expression: "Let one's students off" |
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| Molly wrote: | | Tom wrote: | Many thanks, Amy
By the way, what is the normal way of saying this?
Tom |
"Let us leave"? |
| Molly wrote: | | nessie wrote: | "Let us leave"? It does not seem very... natural in this case...
Anyway, just my sense. |
"The teacher let us leave early today." Why doesn't it sound natural? |
Why did Nessie feel uncomfortable with that? Perhaps because "The teacher let us leave early today" is not what you initially wrote? (see the first quote).
Saying "Let us leave" is a little different from saying "The teacher let us leave early today".
Just a thought.
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Amy
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ESL teacher, translator, and a native speaker of American English |
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Yankee
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| Mon Jun 02, 2008 21:16 pm Expression: "Let one's students off" |
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| Quote: | | You never know, Alex. Perhaps that was just a variant of English and Molly wants everyone to guess which one he's referring to. |
Interestingly, your right, in a way. In some areas of Britain, the "an" is omitted in spoken English. |
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Molly
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| Mon Jun 02, 2008 21:18 pm Expression: "Let one's students off" |
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| Quote: | | As regards "freed us half an hour early", I wouldn't expect that to be said (jokingly or seriously) by a very young student -- at least not in AmE. |
Where did the "very" come from? You might here the "freed us" version in Nigeria. Some of us jokingly refer to school as a feeling like a life-sentence. |
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Molly
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