Google
English-Test.net
Find penpals and make new friends today!
 
job; assignment; obligation; role
task
prime
introduction
admission
full quiz correct answer
 
Username
Password
 Remember me? 
Search   Album   FAQ   Memberlist   Profile   Private messages   Register   Log in 

meaning of "going on seven"



 
ESL/EFL Worksheets and Handouts for Students Printable, photocopiable, clearly structured
Designed for teachers and individual learners
For use in a classroom, at home, on your PC
ESL Forums | English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
lack vs lacking | Find mistake (A calorie is the quantity of heat required to rise...)
listening exercisestell a friend
Message
Author
meaning of "going on seven" #1 (permalink) Sun Jun 01, 2008 19:47 pm   meaning of "going on seven"
 

Hi,

If I want to say that someone soon will turn seven (years old), can I use this expression:

Quote:
1. He's going on seven
2. He's getting on seven


Many thanks !
Lost_Soul
I'm a Communicator ;-)


Joined: 15 Sep 2006
Posts: 1861
Location: South Park, Colorado, USA

meaning of "going on seven" #2 (permalink) Sun Jun 01, 2008 20:04 pm   meaning of "going on seven"
 

Hi Alex

You can say "He's going on seven" to mean that he will be seven years old on his next birthday.

"Getting on" is not used the same way. You could say that someone is getting on in years to mean that someone is getting old. However, seven years old would be far too young an age for this expression -- unless you intended the usage as a joke, that is. :lol:
.
_________________
"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." ~ Abraham Lincoln
Yankee
I'm a Communicator ;-)


Joined: 16 Apr 2006
Posts: 8316
Location: USA

Learn all about English adverbs in this amusing storyEnglish grammar exercises — improve your English knowledge and vocabulary skillsAre you a native speaker of English? Then you should read this!How many different ways with words do you know? Subscribe to free email English course
meaning of "going on seven" #3 (permalink) Sun Jun 01, 2008 20:33 pm   meaning of "going on seven"
 

Quote:
You can say "He's going on seven" to mean that he will be seven years old on his next birthday
.

Even one month after his last birthday?

He's getting on for seven.

That's OK.
Molly
I'm a Communicator ;-)


Joined: 12 Feb 2008
Posts: 4017

meaning of "going on seven" #4 (permalink) Sun Jun 01, 2008 20:36 pm   meaning of "going on seven"
 

Hi, Amy

I see, thanks a lot !
(By the way, that is a very useful phrase to remember, because we don't use that structure in Russian at all, we would just say "He will be seven")
Lost_Soul
I'm a Communicator ;-)


Joined: 15 Sep 2006
Posts: 1861
Location: South Park, Colorado, USA

meaning of "going on seven" #5 (permalink) Mon Jun 02, 2008 6:00 am   meaning of "going on seven"
 

lost_soul wrote:
Hi, Amy

I see, thanks a lot !
(By the way, that is a very useful phrase to remember, because we don't use that structure in Russian at all, we would just say "He will be seven")


All three can be used in English, but "getting on for" and "going on" have the feeling of movement behind them. They also have a feeling of reaching/nearing a point. That's why I don't agree with the incompleteness of Amy's statement above, repeated here:

Quote:
You can say "He's going on seven" to mean that he will be seven years old on his next birthday.
Molly
I'm a Communicator ;-)


Joined: 12 Feb 2008
Posts: 4017

Display posts from previous:   
lack vs lacking | Find mistake (A calorie is the quantity of heat required to rise...)
ESL Forums | English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms All times are GMT + 1 Hour
Page 1 of 1
Latest topics on ESL EFL Forums
what is the difference between regression and recession?Use of "noun/pronoun + asked that + noun/pronoun".Tenses (My daughter often says that she won't get married until she ... 25 years)What is the meaning of the phrase "gallant garden"?... are those girls? They are students. Which choice do you think is correct?settings are disturbedWorse or more badly?Sentence correction: I presume that to pursue MBA, experience is not matter.Sentence: when you use an air ticket in the airport they cut a paper from the...Does the word "ununderstandable" exist?a long time later OR after a long time"mutual" vs "shared"Which is wrong? (They foolishly drove into the desert with no extra water)

 
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
Subscribe to FREE email English course
First name E-mail