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#32 (permalink) Sun May 29, 2011 19:30 pm With best wishes |
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Hello, Alan! Many thanks for that essay. I really enjoyed reading it. Would you expain the origin of the following words from the text - "to dash off" and "to cough up"? Who and when introduce these words for the first time? Best regards. Tanya |
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Chevra New Member
Joined: 14 Jun 2010 Posts: 6
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#33 (permalink) Sun May 29, 2011 20:23 pm With best wishes |
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Hi Tanya,
I can't tell you the origin of these expressions but I'll try to explain what they mean. I can't remember exactly in what context I used them and perhaps you could provide with a link. 'Dash off' can mean write something very quickly and 'cough up' can mean pay for something reluctantly.
Do they work? If not perhaps you could give me the exact context.
Alan _________________ English as a Second Language You can read my ESL story Present Simple |
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Alan Co-founder

Joined: 27 Sep 2003 Posts: 17284 Location: UK
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#34 (permalink) Mon May 30, 2011 6:48 am With best wishes |
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Can we say: In the beginning we met......, In the very first days we met......? the second sentence is acceptable or not? thanks in advance. |
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Pipiii I'm here quite often ;-)

Joined: 09 Feb 2011 Posts: 375 Location: Heaven on Earth
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#35 (permalink) Mon May 30, 2011 9:31 am With best wishes |
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It's less usual, and would probably benefit from further information:
In the first days of this project, we met... In the first days of this business venture, we met... _________________ "Inside every old person is a young person wondering what happened."
Terry Pratchett |
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Beeesneees Language Coach

Joined: 08 Apr 2010 Posts: 39144 Location: UK, born and bred
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#36 (permalink) Mon May 30, 2011 9:31 am With best wishes |
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Yes, both are all right. You really need to show this in a fuller sentence to see how it would be used.
Alan _________________ English as a Foreign Language You can read my EFL story Progressive Forms |
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Alan Co-founder

Joined: 27 Sep 2003 Posts: 17284 Location: UK
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#37 (permalink) Wed Jun 01, 2011 0:30 am With best wishes |
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OK. Many thanks Beees and Prof. Alan. |
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Pipiii I'm here quite often ;-)

Joined: 09 Feb 2011 Posts: 375 Location: Heaven on Earth
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#38 (permalink) Tue Nov 01, 2011 9:27 am With best wishes |
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hello sir, You have used 'would you' in this essay. Can we use would in the present sense, actually would is the past tense of will, can't we use will you there instead of would you ? Please reply to this soon, with regards, Sumesh |
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Sumesh I'm new here and I like it ;-)

Joined: 10 May 2010 Posts: 12 Location: India
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#39 (permalink) Tue Nov 01, 2011 9:43 am With best wishes |
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Hi Sumesh,
Can you quote the example from what I have written. If you want to make a request asking someone to help you, for example, you can say: Will you help me? or Would you help me?. The second form is considered to be more polite.
Alan _________________ English as a Second Language You can read my ESL story Passive Voice |
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Alan Co-founder

Joined: 27 Sep 2003 Posts: 17284 Location: UK
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#40 (permalink) Tue Nov 01, 2011 10:04 am With best wishes |
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Hello sir, of course I can quote it "So what would you do if you were marooned (left alone on a desert island unable to escape)? Eight records wouldn't be much good, would they? A mobile phone wouldn't help either. You probably couldn't get a signal and also you wouldn't know where you were, would you? You could write a letter but then how would you send it?" regards sumesh |
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Sumesh I'm new here and I like it ;-)

Joined: 10 May 2010 Posts: 12 Location: India
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#41 (permalink) Tue Nov 01, 2011 11:10 am With best wishes |
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Hi,
The use of 'would' in these sentences is used to indicate 'condition'. It is sometimes called Conditional 2 (probable) and all are dependent on 'if'. Look at these:
If you are marooned on a desert island, what will you do? Possible If you were marooned on a desert island, what would you do? Probable If you had been marooned on a desert island, what would you have done? Impossible
Alan _________________ English as a Foreign Language You can read my EFL story Prepositions |
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Alan Co-founder

Joined: 27 Sep 2003 Posts: 17284 Location: UK
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#42 (permalink) Wed Jun 26, 2013 20:05 pm With best wishes |
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Dear Sir, Good day to you. The lesson 'Best Wishes' is good but as a Lecturer in English Literature, I can't help but think of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, the great Romantic Poet, who introduced this concept of 'willing suspension of disbelief'. This is now, in the modern and post-modern English world, even a trend called 'magic realism' also uses this concept. I just wanted to share this. Thank you, Pratima Roy |
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Pratimaroy New Member

Joined: 08 Jun 2011 Posts: 6 Location: India
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#43 (permalink) Wed Jun 26, 2013 20:12 pm With best wishes |
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Sir, I made a syntactic error while mailing my previous mail on 'willing suspension of disbelief'. It is that in the last sentence I should have said '"This is now, in the modern and post-modern English world, even a trend called 'magic realism' . It uses this concept. I just wanted to share this". Thank you, With regards, Pratima Roy |
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Pratimaroy New Member

Joined: 08 Jun 2011 Posts: 6 Location: India
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#44 (permalink) Sat Aug 17, 2013 6:50 am With best wishes |
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Hi Alan Very informative essay! It helped me learn about origin of postal system. Such essays are good way of enhancing our word-hoard coupled with increasing our knowledge. |
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Ajay Nahta I'm here quite often ;-)

Joined: 06 Oct 2011 Posts: 130 Location: India
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