Are these sentences natural? July 21

[musicgold]

Hi,

Are the following sentences natural to a native ear?

1. Okay, enough with your preaching.
2. It has been so long since we met; I almost forgot your face.
3. This new tissue dispenser needs to be worked out for it operate smoothly.

Thanks,
MG.

[billmcd]

Hi,

Are the following sentences natural to a native ear?

1. Okay, enough with your preaching. OK
2. It has been so long since we met; I almost forgot your face. OK But Iwould prefer "how you looked". Also, be careful, not very complimentary.
3. This new tissue dispenser needs to be worked out (?"repaired"?) for it operate smoothly. Not sure what you mean by "worked out".

Thanks,
MG.

See above.

[5jj]

I agree with bilmcd about #3, but not about the others:

1. Okay, enough with your preaching. For me, only 'enough of' sound natural.
2. It has been so long since we met; I almost forgot your face.
This one is strange, The 'almost' makes it clear that the speaker has not, in fact, forgotten. I feel that the natural version is "I had almost forgotten your face" (or, "how you looked") - that is, up to the moment that we met again.

[~Mav~]

*** NOT A TEACHER ***

1. Okay, enough with your preaching. For me, only 'enough of' sound natural.

How about, "(Okay,) enough preaching!" I am sure I have heard exclamations like this in films/video games.

[musicgold]

Thanks folks.

2. It has been so long since we met; I almost forgot your face. OK But Iwould prefer "how you looked". Also, be careful, not very complimentary.

How can say it without being insulting? You know how sometimes we can't imagine a person's face in our mind's eye, especially after a long time after meeting them.

3. This new tissue dispenser needs to be worked out (?"repaired"?) for it operate smoothly. Not sure what you mean by "worked out".

We had a new tissue dispenser in our office. However, the outlet that dispenses tissues is so tight right now that some times one has to pull on the tissues to get them out of the dispenser. I was trying to say that, the outlet will become a bit loose after a few days of use and then tissues will be dispensed smoothly.

[bhaisahab]

Thanks folks.


How can say it without being insulting? You know how sometimes we can't imagine a person's face in our mind's eye, especially after a long time after meeting them.
If you haven't seen the person for a long time and you are talking to them on the phone, you could say, "It's been so long since we've met/seen each other, I have almost forgotten your face".

Bhai.

[billmcd]

Thanks folks.


How can say it without being insulting? You know how sometimes we can't imagine a person's face in our mind's eye, especially after a long time after meeting them.

I believe the old saying that "some things are better left unsaid" fits with your example or in a real situation, your recollection. I would recommend that you simply refer to the length of time since your last meeting and move on with your conversation.




We had a new tissue dispenser in our office. However, the outlet that dispenses tissues is so tight right now that some times one has to pull on the tissues to get them out of the dispenser. I was trying to say that, the outlet will become a bit loose after a few days of use and then tissues will be dispensed smoothly.

Your own alternative statement seems good enough for me ( The outlet will become a bit loose after a few days of use and then tissues will be dispensed smoothly.) Otherwise, I would suggest that you (a) invest in a new dispenser, (b) find a new supplier for tissues, or (c) wipe hands on trousers.