Are these sentences natural? December 20

[musicgold]

Hi,

Are the following sentences natural to a native ear?

1. I am just opening the file, please bear with me for a second.

2. Actually I have a sweet tooth, but I try hard to avoid eating anything sweet.

3. The only knock against this project is that it is not as inclusive as some other programs.

Thanks,
MG.

[billmcd]

Hi,

Are the following sentences natural to a native ear?

1. I am just opening the file, please bear with me for a second.

2. Actually I have a sweet tooth, but I try hard to avoid eating anything sweet.

3. The only knock against this project is that it is not as inclusive as some other programs.

Thanks,
MG.

Yes.

[Barb_D]

The first one is a comma splice. You need a period or a semi-colon or a "so" -- but not a comma between the two parts.

[Rover_KE]

'The only knock against this project. . . ' does not sound natural to me.

It is not something I have heard before or would ever use.

Rover

[mayita1usa]

'The only knock against this project. . . ' does not sound natural to me.
It is not something I have heard before or would ever use.
Rover

I've never heard that expression either, but the meaning is clear - so if "knock against" is in common usage where you are, MG, then it's a fine sentence!
(In the US, we would probably use strike in place of knock.)

[emsr2d2]

To use "knock" to mean "say something negative" you would need something like:

The only thing I could say to knock this project is that it is not as inclusive as some other programs.

"To knock" is commonly used in BrE in this way.