Re2:past perfect

[bayan said]

Dear sir,
befor I begin I've several questions:
1-when taking a decision at the moment of speaking do we use "shall"or"will"
with "I"&"we"?& why?
2-I`ve read"This is a four-star hotel".My question:why didn`t the speaker say"A fourstars hotel"?would you please explain this construction?
3-I`ve read"This is a four-star hotel"my question is:why didn't the speaker say"a fourstars hotel"?would you please explain this structure?
Best wishes...

[rewboss]

1. Some British speakers say "shall", but this is now considered a bit old-fashioned; many speakers now prefer "will". In American English, "shall" is quite rare.

2 (and 3). "Four stars" is a so-called noun phrase; it's made up of a headword (the noun itself, "stars") and a modifier (here, the word "four"). In the phrase "four-star hotel", it is no longer a noun phrase but an adjective.

In English, when a noun phrase is converted to an adjective, we put hyphens between the elements and we make the noun singular (that is, we drop the plural marker). Some more examples:

The girl is four years old. She is a four-year-old girl.
The man is six feet [about 180cm] tall. He is a six-foot man.
This process uses four colours. It is a four-colour process.

[Fazzu]

Originally Posted by bayan said

2-I`ve read"This is a four-star hotel".My question:why didn`t the speaker say"A fourstars hotel"?would you please explain this construction?

Perhaps,you are asking for the ratings of that hotel!

[DavyBCN]

Originally Posted by bayan said

Dear sir,
befor I begin I've several questions:
1-when taking a decision at the moment of speaking do we use "shall"or"will"
with "I"&"we"?& why?
2-I`ve read"This is a four-star hotel".My question:why didn`t the speaker say"A fourstars hotel"?would you please explain this construction?
3-I`ve read"This is a four-star hotel"my question is:why didn't the speaker say"a fourstars hotel"?would you please explain this structure?
Best wishes...

I agree totally with rewboss on both questions. Just to add that, as a BE speaker, I use shall in offers and suggestions for the future:-

Shall I open the window?
Shall we go to the cinema tonight?

Is this also common in AE?

[mykwyner]

Only amongst Americans who try to pretend they're British by using words like "shall" and "amongst."

-Mike

[Avalon]

It´s quite amusing to learn and confirm English like this!

[Tdol]

Originally Posted by DavyBCN

I agree totally with rewboss on both questions. Just to add that, as a BE speaker, I use shall in offers and suggestions for the future:-

Shall I open the window?
Shall we go to the cinema tonight?

As another BrE speaker, I do the same. I could also use it in the second person:

'I won't do it!'
'Oh yes, you shall!' (Where the function is to express my anger and determination to make the other comply.)

However, I don't use the form often.