correct sentences

[hela]

Dear teachers,

Would you please help me with the following sentences?

1) One month after he turns 65, he will retire and buy a house at / on (?) the beach. (Can both prepositions be used here? Would they give a different meaning to the sentence ?)

2) The last bus gets to the station at ten to eleven. (is "to" a preposition? Does somebody know where the expression comes from?)

3) When / If things go wrong…. (are both conjunctions correct here?
Could somebody tell me what we can say next?)

4) Since his son’s arrest, two days before, he hadn’t slept very much . (is “two days ago” possible too?)

5) Could somebody give me an interesting sentence with the expression 'prim and proper', please ?

Many thanks,
Hela

[eworthy]

Originally Posted by hela

Dear teachers,

Would you please help me with the following sentences?

1) One month after he turns 65, he will retire and buy a house at / on (?) the beach. (Can both prepositions be used here? Would they give a different meaning to the sentence ?)

Same meaning, on preferred, could use at for a specific beach

2) The last bus gets to the station at ten to eleven. (is "to" a preposition? Does somebody know where the expression comes from?)

idiom: ten to = ten before the hour, as opposed to ten after.

3) When / If things go wrong…. (are both conjunctions correct here?
Could somebody tell me what we can say next?)

If is a conditional indicating sequence. No inference of how probable the if clause is.
When infers high probability almost certainty.

4) Since his son’s arrest, two days before, he hadn’t slept very much . (is “two days ago” possible too?)

both OK, prefer ago myself

5) Could somebody give me an interesting sentence with the expression 'prim and proper', please ?

Can't, always seems to be used to describe women and imply they who are prudish and possibly puritanical.


Many thanks,
Hela

bbb

[BobK]

A view from the UK:
1 Agreed
2 '... or ten after'? 10 past
3 Agreed, although I'm old-fashioned enough to prefer implies
4 Depends on the meaning.

ago if the time of speaking is two days beforehand.
before if the time of speaking is more than two days beforehand.

Since his son’s arrest, two days ago [counting from the time of reporting], he hadn’t slept very much

Since his son’s arrest, two days before, he hadn’t slept very much [but now time has passed, his sleep patterns have got back to normal]

5 Children's governesses, like Mary Poppins, had to be rather prim and proper.

b

[hela]

Thanks to both of you.