Forum newsfeeds |  | | Notices | You are welcome to answer questions posted in the Ask a Teacher forum as long as your suggestions, help, and advice reflect a good understanding of the English language. If you are not a teacher, you will need to state that clearly at the top of your post. Please note, all posts are moderated by our in-house language experts, so make sure your suggestions, help, and advice house the kind of information an international language teacher would offer. If not, and your posts do not contribute to the topic in a positive way, they will be subject to deletion. | 
05-Dec-2007, 06:27
| | Senior Member | | Join Date: Apr 2004 Country: Tunisia
Posts: 1,018
Current Location: Tunis First Language: Arabic Member Type: Student or Learner Thanks: 27
Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post
| | English expressions (2) Good morning everyone,
1) Do we say "the acting OR actors community"?
2) Does the expression exist ?? "story exchanged between people's tongue" (it seems rather strange to me)
3) Sould I use a subjonctive (or modal verb) after "to be afraid that"?
He is/was afraid that the body be removed ?
All the best,
Hela
Last edited by hela; 05-Dec-2007 at 06:35.
| 
05-Dec-2007, 07:27
| | Key Member | | Join Date: Nov 2007 Country: UK
Posts: 3,878
Current Location: UK First Language: English Member Type: Other Thanks: 3
Thanked 1,527 Times in 1,360 Posts
| | Re: English expressions (2) (i) the acting community
(2) never heard of it - sounds like something from Old Englsih, as in Shakespeare
(3) He is afraid (that) the body will be removed
He was afraid (that) the body would be removed
In casual speech, the 'that' is often omitted. | 
05-Dec-2007, 10:43
|  | Moderator | | Join Date: Jul 2006 Country: England (South East)
Posts: 6,205
Current Location: England (South East) First Language: English Member Type: English Teacher Thanks: 94
Thanked 1,119 Times in 993 Posts
| | Re: English expressions (2) Quote:
Originally Posted by David L. (i) the acting community
(2) never heard of it - sounds like something from Old Englsih, as in Shakespeare Same here, though it may ring a faint bell. Shakespeare or Chaucer or Milton perhaps?
(3) He is afraid (that) the body will be removed
He was afraid (that) the body would be removed
In casual speech, the 'that' is often omitted. | Other possibilities: He is afraid that the body may be removed.
or (a bit old-fashioned/formal) He is afraid lest the body be removed.
Often, feeling that the subjunctive sounds a bit over-formal*, people use a plain modal: 'He is afraid someone might remove the body.'
b
PS *The subjunctive is more common in Am E. In Br E some people still insist on it, but they tend to be a prescriptivist (  ) few - although there are lots of fossils, such as 'Be that as it may'... | 
05-Dec-2007, 21:44
| | Senior Member | | Join Date: Apr 2004 Country: Tunisia
Posts: 1,018
Current Location: Tunis First Language: Arabic Member Type: Student or Learner Thanks: 27
Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post
| | Re: English expressions (2) Hello Bob, Quote:
Other possibilities: He is afraid that the body may be removed.
or (a bit old-fashioned/formal) He is afraid lest the body be removed. | and in the past we would have:
He was afraid that the body might be removed
He was afraid lest the body be removed ?
All the best | 
05-Dec-2007, 21:52
| | Moderator | | Join Date: Feb 2005 Country: England
Posts: 2,251
Current Location: SE England First Language: British English Member Type: Other Thanks: 2
Thanked 149 Times in 142 Posts
| | Re: English expressions (2) Hello Hela, how are you? Quote:
Originally Posted by hela
2) Does the expression exist ?? "story exchanged between people's tongue" | Could it be a translation, in the context in which you found it?
If so, it might be an elaborate version of "gossip", "rumour", etc.
Or perhaps it relates to the phrase "word of mouth", as in "a word of mouth recommendation".
All the best,
MrP
__________________ ·
Not a professional ESL teacher.
· | 
06-Dec-2007, 10:48
|  | Moderator | | Join Date: Jul 2006 Country: England (South East)
Posts: 6,205
Current Location: England (South East) First Language: English Member Type: English Teacher Thanks: 94
Thanked 1,119 Times in 993 Posts
| | Re: English expressions (2) 
b | 
12-Dec-2007, 19:02
| | Senior Member | | Join Date: Apr 2004 Country: Tunisia
Posts: 1,018
Current Location: Tunis First Language: Arabic Member Type: Student or Learner Thanks: 27
Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post
| | Re: English expressions (2) One more question please:
If in the present we have :
He IS scared lest the corpse BE removed
what should we have in the past?
He WAS scared lest the corpse WERE removed?
Thanks again for your help
Hela | 
12-Dec-2007, 22:50
| | Moderator | | Join Date: Feb 2005 Country: England
Posts: 2,251
Current Location: SE England First Language: British English Member Type: Other Thanks: 2
Thanked 149 Times in 142 Posts
| | Re: English expressions (2) Hello Hela,
To my mind, it isn't idiomatic to backshift a present subjunctive. So I would stick to the present subjunctive (and perhaps change "scared", as it sits a little oddly with "lest" + subj.):
1. He was afraid lest the body (should) be removed.
Other members may disagree, however; subjunctive usage is by no means consistent, among native speakers (or between dialects).
Have a pleasant Thursday,
MrP
__________________ ·
Not a professional ESL teacher.
· | 
13-Dec-2007, 09:27
|  | Moderator | | Join Date: Jul 2006 Country: England (South East)
Posts: 6,205
Current Location: England (South East) First Language: English Member Type: English Teacher Thanks: 94
Thanked 1,119 Times in 993 Posts
| | Re: English expressions (2) Quote:
Originally Posted by MrPedantic Hello Hela,
To my mind, it isn't idiomatic to backshift a present subjunctive. So I would stick to the present subjunctive (and perhaps change "scared", as it sits a little oddly with "lest" + subj.):
1. He was afraid lest the body (should) be removed.
Other members may disagree, however; subjunctive usage is by no means consistent, among native speakers (or between dialects).
... |  I usually use a modal, like 'should' as above, or 'might'. But I agree 'in spades' [=wholeheartedly] with the last point.
b | 
15-Dec-2007, 07:06
| | Senior Member | | Join Date: Apr 2004 Country: Tunisia
Posts: 1,018
Current Location: Tunis First Language: Arabic Member Type: Student or Learner Thanks: 27
Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post
| | Re: English expressions (2) Thanks to both of you  Have a nice weekend. | | Thread Tools | | | | Display Modes | Linear Mode |
Posting Rules
| You may post new threads You may not post replies You may not post attachments You may not edit your posts HTML code is Off | | | All times are GMT. The time now is 07:07. |  |