correct sentences 6

[hela]

Dear teachers, hello again

Would you please have a look at these sentences, too?

14. It seemed (to me that ?) as if/though (?) I had known them for a very long time.

15. “How long / Since when has the United Kingdom been part / been a member of the Common Market?”

16. Some Europeans think / believe that drugs will circulate more easily / freely when the frontiers / borders (a) open / (b) are open / (c) are opened on January 1, 1993.

17. For several years now, the Ethics Commission has been trying to bring (some ?) answers to the moral problems raised by technological progress.

18. It’s not the first time that a woman has become Prime Minister in a Western country.
[why should I capitalize “prime minister” here, please?]

19. How discouraging / disheartening it is to see Europeans killing (a) each other / (b) one another (?) for futile / petty motives!

20. (The ?) Parents whose children were killed / shot in Los Angeles (a) campaigned / (b) have campaigned (?) for a total ban on (c) guns / (d) handguns / (e) firearms.

21. They had been friends for years, (a) but now / and now (?)
(b) it seems that / I hear that / I am told that [all possible?]
(c) they do not even speak/talk to each other any more/longer
(d) they are not even on speaking terms any longer.

22. IBM, the world’s (a) biggest / largest (?) computer (b) company / maker / builder / manufacturer (?), is reducing [are there other verbs which can be used here?] its (c) man power / workforce / labour force (?) by 40,000 people this year.

If “computer” should not be in the plural, is it because it’s used as an adjective and adjectives are not inflected in English?

23. Freddy Mercury died of / from AIDS (a) aged 45 / (b) at the age of 45 (years old ?).

24. (a) Panic was such / (b) There was such a panic (?) that it was difficult to evacuate the wounded / casualties.

25. The Romanian leader is said / alleged to have congratulated the Chinese government for its defence of Communism.

[what about capitalisation here? Should these initials be capitalized? Why?]

Kindest regards

[Monticello]

Hi Hela,

Here's Part I of my take on your questions regarding usage:

14. It seemed (to me that ?) as if/though (?) I had known them for a very long time.

It seemed to me that I had known them for a very long time.
It seemed as if I had known them a very long time.

(Comment: Both work, though I prefer the latter. "It seemed to me that I ..." appears unnecessarily wordy.)

15. “How long / Since when has the United Kingdom been part / been a member of the Common Market?”

How long has the United Kingdom been a member of the Common Market?

(Comment: A quick Google search on the phrase “member of the Common Market” confirms this to be the accepted usage.)

16. Some Europeans think / believe that drugs will circulate more easily / freely when the frontiers / borders (a) open / (b) are open / (c) are opened on January 1, 1993.

Some Europeans think that drugs will circulate more freely when the borders are opened on January 1, 1993.

(Comment: "... believe that drugs ..." implies that "[s]ome Europeans" have taken what follows "on faith." This would not be incorrect just as long as you realize the difference in meaning. )

17. For several years now, the Ethics Commission has been trying to bring (some ?) answers to the moral problems raised by technological progress.

For several years now, the Ethics Commission has been trying to bring (some) answers to the moral problems raised by technological progress.

(Comment: Though the use of "some" in this sentence would not be not incorrect, it would render a subtle difference when inserted where you suggest. “The use of “some answers” in the sentence implies that the Ethics Commission has been seeking an exclusive and particular set of answers (i.e., dismissing out of hand, for whatever reason(s), a select group of other answers considered) in regard to “the moral …”. The use of “answers” without the qualifier “some” in the same sentence implies that the Ethics Commission has been considering all possible answers regarding “the moral …”.

18. It’s not the first time that a woman has become Prime Minister in a Western country.
[why should I capitalize “prime minister” here, please?]

It’s not the first time that a woman has become prime minister in a Western country.

(Comment: Please see my previous post to you in the thread regarding the question concerning the use of Queen vs. queen. The same considerations for capitalization would apply here. Please note that some might quibble here. The phrase “prime minister” may be considered the name of a position or office and thus a “proper” adjective/noun phrase in need of capitalization, thus, “Prime Minister.” – a fine point which, when considered, may account for the prevalence of either usage.)

[Monticello]

Hi Hela,

Here's Part II:

19. How discouraging / disheartening it is to see Europeans killing (a) each other / (b) one another (?) for futile / petty motives!

How disheartening it is to see Europeans killing one another for petty motives.

20. (The ?) Parents whose children were killed / shot in Los Angeles (a) campaigned / (b) have campaigned (?) for a total ban on (c) guns / (d) handguns / (e) firearms.

Parents whose children were shot in Los Angeles have campaigned for a total ban on handguns.

21. They had been friends for years, (a) but now / and now (?)
(b) it seems that / I hear that / I am told that [all possible?]
(c) they do not even speak/talk to each other any more/longer
(d) they are not even on speaking terms any longer.

They had been friends for years, but now I hear that (or “I am told that” – the passive voice is OK here) they do not even speak to each other any more.

(Comment: You’ll often hear the phrase “speaking terms” in a sentence such as this. But I find the use of it here being placed between “even … any longer” to be a tad wordy. Better usage of the phrase “speaking terms” within the sentence would be simply “… they are no longer on speaking terms.” )

22. IBM, the world’s (a) biggest / largest (?) computer (b) company / maker / builder / manufacturer (?), is reducing [are there other verbs which can be used here?] its (c) man power / workforce / labour force (?) by 40,000 people this year.

If “computer” should not be in the plural, is it because it’s used as an adjective and adjectives are not inflected in English?

IBM, the world’s biggest computer manufacturer, is reducing its workforce by 40,000 people this year.

(Comment: (1) “... largest" in place of "biggest" would not be incorrect, but you’ll more often hear and read the latter. (2) In place of the verb phrase “is reducing” you might also come across “is cutting back.” You might also read “… has announced layoffs of (up to) 40,000 people from its workforce this year.” (3) The word "computer" is singular in the above sentence because it refers to computers in a general sense. Thus, the further examples: automobile manufacturer(s), tree trimmer(s), magazine reader(s), etc.)

23. Freddy Mercury died of / from AIDS (a) aged 45 / (b) at the age of 45 (years old ?).

Freddy Mercury died of AIDS at the age of 45.

(Comment: “... at the age of 45 years old.” is definitely redundant and in either speech or writing would read or sound awkward.)

24. (a) Panic was such / (b) There was such a panic (?) that it was difficult to evacuate the wounded / casualties.

There was such a panic that it was difficult to evacuate the wounded.

(Comment: Since the word "casualties" includes both the wounded as well as those killed, it could also be used here. -Just be aware of the difference.)

25. The Romanian leader is said / alleged to have congratulated the Chinese government for its defence of Communism.

The Romanian leader is said to have congratulated the Chinese government for its defence (please note the alternate American spelling: defense) of communism.

(Comment: "... alleged to have ..." would imply something disparaging. Generally speaking, when one alleges something or makes an allegation, the meaning is just shy of accusing or making an accusation.)

[what about capitalisation here? Should these initials be capitalized? Why?] – No. For explanation details, please see the link:

http://www.myenglishteacher.net/captilizingletters.html

[hela]

Good morning, Monticello

Thank you very much for you in depth analysis of my queries.

would you please tell me why you have made the following choices?

19. How disheartening it is to see Europeans killing one another for petty motives.

why "one another" instead of "each other"?

20. Parents whose children were shot in Los Angeles have campaigned for a total ban on handguns.

did not use the definite article before "parents" and chose the present perfect and not the simple past?

In the link on capitalisation you sent me I found this:

Don't capitalize "mom" and "dad" unless you are referring to them as names.
Example: This is my mom.
John! Do you know where Mom is?

Now, couldn't this be applied to "I met the President yesterday."?

Here is another one:

(g) Proper names are always capitalized. A proper name is a name or a title that refers to an individual person, an individual place, an individual institution or an individual event. Here are some examples:
The Queen will address the House of Commons today.
Next week President Clinton will be meeting Chancellor Kohl.

Observe the difference between the next two examples:
We have asked for a meeting with the President.
I would like to be the president of a big company.
In the first, the title the President is capitalized because it is a title referring to a specific person; in the second, there is no capital, because the word president does not refer to anyone in particular. (Compare We have asked for a meeting with President Wilson and *I would like to be President Wilson of a big company. I didn't quite get this one ??)

The same difference is made with some other words: we write the Government and Parliament when we are referring to a particular government or a particular parliament, but we write government and parliament when we are using the words generically

So, what do you think of that?

Kindest regards

[Monticello]

Good morning, Monticello

Thank you very much for you in depth analysis of my queries.

would you please tell me why you have made the following choices?
why "one another" instead of "each other"?
did not use the definite article before "parents" and chose the present perfect and not the simple past?

In the link on capitalisation you sent me I found this:
Now, couldn't this be applied to "I met the President yesterday."?

Here is another one: So, what do you think of that?

Kindest regards

why "one another" instead of "each other"?

"... each other." is OK too, but it has a slightly "absurd" ring to it: Literally here, the people doing the killing are also themselves killed; whereas, "... one another ..." suggests one kills another but is not necessarily him/herself killed.

did not use the definite article before "parents" and chose the present perfect and not the simple past?

(1) A subtle distinction and difference is made by adding the article before parents: With the addition of the article, the sentence talks about either (a) one mother and one father who together are parents and “whose children …” or (b) a group of select parents “whose children …” – implying in (b) here that there may be other sets of “parents whose children were shot in Los Angeles” but who have NOT “campaigned for …”

(2) The preference for "Parents ... have campaigned ..." here is because it suggests a past action that was done more than once. "Parents ... campaigned ..." (the simple past) suggests an action that was done just one time.


In the link on capitalisation you sent me I found this:
Now, couldn't this be applied to "I met the President yesterday."?

I can understand your confusion. Here's a further comment that may help clear things up for you:

Consider that, just as there are alternate and acceptable spellings (e.g., British sp., capitalisation; USA sp., capitalization) which usage will depend on a prevailing culture, similar usage differences for English language capitalization rules may likewise exist.

To see what I mean by this, try the following experiment: Do this search on Google using the following search term:

"site: www.nytimes.com "the president"

Articles found within The New York Times, are generally considered a good reflection of current accepted USA usage of the English language. The links for articles returned for the above Google search will be culled only from The New York Times. And here you will find within this set of links a surplus of sentences such as this one:

''A majority of the Senate are now working on behalf of the president to conceal from the American people the ... "

Get the picture?

You may want to continue the experiment by a further Google search using:

site: www.timesonline.co.uk "the queen"

I, myself, have not performed this London Times search yet, so I'd be interested in what you do find.

All the best.

[BobK]

15. “How long / Since when has the United Kingdom been part / been a member of the Common Market?”

One small point that I don't think has been covered (I haven't read the whole thread): 'Since when have...?' is usually used to imply disbelief or contempt: 'Since when have you had the authority to give me orders?' (This makes the translation of 'Depuis quand...?' trickier than it looks. )

b

[hela]

Good morning Monticello

20. Parents whose children were shot in Los Angeles have campaigned for a total ban on handguns.

a) So if we add an article it means that we are talking about either a specific couple or a specific group of parents who campaigned while others didn't.
b) If we omit the article, it means that all parents whose children were killed campaigned for such a measure. Correct ?

www.timesonline.co.uk "the queen"

Here's what I found:

Had Prince Albert not died prematurely, thus tipping his wife into a life of frumpy widow’s weeds, Queen Victoria might have become quite the fashion diva. [...] At only 4ft 11in, the Queen soon discovered the benefits of good tailoring,...

When the Prime Minister steps on to the tarmac at Andrews Air Force Base on Monday night, his thoughts will be concentrated on how to seal a transatlantic alliance with President Obama against political opponents in Britain and America.

Advisers hope that his meeting with Mr Obama in the White House on Tuesday and his speech to both Houses of Congress the following day will show him to be on the same page of history as the immensely popular President. It is, one seasoned Labour strategist conceded, probably the Prime Minister's “best, if not last, chance” to win the next election.

John Podesta, the former White House chief of staff, who ran Mr Obama's transition team, told The Times that Mr Brown and the President were already closely aligned on the economy...

So I suppose it must be one of many differences between British and American English, right?
Bob, if you're here, would you please give us your point of view as a British?

[BobK]

...Here's what I found:

Had Prince Albert not died prematurely, thus tipping his wife into a life of frumpy widow’s weeds, Queen Victoria might have become quite the fashion diva. [...] At only 4ft 11in, the Queen soon discovered the benefits of good tailoring,...

When the Prime Minister steps on to the tarmac at Andrews Air Force Base on Monday night, his thoughts will be concentrated on how to seal a transatlantic alliance with President Obama against political opponents in Britain and America.

Advisers hope that his meeting with Mr Obama in the White House on Tuesday and his speech to both Houses of Congress the following day will show him to be on the same page of history as the immensely popular President. It is, one seasoned Labour strategist conceded, probably the Prime Minister's “best, if not last, chance” to win the next election.

John Podesta, the former White House chief of staff, who ran Mr Obama's transition team, told The Times that Mr Brown and the President were already closely aligned on the economy...

So I suppose it must be one of many differences between British and American English, right?
Bob, if you're here, would you please give us your point of view as a British?

Yes, we'd use all those initial capitals.

b