Correction

[Flash]

Could you comment or correct the following sentences, please?
1. A vast number of goods are being criticized for being difficult to handle these days.
2. In spite of the fact that Professor gave her a most difficult task she handled it well.
3. Peter will be handling her preparation for the coming exams.
4. That terrible storm reduced a huge number of buildings to rubble.
5. a) It was very strange that only 14-year-old girls were allowed in.
b) It was strange that 14-year-old girls were allowed in only.
Which of these two sentences would you prefer?
6. Authorities say at least 50.000 soldiers died in the war in Chechnya, but unofficial figures suggest the real number could be closer to 75.000. (I honestly don’t know how many soldiers have died in this war)
7. 2,000,000 more people (or another 2,000,000 people) are said to have been transferred to the freshly (recently, newly…) built cities.
8. It’s always hard on parents when their child transfers to a new school.
9. I think your mum will do her nut when she knows you’ve transferred the cake to this plate.
10. I emphasized in my report that it was very important to children to stay calm under any circumstances.
11. –I’ll never forget our stay there!
-Nor will I. It was not a barrel of laughs!
-Precisely!
12. He was so miserable when they had him over a barrel.
13. Lack of cheap tickets was putting potential customers off.
14. He must have put in a great deal of work to write such a good piece.
15. He pretended to be reading a book but all the while he was crying at the loss
of his friend who had died in the car accident.
16. I didn’t want to look as though anything terrible had just happened seeing as your friends had only just begun thinking I was not mad.
17. Seeing as it’s you who have earned all this money, you can buy whatever you want on them.
18. There were two policemen walking in front of me.

Could you also make up a couple of sentences using the expression ‘over a barrel’, please?

[Dany]

Hello Flash,

I try to make the beginning, but I'm not sure, if I do everything well

1. A vast number of goods are being criticized for being difficult to handle these days.

A fast number of goods are being criticized because they are being diffucult to handle these days.

2. In spite of the fact that Professor gave her a most difficult task she handled it well.

In spite of the fact that the Professor had given her a lot of difficult tasks she handled it well.

3. Peter will be handling her preparation for the coming exams.

Peter will handle her preparation for the coming exam.

4. That terrible storm reduced a huge number of buildings to rubble.

The terrible storm had reduced a huge number of biuldings into rubble.

5. a) It was very strange that only 14-year-old girls were allowed in.
b) It was strange that 14-year-old girls were allowed in only.
Which of these two sentences would you prefer?

It is very curious that only 14-year-old girls are allowed to go in.


Kind regards,
Dany

[Tdol]

5. a) It was very strange that only 14-year-old girls were allowed in.
b) It was strange that 14-year-old girls were allowed in only.
Which of these two sentences would you prefer?

Use a)- b) is wrong- 'only' doesn't work there.

7. 2,000,000 more people (or another 2,000,000 people) are said to have been transferred to the freshly (recently, newly…) built cities.

Use recently/newly. Freshly is used with painted.

9. I think your mum will do her nut when she knows you’ve transferred the cake to this plate.

I'd change transferred- it doesn't fit with the colloquial langauge- use moved.
10. I emphasized in my report that it was very important to children to stay calm under any circumstances.

I think you might mean for children. To children means that it was the children's own ealuation of the importance.


13. Lack of cheap tickets was putting potential customers off.

I'd say the shortage

17. Seeing as it’s you who have earned all this money, you can buy whatever you want on them.

I'd say has

The garage had us over a barrel because they were the only people in town who could fix the car.

[Flash]

7. 2,000,000 more people (or another 2,000,000 people) are said to have been transferred to the freshly (recently, newly…) built cities.

Use recently/newly. Freshly is used with painted.

What about more and another?

13. Lack of cheap tickets was putting potential customers off.

I'd say the shortage

Will you explain to me why you'd say the shortage, please?

17. Seeing as it’s you who have earned all this money, you can buy whatever you want on them.

I'd say has

Where would you say 'has'?
Seeing as it's you who has earned... In this sentence?

Thanks a lot for your help!


Dany I don't feel like commenting your answer as almost all your comments were very difficult to understand.
I can't understand what means a fast number. Can you explain it by yourself? Also, it was news to me that I should use the preposition 'into' after the expression 'reduce smth ... rubble'.

Peter will handle her preparation for the coming exam.

What about this one: Inspector Dawkin will be handling this case. Is it wrong too?

In spite of the fact that the Professor had given her a lot of difficult tasks she handled it well.

You've totally changed the sentence. I didn't mean that the Professor gave her a lot of tasks. I meant that he gave her A MOST(=very) difficult task.

The funniest sentence of all was this one:

they are being diffucult

What did you mean? they are behaving 'difficult'?!?
Your comments were quite beyond my understanding !!!

[Dany]

I can't understand what means a fast number. Can you explain it by yourself?

Sorry, that was a mistake of me. You should use "A lot of goods ......"

Also, it was news to me that I should use the preposition 'into' after the expression 'reduce smth ... rubble'.

I'm not really sure about the usige of "into". It was an act of instinct

What about this one: Inspector Dawkin will be handling this case. Is it wrong too?

"handling" is a noun, and I'm sure that you have to use a verb.
"will be handle" = passive (I'm sure that you have to use active)
Inspector Dawkin will handle this case.
Or you should say: This case will be handle by Inspector Dawkin.

You've totally changed the sentence. I didn't mean that the Professor gave her a lot of tasks. I meant that he gave her A MOST(=very) difficult task.

Then, why you haven't used "very"?
"most" is the comparison of "many". many - more - most

What did you mean? they are behaving 'difficult'?!?
Your comments were quite beyond my understanding !!!

"... are being difficult to handle this days". It is a passiv sentence, and means that it is not easy for the customers to handle them.

I hope that I could help you

Kind regards,
Dany

[Tdol]

More/another- both are fine
Lack- alone this doesn't work; you could put a definite article in, which would me.
Has/have- there is debate about this- what is the subject? 'you' or ' it's you'?

PS Some of Dany's corrections are a rather dodgy/

[Dany]

More/another- both are fine
Lack- alone this doesn't work; you could put a definite article in, which would me.
Has/have- there is debate about this- what is the subject? 'you' or ' it's you'?

PS Some of Dany's corrections are a rather dodgy/

Hello tdol,

I said at the beginning, that I'm not sure whether I do everything well.
Such was not my intention to make wrong corrections. I made this corrections with the best of my knowledge.
It will be very nice of you to correct my mistakes

Kind regards,
Dany

[Flash]

More/another- both are fine
Lack- alone this doesn't work; you could put a definite article in, which would me.
Has/have- there is debate about this- what is the subject? 'you' or ' it's you'?

PS Some of Dany's corrections are a rather dodgy/

That means that if I put a definite artcile in my sentence it will work, doesn't it?

The subject is "it" - that is to say, it's you who have/has done...

[Tdol]

It will work with a definite article.

If you change it to the first person, would you say 'It's me who' or 'it's I who'. Some argue that the second is correct because 'be' can't take an object, but 99.99% say 'it's me'. Here it is clearer which verb to use:
It's me who's been ....

[Flash]

It will work with a definite article.

If you change it to the first person, would you say 'It's me who' or 'it's I who'. Some argue that the second is correct because 'be' can't take an object, but 99.99% say 'it's me'. Here it is clearer which verb to use:
It's me who's been ....

Thank you very much.
I know that some argue that the second variant is correct and as far as I remember I've seen in some text book that it was the only correct variant to choose but then I read in another book (or someone explained it to me) that both variants were equally correct (for informal situations, at least).

I've got another question. Is the verb 'dismiss' considered to be formal in such context?
-The teacher dismissed the class early because she had a meeting.

The sentence is taken from the Cambridge Dictionary at dictionary.cambridge.org. Although they write whether a word has a particular register there I would like to get the answer from a 'real' native speaker .