[Grammar] "i am supposed to eat food", "i am supposed to do playing games"

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amiable25

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Hello, I am a new user here and I work at a middle school in Korea as an English teacher.

Since I am not a native speaker, I sometimes have difficulties to tell if some setences from students are right or wrong.

Please help me.


1. I am supposed to eat food.

2. I am supposed to do playing games.

These are sentences from my students. I'd like to know these are acceptable or unaaceptable.

Thank you in advance!
 

emsr2d2

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Re: "i am supposed to eat food", "i am supposed to do playing games"

Unless your students are in the habit of eating things which aren't food, I find the last word of sentence 1 redundant. "I am supposed to eat".
With the second, "do playing games" is incorrect. "I am supposed to be playing games".
 

MikeNewYork

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Re: "i am supposed to eat food", "i am supposed to do playing games"

Hello, I am a new user here and I work at a middle school in Korea as an English teacher.

Since I am not a native speaker, I sometimes have difficulties to tell if some setences from students are right or wrong.

Please help me.


1. I am supposed to eat food.

2. I am supposed to do playing games.

These are sentences from my students. I'd like to know these are acceptable or unaaceptable.

Thank you in advance!

It is possible for someone to say "I am supposed to eat real food", meaning he/she was told to eat meat, fish, fruits, vegetables, etc, rather than candy, snacks, ice cream, etc. That would require some context.
 

amiable25

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Re: "i am supposed to eat food", "i am supposed to do playing games"

Thank you so much! I understand that the question 1 isn't incorrect but sounds awkward and has a better option. Am I right? It was a reply to a question " What are you going to do after school?"
 

emsr2d2

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Re: "i am supposed to eat food", "i am supposed to do playing games"

Thank you so much! I understand that the question 1 isn't incorrect but sounds awkward and has a better option. Am I right? It was a reply to a question "What are you going to do after school?"

It's a very strange reply to the question "What are you going to do after school?" You might hear "I'm supposed to be going home to have dinner" or something but "I am supposed to be eating food after school" is definitely odd.
 

amiable25

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Re: "i am supposed to eat food", "i am supposed to do playing games"

Oh, it's an odd answer. Thank you! ^^
 

emsr2d2

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Re: "i am supposed to eat food", "i am supposed to do playing games"

Oh, it's an odd answer. Thank you! ^^

Yes, but as I said, even if it wasn't an odd answer to that specific question, it is also unnatural to say "... supposed to be eating food". The last word is redundant and the whole thing would be better worded as "I am supposed to be having breakfast/lunch/dinner/tea/supper/a snack ...".
 

amiable25

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Re: "i am supposed to eat food", "i am supposed to do playing games"

Oh, I got it. Thank you very much!
 

Rover_KE

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Re: "i am supposed to eat food", "i am supposed to do playing games"

Your appreciation is welcome, amiable, but there is no need to write a new post to say Thank you. Simply click the Thank button on any posts you find helpful. It means that we don't have to open the thread again to read your new post and then find that it doesn't include any new information or an additional question.

It saves everybody's time.
 
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