[Grammar] "Between" is used when naming distinct, individual items (can be 2, 3, or more).

[Tarheel]

Re: "Between" is used when naming distinct, individual items (can be 2, 3, or more).

Most of the members here are interested in talking about language and are patient with learners.

Thank you for correcting me.

:roll:

 

[kadioguy]

Re: "Between" is used when naming distinct, individual items (can be 2, 3, or more).

Generally speaking, I really think you should avoid asking us what the difference in meaning is, because a) it unnecessarily leads us to focus on meaning, and b) it may lead us to different interpretations of what kind of meaning you mean. You could simply ask What are the differences between a and b? This will open the question to all kinds of difference—aspect, sense, naturalness, formality, usage patterns, etc.

Thank you, jutfrank.

I tried that before, and a member answered me (something like) "(a) is in the present simple; (b) is in the past simple", and that was not the answer I wanted to receive. I had seen they were in different tenses, but what did that mean? In other words, the answer I wanted to know was like:

"(a) is in the present simple, so it means a repeated action; (b) is in the past simple, so it means this action happened."

This is why I usually choose to ask "what is the the difference in meaning between them?" - although I know in this case it may technically not be called "meaning". (What should I call it? Usage?)

Maybe next time I can ask in the question, "I know they are in different aspect, sense, etc., but what do this mean?"

Is this asking better?

Another question that I think works well is Of a and b, which is better? or Of a and b, which should I use? Again, these questions are open enough for us to give you quick, simple, diverse, and clear answers. Those of us who wish to provide reasons for our advice, and/or any accompanying explanations, will do so without being asked.

This is another thing I'll have to say.

Case 1.
I ask a question, and provide a possible answer and reason, then ask "Am I right?"

Case 2.
I list two sentences, and ask "Of a and b, which is better?" or "Of a and b, which should I use?"

In case 1, if the you simply answer "yes", that will be fine, because I have written the reason myself.

In case 2, if the you simply answer "a" or "b", it won't be enough, because I want to know why (so I'll have to ask this part). :roll:

This is the reason I usually say "Do they mean the same thing? If not, could you tell me your opinion?"

I would like to learn English in the way that I know not only the answer, but also the reason.

If you really do want to ask about meaning, though, it will be very useful if you remember the following two distinctions:

1) effective meaning versus analytic meaning
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2) speaker meaning versus sentence meaning
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I'll remember it.

Okay, but sentence B exists only in your mind. It's not an authentic sentence. What's more, you're a non-native speaker, so it's rather unlikely that B is as good as A, very unlikely that B is better than A, and quite likely that B is completely inappropriate, so why bother focusing on it at all? Why not just try to learn what you can from sentence A?

Yes, it is true. But if I can know why B is worse, maybe I can avoid using such a mistake or a bad element in it to other sentences I'll write in the future. I mean to learn the principles.

I think the best is that I can learn what I can from sentence A, and what I shouldn't use or should avoid from sentence B.

 

[jutfrank]

Re: "Between" is used when naming distinct, individual items (can be 2, 3, or more).

I tried that before, and a member answered me (something like) "(a) is in the present simple; (b) is in the past simple", and that was not the answer I wanted to receive.

In that case, you can either be patient and hope that a more useful answer will come along soon, or ask a more specific follow-up question.

Maybe next time I can ask in the question, "I know they are in different aspect, sense, etc., but what do this mean?"

Is this asking better?

Well, that's a bit better, yes, because it gives us information about what you already know, but whether it is fully appropriate really depends. I can't give you a general answer for this because it depends on a few factors, such as whether you've made up both, one, or neither of the two sentences in question. Just ask What are the differences between these two forms? and hopefully someone will give you a useful answer.

Case 1.
I ask a question, and provide a possible answer and reason, then ask "Am I right?"

Case 2.
I list two sentences, and ask "Of a and b, which is better?" or "Of a and b, which should I use?"

In case 1, if the you simply answer "yes", that will be fine, because I have written the reason myself.

In case 2, if the you simply answer "a" or "b", it won't be enough, because I want to know why (so I'll have to ask this part). :roll:

Very often you don't actually need to know why. Not all learners need to ask that—many just try to notice that a particular form is used in a certain way, and try to adopt that into their own use of English. If you really must know why, then you could ask In what way is A better than B?

This is the reason I usually say "Do they mean the same thing? If not, could you tell me your opinion?"

Okay, but please stop asking that. Plus, it's not our 'opinions' that you're interested in. What you want is a useful answer, not an opinion. That's not the right word at all.

I would like to learn English in the way that I know not only the answer, but also the reason.

Yes, I've noticed! It's in the scorpion's nature to sting, I suppose.

Look, we'll try our best to satisfy you, okay? Let's bring an end to this thread now, please.