Hello， Teachers! Please help me.

Harry12345 · Jun 16, 2010

Hello,teachers!

Which one is correct?

1 I don't think it will rain tomorrow____?

A don't you B do you C won't it D will it

I don't know which one I should choose. Teachers, please help me.

2 I think two days_____enough to finish this task.
A is B are

I think right answer should be B. But I have read a sentence: one thousand kilometers is a long journey. So I got confused.
Teachers, please help me.

3 Which sentence is correct?
1 80% students are doing homework.
2 80% of students are doing homework.

Thank you!

Nightmare85 · Jun 16, 2010

**Neither a teacher nor a native speaker.**

1. I don't think it will rain tomorrow, will it? (do you could be possible as well.)
2. I think two days are enough to finish this task. - just a guess
3. 80% of students are doing homework. - just a guess

Please keep in mind that I'm not fully sure if #2 and #3 are correct.
However, I'm sure #1 is correct.

Anyway, thanks for the interesting questions. :up:
I also want to know our teachers' and other members' opinions

Cheers!

euncu · Jun 16, 2010

***Neither a teacher nor a native-speaker.***

Nightmare85 said:
1. I don't think that it will rain tomorrow, will it ?
2. I think two days are enough to finish this task.[STRIKE] - just a guess[/STRIKE]
3. The 80% of the students are doing homework. [STRIKE]- just a guess[/STRIKE]

For the third sentence, I assumed that we are talking about some certain students not students in general.

PS: I'm not sure a hundred percent for the first sentence, though.

Abstract Idea · Jun 16, 2010

----- I am not an ESL teacher -----

Harry12345 said:
Hello,teachers!

Which one is correct?

1 I don't think it will rain tomorrow____?

A don't you B do you C won't it D will it

I don't know which one I should choose. Teachers, please help me.

2 I think two days_____enough to finish this task.
A is B are

I think right answer should be B. But I have read a sentence: one thousand kilometers is a long journey. So I got confused.
Teachers, please help me.

3 Which sentence is correct?
1 80% students are doing homework.
2 80% of students are doing homework.

Thank you!

Although Nightmare85 pointed out 'will it' for the first one I think the technical expected answer is 'do you' (taq question). I understand 'will it' could be used but something tells me the test writer expects the students to mark 'do you'.

And regarding the last one I would say 80% of the students are doing their homework.

Abstract Idea · Jun 16, 2010

Gillnetter said:
1 I don't think it will rain tomorrow____?
I don't think it will rain tomorrow,
A don't you B do you C won't it D will it
B is the correct answer. The sentence starts with what one person thinks about the chances of rain and ends with asking another person what they think of the chances of rain. The first person is asking another person for agreement.

I reckon the standard sentence is 'I don't think it will rain tomorrow, do you?', that is the only one which came to my mind at first.

However, when I read Nightmare85's answer I realized that 'I don't think it will rain tomorrow, will it?' may also be possible, although less likely. Above you gave one interpretation, namely, the first person is asking another one for agreement, but is it the only possible interpretation? What if the speaker is just wondering whether it will rain the next day, just talking to himself?

Abstract Idea · Jun 16, 2010

Gillnetter said:
Whether the person is talking to someone else or to himself doesn't make any difference. You can talk to yourself.

But if you finish a sentence with "do you" when talking to yourself it sounds a bit weird, doesn't it?

Gillnetter said:
The end result is the same. The problem with, "will it", is that this question asks for a definite answer. "I don't think" is more or less of a guess.

The person may start with an initial guess that it is not likely to rain and then immediately change her mind and ask herself: will it?

Gillnetter said:
If you are asking God about the possibility of rain tomorrow, "will it", may make sense.

So you agree that "will it" is a possible answer in this case ...

TheParser · Jun 16, 2010

Harry12345 said:
Hello,teachers!

Which one is correct?

1 I don't think it will rain tomorrow____?

A don't you B do you C won't it D will it

I don't know which one I should choose. Teachers, please help me.

2 I think two days_____enough to finish this task.
A is B are

I think right answer should be B. But I have read a sentence: one thousand kilometers is a long journey. So I got confused.
Teachers, please help me.

3 Which sentence is correct?
1 80% students are doing homework.
2 80% of students are doing homework.

Thank you!

***** NOT A TEACHER *****

Hello, Harry.

(1) You are correct: a question like No. 2 is very confusing.

(2) Teachers should not have this kind of question on a test.

(3) As you said, many books prefer the singular.

(a) Many books say that if you are talking about the "WHOLE

AMOUNT," it is better to use the singular.

Examples from Longman English Grammar:

Three weeks is a long time to wait.
Two hundred pounds is a lot to spend.
Forty miles is a long way.

Examples from The Grammar Book:

1,000 miles is a long distance.
2 million dollars is a lot of money.
5 years is a long time to spend on a thesis.

(4)

I do not think that it would be fair to mark your answer as "wrong"

if you chose "is." You could explain to your teacher (very respectfully,

of course) that you were thinking of "two days" as a unit:

An amount (singular) of 2 days IS enough to finish this task.

(5) Some teachers feel that "two days are" is only correct if you are

thinking of the "two days" as individual days -- not as a unit. Maybe

something like :

Those two days were completely different from each other.

(6) Please let us know what answer your teacher said was "correct."

***** Thank you *****

ratóncolorao · Jun 16, 2010

(6) Please let us know what answer your teacher said was "correct." - The Parser.

Well pointed out :up: ;-)

Harry12345 · Jun 17, 2010

TheParser said:
***** NOT A TEACHER *****

Hello, Harry.

(1) You are correct: a question like No. 2 is very confusing.

(2) Teachers should not have this kind of question on a test.

(3) As you said, many books prefer the singular.

(a) Many books say that if you are talking about the "WHOLE

AMOUNT," it is better to use the singular.

Examples from Longman English Grammar:

Three weeks is a long time to wait.
Two hundred pounds is a lot to spend.
Forty miles is a long way.

Examples from The Grammar Book:

1,000 miles is a long distance.
2 million dollars is a lot of money.
5 years is a long time to spend on a thesis.

(4)

I do not think that it would be fair to mark your answer as "wrong"

if you chose "is." You could explain to your teacher (very respectfully,

of course) that you were thinking of "two days" as a unit:

An amount (singular) of 2 days IS enough to finish this task.

(5) Some teachers feel that "two days are" is only correct if you are

thinking of the "two days" as individual days -- not as a unit. Maybe

something like :

Those two days were completely different from each other.

(6) Please let us know what answer your teacher said was "correct."

***** Thank you *****[/QUOT

Thanks for all of you！

TheParser teacher：

In this test paper， the standard answers given are: 1 will it 2 is 3， 2. But I can't undersand why,so I ask you for help! and now I still can't undersand why！

Thank you again!

TheParser · Jun 17, 2010

***** NOT A TEACHER *****

Hello, Harry.

(1) Do not feel bad. Keep studying hard, and you WILL soon understand English.

(2) Your English is already very good.

(3) You say that the teacher gave you the answers, but that you still do not

understand.

(a) Please tell us which ones (No. l? No. 2? No.3?) you still do not understand. Then

many people here will be very happy to explain again until you understand.

*****

P. S. Many of us are concerned because your teacher told you that No. l is "will it."

It seems that most of us feel "do you" is the "correct" answer. I realize that it is not the

custom in many countries to question a teacher. I realize that you must be very careful

not to make your teacher angry. Do you know someone who speaks English well?

Perhaps s/he can explain No. 1 to you. As I said, many of us think the correct answer

is "do you." But maybe we are wrong. I hope other people will join this thread and tell

us their opinions about No. 1.

***** Thank you *****

Jaskin · Jun 17, 2010

hi,
Please note I'm not a teacher nor a native speaker.

Let's take a similar example:

I suppose you are coming to the party, ......

1) aren't you ?
2) don't you ?

I suppose you are coming to the party, aren't you ?

if we use "don't you" we would ask : Do you suppose that you [...] I think it's not what we want to know.

Let's change "I don't think" to "I reckon" or" I suppose" or "I don't suppose"

I reckon it will rain, .... (won't it)

All the expressions are just expressing our opinion on the mater
and could be left out making a simple question:

It will rain, won't it ?
You coming to the party, aren't you ?

As we have negative "I don't think" we put non-negative question tag at the end of the sentence.

Cheers,

Abstract Idea · Jun 17, 2010

Gillnetter said:
Well...talking to yourself is weird.

It may be weird but not uncommon when you are trying to learn a foreign language.
I often talk to myself when I am trying to learn a foreign language.

(Sorry, I know it is off the topic and not related to the original questions but I couldn't resist.)

TheParser · Jun 17, 2010

***** NOT A TEACHER *****

***** GOOD NEWS !!! ***** WONDERFUL NEWS !!! *****SENSATIONAL NEWS!!!

(1) Harry, it seems that your teacher (and some of the great posters in this

thread) were correct: the answer to No. 1 is PROBABLY "will it."

(a) Professor Quirk in his famous Comprehensive Grammar of the English

Grammar (1985) discusses this case of "transferred negation" on pages

811 and 1035. (The "not" transfers to the that- clause.)

(i) The professor and his colleagues give these examples:

(a) I do not suppose that he is serious, IS he? = I suppose that he is not serious, is he?

(b) I do not imagine that he cares, does he? = I imagine that he doesn't care, does he?

(c) I do not think that she knows French, does she? = I think that she doesn't know

French, does she?

THEREFORE, I think (only THINK) that

I do not think that it will rain tomorrow, will it? =

I think that it will not rain tomorrow, will it?

(2) Thank you, Harry, for the question. It made me learn more about

my native language.

Abstract Idea · Jun 17, 2010

TheParser said:
***** NOT A TEACHER *****

***** GOOD NEWS !!! ***** WONDERFUL NEWS !!! *****SENSATIONAL NEWS!!!

(1) Harry, it seems that your teacher (and some of the great posters in this

thread) were correct: the answer to No. 1 is PROBABLY "will it."

(a) Professor Quirk in his famous Comprehensive Grammar of the English

Grammar (1985) discusses this case of "transferred negation" on pages

811 and 1035. (The "not" transfers to the that- clause.)

(i) The professor and his colleagues give these examples:

(a) I do not suppose that he is serious, IS he? = I suppose that he is not serious, is he?

(b) I do not imagine that he cares, does he? = I imagine that he doesn't care, does he?

(c) I do not think that she knows French, does she? = I think that she doesn't know

French, does she?

THEREFORE, I think (only THINK) that

I do not think that it will rain tomorrow, will it? =

I think that it will not rain tomorrow, will it?

(2) Thank you, Harry, for the question. It made me learn more about

my native language.

Good job TheParser!
This reference is indeed clear, right to the point!

It justifies 'will it' as a correct answer in the original sentence, BUT it does not rule out the other possibility 'do you'. It really depends on the CONTEXT.
I maintain my opinion that both 'do you' and 'will it' are acceptable, depending on the context.

In my opinion this is the kind of question which should be carefully avoided in ordinary English tests.

TheParser · Jun 17, 2010

***** NOT A TEACHER *****

Hello, Ymnisky.

(1) YES! You are 100% correct!!!!!!

(2) I have just communicated with an ESL teacher who grades examinations for a living. She is VERY experienced!!!

(3) She says:

(a) "Do you" would be the most "appropriate"with the correct intonation.

(b) "Will it" could also be correct, but the speaker would have to make it clear that s/he is referring to the rain.

(3) You must go back to teaching. Students need teachers like you!

***** Thank you *****

corum · Jun 17, 2010

Gillnetter said:
1 I don't think it will rain tomorrow____?
I don't think it will rain tomorrow,
A don't you B do you C won't it D will it
B is the correct answer. The sentence starts with what one person thinks about the chances of rain and ends with asking another person what they think of the chances of rain. The first person is asking another person for agreement.

"I think it will rain tomorrow, don't you." This is a different statement and requires a different response.

I do not think it will rain tomorrow, (or) will it? :tick:
It won't rain tomorrow, I think, (or) will it? :tick:
I don't think it will rain tomorrow, do you? (and you?) :tick:
I think it will rain tomorrow, don't you? (and you? I expect you do too) :tick:

Gillnetter said:
2 I think two days_____enough to finish this task.
A is B are
You are correct, B is the right answer. Two days is plural. One thousand kilometers can be understood as being one thing rather than a number of kilometers.

Sorry, but no. Only A is correct. Two days is indeed plural grammatically, but not notionally.

Swan, 527: amounts and quantities: that five pounds

When we talk about amounts and quantities we usually use singular determiners, verbs, and pronouns, even if the noun is plural.

Twenty miles is a long way to walk.
We have got five liters of petrol left. That is not enough.

I think (the period of) two days is enough. :tick:
I think two days are enough. :cross:

Harry12345 · Jun 17, 2010

:crazyeye::crazyeye::crazyeye::-(

corum · Jun 17, 2010

Harry12345 said:
:crazyeye::crazyeye::crazyeye::-(

:lol:

Cool emoticon, :crazyeye: (:crazyeye:)! :up:

Nightmare85 · Jun 17, 2010

corum said:
Sorry, but no. Only A is correct. Two days is indeed plural grammatically, but not notionally.
Swan, 527: amounts and quantities: that five pounds
I think (the period of) two days is enough. :tick:
I think two days are enough. :cross:

But then we could almost only use singular.
I think (the amount of) 3 men is enough.
I know (the number of) 10 computers is too few.
I believe (the period of) three days is too many; two days is enough already.
Sounds very strange to me.

I think 3 men are enough.
I know 10 computers are too few.
I believe three days are too many; two days are enough.
Sounds correct to me.

I'm sorry, corum, but this is my point of view.
If you want to say "the amount of", then do it.
To me it makes no sense to "imagine" words, and in the original sentence there is no mention of "the amount of".

Two days - are - enough.
Plural - are - adjective.

Another example:
Women are my weak point.
Two women are my weak point.
My weak point is women.

Would you really say, "Women is my weak point"?
I guess you won't.
So why should, "Two women is my weak point"? be correct?
"My weak point is women" -> no doubt!
Singular - is - subj. complement.

Cheers!

mmasny · Jun 17, 2010

corum said:
I think (the period of) two days is enough. :tick:
I think two days are enough. :cross:

I agree. I'm not sure if I ever heard the second option. (Well, I'm a Pole living in Poland so it doesn't mean much)

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