Is it correct

[zaffar]

Hi teacher,
Is it correct to say " it will be helpful of yours, if you pass me a pen". If not! then what should be the correct sentence.
Please reply
zaffar

[Robert B. Mercer]

The second part of your question is common, but I don't hear the first, 'helpful' part of your sentence very often....

"It would be helpful if you would pass me a pen."


What I say, and hear, are sentences like these:

"Excuse me, could you pass me a pen? Thanks."
"I'm sorry to bother you, but could you pass me a pen? Thanks."
"I'm sorry, but could I bother you for a pen? Thanks."
"I don't mean to bother you, but I need a pen... could you pass me that one? Thank you very much."
"Excuse me, are you using that pen? Could you pass it to me?"
"Excuse me, are you using that pen? No? Then could I borrow it for a minute?"
"Excuse me, could I borrow that pen for a moment?"
"I'm sorry, but I left my pen at home... could you loan me one of yours?"

[Temico]

....could you loan me one of yours?"

Are you sure that it shouldn't be "..could you lend me one of yours?" or "..could you give me one of yours on loan?"

[Mr. Yang]

To my ears, "could you loan me one of yours" is correct.

[Robert B. Mercer]

In British English the verb is To Lend, the noun, the thing that you lend, is A Loan.

(Present) I lend my friend a loan today.
(Past) I lent my friend a loan yesterday.

BUT, in American English, which I use, we have mushed lend & loan together... we now have the verbs To Lend AND To Loan.

I loan my friend a loan today,
I loaned my friend a loan yesterday.

British English dictionaries do not like those last two sentences, but they are in common use in the USA.

The same with "on loan".... some British Englisher will have to look at that one; to my American ear it sounds so 1800's....

[Temico]

In British English the verb is To Lend, the noun, the thing that you lend, is A Loan.

(Present) I lend my friend a loan today.
(Past) I lent my friend a loan yesterday.

To my knowledge, no educated Britisher would say it like the above. They would either say, "I'll give my friend a loan today/ I gave my friend a loan yesterday. " or "I'll lend my friend some money(not loan) today/ I lent my friend some money/etc. yesterday".

Also, Britisher would not say, "Lend me a loan.", they would say, "Give me a loan" or "Lend me some money"