when was done

[ostap77]

"When the surgeon was done operating, the police came to take him into custody."
Would it be grammatically correct?

 

[Afit]

Yes. "operating" is an adverbial participle. Choice of tense in the sentence is fine.

 

[ostap77]

Yes. "operating" is an adverbial participle. Choice of tense in the sentence is fine.

I could have said "When I was done talking on the phone, they came over for dinner.'' and it would have been correst, right?

 

[Afit]

I could have said "When I was done talking on the phone, they came over for dinner.'' and it would have been correst, right?

No offence, but I can't see the logical cohesion between the previous part of this thread and this question. Nevertheless,

When I was done talking on the phone, they came over for dinner.

is :tick:.

 

[ostap77]

No offence, but I can't see the logical cohesion between the previous part of this thread and this question. Nevertheless,

When I was done talking on the phone, they came over for dinner.

is :tick:.

No hard feelings taken. The thing is that I took a writing test and used the sentence from post # 1.My Ukrainian teacher checked it off as incorrect.

 

[bhaisahab]

No hard feelings taken. The thing is that I took a writing test and used the sentence from post # 1.My Ukrainian teacher checked it off as incorrect.

It's non standard English (chiefly American). In a classroom situation you should use "had finished" not "was done"

 

[ostap77]

It's non standard English (chiefly American). In a classroom situation you should use "had finished" not "was done"

Does "nonstandardness" refer to the use of "to be done doing something" in the past?
How about President of the United States using it in one of his speeches "We are done fighting in Iraq"?

 

[Afit]

It's non standard English (chiefly American). In a classroom situation you should use "had finished" not "was done"

I hear this construction from educated native individuals. If they can afford to use their own mother tongue like this, why can't we, non-native students?

 

[Afit]

Does "nonstandardness" refer to the use of "to be done doing something" in the past?
How about President of the United States using it in one of his speeches "We are done fighting in Iraq"?

No."to be done" to mean "to be finished" is no go in formal English.

 

[ostap77]

No."to be done" to mean "to be finished" is no go in formal English.

" The formal change in mission doesn't mean the 50,000 U.S. soldiers, Marines, sailors and airmen in Iraq are done fighting insurgents of one stripe or another."

Would this be informal English?

 

[emsr2d2]

Just because something is said by a president, that doesn't mean it's formal (or even grammatically correct).

A classroom situation/exam often calls for different forms of English to the words you might hear spoken by native speakers. Also, if you use something non-standard, and your English teacher is not a native speaker, there is always the chance that it will be a phrase they've never heard of and so will mark it as incorrect.

 

[Rover_KE]

I hear this construction from educated native individuals. If they can afford to use their own mother tongue like this, why can't we, non-native students?

Students need to please their teachers and pass examinations.

That's why we advise you to use standard English - at least until you have gained all the qualifications you need.

Rover

 

[Afit]

Just because something is said by a president, that doesn't mean it's formal (or even grammatically correct).

Actually, I was talking about several "Presidents". :up:

Why do these linguist scholars participating in this threas not object:


"I am done" or "I have done"

?

I'm okay with "I'm done arguing about it."​

Barb_D (aka Grammar Geek)

 

[5jj]

Why do these linguist scholars participating in this thread not object:

"I am done" or "I have done"

?

Why don't you accept that Rover and bhai feel that it is non-standard in BrE? I agree with them.

I am not a native speaker of AmE, so cannot say whether it is standard or not in that variety of English. The fact that several American presidents have used it is irrelevant. Quite a few American presidents have been mocked for their non-standard English at times (by fellow Americans, I hasten to add).

 

[emsr2d2]

Non-standard doesn't mean we don't use it or hear it, or that we object to it.

 

[ostap77]

Why don't you accept that Rover and bhai feel that it is non-standard in BrE? I agree with them.

I am not a native speaker of AmE, so cannot say whether it is standard or not in that variety of English. The fact that several American presidents have used it is irrelevant. Quite a few American presidents have been mocked for their non-standard English at times (by fellow Americans, I hasten to add).

Barack Obama hasn't been mocked for his non-standard English, has he?

 

[SoothingDave]

Had I not seen this thread, I would not have realized that some object to "done" being used as a substitute for "finished."

 

[TheParser]

"When the surgeon was done operating, the police came to take him into custody."
Would it be grammatically correct?

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


(1) As usual, you have reminded me of how little I know about my only language.

(a) Thank you!

(2) Of course, you must please your teachers (just as employees must please

their bosses), but when you get into real life, please remember that -- I think --

that construction ( to be + done [adjective] + present participle) is good American

English of which no one need be ashamed.

(3) Of course, your question -- as usual -- forced me to my books and the Web.

(4) Here are some gems that I am pleased to share with you:

(a) I am only too glad to be done/ have done with all responsibility.

"Done may here be considered an adjective."

Compare: It was rather hard to be finished with life at twenty.

(Source: Otto Jespersen. One of the greatest grammarians, although English was not his first language!)

(b) Two scholars say that "I am done talking" can be analyzed as "I am done

with talking."

(Source: Constructional Licensing in Morphology and Syntax, Audring & Booij. Web.

(c) My last -- but certainly not least -- source is the one and only Professor George O. Curme (every single following word is his, not mine):

"I have ( in America, Scotland, Ireland often am) done packing." In the American

construction, done is a predicate adjective , and packing is a present participle

....

(i) We will not here discuss what "packing" modifies, for there are various

theories.

(5) Finally, here are two examples from reputable American sources:

"When you're done cooking, they have plastic inserts, ...

" Drain the pasta when it's done cooking and toss it with the dressing."

Source: these two examples were on the helpline englishpage.

 

[ostap77]

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


(1) As usual, you have reminded me of how little I know about my only language.

(a) Thank you!

(2) Of course, you must please your teachers (just as employees must please

their bosses), but when you get into real life, please remember that -- I think --

that construction ( to be + done [adjective] + present participle) is good American

English of which no one need be ashamed.

(3) Of course, your question -- as usual -- forced me to my books and the Web.

(4) Here are some gems that I am pleased to share with you:

(a) I am only too glad to be done/ have done with all responsibility.

"Done may here be considered an adjective."

Compare: It was rather hard to be finished with life at twenty.

(Source: Otto Jespersen. One of the greatest grammarians, although English was not his first language!)

(b) Two scholars say that "I am done talking" can be analyzed as "I am done

with talking."

(Source: Constructional Licensing in Morphology and Syntax, Audring & Booij. Web.

(c) My last -- but certainly not least -- source is the one and only Professor George O. Curme (every single following word is his, not mine):

"I have ( in America, Scotland, Ireland often am) done packing." In the American

construction, done is a predicate adjective , and packing is a present participle

....

(i) We will not here discuss what "packing" modifies, for there are various

theories.

(5) Finally, here are two examples from reputable American sources:

"When you're done cooking, they have plastic inserts, ...

" Drain the pasta when it's done cooking and toss it with the dressing."

Source: these two examples were on the helpline englishpage.

What struck me most was that she said it was totally wrong and she had never heard native speakers use it in conversation before.

 

[TheParser]

What struck me most was that she said it was totally wrong and she had never heard native speakers use it in conversation before.

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


Sadly, many teachers do not follow some wise advice from the Spanish

writer Jose Ortega y Gasset.

He said something like (this is my bad translation):

When you teach, teach [your students] at the same time to doubt

what you are teaching.



*****

For those who know Spanish, here's the original. Hopefully, someone will give

us a better translation. (I did not like the translations on the Web.)

< Siempre que ensenes, ensena a la vez a dudar de lo que ensenas>