[Grammar] In the previous question/to the previous question - simple grammar check

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vcolts

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Ex1. I have already answered the question in the previous question.

Ex2. I have already said the answer in the previous question.

Ex3. I already covered this question in the previous question.

Ex4. I have already answered the question in a previous question.

Ex5. I have already said the answer in a previous question.

Ex6. I have already said the answer in an answer to a previous question.

Ex7. I have already said the answer in the answer to a previous question.

Ex8. I have already said the answer in the answer to the previous question.

Ex9. I have already said the answer in answer to a/the previous question.

Ex10. I have already answered this question in my answer to a/the previous question.

Q. Are all of the above grammatically correct? (The accurateness for this is crucial as I may be using them in a presentation/oral exam.).


Thanks in advance.
 
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Chicken Sandwich

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I think that the reason why nobody has responded to this thread is becasue it's a little bit overwhelming to see so many sentences. Let's take the first one.

Ex1. I have already answered the question in the previous question.

No, I don't think that this correct. Are you trying to say that the person has already answered this question when he responded to a previous question? If so, I would say, 'I have already answered the question when I responded to a previous question'. There are other options.

Let's see if there are other opinions.
 

emsr2d2

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The repetition of the word "question" each time makes them sound very clunky to my ears. I would prefer something like "My previous response has already answered that question" or "That question was dealt with in my last response".
 

Chicken Sandwich

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Ex2. I have already said the answer in the previous question.

This doesn't sound good to my ears. If you answer a question, you're already "saying the answer", so you don't have to use the verb "say".
 

5jj

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I think that the reason why nobody has responded to this thread is because it's a little bit overwhelming to see so many sentences.
:up:

That's why I did not respond.
 

vcolts

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@Chicken Sandwich:

You mentioned that it's incorrect to say "I have answered... in the previous question."

I am getting a conflicing view on this matter. I also asked on another site since I was not getting any response on my previous thread. In the previous question/to the previous question - simple grammar check?

While the main point of your post does make sense and I thank you for it, I am not so sure if it's incorrect. But it does make me wonder if it's correct to keep such a structure because I am not comfortable with that sentence either (precisely the reason why I asked).
 
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vcolts

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Ways to state that you have already answered

Ex1. I have already answered the question when responding to a previous question.

Ex2. I have already answered this (the question) in a previous question.

Ex3. I have already answered the question when I responded to a previous question.

Are all of the above grammatically and academically (formal presentation) acceptable?


Thanks in advance
 
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5jj

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I moved your last post to this thread. Starting a new thread could lead to confusion.
 

Chicken Sandwich

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@Chicken Sandwich:
I am getting a conflicing view on this matter. I also asked on another site since I was not getting any response on my previous thread. In the previous question/to the previous question - simple grammar check?

While the main point of your post does make sense and I thank you for it, I am not so sure if it's incorrect. But it does make me wonder if it's correct to keep such a structure because I am not comfortable with that sentence either (precisely the reason why I asked).

OK, fair enough, I shouldn't have said that they were incorrect, in fact that's not really what I meant. The first two just sounded awkward to me, as the posters in that other forum also have indicated. Emsr2d2's alternatives to the first sentence sound much better to me.
 

BobK

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Re: Ways to state that you have already answered

Ex1. I have already answered the question when responding to a previous question.

I would prefer 'in my response to' rather than 'when responding to', as the latter seems to me imply that you had said 'Here's the answer to the next question'; perhaps you could just switch the prepositions. I don't mind the repetition. To competent speakers you could say '...in my response to the previous one.' But I think a bit of repetition is appropriate for most students. In class instructions clarity is more important than elegance.


Ex2. I have already answered this (the question) in a previous question.
This would be OK if true ;-) . Sometimes it is the wording of a question that provides the answr to a later one. But I don't think the parenthesis is necessary.
Ex3. I have already answered the question when I responded to a previous question.
This is as acceptable as Ex 1. I would still prefer 'in my response'.

Are all of the above grammatically and academically (formal presentation) acceptable?


Thanks in advance

b
 

BobK

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Re: Ways to state that you have already answered

Ex1. I have already answered the question when responding to a previous question.

I would prefer 'in my response to' rather than 'when responding to', as the latter seems to me imply that you had said 'Here's the answer to the next question'; perhaps you could just switch the prepositions. I don't mind the repetition. To competent speakers you could say '...in my response to the previous one.' But I think a bit of repetition is appropriate for most students. In class instructions clarity is more important than elegance.


Ex2. I have already answered this (the question) in a previous question.
This would be OK if true ;-) . Sometimes it is the wording of a question that provides the answr to a later one. But I don't think the parenthesis is necessary.
Ex3. I have already answered the question when I responded to a previous question.
This is as acceptable as Ex 1. I would still prefer 'in my response'.

Are all of the above grammatically and academically (formal presentation) acceptable?


Thanks in advance

b
 

BobK

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Re: Ways to state that you have already answered

I had this follow-up PM from the OP:

Just to be clear on what you said: It is okay to use Ex2 to express that I have already given my answer for the current question in my response to a previous one while it is not recommended to do so, right?

I made no such recommendation, though someone else may have done and may have had good reason for it. This is a very long thread, and I don't mean to trawl through it. I have no more time for this issue. I don't discuss language in PMs.

b
 
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