all of that or all of them / those ?

[Rezafo]

Why singular pronounce has been used in the following sentence? ("that" in red).
it sounds to be "all of them". My own explanation is the person is taking "that" as a whole thing.


A woman called our airline customer-service desk asking if she could take her dog on board.

“Sure,” I said, “as long as you provide your own kennel.” I further explained that the kennel needed to be large enough for the dog to stand up, sit down, turn around, and roll over.

The customer was flummoxed: “I’ll never be able to teach him all of that by tomorrow

 

[emsr2d2]

It refers to "that long list of things you just said". We usually use "that" (rather than "those") in circumstances like this.

Dave: I need you to bring the cake, some buns, the jelly, the ice-cream and the balloons.
John: What? I can't carry all of that!

Sarah: Every morning I put on foundation, blusher, eye-shadow, mascara, eyeliner, lipstick and lip gloss. What about you?
Tara: I don't bother with all of that. I just brush my hair, have a wash and leave for work.

PS - I like the dog joke, by the way!

 

[GoesStation]

Ask Why was a singular pronoun[STRIKE]ce has been[/STRIKE] used in the following sentence?

When you write a question, the word after the wh- question word always has to be a verb. [EDIT] Except when it's something else. Please read the following posts.

 

[emsr2d2]

When you write a question, the word after the wh- question word always has to be a verb.

I like a good rule as much as the next person but I have to disagree with that sweeping generalisation. The following are just a few examples of perfectly good questions without a verb after the wh- word.

Why in the world did you do that?
What difference does it make?
Who amongst us knows all the answers?

The only one I can't come up with a wh- + not a verb example for is with "When".

 

[emsr2d2]

OK, but I should have pointed out that I'd need something in commas (and therefore omittable) to do so!

 

[emsr2d2]

Yay! I knew someone would do it!

 

[GoesStation]

How could I have overlooked the many exceptions to the lovely rule I thought I had discovered? I always avoid sweeping generalizations, except maybe every now and then.

 

[GoesStation]

My excuse for the lovely rules that I discover (and rapidly discard when some smarta**e spots a flaw) is senility. What's yours?

I rely on overweening arrogance.*

*(Note to learners: this is sarcasm.)

 

[Skrej]

Well there's always the classic "I was just testing you, but you spotted the flaw - good job" line. It does double duty as both an excuse and a face-saver. Tends to need a gullible mind to work, however.

 

[Rezafo]

The only one I can't come up with a wh- + not a verb example for is with "When".

How about these:
When the quake happened?
When ferryterry decided to quit?

 

[GoesStation]

How about these:
When the quake happened?
When ferryterry decided to quit?

Neither of those is a properly-formed sentence.

 

[emsr2d2]

When did the quake happen?
When did ferryterry decide to quit?

I have no idea who "ferryterry" is!

 

[Rezafo]

Neither of those is a properly-formed sentence.

Then what is properly-formed of : "When the quake happened"?

 

[Rezafo]

When did the quake happen?
When did ferryterry decide to quit?

I have no idea who "ferryterry" is!

Isn't the same case as " Who left the key on the table?"

In the above sentences, the quake and ferryterry [ an imaginary character, so what's it to the question? ] are the SUBJECT!

[[ when ask you a question about the subject, you don't use auxiliary do / did , etc. ]]

 

[GoesStation]

[STRIKE][[ w[/STRIKE] When you ask [STRIKE]you[/STRIKE] a question about the subject, you don't use an auxiliary like do/did , etc.[STRIKE] ]][/STRIKE]

Yes you do. Use the auxiliary "to do" to form a question unless the main verb is in a compound tense. In that case, use the auxiliary verb.

Statement: Terry decided to quit.
Question: Did Terry decide to quit?

Statement: Terry has decided to quit.
Question: Has Terry decided to quit?

Statement: Terry will decide to quit.
Question: Will Terry decide to quit?

Statement: Terry wears a white hat.
Question: Does Terry wear a white hat?

Don't mark text with square brackets unless you're indicating optional or omitted words. When you do use them, don't put a space after the opening bracket or before the closing one.

 

[Rezafo]

Thanks a lot.

What I get from all the corrections you and the other dear teachers do here is that you're much into editing and proofreading stuff. And, this is great, because accidentally this is the very area of my interest these days. I appreciate your efforts; you and the others here in this forum.

Have I used accidentally here properly? I meant by chance.

 

[GoesStation]

Thanks a lot.

What I get from all the corrections you and the other dear teachers do here is that you're much into editing and proofreading stuff. And, this is great, because accidentally this is the very area of my interest these days. I appreciate your efforts; you and the others here in this forum.

Have I used accidentally here properly? I meant by chance.

No. As it happens works.