remember vividly when Dad taught me how to ride a bike.

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newkeenlearner

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Are these three sentences OK?

I remember vividly when Dad taught me how to ride a bike.

I remember vividly when my dad’s teaching me to ride a bike.

I remember vividly that when Dad taught me how to ride a bike.
 

GoesStation

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I remember vividly when Dad taught me how to ride a bike. :tick:

I remember vividly [strike]when[/strike] my dad’s teaching me to ride a bike. :tick:

I remember vividly [strike]that[/strike] when Dad taught me how to ride a bike. :tick:
See above.
 

newkeenlearner

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Thank you GoesStation.
In #3, is “ that” wrong and ungrammatical or is it just redundant?
 
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newkeenlearner

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It is wrong.
Thank you, Piscean.
Sometimes in some contexts, I have noticed that both of them can be used together. I still don’t know when I should use both of them when only one of them.:roll:
 

GoesStation

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I remember vividly that, when Dad taught me how to ride a bike, he was very patient.
Note that the text between commas is a parenthetical clause; you can remove the green part and still have a grammatical sentence. I have a feeling that learners with a native language that uses less punctuation may have trouble understanding that these commas, and other punctuation, are critical to writing and understanding English.
 

sania-baharat

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1)I remember vividly when Dad taught me how to ride a bike.

2)I remember vividly my dad’s teaching me to ride a bike.

3)I remember vividly when Dad taught me how to ride a bike.
why the word "Dad" be used in capital letter in sentence 1 and 2, but not in sentence 3? Why do we use it in capital form?
 

Rover_KE

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Why does the word "Dad" [STRIKE]be used in[/STRIKE] have a capital letter in sentence 1 and 2, but not in sentence 3? [STRIKE]Why[/STRIKE] When do we use it in capital form?
Please note the correct way to ask your question.

***
2) I remember vividly my dad’s teaching me to ride a bike.
I would never say or write that. It sounds like I had two dads.

I'd say 'I remember vividly my dad teaching me to ride a bike'.
 

sania-baharat

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'Dad' is a proper noun in 1 and 3, while 'dad' is a common noun in 2 because 'my' is used before it.
See the difference between proper nouns and common nouns at http://www.chompchomp.com/terms/propernoun.htm
Matthew, I actually know what the differences between proper noun and a common noun are!! But, it is so strange to me to use "Dad" as a proper noun while it is a common noun. It seems "Dad" is someone's name like Jack or Peter.
 

Tarheel

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Because of the sound of the word. "Dads" sounds the same as "dads".
 

GoesStation

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Matthew, I actually know what the differences between proper noun and a common noun are!! But, it is so strange to me to use "Dad" as a proper noun while it is a common noun. It seems "Dad" is someone's name like Jack or Peter.
Like many titles, dad can be either kind of noun.

Do you know Professor Cummins? He's my dad.

Do you know Dad? He's a professor.


You'd be more likely to use the second example if your father were present. You might gesture towards him as you spoke.
 

newkeenlearner

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Like many titles, dad can be either kind of noun.

Do you know Professor Cummins? He's my dad.

Do you know Dad? He's a professor.
So, in my original sentences “ Dad” dosen’t mean that that person is his/her father. It can refer to any male. For example, his/her uncle, boy friend, causine. It can’t be necessarily his/her dad. Am I right?
 

GoesStation

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Like many titles, dad can be either kind of noun.

Do you know Professor Cummins? He's my dad.

Do you know Dad? He's a professor.

So, in my original sentences "Dad” (no space after an opening quotation mark) [STRIKE]dosen’t[/STRIKE] doesn't mean that that person is his/her father. It can refer to any male. For example, his/her uncle, boy friend, [STRIKE]causine[/STRIKE] cousin. It can’t be necessarily his/her dad. Am I right?
No. The speaker in my examples is the son or daughter of the professor.
 
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