
English Teacher
Hi everyone! This is my very first post, so please bear with me!
OK, here's my first question for all of you native speakers out there!
I know that an amount of money can be followed by the singular or the plural depending on what the context is and what is actually meant.
a) Two hundred dollars IS too much to pay for a shirt.
b) Two hundred dollars WERE spread out on the table.
Now, what if an amount of money is preceded by a demonstrative adjective:
c) Those two hundred dollars were spent on...
d) That two hundred dollars was spent on..
Are they both correct, and, more importantly, does the same logic apply as in the above sentences (a,b)?
Thanks for your help!
Thank you Raymott, that was quick!
I have two more questions for you if you're still online:
1) Do you pronounce the 's' in 'genres'?
2) Would you say 'Last year he said he would have bought a new car but he didn't'?.
Personally I would not. I'd say '...he said he would buy... but he didn't'
The former sounds kind of awkward to me. Well, believe it or not I found this example in a Longman grammar book for Italian students.
Can't wait to read your comment (or anyone else's of course!!)
'Last year he said he would have bought a new car but he didn't'
No, I wouldn't say this. But what I would say depends on my intended meaning, and the facts. What did he actually say?
If he said "I would have bought a new car", the sentence is right (though still ambiguous.
If he said "I will buy a new car", I'd say "Last year he said he would buy a new car. But he didn't."
If he said "If I had won the lottery, I would have bought a new car. But I didn't", I might say "Last year he said he would have bought a new car if he had won the lottery. But he didn't, so he didn't".![]()
Thanks Raymott.
Actually my question was only about the use of the Present Conditional in the so-called Future-in-the-Past, which you and 2006 kindly confirmed.
I had no doubts as to the use of the Past conditional in reported If clauses. Thanks very much all the same.
One last question for today, if you've still got time:
when I read a singular proper name ending in S with an apostrophe as in the possessive case, should I pronounce the S which is supposed to follow
the apostrophe (but which isn't there simply because the writer chose not to add it) A bit confusing...
Example: 'Phelps' past' Would you pronounce /felpsiz/?
Again, I would, to mark a possessive case, but I know that native speakers can be extremely lazy and careless and may not pronounce the S after the apostrophe, because it's not there graphically or because in same cases it may be a bit of a mouthful to pronounce.
Los Angeles's/New Orleans's/ Leeds's; would you ever write them like this, and more importanty HOW WOULD YOU PRONOUNCE THEM??
What's your take on this issue?
Thanks!!!
Oooops, sorry: 'some cases' not 'same cases'
To Raymott and bhaisahab.
Thank you guys!
Bookmarks