About English literature. Need as soon as possible.

[thanhhienmt]

Excuse me,
I'm finding the essays on The Escape, The luncheon, and The moon and the sixpence. I'm learning English literature and finding the references for it. But I cannot. Please help me. Next week I wanna make a presentation on one of the three stories above, especially the two short stories (the escape and the luncheon). Please help me to approach the references.
Thank you so much.

 

[sanny]

I think you could go to 'google' that's a helping hand to find things you want information about. If I have to make a piece of work I always go to 'google', because it helps me finding information.

I just took a look at 'google' and I found some information, so you could to. It's written in English, but I think you can read that...

 

[MikeNewYork]

Excuse me,
I'm finding the essays on The Escape, The luncheon, and The moon and the sixpence. I'm learning English literature and finding the references for it. But I cannot. Please help me. Next week I wanna make a presentation on one of the three stories above, especially the two short stories (the escape and the luncheon). Please help me to approach the references.
Thank you so much.

I agree about "Google". It is a great search engine that you can reach here:

www.google.com

Use quotation marks around the titles when you type them in the seach box.

 

[MikeNewYork]

I think you could go to 'google' that's a helping hand to find things you want information about. If I have to make a piece of work I always go to 'google', because it helps me finding information.

I just took a look at 'google' and I found some information, so you could to. It's written in English, but I think you can read that...

I hope you won't mind a few corrections.

I think you should go to 'Google'. That site is very helpful for finding things you want information about. If I have to write something, I always go to 'Google', because it helps me find information.

I just took a look at 'Google', and I found some information, so you could too. It's written in English, but I think you can read it.

:wink:

 

[thanhhienmt]

Hi, (of course I prefer this kind of greeting, but don't know whether the other do or not)
I know about the Google, and tried several times. But still cannot get what I need. So I have to ask you if you know some websites on this aspect. I'll use Google once again, and try not to disturb you too much, but if I failed, please help me.
P/s: The three stories above is of William Somerset Maugham (I think you knew it, but it's better to write everything in details)

 

[sanny]

I think you could go to 'google' that's a helping hand to find things you want information about. If I have to make a piece of work I always go to 'google', because it helps me finding information.

I just took a look at 'google' and I found some information, so you could to. It's written in English, but I think you can read that...

I hope you won't mind a few corrections.

I think you should go to 'Google'. That site is very helpful for finding things you want information about. If I have to write something, I always go to 'Google', because it helps me find information.

I just took a look at 'Google', and I found some information, so you could too. It's written in English, but I think you can read it.

:wink:

Thanks MikeNewYork,
I always try to make the best of my sentences, but it's still hard. But you said:
helpful for finding things

and I want to know why it's not
helpful to find things

:?

 

[RonBee]

Hi, (of course I prefer this kind of greeting, but don't know whether the other do or not)
I know about the Google, and tried several times. But still cannot get what I need. So I have to ask you if you know some websites on this aspect. I'll use Google once again, and try not to disturb you too much, but if I failed, please help me.
P/s: The three stories above is of William Somerset Maugham (I think you knew it, but it's better to write everything in details)

"Hi!" is perfectly acceptable here.

I found several websites that should give you what you want. Go to: http://ms101.mysearch.com/jsp/GGmain.jsp?searchfor="The+Escape"+"William+Somerset+Maugham". (I put "The Escape"+"William Somerset Maugham" in the search bar.)

(Say: "The three stories are by William Somerset Maugham.")

 

[MikeNewYork]

Thanks MikeNewYork,
I always try to make the best of my sentences, but it's still hard. But you said:
helpful for finding things

and I want to know why it's not
helpful to find things

:?

The word "helpful" is a bit tricky. One can say: "It is helpful to use more than one example in an explanation." The infinitive is used there because it is an abstract statement. It is used as a general rule, not in reference to a specific action. One can also say "A shovel is helpful for digging up treasure". In this case the gerund use is more concrete and more specific. I am not explaining this very well. Hopefully one of the others will have a better explanation.

 

[Casiopea]

Thanks MikeNewYork. I always try to make the best of my sentences, but it's still hard. But you said: "helpful for finding things", and I want to know why it's not "helpful to find things" :?

I think you could go to 'google' that's a helping hand to find things you want information about.

That site is very helpful for finding things.

helpful (to X) for Y reasons e.g, "Google is helpful (to people) for these reasons"

Note, I think you could go to 'google'...
==> Try, You might want to try 'google'. In speaking, saying, "I think you could", with intonantion marking a polite suggestion, is fine; it's polite; But, in writing, there is no intonantion, and so the reader might take the words "I think you could" (i.e, I know you have the ability) as patronizing or condescending.


Note, "...you could go to 'google' that's...."
==> Try, "You could go to 'google'. That's..." There are two subjects (You/That) and two verbs (could go/is) so there should be some puncutation to show the reader where one sentences ends and the other begins.

Note, "That's a helping hand to find things"
==> Try, "That (Going to 'google') is a helpful way of / helpful for finding things". Remember that "helpful" has the following structure: helpful to X for Y.


All the best,

 

[sanny]

Thanks MikeNewYork,
I always try to make the best of my sentences, but it's still hard. But you said:
helpful for finding things

and I want to know why it's not
helpful to find things

:?

The word "helpful" is a bit tricky. One can say: "It is helpful to use more than one example in an explanation." The infinitive is used there because it is an abstract statement. It is used as a general rule, not in reference to a specific action. One can also say "A shovel is helpful for digging up treasure". In this case the gerund use is more concrete and more specific. I am not explaining this very well. Hopefully one of the others will have a better explanation.

I think you weren't unhelpful at all, it's just hard because it's something English people understand and people who were not grown up with this language, think it's difficult. I also think it's just a kind of intuition, which I don't possess.
But I'll try to understand..... I have tried but I can't find logical explanations for
1. It is helpful to use more than one example in an explanation.
I understand that this sentence can't be
2. It is helpful for using more than one example in an explanation.
because it doesn't sound logical.

But this sentence
1. A shovel is helpful for digging up treasure.
or this sentence
2. A shovel is helpful to dig up a treasure.
sound both very logical.

Can you or one of the other teachers explain, why these second sentences are incorrect?

 

[Tdol]

I'd go for 'useful' rather than helpful- people can be helpful, tools are useful.;-)

 

[RonBee]

Re:

• It is helpful to use more than one example in an explanation.

(It is helpful to whom? It is helpful to the learner.) That is indeed the right way to put it.

 

[MikeNewYork]

I'd go for 'useful' rather than helpful- people can be helpful, tools are useful.;-)

I would too. :wink:

 

[sanny]

And how can you explain:
1. A shovel is helpful for digging up treasure.
or this sentence
2. A shovel is helpful to dig up a treasure.
sound both very logical.

 

[RonBee]

I would say a shovel is useful for digging up treasure. However, I don't know how to explain why I use for instead of to.

(I wouldn't use helpful for an inanimate object, because help implies something more active than use.)

 

[MikeNewYork]

And how can you explain:
1. A shovel is helpful for digging up treasure.
or this sentence
2. A shovel is helpful to dig up a treasure.
sound both very logical.

I have thought about this some more. The difference in usage seems to be that "helpful to" is used before a person, people, or other agents, whereas "helpful for" is used before conditions, processes, activities, etc. Check some of the contrasting uses here:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q="helpful+for"+"helpful+to"&btnG=Google+Search

 

[RonBee]

Mike, your link didn't work.

 

[MikeNewYork]

Mike, your link didn't work.

Hmmm. I just tried it and it worked for me. :shock:

 

[Tdol]

Me too. ;-)

 

[MikeNewYork]

Mike, your link didn't work.

Have you tried it again? Perhaps Google burped. :?