help needed otherwise I'm not going to be sleeping well

[ostap77]

I was super pissed at my teacher since she said I'd made mistakes in the following sentences.

1)We had some problems when we checked into the hotel.

I was told that it should be "check in the hotel",whereas I know it's either "check into the hotel" or "check in at the hotel".

2)This radio station is based in Chicago, which is 60 miles from here. That is why the broadcast doesn't come in clearly.

Near as I can figure a signal comes in. It hardly comes over.

3)I think the experiment supports my theory, but I need to go over the results a couple of times to make sure that no mistakes were made while collectingthe data.

I pluged in go over. I was told that it should be "go into", whereas I know that "to go into" would mean to try to get information about something and "to go over''-to look at or study again to correct it.

 

[SoothingDave]

Your sentences are correct.

 

[ostap77]

Would she be inadequate in her judgements?

 

[emsr2d2]

The only issue I have is with the one about the radio broadcast signal. I would say that a signal "comes through" not "in" or "over". As far as I'm concerned your other two sentences are fine and in my opinion, your teacher is wrong.

 

[ostap77]

I would have also chosen "come through". Those wrere multiple choice questions. I just chose the most appropriatre ones. There wasn't "through".

 

[5jj]

Would she be inadequate in her judgements?

When you think that native speakers with many years of experience cannot always agree on what is the 'correct' form in some cases, and that even acknowledged authorities can make the occasional mistake, I would think twice about using the word 'inadequate' of your teacher on the evidence of a couple of slips.

 

[ostap77]

First, my teacher is not a native speaker. Second, how am I supposed to react to being downgraded? It's my understanding that a teacher is supposed to grade students accurately. I guess three sentences out twenty where she made mistakes is too many.

On top of that, I wasn't the only person in class who was dissatisfied with her grading answers.

 

[emsr2d2]

First, my teacher is not a native speaker. Second, how am I supposed to react to being downgraded? It's my understanding that a teacher is supposed to grade students accurately. I guess three sentences out twenty where she made mistakes is too many.

Did your teacher actually create/invent/make up the questions and the multiple choice answers or were they from a textbook? If she created them, she should have been much more careful to ensure that the answers were correct. If she took them from a textbook then ultimately it's the fault of the textbook for being wrong - however, your teacher should have noticed that they were wrong.

This is, unfortunately, the danger of being taught any language by a non-native speaker.

 

[ostap77]

She could have taken them from an untrustworthy textbook. The thing is when I got to talking to her about there being mistakes on her side she would say that we wrere the ones who made mistakes not her.

 

[probus]

Your many questions here have proven that you are an exceptionally diligent student.

Although the answers to the points in question are not crystal clear, my sense is that you have developed a better ear for what sounds right to a native speaker than your teacher.

May be time to find a better teacher.

 

[5jj]

This is, unfortunately, the danger of being taught any language by a non-native speaker.

However, the majority of teachers of foreign languages in the world are non-native speakers, and many of them do a very good job. Remember, too, that there are native speakers who are not necessarily good teachers and/or who have strange ideas about the workings of their own language.

 

[ostap77]

If I were taking English language classes at a lnaguage center or school, I would have done that already. But it's part of the University course. They are not going to change anything in the middle of the semester. The thing is that when I've been working hard to prepare for a test I want to be graded adequatly. I mean no better no worse just what I deserve.

 

[emsr2d2]

However, the majority of teachers of foreign languages in the world are non-native speakers, and many of them do a very good job. Remember, too, that there are native speakers who are not necessarily good teachers and/or who have strange ideas about the workings of their own language.

I should point out that I wasn't trying to say that all non-native teachers would make this kind of mistake, but it is a danger. I would say there's probably a higher likelihood of that kind of error with a non-native than a native. A native speaker may well not be able to explain to you why the answer is right/wrong, but they will usually know what the standard usage is.

 

[5jj]

A native speaker may well not be able to explain to you why the answer is right/wrong, but they will usually know what the standard usage is.

Whilst it would be foolish of me to attempt to claim that any native speaker is not fluent in the language, I do believe that many native speakers do not know what the standard usage is. One of the reasons I stopped training teachers was my frustration at the ignorance of some native speakers about the workings of their own language.