Spend time online/on the Internet, be online,

[Rachel Adams]

Is either spend time online, stay online , spend time on the Internet, and be online idiomatic?
Can I omit "some" and is the comma optional after "free time"?


"If I have (some) free time(, ) I usually surf the Internet /stay online/spend time online, stay online, spend time on the Internet, I am usually online for a long time. About five to/or six hours."

I think "stay on the Internet" is never used, is it?

 

[emsr2d2]

Is either Are "spend time online", "stay online", "spend time on the internet", and "be online" idiomatic?
Can I omit "some" and is the comma optional after "free time"?

"If I have (some) free time(,) I usually surf the internet/stay online/spend time online/stay online/spend time on the internet. I am usually online for a long time - about five to/ or six hours."

I think "stay on the internet" is never used. Is it?

Note my changes above, particularly to the punctuation and to the spacing around punctuation. The comma is necessary but I wouldn't use any of your options after that.

If I have some free time, I usually spend it online.

"stay on the internet" is possible but not in this context.

 

[Rachel Adams]

Note my changes above, particularly to the punctuation and to the spacing around punctuation. The comma is necessary but I wouldn't use any of your options after that.

If I have some free time, I usually spend it online.

"stay on the internet" is possible but not in this context.

Could you tell me why it's wrong to use "to" here "about five to/ or six hours" and in what contexts would it be possible to use
"stay on the internet"?
Why is the internet sometimes capitalized?

 

[emsr2d2]

In fairness, you could use either "five or six hours" or "five to six hours". They don't have the same meaning so you'd need make sure you're using the one you mean.

Here's a potential dialogue for "stay on the internet":
Mum: Jason, dinner's nearly ready.
Jason: I'm playing games online.
Mum: You can stay on the internet for another five minutes but then I'm switching the router off!
Jason: OK.

There's some argument about the capitalisation of "internet". Some people still consider it a proper noun, used in place of the World Wide Web (which should be capitalised), but most of us consider it such an everyday word now that we treat it as a common noun. The same goes (in BrE) for things like biro, hoover, and many more.

 

[Rachel Adams]

In fairness, you could use either "five or six hours" or "five to six hours". They don't have the same meaning so you'd need make sure you're using the one you mean.

Here's a potential dialogue for "stay on the internet":
Mum: Jason, dinner's nearly ready.
Jason: I'm playing games online.
Mum: You can stay on the internet for another five minutes but then I'm switching the router off!
Jason: OK.

There's some argument about the capitalisation of "internet". Some people still consider it a proper noun, used in place of the World Wide Web (which should be capitalised), but most of us consider it such an everyday word now that we treat it as a common noun. The same goes (in BrE) for things like biro, hoover, and many more.

I suspected that my versions would not be idiomatic. So the best option would be to say "I spend time online." If I need to specify the number of hours I could say "I spend five to/or six hours online." Right?
Would the following work if I am being specific? "I spend at my computer an average of 9 hours. Two of them are on the Internet."

 

[Tarheel]

@Rachel Adams Try:

I spend nine hours a day on my computer, two of them on the internet.

As you can see, I don't capitalize internet. (I used to, but times change.)

 

[emsr2d2]

I suspected that my versions would not be idiomatic. So The best option would be to say "I spend time online." If I need to specify the number of hours, I could say "I spend five to/or six hours online", right?

Yes, but let's make sure you understand the difference between "five to six hours" and "five and six hours". What's the difference?

 

[Rachel Adams]

Yes, but let's make sure you understand the difference between "five to six hours" and "five and six hours". What's the difference?

I understand "five to six" to mean up to six hours spent on the internet. Not more. And "five and six" probably means I often spend either five or six hours exactly. And "five or six" probably means the same as "five to six" so I spend either five or six hours regularly. Right?

 

[Tarheel]

@Rachel Adams Frankly, I think that in practical terms "five or six hours" and "five to six hours" mean the same thing.

 

[Rachel Adams]

@Rachel Adams Frankly, I think that in practical terms "five or six hours" and "five to six hours" mean the same thing.

What about "and"?

 

[Tarheel]

Five hours and six hours makes eleven hours.

 

[Rachel Adams]

Five hours and six hours makes eleven hours.

Ah, so it would make sense to say eleven hours rather than five and six, or six hours rather than two and four, right?

 

[Tarheel]

It depends on what you want to say. For example, you might say were online five hours yesterday and six hours today for a total of eleven hours. However, I would usually say six hours rather than four hours and two hours.

 

[Rachel Adams]

@Rachel Adams Try:

I spend nine hours a day on my computer, two of them on the internet.

As you can see, I don't capitalize internet. (I used to, but times change.)

Can I use either "an average of nine hours" or "on average nine hours" in my sentence?

I spend an average of nine hours on my computer, two of them on the internet.

 

[Barque]

I spend an average of nine hours on my computer, two of them on the internet.

This is fine. You could also say "the computer".

or "on average nine hours"

You need a minor change.
I spend nine hours on average on my/the computer.
I spend, on average, nine hours on my/the computer.

 

[emsr2d2]

Or "On average, I spend nine hours on/at the/my computer".

 

[Barque]

And Rachel, in this context, it's clear you mean nine hours a day. But generally when you refer to a time period "on average", you'll need to specify "per day", "per week", and so on.

 

[Tdol]

There's some argument about the capitalisation of "internet". Some people still consider it a proper noun, used in place of the World Wide Web (which should be capitalised), but most of us consider it such an everyday word now that we treat it as a common noun. The same goes (in BrE) for things like biro, hoover, and many more.

It's an argument you don't hear much now IMO- it was one of those questions people had in earlier days of a new technology, like those who wanted email to be uncountable like post. It seems that easier forms work better for most, so not using a capital letter saves pressing an extra key.

 

[Tarheel]

@Tdol I never see the capitalized form used nowadays. "Go with the flow" I always say. (Well, maybe not always, but I don't have an opportunity to say that very often. )

 

[Tdol]

It might appear in formal writing.