'us' or 'our' ?

[xupeng66]

Hi All,

I want to know if I should use 'us' or 'our' in the sentence 'what advice will you give us/our graduate students?'. Note that the person who asks the question is a graudate student himself.

Thanks!

 

[MikeNewYork]

Hi All,

I want to know if I should use 'us' or 'our' in the sentence 'what advice will you give us/our graduate students?'. Note that the person who asks the question is a graudate student himself.

Thanks!

If the speaker is a student, use "us".

 

[emsr2d2]

Did you mean "What advice would you give us?" or "What advice would you give us graduate students?" If those were the choices, then the first is absolutely fine. The second is not.

 

[green8]

If the context is a representative (of the graduate students) talking to someone who's supposed to give the advice, he could say either "What advice would you give us?" or "What advice would you give us?" In the second sentence it has to be made clear, by an earlier reference perhaps, or based on context, that "us" refers to "graduate students."

 

[MikeNewYork]

If the context is a representative (of the graduate students) talking to someone who's supposed to give the advice, he could say either "What advice would you give us?" or "What advice would you give us?" In the second sentence it has to be made clear, by an earlier reference perhaps, or based on context, that "us" refers to "graduate students."

I have no problem with "us graduate students" if that is needed to make the sentence clear. If this were in the nominate case, "We graduate students " would also be OK with me.

 

[Raymott]

Did you mean "What advice would you give us?" or "What advice would you give us graduate students?" If those were the choices, then the first is absolutely fine. The second is not.

It seems that the second sentence sounds OK to us non-British posters.

 

[MikeNewYork]

It seems that the second sentence sounds OK to us non-British posters.

We Americans agree with you Australians. :-D

 

[Matthew Wai]

Did you mean "What advice would you give us?" or "What advice would you give us graduate students?" If those were the choices, then the first is absolutely fine. The second is not.

Can "who are" be added between "us" and "graduate students"?

 

[bhaisahab]

It seems that the second sentence sounds OK to us non-British posters.

It seems OK to this British person.

 

[bhaisahab]

Can "who are" be added between "us" and "graduate students"?

It wouldn't be very natural.

 

[emsr2d2]

You could say "... to those of us who are graduate students".

 

[5jj]

Did you mean "What advice would you give us?" or "What advice would you give us graduate students?" If those were the choices, then the first is absolutely fine. The second is not.

This is one of the rare occasions when I disagree with ems. I think the second is fine.

 

[emsr2d2]

This is one of the rare occasions when I disagree with ems. I think the second is fine.

Always happy to be disagreed with! I think, for me, it's because the construction reminds me of "Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens" - a song which I always felt was worded in a sort of peasant farmer style vernacular, not standard English. I based that on the "us chickens" as much as the "Ain't nobody here".

 

[5jj]

Always happy to be disagreed with!

Do you give private lessons in that? If so, I'd like to book a course for my wife.

 

[kite]

"What advice would you give us graduate students?" is this only suitable for spoken or is it okay for written as well? I am asking this question because it seems to me strange too. I would say it as "what advice would you give our (graduate) students?".

 

[5jj]

"What advice would you give us graduate students?" is this only suitable for spoken or is it okay for written as well? I am asking this question because it seems to me strange too. I would say it as "what advice would you give our (graduate) students?".

You have two sentences with different meanings there.

 

[Matthew Wai]

"what advice would you give our (graduate) students?".

Does it seem that this question is asked by a teacher rather than a student?

 

[MikeNewYork]

Does it seem that this question is asked by a teacher rather than a student?

It could be.