0
Musicgold Posted 14 years ago
Grammar
Are these sentences natural? March 5
Hi,
Are the following sentences natural to a native ear?
1. It has started to get brighter when I leave for the office. ( I wanted to say that when I leave my house early morning it is not as dark as it used to be a few months back).
2. Why does it start at a weird time like Sunday morning 8am?
3. He sent me an email that he is/was in a meeting.
Thanks,
MG
Are the following sentences natural to a native ear?
1. It has started to get brighter when I leave for the office. ( I wanted to say that when I leave my house early morning it is not as dark as it used to be a few months back).
2. Why does it start at a weird time like Sunday morning 8am?
3. He sent me an email that he is/was in a meeting.
Thanks,
MG
Top answer
Hi, Yes. Clive
- Hi, Yes.
- Clive
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
8 Answers
0
0
The three sentences are okay grammatically, but they don't sound quite like native English speech.
1. The problem here is that the word "brighter" is typically used only in set constructions in English and is out of place in this situation. You're surely to be misunderstood as a result. You'd generally say this something like: "It's gets light earlier now. I've noticed it when I leav
1. The problem here is that the word "brighter" is typically used only in set constructions in English and is out of place in this situation. You're surely to be misunderstood as a result. You'd generally say this something like: "It's gets light earlier now. I've noticed it when I leav
00
HI,
Perhaps what sounds natural is a matter of where one lives. I don't have the concerns just expressed, although I agree about he's instead of he is.
Clive
Perhaps what sounds natural is a matter of where one lives. I don't have the concerns just expressed, although I agree about he's instead of he is.
Clive
00
MusicgoldAre the following sentences natural to a native ear?Only the first doesn't sound quite natural to my native ear. The others seem all right (though, as already mentioned above, he's sounds more natural than he is.)
The first sounds as if it gets brighter at the time you leave for the office, which may also be true, but it's not
00
Thanks folks.With respect to #3. When would 'he was in a meeting' make sense?
00
Hi,
3. He sent me an email that he is/was in a meeting.
With respect to #3. When would 'he was in a meeting' make sense?
'Was' is by far the normal choice, because you are speaking of matters in the past.
'Is' can be used if you want to suggest that he i
3. He sent me an email that he is/was in a meeting.
With respect to #3. When would 'he was in a meeting' make sense?
'Was' is by far the normal choice, because you are speaking of matters in the past.
'Is' can be used if you want to suggest that he i
00
Thanks Clive.
Also, just as a contrast to #1, is the following sentence natural?
1b. I hate it when it starts to get dark early in the evening.
Also, just as a contrast to #1, is the following sentence natural?
1b. I hate it when it starts to get dark early in the evening.
00
Related Questions