Corrections 4

Question

Can I say,(a) She knocked (on) the manager's office before going to /into it.(b) The bus was crowded (with many people).(c) He is decorating the ceremony.(d) She speakes (politely) to the elders (politely). (e) The waiter pours tea for her customers.(f)  He does gardening every evening. (g) They are playing skipping ropes in the park.       They are skipping ropes in the park.(h) The dog ate the food hungrily. (i) They are talking on / over the phone.

Mr Wordy · Accepted Answer

(a) She knocked on the door of the manager's office before entering.

(b) The bus was crowded ~~(with many people)~~. -- No need to say "with many people"; that's what "crowded" means.

(c) He is decorating the ceremony. -- Unlikely, and I'm not sure what you mean.

(d) She speaks politely to her/the elders. -- I prefer "politely" in this position. "her elders" means people who are older than her. "the elders" means older people who are respected for their wisdom or experience and thereby have a position of authority in society. This sense is normally used only to refer to traditional, or, for want of a better word, "primitive", societies that have such a social structure. It's not used to refer to modern or developed societies (except perhaps in a special context, such as that of a religious organisation).

(e) The waiter pours tea for his customers. -- "waiter" is masculine; "waitress" is feminine

(f) He does gardening every evening. -- OK

(g) They are playing with skipping ropes in the park. -- You could also say "They are skipping in the park", but this does not necessarily mean that they are using skipping ropes.

(h) The dog ate the food hungrily. -- OK

(i) They are talking on / over the phone. -- OK

Khoff · Answer

(g) They are skipping rope in the park.

Mr Wordy · Answer

khoff
(g) They are skipping rope in the park.

Just noting that I think there are AmE/BrE differences here; I think this must be AmE only.

Vincent Teo · Answer

Thanks can I say:

(a) He is decorating the ballroom for the ceremony.

(b) My hobby is skipping rope.

(c) I like to skip rope with my friend.

Mr Wordy · Answer

Vincent Teo
(a) He is decorating the ballroom for the ceremony.

(b) My hobby is skipping rope.

(c) I like to skip rope with my friend.

(a) is OK.

(b) and (c) both sound strange to me. Judging from khoff's reply, I'm guessing they may be OK in American English but an AmE speaker would have to confirm that.

Mister Micawber · Answer

C is fine to these American ears; B is silly-- it is not a hobby, it is an idle pastime.

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