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Tinanam0102 Posted 15 years ago
Grammar

Fail / fail at / failed

Hi teachers,

1. I failed at everything.

>> Is this "at" a similar pattern to "I am good at everything"?

2. I failed the test, but I failed in Math.

>> How to understand this preposition?

3. Is it grammatical and natural to say "You're failed", "You're passed/past" when announcing test results to a class?

Thanks a lot

Tinanam
  

Top answer

He failed his parents. No preposition. He failed his exam.

— Dimsumexpress

  • He failed his parents.
  • No preposition.
  • He failed his exam.
  • No prep.
  • He failed in everything he tried .
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6 Answers
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He failed his parents. No preposition.

He failed his exam. No prep.

He failed in everything he tried.

I think "at' is possible depending on contexts.
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Hi Dimsumexpress,

Thank you for your help.

Tinanam
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tinanam01021. I failed at everything.
>> Is this "at" a similar pattern to "I am good at everything"?
Yes.

tinanam01022. I failed the test, but I failed in Math.
>> How to understand this preposition?
I failed (at doing something) in math class. It's more like "in class", "in the course of st
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Hi CalifJim,

Thank you for answering my post.

I learnt "in the course of study" before. I am not sure if I understand it correctly. Can I ask: "in the course of study " mean "during / in the process of studying"?

Thanks again

Tinanam
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tinanam0102"in the course of study " mean "during / in the process of studying"?
Yes and no. It has a double meaning. "course of study" (or just "course") can mean "process of studying", or it can mean "class"/"topic of instruction". In my example I intended the meaning "class".

I'm taking a [math class / class in math]. = I'm taking a [math cou
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Hi CalifJim,

Thank you for your help.

Have a good day.

Tinanam
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