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Anonymous Posted 15 years ago
Grammar
Grammar test
Hello!
I am from Europe, and I am studying English at university. As it happens I have a grammar exam tomorrow and I still have a few questions unanswered. I would be very grateful if somebody could help me out with them.
These are supposed to be simple things, but when you think about them too much, you just don't know what's natural and correct after a while.
So here are my questions:
1. Is this statement correct: This is Mary, the butcher's. I remember encountering similar structures in movies, but I'm just not sure if native English speakers use this form at all. I mean, wouldn't you have to specify that this is Mary, the butcher's daughter? Or is it enough and correct like this?
2.Yesterday was the coldest day, which I have ever known.
Now, my question is regarding the present perfect tense. Is it okay like this, do we use present perfect in this sentence, or would I have to use past perfect, since I'm refering to yesterday, talking about the past? And does it sound strange to you as well with the word 'which'? I think it would sound better with 'that'.
3. I have this sentence: Who is ... John or Paul? And in the dotted space I have to put in one of the following structures: the taller, the tallest, taller, tallest. Now my guess is that the correct form would be taller. Who is taller, John or Paul? I chose this one because when i am comparing two things, people etc. I have to use the comapartive form, not the superlative. And I don't need 'the', do I, simply taller?
4.Next one. We have the following sentence: The sun is rising at 6.15. And this is incorrect, I mean we can't use this tense in this case. So what tense do we use? The sun rises at 6.15 is obviously wrong, since this is not a certainty, a general truth. The sun is going to rise at 6.15 - would this be it?
5.Final one.
Is this sentence correct? The Russia of the Czars was different from the Russia of today. I mean, did I use the articles alright? Do we need 'the' at all, because there is a rule stating that we don't use the definite article before the name of a country. But it seems to me that it's necessary in this case.
So, that's it. And many thanks for helping me!
I am from Europe, and I am studying English at university. As it happens I have a grammar exam tomorrow and I still have a few questions unanswered. I would be very grateful if somebody could help me out with them.
These are supposed to be simple things, but when you think about them too much, you just don't know what's natural and correct after a while.
So here are my questions:
1. Is this statement correct: This is Mary, the butcher's. I remember encountering similar structures in movies, but I'm just not sure if native English speakers use this form at all. I mean, wouldn't you have to specify that this is Mary, the butcher's daughter? Or is it enough and correct like this?
2.Yesterday was the coldest day, which I have ever known.
Now, my question is regarding the present perfect tense. Is it okay like this, do we use present perfect in this sentence, or would I have to use past perfect, since I'm refering to yesterday, talking about the past? And does it sound strange to you as well with the word 'which'? I think it would sound better with 'that'.
3. I have this sentence: Who is ... John or Paul? And in the dotted space I have to put in one of the following structures: the taller, the tallest, taller, tallest. Now my guess is that the correct form would be taller. Who is taller, John or Paul? I chose this one because when i am comparing two things, people etc. I have to use the comapartive form, not the superlative. And I don't need 'the', do I, simply taller?
4.Next one. We have the following sentence: The sun is rising at 6.15. And this is incorrect, I mean we can't use this tense in this case. So what tense do we use? The sun rises at 6.15 is obviously wrong, since this is not a certainty, a general truth. The sun is going to rise at 6.15 - would this be it?
5.Final one.
Is this sentence correct? The Russia of the Czars was different from the Russia of today. I mean, did I use the articles alright? Do we need 'the' at all, because there is a rule stating that we don't use the definite article before the name of a country. But it seems to me that it's necessary in this case.
So, that's it. And many thanks for helping me!
Top answer
Mary the butcher's doesn't make sense, as you have correctly indicated. Which, that are both correct, but I would omit them both for a sentence that flows better. Correct: taller , the comparative Going to rise is fine.
- Mary the butcher's doesn't make sense, as you have correctly indicated.
- Which, that are both correct, but I would omit them both for a sentence that flows better.
- Correct: taller , the comparative Going to rise is fine.
- In this case, the country is modified, so we use the article.
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2 Answers
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Mary the butcher's doesn't make sense, as you have correctly indicated.
Which, that are both correct, but I would omit them both for a sentence that flows better.
Correct: taller, the comparative
Going to rise is fine.
In this case, the country is modified, so we use the article.
Which, that are both correct, but I would omit them both for a sentence that flows better.
Correct: taller, the comparative
Going to rise is fine.
In this case, the country is modified, so we use the article.
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Anonymous2.Yesterday was the coldest day, which I have ever known.No comma is possible before a defining relative clause. As there is a superlative (the coldest) in the antecedent of the relative pronoun, only that is correct: Yesterday was the coldest day [that] I have ever known. The relative can be left out as it is the object of h
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