0
Tuongvan Posted 18 years ago
Grammar

how far off ?

Dear teachers,

Please help me answer correctly the question:HOW FAR OFF FINISHING BUILDING THIS HOUSE ARE YOU ?

Can I answer like this :

1/ I am still a long way off finishing it

2/ I am still 3 more days away from finishing it

Thanks in advance

Kind Regards
  

Top answer

To answer your question, 1/ I'm still a long way from finishing it , would be more natural. ) 2/ I still have three more days to go before it's finished , would be more natural. Yours is okay.

— Avangi

  • To answer your question, 1/ I'm still a long way from finishing it , would be more natural.
  • ) 2/ I still have three more days to go before it's finished , would be more natural.
  • Yours is okay.
  • " Your question in caps needs some work.
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

19 Answers
0
To answer your question,

1/ I'm still a long way from finishing it, would be more natural. Your rendition would probably be acceptable if you add "from" (finishing it.)

2/ I still have three more days to go before it's finished, would be more natural. Yours is okay.

If you like "a long way off," you could say, "The completion of the house is stil
0
0
Thank you Avangi, but I don't understand your sentence " Your question in caps needs some work " What does it mean ?

Thanks
0
0
Hi Tuongvan

Avangi is saying that the sentence in capital letters needs to be looked at. i.e. the question is not well constructed. I guess one of the most straightforward way to convey the idea would be asking when the house will be built. 'When will the house be built?'

PBF
0
0
Hi PBF!

I think " When will the house be built ?" has a different meaning from " How far off finishing building the house are you ?. When asking " How far off finishing building the house are you ?. " I mean " How much more is there to do ? "

Kind Regards
0
0
Tuongvan
Hi PBF!

I think " When will the house be built ?" has a different meaning from " How far off finishing building the house are you ?. When asking " How far off finishing building the house are you ?. " I mean " How much more is there to do ? "

Kind Regards

How much more is there to do? is a much better question t
0
0
Hi Grammar Geek

I was wondering what sort of reply would I get if I said 'When will the house be built?' And also would that be the same as saying 'How much more time will it take for your to finish building the house?' ?

Thanks
0
0
With American contractors?

"When it's done, it's done."

"As long as I need."

However, if we're assuming that people are actually interested in giving helpful responses, "About two more weeks" could be an expected answer to either question, though the first could be "About March 1, I think."
0
0
Grammar GeekHow much more time will it take for your to finish building the house? is very clear.
Hi Barbara,
I cannot recall what article I read a long time ago, but I caught a comment saying, " 'It's a long way from here' is more natural than 'It's far from here'." Any thoughts about that?
Regarding your offer, "How much more time wil
0
0
Grammar GeekWith American contractors?

"When it's done, it's done."

"As long as I need."
0
0
Hoa Thai "How much more time will it take for you to finish building the house?", in terms of naturalness, how would you compare that with "How long will it still take for you to complete the house?"
Hi Ho Thai, Not sure if this was answered. While it's perfectly clear what your're driving at, I'm quite sure I've never heard it put
0

Related Questions