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(This article is talking about study habits.)
"... Then you should decide on good,regular times for studying." What about this?
"...Then you should decide on good,regular time for studying?" or "... Then you should decide on good,regular time for study." What's the difference between them?
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Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1](This article is talking about study habits.) "... Then you should decide on good,regular times for studying."[/nq]
This is correct. It is referring to the distinct occasions you set aside for the action of studying.
[nq:1]What about this? "...Then you should decide on good,regular time for studying?"[/nq]
This is wrong. "Time" refers to time in general, rather than distinct occasions, so doesn't fit with "regular".
[nq:1]or "... Then you should decide on good,regular time for study."[/nq]
"Time" is still wrong, but "study" is ok. However, I would naturally say "studying" instead of "study".
And there should be a space between the comma and "regular", but maybe that was a typo.
Hope this helps
Tony

Tony Mountifield
Work: (Email Removed) - http://www.softins.co.uk Play: (Email Removed) - http://tony.mountifield.org

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1](This article is talking about study habits.) "... Then you should decide on good,regular times for studying." What about this? "...Then you should decide on good,regular time for studying?" or "... Then you should decide on good,regular time for study." What's the difference between them?[/nq]
You could use 'times' in both but not 'time'. They mean pretty much the same thing.
You could* say "... decide on *a good, regular..." etc In the first case, the suggestion is that you pick out several times for study / studying which are good for you and which you will follow regularly - eg Wednesday evening at 7, Thursday afternoon at 4 and Sunday morning at 10.
The second case suggests you pick a set time of day - say 6 in the evening - and do all your studying at that time.

John Dean
Oxford

Usenet · Answer

I disagree - this time could refer to one particular occasion, but the sentence is still wro0ng because the word "a" should be inserted before "time".
[nq:2]or "... Then you should decide on good,regular time for study."[/nq]
[nq:1]"Time" is still wrong, but "study" is ok. However, I would naturally say "studying" instead of "study".[/nq]
I would on different occasions use both forms - "studying" is the gerund (i.e. the verbal noun) derived from the verb "to study", whereas "study" in the last sentence is the noun corresponding to the same verb and referring oto the same activity.
Regards, Einde O'Callaghan

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