Would you correct my English? (Jan.3)

Question

Hello. I wrote two dialogues. Will you check them?

No. 1

M: Bill, do you know what happened to the files on that project?

F: Charlie borrowed them. He's in Room 702.

M: Thanks. I'll go ( and / to ) see him. I need to talk with him

about them before the [ my ] meeting with Mr. Perman ( starts ) .

No. 2 At school

M: I ( should ) remind you that reess is [ recesses are? ] strictly

limited to ten minutes.

F: I'm sorry, but I've been sick and couldn't get out of the restroom.

M: Then you'd better go to the nurse's room [ sick bay ].

Thank you!

Avangi · Accepted Answer

Kenta No. 1

M: Bill, do you know what happened to the files on that project?

F: Charlie borrowed them. He's in Room 702.

M: Thanks. I'll go ~~( and / to )~~ see him. I need to ~~talk~~ discuss them with him

~~about them~~ before the ~~[ my ]~~ meeting with Mr. Perman. ~~( starts ) .~~

No. 2 At school

M: I ~~( should )~~ remind you that ~~reess~~ recess is ~~[ recesses are? ]~~ strictly

limited to ten minutes.

F: I'm sorry, but I've been sick and couldn't get out of the restroom. (are you speaking through the door?)

M: Then you'd better go to see the nurse. ~~nurse's room [ sick bay ].~~

Kenta · Answer

Thank you, Avangi. May I ask you a question?

I wrote.

F: I'm sorry, but I've been sick and couldn't get out of the restroom.

This means "I've been sick and couldn't get out of the restroom. So I was late for the class."

If I'm speaking through the door, I would say, " ... and can't get out of the restroom."

Though I used the past tense, it seems I'm speaking through the door?

Or should I write "I was sick and couldn't get out of the restroom."?

Thank you.

Avangi · Answer

Hi Kenta, I'm sure most people would read it as you intended.

Interesting situation. The question is, if your sickness kept you in the bathroom, did your recovery then enable you to leave? Or are you still sick?

Not the cheerfullest of subjects, but idiomatically speaking, we often use "I've been sick" to mean "I've been sick for a couple of days (or longer) and I'm still sick." (I may now be feeling better, but in my opinion, it usually describes an illness of at least a couple of days (in terms of common usage).

Or sometimes we say "I was just sick" as a euphamism for "I just vomited," or "I just had an attack of diarrhea."

We don't often use "I've been sick" to describe a ten-minute episode. (Possible, of course - "I've just been sick.")

I guess I'm trying to say, if your sickness was the reason you couldn't get out of the restroom, then you must no longer be sick - at least to the previous extent.
And, if you wish to describe a short sickness which lasted approximately as long as your stay in the rest room, I suggest the simple past tense. "I was sick and couldn't get out of the rest room."

Best regards. Hope you're feeling better. (Those things often happen around New Years!) - A.

Kenta · Answer

Thank you, Avangi. Now I know what you mean.

I intended to describe the situation: "I have been sick since this morning, so I couldn't get out of the

restroom. Even now I feel sick. Sorry to be late." So the teacher says, "You'd better go ..."

Perhaps I should have written more precisely. Thank you!

Avangi · Answer

Aha!, So you're speaking of the restroom at home, rather than the restroom at school.

I think it would be more common to say, "I have been sick since this morning, and couldn't get out of the restroom." Your use of "so" makes it sound as if it's common knowledge that anyone who is sick has great difficulty in getting out of the restroom. There are many types of sickness, and I think only a few confine you to the restroom.

Would you correct my English? (Jan.3)

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