A question for native speakers

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ESL forum > Ask for help > A question for native speakers

A question for native speakers

ueslteacher

A question for native speakers

I was asked to assess a test booklet and I �m asking for your kindness again. Please help me with the sentence:

On last Friday of every month, his Maths teacher Mr Randal takes a test for his students.

Shouldn �t it be on the last Friday... and gives a test to his students?

Looking forward to hearing your expert opinions Smile

Sophia

P.S. students with bad marks at the test or students with bad marks for the test or on or in the test?

13 Apr 2011

dawnmain

You are right. The teacher gives the test and the students take the test.

13 Apr 2011

ueslteacher

please, please more expert opinions Embarrassed

I can�t find the answer in the dictionary.

Sophia

13 Apr 2011

libertybelle

You are correct - on the last friday of every month
he gives his pupils a test!

13 Apr 2011

teresapr

I �m not a native but I �d say: 2nd part- sts who got bad mars/results in the test

13 Apr 2011

ballycastle1

I agree: he gives a test to his pupils/gives his pupils a test

students with bad/poor test results; students with bad/poor marks in the test

13 Apr 2011

ueslteacher

Thanks so much for answering. I knew I could count on your help :)

The author of the test booklet I �m assessing claims all the texts for reading tasks are authentic. I �m not a native speaker but I feel some sentences just don �t sound right. That �s why I come here begging for your help.

Another question (it �s not something I can find in the dictionary):

What �s wrong here:

Two men were travelling together through a wood when suddenly they met a bear on their way. One of them, who happened to be in front, climbed quickly up a tree and hid himself in the branches. The other, seeing no help and scared that he must be attacked, fell flat on the ground, with his face in the dust.

one more: the dog was eating the last of the meat - is smth missing here or is it some specific use with uncountable nouns

I �d be much obliged Smile

13 Apr 2011

tancredo

My dear,

For the first one I would say:

"...who happened to be ahead..."

For the second one I would say:

"For fear that he might be attacked.."

For the third I would say:

" The dog was eating the last of the meat on the plate..." " ...the last of the meat left on the plate ... "

But who am I to say this?

Please native people....?????????????????????????????????????????????

14 Apr 2011

Zora

Hi Sophia,

First, I �d like to say that you are right to suspect that there might be errors in the booklet since I �d say that it was not written or put together by a native speaker of English. Everything is slightly "off" and unnatural feeling.

Two men were travelling together through a wood when suddenly they met up with a bear on their way. The first man, the one who happened to be in front, quickly climbed up a tree and hid in the branches. The second, seeing no help and scared that he might be attacked, fell flat on the ground, with his face in the dirt.

There, that sound a tad more "natural"... I am sure other natives might have other answers or suggestions. It �s 2am here and I am a bit tired.

Second, the dog was eating the last of the meat - is correct. It �s not even because it �s an uncountable noun. You could say "the dog was eating the last of the bones, hot dogs, etc"... It �s an expression and the "the" is emphasing the fact that it is "the last of whatever, that after that there is no more"

14 Apr 2011

Apodo

one more: the dog was eating the last of the meat - is smth missing here or is it some specific use with uncountable nouns

one more: This is OK - plural or uncountable

The dog was eating the last of the meat.

We ate the last of the biscuits.

Two men were travelling together through a wood when suddenly they met a bear on their way. One of them, who happened to be in front, climbed quickly up a tree and hid himself in the branches. The other, seeing no help and scared that he would be attacked, fell flat on the ground, with his face in the dust.

There seem to be a lot of unnecessary words.I would write it this way:

Two men were travelling through a wood when suddenly they met a bear. The man in front quickly climbed up a tree and hid in the branches. The other, seeing no way of escape and fearing he would be attacked, fell flat on the ground with his face in the dirt.

together - not necessary as they is used later

seeing no help? = seeing no way of escape

I used fearing to follow seeing. The other could see no way to escape, and was scared that he would be attacked....

Dust = dirt There is not usually dust in a wood as dust is dry.

14 Apr 2011

ldthemagicman

Dear ueslteacher,

Using the examples that you have given, this is my opinion of how the sentences should read, (in British English).

"On the last Friday of every month, his Maths teacher, Mr Randal, gives a test to his students".

"Last Friday ... " refers to only ONE Friday! It means the Friday of last week; the Friday of the week which has recently passed; the Friday which has just gone. "Last Friday ... " cannot refer to several Fridays!

The words, "Mr. Randal", are in apposition to "his Maths teacher", so should be set within commas, to act as �brackets �.

The Teacher "gives a test", (or "sets a test"). The Student "takes a test", (or "sits a test").

" ... students with bad marks in the test ... "

The most usual preposition is "in".

The other Teachers are correct in what they write.

"Two men were travelling together through a wood, when suddently, they met a bear".

"On their way" is superfluous --- How else, "suddenly", could they "meet a bear"? if they were NOT "on their way? "On their way" should be omitted!

"One of them, who was in front, climbed quickly up a tree and hid in the branches", or more probably:"The one who was in front climbed quickly up a tree and hid in the branches".

I have no problem with the phrase "in front", because it means "in a position just ahead of or further forward than someone or something else". (Oxford Dictionary of English)

What relevance are the words: " ... who happened to be in front ..."? What is so special about being "in front"? What befell him, because he was "in front"? Nothing!. So these words, " ... happened to be ..." can be omitted. The man simply was "in front".

" ... hid himself in the branches." When we omit the word "himself" does it alter the sense of the sentence and make us think that he may have hidden his friend in the branches? No! So, we can omit "himself" without altering the sense of the text.

"The other, seeing no help coming, and scared that he might be attacked, fell flat to the ground, with his face in the dust".

"... seeing no help coming ..." The man was unable to see any assistance, actually arriving, which would help him.

" ... and scared that he might be attacked". He was afraid of the possibility of attack, ("might"), not the necessity of being attacked, which is what "must"implies.

" ... fell flat to the ground ...". This means that he deliberately threw himself to the ground, to avoid detection. The phrase " ... fell flat on the ground ...", means that he accidently fell to the ground.

"The dog was eating the last of the meat".

This means that several portions of meat had been eaten previously, and that this was the VERY LAST portion. After the dog ate the meat, there was none left. "The last of" The only part of something that remains: They drank the last of the wine. (Oxford Dictionary of English).

I hope that I have been able to help you.

Les

14 Apr 2011

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