ESL Forum:
Techniques and methods
in Language Teaching
Games, activities
and teaching ideas
Grammar and
Linguistics
Teaching material
Concerning
worksheets
Concerning
powerpoints
Concerning online
exercises
Make suggestions,
report errors
Ask for help
Message board
|
ESL forum >
Ask for help > Could you read and check... ?
Could you read and check... ?

nathalie891
|
Could you read and check... ?
|
Hi there, I �ve written an e-mail supposedly written by a British girl staying with her aunt and cousins in NYC. My goal is to review comparative forms with my pupils, that �s why there are several comparisons in it.
It would be great if some of you (especially native speakers) could read it and tell me how to make it better and more "real".
Thank you for your help!
Nathalie
Here �s the mail: Hi mum and dad !
Just a short message to tell you everything is fine here ! I finally got my suitcase back yesterday and I�m having a lot of fun at aunt Lynn�s. I get on really well with Greg, and even better with Jodie. We share the same room and we spend hours talking !
It�s sunnier and warmer than in Cambridge and I can visit New York in really nice conditions.
I�m amazed at many things here in the USA. You wouldn�t believe how different some things are. Of course as you know, the skyscrapers here in New York are more impressive, and much taller than in Great Britain. But even the milk or orange juice bottles are bigger than ours !!!
In New York, there are a lot of cabs (you know, the yellow taxis) and they are much cheaper than in London, so New Yorkers use them more frequently than Londoners. I took a cab with Jodie the other day and we also used the underground but I feel safer in the Tube at home than in the Subway here. We spent the afternoon yesterday at Central Park. It�s bigger than Hyde Park and it�s livelier ! There are so many people who come there to relax, do sport, walk� I even visited the zoo !
Well, as you can see, I don�t have time to get bored ! I�ve already taken a lot of photos and I�ll have so much more to tell you when we look at them together !
Take care ! X X X Kelly
|
6 Oct 2014
|
|
|

yanogator
|
Hi, Kelly. I have just a few changes to suggest:
Yesterday, and I �m . . . Aunt Lynn �s.
... Same room, and ...
Cambridge, so I can see/explore/experience New York ...
... the underground, but I feel ...
... in Central Park ...
Bruce |
6 Oct 2014
|
|

nathalie891
|
Thank you Bruce for your answer! |
6 Oct 2014
|
|

cunliffe
|
In British English, we wouldn �t put a comma before �and � so I wouldn �t change that. Same room and... Milk and orange juice bottles (unless you are not sure whether the bottles are for milk or orange juice).
Excellent way to review comparatives! Lynne
|
6 Oct 2014
|
|

redcamarocruiser
|
Hi Mum and Dad ! Just a short message to tell you everything is fine here ! I finally got my suitcase back yesterday and I�m having a lot of fun at Aunt Lynn�s. I get on really well with Greg, and even better with Jodie. We share the same room and we spend hours talking ! It�s sunnier and warmer than in Cambridge and I can visit New York with really nice weather. I�m amazed at many things here in the USA. You wouldn�t believe how different some things are. Of course as you know, the skyscrapers here in New York are more impressive, and much taller than in Great Britain. But even the milk and orange juice bottles are bigger than ours! In New York, there are a lot of cabs (you know, the yellow taxis) and they are much cheaper than in London, so New Yorkers use them more frequently than Londoners. I took a cab with Jodie the other day and we also used the underground train, but I feel safer in the Tube at home than in the subway here. We spent the afternoon yesterday at Central Park. It�s bigger than Hyde Park and it�s livelier! There are so many people who come there to relax, play sports, walk� I even visited the zoo! Well, as you can see, I don�t have time to get bored! I�ve already taken a lot of photos and I�ll have so much more to tell you when we look at them together! Take care! X X X Kelly
|
6 Oct 2014
|
|

nathalie891
|
Thank you all for your help, and thanks to EloJolie274 gave me other great ideas to improve my text.
Have a nice day!
Nathalie |
7 Oct 2014
|
|

minimal70
|
as you know, the skyscrapers here in New York are more impressive, and much taller than in Great Britain. In New York, there are a lot of cabs (you know, the yellow taxis) and they are much cheaper than in London. If you use the Bold underlined form this way, I can say that you break a grammar rule that says short adjectives don �t take more or much in comparatives. I think this is what we are supposed to teach our students |
7 Oct 2014
|
|

yanogator
|
@minimal70, I think you are misunderstanding something. It isn �t that "more" or "much" can �t be used with short adjectives. It is that short adjectives form the comparative by adding -er, rather than with "more". There is absolutely nothing wrong with using "much" with a comparative, and I hope that you weren �t taught that it is wrong. @Lynne, Thanks for letting me know about the comma with "and". In US Engiish, if "and" is followed by a complete clause (so it is a coordinating conjunction), it gets a comma. Bruce |
7 Oct 2014
|
|

cunliffe
|
Go with �play sports �.
Thank you for thanking me, Bruce. Actually, the convention is no comma BEFORE �and�. I think. It�s been a long day. I�ll get back about it. Ahem! Lynne
|
7 Oct 2014
|
|

nathalie891
|
Thank you once again for all your interesting comments. I appreciate that you took time to answer me. :-) |
7 Oct 2014
|
|
|