(DIR) Return Create A Forum - Home --------------------------------------------------------- Even Greener Pastures (HTM) https://evengreener.createaforum.com --------------------------------------------------------- ***************************************************** (DIR) Return to: Questions about Language Rules ***************************************************** #Post#: 15454-------------------------------------------------- Welcome! By: Nikola Date: May 12, 2019, 4:37 pm --------------------------------------------------------- Welcome to the section where learners can ask questions and receive answers which will help them pass exams and use the standard version of their target language. If you want to ask a question: You are here because you are not sure about something. Tell us what it is and what exactly you are trying to say. Provide context. Context means more information about the situation or topic, and more than one sentence. Example: 1. Do I say What do you eat? or What are you eating? This is not a good question, both sentences can be correct and we don't know the context. 2. I come to the restaurant. My friend is there and has some food on his plate. I want to know what it is. I say: "Hi! This looks very nice. What do you eat or What are you eating?" This is a good question because it gives a full context. Examples of things you can ask about in this section: What is the difference between ... and ...? Can I use ... in this context? Is this sentence correct? What does ... mean and how do I use it correctly? Why did someone use ... in the following sentence? Where do I put ... in a sentence? If you want to answer a question: First of all, I would like to say thank you in advance to anyone who is willing to invest their time and knowledge in answering other people's questions. Since this part of the forum revolves around the learners and we want to make things as useful as possible, here are some recommendations. You don't have to be a native speaker to answer other users' questions. The most important thing is that you are informed and reasonably sure about your answer. If you're a native speaker, it is essential that you have some idea of what rules the students are learning in that particular language and where these rules can be found. Please, try to be as objective as possible (as opposed to only mentioning what is used in your area) and stick to facts. If there is a rule, explain it, provide examples and ideally some reference as well. If there is a rule but this is an exception from the rule, explain this and try to give examples of when the rule is followed and when it isn't. If you've checked and there doesn't seem to be a rule, tell the learner. There are plenty of things one "just has to remember" and it's extremely useful to know when this is the case. Making a decision based on what does or doesn't sound right to you is perfectly fine, provided you admit your answer is based on instinct rather than accepted rules. Bear in mind that others may disagree with your view. Also, should someone prove you wrong by quoting a reliable source, your comment might be moved to the "Questions about the Use of Language" section where people offer their subjective views. The reason behind this approach is that we don't want people to learn something that's incorrect or used in one geographical area only. Thank you for your understanding. *****************************************************