ReQuest Tetraglot Senior Member Netherlands Joined 5034 days ago 200 posts - 228 votes Speaks: Dutch*, English, German, French Studies: Spanish
| Message 17 of 105 08 January 2012 at 11:23am | IP Logged |
I've decided that my updates from now on will be more structured, a nicer lay-out where the languages are in bold etc.
And I'll make 1 updated every week on friday or saturday.
I hope that, in such fashion it will be nicer to read, and I won't forget anything that way.
Also wenn I write something in French or German I will try to translated it into French/German and English, to practice even more. (those posts will be long!)
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acriter Senior Member United States Joined 5355 days ago 16 posts - 19 votes Speaks: English* Studies: German, Japanese, French
| Message 18 of 105 08 January 2012 at 6:02pm | IP Logged |
A pretty hard and fast rule for apostrophes in English is that they are only used for
possession and contractions. Never use them just to make something plural.
However, there are no apostrophes when indicating possession for pronouns. Far too many
native English speakers make this mistake.
So, for example:
The bear's claws are large.
Its claws are also sharp.
The bear's name is Phil.
Phil's claws are sharp.
Does that clarify it a bit?
Edited by acriter on 08 January 2012 at 6:03pm
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ReQuest Tetraglot Senior Member Netherlands Joined 5034 days ago 200 posts - 228 votes Speaks: Dutch*, English, German, French Studies: Spanish
| Message 19 of 105 08 January 2012 at 6:18pm | IP Logged |
Yes thank you, never knew there was a differance between its and it's, good thing to know.
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Tournesol Diglot Senior Member Ireland Joined 5363 days ago 119 posts - 132 votes Speaks: English*, FrenchC1 Studies: German
| Message 20 of 105 08 January 2012 at 7:04pm | IP Logged |
Hi Request,
I saw your question about contractions/possessives.
Regarding your question about whether to say "New Year" or "New Year's". I like "New Year's" but there may be
regional variations (I'm Irish).
E.g. Have you any plans for New Year's? Here the possessive is understood. (Eve)
In modern English we often don't use the possessive where the possessive is used without the noun.
She's at the dentist's => She's at the dentist.
But both are equally correct.
And regarding "it's" versus "its". Well the situation is more complicated as it's can be "it is" or "it has".
E.g. It's been a long time coming.
Tournesol
Edited by Tournesol on 08 January 2012 at 7:04pm
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ReQuest Tetraglot Senior Member Netherlands Joined 5034 days ago 200 posts - 228 votes Speaks: Dutch*, English, German, French Studies: Spanish
| Message 21 of 105 13 January 2012 at 10:49pm | IP Logged |
Okay, first of all, thank you all for your help and comments, you are a great help.
To summarise this week: busy, learning, sick.
My test week started this week, so lots of learning and since I'm a little sick my languages obviously weren't a prioriety.
English
Apart from the usual massive exposure I didn't do that much. Monday I have a presentation for English class so did some prep for that but that's actually all.
français
Acec français c'est plus que le même, j'ai trois heures des leçons en école et aujourd'hui j'ai eu une test des textes. j'ai vu le journal de TV5monde tous les jours aussi, mais ouais c'est ça.
With French it's more of the same, I've had 3 hours of lessons at school and today I had a reading test. I also watched the news of Tv5monde every day, but yeah that's it.
Deutsch
Ich habe auch wenig Deutsch gemacht, ich habe jeden tag die Nachrichten der ZDF gesehen. Am Mitwoch hat ich auch eine Prüfung, ich habe Wörter und Satze gelernt und auch ein bisschen Grammatik, aber das war das.
I also haven't done a lot for German, I have watched the ZDF news every day. On wednesday I've also had a test, I've
learned words and sentences and also a little bit of grammar, but that's all.
Question of the week
This catagory is just like a coincidence and it probably won't be there all the time, but anyway: en français quand on dit, «plus» la derniere lettre, le «s» il est prononcé dans cette mot-là?
In French when one says, "Plus" the last letter, the "s" is it pronounced in that word?
Note to self
Start in your French and German book next week or tomorrow (saturday) !
Edited by ReQuest on 13 January 2012 at 10:53pm
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Tournesol Diglot Senior Member Ireland Joined 5363 days ago 119 posts - 132 votes Speaks: English*, FrenchC1 Studies: German
| Message 22 of 105 15 January 2012 at 10:28pm | IP Logged |
Some corrections for you.
EN:
a little sick => a bit sick, not feeling too well, a bit under the weather
Quote:
I also haven't done a lot for German, I have watched the ZDF news every day. On wednesday I've also had a
test, I've learned words and sentences and also a little bit of grammar, but that's all.
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Tenses:
also => either, I haven't done much German either.
I have watched = > I watched, I've learned => I learned,I've had => I had
Actually, it's possible to use the perfect in the first and last case (since you're resuming what you did over the
week). The simple past works for all three cases. The rule is that you must use the simple past with the adverb of
time (on Wednesday).
Quote:
In French when one says, "Plus" the last letter, the "s" is it pronounced in that word?
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La prononciation de "plus"
Edited by Tournesol on 15 January 2012 at 11:10pm
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ReQuest Tetraglot Senior Member Netherlands Joined 5034 days ago 200 posts - 228 votes Speaks: Dutch*, English, German, French Studies: Spanish
| Message 23 of 105 15 January 2012 at 10:46pm | IP Logged |
I thank you again!
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ReQuest Tetraglot Senior Member Netherlands Joined 5034 days ago 200 posts - 228 votes Speaks: Dutch*, English, German, French Studies: Spanish
| Message 24 of 105 22 January 2012 at 7:48pm | IP Logged |
Ben, alors cette semaine était une semaine mauvaise pour les langues, c'est juste comme la semaine dernière. Sauf que mon "vu du journal d'hab" j'ai lu mon petit livre pour français et le premier chapitre de mon livre allemand, et ouais c'est ça, mais alors c'était une semaine pour école une semaine des testes.
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