Bazza

TOEFL Teacher's post has spurred me to ask, what other topics would those in the forum like covered? I thought I might work through the tenses, because there is so much misunderstanding surrounding these. Not just regurgitating what is available on every website, but getting down to the nitty gritty. I would start with the Present Tense, then Present Continuous etc., and along the way to the Past Perfect tenses, covering why we could say: I go to Hawaii next year. or I am going to Hawaii next year. or I will be going to Hawaii next year. What do forum members want?

This post has spurred me to ask, what other topics would those in the forum like discussed? I thought I might work through the tenses, because there is so much misunderstanding surrounding these. Not just regurgitating what is available on every website, but getting down to the nitty gritty. What do forum members think?

I live in Britain. I live in a caravan (and live) in a very nice neighbourhood. I live in London. London is the world's most expensive city in which to live. If we shorten the sentence by omitting the 'which': London is the world's most expensive city to live in.

He told me yesterday and I am telling it to you today. I think I must use the verb 'was' in this case. You could help me again. To use 'was telling', then the time you were telling him must have been before NOW. NOW is a second conversation, when you are saying these words. e.g. He told me yesterday and I was telling it to you this morning. Have you forgotten already? Can you see that 'was telling' happened at an earlier time in the day, before NOW when you are again talking to this person, and he seems to have forgotten what you told him earlier.

All four, with regard to tense, depending on the context. This is another example where 'that' can be omitted and the meaning remains clear. My car is not working. He told me that it is impossible to repair. I don't know whether to get another opinion or just sell it for parts. My car is not working. He told me that it was impossible to repair, but I asked my uncle and he said he can fix it easily, so I'm taking it over to my uncle's house. ' .................................................. ... He told me that it is impossible to repair.

The full sentence is: The problems that he has are created by his mistakes. The 'that' can be omitted and the meaning is still clear. We see that there is a main clause : "The problems…are created by his mistakes. and the clause: …"that he has" 'has' and 'are created' are separate verbs. So - in colloquial speech and informal writing, 'problems he has are created…' is fine. In formal writing, include the 'that'.

He is a bus driver. Just to say 'driver' doesn't explain his job. e.g. He is a chauffeur. He is a lorry driver. He is a train driver. So - just to say 'a driver' leaves the other person still wondering, exactly what does he drive for a living?

What age are your students? so that I understand at what age-level this needs to be written at.

How old are the students? (so I can see at what age level it needs to be written).http://www.www.urch.com/forums/images/icons/icon7.png Your question: Hi every body ,, I'm a teacher of English from Iraq. : shouldn't that be 'in Iraq'? Aren't you are living there? .. I always write texts for my students from my imagination I never copy texts : rather than copy, but the problem is, when I write those texts, I feel confused at some points. When there is more than one word or preposition to use, I don't know which one is more appropriate, as well as some problems with the grammar.