Tuesday, March 2, 2010

some notes

My family are coming to visit. They come once a year. in BrE
My family is coming to visit. They come once a year. in AmE
However in standard AE,
I love my family. It is important to me. is standard.

I love my family. They are important to me. in BrE

If you are speaking AE, your family takes a singular verb.
If you are speaking BE, it may be singular or plural, depending on context.

How much does a burger cost? Four dollars and change.
How long have you been practicing? Four hours and change.


It means
extra... the "change" is from currency transactions meaning literal change (coins added to the four dollars in paper notes above) -- but it is sometimes used in other contexts.

A along with B go fishing every other week. They love it. (plural)
Along with A, B is one of the biggest fans of fishing. (singular)


Units of time are singular.
One week is enough
Three days
is enough
Twelve minutes
is enough
How many hours of sleep are enough for good health? (Not a time unit.)
Eight hours is a good number to begin with. (A time unit.)
How many minutes are there in an hour?
There are sixty minutes in an hour. (Not a time unit, just an answer.)

How much time do I have to do this job?
Sixty minutes is enough time.
(A time unit.)

"Sometimes people don't like to correct other people's mistakes in order not to not come off as rude."
"Sometimes people don't like to correct other people's mistakes so that they do not come off as rude."

I can't stand it when she does ....
It's the action she does you can't stand.
I can't stand her doing it
It's her doing the action you can't stand.

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