CLIQUEZ ICI POUR REPONDRE A CE SUJET
Réponse: re de brunk, postée le 2004-07-05 15:53:33 (S | E)
---> I am 31 years old.
---> thank you
( lucile ? am I right if I write 'I am a 22 year old guy' ? )
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Edité par brunk le 2004-07-05 15:54:15
Réponse: re de lucile83, postée le 2004-07-05 16:19:28 (S | E)
You can say : I am a 22 years old guy with a "s";
see you soon
Réponse: Miss Fussy to lucile83 de mariet, postée le 2004-07-05 16:55:03 (S | E)
Sorry, lucile83, I don't agree with you.
You definitely CAN'T say : I am a 22 years old guy with an "s".
22_years_old being between the determiner "a" and the noun "guy" takes the place of a qualifying adjective, therefore it behaves like one.
You don't brush your tEEth with a tEEth brush but with a tOOth brush.
He is five fEEt tall. => He is a five fOOt tall boy.
Only if the noun doesn't exist in the singular is it allowed to keep its plural 's' : My keys are in my trousers pocket.
Cheerio,
Mariet
Réponse: re de brunk, postée le 2004-07-05 17:00:18 (S | E)
thnx mariet, thats what I thought but I wasnt sure...
Réponse: re de brunk, postée le 2004-07-05 17:13:38 (S | E)
do you agree with us lucile ?
Réponse: re de brunk, postée le 2004-07-05 21:04:19 (S | E)
... I would need a referee .. s or not
Réponse: re de caz9, postée le 2004-07-05 22:22:26 (S | E)
I would definitely agree with Mariet that one should say "I am a 22 year old guy".
However I disagree with the sentence "My keys are in my trousers pocket." We would say "My keys are in my trouser pocket." Unfortunately I can't give you the grammatical reason for this!!
Réponse: re de mariet, postée le 2004-07-05 22:54:47 (S | E)
So much for me !
Thanks to you caz I've learnt that although 'trousers' is always plural, it becomes 'trouser' without an s when it is used before another noun.
Many thanks. I've been mistaken for ages!!!
I suppose this goes for shorts, jeans, pyjamas, scissors (and all that goes by pair) as well... Could you correct me if I'm wrong ?
Réponse: re to Mariet de caz9, postée le 2004-07-06 09:44:41 (S | E)
re trouser pockets - this has been worrying me all night Mariet!!! I had a look in my dictionary this morning and this is what it says:
TROUSER (modifier) of or relating to trousers e.g. trouser buttons.
You'll no doubt understand what a "modifier" is Mariet - so I'll leave you to explain that for everyone;)
It certainly applies to pyjamas, but whether it does to shorts, jeans and scissors - I will have to give that some thought. I can't think of an instance where you'd use scissors in the singular.
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Edité par caz9 le 2004-07-06 09:46:00
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Edité par caz9 le 2004-07-06 09:47:09
Réponse: to caz de mariet, postée le 2004-07-06 11:22:36 (S | E)
Sorry caz !! I didn't mean to trouble your sleep. I was just wondering if you would say for example scissor blades or scissors blades...
I have checked for shorts and jeans but could find no entry, I'll have a go at it later...
What about glasses/spectacles ? I know a glass case is a glass box in a museum or part of a book case so would you keep your glasses in a glass case as you do for pencils in a pencil case or in a glasses case ?
Sorry to bother you but I don't want to keep on teaching my kids something wrong... and I know they'll ask me (at least some of them will).
As for 'modifier' it is used to indicate a word that modifies/qualifies another, most of the time it is an adjective or an adverb. Here it means the noun TROUSER is used as if it were an adjective :
a button => a large button/ a pearl button / a trouser button (large is an adjective , pearl and trouser are nouns but in that position -before button- they add an information as an adjective would).
Réponse: re de caz9, postée le 2004-07-06 16:46:12 (S | E)
How confusing Mariet!!! Personally I would say scissor blades "these scissor blades are blunt" but I would keep my glasses in my glasses case "have you seen my glasses case?"
A glass case implies a case or box made out of glass.
Réponse: re de mariet, postée le 2004-07-06 23:42:58 (S | E)
That's what I thought, caz, but I needed confirmation. Thank you again.
I won't interfere with your sleep tonight ! ;)
Your 'How confusing' reminded me of a text about some oddities in your language (there aren't so many as in ours though), as I remembered the title I looked for it on the net and I've posted it in the English only forum. Hope you'll enjoy it!!
Réponse: re de soleil, postée le 2004-07-07 10:31:56 (S | E)
laisse tomber pour moi c du charabiat tout ce que je peu dire c'est : I am 13 years
Réponse: re de brunk, postée le 2004-07-07 10:46:50 (S | E)
.... uhm choisis entre 'I am 13' ou 'I am 13 years old' mais pas juste 'I am 13 years'...
Réponse: re à nina1591 de mariet, postée le 2004-07-07 14:59:59 (S | E)
"laisse tomber pour moi c du charabiat tout ce que je peu dire c'est : I am 13 years"
=> Laisse tomber pour moi c'EST du charabia. Tout ce que je peuX dire c'est : I am 13 years.
Si c'est tout ce que tu peux dire, mieux vaudrait ne pas le faire remarquer puisqu'on a expliqué auparavant que c'était FAUX!!!
Réponse: re de lucile83, postée le 2004-07-07 16:19:16 (S | E)
Sorry for my mistake !!! I knew I would learn something on this site! that means too much self confidence;
Thank you for your corrections;
see you soon
CLIQUEZ ICI POUR REPONDRE A CE SUJET