[gerund, infinitive and participle] a round eleven to try

English grammar is a minefield, not least because it is often dependent on intention and that was always brought home when observing Russian teachers of English. The Russians are pedantic in all things official, as distinct from the way they run their daily lives and continually demanded, ‘Which is the correct answer?’

I tried to explain that, in English, it’s more accurate to ask, ‘Which is the best variant?’

No, that didn’t compute. They’d listen to my explanation and then ask, ‘Which is the correct answer? What’s the rule?’

Try these:

1. Try _____ less butter in the recipe. [use]

2. Do you agree _____ me with my homework? [help]

3. Do you remember _____ to the beach last summer? [go]

4. They were expected _____ arrived by now. [have]

5. I’m telling you, it’s better _____ kind to all people –. [be]

6. I regret _____ you that now. [tell]

7. She stopped _____ hello. [say]

8. I like _____ in the bathtub – it helps me _____ . [sing, relax]

9. If you should decide _____ the offer, we’d be delighted to have you. [accept]

10. She started _____ as soon as he said he was _____ her. [cry, leave]

11. I regret _____ you that your application has not been successful. [inform]


Possible answers

[pascha] april nineteenth in 2009

Just thought you'd like to know:

19 апреля (дата для 2009 г.)

Христос Воскресе!
Воистину Воскресе!

О, как чудодейственны эти слова! Когда мы их произносим или слышим, в наших сердцах загораются огни святой радости о Господе Иисусе Христе Воскресшем.

This blog is going with the Orthodox celebration this year, as there are many cards to send. So a post will appear early next week, halfway between the western and eastern remembrance.

[you gotta laugh] faster response

Lord T today on the new first response vehicles:

There is one design team though who I think may be in the wrong field. Their ambulance is designed for rapid access off road and then, and I quote exactly, ”Once on the scene an ejector type seat is activated to launch the paramedic, with all the kit and equipment they need, into the thick of the action.”

Mind boggles.

DK images

[vicissitudes] it’s the little ones which irritate …

Life in Britain is a dream. For a start, there’s Gordo, socialism, we all have jobs and the money’s rolling in.

Not.

No truly, there are some great aspects to life here. Er … the woods are lovely, the view from the window is a treat, the people in the town are warm and friendly, you don’t need to buy bottled water as in Russia and the place is basically clean.

It’s civilized in some ways.

So forgive me for being frustrated by petty things. Let’s start with the saga of the buckwheat.

ASDA, bless its cotton socks, ran this line [see pic above] until two weeks ago, I suspect largely for the Eastern European market. Speak to a Russian about the efficacy of this particular grain, combine it with shredded cabbage and many of your food needs are met.

They’ve discontinued it, the bstds. When I went to the management, they told me it wasn’t selling. Oh yeah, then how come it slowly disappeared off the shelves? How could I know that unless at least I was buying it?

Sometimes, it’s the loss of the little things which knocks you for six. Now i know what you're thinking - wtf doesn't Higham go to one of the plethora of other stores across the length of Britain but I reserve the right to be petulant and immature in this - I want ASDA to stock the stuff.

Now for the pic below – do you know what that is?

It’s a bloody magnet and where was it? Stuck in the DVD I bought so I couldn’t get the DVD out of the case.

It took a bench top, a sharp knife, a fork, some pincers, seven or eight tries and about 45 minutes to finally work the case open without breaking or scratching anything and then came the problem of the plastic bit in the centre which holds the disc in. It wouldn’t go down because of this bar in the pic and so I had to carve the lugs off, trying not to touch the disc.

I bought a second DVD last night and asked the girl what the hell they sold them with that thing in it for? Was it to add piquancy to our enjoyment of the film when we eventually get to watch it?

She put it in a device and removed two magnets. No one tells you these things. I’ve been away, haven’t I?

[incentives] or one size fits all

Long ago, in my games-master days, we took our team of young tykes to a bigger school for a cricket match.

From the beginning, we were under the hammer and lost three or four quick wickets. One of our middle order, a young lad, had his father watching and it was clear that the game was soon going to be over; everyone was despondent.

I then overheard the father offering to take his mate [the next batsman in after that] and the kid to McDonalds or wherever, if they'd go out and knock up thirty runs. Obviously the man usually delivered because these two kids went in like mini-Bothams and smashed the opposition bowlers all over the ground, with the result that we won the match.

At Monday assembly, the Head sang the praises of the team, in coming back from the jaws of defeat and then asked me to his office to tear strips off me. One of our parents had complained that I'd done nothing to dress down the offending 'briber' and that this was against the spirit etc. etc.

This is an emotive issue, incentives and I reasoned that as the father had spoken only to his own kid and best mate [son of the father's best mate], thus there was no need to have said anything. On the other hand, the Head's view was that it was promoting the wrong values.

Fast forward to a discussion between two bloggers. One said that there should be one wage for all, to be fair to the have-nots. The other blogger asked what if he was a surgeon? As he can no longer earn any more nor less than the basic wage, he might as well do part time shelf-stacking round the corner and safe himself all that hassle in the high stress stress occupation of surgery. Ditto air traffic controllers and other well paid but stressful jobs.

Thus the brain drain is put in place and everything tends to mediocrity.

Incentives. Are they the lifeblood of society?

[april first] eleven - three