Would you kindly help me in English?

[Strange]

He was not so quick a learner as his brother.

 

He was not as quick a learner as his brother.

 

Which one do you use? or is there any difference between them?

 

Those both sound correct to me. I would use "not as" but "not so" isn't wrong. Maybe just a dialectical difference. Is "not so" more acceptable to Americans, I wonder?

 

Hmmm.... Thinking about it some more. I would use "not so" with an adjective phrase:

"How was the movie?"

"Not so bad. But not as good as the original."

[EdEarl]

Ref: http://grammar.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=grammar&cdn=education&tm=33&f=00&su=p284.13.342.ip_&tt=2&bt=2&bts=2&zu=http%3A//garbl.home.comcast.net/~garbl/stylemanual/

so Like the conjunctions and, but and yet, so is a useful, correct transition word at the beginning of sentences--instead of as a result, consequently and therefore. For emphasis, so may be followed by a comma. See and, but; thus; yet.
so as to Wordy. Change to to.
so-called It modifies a popularly known or questionably designated term. Don't enclose that term in quotation marks: so-called Gang of 6, so-called expert.

Ref: http://grammar.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=grammar&cdn=education&tm=33&f=00&su=p284.13.342.ip_&tt=2&bt=2&bts=2&zu=http%3A//garbl.home.comcast.net/~garbl/stylemanual/

as, like Often confused when comparing things. Both mean "equally" or "the same as." Use the conjunction as, however, to introduce a clause (a group of words with its own subject and verb), he should in this example: Jennifer saves her computer work as she should. Use like as a preposition to make a direct comparison of nouns or pronouns. It needs an object, an expert in this example: Jennifer saves her computer work like an expert. Memory tip: As is followed by a noun and a verb while like is followed by only a noun. See as if above; including, like, such as.
as long as Wordy. Replace with simpler if or since.
as of (now) Wordy. Replace with simpler now or today, or give a date: on Jan. 28, from Nov. 16.
as of yet See as yet, as of yet.
as per Jargon. Simplify. Replace with according to, or reword phrases to eliminate per: As per our instructions ... As we instructed. As per usual ... As usual. Avoid substituting wordy and legalistic in accordance with. See according to.
as regards Pompous. Simplify. Use about or as for.

AFAIK so ... as is commonly used, but not proper English,.

[Strange]

AFAIK so ... as is commonly used, but not proper English,.

 

I wonder what the difference is between "commonly used" and "proper English"; I guess it depends on which English you are talking about. You might avoid it in formal writing, but it seems perfectly acceptable in normal speech (or even informal writing).

[EdEarl]

 

I wonder what the difference is between "commonly used" and "proper English"; I guess it depends on which English you are talking about. You might avoid it in formal writing, but it seems perfectly acceptable in normal speech (or even informal writing).

Exactly, I would recommend writing a paper for an English class using so ... as, except as dialog for creative writing.

[Cyrus the Great]

Therefore, as a native speaker are these interchangeable/ the same?

 

 

He was not so quick a learner as his brother.

He was not as quick a learner as his brother.

Edited December 22, 2013 by Cyrus the Great

[EdEarl]

AFAIK they mean the same thing.

[John Cuthber]

In conversation, yes.

In formal writing I'd have to check but I think

He was not as quick a learner as his brother.

is better.

[EdEarl]

In conversation, yes.

In formal writing I'd have to check but I think

He was not as quick a learner as his brother.

is better.

Agree, and the only reason to ever use so ... as is in dialog of creative writing. Otherwise, it is slightly better to use as ... as.

Edited December 22, 2013 by EdEarl

[Cyrus the Great]

GReat.thank you all so much.

however, what a bout this one?

It is difficult to conceive of so astronomical a sum as a trillion dollars.

Source: Dictionary Oxford Advanced>>>>>(the word AS).

[iNow]

A trillion dollars is a sum so astronomical that it's difficult to conceive.

[Cyrus the Great]

Moreover, in everyday English what do people write or say? ,which one do you usually use?, or which one have not you seen ?

It is difficult to conceive of so astronomical a sum as a trillion dollars.
It is difficult to conceive of as astronomical a sum as a trillion dollars.


He is not as quick as his brother

"He is not so quick as his brother."

Edited December 22, 2013 by Cyrus the Great

[Cyrus the Great]

In everyday English what do people write or say? ,which one do you usually use?, or which one have not you seen ?

It is difficult to conceive of so astronomical a sum as a trillion dollars.
It is difficult to conceive of as astronomical a sum as a trillion dollars.


He is not as quick as his brother

"He is not so quick as his brother."

[Cyrus the Great]

Difference between “on” and “on top of”?

Generally, we use “on” when it is a normal place to put something:

• The keys are on the table.

And we use “on top of” when it is an unusual place to put something:

• The keys are on top of the refrigerator.

Source:

http://www.espressoenglish.net/prepositions-of-place-in-english/

 

[Strange]

It is difficult to conceive of so astronomical a sum as a trillion dollars.

It is difficult to conceive of as astronomical a sum as a trillion dollars.

 

Neither of those sound natural to me.

 

 

He is not as quick as his brother

 

"He is not so quick as his brother."

 

That has already been answered, hasn't it?

[Dekan]

It's hard to imagine a trillion dollars

[Cyrus the Great]

Who knows which tenses of English are not used or used merely?

Or, would you give me a standard reference that I can study this issue?

 

 

As far as I know these are the tenses that you often do not use. am I right?

Will have been verb+ing

Would have been verb+ing

 

 

 

 

Many thanks

Edited January 23, 2014 by Cyrus the Great

[imatfaal]

Who knows which tenses of English are not used or used merely?

 

Or, would you give me a standard reference that I can study this issue?

 

 

As far as I know these are the tenses that you often do not use. am I right?

Will have been verb+ing

Would have been verb+ing

 

 

 

 

Many thanks

 

 

 

Line-by-line:

"Who knows which tenses of English are not used or used merely?" This is a question asking which people or group of people know whether there are un-used or seldomly used tenses in English. It could also be interpreted as a declaration that no-one really knows - a common example would be "Who knows what the future might bring?" The usage and construction of "or used merely" is also incorrect

 

I would have asked the question as follows:

"Could you tell me if there are any tenses in English which are no longer used or are used infrequently?" or more simply

"Which tenses of English are no longer used?" "Are any tenses used infrequently?"

 

For matters of English Usage the best reference book is, in my opinion, Fowler's Modern English Usage. But even Wiktionary can be a great guide.

 

"As far as I know these are the tenses that you often do not use. am I right?" I would use a different construction to make this question less personal and more general

 

I believe the below are examples of tenses that are not used often. Is this correct?

 

And the answer is probably No.

 

I will have been typing this post for about 5 minutes by the time I get to the end of this sentence; I use this tense fairly frequently.

 

I would have been eating my lunch if I were not typing this response. Please note that this sentence also contains the past subjunctive tense - "if I were...". Now that is a fairly rare tense or mood. You can read an interesting article on the subjunctive mood at Wikipedia

[Olinguito]

I would have been eating my lunch if I were not typing this response.

IMHO this is better: “I would be eating my lunch if I were not typing this response.”

 

Example of a would have been + -ing construction: “If I had carried on waiting, I would have been waiting for two hours by the time she turned up.”

[Cyrus the Great]

Across the Chesapeake Bay from the rest of the state ........ , whose farms produce beans, tomatoes, and other garden vegetables.

A. there lies Maryland's Eastern Shore.

B. lies Maryland's Eastern Shore.

C. Maryland's Eastern Shore lies there.

D. Maryland's Eastern Shore lies.

My teacher has already said that the correct choose is B.

What is your opinion?

PLease elaborate your explanations. I would like REASON not only YES or NO.

Many thanks

[Externet]

My opinion is the words 'eastern' and 'shore' , and probably 'bay' should not be in upper case, so all are wrong for teaching English.

[Endy0816]

Off topic: He writes "Would you kindly" and we all proceed to help him out in whatever way he asks...

[Cyrus the Great]

"once we are clear about what it is to advert"

What does TO ADVERT and CAPACITY mean, here?

Source:

 

 

http://books.google.com/books?id=VKZQYs0aX9sC&pg=PA321&lpg=PA321&dq=%22once+we+are+clear+about+what+it+is+to+advert%22&source=bl&ots=y-8OHLPq4e&sig=tqad7lbTwXR5a13Cvve6_t4EQSY&hl=en&sa=X&ei=dRILU7-ZLoiErAeY8oCoAg&ved=0CCMQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%22once%20we%20are%20clear%20about%20what%20it%20is%20to%20advert%22&f=false

 

 

Thanks in advance

[imatfaal]

Cyrus - the use of advert as a verb in this context is a juridical usage and would not be recognized nor used in normal speech/writing. I would describe to advert in this context as to turn one's attention to, consider, notice.

 

Capacity is used as the potential ability to do something - ie those acts which one is capable of performing. It comes from the notion that an individual with the capacity for something contains or holds the skill or aptitude to perform that action.

 

In this context the author is drawing a distinction between recklessness - in which an agent adverts to a hazard and still proceeds, and negligence in which the agent has the capacity to advert to the risk, fails to, and still proceeds. This is a very exact legal argument and not one for everyday usage. Are you a Law Student or Lawyer? Law texts (especially judgments) have some lovely use of English - but beware it is often very old fashioned, perhaps over precise, and regularly would not be understood even by an educated reader.

[Cyrus the Great]

http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/take+into+account

 

1. take someone or something into account and take into account someone or something
   to remember to consider someone or something [McGraw-Hill]

2. take something into account and take something into consideration
   to consider something to be an important factor in some decision. [McGraw-Hill]

3. take something/somebody into account also take account of something/somebody
   to think about something or someone when you are making a decision or a judgement [Cambridge]

4. take something into account also take account of something
   to include something when making a decision or judgment [Cambridge]

I am wondering how you would take into account their difference? Or are they interchangeable? If so, when, where, or in which situation?

Would you please elaborate your explanations in such a way I could get them more readily?

Thanks in advance

[swansont]

!

Moderator Note

Merged. Please stop opening new threads to ask this type of question. Post ONLY in this thread to ask about English