English Questions There Isn't / There Aren't And Some Other Questions

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Mery Saturday 26th of November 2005 05:10:30 PM
Questions - Hi,

I was talking to one of my English friends yesterday and in the middle of the conversation I used the sentence [b]there isn't any shops in my village.[/b] My friend told me I should have said [b]there aren't any shops in my village.[/b] I'm confused now. Can anyone please tell me which sentence is correct? He wasn't sure that 'there aren't' is the correct form, that's why I'm asking the question here.

Another question, what would you say in a conversation when you want to talk about something which has no link with what you said before (words like 'anyways', 'on another subject'...)? Can you please give me other sentences?

I might ask more questions later... Thanks in advance for your answers :D

Caramelicious Saturday 26th of November 2005 07:27:44 PM
- There arn't any shops in my village --
This is the correct sentence,

I think it is because of the word "Shops", shops is plural so you use "are", as in shops are, as if you were to say There are shops in my village, but you just made is negative, there aren't any shops in my village.

If you would say "Shop" as in singular, then you would say "There isn't a shop in my village", because shop as a singular noun takes "is".

I hope this explains it.

Yes, you could say 'anyways', but I must say that I don't like it when people say that. To me it is offensive, but many don't see it that way.
I think that you could simply talk about their topic and then once you see that you are starting to stop talking about it, say something like "Hey! guess what? ...."

Mery Saturday 26th of November 2005 07:30:53 PM
- Merci beaucoup AaRon! Ce que je ne comprends pas, c'est pourquoi personne ne m'a jamais corrigé quand je disais 'there isn't any...'. J'ai sans doute fait cette erreur des centaines de fois :( Enfin, le principal c'est que je ne la fasse plus maintenant.

Caramelicious Saturday 26th of November 2005 07:45:34 PM
- Ah, avec une phrase avec le mot "any" parfois c'est dificile pour comprendre, mais oui.
There isn't any/There isn't a - singular objects
(I'd use "There isn't a" because sometimes saying "There isn't any" even gets a native speak confused.)
-- There isn't any paper over there.
-- There isn't a pencil in your bag.

There arn't any - Plural Objects
-- There arn't any books left to read.

But of course, English these days, we say anything we want and sometimes we don't know that it's incorrect, because it sounds correct to us.
I do say things like
"There isn't any pencils in your bag." I don't know if it is correct or not, but to my ears, it sounds alright.
:S
But that's just me, I get corrected all the time. :D
*wow that sentence just makes people want to read my explination AND believe it*

Mery Saturday 26th of November 2005 07:53:55 PM
- Merci pour les informations complémentaires. Tout me paraît plus clair maintenant. Je reposerai problablement d'autres questions dans cette thread parce que j'ai un test d'anglais le 8 décembre alors je dois pratiquer :p

NateD Saturday 26th of November 2005 10:07:29 PM
-
[quote][i]Originally posted by Mery[/i]

Another question, what would you say in a conversation when you want to talk about something which has no link with what you said before (words like 'anyways', 'on another subject'...)? Can you please give me other sentences?

I might ask more questions later... Thanks in advance for your answers :D [/quote]

It depends on how much you want it to be linked! There is degree and nuance, which is always [i]so[/i] exciting for the student (sarcasm!).

But, 'anyway' is nice and neutral. It shows that you've been listening (as in, "beyond what you just said..."), but that you have something separate from, especially when current the conversation isn't important. "Anywise" and "Anyhow" mean roughly the same thing.

As in:

"The stores aren't open today."
"Anyhow, I have to get going."
Anyway can also be used when you're still on the same subject but want to make a quick 'turn', often to negate something. As in:

"Jimmy didn't invite me to the dance."
"He's a jerk anyway. You're better off alone."
Note: "anyways" isn't a correct English word. "Anyway" is. But, many English speakers aren't correct about it...

Another joining/separating phrase "in any case", meaning: "despire everything else".

As in:

"So you didn't have a car today?"
"Yeah. But, in any case, I got there fine."

Or:

"Your mom stole all of your money from your piggy bank!?"
"Yeah, but, in any case, she's a jerk, and not worth the trouble!"

"In any case" can also be used in a similar sense to "anyway".

I hope this helps! If I can elucidate further, just let me know...

Mery Saturday 26th of November 2005 10:12:51 PM
- Thank you very much Nate! It really helps me. I had never heard of 'anyhow', 'anywise' and 'in any case'. I always use 'anyways'. I had a question about the difference between 'anyway' and 'anyways', but you replied before I asked the question :D So, once again thank you. I appreciate your help.

NateD Saturday 26th of November 2005 10:28:21 PM
- Well, "anyhow" and "anywise" are less common and [i]slightly[/i] more archaic. Which in English, usually translates into "smarter"!

Mery Sunday 27th of November 2005 05:43:52 PM
- One more thing I've always had problems with... the difference between "this" and "that". I know it's a question that could be asked by a beginner :$ In French we don't really have a distinction between this and that. Example: 'ce livre' can either mean this book or that book. So, when I have to write in English, I often don't know if this or that is supposed to be used.

Here's an example taken from one of my posts:

[quote]Introductions: because we agreed to meet new members. I've changed my mind about [b]this[/b] forum. Now I really think we should keep it.[/quote]

I don't know if 'this' is correct.

Another question... :D I forgot when I have to use 'ought to'. I never use it :s

Thanks in advance everyone! :)

Osman Sunday 27th of November 2005 06:07:35 PM
- bonjour Mery :)

i will try to reply but as i am not a native-speaker it may not be tasteful :D

[b]this and that[/b]

"this" expresses that you hold something (or you are just near it,insde of it)
but "that" shows you point something.

i want to give some examples.

[b]Dad:[/b] This is a book. (to hold the book in your hand or be close,be inside of it -room etc.-)
[b]Son:[/b] That is a book. (to point the book in the hand of dad.

i think i could tell

also if we look at the question forums of this and that, that will be clearer.

[b]Dad:[/b]is this a book?
[b]Son:[/b]yes that is a book...

about [b]ought to[/b]

Ought to is very often used when we want to express the idea that it is the right thing to do/the natural helpful thing to do. Should has less of a moral flavour.

but if to be honest, i dont care that. i just use "should" :) Hehe.

Au Revoir Mery!
i hope that is helpful.

Mery Sunday 27th of November 2005 06:21:48 PM
- Bonjour et merci :)

I knew that 'this' indicates something which is close to you and 'that' something which is far, but in some cases (like the sentence I posted), I have no idea which one I have to use. I know it's weird :D

Concerning 'ought to', thanks for your explanation, I understand better. I guess I'll keep on saying 'should' like I'm used to :D

Au revoir et merci encore!

Mathieu Sunday 27th of November 2005 08:31:48 PM
- Hmm 'this' and 'that', in spite of their seemingly easy and clear cut definition, will always be a bit of a problem, I think every language applies them slightly differently, if they indeed have the disctinction like that, and not just 1, or maybe 3, 4, etc, with all different applications (Swedish has several for example). I know that in my native, Dutch, when you use "this" instead of "that" in some contexts it sounds more formal.

The normal way is:

"Ik heb geen geld. Dat is een groot probleem."
"I have no money. That is a big problem."

More formal or written style is:

"Ik heb geen geld. Dit is een groot probleem."
"I have no money. This is a big problem."

I would expect it is exactly like that in English, that the latter sounds more formal, although here you're touching upon something very advanced, it's hard for me to see if that's just an assumption I make because of my own language or if it actually is like that.. this.. :D

Mery Monday 28th of November 2005 12:16:10 AM
- Dank je voor de voorbeelden in het Nederlands :) Ik had aan deze verklaring niet gedacht. Ik heb ook een probleem met het verschil tussen "it's" en "that's". I don't really know the difference between "it's easy" and "that's easy" for example. Het Engels is soms zeer moeilijk :(

Mathieu Monday 28th of November 2005 01:09:45 AM
- Wat is je Nederlands goed! Helemaal geen fouten, mijn complimenten :D

Hmm well it's very hard to explain "it" and "that" a way without using the words "it" and "that" themselves :D
I'd say;

This - the object over here, the matter that is being discussed right here
It - an object in general, regardless of place, just like pronouns he, she, etc.
That - the object over there, a matter being discussed before, pointing to it from a more detached point or something..

Now if you'd say "it's easy" or "that's easy" shouldn't make such a big difference usually (I'd use the latter if someone said something and you want to emphasize it is that, which has just been said, that you are referring to, and not a matter in general). There is however another application of "it" which "this" and "that" do not have, it can be an expletive; a word which doesn't really play a role in te sentence but which is syntactically required as a subject (to use your language as an example, I think like "il" in "il faut .." where you don't mean "il" as a person):

"[It] is [easy]" - something is easy
"[That] is [easy]" - something is easy

"[It] is easy [to speak English]" - [to speak English] is easy
*"[That] is easy [to speak English]" - wrong!

(Dutch expletives are "er" and "het", "Er loopt een man", "Het is een goed idee om te lopen")
Now I'm sure you knew about at least the English one, but perhaps you weren't consciously aware of this; "it" and "there" can be used as subjects and don't mean a thing, "this" and "that" [b]always[/b] refer to an object which [b]is[/b] involved in the meaning.

I never make any errors in choosing between expletives "it" and "there" (e.g., you can't say *"there is easy to speak English" or *"it is a man in the room"), but I have no idea what the rule is to picking which. Maybe anyone knows?

Mery Monday 28th of November 2005 01:45:18 AM
- Ik ben verbaasd, dat ik geen fouteen gemaakt heb :D Dat is een mirakel! Ik moet mijn Nederlands voor de 8 december verbeteren, omdat ik een test voor een baan heb. I'm almost sure I'm going to fail lol. Oh well, I'll do my best :D

Anyway, thanks very much for the explanations :) It becomes easier for me to understand.

NateD Monday 28th of November 2005 02:24:42 AM
- As always, nuance...

"It" is never used in reference to people (though some people use it in reference to babies). So while one would say of a book: "It is in the room.", one would have to use "There is a man in the room". With things, "it's in the room" is just a contraction (basically) of "There is a book in the room.

So:

"Where's the book?"
"It's in the room."

or, if you're simply letting someone know:

"There's a book in the room."

I suppose sometimes "it" can be used for people, but the only examples I can think of are from silly movies, and such, like: "It's a MAN!"

"This" and "that" can often be thought of as more demonstrative versions of "here" and "there". There's nothing measurable about it...

It's in that sense that you would use "it's easy" and "that's easy", also. You would say "It's easy!" if you were the one doing the action, but you would say "That's easy!" if it were being done by another. Again, the distinction between "here" and "there". You wouldn't say "That's easy" if you were in the midst of the action. It would be understood, but it would be understood as strange...

It becomes more subtle when there's no particular placement.

"I wish I could learn Swedish."
"Oh, it's easy."

Here implying that you've already learned some Swedish, and can say that it is, in fact, easy.

However, if somebody is showing you how to do something, and you are just [i]coming into[/i] that knowledge, then you would say "Oh, that's easy.", because it's not internalized yet. There's another small distinction: "Oh, that's easy." is slightly less confident than "That's easy", the latter showing no surprise at being able to do it.

There's no difference in formality. =)

The forum example:

When on the forum (within), you would say "this forum", but when you are away from it (talking about it to a friend, for example), you could refer to is as "that forum"; however, you would normally describe it: "It is..."

The money example:

In English, it can change based on how much you distance yourself.

So, you could say:

"I have no money. This is a big problem!"

You could also say:

"I have no money. That is a big problem!"

but you would be more "distant" from the problem. As in, it's a big problem, generally, and you happen to be a part of it. Whereas using "this", you're saying the problem applies to you, very specifically. As in, "It's my problem, and it's a big one!"

Mathieu Monday 28th of November 2005 02:45:03 AM
- Thanks NateD, for solving that this/that issue I had :D I know now it's not a difference in formality, so I can use both, yay :) (in Dutch, the "this" one generally sounds a bit lame, I'm glad that's not the case in English :D)

However I still don't know how to choose the right expletive, that is, I always get it right, simply because it's the same in Dutch, but it would be fun to know a rule to it, and probably useful to others.
Like
[b]There[/b] is a man in the room
[b]It[/b] is hard to learn

And not the other way around. I've seen students from other countries always using "it" for an expletive, saying things like "[b]It[/b] is a difference between this and that", "[b]It[/b] is a car in the garage", etc, where you really should be using "there". It seems that mistake is made pretty often by people with specific native languages that problably don't have that distinction.

NateD Monday 28th of November 2005 03:10:32 AM
- Note/Edit: You used a good example of this/that! Most people would say "That problem I had (at another time)", but, "This problem I have (currently)".

"There" is only used in the sense of placement. So you would say:

"There is a man in the room."

or:

"There are leaves on the tree."

In the case of "It is easy to learn." 'it' is functioning merely as a pronoun, with no sense of placement. "There" is almost always used in the sense of physical placement, even in cases like: "There's a thought in my head". While the thing itself isn't physicaly, it's being attributed physically...

Maybe this (rather silly) example can make it more clear:

"There is a thought. It's in my head."

With "it is a difference between this and that", it depends on if you're attributing location or, at times, actuality. For example, "There is a difference between Earth and Mars"; you're referring to something actual, and emphasizing that quality of it. If you were to say "it is a difference between Earth and Mars", you wouldn't be pointing to Earth and Mars themselves, and the comparative difference between; rather, you would be pointing to the specific thing that is different.

Cliven Tuesday 29th of November 2005 01:52:38 AM
- This can get confusing. For uncountable or singular things, like "water" or "a cassette", you use "is(n't)". For plural things, like "some CDs" you use "are(n't)".

EG:
there isn't any water
there isn't a cassette
there aren't any CDs (or "there are no CDs")
there aren't any people (or "there are no people")

In some dialects, they may use different words altogether, for example:
there ain't no water
there ain't no cassette
there ain't no CDs
there ain't no people

lexicon Sunday 04th of December 2005 10:22:55 AM
- How about a sentence like this:

"A group of people begins talking."

"Begins" is the correct form of the word, instead of "begin". This is because the [i]group[/i] is the subject, not the people. It's tricky even for native English speakers.

Adding the letter "s" to the end of the word is counter-intuitive (it doesn't seem to make sense). It's a singular noun paired with a verb that looks plural. Likewise, "People begin talking" is the correct form when the people are the subject.

NateD Sunday 04th of December 2005 12:34:41 PM
- A general tip:

The object of a preposition (and the whole phrase itself for that matter) can't be the subject. Watch especially for the common preoposition "of"; the proceeding word should not affect the verb.

So:

"The school of fish swims."

and

"The batch of shoes is ready."

"School swims."
"Batch is ready."

Phrasebase Archive
	Mery	Saturday 26th of November 2005 05:10:30 PM
	Questions - Hi, I was talking to one of my English friends yesterday and in the middle of the conversation I used the sentence [b]there isn't any shops in my village.[/b] My friend told me I should have said [b]there aren't any shops in my village.[/b] I'm confused now. Can anyone please tell me which sentence is correct? He wasn't sure that 'there aren't' is the correct form, that's why I'm asking the question here. Another question, what would you say in a conversation when you want to talk about something which has no link with what you said before (words like 'anyways', 'on another subject'...)? Can you please give me other sentences? I might ask more questions later... Thanks in advance for your answers :D
	Caramelicious	Saturday 26th of November 2005 07:27:44 PM
	- There arn't any shops in my village -- This is the correct sentence, I think it is because of the word "Shops", shops is plural so you use "are", as in shops are, as if you were to say There are shops in my village, but you just made is negative, there aren't any shops in my village. If you would say "Shop" as in singular, then you would say "There isn't a shop in my village", because shop as a singular noun takes "is". I hope this explains it. Yes, you could say 'anyways', but I must say that I don't like it when people say that. To me it is offensive, but many don't see it that way. I think that you could simply talk about their topic and then once you see that you are starting to stop talking about it, say something like "Hey! guess what? ...."
	Mery	Saturday 26th of November 2005 07:30:53 PM
	- Merci beaucoup AaRon! Ce que je ne comprends pas, c'est pourquoi personne ne m'a jamais corrigé quand je disais 'there isn't any...'. J'ai sans doute fait cette erreur des centaines de fois :( Enfin, le principal c'est que je ne la fasse plus maintenant.
	Caramelicious	Saturday 26th of November 2005 07:45:34 PM
	- Ah, avec une phrase avec le mot "any" parfois c'est dificile pour comprendre, mais oui. There isn't any/There isn't a - singular objects (I'd use "There isn't a" because sometimes saying "There isn't any" even gets a native speak confused.) -- There isn't any paper over there. -- There isn't a pencil in your bag. There arn't any - Plural Objects -- There arn't any books left to read. But of course, English these days, we say anything we want and sometimes we don't know that it's incorrect, because it sounds correct to us. I do say things like "There isn't any pencils in your bag." I don't know if it is correct or not, but to my ears, it sounds alright. :S But that's just me, I get corrected all the time. :D wow that sentence just makes people want to read my explination AND believe it
	Mery	Saturday 26th of November 2005 07:53:55 PM
	- Merci pour les informations complémentaires. Tout me paraît plus clair maintenant. Je reposerai problablement d'autres questions dans cette thread parce que j'ai un test d'anglais le 8 décembre alors je dois pratiquer :p
	NateD	Saturday 26th of November 2005 10:07:29 PM
	- [quote][i]Originally posted by Mery[/i] Another question, what would you say in a conversation when you want to talk about something which has no link with what you said before (words like 'anyways', 'on another subject'...)? Can you please give me other sentences? I might ask more questions later... Thanks in advance for your answers :D [/quote] It depends on how much you want it to be linked! There is degree and nuance, which is always [i]so[/i] exciting for the student (sarcasm!). But, 'anyway' is nice and neutral. It shows that you've been listening (as in, "beyond what you just said..."), but that you have something separate from, especially when current the conversation isn't important. "Anywise" and "Anyhow" mean roughly the same thing. As in: "The stores aren't open today." "Anyhow, I have to get going." Anyway can also be used when you're still on the same subject but want to make a quick 'turn', often to negate something. As in: "Jimmy didn't invite me to the dance." "He's a jerk anyway. You're better off alone." Note: "anyways" isn't a correct English word. "Anyway" is. But, many English speakers aren't correct about it... Another joining/separating phrase "in any case", meaning: "despire everything else". As in: "So you didn't have a car today?" "Yeah. But, in any case, I got there fine." Or: "Your mom stole all of your money from your piggy bank!?" "Yeah, but, in any case, she's a jerk, and not worth the trouble!" "In any case" can also be used in a similar sense to "anyway". I hope this helps! If I can elucidate further, just let me know...
	Mery	Saturday 26th of November 2005 10:12:51 PM
	- Thank you very much Nate! It really helps me. I had never heard of 'anyhow', 'anywise' and 'in any case'. I always use 'anyways'. I had a question about the difference between 'anyway' and 'anyways', but you replied before I asked the question :D So, once again thank you. I appreciate your help.
	NateD	Saturday 26th of November 2005 10:28:21 PM
	- Well, "anyhow" and "anywise" are less common and [i]slightly[/i] more archaic. Which in English, usually translates into "smarter"!
	Mery	Sunday 27th of November 2005 05:43:52 PM
	- One more thing I've always had problems with... the difference between "this" and "that". I know it's a question that could be asked by a beginner :$ In French we don't really have a distinction between this and that. Example: 'ce livre' can either mean this book or that book. So, when I have to write in English, I often don't know if this or that is supposed to be used. Here's an example taken from one of my posts: [quote]Introductions: because we agreed to meet new members. I've changed my mind about [b]this[/b] forum. Now I really think we should keep it.[/quote] I don't know if 'this' is correct. Another question... :D I forgot when I have to use 'ought to'. I never use it :s Thanks in advance everyone! :)
	Osman	Sunday 27th of November 2005 06:07:35 PM
	- bonjour Mery :) i will try to reply but as i am not a native-speaker it may not be tasteful :D [b]this and that[/b] "this" expresses that you hold something (or you are just near it,insde of it) but "that" shows you point something. i want to give some examples. [b]Dad:[/b] This is a book. (to hold the book in your hand or be close,be inside of it -room etc.-) [b]Son:[/b] That is a book. (to point the book in the hand of dad. i think i could tell also if we look at the question forums of this and that, that will be clearer. [b]Dad:[/b]is this a book? [b]Son:[/b]yes that is a book... about [b]ought to[/b] Ought to is very often used when we want to express the idea that it is the right thing to do/the natural helpful thing to do. Should has less of a moral flavour. but if to be honest, i dont care that. i just use "should" :) Hehe. Au Revoir Mery! i hope that is helpful.
	Mery	Sunday 27th of November 2005 06:21:48 PM
	- Bonjour et merci :) I knew that 'this' indicates something which is close to you and 'that' something which is far, but in some cases (like the sentence I posted), I have no idea which one I have to use. I know it's weird :D Concerning 'ought to', thanks for your explanation, I understand better. I guess I'll keep on saying 'should' like I'm used to :D Au revoir et merci encore!
	Mathieu	Sunday 27th of November 2005 08:31:48 PM
	- Hmm 'this' and 'that', in spite of their seemingly easy and clear cut definition, will always be a bit of a problem, I think every language applies them slightly differently, if they indeed have the disctinction like that, and not just 1, or maybe 3, 4, etc, with all different applications (Swedish has several for example). I know that in my native, Dutch, when you use "this" instead of "that" in some contexts it sounds more formal. The normal way is: "Ik heb geen geld. Dat is een groot probleem." "I have no money. That is a big problem." More formal or written style is: "Ik heb geen geld. Dit is een groot probleem." "I have no money. This is a big problem." I would expect it is exactly like that in English, that the latter sounds more formal, although here you're touching upon something very advanced, it's hard for me to see if that's just an assumption I make because of my own language or if it actually is like that.. this.. :D
	Mery	Monday 28th of November 2005 12:16:10 AM
	- Dank je voor de voorbeelden in het Nederlands :) Ik had aan deze verklaring niet gedacht. Ik heb ook een probleem met het verschil tussen "it's" en "that's". I don't really know the difference between "it's easy" and "that's easy" for example. Het Engels is soms zeer moeilijk :(
	Mathieu	Monday 28th of November 2005 01:09:45 AM
	- Wat is je Nederlands goed! Helemaal geen fouten, mijn complimenten :D Hmm well it's very hard to explain "it" and "that" a way without using the words "it" and "that" themselves :D I'd say; This - the object over here, the matter that is being discussed right here It - an object in general, regardless of place, just like pronouns he, she, etc. That - the object over there, a matter being discussed before, pointing to it from a more detached point or something.. Now if you'd say "it's easy" or "that's easy" shouldn't make such a big difference usually (I'd use the latter if someone said something and you want to emphasize it is that, which has just been said, that you are referring to, and not a matter in general). There is however another application of "it" which "this" and "that" do not have, it can be an expletive; a word which doesn't really play a role in te sentence but which is syntactically required as a subject (to use your language as an example, I think like "il" in "il faut .." where you don't mean "il" as a person): "[It] is [easy]" - something is easy "[That] is [easy]" - something is easy "[It] is easy [to speak English]" - [to speak English] is easy "[That] is easy [to speak English]" - wrong! (Dutch expletives are "er" and "het", "Er loopt een man", "Het is een goed idee om te lopen") Now I'm sure you knew about at least the English one, but perhaps you weren't consciously aware of this; "it" and "there" can be used as subjects and don't mean a thing, "this" and "that" [b]always[/b] refer to an object which [b]is[/b] involved in the meaning. I never make any errors in choosing between expletives "it" and "there" (e.g., you can't say "there is easy to speak English" or *"it is a man in the room"), but I have no idea what the rule is to picking which. Maybe anyone knows?
	Mery	Monday 28th of November 2005 01:45:18 AM
	- Ik ben verbaasd, dat ik geen fouteen gemaakt heb :D Dat is een mirakel! Ik moet mijn Nederlands voor de 8 december verbeteren, omdat ik een test voor een baan heb. I'm almost sure I'm going to fail lol. Oh well, I'll do my best :D Anyway, thanks very much for the explanations :) It becomes easier for me to understand.
	NateD	Monday 28th of November 2005 02:24:42 AM
	- As always, nuance... "It" is never used in reference to people (though some people use it in reference to babies). So while one would say of a book: "It is in the room.", one would have to use "There is a man in the room". With things, "it's in the room" is just a contraction (basically) of "There is a book in the room. So: "Where's the book?" "It's in the room." or, if you're simply letting someone know: "There's a book in the room." I suppose sometimes "it" can be used for people, but the only examples I can think of are from silly movies, and such, like: "It's a MAN!" "This" and "that" can often be thought of as more demonstrative versions of "here" and "there". There's nothing measurable about it... It's in that sense that you would use "it's easy" and "that's easy", also. You would say "It's easy!" if you were the one doing the action, but you would say "That's easy!" if it were being done by another. Again, the distinction between "here" and "there". You wouldn't say "That's easy" if you were in the midst of the action. It would be understood, but it would be understood as strange... It becomes more subtle when there's no particular placement. "I wish I could learn Swedish." "Oh, it's easy." Here implying that you've already learned some Swedish, and can say that it is, in fact, easy. However, if somebody is showing you how to do something, and you are just [i]coming into[/i] that knowledge, then you would say "Oh, that's easy.", because it's not internalized yet. There's another small distinction: "Oh, that's easy." is slightly less confident than "That's easy", the latter showing no surprise at being able to do it. There's no difference in formality. =) The forum example: When on the forum (within), you would say "this forum", but when you are away from it (talking about it to a friend, for example), you could refer to is as "that forum"; however, you would normally describe it: "It is..." The money example: In English, it can change based on how much you distance yourself. So, you could say: "I have no money. This is a big problem!" You could also say: "I have no money. That is a big problem!" but you would be more "distant" from the problem. As in, it's a big problem, generally, and you happen to be a part of it. Whereas using "this", you're saying the problem applies to you, very specifically. As in, "It's my problem, and it's a big one!"
	Mathieu	Monday 28th of November 2005 02:45:03 AM
	- Thanks NateD, for solving that this/that issue I had :D I know now it's not a difference in formality, so I can use both, yay :) (in Dutch, the "this" one generally sounds a bit lame, I'm glad that's not the case in English :D) However I still don't know how to choose the right expletive, that is, I always get it right, simply because it's the same in Dutch, but it would be fun to know a rule to it, and probably useful to others. Like [b]There[/b] is a man in the room [b]It[/b] is hard to learn And not the other way around. I've seen students from other countries always using "it" for an expletive, saying things like "[b]It[/b] is a difference between this and that", "[b]It[/b] is a car in the garage", etc, where you really should be using "there". It seems that mistake is made pretty often by people with specific native languages that problably don't have that distinction.
	NateD	Monday 28th of November 2005 03:10:32 AM
	- Note/Edit: You used a good example of this/that! Most people would say "That problem I had (at another time)", but, "This problem I have (currently)". "There" is only used in the sense of placement. So you would say: "There is a man in the room." or: "There are leaves on the tree." In the case of "It is easy to learn." 'it' is functioning merely as a pronoun, with no sense of placement. "There" is almost always used in the sense of physical placement, even in cases like: "There's a thought in my head". While the thing itself isn't physicaly, it's being attributed physically... Maybe this (rather silly) example can make it more clear: "There is a thought. It's in my head." With "it is a difference between this and that", it depends on if you're attributing location or, at times, actuality. For example, "There is a difference between Earth and Mars"; you're referring to something actual, and emphasizing that quality of it. If you were to say "it is a difference between Earth and Mars", you wouldn't be pointing to Earth and Mars themselves, and the comparative difference between; rather, you would be pointing to the specific thing that is different.
	Cliven	Tuesday 29th of November 2005 01:52:38 AM
	- This can get confusing. For uncountable or singular things, like "water" or "a cassette", you use "is(n't)". For plural things, like "some CDs" you use "are(n't)". EG: there isn't any water there isn't a cassette there aren't any CDs (or "there are no CDs") there aren't any people (or "there are no people") In some dialects, they may use different words altogether, for example: there ain't no water there ain't no cassette there ain't no CDs there ain't no people
	lexicon	Sunday 04th of December 2005 10:22:55 AM
	- How about a sentence like this: "A group of people begins talking." "Begins" is the correct form of the word, instead of "begin". This is because the [i]group[/i] is the subject, not the people. It's tricky even for native English speakers. Adding the letter "s" to the end of the word is counter-intuitive (it doesn't seem to make sense). It's a singular noun paired with a verb that looks plural. Likewise, "People begin talking" is the correct form when the people are the subject.
	NateD	Sunday 04th of December 2005 12:34:41 PM
	- A general tip: The object of a preposition (and the whole phrase itself for that matter) can't be the subject. Watch especially for the common preoposition "of"; the proceeding word should not affect the verb. So: "The school of fish swims." and "The batch of shoes is ready." "School swims." "Batch is ready."