English Question !

[benfly123]

Hi Everybody,

I have a question :

At school, we had to learn all (maybe not all, but, at least, a lot) irregular verbs !
I saw on the forum (I don't remember who !) someone who used this way :
Instead of use an irregular verb like "I ran", he/she used this way "I did run".

Is it correct ? Does it always work ?
Because It would be very useful when you don't remember those irregular verbs ! !

It is a question for English native speakers, but if others can answer, it would be great too !


Thanks a lot ! !

It sounds more natural just to say "I ran". I ran away from the dog. He ran for office ten years ago.

I would use "I did run" if there was doubt and you wanted to emphasize it really happened. Really, your dog ate your homework? Yes, he did eat my homework.

I would use "I was running" when there was an interrupted action (for past tense). I was running when I tripped over a rock.

I find the uses of run should be more complicated for foreign learners. They run the business. They are running for office. The water is running. He runs very fast. The computer isn't running. The Olympics run for 16 days.

For me, using I did as in I did run away from the dog, I would understand it, but it doesn't fell natural.

Here is my tip for language learning, if you see three different people use it, then it is ok to mimic. Like most languages, we don't follow the rules exactly.

 

[Wired Parrott]

As much as I frown that the Americans have bastardised the language to suit themselves

We done what?

 

[Dafsade]

85% des francophones ou bien 85% de tout le monde ? La langue de Molière n’est pas plus compliqué que la langue de Shakespeare, ce sont les nuances qui sont souvent difficiles à cerner

Err, let me translate :

85% of french-speaking people or 85% of all people ? Language of Molière isn’t harder to understand than The language of Shakespeare but it’s the small details which is often harder to get

Good thing i’m 100% bilingual and french is my first language

Tu parles français ? ? ? C'est plutôt rare ici ! t'es de France ?
Ni l'un ni l'autre ! Je parlais, en fait, des français ! Et même, de France Métropolitaine !
Et je ne connais pas Shakespeare, du moins, ce que j'ai lu de lui était en français... donc, je ne peux que te croire !

 

[Dafsade]

It sounds more natural just to say "I ran". I ran away from the dog. He ran for office ten years ago.

I would use "I did run" if there was doubt and you wanted to emphasize it really happened. Really, your dog ate your homework? Yes, he did eat my homework.

I would use "I was running" when there was an interrupted action (for past tense). I was running when I tripped over a rock.

I find the uses of run should be more complicated for foreign learners. They run the business. They are running for office. The water is running. He runs very fast. The computer isn't running. The Olympics run for 16 days.

For me, using I did as in I did run away from the dog, I would understand it, but it doesn't fell natural.

Here is my tip for language learning, if you see three different people use it, then it is ok to mimic. Like most languages, we don't follow the rules exactly.

ah great reply ! ! I understand well differences !

And, you are TOTALY right ! using "run" for everything it is not really easy for us (non english native speakers) ! Can a computer run ? ? with its little sneakers ? wait a minute, i am imagining this !

 

[Xilikon]

Tu parles français ? ? ? C'est plutôt rare ici ! t'es de France ?
Ni l'un ni l'autre ! Je parlais, en fait, des français ! Et même, de France Métropolitaine !
Et je ne connais pas Shakespeare, du moins, ce que j'ai lu de lui était en français... donc, je ne peux que te croire !

Non, français de Québec avec son beau accent

 

[Dafsade]

Non, français de Québec avec son beau accent

ah d'accord ! ah ah ! et plein de mot qui n'ont pas le même sens qu'en France !

 

[Arggers]

Just to confuse things...

"A rough, dough-faced, thoughtful ploughman emerged from a slough to walk through the streets of Scarborough, coughing and hiccoughing."

The 9 "-ough" in that sentence are all pronounced differently.

(Although who the hell spells ' hiccuping' like that?!)

 

[Dafsade]

Just to confuse things...

"A rough, dough-faced, thoughtful ploughman emerged from a slough to walk through the streets of Scarborough, coughing and hiccoughing."

The 9 "-ough" in that sentence are all pronounced differently.

(Although who the hell spells ' hiccuping' like that?!)

Thanks a lot ! I can't pronounce any word of this sentence ! except "from" and "and" ! ah ah !

 

[LX Air - Teresa]

Just to confuse things...

"A rough, dough-faced, thoughtful ploughman emerged from a slough to walk through the streets of Scarborough, coughing and hiccoughing."

The 9 "-ough" in that sentence are all pronounced differently.

(Although who the hell spells ' hiccuping' like that?!)

It’s a pity you can’t attach sound files to these posts. I would love to hear some of you (ie native English speakers) read that phrase slowly so we (all the others) could feel the difference...
From the 9, I can identify the difference in 5 only...

 

[crescent moon (RIP)]

It’s a pity you can’t attach sound files to these posts. I would love to hear some of you (ie native English speakers) read that phrase slowly so we (all the others) could feel the difference...
From the 9, I can identify the difference in 5 only...

I'm sure using the media tab someone could post an audio, but I don't have a microphone on my computer.

But maybe this will help a bit:

"A ruff, doe-faced, thotful plowman emerged from a slew to walk through the streets of Scarboroe, coffing and hiccuping."

To me, dough and Scarborough have a very similar sound, but the rest are very different.

 

[Ceve]

It’s a pity you can’t attach sound files to these posts. I would love to hear some of you (ie native English speakers) read that phrase slowly so we (all the others) could feel the difference...
From the 9, I can identify the difference in 5 only...

Try copying and pasting the sentence in Google Translate, and let it translate by voice. sounds pretty good

Also very funny to hear it pronounced if you select a different language

 

[Dafsade]

I'm sure using the media tab someone could post an audio, but I don't have a microphone on my computer.
View attachment 14669

But maybe this will help a bit:

"A ruff, doe-faced, thotful plowman emerged from a slew to walk through the streets of Scarboroe, coffing and hiccuping."

To me, dough and Scarborough have a very similar sound, but the rest are very different.

Good idea !

We need :
- one American
- one British
- one Australian
- one Irish
- one South African
- who do I forget ?

 

[Dafsade]

Try copying and pasting the sentence in Google Translate, and let it translate by voice. sounds pretty good

Also very funny to hear it pronounced if you select a different language

Ah ah ! I will ask google to read this sentence in French !!!

 

[Arggers]

...
"A ruff, doe-faced, thotful plowman emerged from a slew to walk through the streets of Scarboroe, coffing and hiccuping."

To me, dough and Scarborough have a very similar sound, but the rest are very different.

Although Scarborough is actually Scar-buh-ruh in English...or even Scar-bruh.

It's only *that* side of the pond where it's Scar-boe-roe

 

[Dafsade]

Although Scarborough is actually Scar-buh-ruh in English...or even Scar-bruh.

It's only *that* side of the pond where it's Scar-boe-roe

hum hum ....

 

[LX Air - Teresa]

.

 

[LX Air - Teresa]

Just to confuse things...

" hiccoughing!)

...” hiccuping."
.

That was the one that surprised me most! You really read it as if it was there a “p” ?

 

[Madge59230]

That was the one that surprised me most! You really read it as if it was there a “p” ?

Yes, hick-up-ing

I'm not a linguist but its the letters before which effect the sound. Hence cough and hiccough are not the same. A lot of people spell it hiccup.

 

[Bob69bob]

Good idea !
We need
- one Australian

I can help with that one

 

[LX Air - Teresa]

Yes, hick-up-ing

I'm not a linguist but its the letters before which effect the sound. Hence cough and hiccough are not the same. A lot of people spell it hiccup.

Yes, that’s the spelling I already knew...