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An unauthorized categorized list of interesting
language problems from a class in which German teachers were encouraged to
ask questions about more or less
tricky problems they came across e.g. when marking tests. |
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If you are interested: There is a very moving
28-minute video feature about the life of this extraordinary man on the web: |
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Query ê |
Answer / comment ê |
Simple versus progressive
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"Peter goes to school every day, but
today is Sunday, and so he stays at home." |
perfectly OK! |
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He had been sitting by the riverside for
three hours. He sat by the riverside for three
hours. |
The second sentence not wrong. But only
"Since when have you been sitting
here". |
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I saw that it had been raining. I saw that it had rained. |
Both possible. |
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"They were thoroughly wet because they
had walked through the rain for two hours." |
"walked" NOT wrong, although
"had been walking" would be more normal. |
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While she waited
at the bus stop, she heard somebody calling for help. |
Not wrong: "wait" contains
duration. |
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This is the first time I'm hearing of it. |
AE; in BE:This is the first time I've heard
of it |
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"Are you wanting tea?" |
very idiomatic, particularly polite |
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This lift has been sticking a lot recently |
ing-form expresses repetition in a certain
period of time; "stuck" would be wrong! |
"Have you
enjoyed the party so far"
"Have you been enjoying the party so far" |
the first more normal; the second also possible |
"Did you enjoy the party so far?", "Did
you enjoy the last few days?"
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NO! |
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"The pyramid has stood in the desert for
thousands of years" versus "The pyramid has been standing in the
desert for thousands of years" |
Both! |
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"I've been working for the company for
10 years" "I've worked for the company for 10
years" |
Both! |
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For three years he was playing for Manchester then he quit. |
No! "…. played"! |
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Pieces of glass lay / were lying on the
floor. |
Both. (With "Still" rather
progressive form) |
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More and more American universities claim
that …… |
No! Only "are claiming"! |
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The girl he goes / he's going with…. |
Both! |
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While she waited at the bus stop, she heard
somebody shouting for help. |
Possible because "waited" contains
duration |
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"Vorzeitigkeit"
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She asked me what my favourite free-time
activities were when I was ten. |
"had been" instead of
"were" would not only be pedantic but wrong!The backshift is not
the rule: è
pto E. g. He said he saw a ghost when he was in
England last time. |
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They met last week after the meeting was arranged a month ago. |
after 'after' (if it refers to time
sequence) normally simple past, nicht past perfect [ähnlich bei 'before'
– because in both cases the conjunction already expresses „Vorzeitigkeit“]. |
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BUT: After he had obtained a work permit, he was allowed to settle in the country. Oder: Yesterday two young men were arrested after they had broken into a bank. |
If "after" expresses 'causal relation', there must be past participle. |
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He knew
his father had given him the key
when he had left the house. |
"It seems to be a German failing to
repeat the past perfect in a dependent clause when this is not necessary;
'had left' sounds as if he was given the keys after leaving the house." It should be: … "when he left the house" or – even better
– "…when he was leaving the house". |
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Present
perfect simple versus simple past |
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There have been times when African and Asian
members of the Commonwealth have been [shouldn’t
it be: were?] angry with British governments for limiting immigration
into Britain. |
"were" is definitely right;
"have been" is also possible! |
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"What have you done!" But "Why
did you do it." "Where have I put my keys" (not
"Where did I put …"); "Have you seen my sneakers
anywhere?" (not "did you see…"); "She has just left" = BE "She just left" = AE |
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She has been married twice. She was married twice. |
Both correct; the second is just a historical
statement |
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"I always said that …………" |
idiomatic! |
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"Were you ever in Regensburg?"
statt "Have you ever been to [only!] Regensburg?" |
Not wrong, also possible! Idiomatic exception
to the rule! |
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We never saw something like that
before. |
Not wrong (also in written English – although
more American. |
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Did
you ever see such confusion? Have
you ever seen such confusion? Or: I
never met such a terrible liar. I've
never met such a terrible liar. OR: Did
you ever see a ghost? Have
you ever seen a ghost? |
both! both! both! Interchangeable! |
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Did
you ever meet a Pygmy? Have
you ever met a Pygmy? |
both! |
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Two Israelis have been shot in the West Bank yesterday. A Russian general has been killed in an air crash yesterday. |
possible,
not wrong (very common now – esp in newscasts; zuerst die Tatsache als
solche, dann als 'afterthought' zusätzlich eine Zeitangabe). |
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Present
Perfect versus Present
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"I have
a metal plate attached with seven screws to my tibia bone since an accident
in 1996." l"I have
this pain in my side since I was wounded…" |
"Have" in these cases not wrong,
because the present fact is more important! |
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She is terrified of riding a horse
since she was thrown off the horse last year. |
Correct, because the "since"-clause
gives the reason; like: … because she was thrown….. |
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Future
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I have to stay at home tonight; tomorrow I have to wash the curtains; |
no future necessary if obligation is now! |
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Similarly: Do we have to bring our books
tomorrow. |
Correct; nicht "Will we have to
bring our books tomorrow" – nobody would say that |
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Next week
I must tell you something
else. |
Possible (instead of 'I'll have to…') because you feel the obligation now. Hingegen: 'Next time you'll have to bring
your dictionaries'. |
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By contrast, "If the car breaks down, we
must walk"
è |
Wrong! Only 'We'll have to …'. |
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I hope England doesn't (or won't? or both?)
lose the match against Germany. |
Both! Hope can be followed by present or
future. |
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"Everybody can see this bridge is going
to collapse." – "If it is going to collapse, we had better use the
next bridge down the river." OR: "If he's going to come to dinner,
I'm going to leave." |
in such cases the going-to-future in
if-clauses is absolutely OK. Especially in the first sentence only “is going
to” expresses that the bridge is
bound to collapse / will necessarily collapse. |
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The situation will improve / is going to
improve / will be improving |
No difference in meaning. |
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We've got / we'll have a test tomorrow. |
both! |
Construction
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Everyone is enjoying themselves |
only! („unisex pronoun“) |
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No one likes to see their mother-in-law. |
" " " |
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This is
nothing to do with it. |
Absolutely idiomatic and correct; sames as
'this has nothing to do..." |
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This development caused that factories sprang up everywhere. |
No! |
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"It's him who / that gives
the orders." |
No; "he"; it would be preferable to
say: "He's the one who gives the orders." |
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Traditional rule: You should not start a
sentence with "because". |
No; because at the beginning of a sentence is
perfectly OK, even Fowler says it's correct |
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"He's not much good at
gardening." |
OK; idiomatic |
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"I think it isn't a good idea"
versus "I don't think it's a good idea": the second is preferable,
the first more formal, less usual |
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In this storm there were five people
killed. There was a crime committed here every night. |
No! No passive construction with
"there…" |
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The Ku Klux Klan is known for hating all non-whites. |
No! For idiomatic reasons. Only "….to
hate…". |
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It didn't strike me wrong. It didn't strike me as being wrong. |
Egal! |
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The boy was told off because of being late. Because of having no money he could not go on
holiday. |
No – "because of" + gerund is very unidiomatic! |
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Relative
clauses |
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This morning I met Diana, who
I hadn't seen for ages. |
In non-defining relative clauses in correct
standard English only "whom" |
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Diana, to whom I had given my camera, ….. Diana, whom I had given my camera to,…..; similarly "Mrs Butler, whom I spoke to
yesterday, is a fine woman." |
è
The second word order has come to be perfectly acceptable. |
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The group which accepts this ……… The group who accept this ………… |
both; but only "There are some companies which don't spend enough on research and devel opment. And: the police, who… |
Participle
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"with his father being unemployed, the family could afford to buy a car"; "with everybody being very tired, they decided to go to bed"; "though being terrified, …….." |
the "being" should be left out! |
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Infinitive
- gerund
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"Sorry
for troubling you with more
of such trivial questions"; "Sorry
to trouble you with more of such trivial
questions"; "Sorry for interrupting you"; "Sorry to interrupt you"; |
both correct and equally idiomatic |
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It's a good method to deal with this problem. |
No, only "of dealing" . |
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"in absolute / relative figures" |
No, only "terms". |
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nach "possibility" nur "of + gerund" |
im
ALD Infinitiv ausdrücklich als falsch deklariert |
Congruence
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Five and five is/are/make/makes ten |
all correct |
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There was (not "were"!) pudding and
some cherries on the table. |
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The fish and chips is
good.
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Nur so. |
In the green bottle is
one or more sleeping pills.
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Not! "…are"! |
The couple was walking up the hill.
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è
AE è
BE |
None of us know
……..
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Perfectly all right; "knows" would
be pedantic |
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Odds
and ends
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The jobs got less and less. |
In correct English it should be "fewer
and fewer"; BUT: "18 less", "a few
less" (ein paar weniger); three people less ("fewer" would be
wrong); "one bottle less" (eine Flasche weniger); three plates less
to wash; there are 75% less poisonous
exhaust gases now; in no fewer than 10 countries ["less" answers the question 'how much/long/big' –
measurement; "fewer" answers the question 'how many'] |
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commas:
before "because no comma except after a negative (otherwise wrong meaning; e.g. Don't come here to learn English,
because you know enough already) . Today in letters after "Dear Mr XY"
often no comma. |
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What do you call this in English? How do you say this in English? |
Both. But NOT "How do you call this in
English" |
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Some unemployed
were waiting in front of the employment agency. |
In BE "people" would be required;
in AE acceptable. "Lots of unemployed" or
"thousands of unemployed" correct in AE and BE. |
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Whose jacket is this? – That on the table or that
on the clothes peg? Hingegen:
Whose jackets are these? – Those on the table or those
on the clothes pegs? |
"that" is wrong! "The one on
….." "those" is acceptable! |
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Almost everyone identifies oneself with a movie star. |
Wrong! "themselves" or (less usual
today) "himself/herself" |
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Let's look a bit closer at the text. |
Clearly wrong! Only "more closely". |
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"What was the weather like." "How
was the weather." |
Both; "how was the meal", "how was the holiday" OK, only
purists don't accept it. |
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"They said Vroni to her" |
No! Only: they called her … |
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What brought him on the wrong way? |
NO! "What put him on the wrong
track?" |
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"This star is very much like the sun." |
Wrong! Only: … is very like the sun (after "to be"). BUT "He behaves
very much like his brother." |
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good at
maths, but weak in maths |
to be good in physics is not wrong! |
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Don't overtake in dangerous bends. |
NO! "….on dangerous bends" |
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Did you know
that in the UK there are 659 |
Nicht "do you know"! |
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The refugees were far too many for the relief agency. |
No (you can't use "many" after the
verb "to be"); "numerous"! |
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Let's not go to the cinema; don't let us go to the cinema. |
Both correct! |
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He had
success in his new surroundings. |
No! …"was successful…" |
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Can you help me getting (in getting) out of
this situation? |
Both wrong! Only "…(to) get…". |
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She styled
herself in a very bizarre manner. Similarly: a styled lady… |
No; perhaps dressed up / dolled herself up… è
no! |
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Are all Germans the way they are described in this film? |
No!
Only "..as…" |
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to get
to know the American way of life…? |
You "get to know" only people not
facts. |
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What speaks
against her? |
No! è What tells against her. |
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She came here in the car of her husband |
Wrong! (Ownership!) Only 'her husband's car |
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Wieviele
seid ihr? |
How many of you are there? (NOT 'How many are
you?') |
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It's time to leave – but it's high time we left. |
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Should foreigners try to integrate themselves more than they often do? |
No! "… be integrated…" |
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Listen to my every word (instead of
…"every word of mine"); similarly: the interest that follows their
every move….. |
Very idiomatic! |
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"almost nobody" |
geht – neben 'hardly anybody' |
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…in the last years |
Definitely wrong! (…"last few") |
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Idioms |
Funny
expressions for the classroom |
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to open an egg with the sledgehammer |
Are you settling into a coma? |
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mutton dressed as lamb |
You can't just sit there in a coma. |
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I have to sleep on it |
That's the limit! |
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We must draw the line. |
A conversation runs out of steam. |
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Rich people set up charities |
Is that clear or am I going too quickly? |
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You don't know the half of it. |
the dead-fish look |
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This is old hat. |
This makes me see red |
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English as she is spoke |
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He's not out of the wood yet. |
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I'm working my fingers to the bone. |
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