(When can I gain as much the sense of words as Ciarán have had? Or just half of that? A quarter? And How can I? I think I know the answer: just read, read, and read more, since I do not live in a English-spoken place. Am I right?)
@Ciarán: your detailed explanation is very helpful to me. I cannot catch those connotations you have mentioned even I looked up my dictionary. Please come at times to provide your precious help.
The (boring) plot I've wanted to tell is basically the twinge that shot through the man's knee when he went downstairs. (More basically, I just want to practice English instead of really intending to say something.) The information you have provided are both interesting and inspiring to me, though. It attracts me to read again your previous post later. But basically it is just that I mistook ladder for a synonym of stairs.linguoboy wrote:Having not been in a lot of Chinese homes, I'm still vague on the architecture here...
linguoboy wrote:If you stepped out of a bedroom onto a landing, you would already be at the head of the stairs.
Here I've learned another two possible expressions that are new to me.YoungFun wrote:He walked from the bedroom (on the 2nd floor) to the beginning of the stairs.
()He stepped out of his bedroom onto a landing. (I am very glad to learn this word, exactly what I need.)
()He walked from the bedroom to the beginning of the stairs.
(I am quite interesting in this revision. It is the very one of the questions of the sentence below. Thus here I'll go my new questions.)Ciarán12 wrote:(2-2)He stepped down onto the first step, and immediately his felt a slight twinge in the his right knee.
(Explanations:vijayjohn wrote:(2) You have paddled the been pedaling on your bicycle too much, with your right leg pedaling harder than your left.
1. I saw in the dictionary pedal can also be used as a transitive verb:
ex: He padeled his bicycle slowly up the hill.
Q: Is the usage out of date already?
(2-1) You have been pedaling your bicycle too much,...
2. I originally arranged the latter half of the sentence as:
(2-2-1)..., with your right leg harder pedaling than your left.
Then I omit than your left since it has been hinted. I furthermore omitted pedaling since it is repetitive here. Thus it comes the result as:
(2-2-2)..., with your right leg harder.
Q: Is the result not good? Ungrammatical, unnatural, or unclear, or what else? Will it be better if I add a comma
(2-2-3)..., with your right leg, harder.
3. In the two sentences below, which word calls less readers' attention, your or the?
(2-3-1)You have been pedaling on your bicycle too much,...
(2-3-2)You have been pedaling on the bicycle too much,...
I chose the previously because I think that a "smaller" word would suit better here since it's not an informational word of the sentence, that the is smaller in a reader's feeling, and that you has been used as a subject thus no confusion will be caused. Am I right or just wrong? I am at times unsure which one suits better, a definitive or a possessive. Or does they just make no difference to you? And to ask together, how if a is used? Is it even ungrammatical?
(2-3-3)You have been pedaling on a bicycle too much,...
Q: Can't I omit and asked him? Hasn't it been clearly hinted from the text?vijayjohn wrote:(1)Whom are you blaming for, sir? Aan inner voice arose and asked him.
Another similar revision I've received was an insersion of a saying:
Thus I guess it still cann't be omitted even after a quotation mark was added, as thesentence below?vijayjohn wrote:"...Let a day begins only with Thee, Cure of Indulgence." He raised his arms high and looked upward, saying, "I beg Thee to have mercy on me..."
(1-2) "Whom are you blaming, sir?" an inner voice arose.
Q: What's the amtter if I use the present tense if it's the man's daily habit to ride bikes?vijayjohn wrote:(3) On that, are you forced? Did anyone force you to do that?
(3-1) Do anyone force you to do that?
Q: And is it worse if I use the passive voice? I suppose it should be better here, since "anyone" is not an informative word to me. But my sense might be wrong.
(3-2) Are you forced to do that?
Q: And one more question: when is a proper time to reverse a sentence? I roughly know to reverse a sentence is to emphasize some phrase of a sentence and thus put the phrase in the sentence beginning. But I am wondering I've overused it. Days ago I also received a revision as below:
Q: And, an extra question for this correction. I think briefly or shortly will be grammatical an natural to replace a bit:linguoboy wrote:(To explain a bit please allow me, Please allow me to explain if because it is helpful for us all to realize how easy it is to have a culture gap.
()Please allow me to explain briefly/shortly.
Is the sentence natural?
I've copied your comments and made a new passage as below. Does it go perfectly well now?
Drowsily, the man stepped out of his bedroom onto the landing. His right foot reached down onto the first step and at once a twinge shot through his knee. He paused, reached out to the banister and grasped it.
"Ouch!" he moaned softly."Damn it!
Q: Here I have another question: How about [i] he softly moaned[i], compared as [i] he moaned softly? Unnatural?
"Ouch!" he softly moaned."Damn it!