hello Sir/ Madam
i am a new student…i have a question?
i want to ask u…what is the difference between " i have to tell you" , “i am to tell you” and “i got to tell you”
plz clarify all these words 'am to, have to and got to…when do we use each of these?
“I have to tell you” - I must give you this information. I am required to do so, or I feel that I am.
I have to tell you about this, though I don’t want to. My mother insists.
“I am to tell you.” - This means that I intend to share this information with you at some time, or it means that I am supposed to share it.
Following the director’s wishes, I am to tell you the results of my meeting next Tuesday.
“I got to tell you.” - Informally, this can be the present equivalent of “I have to tell you.” In standard English, “I got to tell you” means “I had the opportunity to tell you and did.”
I am glad that I finally got to tell you about this.
many thanks for replying…
would u mind telling me if this sentence" i am to tell you" is passive form or active…?
Thanks
That is active. You cannot have a passive form without a past participle. If you don’t see that, you already have your answer.
You are to be told by me. - Passive
thanks once again
i have another question…plz
what is the difference between these two sentences “I have never seen such courage”. and “Never have I seen such courage”. and what is the meaning of second one and when we use this…
thanks
The meaning is the same. The second just sounds stronger. If you really want to emphasize the rarity of something significant, choose the latter.
hi, Mordant
I got to tell you or I’ve got to tell you. which one is the right use in speaking ?
Hi, I’ve already pointed out their meanings and that they can both be standard if used correctly.
“I got to tell you.” - You had the opportunity to tell the person and did.
“I’ve got to tell you.” - I must tell you something. This one, of course, occurs before you say it.
Again, informally, the former may be said to mean the latter. But that would not be correct.
Dear Sir,
my English grammar is fine but not good in speaking and writing …what should i do to improve speaking, and writing???
Can u also suggest me Any online links to learn formal English…or else???
i ll really appreciate your help…
thanks
Santa, I believe this is an excellent place for all that. If you bring us questions, read the stories and take the quizzes, you will surely improve. You should also read as much as possible. The more English sentences you read, the better your understanding of grammar and usage will be. Listening exercises and practice, of course, will help with speaking.
The first thing you can do, however, is capitalize the pronoun “I” and the first letter of every sentence. Also, please use the correct spellings of “you” and “I’ll.” An ellipsis is just three periods. “Any” should be lowercase where it does not begin a sentence. “Or else” does not mean “or anything else of the specified nature”; rather, it is a threat. Your last sentence is complete and should end with a period. “Thanks” should be capitalized as a closing.
Many thanks for correcting my mistakes.
Sir i have another question-
To be the apple of her eye is difficult.
To have been the apple of her eye is difficult.
Sir, what does these both sentences mean?
and Can you please tell me how to use them?
Thanks
“To be the apple of her eye is difficult.” - This means it is difficult to be her source of joy and object of attention and affections. Perhaps the person is possessive or exceedingly fearful of harm to the apple of her eye.
“To have been the apple of her eye is difficult.” - If the present tense was used carefully here, I reason that this means it is hard no longer to be the apple of her eye.
To be the apple of someone’s eye means to be a conspicuously cherished and loved person to them.
“Maria has the most vivid imagination you could think of”
Sir, why we have used " you could think of" in this sentence, how does it make difference and what does that mean here in this sentence?
Thanks
Santa, it’s very literal. It means she has the most vivid imagination of anyone or the most vivid one you could expect to exist.
Thanks,
my another question is that if a sentence has two verbs in it and the first verb past verb, then should the second verb also be past or present???
say " finally i got to see you" how about “see” after got as third form?
second question is that what does “as if” means and how can we use it???
There is no rule dictating what tenses can be used after others in the same sentence.
A) The reason is that sentence structure varies.
He has become cordial since I talked to him.
Since I talked to him, he has become cordial.
B) The sequence of events varies wildly.
He has a gambling problem, and I’m surprised because he had overcome it.
He had a gambling problem, and I’m surprised because he has overcome it.
My late brother disliked you, but I love you.
My late brother dislikes you, but I loved you.
The former and latter sentences of either pair have different meanings. If I forced some rule as to the order of tenses, I would have to botch the meaning of sentences. That is why, as shown in the first example, there is no rule saying the past perfect has to occur in a sentence before the present perfect. In the latter sentence of the second pair, I have written something nonsensical. It says someone dead dislikes someone else. What determines tense is when events happen. It’s not their order in sentences.
“As if” is a relative conjunction. It means “in a manner that (often inaccurately) suggests.”
It appeared as if it might rain. - The appearance suggests that it might rain.
It seemed as if he were angry. - The appearance is that he was angry, but we suppose this isn’t true.
It seemed as if he was angry. - The appearance is that he is angry, and we suppose this is true.
The subjunctive was used where we presumed he was not angry and the indicative where we were sure he was.
“As if” is also a subordinate conjunction of the same meaning.
I bought her a bouquet of roses as if it would change her mind.
Hi Mordant,
As I know “I gotta go” is quite often spoken in American English.
We also have “I got to go” " I have to go" “I’ve got to go”.
Please tell me the differences.
Thanks in advance.
JLTS
There is no difference, except that the last two are standard English.
Hi Mordant
Would you please tell me the difference between "I would have to think over my plans for the day’ and “I have to think over my plans for the day” in first sentence how the “would” makes the difference between two sentences.
Thanks
Hello Mordant
what does this sentence means “If it weren’t for his dedication, this company wouldn’t exsist!”
I know that it is a 2nd type of conditionals, but not able to understand that whether the company still exists or not. what does he trying to say?
Thanks