names on doorbells/being enclosed/articles

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

1.in the city neighbours are simply names on doorbells- it doesn’t fit: names in this sentence for me, what does it mean there then?

  1. I couldn’t stand being enclosed in a stuffy room- can I also say:
    I couldn’t stand to be enclosed in a stuffy room?

  2. there we have an electric cooker, microwave,oven, refrigerator, dishwasher, and extraction fan
    why not: there we have an electric cooker, a microwave,an oven,a refrigerator, a dishwasher, and an extraction fan?

4.feelings and emotions can last years, for example love,whereas others occur over a period of seconds, for example surprise

seconds- from the above sentence, parts of a minute?

  1. some people find her too straightforward but I like her the way she is - shouldn’t I omit the second : her in bold? or tu put a comma: but I like her,the way she is? I don’t like the part in bold from the book.

  2. I go to secondary school, why not: I go to a secondary school?
    is it a rule not to put an article before school/secondary school/primary school etc. for learners? I have just called it to mind…

Many thanks

2

  1. A name written on a doorbell. The neighbours are not known personally.

  2. There is a slight difference in emphasis, but yes.

  3. In a list of items you don’t need to repeat the article each time.

  4. yes - a brief period of time as opposed to a long period.

  5. The original is the best option. You are changing the meaning.
    I like her the way she is
    is not the same as
    I like the way she is.

  6. The person is not referring to one particular school in this sentence. Just the phase of schooling which they currently attend:
    I go to secondary school (that is the level of education I am at)
    I go to a secondary school (this is the school I go to)

3

Hi, thanks.

  1. but there are different articles ‘an’ or ‘a’, so we still shouldn’t write them?

  2. please tell me the difference between ‘I like her the way she is’ and
    ‘I like the way she is’, I don’t understand the first sentence and ,her the way’ together.

Many thanks

4

  1. No, the article has the same function whether you write ‘a’ or ‘an’. The only reason for the use of ‘an’ is because of the following sound.

  2. I’m really struggling to find a different way of putting this into words, sorry.
    It is the same type of difference as the difference between
    I like cake (in general)
    and
    I like her cake (the cake she bakes)

5

Ok B., thank you.