Questions! What's the difference between I have difficulty in finding the place

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

Hi, Im a new member. My nickname is Remula. I’m from Azerbaijan, the Caucasus. I’ve been studying English for a long period of time, but I’ve still got a lot of questions.I like your site, it’s inordinary with interactive communication opportunuties. I hope I get answers to my questions and improve my English here. The questions are as follows

  1. What’s the difference between I have difficulty in finding the place and I have difficulty finding the place?
    :

  2. What’s the difference between It was a waste of time reading that book and It was a waste of time to read that book?

  3. Can I say I spent hours on repairing the clock or I must say I spent hours I spent hours repairing the clock?

  4. What’s difference between I was busy doing other things and I was busy by doing other things?

  5. Can’t I say I go to jog or I must say I go jogging?

P.S. Ive been subsrcibed to English lessons, but they are too easy for me. I need more complicated ones. I’m preparing for the TOEFL and want to improve my listening and speaking skills. I wrote to the address mentioned in the lesson, but there is no use. What should I do else to change my teaching program?

(if you see any mistake in my writing, please correct it)

thanks beforehand

2

  1. What’s the difference between I have difficulty in finding the place and I have difficulty finding the place?-- ‘In’ is optional.
    :

  2. What’s the difference between It was a waste of time reading that book and It was a waste of time to read that book?– Again, in this case they are just two options.

  3. Can I say I spent hours on repairing the clock or I must say I spent hours I spent hours repairing the clock?-- Again, ‘on’ is optional.

  4. What’s difference between I was busy doing other things and I was busy by doing other things?– The 2nd form is wrong.

  5. Can’t I say I go to jog or I must say I go jogging?-- You can say "I’m going to jog’, which indicates your intention, or you can say ‘I’m going jogging’, which indicates your plan. As you can see, the difference is minimal.

3

for the first one I think, now a days " I have difficulty finding…" is more common. Is it right?

4

You mean ‘nowadays’ - it’s one word.
I think both versions are very common.

5

Oh, thanks a lot. I didn’t expected to get answers so quickly :slight_smile:

6

Hi, again

I would like to ask another question

What’s difference between first and at first?

thanks a lot

7

‘First’ indicates the initial position in a list; ‘at first’ means ‘at the beginning’.

8

Hi, Mister Micawber

Then are these sentecnces right?

First wash your hands, then come to have dinner.

At first I was worried, then I got used to it.

As I know firstly = first, isn’t it?

best regards

9

Those sentences are OK.

‘Firstly’, which some are enamoured of, is a useless, ugly word. ‘First’ serves as both adjective and adverb.

10

Can you give me examples, please?

I firstly go there or I was firstly

I’ve never faced such combination.

By the way, can you tell me which is correct Persistence and determination are keys or are key to success?

thanks

11

My advice is 'do not use “firstly” '.

are key to success (‘key’ is a non-count noun here).

12

Ok, thanks

13

HI,

Could you tell me what’s right:

Who are you waiting now for? or Who are you waiting for now? we should write wait for smb, but what should I do with now?

best regards

14

Who are you waiting for now?
What are you waiting for now?

Alternatively,
Now who are you waiting for?
Now what are you waiting for?
The emphasis in these second examples is on the word ‘now’ and is likely to indicate impatience on the part of the speaker.
For example:
I want to lock the door but I can’t do it until you’ve left. I am in a hurry. You have held me up whilst you finished your phone call and changed your shoes and you still haven’t left, so now what are you waiting for?

15

THANKS A LOT :slight_smile:

16

Hi, could anybody explain me what were to be means:

The moon and all other celestial bodies were to be free for exploration.
Weapons of mass distruction were to be forbidden in space.

It seams to me ‘must’, but I’m not sure.

best regards

17

‘Be to’ is a future form looking at the referent as a future fact, usually because of some present mandate, etc. In the past forum (‘were to be’), it is a future seen from that past viewpoint, of course.

18

Mister Micawber,
“I have difficulty (in) finding the place.”
In this sentence you told us ‘in’ as optional.
I was busy (…) doing other things.
For the above sentence, what preposition may be optional?
Please guide us.
Thanks,
Er.S.M.M.Hanifa

19

I can think of no appropriate preposition. Many structures don’t require any.

I’m busy studying.
It’s lonely sitting here in the desert.

20

Then why they didn’t write just would be? Is there any rule regarding it?
For example, there is stylistic requirement about use of will instead of must in legislature:
Article 2.7.9 The murder will receive from 7 to 12 year imprisonment depending on some conditions.

best regards