Thread: Thinking in English

Originally Posted by Seraph

"That's a strange choice of profession!" "What a lovely shade of pink/rose/green etc!" "He's a despicable kind of thief!" For me, no article is necessary for those to sound normal. Likewise "It's a rather morbid choice of resting place."

Correct me if I'm wrong but you basically just said that it's safe to omit an article before a counable singular noun if it's preceded by of? And I would be much obliged if you elaborate on these and those things.

Today's questions:

1) What verb do you use to describe a process of making an expansible furniture, um, become something else? For example, I have a couch which is capable of being turned into a bed if you pull out its bottom part to expand it. I was thinking about the verb to fold, but I don't think if it's the right word. Also I would like to know a verb of a conrary meaning, as in to make my couch back into a couch I would use вытащить, вытянуть, расправить or even сделать to mean the first part of my question in Russian. Заправить, собрать, or втащить for the second part

2) What the difference between these things:
Have you done that yet?
Have you done it already?

As I understand it now the first one is kind of more impatient like you want that to be already done at the time you ask it. The second one is more general. Do I get it right?

3) I was thinking about what verb do you use to mean the proccess of smell's gradual disappearance, usually a bad one. Blown away or something like that? I'd use выветриваться in Russian

That's it for today. As always I can't thank you enough for all of the great help I've already got from you and more than that I'm sure there is more of that to come. Good day!

Originally Posted by iCake

Today's questions:

1) What verb do you use to describe a process of making an expansible furniture, um, become something else? For example, I have a couch which is capable of being turned into a bed if you pull out its bottom part to expand it. I was thinking about the verb to fold, but I don't think if it's the right word. Also I would like to know a verb of a conrary meaning, as in to make my couch back into a couch I would use вытащить, вытянуть, расправить or even сделать to mean the first part of my question in Russian. Заправить, собрать, or втащить for the second part

fold out couch => Fold the couch out into a bed. Fold the bed back (up) into a couch.

2) What the difference between these things:
Have you done that yet?
Have you done it already?

As I understand it now the first one is kind of more impatient like you want that to be already done at the time you ask it. The second one is more general. Do I get it right?

I can't really answer this one. For me the tone of voice is more telling about the degree of impatience. I think you just might be right.

3) I was thinking about what verb do you use to mean the proccess of smell's gradual disappearance, usually a bad one. Blown away or something like that? I'd use выветриваться in Russian

That's it for today. As always I can't thank you enough for all of the great help I've already got from you and more than that I'm sure there is more of that to come. Good day!

The foul reek/odour/smell faded/dissipated/dispersed/diminished gradually. You don't want bookish things do you? "The malodorous scent evanesced..."