Please check whether the following conversation is correct:
A: Ему не говори об этом!
B: Я не скажу.
or
B: Я не буду говорить.
If both B: Я не скажу. and B: Я не буду говорить.
are correct, please explain the difference.
Thank you!!!
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Please check whether the following conversation is correct:
A: Ему не говори об этом!
B: Я не скажу.
or
B: Я не буду говорить.
If both B: Я не скажу. and B: Я не буду говорить.
are correct, please explain the difference.
Thank you!!!
Example:Quote:
Originally Posted by Yuki
Я разбил его машину. Но я ему пока не буду говорить. This is OK. But just "не буду говорить", as an answer, does not sound fine to me.
In the example you've given there is no difference between "не скажу" and "не буду".
I was always taught in school that you should put a comma where you pause for breath. In most cases, this doesn't work; there are many exceptions to the rules of English punctuation. In this case, however, the rule seems to work. In your sentence, Оля, there are too many commas.Quote:
="Оля"But just "не буду говорить", as an answer, does not sound fine to me.
"не буду говорить" does not sound right to me"
You don't need any commas in that sentence at all, in my opinion. We don't use the phrase "to sound fine" in English, either. We tend to say that something "doesn't sound right". Your phrase "As an answer" is not necessary here. Including it sounds unnatural and totally superfluous to me. Is it not obvious that what Yuki has said is in answer to some form of question? It's obvious if you've read everything that's been said, so you needn't say half of your sentence, as enough context has already been supplied beforehand.
Jack
I hope that makes sense.
The following is just my impression. Please check it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Оля
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There might be a very slight grammatical difference.
Не скажу. I assure you that I will not tell him about it. <= Intention
Не буду. I will tell him nothing about it. <= Simple statement.
The above is just a grammatical difference.
The difference much more depends on the speaker's tone, stress etc.
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Yuki, I may be wrong, but I really do not see any difference between "не скажу" and "не буду" in this case.
Actually we say “That sounds fine” all the time. For instance, in response to the question “Does the sentence ‘He's awfully picky’ sound okay in English?”, one could answer:Quote:
Originally Posted by JackBoni
Yeah, it sounds fine.
Yeah, it sounds normal.
Yeah, it sounds okay.
Yeah, it sounds alright.
Yeah, it sounds good.
In response to the question, “Does the sentence, ‘Him went home.’ sound okay in English?”, one could answer:
No, it doesn't sound normal.
No, it doesn't sound good.
No, it sounds funny.
No, it sounds odd.
But for some reason “No, it doesn't sound fine.” sounds odd to me. I don't think there is any grammatical reason why we can't say it. I suspect it's simply a matter of it being something we don't usually say, as opposed to something that is grammatically incorrect to say.
I agree. I can only imagine hearing this as a response to the sentence 'it sounds fine'. - 'No, it doesn't sound fine.'Quote:
Originally Posted by doninphxaz
Jack, I'm afraid I fail to follow logic in your post. Maybe my English is too bad. But I really don't understand what you've written.Quote:
Originally Posted by JackBoni
That's how I understand it:
1. I was always taught in school that you should put a comma where you pause for breath.
2. In most cases, this doesn't work; there are many exceptions to the rules of English punctuation (=in most cases you should not put commas, right?)
3. In this case (=in your sentence), however, the rule seems to work (=you do need commas)
4. In your sentence, Оля, there are too many commas. You don't need any commas in that sentence at all. (erm... how could this agree with #3?....)
More:
1. We don't use the phrase "to sound fine" in English, either (to be honest, this is a big surprise for me :? I always use this expression... and I thought "to sound fine" was okay. Is it really that wrong?)
2. We tend to say that something "doesn't sound right". (Do you mean you say "doesn't sound right" instead of "to sound fine"? I suppose not, but it follows from your words, as I understand them...)
In Junior High I also had one of those teachers who used the "Write a comma whereever you would pause in a sentence" rule. It is an awful rule. I think the reason they used it was to begin to give us a sense of when a parenthetical phrase needed to be set off by commas. I took the rule to heart and started adding all sorts of unneeded commas. My high school English teacher taught me better and removed almost all the commas from compositions. To my surprise, when I read American novels these days, I see that they aren't using commas in several places I was told to put them.Quote:
Originally Posted by JackBoni
Sad to say, there are other errors that show up in people who should know better. One day a math teacher of my acquaintance said, “Just between you and I, I don't think it's a good idea.” When I told him that the proper way to say it is “just between you and me,” he responded that he had been that anytime you start with “you and” you must use the pronoun “I” not “me.” It shocked me because this was a college-educated man and had been teaching math in public schools for twenty years. (Thank heavens he wasn't teaching English.) The reason he was taught that rule, of course, was that his grade school teachers were trying to break the kids of the habit of saying things like "Me and you should go fishing" or "Me and John went fishing." But my buddy overgeneralized the rule, and it's lasted into his adult years.
Right, let me try and explain myself and sort this mess out.
"to sound fine" doesn't sound right in the context you used it in, Olya. However I was very wrong in saying that we don't use it at all; we do, just in different contexts from this one.
Your use of commas in your first post were, in my opinion, wrong. There should not have been any commas in that clause. I think however, that your knowledge of English punctuation is very good. Perhaps it just sounded odd to me in this instance. Does that serve to clear up some of the confusion? I hope so.
Jack
That, I understood. I just didn't understand your sentence "In this case, however, the rule seems to work".Quote:
Originally Posted by JackBoni
By the way, could you explain please why it is "Your use of commas in your first post were, in my opinion, wrong"? I thought it should be "Your use of commas was wrong" since "use" is singular, isn't it?
Yes ma'am.Quote:
Originally Posted by Оля
Don't worry, Olya, you're right, it's my fault. Your use of commas was wrong, as my use of English verbs was wrong in my last post. You have every right to correct my English, as I sometimes make mistakes when I don't have time to check what I've written. I will make sure I check next time. Trust your instincts; they'll be right most of the time.
Jack
Difference:Quote:
Originally Posted by Yuki
Говорить - imperfective
Сказать - perfective
Я не сделаю - Я не буду делать
Я не прыгну - Я не буду прыгать
Я не скажу - Я не буду говорить