Thread: Is the grammar correct in this dialog?

A: That's good ice cream!
B: Yes, I put it into coffee.

Shouldn't it be:
B: Yes, I put coffee into it.
?

Originally Posted by kalinka_vinnie

Shouldn't it be:
B: Yes, I put coffee into it.
?

That depends on the context.
You can put ice cream into iced coffee to make an ice cream float. You can also put coffee into ice cream as a flavouring to make coffee flavoured ice cream.

So, depending on the context, both of these statements are fine.

Originally Posted by Ezri

You can put ice cream into ice coffee to make an ice cream float.

Yeah, it's possible (actually, it was my favourite treat when I was a kid).
But in this context the second phrase is strange. Just imagine: you're drinking your ice-cream-coffee, praise the ice-cream and hear as an answer: 'Yes, I put it into coffee'. What's that supposed to mean in this situation? Probably, that this ice-cream tastes terribly and is impossible to eat without additional components, masking it's foul taste.

Originally Posted by gRomoZeka

Originally Posted by Ezri

You can put ice cream into ice coffee to make an ice cream float.

Yeah, it's possible (actually, it was my favourite treat when I was a kid).
But in this context the second phrase is strange. Just imagine: you're drinking your ice-cream-coffee, praise the ice-cream and hear as an answer: 'Yes, I put it into coffee'. What's that supposed to mean in this situation? Probably, that this ice-cream tastes terribly and is impossible to eat without additional components, masking it's foul taste.

Or it could mean it's a particularly good ice cream to go with the coffee.

Perhaps you are speaking of Affogato. A bowl of icecream with espresso poured over the top.

Now Affogato just doesn't sound grammatical. If mr. Admin could give some context, we'll all be a little more happier!

Cold coffee? Faugh...

Originally Posted by Rtyom

Cold coffee? Faugh...

It's not cold! At least not always. It depends on the recipe.
Вообще, это называется кофе-глясе (или глиссе?) Для детей - самое то, обычный кофе для них слишком горький.

Being grammatically correct and being good English are not the same thing. The sentences in the dialog follow the rules for correct grammar, so I guess the answer is yes. But I can't really tell what the dialog is about.

(BTW, Noam Chomsky pointed out that grammar and meaningfulness are entirely separate with this sentence: Colorless green ideas sleep furiously)

There are two things which are not clear.

1 Is a) the ice cream going in the coffee or is b) the coffee going in the ice cream?
For the a), you could say Yes, I put it in some coffee; for b) you could say, Yes, I put some coffee in it.

2 It is not clear if "put" is past or present tense. For past tense the sentences I wrote above are fine. For present tense, you can expand it like this:

This ice cream is good
Yes, I like to put coffee in it/I like to put it in my coffee.

If your question is about "in" versus "into", it is a little tricky. "In" is used much more for this type of thing. "Into" is used more for containers (Into the box, into the cup), but they are really the same thing, so either is probably ok.

If you mean the ice cream was dipped in coffee, I don't see anything wrong with the dialogue. Although, B might sound more natural (to me at least) if it were...

Yes, I put it in coffee.
Yes, I put it in some coffee.
Yes, I put some coffee on it.
Yes, I dipped it in coffee.
Yes, I dipped it in some coffee.

Originally Posted by DDT

Perhaps you are speaking of Affogato. A bowl of icecream with espresso poured over the top.

Now that I've not heard off. Coffee floater (which you can have as lemonade or coca cola too) is a ball of ice cream dropped into a cup of iced coffee or similar drink.

Originally Posted by Rtyom

Cold coffee? Faugh...

I couldnt agree more.

Originally Posted by Ezri

Originally Posted by DDT

Perhaps you are speaking of Affogato. A bowl of icecream with espresso poured over the top.

Now that I've not heard off. Coffee floater (which you can have as lemonade or coca cola too) is a ball of ice cream dropped into a cup of iced coffee or similar drink.

Go to Italy and you will see it; It was my standard desert after every meal when I lived there!

Originally Posted by DDT

Go to Italy and you will see it; It was my standard desert after every meal when I lived there!

Bit of a way to go for a desert Ill most likely dislike. However, Ill ask my Italian friend about this interesting sounding dish.

Originally Posted by paulb

This ice cream is good
Yes, I like to put coffee in it/I like to put it in my coffee.

If your question is about "in" versus "into", it is a little tricky. "In" is used much more for this type of thing. "Into" is used more for containers (Into the box, into the cup), but they are really the same thing, so either is probably ok.

This dialogue happened when buying ice cream in a store. The checkout girl says something along the lines of "This ice cream is good" and I reply with "Yes, I put it into coffee." and she sais "Really, I do that too!" And then she gave me her phone number LOL just kidding

I didn't remember the wording and tried to restore the dialog. I think paulb's version is the best so far:

-- This ice cream is good
-- Yes, I like to put it in my coffee. (or I always add it to my coffee)


P.S. You are only supposed to add a spoonful of icecream to very hot coffee, so the coffee is still warm when you drink it! When ice cream melts, the coffee looks like this.



Don't you want to put some ice cream in your coffee now?

Умчалсо за кофем!

Originally Posted by MasterAdmin

Don't you want to put some ice cream in your coffee now?

Actually, yes.
I assume it would be a bit lighter than cream, which sounds quite nice, the way you put it.

MasterAdmin wrote:

Is the grammar correct in this dialogue?
A: That's good ice cream!
B: Yes, I put it into coffee.

paulb wrote:

If your question is about "in" versus "into", it is a little tricky. "In" is used much more for this type of thing.

The grammar is correct whether you use "in" or "into". I agree with paulb that "in" is used more often in this case, because this dialogue is informal. Encarta has an interesting Word Usage discussion on this:

in, into, or in to?

In formal written English, the preposition for inward movement is into, not in: She came into [not in] the room. We welcomed him into [not in] the family. It is sometimes acceptable to use either in or into, but the latter is usually preferable in formal English: He put it into [or in] his pocket. Using in for into can be misleading, as in She jumped in the pool. (Did she jump into the pool, or was she already standing in the pool when she jumped?) Do not confuse into with in to - the preposition into is never written as two separate words; when the separate words in and to occur side by side, they should not be joined together: I went into [not in to] the house. I went in to [not into] get my jacket.

Encarta(R) World English Dictionary [North American Edition] (2007) http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_/into.html