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		Ask for help > A doubt      
			
		 A doubt  
		
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 beefeater
 
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							| A doubt 
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							| Is this sentence correct?
Mr. Fox told them to do not lose their heads. 
Or is it: Mr. Fox told them not to lose their heads?
Thank you so much!! |  28 Jun 2017      
					
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 redcamarocruiser
 
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							| "Mr. Fox told them not to lose their heads," is the correct answer. 
 edited: I agree with slw1403�s answer below. |  28 Jun 2017     
					
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 Minka
 
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							| What would reported speech of "Do not lose your heads!" be? Thanks.
 |  28 Jun 2017     
					
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 slw1403
 
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							| The reported speech of that would be: He told them not to lose their heads. |  28 Jun 2017     
					
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 yanogator
 
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							| Excellent answers.   Also, beefeater, what you have is a question or a confusion, not a doubt. I try to spread the word among our members that a doubt is a belief that something is not true, rather than an uncertainty.   I doubt that all of your students speak English fluently.   I doubt that this message will reach everyone in our wonderful ESL community, so I repeat it occasionally.   Bruce  :)  |  28 Jun 2017     
					
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 douglas
 
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							|  @Bruce--Would you really say "I have a confusion"?  (It sounds strange to me, I think I would say: "I �m confused about...")       |  29 Jun 2017     
					
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 yanogator
 
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							| No, Douglas, but that is what beefeater has. I would rather hear that than "I have a doubt". Baby steps, my friend.   Bruce     |  29 Jun 2017     
					
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 valodra
 
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							| Thank you for repeating, Bruce :-S - No doubt !! Maybe the confusion comes from the fact that - at least in French, & I guess in many other languages... - you CAN have .." un doute". :-( Thanks to people like Bruce ( & other native speakers ) , I �m very careful with " doubt" now..... For French speaking people, I think we can translate " j �ai un doute " with " I have a question " , or I Wonder.... ??? ( verb douter in French = not be sure about Something or someone...)  Just to check if I got it right : " I doubt my message is very useful. " ;-))) Val      |  29 Jun 2017     
					
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 yanogator
 
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							| Yes, Val, but I doubt that it is as un-useful as you suspect.   Bruce   :)   |  29 Jun 2017     
					
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