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ESL forum > Ask for help > Is it correct to say " I doubt about the use of "do" in the following sentence....?    

Is it correct to say " I doubt about the use of "do" in the following sentence....?



Yolandaprieto
Spain

Is it correct to say " I doubt about the use of "do" in the following sentence....?
 
I ask you this question because yesterday somebody started s thread I cannot find now in which I told the person who started it that I have a doubt of..." didn �t sound correct and I gave her the option above but Ladybird corrected me and said it didn �t sound natural and gave me another sentence instead of the one I suggested. As I cannot find the thread now and I asked her when, then, was correct to use "I doubt about ......", I would like somebody to make this clear.
Thanks in advance
Yolanda

24 Nov 2011      





ueslteacher
Ukraine

no preposition is needed after the verb
doubt smth
doubt that/whether/if
doubt smb
about is used after a noun
e. g. There �s some doubt about the best way to do it.
Sophia

24 Nov 2011     



Lina Ladybird
Germany

Dear Yolanda,
 
This is the thread you were looking for:
 
 
Sorry, I never read your question today!
 
I would use the verb to doubt in sentences like these ones:
 
He has been so strange lately that I doubt his sanity.
 
I doubt that. (when you are skeptical about something)
 
Let �s wait what our native speakers have to say regarding this topic, too! ;-)
 
Have a nice day - Silke
 

24 Nov 2011     



yume05
United States

Yes.  If you are going to use "doubt", it �s usually "I doubt that..." or just "I doubt...".
 
IE: I doubt that the usage of "do" is correct in the following sentence.
I doubt the use of "do" in the following sentence.
 
However, if you want to use "about", it �s better to say "I wonder about...". 
 
IE: I wonder about the use of "do" in the following sentence.
 
"Wonder about" is much more natural than "doubt about".

25 Nov 2011     



yanogator
United States

Almost every day there is at least one post on this forum incorrectly using the word "doubt". Some of the regulars occasionally correct these, but they usually go uncorrected.
 
In  English, the word "doubt" means to be skeptical (as Lina said), or to think that something isn �t true. It doesn �t mean to wonder about something (as yume05 pointed out) or to be confused by something.
 
I doubt that people will stop using "doubt" incorrectly here.
I doubt my ability to speak French (since I haven �t studied French).
He doubted my statement that I am 25 years old.
 
There is a card game that I really enjoy called "I doubt it". You can find the rules here:
 
Bruce

25 Nov 2011     



Kita19
Portugal

In my training year, the teacher responsible for training us said it was incorrect to ask the students: "Is there any doubt/ do you have any doubt?" (concerning exercises/instructions). She said the correct thing to say was "Is there any question?", because "I have a doubt" was a "religious doubt".
However I �ve seen here on the forum "I have a doubt." lots of times!

My question is: is it correct to say "I have a doubt." (in exercises)?

Thanks!

25 Nov 2011     



juliag
Japan

Hi Kita19,

Hope you �re well and your poetry competition entry is coming along nicely.

Your teacher trainer was right. We don �t use doubt in that case. I would say "I have a question." Or, as a teacher, "Do you have any questions?" or "Are there any questions?"

Hope this helps and have a nice day.
Julia


25 Nov 2011