|
ESL Forum:
Techniques and methods
in Language Teaching
Games, activities
and teaching ideas
Grammar and
Linguistics
Teaching material
Concerning
worksheets
Concerning
powerpoints
Concerning online
exercises
Make suggestions,
report errors
Ask for help
Message board
|
ESL forum >
Grammar and Linguistics > the other end?
the other end?
|
ironik
|
the other end?
|
|
Hello everyone, hope you �re having a not-so-freaky 13th Friday :) I have small question for you concerning the phrase the other end. I had these two sentences: The first group, referred to as weak collocations.... The other end is unique collocations.... But to be parallel, I think I need to change the first phrase "the first group". What do you think I can say- the first end seems a bit strange. |
13 Feb 2015
|
|
|
|
yanogator
|
|
The other end of what? I have a feeling that "the other end" is the problem here. Please provide the situation here, so we can see what the "end" is. Bruce |
13 Feb 2015
|
|
|
Zora
|
|
"the other end" is not really used like that. The phrase means simply - the opposite end/side of a place or thing. "The other end of the house is spacious. It �s not narrow like this part." "Meet me at the other end of the shopping mall." "At the other end of the street is a funny lamp post." I think you need to use "The other group" in the sentence "The other end is unique..." |
13 Feb 2015
|
|
|
ironik
|
|
I see the problem, thanks a lot, Bruce and Zora! Do you think these sentences are better or do they still sound strange? This is my text: "It is also necessary to classify collocations in terms of meaning, especially in terms of flexibility (Thornbury, 2002). Lewis (2000), on the other hand, suggests strength is the key word while classifying collocations. I will try to combine and classify them in four groups: i. At one end of the spectrum, we have weak (or flexible) collocations, which comprise the largest group. It is possible to form many combinations with this group of words. Commonly used adjectives + nouns particularly belong to this group. Some examples are in the table below (Carter, 2011): | big/enormous/large -> | house/lorry/cup | | fast/shiny/expensive -> | car/motorbike/aeroplane |
ii. At the other end, there are unique (or fixed) collocations, which allow nearly no other combinations. To whisk an egg or foot the bill are some examples of unique collocations as there are few words which collocate with egg or bill. "
|
14 Feb 2015
|
|
|
yanogator
|
|
Well, that �s a little better, but these really aren �t opposite ends of a spectrum. As I see it, they are the only two options, so there isn �t a spectrum for them to be the ends of. Also, I can think of a number of words that collocate with egg, and with bill, so they aren �t really unique. whisk an egg boil an egg scramble an egg break an egg fry an egg lay an egg cook an egg crack an egg gather the eggs throw an egg and many more. Bruce |
14 Feb 2015
|
|
|
ironik
|
|
Thank you, Bruce, your comment was enlightening :) I think I should change it to the other group, then. You �re quite right about "To whisk an egg", it was Lewis �s example of a unique collocation actually. Maybe "foot the bill" or "shrug your shoulder" will fit better because another author says "We cannot imagine footing the invoice, or footing the coffee. Similarly, we shrug our shoulders, but no other part of our anatomy" Thanks again! |
15 Feb 2015
|
|
|
yanogator
|
|
Yes, that �s right, except that Lewis said that there weren �t many collocations with "bill" not with "foot", which is wrong. Bruce |
15 Feb 2015
|
|
|
