Hi all,

Hope you �ve all had a good starting of the week. I �m marking some compositions and one question has arisen. I �ve looked up several dictionaries but all �s been fruitless. It �s about the formality of the verb "recommend". I always teach my FCE different informal structures they can use when giving advice- should, second conditional, what about, ...- they keep using "recommend" though. I think these verb is formal or semi-formal but to tell you the truth I �ve never read anywhere so. Then, what should I do with the following sentence: "You asked me about what types of clothes you should bring. Well, I recommend you to bring light clothes." Should I cross it out and write, for example, "Well, you �re better off bringing summer clothes." or leave it because it is correct.

 

I would also appreciate if you could help me with these rephrasing sentences.

 

Did you meet Monica a long time ago? for Have ... you met Monica.. for a long time?

We lost the game because of my mistake. fault  It ... was my fault ... not win the game. (Should it be "... not winning the game?)

It would be difficult for me to finish the work by the weekend. difficulty  I ...would have difficulty (in) ... finishing the work by the weekend. (Shouldn �t it be " I will have difficulty...)

 

Thanks in advance. 

 

Transformations now:

 

1. Have you KNOWN MONICA FOR a long time?  (I believe you have to change the verb here, it doesn �t make sense otherwise with for)

2. It WAS MY FAULT not to win the game. (You must have missed TO in the second part of the sentence)

3. sounds fine to me  

 

I agree with jaannajs  

 "1. Have you KNOWN MONICA FOR a long time?"

2. It was my fault that we did not win the game.

3. I would have difficulty finishing the work by the weekend.(To me it sounds better without the �in �) OK. 

 

 

 

Redcamarocruise �s answer to the 2nd transformation wouldn �t be ok as it consists of 6 words (in FCE you can use between 2 and 5). I �m pretty sure you missed "to" in NOT TO WIN THE GAME. In 3 Pedro, you are right IN is optional. 

 

 

best,

 

joanna 

"It was my fault not to win the game" and "It was my fault not winning the game" are not correct.

 

It was my fault that we lost the game. 

 

And yes, "I will have difficulty ..." is also correct.

 

Bruce 

Dear Pedro:

 

I think the first sentence could be also rephrased as "Haven �t you met Monica for a long time?" depending on the meaning of the verb "meet", i.e. 

1. to come into the presence of; encounter: I met my friend Hugo on the street yesterday.

2. to become acquainted (with): I �ve never met your cousin so I don �t know him.

If its meaning is 2 then you should change the verb into "know" to rephrase it, but if its meaning is 1 you �ll have to turn the same verb into negative.

 

Greetings 

Dear Pedro:

 

I think the first sentence could be also rephrased as "Haven �t you met Monica for a long time?" depending on the meaning of the verb "meet", i.e. 

1. to come into the presence of; encounter: I met my friend Hugo on the street yesterday.

2. to become acquainted (with): I �ve never met your cousin so I don �t know him.

If its meaning is 2 then you should change the verb into "know" to rephrase it, but if its meaning is 1 you �ll have to turn the same verb into negative.

 

Greetings 

@luismelilla

You are right about that meaning of "meet", but it is not common in a negative sentence, except when stating that an arranged meeting didn �t happen ("Oh, you didn �t meet Monica yesterday, like you planned?"). So, "Haven �t you met Monica for a long time?" doesn �t quite work in that sense. Also, with "for a long time", we would use a different verb, such as "Havn �e you seen Monica for a long time?" or "Haven �t you run into Monica for a long time?".

 

Bruce