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Hi everyone –
I am now learning English as a second language. I have some questions, and I hope someone could answer them for me.
1.
a. Joey, late for the meeting, missed a lot of important information.
b. Joey, being late for the meeting, missed a lot of important information.
Are the two sentences above both correct? Which do you prefer? Why? Are there any differences between them?
2.
On the wall, there is a colorful poster consisting of a group of young people volunteering to help poor children in Africa.
Is this sentence correct? If not, how should I revise it?
3.
a. In this city there are some organizations committing themselves to improving the lives of homeless children living under the poverty line.
b. In this city there are some organizations committed to improving the lives of homeless children living under the poverty line.
Are the two sentences above both correct? If not, how should I revise them? Should I add a comma after "city"? Should I add a comma after "children"? Is "under the poverty line" correct? How about "BELOW the poverty line"?
Thanks!
1--
When you separate the subject from the verb as in "Joey, late.., missed..." you put a strong emphasis on "late..." If instead you want the emphasis to stay on "missed..." , then this would be better: Late to the meeting, Joey missed a lot ...
2--
The verb Consist concerns components that make up something. So the way you have it is not correct because the poster is made from papers, glues, ink, but not from the images of the people. This is better: a colorful poster showing a group of young people...
Also, volunteering implies some on-going actions. Does the image show people jostling energetically, trying to sign up for the volunteer corps? If it shows only people posing still, then the fact of them being volunteers needs to be expressed as a knowledge external to the image- something like this: a group of young people, part of the volunteer corps set up to help...
3--
Some has a purpose to it, usually to make something stand out from its group. For example, Among organizations assisting poor families, some focussed especially on homeless children. So, does the Some in your statement serve a specific purpose? Can it be dropped for simplicity's sake?
Also, your statement is open to the interpretation that some homeless children are above the poverty line. Nothing is wrong with that logically. It's possible. But it's an extraneous thought that jumps out at you to no good purpose.
Accounting for all that, you might consider this : In this city, there are a number of organizations committed to helping children of families living below the poverty line, especially homeless children.
Martha Barnette
Grant Barrett
Grant Barrett
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