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rate-paying lessees
An undermined flag below which there is a visible void
Oct 27, 2015 19:16
9 yrs ago
English term

from 4 to 7 in my house next Saturday

Non-PRO English Other General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
I´d like to know if the position of these phrases in the sentence is correct or not :

I´m writing to invite you to my birthday party next Saturday from 4 to 7 in my house.
Responses
4 +8 It's fine ...
4 -1 I´m writing ...
Change log

Oct 27, 2015 21:22: Tony M changed "Level" from "PRO" to "Non-PRO"

Votes to reclassify question as PRO/non-PRO:

PRO (3): Jennifer Levey, Tushar Deep, airmailrpl

Non-PRO (3): Shera Lyn Parpia, Yvonne Gallagher, Tony M

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Discussion

Jennifer Levey Oct 28, 2015:
@Asker Hmmm... If "the way I say something" is not an expression of "what I say" (or vice-versa) then I can but doubt my parents' wisdom in frog-marching me to school all those years ago.
Be that as it may, and despite the absence of English-language errors per se, there are (at least) four weaknesses in your ST, in its function as a piece of "effective communication". Make what you will of my contributions - it's no longer (indeed, never was) my problem.
Patsy Florit (asker) Oct 28, 2015:
The problem is not what you say, Robin, it´s the way you say it. And this has nothing to do with your native language. Have a good day!
Jennifer Levey Oct 28, 2015:
@Asker If you'd care to clarify what you find irksome in my contributions to this question, I might be inclined to edit, or even delete, anything you find truly offensive. That said, I make no apology for deploying my native (UK) English in the way I was tort at gramer skul, 'alf a century ago.
Patsy Florit (asker) Oct 27, 2015:
Thanks Robin for your suggestion. I see your point. However, I´m only interested in the position of the clauses. By the way, there are nicer ways of saying things.
Jennifer Levey Oct 27, 2015:
On seeing the number of respectable ... ... and respected colleagues who are agreeing with an example of poor communication skills (that's not necessarily the same thing as 'bad English'), I'm voting this back to 'Pro'.

Responses

+8
18 mins
Selected

It's fine ...

... although the thing that sounds least natural is "in my house". I would prefer to say "I´m writing to invite you to my birthday party next Saturday from 4 till 7 at my home" (or "at my place" if you want to be really colloquial)

It would also be correct to say "I'm writing to invite you to my birthday party from 4 till 7 next Saturday at my home" and I think I have a slight preference for that version.

And I think I would also probably say "from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m."
Peer comment(s):
agree Jean-Claude Gouin : 1. Very good Armorel. 2. You could also write from 16:00 to 19:00 ... 3. How old are you Patsy? LOL 4. Can I come over with a gift? 3.
9 mins
agree Charles Davis : Definitely "at"; I think "at my house" is OK (if it's a house, that is; otherwise you could say "at my flat", "at my apartment", or whatever; "on my houseboat" if it's Richard Branson).
10 mins
agree Yvonne Gallagher : at my place
1 hr
agree Tony M : Personally, I'd put the time clause last
1 hr
agree Björn Vrooman : Would usually prefer place before time, but the double "my" is making it difficult for me. Nonetheless, I'd make him aware of the pitfalls of "next" here - even Fowler's has an entire paragraph dedicated to it. Not that people show up on two Saturdays,
2 hrs
agree AllegroTrans
2 hrs
neutral Jennifer Levey : Not at all "fine". On the contrary, this is a good example of poor communication. "at" (with Charles' caveat about houseboats). It's bad practice to split the date/time, with place between them. 'next' is likely to be misintepreted.
3 hrs
agree Tushar Deep
9 hrs
agree Terry Richards : AT my house/flat/apartment/palace/hovel/bordello. I think place/time can be in either sequence - they are both equally important items and neither modifies the other.
13 hrs
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "This answer will do. Thanks a lot, Armorel."
-1
3 hrs

I´m writing ...

... this answer in the (forlorn?) hope of making it very plain that I strongly object to the habit some folk have of beginning a written note/letter/e-mail/fax/etc. with the phrase "I´m writing ...". Ha! - You'll never catch me doing that!

I/we KNOW you're "writing" - if you weren't, how on Earth would we/I be in a position to read it?

Asker queried whether: " ... the position of these phrases in the sentence is correct or not ...".

Answer: The phrase "I´m writing" is in the wrong place - it belongs in the trash can.

OK, fair enough; you do need something - almost anything (other than "I'm writing...") - to set the sentence in motion. Try this, for example:
"Please come to my birthday party ...".
Note from asker:
You missed my point, Robin Levey, in spite of being a "native speaker". If I were you, I´d work on my arrogance! Have a good life.
Peer comment(s):
disagree Terry Richards : The author is not saying "I'm writing" they are saying "I'm writing to". IOW, they are explaining WHY they are writing not the fact that they ARE writing.
10 hrs
Something went wrong...
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