Starting a business…
Mar 15, 2010 Writing Workshop Author: P. H.
The following short text contains several mistakes. Can you correct them.
I suggest you to listen this programme. It’s special programme for people which want start a business. It can help you avoid unnecessary mistake.
March 18th, 2010 at 10:44 am
Here is my response to correct it:
I suggest you listen this programm. It’s a special programm for people who want to start a business. It can help you to avoid unnecessary mistake.
March 22nd, 2010 at 3:08 pm
And today I add for the last sentence:
“It can help you to avoid making unnecessary mistake.”
March 23rd, 2010 at 10:47 pm
for me the right answer is : I suggest you to listen this programme. It’s a special one for people who want to start a business. It can help you to avoid having unnecessary mistake.
March 24th, 2010 at 6:16 pm
Thank you Blandine and Myriam for your comments.
You are right about the second sentence:
It’s a special programm for people who want to start a business.
But I think you should think more about the first and third sentences.
March 27th, 2010 at 5:44 pm
I suggest the following 3rd sentence:
It can help you avoid unnecessary mistake
March 30th, 2010 at 10:38 am
About the third sentence:
Why don’t you think more about how the word “mistake” is used?
March 31st, 2010 at 4:22 pm
For the first sentence I suggest::
“I suggest that you listen this programm.”
March 31st, 2010 at 4:25 pm
And for the third one, why not:
It can help you avoid making mistakes
April 1st, 2010 at 3:10 am
You are getting very near Blandine,
About the first sentence:
The verb “suggest” can be used in the following ways:
I suggest the Chinese restaurant in Elm Street.
I suggest going to the Chinese restaurant …
I suggest (that) you go to the Chinese restautrant…
So, you have used “suggest” correctly, but what about the verb “listen”?
About the third sentence:
It is now correct.
It can help you avoid unnecessary mistakes.
(You can also say: It can help you “to avoid” unnecessary mistakes.)
It is important to understand that “mistake” is a countable noun, so you should say “a mistake”, “mistakes”, etc.
April 1st, 2010 at 2:54 pm
I think I get the first sentence:
I suggest that you listen TO this programm
Am I right now???
April 2nd, 2010 at 8:36 am
Yes, you are, Blandine!
So, to sum up, here is what the correct sentence should look like:
I suggest (that) you listen to this programme. It’s a special programme for people who want to start a business. It can help you (to) avoid (making) unnecessary mistakes.
And that bascially brings to an end the present workshop.
Why don’t all of you try your hand at the (much neglected) previous workshop (Tree Bed)?
April 3rd, 2010 at 10:15 am
Great!
I am surprised to see that programme is written with an “e”.
I thought it was written:
programm”
April 5th, 2010 at 6:56 pm
Programme is the British spelling and program the American spelling, except when it means “a computer program”, in which case it is spelt program in both British and American English.