Help me with English, please!

[LaughingDove]

I find that the mistakes people who are second language English speakers commonly make depends on what their first language is.
For example, Polish speakers often confuse articles because there are none in Polish.

 

[callorhinus]

I usually find that the most mistakes from people with English as a new/second language are to do pronouns and possessives (words like I, me, my, mine and so on).

That's right. It seems to be not so hard to understand how and when one should use certain word, but we have many problems with it in the real conversation.

Also quite common is mixing up the order of the words in the sentence, because the person is basically trying to translate in their head what they want to say from their own language into English and the arrangement of the words is usually not the same.

I can say that situation when there is no correct/right order of words and/or parts of sentence is normal in Russian language.

 

[callorhinus]

I find that the mistakes people who are second language English speakers commonly make depends on what their first language is.
For example, Polish speakers often confuse articles because there are none in Polish.

Indeed. We also do not use verb "to be" in Russian version of Present tense and in some another cases, so we must always remember this difference.

 

[Chlidonias]

I can say that situation when there is no correct/right order of words and/or parts of sentence is normal in Russian language.

do you mean, in Russian words may be used in any order and the sentence will still make sense?

Quite often in English if words are placed in the wrong order it entirely changes the meaning of the sentence.

 

[callorhinus]

do you mean, in Russian words may be used in any order and the sentence will still make sense?

Quite often in English if words are placed in the wrong order it entirely changes the meaning of the sentence.

Not really in any order, but we can combine words much more freely in Russian than in English. It usually does not change the meaning of sentence or change it slightly; sometimes meaning could be changed significantly, but it usually depends on tone/intonation (stressed words).

Classic example is the sentence "I love you". In Russian we can use almost any order of words, sometimes changing by that meaning of the phrase.

 

[jbnbsn99]

you really can't put a comma where you have because then the sentence makes no sense, and also the end of the sentence is just really clunky - with your changes it would read like this:

"A subspecies of wild ox, which lives in the tropics and subtropics of India and Africa, unlike European cattle, zebu are descended from the Indian subspecies of cattle's ancestral species."

I'm going to disagree with this correction. The use of "which" indicates a phrase that can be left out and the sentence will still make sense. This sentence would read better like this:

[It is] a subspecies of wild ox that lives in the tropics and subtropics of India and Africa. Unlike European cattle, are descended from the Indian subspecies of cattle's ancestral species.

Shorter sentences are your friend.

 

[callorhinus]

I'm going to disagree with this correction. The use of "which" indicates a phrase that can be left out and the sentence will still make sense. This sentence would read better like this:

[It is] a subspecies of wild ox that lives in the tropics and subtropics of India and Africa. Unlike European cattle, are descended from the Indian subspecies of cattle's ancestral species.

What is the difference between (using of) words "which" and "that" in this case?

 

[jbnbsn99]

That includes information that is absolutely needed to make the sentence work. Which is used to include information that can be omitted and the sentence will still function properly.

 

[Chlidonias]

I'm going to disagree with this correction. The use of "which" indicates a phrase that can be left out and the sentence will still make sense. This sentence would read better like this:

[It is] a subspecies of wild ox that lives in the tropics and subtropics of India and Africa. Unlike European cattle, are descended from the Indian subspecies of cattle's ancestral species.

Shorter sentences are your friend.

did you quote the wrong post? My post was showing why LaughingDove's comma wouldn't work in the middle of the sentences. And also your second sentence did not make sense because you missed out an important word or two.

That aside, either "that" or "which" may be used in that particular sentence. If you are really being technical only "that" is correct with a restrictive clause and "which" with a non-restrictive clause, but in modern usage "which" may also be used with a restrictive clause. I tend to prefer "which" over "that" because it just sounds better to my ear.

 

[jbnbsn99]

Might have.

 

[callorhinus]

Might have.

Was it an answer to "did you quote the wrong post"?

 

[callorhinus]

On the foreign language learning:

 

[savethelephant]

Wow! To me it just looks like the same scribble over and over again!

 

[callorhinus]

Wow! To me it just looks like the same scribble over and over again!

You are not the only one who was confused. Of course it is a most impressive example, but there are cases when the text is quite hard even for Russians.

It is not so awful though. Compare these scribbles to the same, but typed, text:

Лишили лилии.

 

[callorhinus]

I was just asked to translate the document, and I don't like my translation. How should I write such official text in right way?

Visit program
State zoological park of Udmurtia
June 26, 2015
8.30 – 9.00 Breakfast.
9.00 Appointment, meeting with heads of departments.
9.30 Work in zoo.
10.30 Domestic animals (animals') department, ornithology department.
11.30 “White North” department: walruses, fur seals, polar bears.
13.00 – 13.30 Lunch.
13.30 – 14.00 Work with press. ( “Work with the pressmen”,“Work with media”?)
14.00 – 15.30 Work in zoo. Felids department, wolves and bears department, primates department.
15.30 – 16.00 Dinner.
16.20 Passage to railway station.

 

[Chlidonias]

I'm not sure exactly what certain bits mean specifically, but:

Visit program [this sounds fine, although Visit Program - with both words capitalised - is better as a title. There is probably a better title to use but I can't think of the appropriate wording just now]

State zoological park of Udmurtia [again with capitals because it is a title - State Zoological Park of Udmurtia]

June 26, 2015 [fine as it is]

8.30 – 9.00 Breakfast. [I would put a colon in there, and after all following times below, e.g. 8.30 - 9.00: Breakfast. The full stop is not necessary, but there is nothing wrong with having it there]

9.00 Appointment, meeting with heads of departments. [I would leave out the word appointment, but there's nothing wrong with having it there]

9.30 Work in zoo. [I'm not sure what this refers to?]

10.30 Domestic animals (animals') department, ornithology department. [Domestic animals department - the apostrophe is not required. Should this and the following examples say "Work in zoo" in front of them? And should the example above say something after "work in zoo"?]

11.30 “White North” department: walruses, fur seals, polar bears. [fine as it is]
13.00 – 13.30 Lunch. [fine as it is]

13.30 – 14.00 Work with press. ( “Work with the pressmen”,“Work with media”?) [I would put "Work with the media" or maybe something like "Public relations with the media" might be more useful as a phrase?]

14.00 – 15.30 Work in zoo. Felids department, wolves and bears department, primates department. [fine as it is]

15.30 – 16.00 Dinner. [fine as it is]

16.20 Passage to railway station. [not "passage"; maybe "transfer"? If transport to the station is provided (e.g. by car or taxi), then "transfer" is appropriate]

 

[callorhinus]

I'm not sure exactly what certain bits mean specifically, but:

Visit program [this sounds fine, although Visit Program - with both words capitalised - is better as a title. There is probably a better title to use but I can't think of the appropriate wording just now]

State zoological park of Udmurtia [again with capitals because it is a title - State Zoological Park of Udmurtia]

June 26, 2015 [fine as it is]
...

Thanks for help!

 

[callorhinus]

I'm not sure exactly what certain bits mean specifically, but:
9.30 Work in zoo. [I'm not sure what this refers to?]

I think this means real work as keeper or other zoo work

10.30 Domestic animals (animals') department, ornithology department. [Should this and the following examples say "Work in zoo" in front of them? And should the example above say something after "work in zoo"?]

It's atrange, but no and no . I noticed that, but they said that's fine.

16.20 Passage to railway station. [not "passage"; maybe "transfer"? If transport to the station is provided (e.g. by car or taxi), then "transfer" is appropriate]

I wanted first to use "transfer", but online dictionary claims that this word is used for the case of airplane flight. Is that right?

 

[Chlidonias]

I think this means real work as keeper or other zoo work

that is what I had thought. There is a better way of phrasing this but I can't think of it right now.

I wanted first to use "transfer", but online dictionary claims that this word is used for the case of airplane flight. Is that right?

transfer is commonly used in connection with flights, but it basically means "to transport from one point to another" or "to change from one place to another". So you can transfer from a bus to a train, transfer your suitcase from one hand to the other, etc. If the zoo is taking people from the zoo to the station, then it is a transfer. Passage can be used but it is quite old-fashioned if used in this way.

 

[Chlidonias]

you could also put "transport provided to the train station". That should be quite clear to anyone reading it.

If the people have to make their own way to the station, then just put something like "16.20: Return to railway station".