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Originally Posted by yumyumtimtam
thank you 
can I use the word cob like this?
This boy, likes corns, especially grilled ones with the cobs(or on the cobs?)...
"He likes to eat corns on the cobs."
or can I say
"He likes to eat corn on the cob?" |
The second statement is correct. "Corn on the cob" is a distinctive way of describing a food item that, to my knowledge, isn't used elsewhere in the English language. For example, you don't hear "ice cream on the cone" instead of "ice cream cone" in English speaking.
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hope someone can manage to understand what Im trying to say here!
oh and I have one more question!
When you explain what you like to do in general, maybe as a hobby or something...
"I like to play tennis."
but how about
"I like playing tennis."
any difference there?
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To my thinking, it differs in verb tense and context. The first sentence is used in conversation when the idea of hobbies is being discussed. I can see the second sentence being spoken by a person in a gym or other sports setting when discussing a choice of activity at the location.
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"I like to play tennis" also means that you want to play tennis?
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If the verb is changed to "would like", that interpretation is correct. It demonstrates the speaker's desire to play tennis at that point in time.
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"to do" and "doing" are confusing.
like...
I stopped smoking.
I stopped to smoke.
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In context, the first sentence is a declaration that the speaker has quite smoking as an activity. The second sentence describes a person who has stopped doing one activity (for example, walking) and begun another activity (smoking).
Hope this is of some use, yumyumtimtam!
