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Jim Henderson schrieb:
> On Fri, 07 Aug 2009 09:08:56 -0400, Jeremy \"UncleHoot\" Praay wrote:
>
>> In fact, it seems like people for whom English is a second language
>> often have better grammar than many native speakers
>
> I've found this to be generally the case, though I often see odd
> constructions like:
>
> "What option do you have to enter to [...]"
>
> Instead of:
>
> "Which option is used to [...]"
>
> I've just been reviewing a skills assessment written in English by a
> native German speaker, and this type of construction is very common in
> German apparently.
It is, indeed. Although the second construction would be grammatically
valid in German as well, it is seldom used for this purpose, as it has
quite a strong connotation of asking about conventions, not requirements
or possibilities - as in, "which option is *typically* used to [...]",
or "which option is used to [...] at *this* company". Maybe quite akin
to the progressive form, i.e. "which option is being used to [...]".
The German language only has one present tense, without distinguishing a
simple and progressive form - maybe that's why.
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