I still have a few doubts on the use of "earlier". I included other five sentences I'm really doubtful about
1) Can't you say:
Would you mind if I stopped working ten minutes earlier (than I'm expected to)? (If I write "before" or earlier without including a phrase is it a mistake??)
2) I broke a glass and I blamed my friend. Since then we are not (why not "have not been"?) friends any more.
2) I felt sorry for a friend that twisted his ankle. He's going to have problems at (?) his left foot.
3) I last felt ashamed when I blamed my friend (better a friend) even if he hadn't done anything wrong. Shouldn't I use the past parfect "hadn't done", instead of "didn't do"?
4) She congratulated Mark for/on passing his exam (because he passed/had passed his exam) with the highest mark. (Are all alternatives possible??)
5) He is enthusiastic about his exam result (is it possible?). He is satisfied, delighted, pleased, content WITH (not about) his exam result. But He is happy about/with his exam result. He is cheerful about his exam result.
6) Do you "ever" prepare breakfast by yourself? Is not the same as Do you "always" prepare breakfast by yourself?
1) earlier or before I'm expected to. Include the phrase to clarify.
2) either
2) with his left foot
3) either
4) yes
5) yes
6) IT is not the same.
Sra
1) Can't you say:
Would you mind if I stopped working ten minutes earlier (than I'm expected to)? (If I write "before" or earlier without including a phrase is it a mistake??)
It's not a mistake, but it leaves the idea incomplete. To be clear in your speech and writing, you need to be as complete as possible, not leaving any listener or reader waiting for the rest of the information.
http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/adjectives-comparative_2.htm
and
http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/adjectives-comparative.htm
and
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/adjectives.htm#comparative
2) I broke a glass and I blamed my friend. Since then we are not (why not "have not been"?) friends any more.
You can use either "have not been" or "are not" -- both mean that you were friends, but no longer are friends.
2) I felt sorry for a friend who twisted his ankle. He's going to have problems with his left foot.
Use "that" for things; use "who" for people.
3) I last felt ashamed when I blamed my friend (better a friend) even if he hadn't done anything wrong. Shouldn't I use the past parfect "hadn't done", instead of "didn't do"?
Either one works, but "hadn't" is probably better.
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/sequence.htm
4) She congratulated Mark for/on passing his exam (because he passed/had passed his exam) with the highest mark. (Are all alternatives possible??)
All are possible, yes.
5) He is enthusiastic about his exam result (is it possible?). He is satisfied, delighted, pleased, content WITH (not about) his exam result. But He is happy about/with his exam result. He is cheerful about his exam result.
I'd say "exam results" even if it's only one exam, but yes, all are possible.
6) Do you "ever" prepare breakfast by yourself? Is not the same as Do you "always" prepare breakfast by yourself?
They're not quite the same, but they're close. The first asks if someone has ever done this (even once). The second is asking if he does this all the time.
1) In the sentence "Would you mind if I stopped working ten minutes earlier?", using "earlier" without including a specific time reference is grammatically correct. However, to provide more clarity, it is advisable to include a phrase such as "than I'm expected to" to indicate the reference point for "earlier". This helps to avoid any confusion or misunderstandings.
2) Both "we are not friends anymore" and "we have not been friends anymore" are grammatically correct. However, the use of "have not been" suggests a duration or a continuous state of not being friends. In this case, using "are not" implies a current state of not being friends without specifying the duration.
3) In the sentence "He's going to have problems at (?) his left foot", you can use "with" to indicate the location of the problem. Therefore, it would be correct to say "He's going to have problems with his left foot."
4) The sentence "I last felt ashamed when I blamed my friend even if he hadn't done anything wrong" is grammatically correct. While using "hadn't done" (past perfect) is also acceptable, using "didn't do" (simple past) indicates a specific action in the past that was not done by the friend. Both variations convey a similar meaning in this context.
5) All three alternatives for the sentence "She congratulated Mark for/on passing his exam with the highest mark" are possible and grammatically correct. You can use "for", "on", or "because he passed/had passed his exam" to convey the message that Mark passed his exam with the highest mark.
6) In the sentence "He is enthusiastic about his exam result", it is possible to express enthusiasm for an exam result. Regarding the alternatives, you are correct. It would be more appropriate to say "He is satisfied, delighted, pleased, content with his exam result" rather than "enthusiastic about". You can also use "happy about/with" to indicate happiness or "cheerful about" to convey a sense of cheerfulness about the exam result.
7) The questions "Do you ever prepare breakfast by yourself?" and "Do you always prepare breakfast by yourself?" have different meanings. "Do you ever prepare breakfast by yourself?" is asking if you prepare breakfast by yourself at any point, without specifying how often. On the other hand, "Do you always prepare breakfast by yourself?" is asking if you prepare breakfast by yourself every time, indicating a regular or consistent behavior.