a help and a helper

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lando
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#1

Сообщение lando »

Всем доброго здоровья).
С helper вроде как все понятно - тот, который помогает.
А вот help в качестве singular noun:
If you say that someone or something has been a help or has been some help, you mean that they have helped you to solve a problem.
Почему в словарной статье перфектные времена? Это существенно?
mustang
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#2

Сообщение mustang »

lando пишет: 27 апр 2021, 18:31 If you say that someone or something has been a help or has been some help, you mean that they have helped you to solve a problem.
Да, акцент (в вашем определении) делается на то, что у вас была проблема и кто-то ее решил, и вы сейчас в шоколаде, поэтому и используется перфект. Когда такой смысл передается, то только так.

Если вы просто хотите констатировать факт, что кто-то отличный чувак/чувиха, которые помогут в трудную минуту/выручат/подскажут, то можно и просто сказать "you are a great help", т.е вы больше обращаете внимание не на то, что человек решил проблему, а на то, какой он.
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#3

Сообщение VictorB »

mustang пишет: 27 апр 2021, 19:00 что кто-то отличный чувак/чувиха, которые помогут в трудную минуту/выручат/подскажут, то можно и просто сказать "you are a great help"
And what if there were several people, each one in the group being "a help" to someone, would it be possible to say to them all, "Thanks, guys, you've been a great help"? I mean the noun "help" (meaning a person that helps) being countable? Just wondering since in plural is sounds really odd ("great helps")...:)
Also, "They've been a great help in solving the problem" sounds okay to me, but what about the Grammar? )))
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#4

Сообщение Yety »

VictorB пишет: 27 апр 2021, 21:58 would it be possible to say to them all
lando пишет: 27 апр 2021, 18:31 they have helped you to solve a problem.
😅😂🤣
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#5

Сообщение VictorB »

Yety пишет: 27 апр 2021, 22:05😅😂🤣
Puzzled at what those two cute smileys might mean...
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#6

Сообщение Yety »

VictorB пишет: 27 апр 2021, 22:13what
Singular they shows you how you can easily use 'you've been a great help' with a subject in the plural.))
lando пишет: 27 апр 2021, 18:31 If you say that someone or something has been a help or has been some help, you mean that they have helped you to solve a problem.
They have been a great help.=)
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#7

Сообщение VictorB »

Yety пишет: 27 апр 2021, 22:18 Singular they shows you how you can easily use 'you' ve been a great help' with a subject in the plural.))
Okay.
What about "they" and "we"?
They/We've been of great help to...?
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#8

Сообщение Yety »

VictorB пишет: 27 апр 2021, 22:25 What about "they" and "we"?
See no reason why not. There's no difference between the plural 'you' and 'they/we', grammarwise, in this regard.
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1915
They were a great help to us in many ways. I would mention two of them especially . They made it possible for me to visit a number of churches in the interior of the state.

1951
If you are in the middle of a city, with good transportation right up to the door, this is no problem. But most employers aren't that lucky. Some things to explore and plan for now:
Car pools. They were a great help in World War II, and already are being used again in some plants. But to make them work, you need a system. Who will be responsible? How will cars be registered, and riders and drivers brought together?

1964
Some of them had had some training in psychiatric work and they were a great help. Their uniforms gave both employees and patients a certain sense of security. Because of the report of great loss of life which was later shown not to be true, ...

1964
In fact, Miss Turner, the head counselor, has assured me that not only are we a great help, but our presence alone has helped to make the girls more aware of femininity.
VictorB пишет: 27 апр 2021, 22:25 They/We've been of great help to...?
That is, of course, always a valid option.
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Dragon27
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#9

Сообщение Dragon27 »

VictorB пишет: 27 апр 2021, 21:58 And what if there were several people, each one in the group being "a help" to someone, would it be possible to say to them all, "Thanks, guys, you've been a great help"? I mean the noun "help" (meaning a person that helps) being countable? Just wondering since in plural is sounds really odd ("great helps")...:)
Also, "They've been a great help in solving the problem" sounds okay to me, but what about the Grammar? )))
Grammar doesn't demand number agreement here. It's kind of like saying "They were a great menace to society".
I guess, in some contexts where you explicitly express the "non-collective" meaning, it should be okay. He's been a great help, and he's been a great help, they've all been great helps. You can try to google up some "great helps" (with some verb form in front of it) examples and judge their naturalness by yourself.
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#10

Сообщение mustang »

VictorB пишет: 27 апр 2021, 21:58 And what if there were several people, each one in the group being "a help" to someone, would it be possible to say to them all,
I think yes. I've myself heard it used this way at least a few times. To be honest, I am not really sure if there's a specific grammar rule for this.

To me, the phrase 'a great help' placed right after plural personal pronouns sounds almost like a descriptive adjective. It's like saying that a group of people share a common personality trait. In this particular case, all of them are/have been quite helpful (= a great help).
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#11

Сообщение VictorB »

Dragon27,
Dragon27 пишет: 28 апр 2021, 08:21 Grammar doesn't demand number agreement here. It's kind of like saying "They were a great menace to society".
I guess, in some contexts where you explicitly express the "non-collective" meaning
Thank you very much. Now I've got it.
Also,
They are a shame to this country.
They are an honor to the profession in which they are engaged.
They are a disgrace to the Air-Force.
The trails that anymals leave behind after repeated use are a boon to hunters.
Williwaws are a bane of mariners.
They are a pride of the regiment.
Or are these examples horses of another color?
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