Well-formed?
Hi
Is the following sentence grammatical and "natural"?
I didn't know the exact Persian equavalent of the proverb, so I had to try my luck at either surfing the Net or looking it up in a dictionary.
Thanks
Search from various English teachers...
Answers · 2
0
It sounds a bit unnatural to me.
You are relating something from the past, but then at the same time you are using a ...."either... or ...." construct.
Because it happened in the past, you *should* remember and say which ONE action you took. This is where it sounds a bit strange.
For it to work as you wrote, you really need to drop the 'either' at a minimum. It is more natural without it.
For instance:
"I didn't know the exact Persian equavalent of the proverb. I had to try my luck at surfing the Net or looking it up in a dictionary."
0
That looks perfect to me. Well done!
Still haven’t found your answers?
Write down your questions and let the native speakers help you!
Don’t miss out on the opportunity to learn a language from the comfort of your own home. Browse our selection of experienced language tutors and enroll in your first lesson now!
Start Learning Today
