Question
Updated on
4 Dec 2022
- Simplified Chinese (China)
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English (US)
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Japanese
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English (UK)
Question about English (US)
Which sounds more natural in this blank, “with” or “about”?
My English teacher is strict ____ grammar.
Which sounds more natural in this blank, “with” or “about”?
My English teacher is strict ____ grammar.
My English teacher is strict ____ grammar.
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4 Dec 2022
Featured answer
- English (US)
I would say “the company is strict about punctuality”. That sounds more natural than “with” to me. And “to be bad at” can definitely be used with school subjects and no verb. I don’t often hear people say “I’m bad at learning math”. And I’ve never heard “I’m bad with math”. Both of those sound awkward.
Highly-rated answerer
- English (US)
I would say “the company is strict about punctuality”. That sounds more natural than “with” to me. And “to be bad at” can definitely be used with school subjects and no verb. I don’t often hear people say “I’m bad at learning math”. And I’ve never heard “I’m bad with math”. Both of those sound awkward.
Highly-rated answerer
- Simplified Chinese (China)
@bsloan7 Thank you! I don’t know why the other person taught me the wrong things. 😥 Which preposition would you choose for this blank, “at” or “in”?
I’m poor ____ physics.
I’m poor ____ physics.
- English (US)
- Simplified Chinese (China)
- English (US)
@studiousboy “In” sounds so unnatural to me that even if it’s grammatically correct, it sounds wrong. Saying you’re poor at something also isn’t very common though. You’re definitely more likely to hear “I’m bad at X”.
Highly-rated answerer
- Simplified Chinese (China)
@bsloan7 Ok. Thank you! What about this sentence? Would you use “in” or “at”?
I’m better than you ____ math.
I’m better than you ____ math.
- English (US)
@studiousboy
at
“In” works, but “at” is a lot more natural and common.
Highly-rated answerer
- Simplified Chinese (China)
@bsloan7 Thank you! Which order would you prefer then? Sometimes the order can really confuse me.
1. I’m better than you at math.
2. I’m better at math than you.
1. I’m better than you at math.
2. I’m better at math than you.
- English (US)
@studiousboy Both are correct and natural! So either one is fine.
Highly-rated answerer
- Simplified Chinese (China)
@bsloan7 What if I swapped “math” for “basketball”? Would both of these sound natural? Or the preposition should change to “in” instead of “at”?
1. I’m better than you at basketball.
2. I’m better at basketball than you.
1. I’m better than you at basketball.
2. I’m better at basketball than you.
Read more comments
- Simplified Chinese (China)
@bsloan7 So when I’m currently in a different location, I can’t say “in”? This is what a lot of English learners would say. 😂
- English (US)
@studiousboy No, “at” is better in that situation.
Highly-rated answerer
- Simplified Chinese (China)
@bsloan7 Ok. Also, which is more natural / common in US English?
1. in the last few years
2. in the past few years
1. in the last few years
2. in the past few years
- English (US)
@studiousboy They’re both common, but I normally say 1.
Highly-rated answerer
- Simplified Chinese (China)
@bsloan7 Thank you! Would it still be common if I changed “in” to “over” or “during”?
over the last few years
during the last few years
over the last few years
during the last few years
- English (US)
- Simplified Chinese (China)
@bsloan7 I’m struggling to understand the role of “over”. I’ve heard Vanessa say it a lot recently. What’s the difference between “over” and “during” when used like that?
- English (US)
@studiousboy It’s a bit hard to explain because there’s some overlap between the two. Sometimes they can be used interchangeably. But here’s a simple explanation about how they’re different that I found:
Highly-rated answerer
- Simplified Chinese (China)
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