Giving directions
Dear Dr English,
I subscribe to The Nation. I have listed six sentences using the following words or phrases denoting direction/location; north, the north, northern, northernmost, northerly, south, the south, southern, southernmost, southerly, east, the east, eastern, easternmost, easterly, west, the west, western, westernmost, westerly). Kindly check whether my answers are right.
1. BangkokÕs eastern bus terminal is in Ekamai.
2. Ayutthaya is north of Bangkok.
3. Yala is ThailandÕs southernmost province.
4. The Mittaparb Highway goes in a northeast direction to Korat.
5. Kanchanaburi is in the west of Thailand.
6. Tak is northern of Kamphaeng Phet.
Thank you in advance for your kindness.
Suvimol Vongkusolkit
You are quite right with your sample sentences, except with sentences 4 and 6.
The Mittaparb Highway goes in a northeasterly direction to Korat. The highway does not occupy a single spot, but rather goes from one spot to another. You could also say: The Mittaparb Highway goes northeast from Bangkok to Korat.
The difference between Ònorth ofÓ and Òin the north ofÓ appears small but is certainly an important one.
Laos is north of Thailand. Laos is outside Thailand. It is to the north of Thailand.
Chiang Rai is in the north of Thailand. Chiang Rai is inside Thailand. Chiang Rai is in northern Thailand.
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It is correct or not?
Dear Dr English,
I heard that native English speakers say, ÒI don't think it is correct,Ó instead of ÒI think it is not correct.Ó But strictly speaking, the meanings are different. What do you think?
Sho Naruse
ÒI donÕt think it is correct,Ó means that it is my opinion that it is not correct. This allows for the possibility that you are still correct and that I have made a mistake in thinking that it is wrong. This is, of course, more polite than saying that I know for a fact that you are wrong (ÒI think it is not correctÓ).
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