She used to wear long hair
- Thread starter ongap
- Start date
Both sentences are good!
"She used to wear long hair" sounds bizarre to me - like she hung it on her body or something...
I don't mind "She used to wear her hair long", on the other hand.
I don't mind "She used to wear her hair long", on the other hand.
I am familiar with both "She used to wear long hair" and "She used to wear her hair long."
That's EXACTLY my AE reaction.
I'd say the two sentences are different:
She used to have long hair.
Her hair used to be long.
She used to wear long hair / wear her hair long.
She may still have long hair, but wear it in a bun or some other restrictive hairstyle; or she may indeed now have shorter hair.
She used to have long hair.
Her hair used to be long.
She used to wear long hair / wear her hair long.
She may still have long hair, but wear it in a bun or some other restrictive hairstyle; or she may indeed now have shorter hair.
It's a bit confusing to me that some sentences sound natural to some native speakers, but bizarre to some other native speakers. You could imagine how difficult it is for someone with English as a second language to understand such sentences.
Of course, that is true.
The present examples are not about grammar rules, so much as about style and interpretation. Unfortunately, there are also disagreements about grammar.
The key is to work with what you yourself understand. Follow a course or a teacher, add to that what you work out in your own mind, and learn the rest by practice, listening and reading.
The present examples are not about grammar rules, so much as about style and interpretation. Unfortunately, there are also disagreements about grammar.
The key is to work with what you yourself understand. Follow a course or a teacher, add to that what you work out in your own mind, and learn the rest by practice, listening and reading.
What I am saying about confusing is that people making comments at this forum may have based on their own knowledge, level and feeling. Every language has it's ambiguities. I would suggest that native speakers provide more inputs on general understanding of a saying, and in the meanwhile give warnings that it may be misunderstood by some listeners, and ways to eliminate such misunderstanding. "Follow a course or a teacher" is not the way to improve in this respect, as one teacher may give you more misleading.
I'm with Gwan/Loob and Parla here.
"Wear long hair" would cause me to to think "Eh????????"
(In my own personal English I would have to consider it wrong, though I'm perfectly aware it could be okay for other speakers)
"Wear long hair" would cause me to to think "Eh????????"
(In my own personal English I would have to consider it wrong, though I'm perfectly aware it could be okay for other speakers)
I'm afraid you will not find that forum responses all agree.
A good teacher or book should give a consistent view, which can be your foundation.
On that basis, develop your own understanding, practice and experience.
Answers in the forum can help on specific questions, but they will not solve all problems.
A good teacher or book should give a consistent view, which can be your foundation.
On that basis, develop your own understanding, practice and experience.
Answers in the forum can help on specific questions, but they will not solve all problems.
Perhaps what you can take from this specific discussion is that there is some disagreement about one phrase, but people seem to agree that the other options are okay. So the safest thing to do yourself would be to use the phrases everyone agrees on, but you also have that knowledge that you might hear "she wears long hair" from some people.
The Federal-Chambers Advanced English Dictionary (English-Malay version) (2011. pg. 1319), gives an example for wear (hairstyle)L He wears his hair rather long.
Hello,
I could happily use that dictionary example ("He wears his hair rather long"), but I couldn't use "He wears rather long hair."
(Some of you have said the same thing, but I haven't got time to name-check you all.)
I could happily use that dictionary example ("He wears his hair rather long"), but I couldn't use "He wears rather long hair."
(Some of you have said the same thing, but I haven't got time to name-check you all
.)
If a girl with short hair is no longer about to cut her hair so that she can have long hair, can I say that she is about to wear long hair/wear her hair long?
Maybe "She's keep her hair long"? I don't know. I also want to know.
Hair takes a long time to grow, and "about to" suggests something is going to be done very very soon. It's impossible to be about to wear one's hair long.
I suggest "She is going to let her hair grow long", or "she has started growing her hair (so that she can wear it long)".
I suggest "She is going to let her hair grow long", or "she has started growing her hair (so that she can wear it long)".
No. "About to do something" suggests the immediate future. It will be a long time before her hair is long. She is about to wear a hat. The hat is in her hand and she is going to put it on. Hair doesn't work like that.