AboutAndrew Russell Expertise You can try me on any point of grammar and structure, or on vocabulary. English comes alive most in its usage, and I am very experienced with questions of that kind. One of the pleasures of teaching second-language English is when a student raises a point that I have never had to think about before. I work in British English, but have enough knowledge of American and other variations to be able to help.
I'm afraid I don't have the time to to any proofreading, so would have to reject requests, and can't help with translations from other languages. Also, having two small children to keep me busy, questions asked at weekends may have to wait until Monday.
Experience I have been teaching English for 20 years, on and off, and now run my own small school attached to a theatre and arts centre in Chelsea, London.
Organizations NATFHE (lecturers' and teachers' union)
Education/Credentials University to BSc (Zoology)
Certificate in TEFL, but mostly educated on the job.
Past/Present Clients Literally hundreds of students over the years, as a teacher, many more as a Director of Studies, School Administrator and Director.
If you wish, you can check out my school at: www.theenglishschool.co.uk
But please don't use this to ask questions - that's what Allexperts is for.
Expert: Andrew Russell Date: 7/2/2008 Subject: perfect vs perfectly
Question Hello Andrew
We discussed some standard phrases that are used at a restaurant. I posted the following message: “Also it is perfectly OK to say " I would like a table by the window"
The reply was :” It is better to say "It is perfect", but not "It is perfectly".
Could you comment on this one please?
Thank you
Answer Dear Alex
Guess what? You're right.
'OK' is the same as 'all right'. You are describing something as being all right - as it is a 'thing' (noun), you must be using an adjective.
'Perfectly' is an adverb, but here it is not working with a verb, it is doing the 'other job' that adverbs have in English: modifying an adjective.
Hence, 'it is perfectly OK' is the same as saying 'there is nothing (at all) wrong with it'.
'Perfect' in this sentence would have nothing to go with - you would have to say 'it is perfect AND OK' which is tautological (saying the same thing twice) and tautology definitely doesn't work when you have two different registers (strong and neutral - it can't be both).
As for the term 'OK', it may be the most commonly-used adjective in spoken English, but it's origins are completely lost to us - no-one can even agree on what the letters stand for, if anything.
It may have started with English Army officers mimicking the way their sergeants pronounced 'All Correct' as 'Orl Ker-rekt', but even though this is the best explanation I have seen, it isn't entirely plausible. We are left with a mystery.
