Hi this is Tutor Nick P and this is Lesson 344.
The title of today's lesson is" The Difference Between Take Long and Take a
Long Time. Okay. The problem usually comes in is when ESL students you know, English
as a Second Language will often use take long when they should be using the idiom
take a long time. Okay. So let's take a look at the note to see when we should use
one instead of the other. Okay. Yeah. We say the idiom to 'take long' should be used in
questions and negative sentences. So if we're asking somebody will it take long
to do something ? Or should it take long to do something ? That's a question or a
negative sentence like I don't think it will take long or it shouldn't take long.
That would be a negative sentence. So any time we use a no or a not or a never
that makes the sentence negative. Okay. Let's continue. Use the idiom take a long
time in positive sentence. So if it doesn't have an no or not or never or
something like that that makes it negative and it's not a question then
you should be using the phrase take a long time. All right. So let's look at the
first example here. Again with the X . This is wrong.
So if we say... a student may say I guess it will take long to get to our destination.
No you can even tell it it sounds off, not quite right. You should be saying I
guess it will take a long time to get to our destination. Or yeah basically so of
course this is a positive sentence. It's not a question and it's not a negative.
So you should be using the phrase take a long time.
All right. Let's look at the second one. It will probably take long time to
finish this project. No. Of course you should be saying, it will probably take a
long time to finish this project. Again it's not a question and it's not a
negative sentence. It's a positive sentence so you should say it will take
it will probably take a long time to finish this project. All right and then
finally with the two checks , we just have some common examples of when you should
use take long. Will it take long to finish this project ? So you just, you
you're actually using the same sentence and turning it into a question. When you
turn into a question then you say take long, not take a long time. Or the second
one. I don't think it will take a long time to finish this project. So we're
using the same sentence, but now we're making it negative. And if you make it
negative or it's a question then you should be using take long . If it's a
positive sentence you should be using take a long time. Okay. Anyway I hope it's
clear. I hope you got it . I hope it was informative. Thank you for your time. Bye-
bye.