Ski_Goong Posted August 27, 2007 Share Posted August 27, 2007 I am tutoring an individual in "English" who is quite advance and the phrase "service mind" came up. It was on a flyer for a local hotel listing its many attributes-one being "service mind". Now, I would think that if the phrase is listed alone it should be "service minded" because the phrase is being shortened from "We are.....". For example-"we are clean" becomes "clean", "we are friendly" becomes "friendly" and "we are service minded" becomes "service minded". I know you can use "service mind" in a sentence ie. "He lacks a service mind". But the way it is being used in the hotel's flyer shouldn't it be "service minded"? If I am correct, what grammar rule governs the usage? If I am not.....well I've been wrong before Ski.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeaceBlondie Posted August 27, 2007 Share Posted August 27, 2007 I agree that the grammar in the brochure is wrong. "Service mind" is not a phrase in English that I or the general reading public know. "Service-minded" with or without a hyphen makes sense. The sentence structure is not even there, but as you say, the sense of the message is "Our hotel is...(adjective)." You're expecting a predicate adjective, and service minded is such a term. It could also say 'well staffed' or 'professionally managed.' In those cases, the word ending in -ed is an adjective, as a past passive participle. Or whatever the grammar gurus call those ppp things now. If your student is advanced, show her the difference between passive verbs (The car had been refueled) and a passive participle (The refueled car continued down the road). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ski_Goong Posted August 27, 2007 Author Share Posted August 27, 2007 I agree that the grammar in the brochure is wrong. "Service mind" is not a phrase in English that I or the general reading public know. "Service-minded" with or without a hyphen makes sense. The sentence structure is not even there, but as you say, the sense of the message is "Our hotel is...(adjective)." You're expecting a predicate adjective, and service minded is such a term. It could also say 'well staffed' or 'professionally managed.' In those cases, the word ending in -ed is an adjective, as a past passive participle. Or whatever the grammar gurus call those ppp things now.If your student is advanced, show her the difference between passive verbs (The car had been refueled) and a passive participle (The refueled car continued down the road). Ahhhhhh...past passive participle. Thanks. Ski... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmyd Posted August 27, 2007 Share Posted August 27, 2007 I think service mind is a translation from Thai. I'm guessing the way native speakers talk about this subject would be something like: "Our hotel is known for its service." "The customer always comes first here at Acme insurance." "Frank really knows how to take care of his clients." "One of the requirements for employment at Acme Insurance is the ability to focus on the customer's needs." In the west, I could never imagine a classified advert asking for 'service minded' people. It's actually easier to say in Thainglish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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