Proofreading Service - Pain in the English
Proofreading Service - Pain in the English

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Proofreading Service - Pain in the English
Proofreading Service - Pain in the English

Your Pain Is Our Pleasure

24-Hour Proofreading Service—We proofread your Google Docs or Microsoft Word files. We hate grammatical errors with a passion. Learn More

DOUBT vs. QUESTION

As a non-native teacher of English as a Foreign Language, I have always frowned on my students’ use of the sentence “I have a doubt”.

Judging it a typical case of language transfer, I promptly tell them that they should instead say that they “have a question”.

After coming across the sentence “if students have doubt” in a teacher’s guide, I don’t feel so self-assured as to jump on my students’ phrase anymore.

Any comment on this usage will be greatly appreciated.

Eduardo

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Comments

A native speaker would never use 'doubt' interchangably with 'question' in the context you gave.

"I have a question" carries the implication that one does not understand.

"I have doubts" carries the implication that one understands, but does not agree.

Your teachers guide is also right. To me, it's hinting at a case in which the students are questioning something because it disagrees with something they learned before.

Alchemae Feb-13-2005

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i actually saw a movie on the basis of the relgious faith, and it talked about the difference between doubt and question.

a doubter, doubts and does not seek an answer.
a questioner, those that are inquisitive, questions because they seek an answer.

so.. "I have a doubt" is a very negative phrase if compared to the culture of the world of human flourishing

Kwang Jun-28-2012

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I agree 100%. No doubts here :)

speedwell2 Feb-14-2005

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Undoubtedly!

Unggit_Tjitradjaja Feb-14-2005

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Thank you Alchemae for sharing your insightful comment.

It seems that some of them will still say "I have a doubt" :)

take care

Eduardo

Eduardo3 Feb-14-2005

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Navigating language differences can be tricky, especially in the classroom. As a non-native English teacher, you might've noticed students saying "I have a doubt" instead of "I have a question." This switch happens because in some languages, like Spanish or Portuguese, "doubt" is used to mean "question." It's not wrong, just different. But recently, you stumbled upon "if students have doubt" in a teacher's guide, making you question your correction.

Here's the deal: "I have a doubt" isn't commonly used in English, where "doubt" usually means uncertainty, not a question. It's more natural to say "I have a question." However, language changes, and sometimes formal or technical writing might use "doubt" differently. So, while guiding students to say "I have a question" is smart for everyday English, being open to variations helps us adapt to language shifts and diverse communication styles.

Learn about Foreign Language https://higherlanguage.com/how-long-does-it-take-to-learn-a-foreign-language/

elizabethwilliams_7 May-31-2024

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