1. "after" is better, yes.
2. Better phrasing is this: "a telephone conversation" (or even "a phone conversation").
3. Both are OK.
Hello.
I will really appreciate some help.
1)Is it possible to use "after" in the pattern "Present Perfect after Past Simple" or is it to be "since", for example: "Relations between the countries have worsened after (since)a terrorist attack killed 20 civilians last year"?
2)Do you think it's natural to say "to have a telephone talk", for example "The President had a telephone talk with his Russian counterpart"
3)Would you say "a reduction of troops" or "a reduction in troops", maybe both are OK?
Thank you very much for help.
2 answers
Just to argue the point in 3), I think I'd say that neither is quite correct. What the writer actually means is a reduction in troop numbers. "Reducing troops" somehow implies that you're making them smaller, which doesn't seem very likely!
1 answer