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Punctuation
Do I have to put a comma after words like yesterday, next, then when they begin a sentence?

Sender mohamed M
Position Head teacher

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No, you don’t have to put a comma after such adverbs at the beginning of the sentence. In the past it was more common to do so, and some writers and editors still prefer to put a comma. But current practice is to use fewer commas in writing, so a comma here is usually not needed. (Sometimes your meaning might require a comma after the adverb.)
Similarly, when you begin a sentence with a short prepositional phrase — for example, in the morning, after the rain, on Satruday — a comma is not usually needed, but some writers and editors prefer to use one. However, if the phrase is more than three or four words, you should use a comma.
"I'll manage if I walk slowly." Third Prep Teacher's Guide page 71 "I'll manage, if I walk slowly." Third Prep Student's Book page 35 Which one is correct? Should I put a comma if it's like this one: "If I walk slowly, I'll manage." With or without a comma?
Sender Mr.Badrawy
Position Teacher

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Thank you for your questions, which I have combined into one. I don’t have the Third Prep books with me here -- it’s Eid vacation and I’m at home. But let me answer your questions as best I can.
Let me put labels on the three sentences here:
A. "I'll manage if I walk slowly."
B. "I'll manage, if I walk slowly."
C. "If I walk slowly, I'll manage."
In sentences A and B, the if-clause (the dependent clause) comes after the main clause. When the main clause comes first, it is usual to not put a comma after the main clause. However, it is not absolutely wrong to do so. Sentence B shows a bit of pause in the speaker’s voice, which gives some emphasis to the idea that he must walk slowly. So in these examples, neither is wrong; both are acceptable.
In sentence C, the if-clause comes before the main clause. When the dependent clause comes first, it is usual to put a comma after it. So C is correctly punctuated.
Note that much punctuation, especially the comma, is a matter of style choice. There is often no absolute right or wrong, only a question of preferences. However, most writers and editors do prefer to put a comma following a dependent clause that comes before the main clause. I once read a book in which this was not done, and I found that I was often a bit confused in reading sentences because there was no comma to indicate that the dependent clause had ended.
Happy Eid!
Should the apostrophe come after the "s" in "peoples" as it does in the Student's Book Year One, page 71, Ex. 3 d, or after the "e" in "people" as it does on page 72, Ex. 3 d?
Sender Belal Ebada
Position Supervisor

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You're right. The apostrophe should come after the word people, not after the s. This will be corrected in the next printing.
Are both uses correct "a three week holiday" and "three weeks' holiday"? Do I need to put a hyphen in the first?
Sender ahmad ali
Position Student

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You can say a three-week holiday (with an article and a hyphen) or three weeks’ holiday (with no article and an apostrophe). It is also correct to say three weeks holiday (with no apostrophe). The apostrophe is a matter of style.
This punctuation is not in the syllabus, so you should not see it as a test item.
See also the question regarding a sentence in the Sec 1 book:
Two years' experience? or Two years experience? Good day, In Hello 7 unit 2 in the reading passage, there was: "A student should take a ten minute break between his study sessions." (No apostrophe) In Hello 8, there was a mention of "a two day holiday" (no apostrophe) In Hello 8, there was a mention of "2 weeks' time" as well. (with possessive apostrophe) In the pilot edition of Hello 2nd Year, p. 5 in the ad, there is a mention of "two years' experience." Is there a rule for using or not using the possessive apostrophe?
Sender Hossam
Position Supervisor

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Please note that these particular issues of punctuation are not in the syllabus and should not appear as test items.

There are different opinions and styles regarding this issue.

All of these are correct:

A student should take a ten-minute break between his study sessions. (article, hyphen, no apostrophe)

OR

A student should take ten minutes’ break between his study sessions. (no article, apostrophe)

OR

A student should take ten minutes break between his study sessions. (no article, no apostrophe)

The apostrophe is not really a possessive, and that is why the current preferred style is to omit it. We have marked the text to remove the apostrophe in that passage in the Sec 2 book.


In SB Year 2, page 5, inside the first box, I think "Two years experience" lacks an apostrophe after "s".
Sender Belal Ebada
Position Supervisor

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The apostrophe was deliberately left off here because apostrophes are no longer obligatory in (among other things) plural expressions of time and space. These expressions are seen as working attributively rather than as showing possession. See The Cambridge Guide to English Usage under “apostrophe” for more.

In Sec 2 SB page 18 "Louis Pasteur" line 12 you wrote "he became Professor of Chemistry." 1- Why is Professor with capital P? 2- Shouldn't it have been "He became a professor of Chemistry?" Thank you.
Sender Nadi Rabi' Mahmoud
Position Teacher

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This is a style issue. Professor of Chemistry is here treated as a title of a particular position in the university. It could have been a professor of chemistry (note the lowercase "c") if it was not treated as a title. The names of subjects should not normally be capitalized as you have in #2.
Do we say "ten years experience" or do we add an apostrophe to "years"?
Sender mr.mohamed
Position Teacher

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Both are correct. This is a matter of style, not grammar. Please also see these questions and answers:
Find the mistake: 1-Thieves robbed the bank and the school,the police caught them. 2-Most government clerks don't have much money.
Sender belal
Position Student

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The first sentence has a mistake in punctuation. You can't have two main clauses joined by a comma. You can use a semicolon, or write it as two sentences.
I don't see a mistake in the second sentence. Ask your teacher what is wrong and tell us. Perhaps your teacher thinks it should be don't make much money or don't earn much money. But don't have much money is also correct. (They don't have much because they don't earn much and don't have other sources of income.)