on the verge of vs to be about to

[majidkh]

Hello
Would you please tell me which option can best fit in the sentences?

1-I'm ........ go OR going to the store because I must go there to find my wallet I had lost there a few hours ago.

2-I 'm ..........turn off OR turning off my computer because of electricity fluctuations.

A- about to B- on the verge of

Thanks a lot.

[Phong Lan]

I think we use the structure be + V-ing to say what we intend to do. So, we have:

1-I'm going to the store because I must go there to find my wallet I had lost there a few hours ago.

2-I'm turning off my computer because of electricity fluctuations.

A- about to

[Tanyenbai]

1-I'm about to go to the store because I must go there to find my wallet I had lost there a few hours ago.

2-I 'm about to turn off my computer because of electricity fluctuations.

on the verge of = kề / cận bên (bờ vực thẳm)

[MANH NGUYEN]

Hello
Would you please tell me which option can best fit in the sentences?

1-I'm ........ go OR going to the store because I must go there to find my wallet I had lost there a few hours ago.

2-I 'm ..........turn off OR turning off my computer because of electricity fluctuations.

A- about to B- on the verge of

Thanks a lot.

My choice is A

A."To be about to" or "to be going to" is used to describe intentions, near future....
B. "On the verge of" is used to describe a reluctant situation....

Verge: (vûrj)
n.

1. The extreme edge or margin; a border. See Synonyms at border.

[Tricky42]

I'm going to gives no sense of time except that whatever you are going to do has not happened yet.

I'm about to gives a sense of an imminent event.

You can also say "I'm just about to..." This is even more imminent as in a few seconds away.

The first sentence needs some correction
1-I'm about to return to the store because I must find my wallet that I lost a few hours ago.

2-I 'm about to turn off my computer because of electricity fluctuations
This sentence is grammatically correct but is a faulty syllogism. It has a minor premis - electricity fluctuations, major premis is missing and a conclusion - turning off the computer. I think the major premis is that the computer may be damaged (by the electricity fluctuations)

I imagine Vietnamese has syllogisms too. Thich di!
:-)

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/syllogism

[Tanyenbai]

Thích rồi. Có anh chàng Liverpool ở đây ai mà chả thích? ;-) "Phép suy luận" tại sao Việt Nam lại không có? It is true and sad that Vn cannot produce anything better than a bike. We do not have terms for details of a spacecraft!!!!

[Tricky42]

Hi! A syllogism is not a technical term. It describes a sentence that has a major premis, minor premis and a conclusion. I think every language has syllogisms. I am not sure if every language has a word to express the concept though.

So to make the sentence logically correct, I would state,

"These electricity fluctuations might damage my computer therefore I am going to turn it off"

[majidkh]

Hi! A syllogism is not a technical term. It describes a sentence that has a major premis, minor premis and a conclusion. I think every language has syllogisms. I am not sure if every language has a word to express the concept though.

So to make the sentence logically correct, I would state,

"These electricity fluctuations might damage my computer therefore I am going to turn it off"

Thank you everybody for your useful posts.
Could you tell whether is it true to say that "about to" has a sense of more immediate than" on the verge of ". for example:

-I'm about to suffer a mental breakdown..
-I'm on the verge of suffering a mental breakdown.

Also,what's your instinct about the two contexts?

Thanks a lot.

[english-learner]

-I'm about to suffer a mental breakdown......
How to know you're about to suffer a mental breakdown????
Only God know it? I think. Que sera, sera!

[pattun]

The two phrases aremore or less interchangeable. "on the verge of" possible indicates something a bit more serious - something that has taken a great deal of thought and consideration.