Discussion Forum—A Way with Words, a fun radio show and podcast about language

Barry said
1. One reason for people "in modern time" to get obese and back pain frequently is that they sit too long and move too little.

In sentence 1, I think "in modern time" should be "in modern timeS." Am I right?

Your correction would conform more to popular usage.  The original is not incorrect, though.  I am more concerned about "get obese and back pain frequently" as get means become with obese, and means obtain/acquire with back pain.  OK to use two adjective or two noun phrases but using it with one of each pains my ear.

2. We will be eating very big turkey "at dinner time".

In sentence 2, we cannot pluralize "dinner time". Am I right? In addition, should I add an "the" before "dinner time"?
A very big turkey will probably be eaten multiple times, not just dinner time, but supper time, a bedtime snack, as sandwiches the following lunch, and as hash for supper the next day.  You need an article - either a or the - before "very" for the sentence to flow trippingly off the tongue.  Normally, this sentence would be used to describing the events of the day, and you eat the turkey once at dinner time (whether dinner is at noon or evening or, as is fairly common on Thanksgiving and other family feasts, mid-afternoon) and the other times, you are eating leftovers, so yeah, dinner time should be singular.  No matter what time dinner is held, there is only one dinner time, so using a or the is superfluous; dinner sufficiently specifies the time.

Thank for your help!

Happy to be of assistance.  Sounds like you're learning English as a second tongue.  Congratulations, and my sympathies.  We probably would have been better off using am American language like Algonquin as our common language instead of this maddening European language, English.

I must warn you, however, that there are a number of experts here, and my opinion, although always correct (grin), and not necessarily held by all here.  And their opinions are always correct, too.  Don't let tht logic give you a headache.  Languages are very democratic, and the only real test is how well you are able to communicate.  You can get your meaning understood, in many cases, with clumsy wordings.  When one is trying to convey nuance, however, there may be NO way to get across your meaning to all without confusion.