Tagged Questions
-1
votes
2answers
109 views
What's the difference between “She came home angry” and “She came home angrily” [closed]
Are these two sentences grammatically correct?
What's the difference between them?
She came home angry
She came home angrily
0
votes
1answer
32 views
Combining “only” with a second modifier
I would like to know which of the following phrases are grammatical.
administrative-only data
administrative only data
only-administrative data
only administrative data
1
vote
1answer
110 views
Part of speech: “I am disappointed with”
In a construction such as, "John is disappointed with Alice", what part of speech is disappointed with? It appears to me that the "am" is a linking verb.
Similarly, "Jessica is sad", it seems to me ...
0
votes
1answer
62 views
Can “above” be used as an adjective? [duplicate]
I've read in some English grammar books that the word above can only act as an adverb. It can never be used as an adjective in any context.
For example:
1) The above example explains it well.
...
1
vote
2answers
59 views
What role does 'in' take in this sentence?
Father: “It may not be exactly the car you want but..” Daughter:
“It’ll be rubbish, some old wreck that I’ll look totally stupid
in.” (BBC, The Archers, 2013-04-26 Friday, 8’55”~9’01”)
Does ...
-1
votes
2answers
74 views
Using “meantime” as an adjective
Does it make sense to say:
Please consider this email as a meantime brief report.
If yes, why? and if no, how can it be fixed?
Edit
By the above sentence, I want to say that this email is not ...
7
votes
2answers
488 views
Are the words “sillily”, “uglily”, “friendlily”, “livelily”, etc., valid English?
I have wondered about how to make the words silly, ugly, friendly, lively, etc. into adverbs, so I researched in the Internet. I found many different answers, so I tried checking Oxford Dictionaries.
...
0
votes
1answer
259 views
What's it called when you switch the order of two words around?
What's it called when you switch the order of two words around, completely changing their meaning?
For example, simply childish becomes childishly simple.
Or wonderfully sarcastic becomes ...
2
votes
3answers
331 views
Four-word phrase stress
I'm interested to learn why the following four-word phrases have stress on different words.
"Little Red Riding Hood" (stress is on little and riding)
"Infamous National Rifle Association" ...
0
votes
3answers
145 views
“I went to bed hungry” vs. “I went to bed hungrily” [closed]
What is the exact difference between "I went to bed hungry" and "I went to bed hungrily"?
-2
votes
1answer
332 views
Most is adjective or adverb, comparative or superlative in the following phrase?
In the following phrase, from the 1971 film "The Devils" by Ken Russell, what is "most"? An adjective or an adverb? And in what form, comparative or superlative?
I conjure thee, most frightful ...
0
votes
1answer
100 views
Exact meaning of “You are brand new”? [closed]
I run across a phrase of "You are brand new to GitHub" on the web.
What makes me confused is the word "brand"; is it a noun, an adjective or an adverb?
0
votes
1answer
60 views
Is this adjective or adverbial?
When are you getting the train back to Adelaide?
Is the phrase back to Adelaide an adjective phrase that modifies the train or adverbial to are getting?
2
votes
2answers
326 views
“Fairly quick” vs. “fairly quickly” [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Which is correct: “drive safe” or “drive safely”?
If I were to write a sentence like:
I completed the task fairly quickly.
Is it correct, or would fairly quick be ...
11
votes
5answers
403 views
The use of “real” in the following cases [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Real quick question
If you listen real close...
Can you swing by real quick...
Sentences like the above two are what I often hear in daily life. If I didn't ...
-1
votes
1answer
118 views
Adverb of “gullible” [closed]
What is the adverb form of gullible? I tried using gullibly but it apparently isn't a word. Is it one of those adjectives that simply don't have an adequate adverb?
3
votes
3answers
252 views
Is “five-yearly” an acceptable usage of an adverb of manner in British English?
Today's BBC News web page has this headline:
New era of five-yearly doctor checks starts
There's a word that means "five-yearly": quinquennial. It's probably too long for headline writers and ...
4
votes
2answers
378 views
Compound adjectives functioning as adverbs modifying other adjectives; is it possible and grammatical?
Soul-crushingly bad; heartbreakingly sad; bone-crunchingly violent; etc. I swear I have seen it done, but I am not sure whether it's proper grammar or not. Thanks!
3
votes
3answers
347 views
Alternative phrase to “highly paid job”
James: I make 10000 USD a month.
Alice: Wow, you have a highly paid job.
Is the phrase “highly paid job” correct?
I think yes, but also wish to ask the native speakers here.
I assume that ...
8
votes
2answers
279 views
Why “buy things secondhand,“ not “buy secondhand things”?
I saw the word ‘secondhand’ come after ‘things’ in the lead copy of July 17 Time magazine’s article, titled “10 Things You Should Be Buying Used”, as follows.
Buying things secondhand can save a ...
4
votes
2answers
289 views
Is “ultimated” a word?
Is "ultimated" a valid word?
For example:
Range requests were originally proposed by Ari Luotonen and John Franks, using an extension to the URL syntax instead of a separate header field. ...
5
votes
2answers
821 views
“Above”/“below” before/after a noun
I have seen sentences similar to the following:
(1) See the reference above.
(2) See the reference below.
And,
(3) See the above reference.
But not,
(4) See the below reference.
...
1
vote
4answers
2k views
Real quick question [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Can “real” be used as an adverb to describe an adjective?
Let me just ask you something real quick. Is my previous sentence wrong? Must the real part be "really"?
Some ...
1
vote
3answers
242 views
Adjective & Adverbial forms of “Conspiracy” [closed]
I tried looking up its synonyms (plot, scheme) and then their adjectives, but they didn't quite cut it. Any word that can be used as its adjective and adverb?
The place that I would like to use it ...
1
vote
1answer
498 views
“ 'Such' amount” or “ 'such an' amount”?
Is there any difference between them!? If you google both: 1 and 2, the amount of retrieved results are very similar. I'd like to know if there's any (grammar) rule that makes it clear when to use an ...
0
votes
2answers
159 views
“New diagnosed” vs. “newly diagnosed” [closed]
Which one of the following is correct to use?
New diagnosed cases.
Newly diagnosed cases.
0
votes
0answers
47 views
The use of “bad” vs the use of “badly.” [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
“I feel bad for you” versus “I feel badly for you”
Which of the following is more grammatically correct?
I feel bad for her.
or
I feel ...
1
vote
2answers
542 views
What part of speech is “only” in this sentence: Fame lights a fuse that leads only to extinguishment
My impulse is that it's modifying the verb leads, and is thus an adverb; yet it seems that a case could also be made that it's exerting power on the phrase to extinguishment, a noun, which would make ...
1
vote
1answer
514 views
“overly confident” vs “over confident”
I hear or read both phrases regularly, and they seem to have the same meaning to me. But do they have different meanings? Or is “overly confident” even grammatically correct?
1
vote
1answer
262 views
Using “subject to” with a verb other than “to be”
Is it possible to use subject to with a verb other than to be?
for example:
The self-image is subject to changes. (Obviously OK)
Being bound to our self-image we react subject to behavior ...
2
votes
2answers
276 views
“Publicly well known X” vs “public well known X”
How do you say it correctly?
The publicly well-known project
or
The public well-known project
5
votes
3answers
473 views
What is the adverb here and the adjective?
(It's not actually homework, I am actually studying for a competitive exam.)
The following sentences have been taken from Wren and Martin and I am providing their solutions for figuring out ...
4
votes
1answer
471 views
Using short adjectives as adverbs, such as “easy” & “short”
I know that some adjectives (such as easy & short) can be used as adverbs in some situations, but when can this happen and what adjectives does this apply to?
This definitely works: "He stopped ...
5
votes
2answers
277 views
What is the best way to convert “tongue-in-cheek” into an adverb?
I was thinking something like "tongue-in-cheekly" but it sounds awkward. Of course, alternatives are welcome, but I couldn't come up with one that conveyed the half-serious playfulness that I ...
1
vote
3answers
2k views
newly graduate or new graduate
Which one is correct?
I am a new graduate and have been teaching German for a few weeks now.
I am a newly graduate and ...
I can't decide whether to use "new" or "newly".
4
votes
3answers
239 views
Is “nuancedly” an existing word?
I was typing the following sentence in Microsoft Word:
This theme is outlined more nuancedly in this novel.
but it marked the word "nuancedly" as being non-existent.
I did a search on Google ...
4
votes
5answers
4k views
“Newly found” vs. “New Found”
What is the grammatically correct way to say the following sentence?
"I have come away with a new found respect for the author..."
or
"I have come away with a newly found respect for the ...
2
votes
5answers
452 views
Adjective or adverb describing promotion of self or group one belongs to
Is there an adjective or adverb depicting self-promotion (or promotion of a group one belongs to)?
I am thinking of something that has a somewhat negative connotation, in the spirit of phrases
...
6
votes
3answers
284 views
“Are you sure sure” — is this repetition grammatically correct?
A typical conversation among members of my age demographic could go like this:
Person 1: Did you know that x > y?!?
Person 2: Are you sure?
Person 1: Yeah, I'm sure.
Person 2: Are ...
7
votes
1answer
590 views
‘Not as simply’ versus ‘not as simple’
In this Stack Overflow answer, an editor changed my sentence:
Not as simply as that, unfortunately.
to:
Not as simple as that, unfortunately.
The original question was:
Is there any ...
8
votes
4answers
211 views
“Deliberate recluse” or “deliberately reclusive”
I was touching up my profile when I came upon this:
Aspiring autodidact, deliberate recluse.
Is the phrase deliberate recluse syntactically correct, or should I use deliberately reclusive ...
7
votes
3answers
943 views
Increasingly + positive or increasingly + comparative?
For instance, would you rather say "It became increasingly hard" or "It became increasingly harder"?
From my understanding, both are possible, but their meaning is slightly different. The first ...
15
votes
5answers
1k views
Are the rules regarding absolute modifiers too absolute?
A common grammar lesson that was taught to me in the US and that I've had to teach abroad in EFL classrooms is that we're not to use adverbs of emphasis with absolute modifiers, just as we're not ...
3
votes
1answer
518 views
Usage of “cowardly” and “coward”
I recently discovered that cowardly, which looks like an adverb, is actually also an adjective. So far so good. Then what is the difference between cowardly and coward, and is there any preferential ...
1
vote
2answers
4k views
How to use the words ending with “-ly”?
First question: in the grammar world, where do the -ly ended words belong?
Second question: how to use them correctly?
Rarely (oops!), if ever, I get myself using -ly ended words in my writing. I'm ...
5
votes
5answers
2k views
Use of “completely rubbish”
I notice that it is rubbish means it is bad, but can we say it is completely rubbish meaning it is completely bad in everyday English? Do native speakers of English say that, other than the obviously ...
0
votes
2answers
686 views
Synonyms and antonyms for “lacking” or “missing” when something is mandatory
I am searching for the correct term usage in my Java code, although you don't need to know anything about programming to answer my question.
My "something" can be "required" (mandatory) or not ...
5
votes
2answers
227 views
Is there a reference book that lists words by usage or theme?
Similar to how a Thesaurus lists synonyms, is there a book that groups words (or phrases) together by conceptual usage?
For example, this question is looking for words that describe a person's ...
4
votes
4answers
6k views
“Too serious” vs “too seriously”
I know the vast majority of people say "Don't take yourself too seriously", as found correct by basically every native speaker I've asked about this (often accompanied by incredulous looks).
What ...
4
votes
2answers
439 views
Why is it, “It seems different”, but “It comes across differently”?
Both phrases describe the manner, appearance, air, etc, of a subject. Why does the former use an adjective to modify the subject, while the latter uses an adverb to modify the verb phrase?
