This tag is about how the grammar works: different grammatical usages, how they can be used, or what they mean.
0
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3answers
117 views
When is it allowable to elide “is”?
In an article in The Economist, I have observed the following sentence:
The less positive point out that human rights are routinely abused, freedom of speech is restricted and corruption endemic.
...
0
votes
2answers
67 views
Usage of the article 'a' before bait in this particular instance
Is it acceptable to use the article 'a' before 'bait' in this sentence? Is there a difference in meaning here when you use 'a' or drop it?
"You would not have sent it to me for no reason. It was a ...
7
votes
2answers
474 views
Is this translation of a joke grammatically correct?
I'm trying to translate this Dutch comic to English. I want to say that the probability of rain turns out to be higher than predicted, but that this probability is not of such magnitude that it ...
1
vote
3answers
176 views
Why do I never hear people say “I get to go now”?
This word got has been confusing me for a long time. Is it against the rules of English grammar, because got is the past tense of get? Why do I never hear people say it this way:
I get to go now.
...
-1
votes
1answer
46 views
What will be appropriate in the following sentence?
What did the king do when he become/became angry?
I am not a native speaker so am confused that since did is used in the begining, what will be correct, become or became?
Also, what rule governs it?
...
-2
votes
2answers
1k views
When do we use “had had” and “have had”? [duplicate]
I have seen several sentences in English where some writers have written had twice in a row. I am a bit confused about when the grammar calls for using had had.
For example:
I had had my car ...
-3
votes
1answer
54 views
What is the convenient way to state the meaning that being bored in the past? [closed]
So, actually, I would like to form the sentence that includes "bored" in the past perfect continous.
Is it right, if I say: "I had been being bored." ? Or what would be the right way to say that a ...
-1
votes
1answer
233 views
Apostrophes and s's [duplicate]
I always forget the rule about if something is possessive put 's at the end, for example "the sailor's hat". I know some people say to remember because it has a different meaning if it's plural (e.g. ...
7
votes
1answer
362 views
Which is correct: “I loaned him some money” or “ I lent him some money”?
My Webster's New world Dictionary does not contain the word "loaned" at all, but my Thesaurus does, and the word "lent" is the first synonym listed. My wife, who learned English as a second language ...
1
vote
2answers
85 views
comprise or comprise of [closed]
I have found a similar topic addressing the use of "comprise" but my question is not exactly in line with that question. I did ask this question there to keep the topic related to the us of ...
2
votes
1answer
164 views
Should I say “have only been . . . twice” or “have been . . . twice only”?
Will these next two sentences confuse you?
1.I have only been to London once before.
2.I have been to London twice only.
Now for a more complicated example, I want to express that I have ...
4
votes
2answers
171 views
Why present perfect in “When the night has come”?
In the song “Stand by Me”, we see a sentence like “when the night has come.”
I was taught that in a when clause, we use the past tense, yet the present perfect has been used in the sentence cited ...
1
vote
0answers
101 views
Why does a negative adverbial phrase trigger inversion? [duplicate]
When a negative adverb (or adverbial phrase) is placed at the beginning of a sentence, we exchange the normal placement of subject and verb.
Why is that?
-1
votes
1answer
156 views
Double negation in English Grammar [closed]
I'm unsure if the following sentence contains a double negative, or whether it’s even considered grammatical?
He doesn’t like anyone who isn’t British.
Do the emphasized words doesn’t and isn’t ...
-1
votes
3answers
75 views
“Testification” in US English
The usage of Dieter Wisclieceny’s statements and testifications from
the Nuremberg Trials as the basis for the interrogation and trial of
Eichmann is also accurate.
In Microsoft word, the ...
1
vote
1answer
89 views
Using can and can't [duplicate]
She can barely cook a decent meal, ____ she?
I think the answer is can’t. Please advise: what is the rule here?
Therefore, if the question is asked:
She can’t swim, ____ she?
In this case, ...
-6
votes
1answer
62 views
Want them vs wish they [closed]
Suppose I want to say to a friend that despite a team victory what I really wanted for them was a defeat.
Are these sentences grammatically correct given the aforesaid purpose?
I wanted that they ...
10
votes
2answers
232 views
In the armpit or under the armpit?
Which is the right thing to say?
Put the thermometer in the armpit.
Put the thermometer under the armpit.
Put the thermometer under the arm.
2
votes
2answers
76 views
“What questions are there?” vs. “What are the questions there?”
Imagine this scene: "a non-native student asking another student about the questions in a paper on the table of the teacher". Which is the correct way for asking this between the two questions below:
...
-1
votes
1answer
57 views
Should I use two “not” here in this sentence? [closed]
Should I use:
"This approach is not economic and user friendly blah blah ..."
Or
"This approach is not economic and not user friendly blah blah ..."
Or anything else?
-2
votes
1answer
205 views
To have something done [closed]
I have commentaries which should be sent to a server. After doing it, I'll say:
I have got all the commentaries sent.
Does my sentence sound natural?
1
vote
3answers
152 views
“Where” as a conjunction
There were two sentences I wrote:
We did a science experiment where we dissected frogs.
This is the last day where I'll be waiting for you by your locker.
I'm not sure if where can be used as a ...
0
votes
2answers
1k views
Is “regardless of whether or not” proper grammar?
I have a sentence like this:
I will go to the store regardless of whether or not it's raining
Meaning that the weather has no bearing on my intent to go to the store. The "regardless of whether ...
0
votes
3answers
133 views
“Renowned for” vs “Renown for” [closed]
Should it be
Our company is renown for
or
Our company is renowned for
1
vote
3answers
85 views
When to use the words “how” and “that”
I wrote this sentence:
Tyray also thought about how he would see Darrell’s dead face.
However, I remember my teacher telling us the distinction between how and that, and that how is often used ...
-1
votes
2answers
198 views
Is “We wish to confirm that this amount has been processed and enclosed is a cheque totalling $15,000.00” grammatically correct [closed]
I am creating a document that has the following sentence:
We wish to confirm that this amount has been processed and enclosed is a cheque totalling $15,000.00.
From my point of view, using the ...
6
votes
2answers
327 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
3answers
124 views
Usage of 'duplicate copy' [closed]
Given a sentence
Please sign on the duplicate copy of this letter.
Am I correct in thinking that either duplicate or copy should be used, not both of them?
-2
votes
2answers
101 views
Like Phrases like phrases [closed]
Phrases in a sentence such as:
Like a bat out of hell.
Like a scowled dog.
Like a rabbit in heat.
What are these "LIKE" phrases called?
-4
votes
2answers
91 views
What is proper grammar for a question that ends with a colon? [closed]
"Would you mind completing the following?:"
Is the above correct?
0
votes
2answers
222 views
Should we say less or fewer “fruit and vegetables”?
Fruit is uncountable but vegetables is countable, so we should use less or fewer before them together?
1
vote
3answers
183 views
What is the difference between these two sentences?
Consider these two sentences: "I gave him a pencil," and, "I gave a pencil to him."
Is it correct that the important part of the sentence is placed at the end? When we want to emphasize the pencil ...
0
votes
2answers
210 views
What is the difference between oneday and someday
I thought that oneday is used for representing past tense and someday for future.
but I saw oneday is used for representing future in the context yestreday.
Can "oneday" represent future as in ...
-5
votes
1answer
62 views
'What may it be'/ 'what may be it' which one is correct? [closed]
I think,saying 'what may it be' is correct in the sense of something that i did not see before,it is new to me and on my hand.and i am saying this sentence "what may it be"/"what may be it".which one ...
-3
votes
1answer
164 views
past perfect and past continuous [closed]
Which of these is correct?
Before he had come to the factory, Tom was studying at the University of London.
Before he came to the factory, Tom had studied at the University of London.
-1
votes
1answer
87 views
What does “The painfully obvious with Olive Penderghast…the fake school slut” mean?
Is there anyone can tell me in Easy A why Brandon says Olive should teach a course of this name? I don't get the idea of the title.
Brandon: Are you saying that I should act straight so people ...
0
votes
0answers
29 views
Does before a date include the day? [duplicate]
The phrase is "It is okay as long as you send it to me before 10th of march."
Does this include the 10th of march or do I have to send it by the 9th of march?
3
votes
1answer
106 views
Is an implied “I know” considered correct English in this type of phrasing
I often read or hear statements like "Joe robbed the bank because I saw him running away with the money." Clearly, the literal interpretation is not the intended meaning and there is an understood "I ...
0
votes
1answer
71 views
Where is the subject and verb here etc.?
The sentence "The principle is, the farther from the scene of horror, the easier the talk." looks and sounds fine to me, but if I wrote it my internal editor would worry vaguely. To make things less ...
2
votes
2answers
184 views
Was “ain’t” at one time acceptable in “proper” English? [duplicate]
I contend the word ain’t is a useful contraction of am not. Ain’t I correct in thinking that in the early 1800s, Bostonians thought of ain’t as an acceptable word without stigmatization?
2
votes
1answer
79 views
Avoiding “is that” when adding an explanatory subordinate clause to a sentence in academic writing
Consider the following sentence as a starter of the final paragraph of an article:
While previous studies have proven to be valuable, a potential drawback of the type of methods used is that they ...
-2
votes
3answers
73 views
Is the sentence “Does having a way to charge your electronic devices while on the go sound relevant to you?” grammatically correct? [closed]
I hope this is the right forum for this kind of question. Thanks in advance.
Does the "having" act as a noun? Why is it "does"?
-2
votes
3answers
275 views
Is the sentence, “This is a picture of my sister and me.” grammatically correct? [closed]
Is the following sentence grammatically correct?
This is a picture of my sister and me.
-2
votes
2answers
161 views
Is this sentence written correctly? [closed]
Since my English is not my mother language, some English rules are still strange to me, especially when I translate.
The situation is that a twitter user (Joe) clicks on the 'follow' button in ...
0
votes
4answers
94 views
Using “you” and “your” as a representation for yourself and everyone in general
Example sentence:
"I love when your dog just lets you sit there to pet them. You don’t necessarily know if they are enjoying it, but they love you enough to just sit there with you for a bit."
Is ...
1
vote
2answers
192 views
starting a sentence with 'when reading …'
Is it possible and good English to start a sentence with 'When reading...'?
Exactly it's about the following one:
When reading your offer it seemed to me as if this position is made for me.
bg,
...
0
votes
3answers
142 views
Usage of “Which” and “What” [duplicate]
Which is your most favourite subject in school ?
What is your most favourite subject in school ?
Which one is acceptable? If both are acceptable, do they have any difference in meaning?
1
vote
1answer
125 views
Difference in naming between consulting and consultants
I have a domain research for a company and since English is not my first language I was wondering about the difference between e.g.
Boston Consulting and Boston Consultants
My guess is that the ...
-1
votes
2answers
81 views
Defective Passage [closed]
Could this small passage be defective in some way:
book
KENT SAW Helen at each evening meal, but otherwise only the spotless kitchen remained as a clue that another person shared the house.
...
-1
votes
2answers
131 views
Is the phrase grammatically correct?
Said phrase is "He thought himself a simple man." I'm wondering if the sentence is grammatically correct, and if not, a better sentence.
