Grammaticality refers to whether something obeys the rules of grammar for English.
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0answers
14 views
Modifier “Culminate In”
If there some article:
Wade's three-point shot with three minutes remaining in the game was a virtual dagger, and it lead to further defensive breakdowns, culminating in some emphatic dunks down the ...
0
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2answers
53 views
Is “more optimal” correct grammar? [duplicate]
As a math and computer-science person, I use the phrase "more optimal" quite often, such as "This algorithm gives more optimal results." However, I was recently corrected, and told that "more ...
0
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0answers
14 views
Which one to use as general Personal Pronoun: he, she or it [duplicate]
The issue
On my mother language, Portuguese, we have a lot of little differences to English on Pronouns.
My question
Which phrase is correct? Since I don't know if user is a man or a woman (or a ...
0
votes
1answer
24 views
What's the meaning of “what am I to do” [closed]
Is "what am I to do" be commonly used in daily lives?
Also what do following sentences imply?
What should I do the next?
What am I to do the next?
Please.
0
votes
3answers
24 views
Successfully submitted vs Submitted Successfully
When data has been submitted through a form online, which sentence below make the most sense to use? Is one grammatically correct more than the other?
Your information has been successfully ...
0
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0answers
55 views
When to use “a” vs “an” [duplicate]
I know the general rule is to use "a" if the word following starts with a consonant, and "an" if it starts with a vowel. I found this page that lists some exceptions: ...
0
votes
1answer
57 views
Use of the phrase “it seems” vs. “it seems that”
On another stackexchange site, I used the following phrasing:
I want to do X. It seems I can only do so when Y.
Someone edited the second sentence:
It seems that I can only do so when Y.
...
1
vote
1answer
35 views
Are modal verbs finite or non-finite?
According to Oxford Dictionaries Online,
a finite verb is a verb that has a specific tense, number and person and a non-finite verb is a verb that does not have a specific tense,
number and ...
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0answers
26 views
Please let me know what did you think of the new set of changes? [closed]
Is the question
Please let me know what did you think of the new set of changes?
a semantically correct rephrasing of the question
Are you OK with the new set of changes?
3
votes
2answers
48 views
Singular noun objects of plural subjects
What is the rule for singular noun objects of plural subjects? For example I and google N-grams agree that
They gave their word.
is better than
They gave their words.
To my mind, this is ...
-2
votes
0answers
31 views
“Nowadays” in reported speech — convert to “these days” or “those days”? [closed]
I can't convert a sentence that contains nowadays to reported speech. Some websites say that it should be turned into "these days", while others say it should be "those days". Which is the correct ...
1
vote
1answer
64 views
Is it correct to say “I would like to inquire about something?”
When I make a call to get some information regarding a matter, I generally start the conversation with "Hello, I would like to inquire about something."
Is this a correct usage? If not, what would be ...
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0answers
27 views
Check the grammar [closed]
However, I was able to convince the panel that with mutual effort I will learn and deliver what will be expected of me
is this sentence correct?
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votes
4answers
105 views
“Lay on the bed” vs. “lay in the bed” [closed]
Which one is more grammatically correct?
I lay on the bed.
I lay in the bed.
3
votes
3answers
221 views
Can I use the “ll” contraction with proper names?
Can I contract "will" as "ll" when preceded by a proper name? For example:
John will visit you tomorrow
John'll visit you tomorrow
I am inclined to think this is not acceptable in standard ...
4
votes
1answer
59 views
Identifying the class of this word
I'm reading the Wikipedia page on garden-path sentences. One example is:
The government plans to raise taxes were defeated.
What class of word is government in this sentence?
I read this ...
1
vote
1answer
49 views
“A tool to do” vs. “a tool that does” vs. “a tool for doing”
I'm the curator of the Open Web Platform Daily Digest link. In the "Tools" section of each daily I write entries in this format:
tool_name, tool_description
For example:
hapi, a server framework ...
1
vote
1answer
113 views
“Oblong to Allantoid” — is it valid? [closed]
I read in a paper:
One such genus is Dinemasporium which ... characterised by superficial, cupulate to discoid conidiomata with brown setae, and phialidic conidiogenous cells that give rise to ...
-1
votes
1answer
32 views
who or whom in this context? [duplicate]
I am unsure which is the grammatically correct one in the following context:
...trying to find a programmer with who / whom I could collaborate.
Which one is the correct usage?
9
votes
2answers
755 views
Grammaticality of “Shoreditch station to permanently close”
I recently read an article on BBC titled Bad grammar and the people who hate it. In it, there is a photo of a train station sign which reads as follows.
Friday 9 June 2006
Shoreditch station ...
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votes
0answers
60 views
's 's ?! Works or not? [closed]
If we are talking about hats for example.
Mine is blue.Tom's is white.
Can I use the contraction of is in the previous sentence.
So it'll be like this 'Tom's 's white' !!
Is it grammatically ...
0
votes
2answers
59 views
“Committed to supporting X” vs. “committed to support X”
I'm trying to edit a speech and found a commonly used phase which I'm not sure if I should amend it or not. The sentence goes like this:
[a subject] is committed to supporting [a project].
...
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votes
1answer
55 views
Using the possessive apostrophe in formal English [closed]
I am writing an essay and my teacher told us to use "Formal Academic English". Would using a possessive apostrophe like "Obama's decision to.." be considered informal? Don't tell me to ask my teacher, ...
2
votes
1answer
39 views
Should I use life or lives in the following question
Should I use life or lives in the following question?
I would promote prayer as a part of the pupils' everyday life
I would promote prayer as a part of the pupils' everyday lives
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votes
0answers
30 views
“Develop a process for” vs. “develop a process on”
Which one is grammatical?
Develop a process on handling incoming material...
Develop a process for handling incoming material...
0
votes
0answers
15 views
A date and time that suit you? [duplicate]
Which of these is correct?
A date and time that suit you
A date and time that suits you
I have always had doubts about this.
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votes
2answers
82 views
A question about date [duplicate]
A standard date question would be:
What date is it today?
But is
What date is today?
acceptable?
0
votes
4answers
129 views
Origin and correctness of “ain’t no”?
In contemporary American English usage, I come across sentences like:
I ain’t got no money.
Ain’t no man like him.
Saying ain’t no sounds incorrect to me because it is a double ...
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votes
1answer
50 views
Can I say I landed at Boston? [closed]
I know the plane lands in Boston but can I say I landed at Boston ?
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votes
0answers
72 views
Final “ 's ” without object, ever correct? [closed]
Does the following statement mean anything?
TRACKER GRANTS YOU A PERSONAL, NON-EXCLUSIVE, NON-TRANSFERABLE,
RESTRICTED RIGHT TO USE THE SOFTWARE, FOR YOUR OWN PERSONAL,
COMMERCIAL, ...
0
votes
1answer
52 views
What is the appropriate question tag for sentences such as “I was born to be a doctor”?
What is the appropriate question tag for sentences such as:
I was born to be a doctor, __?
0
votes
2answers
89 views
Is it wrong to use “The Albatross is now on the sky”?
Is it wrong to use "The Albatross is now on the sky"?
Is it like we should always say "The Albatross is now in the sky"?
I would like to get an explanation for this. Thanks.
2
votes
1answer
128 views
Usage of “accrue” in “it accrued to me to gently ask” [closed]
A newage hippie Facebook friend just sent me this. I was just wondering if it was syntactically correct,
It accrued to me to gently ask if you could consider extending the same respect, you would ...
4
votes
2answers
105 views
Parenthetic Apposition or not?
Please settle a debate for me. Here is the sentence in question:
Excessive, incorrect, use of the word "like" is unbelievably irritating.
The criticism is against the comma following the word ...
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votes
1answer
60 views
“Enter the password 1234” vs. “enter 1234 for a password” [closed]
Which sentence is correct?
Enter the password 1234.
Enter 1234 for a password.
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votes
1answer
56 views
“How does two friends” vs. “how do two friends” [closed]
Which of the following is grammatical?
How does two friends become lovers so quickly?
How do two friends become lovers so quickly?
I was thinking does would be the correct choice, am I ...
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votes
2answers
72 views
Is that grammatically correct? [closed]
I'm going to blog about each feature and progress I made in my book?
Is that grammatically correct?
1
vote
1answer
78 views
Should I use an apostrophe, when the possession appears before the possessive subject?
In the following (poorly written?) sentence:
You improve your co-worker's luck and your business's.
I want to say that the luck of your business will also be improved... How do I say this? By ...
1
vote
2answers
82 views
'Statistically significant associated to' — [Adv + Adj] as Adv?
Is 'XXX is statistically significant associated to YYY.' grammatically correct ? One of my friends says this is seen in many papers with statistics.
Shouldn't it be '... statistically significantly ...
0
votes
2answers
108 views
''didn't have'' versus ''haven't had''
Which of the following sentences is correct?
In the last two weeks I didn't have much time.
In the last two weeks I haven't had much time.
If both are correct, are they different in ...
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votes
1answer
124 views
Correct use of “happen”
A friend of mine told me that the following sentence is incorrect (copied from an exercise)
Do all sentences tell us what the speaker would like to happen?
He claims that it should read:
Do ...
6
votes
2answers
139 views
Is “my something of choice” the same as “something of my choice”?
Would like to know if it's wrong to use "my something of choice"? Does the phrase have the same meaning as "something of my choice"?
0
votes
1answer
37 views
Pluralization rules for descriptions
Consider a sentence of the following form:
X, and the Y which comes with it, is good.
Assume X and Y are nouns, and X is singular. Should "is" be replaced with "are"? Is there some other ...
-2
votes
1answer
63 views
Usage of 'not different'
Take a look at this sentence.
Many apps are not good. Even some of Apple's
own apps are not different.
I intend to mean some of Apple's own apps are not good. Is this correct?
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votes
0answers
59 views
“Аmple innocence”, “enough innocence” or something else? [closed]
Is the phrase "enough innocence" valid? Or is it "ample innocence" or something else? I am looking to translate the Russian "достаточная невинность".
0
votes
2answers
97 views
“I would like to go to a youth center to help and (to) work with teenagers”
Which is correct?
I would like to go to a youth center to help and work with teenagers.
I would like to go to a youth center to help and to work with
teenagers.
The question is whether ...
0
votes
1answer
60 views
“As good a car as it gets” — correct?
I need to understand if I could say "As good a [noun] as it gets". Would it mean "the best [noun]"? E.g.
You can buy as good a car as it gets in that store.
0
votes
1answer
57 views
mixed functional and non-functional requirement
Some background. Functional requirement of a web service is concerned with the correctness of the web service's function — say, the service will always return a number that is less than two.
The ...
0
votes
1answer
65 views
“Near St. John's church” vs. “near the St. John's church” vs. “near the St. John church” [duplicate]
When it comes to churches and so on, which one is correct?
Our hotel is near St. John's church.
Our hotel is near the St. John's church.
Our hotel is near the St. John church.
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votes
1answer
78 views
“Any” followed by singular or plural countable nouns?
This question has troubled me for ages despite my several attempts of looking it up in dictionaries or usage books. Do we say, "Do you have any ideas" or "Do you have any idea"? I do see an example ...
