Questions about past participle forms of verbs.
0
votes
0answers
42 views
“All that is needing” vs. “all that is needed”
I've read the following quote from Game of Thrones:
Opening your eyes is all that is needing. The heart lies and the head plays tricks with us, but the eyes see true.
English is not my mother ...
3
votes
1answer
35 views
Use of “very” to modify verb participles used as adjectives - correct or not and why?
I have seen several obituaries with this kind of wording: "He is very missed." It looks and sounds wrong, perhaps because "very" can modify adjectives ("He is very tall") and adverbs ("He walks very ...
3
votes
1answer
271 views
Is using past participle instead of present one more polite?
On christianity.stackexchange.com I asked this question:
"Is it true that John Paul the Second restored the practice of selling indulgences in 2000?"
and one supporter suggested that I replace ...
13
votes
2answers
11k views
Is it “quit” or “quitted”?
What is the correct (grammatical) simple past and past participle form of the verb quit? Is it quit or quitted?
She quitted her job. (She has quitted her job.)
or
She quit her job. (She has ...
2
votes
1answer
153 views
“There are several reasons proposed for the collapse of the bridge.”
There are several reasons proposed for the collapse of the bridge.
Is this present simple tense or the present perfect tense? I thought it might be the latter since there is a retrospective ...
-2
votes
2answers
39 views
Event: “archived” vs. “filed” vs. “shelved”
I'm coding a database that has an Events table with a status field. When an event's date has not yet passed, the status is Published.
I would like to use a term to mean that the date of the event has ...
1
vote
3answers
996 views
Is “habitated” a word?
I couldn't find it in multiple dictionaries, but have seen it used by several people. However, I do not know if this is just due to the word "sounding right", or from the word actually existing. Does ...
9
votes
3answers
11k views
Is “misconfigured” a word?
I use the word "misconfigured" all the time, but MS Word, Chrome, and the two dictionaries I checked don't list it as a word.
I'm going to keep using it instead of "configured incorrectly" because I ...
-2
votes
2answers
62 views
“This may get confused” or “This may get confusing” [closed]
This morning I was talking to a friend and I came out with the sentence:
"This picture may get confused" with the meaning "This picture is so strange that you could get confused" then I started ...
42
votes
5answers
3k views
What we've gelost — why doesn't English use the prefix “ge-”?
The Germanic languages that I'm familiar with all use a prefix similar to ge- on past participles:
German: Ich habe mir den Fuß gebrochen.
Dutch: Ik heb mijn voet gebroken.
But English ...
3
votes
4answers
519 views
What does “plenaried” mean in this phrase?
A recently-asked question, since deleted by its author, prompts the following question.
In a 12 March 2013 New York Times column called The Axis of Ennui, David Brooks concluded with:
What are ...
7
votes
6answers
953 views
Using -ed vs. -ing in the “needs washed” construction
I'm from Central Pennsylvania, and apparently, we have a strange language construct in this area. I was recently talking about how "my car needs washed" to a friend from NJ, and she told me that my ...
1
vote
2answers
1k views
What's the right spelling of “synchronized”?
What's the right spelling of synchronized (like in synchronized swimming), and are there any differences between the British and American English?
2
votes
1answer
203 views
What is the past participle of the verb open?
I'm French and I'd like to be precise on the conjugation of the verb "open".
On this picture, I'd write "opened" instead of "open". Could you tell me more about why they have written "open"?
3
votes
3answers
380 views
Why are the present and the past participles of “submit” spelled with double t?
Why are the present and the past participles of submit spelled with two t's?
1
vote
3answers
772 views
The third conditional for “if I could”
What is the third conditional for "if I could"? For example, we say:
If I had studied hard, I would have passed the exam. How about this:
If I could study, I would have passed the exam.[Is ...
2
votes
1answer
494 views
Present participle vs. past participle
How to distinguish the difference between the two of them?
For example, in the following sentence:
Local times, originating from X and perpetuated by Y, have been abolished.
Why can I not use ...
-2
votes
2answers
82 views
Is this a proper use of the word “vested?”
Does the following sentence use the word "vested" correctly?
Those vested in keeping you from creating change want you to believe that change is futile.
-1
votes
1answer
265 views
“Overlaid” or “overlain” as an adjective [closed]
I have a set of three images, which I have put on top of each other in an image editing program and made transparent. I would like the filename to describe what I have done with the component images.
...
0
votes
1answer
62 views
Subscribed/unsubscribed
I am using a notification system where I have trouble naming a category of user.
A user can subscribe to the newsletter of the week.
If the user set his settings, and decides to receive the ...
5
votes
3answers
152 views
Better term to put on a label of a bottle of milk to describe that it's 'made' in a particular geographic location
While waiting for the kettle to boil this morning, I was idling and reading the label on the bottle of milk and was struck by the declaration: "Permeate free, made in WA". Here's a shot of the label ...
-1
votes
3answers
81 views
“Restricted quality” vs. “limited quality” [closed]
I want to express that an entity has different levels of quality concerning some criterion and these levels are ordered. For an example, I have five different levels:
Entity X is of
high quality
...
0
votes
1answer
85 views
“It is” + present simple
If it is build here, it will be next to a large housing estate.
Can anyone tell me if "it is build" in the above sentence is correct?
And if so, why isn't it in the form "it is" + past ...
11
votes
5answers
3k views
What does the term “86'd” relate to?
What does it mean when someone or something is referred to as being "86'd"?
0
votes
3answers
202 views
Another way of saying “being judged”
What is another way of saying "being judged?"
The context is:
Being judged gave me an open mind about the different ways other cultures are judged and treated as well.
Being criticized ...
2
votes
3answers
96 views
Are “coded” and “encoded” synonymous?
I was creating a domain for a website, but I couldn't understand the difference (if there is any) between the words coded and encoded.
What's the right use of them? Or are they just synonyms I can ...
10
votes
3answers
2k views
“Spelt” vs. “spelled”
In the following sentence, should I say spelled or spelt:
You spelt/spelled "Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis" wrong.
1
vote
2answers
72 views
“Far enough removed” vs. “far removed enough” vs. “removed far enough”
Which of the following word orders is grammatical?
Games based on real life are sometimes not far enough removed.
Games based on real life are sometimes not far removed enough.
Games based ...
3
votes
2answers
397 views
Irregular past tense confusion with compound noun/verb. More examples?
Students of martial arts may be familiar with a breakfall, which can (depending on the situation) be treated as a noun or a verb.
I am often amused when speakers, even native English speakers (myself ...
14
votes
3answers
2k views
“Focussed” or “focused”? The double consonant
Initially, my question was: is "focussed" or "focused" the correct past tense of "focus", but since this applies to a lot of words, I would like to generalize and ask: is there supposed to be a rule ...
2
votes
1answer
69 views
How to use the word “wagered”
In a game of slot machines, can you call a payline you bet on "a wagered payline"? I am not sure if it is the payline that is wagered, or my money are wagered on (upon?) this payline.
2
votes
3answers
2k views
Past participle of “spit” [closed]
Which is the past participle of spit: spat or spit? And how many examples can we come up with where a verb is changed in the simple past but unchanged(spelt like in the present) in the past ...
1
vote
3answers
8k views
“Belated happy birthday” or “happy belated birthday”?
What's the correct sentence?
Belated happy birthday!
Happy belated birthday!
0
votes
2answers
77 views
On the usage of “epitomized”
Epitomized by right captainship, the ship reached safely to the harbor.
I'm emphasizing the capabilities of the captain here. Is this correct usage?
2
votes
3answers
395 views
Participle as verbal adjective
I came across the following:
As he had been deceived by his friends he lost all hope.
He was deceived by his friends and so he lost all hope.
Deceived by his friends, he lost all hope.
...
1
vote
1answer
278 views
Pronunciation of “-ed” endings
I noticed that the final -ed has different pronunciations. What's the general rule for knowing the correct pronunciation?
3
votes
1answer
175 views
The original usage of past participles
I have heard that the origin of the present perfect construction is that sentences like "I have it done" (passive) changed to "I have done it" (present perfect).
Is that true at all?
If that's the ...
4
votes
2answers
206 views
“Favored” vs. “favorited”
We're making a website in which users can mark some objects as objects they like. Since we're not native English speakers here, a dispute evolved around what's the correct way to call this user-object ...
3
votes
5answers
126 views
Synonym for “engrooved”
Engrooved isn't a word, so I'm looking for something that carries its meaning. Engraved, accustomed, and other synonyms don't express the same meaning. I'm looking for a word that carries the meaning ...
5
votes
2answers
300 views
Is “dispreferred” a mainstream word in English?
I just recently came across the word dispreferred in a linguistic document. I have never heard the word used before, rather I generally hear something like "preferred something else" in everyday ...
0
votes
1answer
990 views
When to use 'had been' + past participle of the verb
I read the sentence below in a news article:
"The couple had been engaged since the summer," her spokeswoman said in a statement.
Why was "had been engaged" used in this sentence. Is it wrong to ...
4
votes
1answer
511 views
Generalised rule for verb usage in simple present tense using participle
I'm doing a school exercise where I have to give an explanation of the underlined (or in this case bold) verb usage in given sentences, following this format:
I was waiting.
past continuous ...
10
votes
6answers
1k views
“Don't got” — how common is it in American usage?
I often hear the usage "don't got" in American English as spoken on TV programmes. Recently I was watching season four of "Prison Break" and one character, an Asian computer wizard, repeatedly used ...
4
votes
6answers
268 views
A word for the job a cashier does for each customer
A cashier in a grocery store has __ 80 customers today.
Expedited?
Served?
Handled?
I have a feeling there's a better word.
1
vote
2answers
153 views
Can “supposed to” be used to mean “considered to”?
I have a doubt regarding expression like these:
The new Al Pacino movie is supposed to be a good movie.
Asians are not supposed to be good ball players.
Whale is supposed to be the smartest animal ...
9
votes
4answers
599 views
Is this correct grammar: “[…] cash can't be beat.”
I found the following phrase in a NYTimes article and I was pretty surprised that it wasn't corrected or edited out: "But when it comes to privacy and freedom, cash can't be beat.".
I am under the ...
5
votes
1answer
1k views
“Awoken” vs. “awaked”
I understand that the verb awake has two different past participle forms, awoken and awaked. Checking Google Ngram I saw that the former has become more popular than the latter in the last century. I ...
1
vote
1answer
155 views
Is this past participle to be changed to present participle?
In this sentence, is the past participle of ‘clasped’ in ‘with his hands clasped over his fat bottom’ to be changed to ‘clasping’?
He brought the umbrella swishing down through the air to point at ...
0
votes
3answers
237 views
Synonym for “aforementioned” without the past-tense connotation [closed]
Is there a word that can be used when discussing something and wanting to refer to it in the manner of "the aforementioned", but without the temporal aspect making it sound like you've moved on and ...
-2
votes
1answer
156 views
“Embarassed” vs. “ashamed” [closed]
Is there any difference between the words embarrassed and ashamed? If so, could you provide some examples of usage?
