Tagged Questions
1
vote
2answers
523 views
Is it correct to use the word “then” to imply something of the past?
I am trying to identify something that was once a new thing. I used the word "then" to imply the subject as something that is already a past. But I am not sure if this is grammatically and ...
1
vote
1answer
309 views
“Is” with singular and plural nouns
I came across the sentence
My biggest grievance is grammar mistakes.
I'd be inclined to write it as
My biggest grievance is with grammar mistakes.
or
Grammar mistakes are my biggest ...
2
votes
3answers
1k views
I'll take you home / I'll bring you home
Being both non-natives, I had some discussion today about the following situation: suppose you're at a party and you want to take/bring your drunk buddy home.
I believe that:
"I'll take you home" ...
11
votes
3answers
983 views
“Bring 6 eggs. If there are potatoes, bring 9.”
This is with reference to this comic, called A Programmer's Life (translated from Portuguese):
Programmer: My wife asked me to go to the market and said: “Bring six eggs. If there are potatoes, ...
1
vote
4answers
8k views
What is the difference between syntax and semantics?
As a computer scientist and a writing hobbyist, I really ought to know these terms' meanings for memory. Can anyone clarify the difference between syntax and semantics, and provide some examples? For ...
4
votes
2answers
198 views
“If the bowl had been stronger, my song had been longer.”
In the original version of the nursery rhyme, The Wise Men of Gotham, the word 'had' is used in the main clause of a sentence where it seems modern English would commonly use 'would have'. The full ...
