Tagged Questions
3
votes
3answers
114 views
Is “emptiest” a logically correct term?
There are some adjectives that are logical binaries.
e.g. empty (either the noun is empty or it isn't)
Can we apply a superlative degree to such adjectives?
e.g. This is the emptiest these roads will ...
0
votes
2answers
227 views
Antecedents of indefinite pronouns
Consider the sentence, "Most of the apples are fresh." Is it incorrect to say that apples is the antecedent of the indefinite pronoun most?
3
votes
3answers
176 views
Sentence with two not-so-related parts
Quite a lot of articles in Wikipedia, especially about people, have sentences like this one:
Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first ...
11
votes
4answers
516 views
How much not better than average is enough?
This is adapted from a silly conversation I had about a baseball player. It set me wondering how to describe this sort of wordplay linguistically.
HIM: Do we leave Jay in center?
HER: He's ...
5
votes
5answers
458 views
What is going on in this sentence?
I was helping my brother study for the SAT, and we came across this sentence:
While it was different from all the other classes he had taken, Eric was unhappy with his psychology class.
The ...
3
votes
6answers
2k views
Russian speakers and “I feel myself to be …”
I was told that it is a typical mistake for Russian speakers to say I feel myself badly instead of I feel ill.
I wonder to what extent such constructs sound wrong to native speakers?
I feel ...
2
votes
5answers
538 views
The Guardian: “It does indeed […] misleading them […]”
Reading an article by The Guardian, I stumbled upon a sentence which I cannot make sense of:
Yes, the worst things you may have heard about the National Defense
Authorization Act, which has ...
10
votes
2answers
744 views
How do noun clauses work when they seem to leave no independent clause?
Another thing that was raised in conversation with my ESL friend is noun clauses.
I was aware of Adverbial and Adjectival Clauses and thought that the things he was demonstrating to me were in fact ...
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 ...
2
votes
1answer
139 views
this is the first year + clause
In a sentence such as
This is the first year I’ve lived in a house with a yard.
Is it all right to have a clause other than present perfect? That is, can you say, for instance, sentences like ...
7
votes
6answers
793 views
Superlative + noun + “possible”: why does the adjective come after the noun?
Does someone happen to have an explanation or theory for why in phrases like "the best method possible" the word 'possible' comes after the noun?
22
votes
4answers
1k views
How do the rules of English inform understanding of one of our language's most disputed sentences?
Yes, historical context is important, but forget it for a moment. Taken at face value, what does the text mean?
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right ...
2
votes
2answers
577 views
Use of “do” in affirmative statements [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
When do you use “Did + 1st form” instead of “2nd form”
When is do used in affirmative sentences? For example:
I do think that this is going to be...
Is it only ...
1
vote
2answers
747 views
Are the tense and syntax in this sentence correct? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Future tense usage: “When you see it …”
When he will arrive, he will call you.
Please let me know if the tense and syntax in this sentence are ...
5
votes
5answers
739 views
“Wake up Joe” or “Wake Joe up”?
Are they synonymous, or not?
Looking at wake up as a phrasal verb it seems that the more correct way is "I will wake up Joe" rather than "I will wake Joe up", but the second rolls better off my ...
2
votes
3answers
308 views
What is the difference between these “clause separators”?
Here is an example sentence:
At the start of the day you may (if you like) make yourself a slice of toast.
Are the brackets appropriate to separate the clause "if you like" from the main ...
5
votes
3answers
677 views
Could you help me to do a syntax analysis of this sentence?
The more I use Froyo the more new stuff I discover.
Does it mean:
I more use Froyo, I discover more new stuff.
2
votes
3answers
907 views
Can ‘although’ be used in this way?
We still haven't got a sponsor although the fact that we've written to dozens of companies.
What's wrong with ‘although’ in the sentence above?
