Verbs are words that express an action, occurrence, or a state of being.
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When to use “have” and “have got”
When do I use have and have got?
Are "I have the answer" and "I've got the answer" both correct?
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1answer
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“It could/might/may be funny” — what is the correct usage?
What is the difference in meaning in these three sentences?
it might be funny
it could be funny
it may be funny
The answer was partially touched on in this post.
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3answers
327 views
“All you have to do is read” vs. “All you have to do is to read”
I was speaking to an English learner and said, “All you have to do is read a lot.” And they thought that sentence wasn’t grammatically correct because I dropped the word to between is and read.
They ...
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1answer
1k views
Rules for nominalizing a verb
To nominalize a verb, you sometimes use the gerund.
to happen --> a happening
Sometimes it's a different word.
to arrive --> an arrival
so we don't write
to arrive --> an *arriving
...
7
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3answers
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“Would have” in conditional clauses
I have been taught to use the if I had form in conditional clauses referring to the past:
If the president had asked me, I would have told him the same thing.
As far as I can tell though, the ...
3
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1answer
4k views
“Did you find” versus “have you found”
What is the difference between "Did you find?" and "Have you found?"
When should I use the first sentence, and when the second one?
7
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2answers
914 views
Origin of different past tenses for verbs with the same endings?
Why do we have a situation where the past of "to blow" is "blew", but of "to glow" is "glowed"? And don't say "flew" if you mean "it flowed". The poem Lovers, by Phoebe Cary has many examples of ...
6
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2answers
776 views
How to combine in a sentence two verb + preposition pairs that have the same object?
Examples:
Data can be imported to and exported from the application.
Data can be imported and exported from the application.
Data can be imported to the application and exported from it.
...
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2answers
890 views
How does “each” change “are” to “is”?
Relevant: 'Each' with plural or singular verb and What should I use between “triple” vs. “all”?
The answers in the linked question don't quite help me. Specifically, what happens with this case:
...
3
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3answers
326 views
“At” vs. “in” before verb
In a document I found the following sentence:
listeners are more accurate at understanding speech spoken in their own accent...
Would it be an error to use "in" instead of "at"?
Actually in ...
3
votes
2answers
892 views
“They knew what mercy is” vs. “they knew what mercy was”
They knew what mercy is.
They knew what mercy was.
Mercy is something that always exists so can I say is as in the above example?
3
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3answers
786 views
Can you contract the main verb in a sentence?
One can contract I have to I've when have is a helping verb, e.g.
I've got an octopus in my pants.
Is contracting the main verb technically incorrect or merely antiquated? My father loves to ...
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7answers
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Can 'revert' be used as a synonym of 'reply'?
I am a native speaker of American English, and I have only ever heard this usage of the word revert from one person. This person is not a native English speaker (he is from India), so he may just be ...
7
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1answer
718 views
One word for the ta-daa! pose?
I can hardly describe this, which is why I need the one word. When you shout "Ta-daa!" and throw your arms out at your sides, does anyone have a one-word description for what you're doing? Argh.
7
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5answers
318 views
“Gadhafi forces retreat” - how do you understand that?
Our local newspaper had the headline today "Gadhafi forces retreat" and I read it with "retreat" as the verb instead of "forces" as the verb. I know it is a poorly written headline, but which way is ...
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0answers
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How many tenses are there in English and what are they? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
How many tenses are there in English?
The number of grammatical tenses in English makes it confusing as to what they are exactly and what types of tenses there are.
...
4
votes
2answers
439 views
Simple present vs. present continuous
What is the difference between saying:
Are you still working there?
Do you still work there?
Which is more common in spoken vs written English?
Google books returned results for both of ...
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8answers
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Can I “wear an umbrella”?
Does it make sense to say the following?
Yesterday I wore an umbrella and a coat.
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7answers
3k views
Is “must” ever grammatical as a past tense verb?
I have seen uses of must that appear to be in the simple past tense. Sometimes these seem grammatical, but sometimes not. Examples that help illustrate my confusion:
He knew he must go to New York ...
21
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6answers
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Which is correct: “troubleshooted” or “troubleshot”?
Troubleshooted is not a word, but troubleshot is.
Is this really the correct word to use?
I always feel like saying:
I troubleshooted it.
vs
I troubleshot it
For some reason, it just ...
13
votes
8answers
2k views
Is there any subtle difference between “to study” and “to learn”?
I don't know how to phrase my question better, but I just want to know if there will be any little difference if I directly replace one with the other.
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6answers
974 views
Is using the present perfect old fashioned?
I was talking to a Singaporean (English is her native language. I think, closer to American rather than British) friend.
I learned in English class that you can use present perfect when there is a ...
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5answers
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“Know about” vs. “know of”
Recently one of my friends told me that there is distinct difference between 'know of something' and 'know about something' expressions.
'know of' is used when you have personal experience with what ...
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2answers
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'I get it' vs. 'I got it'
When someone tells me something, how should I respond, "I get it" or "I got it"? I have a feeling that "I got it" means "I already knew the thing before you told me," and "I get it" means "Now I know ...
4
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4answers
402 views
“If” and “would be” when talking about future events
I am watching a basketball game right now, and the team that I am rooting for is losing. I want to say that if they win, that would be something. Which one is the correct way to state it?
If Miami ...
4
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1answer
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How to correctly use the present perfect tense
This link states that:
When you use the present perfect tense you have to be talking about a period of time that you still consider to be going on. For example, if it’s still morning, you can say, ...
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6answers
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What's the difference between “I look forward to” and “I'm looking forward to”?
I just don't get the reasoning behind which one is correct in which situation.
Typically I use the wrong one, or I use them when I'm not supposed to.
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2answers
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Should I use the singular or plural verb in mathematical formulae (“Two and two make/makes four”)?
I remember somebody correcting me once when I said, "Two and two makes four", since the conjunction and would imply the use of a plural verb. They would prefer I said:
Two and two make four.
...
8
votes
3answers
146 views
Verbed color names and “-en”
"whitened", "blackened", and "reddened"; but "yellowed", "grayed", and "blued".
Is there some rule or is it just one of those things?
"Greened" makes sense; no one is going to say "greenened".
...
8
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3answers
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“Important that John bring/brings” [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
When should I use the subjunctive mood?
Given the sentence
John brings his lunch to school,
is it correct to say
It is important that John brings his lunch to ...
8
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5answers
3k views
Why is the past tense used in “I was wondering if you would like to come for dinner?”
Why isn't the present tense used?
I am wondering if you would like to come for dinner.
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3answers
1k views
Are there any cases where “prepend” cannot be replaced by “prefix”?
"Prepend" is seeing a fair amount of use, both in programmer jargon and elsewhere.
Its use seems to come from a desire to create a word that is a direct parallel to "append."
However, such a word ...
5
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1answer
402 views
Why is the verb form of “record” pronounced [ri-kawrd] but the noun form is pronounced [rek-erd]?
Is there a different origin of pronunciation style for record as a verb and as a noun?
Fun fact: in OS X, if you type say "this record" and say "record this" — the text to speech system picks up the ...
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5answers
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Is a sentence always grammatically incorrect if it has no verb?
Is the following grammatically correct? My friend says the second sentence is grammatically incorrect, but couldn't explain why.
I have always been fascinated by statistics. The different ways in
...
5
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3answers
552 views
Is it correct to say “I found the map” or “I have found the map”?
Is it correct to say "I found the map" or "I have found the map"?
5
votes
2answers
449 views
When can “have” be used without “got”?
I read this article and now I'm confused when got can be omitted when using have.
Could this be explained in plain English without technical terms?
Is there a different usage in past tense?
4
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3answers
781 views
Should I use “will” or “would” here?
I doubt they will exchange the 20 inch monitor.
OR
I doubt they would exchange the 20 inch monitor.
Which is correct, and why?
3
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4answers
711 views
Jameson whiskey commercial construction with implicit verb
While watching the Daily Show, a commercial came on. Here is the construction:
"...When the Hawk of Achill took a barrel of John Jameson's whiskey, well that was another matter. But Jameson was ...
3
votes
1answer
95 views
“To service” vs. “to serve”
I seem vaguely to recall that a long time ago, servicing was something a bull did to a heifer or a boar to a sow. But it seems to be creeping in to general usage as a synonym for serving. Has anyone ...
2
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1answer
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where should we use has/have been and had been?
Where should we use "has/have been" and "had been"? What is the difference between
them?
1
vote
2answers
478 views
Why do you write “occurred” but “listened”?
The past tense of to occur is occurred (not occured), but the past tense of to listen is listened (not listenned).
Why? What is the general rule that is applied to make the past tense of a verb?
13
votes
5answers
517 views
Can a noun (such as “duct tape”) be used as a verb?
I found the phrase “duct-tape together” in the following sentence of a Washington Post (June 21) article written by Chris Cillizza under the title “Gingrich campaign hit by more departures.” The ...
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3answers
3k views
“To hear” or “to hearing”?
I often see constructions like this one:
I look forward to hearing from you soon.
It seems a little strange to me. In my mind it would look better using the infinitive form "to hear". I don't ...
9
votes
2answers
427 views
Evolution of irregular verbs over the last century
I learned at school that irregular verbs are slowly disappearing from the language: "spelled" is more used than "spelt", "learned" than "learnt", etc. But recently, someone told me that some new ...
8
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3answers
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“Bless you” & sneezing
Why do you say Bless you when people sneeze?
Is there good reason or history?
When someone sneeze, if I don't say Bless you, am I rude?
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votes
2answers
488 views
Is “want” a causative verb?
I've always held on to the definition that Causative Verbs express how the Noun before the Verb influences the execution of an action.
Similarly, the Longman Student Grammar of Spoken and Written ...
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5answers
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“I am thinking to invest” or “I am thinking investing”?
Which of the following sentences is correct?
I am thinking to invest in stocks.
I am thinking investing into stocks.
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2answers
444 views
Historical usage of “was”/“were” with “you”
I was reading letters from a surgeon to his wife during the Civil War and noticed he used "was" as opposed to "were" on many occasions. Examples:
I truly wish you was here with me.
Was you ...
6
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3answers
782 views
Recommend someone
I'd like to ask about the use of the verb "recommend" in the following sentences:
We'd recommend you to book your flight early.
The plumber recommended me to buy a new water heater.
The ...
6
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5answers
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How to use “text” as a verb
–verb (used without object) Digital Technology.
15.
to send a text message: Texting while driving is an accident asking to happen.
Can I use:
I text to her but she didn't text me back.
...
