Verbs are words that express an action, occurrence, or a state of being.
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“I use to”, or “I used to”
Which is the correct way of saying the following sentence (if there is a correct version)?
"I use to be a hitman"
"I used to be a hitman"
I've read the 2nd recently in a book, but was sure it ...
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3answers
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“Inputted” or “input”
I have used the word inputted in an assignment and am being forced to change it to input. However, both the Oxford English Dictionary (I am in New Zealand so this is most relevant) and MS Word list ...
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What is a finite verb?
What's a finite verb? It's not just the opposite of an infinitive, is it? Can I get some examples?
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Are there any differences between “update” and “upgrade”?
Are there any differences between "update" and "upgrade"?
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Why do we use 'up' as adverbs for verbs?
Why do we use up as adverbs for verbs? For example, 'wake up', 'throw up', etc.
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Can the verb “wish + that clause” express open possibility?
We often use "wish + that clause" to express a past/present counterfactual statement or a future unlikely event (i.e. remote possibility):
I wish I hadn't quit my job. (But I quit my job.)
I ...
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4answers
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Differences between Verb + to be + adjectives and Verb + adjective
If you have a more illustrative title, feel free to change it. I searched but I couldn't find one.
This may be an easy and trivial question; if so, I am sorry.
What are the differences between ...
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6answers
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“I had John return the video”: why do we use “return” instead of “returns” or “returned”?
I had John return the video for me.
In this sentence, why do we use return and not returns or returned?
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needn't = don't need to?
Are these two sentences equivalent?
You needn't pay at once.
You don't need to pay at once.
If yes, which one would you recommend? Is it an US/GB thing?
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What does ‘Sport’ mean when you say ‘the new Apple iPad sports cameras for video conferencing’?
I found a phrase, ‘the new tablet of iPad can sport at least one camera for video conferencing’ in today’s Washington Post article reporting iPad 2. I guess ‘Sport’ here implies ‘chase (move) after ...
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5answers
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Is verbing in “I medalled in volleyball” correct?
Is “I medalled in volleyball” a grammatically correct sentence? According to OED, medal is a verb and a noun.
I haven't seen any usage of the word as a verb, but I am assuming the above sentence is ...
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Why doesn't the second verb agree with the subject of that verb?
In
"We watched Obama speak," what is the technical reason for it not being
"We watched Obama spoke"?
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Is it always bad to use “get” or “got”?
Back in grammar, one of the many rules we were given was to always avoid "get," "got," or "gotten" due to their ambiguity and tendency toward poor grammar as in:
What happened to your arm? It got ...
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Is it possible to verb anything other than a noun?
Is it possible to verb anything other than a noun?
Although slightly meta, I noticed that English SE has verbing as a tag, rather than verbing-nouns.
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3answers
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I sent vs I sent out
Which one is correct and why:
I sent out the inquiry to the support team
vs
I sent the inquiry to the support team
Even though the question is specific to "sent out", please verify the ...
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2answers
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Why is “I refuse running” wrong?
I got into a discussion with another user in the comments section of this question. We disagreed over the following phrases:
I refuse running.
I decline running.
To me, they are both ...
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1answer
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Is there a difference in meaning between “does not seem to” and “seems not to”?
Consider the following sentences:
Try not to be alarmed if a rule doesn’t seem to work for a specific sentence.
Try not to be alarmed if a rule seems not to work for a specific sentence.
...
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4answers
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Consistency of “There is the same number of elements in… as there are in…”
I'm proofreading this in a friend's paper:
There is the same number of elements in the set of odd numbers as there are in the even numbers.
The same number is singular and it's the thing being ...
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5answers
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Does the verb “Unstar” exist?
I'm creating an application for the iPhone where the user has the ability to star an item, i.e. adding a star to the item. Now I am wondering whether I can also use unstar? Or should I go with ...
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3answers
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Abbreviations for nouns / noun phrases used as non-nouns
In an answer to another question, steven_desu argued that it was “technically incorrect” to use the word “e-mail” or “email” as a verb because it stands for “electronic mail.”
I do not argue whether ...
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5answers
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“I would have liked 'to have seen'/'to see' New York before the cyclone” [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
“Would you have liked to have been” vs. “would you have liked to be”
Is "have" redundant when repeated in successive verb phrases?
Well, let us read the following ...
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3answers
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“will” vs “would” in this sentence
I am talking about events taking place in the known future:
Would it be okay if I'll confirm around 3 pm?
or should it be
Would it be okay if I'd confirm around 3 pm?
What is the ...
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“Be not” or “is not”?
My point here is trying to explain why the message issued is not correct according to the operations allowed ahead.
However, I'm in doubt about the bold part, is it grammaticaly correct or is there ...
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3answers
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“Endorse” vs. “condone”
What is the difference in meaning/connotation between the two words? Is endorse "stronger", more positive?
Also, endorse is to endorsement as condone is to what? Is there a noun counterpart?
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“Is” vs. “Are” when using the word “Pair” in a mathematical setting
I've seen equally good arguments for and against using "is" for this sentence.
The pair of polynomials (f,g) is/are related by the reciprocity law.
Which verb is used correctly?
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Verb Forms and Their Usage
What is meant by "present perfect", "past perfect", and "future perfect" verbs? How can I identify them or know which is which?
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About two mutually related, future actions [closed]
Is it correct to say: "I will do that thing when I will talk to him."?
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What is the opposite of “abstain”?
We were thinking originally in terms of voting, but of course "abstain" has a more general meaning, of which the antonym is probably "indulge".
But is there an opposite that would be more appropriate ...
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How is the jussive mood rendered in English?
In English the imperative mood is used only for the second person (differently from Italian, where what is called imperative mood is used also for the first, and third person).
How is the jussive mood ...
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How productive is the prefix “un-”?
Is it possible to use un- with new words such as sit, sleep, sad? I'm currently seeing many words (in programming) which use "un-" in the meaning of undoing something.
For example, is it possible to ...
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4answers
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“Be” as an action rather than a state
I've heard, on rare occasion, a subtle differentiation between be as a state (to passively embody) and be as an action (to actively embody). The latter form often occurs in parallel with do to add ...
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2answers
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{wend, went, went} changed into {go, went, gone}
I have heard that the verb go used to be wend in olden days. I am curious if there is any historical or other explanation why the past form of wend, i.e. went, is still in use while the simple present ...
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Should I always insert “and” between two verbs in imperative mode?
As far as I understand, the word and is usually inserted between two verbs used in imperative mood in English. For example, “Go and make me a drink.”
How obligatory is this? Can I claim that it is ...
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“I'm going to take and stir the cake mix”
Please explain why this sentence is grammatically incorrect.
I'm going to take and stir the cake mix.
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Which one is correct? “Explain me” or “Explain to me”?
Which of the following expressions is correct?
-Explain me.
-Explain to me.
I know "Explain it to me" is correct, but I want to know which one of the above is valid.
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2answers
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Attempt at formulating verb tenses when time travel is involved?
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy has an amusing section on the problems associated with verb tenses when time travel is involved. It has several examples which appear to be constructed for their ...
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'Expired' or 'Passed away'?
When someone dies, do we say they expired or passed away?
Does the word expired give any more respect when used? Or less respect than passed away?
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Is there a concise word or phrase for the action you perform on an option to remove the others?
Say someone is holding a number of items in front of you. What would you call the action you request that they perform to remove all choices but one so that you can examine the item that is left? It ...
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“I need it to lift 2 tons this time.” “I don't know if it *could* do.” Why do some people use “do” like this?
Sometimes, instead of saying "could/can" or "would/will" (the two most common I've heard), some people say "could/can do" or "would/will do".
Instead of:
I don't know if it can.
I sometimes ...
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Can “shrugging” only be done with shoulders?
Please compare
He shrugged.
and
He shrugged his shoulders.
Is there anything else that can be shrugged, besides shoulders? To me it sounds like duplication when used in this way. I'm aware ...
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“Have a look” vs. “Take a look”
What is the difference between Have a look and Take a look (meaning/connotations)? For example:
Have a look at the question.
Take a look at the question.
For some reason I only found first ...
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Is there a passive for the sentence “Be quiet.”?
How to say "Be quiet.", which is a command, in passive voice?
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Is this correct: “I'd have to have had…”
This sentence makes my head hurt a bit, and it doesn't seem right, but perhaps you guys could help me sort it out.
"If I would've gone to Canada, I'd have to have had some kind of winter gear."
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Is “Them’s fighting words” a right and received English expression?
I came across the phrase ‘Them’s fighting words,’ in the beginning part of a Time magazine (July 12) article in its Swampland section under the title “Don’t mess with the stimulus! It had all your ...
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1answer
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Are there other verbs like “be” and “go”?
The verbs be and go have the nice peculiarity that their various forms (be/was and go/went) come from originally distinct verbs. Are there other such verbs?
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5answers
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“How much water do you take a bath with?” — Is this sentence correct?
I corrected the student, saying that he should write "How much water do you use to take a bath?" because his sentence seemed unnatural to me. Do you consider it correct? Would you use it?
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What is the difference between “raise” and “rise”?
What is the difference between raise and rise? When and how should I use each one?
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Why put the verb before the subject?
The opening sentence to The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien reads,
In a hole in the ground there lived [verb] a hobbit [subject].
I wonder if there are accepted stylistic purposes for such a structure. ...
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How can you make “to be” explicit and simple in this future conditional sentence?
I can say "Jerry's been a bad pussycat this morning" or "Hey, Jerry, you be a good pussycat now" or "Jerry's been active all morning so he's being a good pussycat now". All these involve the use of ...
