This tag is for questions about the correct order of words in a phrase, or a sentence.
1
vote
1answer
50 views
A Revelation (?) from MS Word [duplicate]
So, I typed the parenthetic statement 'Asked why did he come here'. Microsoft Word suggested that I change the sentence to 'Asked why he came here'. I agreed with the correction, but when I had word ...
1
vote
1answer
130 views
Is it correct to start a sentence with “with” in English?
Is it correct to use with at the beginning of a sentence?
Here's an example sentence:
With the development of the economy, living standards improved.
To my eyes this looks unnatural; I would ...
-4
votes
1answer
60 views
“Enter the password 1234” vs. “enter 1234 for a password” [closed]
Which sentence is correct?
Enter the password 1234.
Enter 1234 for a password.
0
votes
0answers
44 views
How to describe an event happend in the same time? [closed]
It is the year of 2013,I want to describe a meanning that , [my classmates who graduated along with me in exactly the same year of 2010,have a better job than me now],how to say it in oral English(I'm ...
0
votes
1answer
78 views
Which is right: “what pants is he wearing” or “what pants are he wearing”? [duplicate]
Since 'pants' is one of those always plural words, I can't figure out which sounds right.
-2
votes
2answers
39 views
Is it 'express shipped' or 'shipped express'?
Which one is correct?
He should have express shipped it to me.
He should have it shipped express to me.
1
vote
4answers
242 views
Why should “be” come after “neither a borrower nor lender,” not before them?
I came across the maxim, “Neither a borrower nor a lender be” in the following sentence of Jeffery Archer’s fiction, “The Fourth Estate” (P.54), and found that the maxim came from Lord Polonius’ ...
-1
votes
1answer
84 views
“more people becoming increasingly xxx” or “more people increasingly becoming xxx”
I need a bit of guidance regarding the following sentence. Which of the three variants is grammatical?
Are more people becoming increasingly intolerant?
Are more people increasingly becoming ...
-1
votes
3answers
177 views
When I write any sentence in English every native reader can tell I am Europen, how? [closed]
Can you conclude that just by my writing the question?
1
vote
4answers
94 views
Does it matter where you put “only”? [duplicate]
Could you please tell me which one of these sentences is correct, or are they both grammatically correct?
This will only happen if you go with me.
This will happen only if you go with me.
0
votes
2answers
78 views
“Sometimes also” or “also sometimes”?
I have a sentence where I think I could use either of these two constructions. They seem very similar in meaning, so I'm not sure which I should prefer. There might be some subtle point of grammar ...
4
votes
3answers
139 views
Who vs whom in "Who is the right person to turn to?
Take the sentence:
Who is the right person to turn to?
I'm not sure whether who or whom should be used in this position.
0
votes
1answer
68 views
“Bring down X” vs. “bring X down” [duplicate]
I am unable to understand the difference between these two sentences:
I want him to bring down the opponents.
I want him to bring the opponents down.
Which is right and when should each ...
-4
votes
3answers
63 views
Positions of “of which” [closed]
I am not sure how to use of which here. I do know I could use whose, I would just like to understand this structure more.
Each bag contains a number of bank notes (bills).
And now:
Select the ...
-1
votes
1answer
47 views
“for which” usage
I am writing comments to my algorithm and I used this sentence to describe one variable. But I am not entirely sure if it makes sense and if I used commas right.
id of node, for which, program is ...
-2
votes
1answer
41 views
Not only & But also separated by full stop
Let's say we have the following sentence:
This powder is able not only to effectively wash your shirts and sweaters, but also to
clean out even the most terrible stains on your pants, ...
4
votes
1answer
115 views
What is the correct use of “even” as an adverb, with the verb “to be”?
http://www.onestopenglish.com/community/your-english/word-grammar/your-english-word-grammar-even/156431.article gives some examples of correct use of "even" as an adverb to indicate that something is ...
-3
votes
1answer
104 views
Usage of “I am afraid” [closed]
What kind of sentence should follow the phrase "I am afraid", assertive or interogative?
For example, is the following sentence grammatical?
I am afraid is it appropriate ask me a copy of it.
1
vote
0answers
68 views
Origin of actual order pattern in English [closed]
It is well-known, or better said, well-accepted, that the ancestral language Proto-Indo-European (PIE) was a OV language with a very limited (or nonexistent) use of subordinate clauses. In ...
2
votes
1answer
176 views
Which are the word orders that can be found in English?
Besides SVO, which are the word orders that can be found in English? Are there any that are peculiar to dialects such as Singlish or Indian English? Please provide an example sentence for each order ...
2
votes
1answer
163 views
Should I say “have only been . . . twice” or “have been . . . twice only”?
Will these next two sentences confuse you?
1.I have only been to London once before.
2.I have been to London twice only.
Now for a more complicated example, I want to express that I have ...
-1
votes
1answer
42 views
the Receipts page vs the page Receipts
Suppose there is a web application with several webpages, amongst them one with the title "Receipts". In the user's manual of this web application or a similar place, are both "the Receipts page" and ...
2
votes
0answers
63 views
Swapping the order in an idiomatic expression [closed]
I may have sounded general in the title but my question is very specific. Recently I was writing a poem and I needed it to rhyme this way
Some will stand to watch you go down quick
But no one ...
0
votes
3answers
136 views
Infinitive vs. Past Simple for short technical annotations [duplicate]
I use source control management software at work. When I commit some changes, I annotate them with the bare infinitive like this:
"add new feature", "fix bug #10012"
I note that some of my ...
-2
votes
3answers
76 views
Adjectival order of “National African weightlifting federations”
Which order is correct?
National African weightlifting federations.
African national weightlifting federations.
African weightlifting national federations.
0
votes
3answers
240 views
Use of “yet another” in the middle of a sentence
Is the usage of yet another correct in the following sentence?
This sentence might need yet another piece of work for you!
Where can I place yet another in a sentence?
1
vote
2answers
193 views
“A is followed by B.” What's the order?
So the English class teacher is teaching IEEE referencing style, and we have something like this as an example:
Chan [1] claims that...
The teacher said:
The referencing number is followed ...
0
votes
2answers
109 views
Usage of “but” in a sentence. [duplicate]
I'm reading Robinson Crusoe and came across many of these constructions with "but" in it. I can't help but thought they were a little unusual. I don't consider myself fluent in English, that's why I ...
-2
votes
1answer
163 views
“For what” vs. “what for” [closed]
Is there any difference in the meaning between for what and what for?
If they are different, could you explain to me both?
11
votes
6answers
467 views
What number bus is that? or What bus number is that?
Imagine you are at the bus stop. You see a bus coming, but you can't read the number, so you ask: "What number bus is that?"
However, usually the noun used as a determiner precedes the main noun, for ...
1
vote
1answer
112 views
Punctuation for lists
I have a sentence like this:
As you can see, there are two projects "project1" and "project2", where the latter uses the global wrapper functions defined in "project1" project.
My question is ...
-1
votes
1answer
205 views
Question about “Dedication” section in thesis [closed]
Is it correct to dedicate a thesis to my parents and my wife as follows? Can I put their names at the end?
To my mother and father,
who have blessed me with an admiration of nature.
-- ...
0
votes
1answer
102 views
Where to put a person's name in a question?
When I'm asking a person about something where should I put a person's name? Which of the following is correct?
Jem do you know....?
Do you know Jem...?
2
votes
2answers
173 views
Verb + not = do not verb ? What is the gramatical explanation?
I have long been puzzled by the usage of 'verb + not'. For example, Kennedy said, "... my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." The Bible ...
1
vote
1answer
388 views
“Not… neither… nor…” word order
George Galloway is an outspoken MP with excellent rhetorical skills. I will take a part of his speech to convey the idea of my question.
Video
Iraq is neither strong, independent nor even a ...
1
vote
3answers
78 views
Does ordering make a difference?
I would like to know whether there is a grammatical or semantical difference between "notion of " and "-notion". I do not know what to search for to answer this question so maybe someone can help me ...
3
votes
2answers
185 views
“to further assist [you]” — Split infinitive or fixed VP?
From a descriptive standpoint (and the problem that English has at least two words in an infinitive), I understand why the split infinitive is becoming more acceptable, but is there any other excuse ...
0
votes
1answer
121 views
Adverbs right after the subject [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Should an adverb go before or after a verb?
Is it correct to write a sentence this way?
Now we can speak about the steps that I’ve previously listed.
Or it would ...
1
vote
3answers
166 views
Do these adjectives refer to ice?
In this sentence from Wuthering Heights
I declined joining their breakfast, and, at the first gleam of dawn,
took an opportunity of escaping into the free air, now clear, and
still, and cold ...
1
vote
3answers
200 views
How should this sentence be structured?
I want to know which one of these two sentence structures is correct grammatically:
This book is, despite being dense, a good read.
This book, despite being dense, is a good read.
1
vote
3answers
133 views
The phrase 'give you me'
There was another sentence that I wasn't sure about: "Rather, O blessed one, give you me boldness to abide within the harmless laws of peace, avoiding strife and hatred and the violent fiends of ...
0
votes
0answers
86 views
What is the best way to say [closed]
What is the best way to say "A new person to remember birthday in my life"?
To show excitement on a baby's birth.
0
votes
0answers
27 views
Difference between the two sentences? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Correct position of “only”
I got confused between these two centences:
I answered only four questions in my exam.
I only answered four questions in my exam.
...
1
vote
3answers
127 views
“I was really thinking” vs. “I really was thinking”
Which one of the following is correct?
I was really thinking to do that.
I really was thinking to do that.
1
vote
2answers
119 views
Mixing adjective and noun enumerations
I am having trouble writing a seemingly simple sentence. I am organising an event where three kinds of food will be served:
hot beverages
cold beverages
finger food
My trouble deals with putting ...
1
vote
4answers
137 views
“I and others” or “others and I”?
I have traditionally learned that a first-person pronoun should always come last in a list, e.g.
Bob and I found this to be interesting.
However, it sounds awkward to me when this rule is used ...
1
vote
3answers
7k views
“Belated happy birthday” or “happy belated birthday”?
What's the correct sentence?
Belated happy birthday!
Happy belated birthday!
0
votes
1answer
125 views
“Enables you to quickly and easily identify” vs. “enables you to identify quickly and easily” [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Are split infinitives grammatically incorrect, or are they valid constructs?
I'm currently having a bit of a dispute and would appreciate your help please. Which one is ...
0
votes
2answers
122 views
Can a verb split a subject and its attributive prepositional phrase?
Recently a program gave me this text in a dialog box: "All purchases have been downloaded for this account." While I understand its meaning, splitting the subject (the noun and its attributive phrase) ...
3
votes
5answers
171 views
“Will shortly appear automatically” — what is the correct order of words in this fragment?
I want to say that an answer will appear shortly, and automatically, on the screen. I'm not sure whether the correct sentence is:
The answer will shortly appear automatically.
or maybe:
The ...
