Questions tagged [conjugation]
Questions about modification of a verb from its basic form.
148
questions
-1
votes
1answer
43 views
Gerunds/present participles of two-verb compounds
I use making-believe instead of make-believing if I need to make a gerund/present participle out of "make-believe", but I just saw this line:
Brenda rode along, make-believing she was a knight ...
1
vote
1answer
37 views
At the moment with present perfect
Yesterday I was doing some english exercises and I've had some problems with a sentence:
At the moment, most of the work is being done. (solution)
At the moment, most of the work has been done. (my ...
1
vote
0answers
27 views
Effect of negative statement after the conjuction 'and'
I just read the following statement,
100% Administrator Trust
Administrators have and will never have access to any unencrypted data.
I am sure that author wanted to imply that (1) Administrators ...
0
votes
0answers
15 views
Plural or singular: “The socks in these pictures [are/is] the left one, before and after it was cleaned.” Is the correct conjugation “are” or “is”? [duplicate]
"The socks in question [are or is] the left one, before and after it was cleaned."
Is the correct conjugation "are" or "is"?
In the above sentence (and this one), a pair of socks is expected, but it ...
0
votes
1answer
73 views
Is “leadering” an actual word? [closed]
I've seen it used by non-native English speakers as some form of leadership infinitive (not sure why it is not just "leading") but I am not sure if it as actual word (or special form or conjugation).
...
0
votes
0answers
20 views
What is the proper conjugation of “to be” in this specific case? [duplicate]
I cannot figure out which of these is grammatically correct:
1) Neither he nor I is going.
2) Neither he nor I am going.
3) Neither he nor I are going.
1: Sounds wrong to say "I is." But if I ...
1
vote
0answers
38 views
Proper conjugation when using “trio” [duplicate]
I have a question regarding word usage when using "trio" in a sentence.
Here's an example sentence:
The trio tries to find the way but appear to be lost.
Should "tries" be in the third person, ...
0
votes
3answers
130 views
Proper conjugation of “to wit.” [closed]
Obviously, wot is the present tense, and wist is the preterite, but what is the auxiliary form of this verb? I have always assumed it to be wist, so I have always said, ... have/had wist, but I am ...
0
votes
0answers
39 views
Describing actions in a documentation: 3rd person ending or infinitive form?
I am documenting a REST API and I was wondering whether I should use the third-person ending when the rule is supposedly pretty simple: http://learnersdictionary.com/qa/third-person-singular-s-simple-...
1
vote
2answers
55 views
“I asks”? How is that?
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes — The Red-Headed League:
“‘I wish to the Lord, Mr. Wilson, that I was a red-headed man.’
“‘Why that?’ I asks.
Why has the writer written "I asks" and not "I ...
1
vote
2answers
41 views
Proper use of the verb “to need” when the subject is “bread” [duplicate]
If I have multiple loaves of bread on the table, and I'm referring to all of them, which usage of the verb "need" is correct?
The bread need to be put in the fridge.
The bread needs to be put in the ...
0
votes
0answers
35 views
Why isn't “s”' 3rd person used in “Japan refuse to ban…”?
Japan refuse to ban colonial rising sun flag at Olympics as spat with Korea deepens
Why is “refuse” used instead of “refuses”?
Source: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/09/05/japan-refuse-ban-...
1
vote
2answers
103 views
American English. Please help me identify the correct form of 'become' in the following sentence: [duplicate]
I'm sure we'd all rather I became a bit more self-sufficient.
Using became feels right, but I would appreciate anyone who could explain what's going on grammatically here. I think become is in the ...
1
vote
0answers
51 views
He told me he often felt like he can reach me faster than his own wife - proper past tense?
What I want is to put this into past tense:
He often feels like he can reach me faster than... (e.g. his own wife)
1) "He told me that he often felt like he was able to reach me faster than ...",...
0
votes
1answer
41 views
Plural Noun + Are/Is + uncountable noun
I am trying to write a sentence like the following:
The skills I acquired is/are knowledge in A, B, and C.
However, I know that uncountable nouns such as knowledge doesn't go with are. Yet, the ...
1
vote
0answers
43 views
As for you, Frodo, in so far as lies in me
It's from The Lord of the Rings:
‘Then I will declare my doom,’ said Faramir. ‘As for you, Frodo, in so
far as lies in me under higher authority, I declare you free in the
realm of Gondor to ...
0
votes
3answers
119 views
“There are believed to be some ghosts” or ”There is …”?
There are believed to be some ghosts in that house
There is believed to be some ghosts in that house
Can anyone tell me which of the to be verb is correct in this case?
0
votes
1answer
86 views
Past tense English conjugation in a whole sentence
You should have let me given you a ride home.
You should have let me give you a ride home.
Your should have let me gave you a ride home.
You should have let me driven you home.
You should have let ...
2
votes
1answer
306 views
Is “stang” so out of use it is widely considered an incorrect form of “stung”?
I have a sentence in a short story which wants to use 'stang' instead of 'stung'.
Dictionaries that include 'stang' say it is 'obsolete'. Would you as a reader accept it?
a shriek so fierce her ...
1
vote
1answer
237 views
when did things like “thou canst” go? [duplicate]
I'm reading Kim and there are many lines like "Canst thou?".
Seems this is a conjugation of verbs on the 2nd person pronoun.
Nowadays seems English only has conjugation on the 3rd person pronoun. ...
1
vote
1answer
61 views
Why do verbs go without an “S” in these cases? [duplicate]
Here are two examples of the word "lest":
They should fill in the hole on that playground lest anyone fall into it.
She was not ready and was worried lest anyone see her naked.
I'm wondering why ...
0
votes
2answers
121 views
Are there verbs that conjugate with the person in the simple past or simple future?
We all know that verbs conjugate according to the person in the simple present, typically with the third person singular.
My question is: Are there verbs that change according to the person in the ...
3
votes
2answers
4k views
You've got or gotten? [duplicate]
I would like to properly use the verb get in the following sentence:
"You've ___ bigger since the last time I saw you, Bobby."
Should the past tense got be used or the past participle gotten?
I ...
2
votes
1answer
69 views
Conjugation when not substituting pronouns for proper nouns
Pronouns take the place of proper nouns when context allows. However, it seems proper nouns are only ever conjugated in the third person, singular or plural. Is this a rule?
For example, if I'm ...
0
votes
1answer
933 views
I wish my father “were having the stuff” or “was having the stuff”? [duplicate]
"I wish my father were having the stuff" or "I wish my father was having the stuff" ..
"And what if I wish my father having the stuff", is that bring different time definition? Thank you..
3
votes
1answer
601 views
Conjugation of 'shall' in Early Modern English
In Shakespeare's Macbeth, the Third Witch says to Banquo: "Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none" (1.3.65); if I want to quote that line and write it in the third person singular, how should I ...
6
votes
4answers
8k views
Is “have went” gaining common currency in AmE and BrE?
In the following article from English today there is a survey about the usage of the erroneous, but apparently rather commonly used expression “have went” in place of “have gone”:
... several ...
1
vote
2answers
282 views
“Leaving flowers on your grave / Show that I still care”: why is there no Present Simple S to the verb in this sentence?
In The Offspring's song "Gone Away" there is a line that goes:
"Leaving flowers on your grave
Show that I still care"
and the same goes with the new cover by Five Finger Death Punch, the exact same ...
1
vote
0answers
3k views
“You mentioned that you want” vs. “You mentioned that you wanted”
Which is correct in this scenario?
"When you mentioned that you wanted this book, I knew I had to get it for you."
"When you mentioned that you want this book, I knew I had to get it for you."
The ...
2
votes
2answers
2k views
Specializing vs Specialized [closed]
Should I use specializing or specialized? Or better, what's the difference?
Microsoft is a German software development company specializing
in software development tools for the engineering ...
1
vote
0answers
49 views
Why is “reconstruct” used instead of “reconstructs” or “reconstructed” in this sentence?
Why did the author write "reconstruct" instead of writing "reconstructs/reconstructed"? Is it an exception to normal subject-verb agreement rules?
It may be argued that the creation-template ...
0
votes
1answer
504 views
I felt as if it “was” or “were” grinning at me? [duplicate]
A wicked aura around it, I felt as if it was grinning at me
or
A wicked aura around it, I felt as if it were grinning at me
?
1
vote
3answers
97 views
I have always—and will always—do X? or done X?
(This has gotta be a duplicate, but I didn't quite manage to find anything...)
Is either of the following correct? If so, what is the general rule that makes the other one wrong?
I have always—...
1
vote
1answer
4k views
Are “worshiping” and “worshipping” interchangeable? [closed]
Every online source seems to agree with the preconceived notion I had that the correct usage is "worshipping" with two p's, saying that "worshipping" is an exception to a rule about doubling the ...
0
votes
4answers
2k views
Is “subjugative” a word?
I recently used the word subjugative in the following sentence:
Any company that wants to be “legitimate” (raise money, hire employees, file taxes, distribute shares, etc.) puts itself in a ...
1
vote
1answer
289 views
I don't want to be the one that “have” or “has”? [duplicate]
Which one of these sentences is correct?
I don't want to be the one that have to explain to your parents why you are not going to graduate.
I don't want to be the one that has to explain to your ...
-2
votes
1answer
349 views
What is the past tense of “pathfinding”?
For context, pathfinding is a type of computer algorithm to find a path between two points.
I can see three likely answers to this question, and none of them feel great:
Pathfinded (weird because ...
-1
votes
1answer
90 views
Is this conjugation correct?
I am reading a document with this in a sentence:
It is intended that the Plan qualify as...
Is the word "qualify" conjugated properly? (I would have used "qualifies" but perhaps the conditional ...
1
vote
1answer
155 views
Is there a widely accepted past participle for “stride”?
Yesterday I intended to stride.
Today I strode.
Now I have...
...stridden?
...strid?
...strode?
...strided?
I'm assuming (though I could be wrong) that "stridden" is the "technically" correct option,...
3
votes
2answers
165 views
“Me, as an artist, knows better” or “know better”? [closed]
I am confused how I should conjugate the verb with this construction, at the start of a sentence:
Me, as a X, [verb]...
Should I use the first or third person?
1
vote
1answer
242 views
why did this author use the plural verb “do” after “he”?
Teddy's father is a prominent physician who puts a great deal of
pressure on the boy to achieve at a very high level. As an only child,
Teddy felt that all his father wanted from him was that he ...
2
votes
2answers
4k views
What should I use, listen or listened?
I had an English test in which one of the questions was:
'If they (listen) ____________ carefully, they might hear the woodpeckers'.
I wrote listen, and it was marked as wrong. Is there a reason to ...
-1
votes
1answer
138 views
Is this the right tense / verbal form? [closed]
I'm wondering whether, in the following sentence, the verbal form is correct/idiomatic. It sounds right to my ear, but since I'm not a native speaker, I can't tell for sure.
After having been ...
0
votes
1answer
455 views
Why is “you was” used in these song lyrics? [closed]
I was listening to a piece of music from Joan Jett called "I hate myself for loving you" and she sang:
"Hey, man, bet you can treat me right.
You just don't know what you was missin' last night."...
9
votes
4answers
9k views
How common are “arrove” and “arriven” (vs. “arrived”)?
So to start things off, I know that the proper past tense of the word arrive would be the word arrived.
And that sounds fine for me if you are singularly referring to yourself, such as:
I have ...
0
votes
2answers
107 views
What is the noun for the act of zipping?
For some words there is a noun for the act of doing. For example, "deletion" is the act of deleting, "omission" is the act of omitting, "summation" is the act or process of forming a sum. Is there ...
1
vote
1answer
704 views
categories of verb inflections
Hi I'm working on a software project for work that inflects english words into their various derived forms. e.g. work (verb) -> works, working, worked. My main problem at the moment is that I need to ...
8
votes
1answer
231 views
Why is “irreparable” spelled without an “i”?
Pretty simple question, I think. Where does the "i" in "repair" go when spelling "reparable" or "irreparable" ? Is this just a "color"/"colour" type situation, or some deeper conspiracy?
4
votes
1answer
35k views
Using “logging in” correctly
There are a lot of questions concerning the correct use if login, log in, etc.
When speaking directly to an use I would say
You can always change this permission by logging in in the internal ...
2
votes
1answer
313 views
'Before he enter on the execution of his office […]'
This is the pretext of the oath of office of the President of the United States.
I wondered why they use the structure 'he' plus infinitive and not 'he' plus -s as it is usually used. I've already ...
