Questions tagged [conjugation]
Questions about modification of a verb from its basic form.
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In which dialects is "knowed" the past tense of know?
In some folk songs, such as Woody Guthrie's "Hard Traveling" and Townes Van Zandt's "Poncho and Lefty," the word "knowed" is used as the past tense of "know."
...
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What is the history of the incomplete can/could verb?
The verb can/could is incomplete in the following sense. There is a present tense:
I can
You can
He/she/it can
[…]
There is also a past tense:
I could
You could
He/she/it could
[…]
But there is no ...
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What is the correct conjugation for "The problem is/are the rules"? [duplicate]
I recently stumbled across the sentence below, but I'm not sure which version is correct (or more specifically, I personally am pretty sure it's the second one, but other people disagreed):
The ...
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2
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American using weak conjugations for BrE strong and vice versa
Reading American literature of questionable quality, I often come across words like leaped, kneeled and creeped, and they always cause this Englishman to hesitate. Can anyone explain the usage?
I ...
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2
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Interpretation of “This to be love…” in Hodgson’s ‘The Night Land’
The Night Land by William Hope Hodgson, published in 1912, begins with the lines:
This to be Love, that your spirit to live in a natural holiness with the Beloved, and your bodies to be a sweet and ...
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1
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Which one is correct "they didn't" or "they don't" when using "for" afterwards [closed]
I'm confused whether I should use "didn't" or "don't" in the following sentence:
Makki and Mattsun didn't have time to execute their plan, for two not-so-soon-expected guests are ...
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1
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Is "be parented to" grammatically correct?
When "parent" is used as a transitive verb, it should be grammatically correct to use "be parented by" as in the examples in the following pages:
https://www.lexico.com/definition/...
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2
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Verb conjugation for singular they [duplicate]
Ostensibly, verb conjugation is plural vs singular: "The apple is big." vs "The apples are big."
But that doesn't match up with the centuries-old singular they.
"They is nice.&...
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...before a bunch of economists jumps, or jump, down my throat? [duplicate]
In a piece I'm writing about financial markets, I'm worried that I'll stir controversy amongst economists. Do I write:
I'll clarify this before a bunch of economists jumps down my throat.
or
I'll ...
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5
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What does a cursor do?
An executor executes, a parser parses, readers read, etc.
Does a cursor curse? If not, what does it do?
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Term for person conjugation error
What is the right term for the grammatical mistake in the following:
As someone who loves animals, lions are beautiful.
The error is that the sentence after the comma should have as the object the ...
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3
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What is the correct verb form for a list of tasks/responsibilities in CV?
In my CV I have short lists of responsibilities/tasks that I was assigned in my past jobs. Should I use the -ing form of a verb in such lists or rather the infinitive?
For example:
Accountant at XYZ
...
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1
answer
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How to use "or" and the adverb "as"?
The preface of the book, Physics and Music (Dover Publications), states:
Almost everyone enjoys music, whether as a performer or as a listener.
I was wondering if such a repetition of as is ...
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Why does the verb sometimes change when we go from declarative to interrogative?
I have noticed this error in non-native speakers more and more recently**, but I don't know how to explain it, i.e., I don't know what this phenomenon is called nor what the rule is. An example:
Does ...
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What are the verbs that need a gerund after “to”?
So could someone tell me what the verbs are that must have “ing” (gerund) after “to”? (a small list)
I know we have : “look forward to”, “admit to”, “be opposed to”... but are there other verbs?
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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 ...
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1
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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 ...
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0
answers
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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 ...
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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 ...
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1
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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).
...
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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, ...
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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 ...
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2
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"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 ...
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2
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57
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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 ...
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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-...
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2
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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 ...
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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 ...",...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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“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?
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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. ...
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1
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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 ...
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2
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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 ...
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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 ...
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1
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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 ...
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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..
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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 ...
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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 ...
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"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 ...
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"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 ...
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2
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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 ...
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0
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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 ...
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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
?
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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—and ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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