Questions tagged [grammar]
This tag is for questions about morphology and syntax, the two elements of grammar. DO NOT USE THIS TAG IF YOUR QUESTION IS ABOUT WHETHER SOMETHING SPECIFIC IS GRAMMATICAL. For such cases use the 'grammaticality' tag. Also do not use this for punctuation or spelling (orthography); those are not about grammar, and they have their own tags.
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What is the grammar of "to count" in this sentence?
In the below sentence, what is the grammar of "is to count" and what is the meaning of the whole sentence?
Kuhn's own account of science entails that what is to count as a problem is ...
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When is this type of inversion usually used? [duplicate]
What is this inversion rule? I heard
"After bad weather comes fine weather", it was obvious for me that the word "comes" here was related to "fine weather". Yes, I learnt ...
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Are the sentences correct and natural? Thanks [closed]
Once the dark and cold swallowed the world we fought for
and I saw no silver lining but clouds
Words fail me when painful memories surge
The light dims when I feel so overwhelmed
With you I just turn ...
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I promise not to do it, I swear not to do it. Is there a double meaning here?
"I promise [pause] not to do it"
seems to me equivalent to
"I promise I won't do it".
However,
"I promise not [pause] to do it"
seems to me equivalent to
"I do not promise I will do it" (i....
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Grammar questions regarding an excerpt from The Giver
I've been reading Lois Lowry's The Giver recently, and have questions regarding a sentence from her book. I know that some sentences in literature, like The Giver, do not always follow strict grammar ...
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Quotation mark in company name [closed]
I have a company named Flahms. There is no meaning to it. I wanted to ask if I want to add a quotation mark to it so it will be Flahm's. What will mean adding this quotation mark? Means it is Flahm ...
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Is it a grammatically correct conditional sentence "If I won that award my life would change"? [migrated]
I'm interested in whether the bold phrase in these examples is correct in terms of grammar from the native's point of view?
In tonight's competition I'm an underdog and have no chance for any of the ...
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"Necessarily" or "not necessarily"? [closed]
The idea that has to be communicated is that picking someone at random in the street, it does not follow that they are a tennis player : occasionally you mignt find such a person.
Is the following ...
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The traditional grammar term for 'nominals'
The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language (Page 329) has a section titled 'Nominals':
Intermediate between the noun and the NP we recognise a category of nominals:
[3] a. the old man
b. that book ...
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Types of Clause
I'm getting perplexed searching "how many types of clause ....?" Because different websites are giving different answers.
I am thinking about taking it as, may be there are two types: ...
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Use of "insight of" in a sentence
Is it correct to use "insight of" in the following sentence:
Statistical insight of binding regions in disordered human proteome
Because here it basically means: insight into the statistics of...
...
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Indefinite article before the multiplication product: ‘a ten of twos is a twenty' or '‘a ten of twos is twenty"
For an article intended for linguists only, I have to unidiomatically translate oral multiplication tables from a South Asian language to reflect the original morphology, and while doing so a question ...
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"implies the narrator"?
A sentence on this website reads:
It might well be, implies the narrator, that he made up the whole story, but he's content to leave it up to the reader to decide which "passages" of his ...
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Meaning of "was to have" [closed]
Mr Macron was to have hosted the king at a banquet at the former royal palace of Versailles.
This sentence confuses me a little, especially the fact that "was" and "to have" are ...
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"I wish I won the lottery", standard or not?
Having read some threads on another English learners site, I noticed that there was a disagreement as to whether "I wish I won the lottery" is correct or not. Some mention it is perfectly normal and ...
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What does "practices are the context to which they respond" mean?
Through our practices, we create the reality (context) through which the former is influenced by the latter. ‘Social reality is practices’ (Taylor, 1985 cited in Schatzki, 2005: 470). Or, to put it ...
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With adjective uses of the to-infinitive like 'a place to live in', is the preposition 'in' necessary?
a house to live in
a place to live in
Does the second example essentially need the preposition 'in'?
In the first example, the noun 'house' is a specific place, so I've known to use to-infinitive it ...
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Should I use a colon here?
I also encouraged her to tell the bullies: "Get a life."
Should there be a colon here or nothing?
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Using the word "Disposition" as a Verb
I know disposition means a persons inherent qualities of mind and character and it is a noun. i know you would say "he has a very quiet brooding disposition" but my roommate was cleaning the house and ...
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"on/in browser on/in my phone"? Which one is correct? [closed]
Statement is -
Twitter is not working properly "on/in Chrome browser on/in my phone"
Which one is correct in each case?
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Is the text written correctly? [closed]
Think of something you have tried to do and failed. How long was it before you gave up? What made you finally give up?
Let me see. I can’t even count how many times I gave up. I think it depends on ...
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Usage of twice and two times with "size"
Below are taken from a grammar book.
a) The Earth is about **four times as big as** the moon.
= The Earth is about **four times bigger than** the moon.
b) The Earth is about twice as big as ...
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When to use "rather than" versus "instead of"?
I never really gave a deep thought about this, but recently a teacher talked about language and there was an implicit question in it. Something like,
There is a difference between "rather than&...
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The threat of highwaymen had also lost some of the lurid colour of her imagination [closed]
The sentence is:
The threat of highwaymen had also lost some of the lurid colour of her imagination.
This is from a book called The Marriage Season by Jane Dunn.
What does this sentence mean and how ...
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Which is correct and in what context: John was the architect of the Royal Hotel, or John is the architect of the Royal Hotel
I am curious about the use of "was" and "is" when referencing art or architecture that was designed or created in the past, but whose authorship is being disclosed in the present. ...
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What is the difference between "would be needed" and "may be needed"?
I am trying to understand the below sentence grammatically.
"To determine whether sending a link actually occurred, more context
would be needed"
Why did we use would in this sentence. ...
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"A hundred" treated as one word in speech (extra indefinite article)
I'm a teenager from Chicago. I've noticed some particular usages of the words "a hundred" by people around me.
During a running workout, one student was 100 meters from the finish, while ...
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Legitimacy of "I hear that..." when talking about the past?
I often see that people write:
I hear that …
to refer to a past event/action. For example:
I hear that Sally has won the lottery.
(If I remember correctly it is in English Grammar in Use by ...
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Using "has been" in "An application of ABC has been to" [closed]
I found, in some writings such this and this, the following grammar constructs:
An application of ABC has been to [something]
And:
An application of ABC has been to [do something]
Before, I didn't ...
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American vs British use of "the" in “after (the) summer break was over”
Which one is the correct one? Or do they depend if we're using American/British English?
A: She went there after the summer break was over.
or
B: She went there after summer break was over.
A British ...
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Is it "crowd" or "croud?"
In my mind, I want to spell it "croud" when I'm talking about a verb and "crowd" as a noun, but I think the only correct form is "crowd." A quick Google search of "croud" showed a Wiktionary page ...
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with something to recommend it
I'm reading an Economist report on mending an algorithm-related law called Section 230 and the last sentence (the part in bold, to be specific) confuses me a bit:
When platforms “alert specific users”...
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Should 'PFA' be followed by 'is'? [migrated]
I am a Grammarly user. When I use PFA (Please find attachment) in my emails,
PFA the updated presentation.
It suggests I update the statement as:
PFA is the updated presentation.
Please clarify if ...
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Is it appropriate to use 'archival' as a postpositive adjective?
I am able to find plenty of online resources using the word 'archival' as a prepositive adjective used to describe things related to archives.
Can 'archival' be used as a postpositive adjective as ...
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What is the grammatical term for using a noun without attaching a personal identifier to that noun?
I don't know how to articulate my question accurately. Here is the sentence that makes me wonder:
His sense of her inferiority—of its being a degradation—of the family obstacles which judgement had ...
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"Will have done" vs "would have done" in expressing certainty
Recently, I have been looking a little bit deeper into the modal verb “will”, its usage and properties. In the process I have been able to find the usage I have already encountered, though have seen ...
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Pay my visit to some place
"Pay a visit to" is regarded as an idiomatic expression. My question: Is it correct to say "pay my/your visit to some place"? Is the sentence "I should pay my first visit to your work place" correct?
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recommendations on grammar learning and writing for intermediate level [closed]
hey i need help with improving my English grammar and writing. can anyone recommend me some books or learning materials? My current level, I believe, is intermediate, so I need a grammar or writing ...
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Is it correct to say “Welcome to John” if you want to welcome somebody to John’s house? [migrated]
If you want to welcome somebody to John’s house, would you say:
“Welcome to John”
“Welcome to John’s”
“Welcome to John’s house”
For instance, which of the previous can be written on doormat?
Thank ...
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Is it correct to say "long time no see and never will"? [closed]
It seems like it's not, because there were no negative statement before "and", after which goes future "will". I could surely write something like "Haven't seen each other for ...
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Is it right to use "is mixed" in this sentence?
The smoke of the factories, ships, and machines ____(mix) with the early rays of the sun to create a sort of beauty that is "both surprising and charming".
I filled in the blank with its ...
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What is the reason behind "has" in the sentence "One of us has done it"? [closed]
In the sentence,
One of us has done it.
We consider "one" as a third person. But why is this true?
The "one" is among "us." We know "Us" is the first person. ...
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Welcome on board vs Welcome aboard
Is it grammatically correct for a pilot or airline cabin crew to say "welcome on board", rather than "welcome aboard?" Is there a difference?
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The difference between “elect" and "select" [closed]
What is the difference between “elected” and “selected”?
When something is selected there is only one determinate factor and that is "choice". When something is elected there is more than ...
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"Further the goal": is this use correct?
Does the word "Further" fit naturally in the following sentence?
"The modern thinkers believe that by attracting the young generation towards museums, the management furthers the fundamental goal of ...
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Can we use participle phrases the article A,an before verb+ing or verb+3 [migrated]
In some news, you see sentences that are difficult for you to understand. Are these sentences preceded by articles An, a, or are they participles phrases? Why participle word stolen proceeding ...
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Is the adverb 'just in time' still used adverbially when used in the sentence, "He is just in time?"
Can this phrase ever be used adjectivally other than in a hyphenated way such as,'a just-in-time system'?
(I ask because in another language which I am learning, "He came just in time." is ...
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What’s the grammar of "For those whose stories they are"?
Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong has urged the UK to confront its colonial past.
Speaking at King’s College’s Centre for Grand Strategy, Senator Wong highlighted the UK’s role in the Indo-...
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If "to X" signifies an infinitive, what form is the phrase "to be able to X", and can it be split?
"To slowly walk" is a split infinitive which is sometimes frowned upon, in which case "slowly to walk" or "to walk slowly" is often preferred.
"To be able to walk&...
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"You are all {so/such} wonderful friends." Which is more correct?
In a kangarou English exam, one of the questions asked you to fill in a blank space in a sentence:
You are all ......... wonderful friends
What is more correct to use to fill in the blank space, "...
