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.
13,726
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how to make these two sentances into one [closed]
"He told me he would come back in 1 hour."
"He lied to me."
I am a English beginner, please teach me how to combine these two sentences, thank you very much!
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1
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What's the difference between complementary infinitives and infinitives as object? [duplicate]
Example:
I forgot to lock the door.
Is "to lock" here a complementary infinitive or just an object?
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4
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1
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114
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Can all coordinating conjunctions be used to connect nouns, adjectives, etc. as well as clauses?
To the best of my knowledge, there are seven coordinating
conjunctions only five of which can connect nouns, phrases,
adjectives, and clauses. That's what they are said to do:
connect those things. ...
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1
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Why is the Oxford comma a stylistic choice? [closed]
I've gone through the threads on the Oxford comma and I am wondering why it is a stylistic choice rather than a standard practice, particularly with 3/+ items connected with "and"?
My point ...
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14
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3
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Can I contract "you is" to "you's"? [duplicate]
Not in the sense of "you are", but rather, I'm writing a poem for my girlfriend and I wrote this line: "Loving you's no hassle." I don't want to use anything incorrect, but I also ...
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0
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'To lie' and 'to lay' / 'to rise' and 'to raise' / 'to fall' and 'to fell' <-- Did English used to have more pairs like this?
My understanding is that there aren't many pairs of intransitive and transitive verbs in modern English. Off-hand, I know of three (though I think there are more):
lie vs lay
rise vs raise
fall vs ...
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2
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29
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Bring accountability "on" or "to" the internet?
I am writing a sentence and slightly confused if I should use on or to. Which one is correct:
The synergy between technology and policy is particularly crucial to bring accountability to the internet....
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73
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I am glad you are come
In the Middlemarch novel by George Elliot, in the chapter 22 of the book three, Dorothea said to Will Ladislaw, a cousin of Mr.Casaubon,
I am glad you are come….
This is not a printing error, but I ...
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"... , to: ..." before a list, is it exclusive?
The problem: What’s is the grammatically correct interpretation of “… , to: …” before a listing?
Texas Law requires interpretations to follow grammar.
Ref.: Sec. 311.011. COMMON AND TECHNICAL USAGE ...
2
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2
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67
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What is the advanced grammar topic used in this sentence?
I am having a difficulty trying to understand the structure of this sentence.
Never does the discussion of constitutionalism in public law textbook, if it is discussed at all, exceed one page.
I do ...
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3
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Is it 'a bright orange of the sunrise' or 'the bright orange of the sunrise'?
Wisconsin, where the hills roll like green waves to the horizon, where the cheese is a bright / the bright orange of the sunrise, and the winters are long and dark as death.
(Source: Dungeons & ...
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3
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Can we use under before deception?
Can we say something like this?
he was under the deception of a false idea he sold his belongings.
or
he was under the deception of a false promise he sold his belongings.
Are these grammatically ...
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Could someone explain whether the following sentence is grammatically correct: " If you would have answered your phone, you would know smth.." [duplicate]
I ran into this sentence while watching a TV show.
Context: One person tried to call another person, but the latter didn't answer. So the first person came to the other and said as mentioned above.
In ...
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1
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"complete" as a noun
I came across the definition of complete on Wiktionary. To my surprise, complete is used as a noun. I assumed it might be a rare/archaic usage, but there are frequent quotations from books.
Is it part ...
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0
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Why should the past simple tense be used in this case?
In the following sentences, the past simple tense is used after the present perfect tense. Both sentences are connected with each other:
I have been hit by a baseball bat in the past. It felt awful!
...
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4
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3
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235
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About the use of 'say please'
I'm not a native English speaker, so maybe there are something I don't pay attention to, today I said 'Can you do ....?' and he said 'Say please'. Does that mean what I said is impolite?
I'm confused, ...
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Is "should" in if-clause common in the USA?
I was wondering if the "should" in if-clause is commonly used nowadays, or if it's kinda outdated. E.g.,
If you should meet him, tell him he owes me.
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2
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When countable nouns are used as noun modifiers, are they still countable? [duplicate]
For example, we know "cat" or "student" are countable nouns, they are only marked as countable in the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English as well.
But are "cat" ...
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1
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44
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I am going to + infinitive + now
I regularly use the above sentence structure in daily life but my partner keeps pointing out that putting “now” at the end is not allowed because “going to” indicates the future and “now” indicates ...
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1
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Is it right to use "because" here? [closed]
I am trying to explain a serial inequality: a<=b<=c. Shall I write "The first inequality is because XX and the second inequality is because YY"? Both XX and YY are sentences.
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Which part of the first sentence is referenced here with the "which"?
I have the following text:
The role of the IS internal audit function should be established by an
audit charter approved by the board of directors and the audit
committee.
Professionals should have a ...
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2
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0
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How did the comma become a substitute for the word, "and"?
I'm seeing an increasing number of headlines where a comma is used in place of the word 'and'.
Mother enraged after suspect walks free after attacking her, one-year-old baby in a parking lot
The ...
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thematic variant: how to distinguish a dislocation and movement? [closed]
For example, the sentence
"I found something interesting in the yard -- a mouse eating cheese."
I am struggling with whether this is a right dislocation or postposing. Or neither of them?
...
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0
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to-infinitival subordinate clause [closed]
saw a sentence in the class's slide:
"Missy began to think when will he arrive."
I think "to think when will he arrive" and "when will he arrive" are two subordinate ...
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3
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75
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Capitalisation of "The" in a colloquially abbreviated proper noun [closed]
If you've got a company/venue name with "The" in it, e.g. "The Royal Hotel", you'd always capitalise the "The". Now imagine you colloquially call it "The Royal",...
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0
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Is it possibile to use infinitives after the expression thank you?
Is it correct to use the infinitive after the verb to thank?
Example :
Thank you to be in my life.
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4
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How to distinguish it-cleft and extraposition? 'It was Ben that found it' v 'It was clear that Ben found it'
I have a question about it-cleft and extraposition.
For example the two sentences:
It was in the apartment that Ben found something interesting -- a mouse eating cheese.
It was obvious that whenever ...
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1
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44
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Why is "I'm on Team X" correct?
I'm a non-native English speaker and I've heard the expression "I'm on Team X" (and not "I'm on X's team") for quite a while now (the first time I heard it was when the Twilight ...
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Is the phrase "for us to put the books on" an adjectival or adverbial phrase? [closed]
I'm wondering whether the boldfaced phrase is adjectival or adverbial:
John cleared the desk for us to put the books on.
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The difference between noun clause and relative clause [closed]
Which is the correct? and Why?
Do these sentences mean the same thing?
Julia helped me with the project yesterday, which saved my life.
(relative clause)
That Julia helped me with the project ...
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0
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63
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why people sometimes use be+verb+ing on internet?
I've come across some sentences that looks weird to me on internet,
don't know wheter there's a diffrece in sentences like
I be smiling : I am smiling
or
they really be looking like international ...
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2
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"I doing sth", "me doing sth", "my doing sth" as an object [closed]
Consider the following four sentences:
She doesn't like that I talked rudely to her.
She doesn't like I talking rudely to her.
She doesn't like my talking rudely to her.
She doesn't like me talking ...
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0
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Is the Grammar wrong [closed]
I am foreigner. This is my first time to create article.
If I get some mistake.
I hope you will excuse and teach me.
The article is written in stackoverflows.
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/...
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With or without a comma RESTRICTIVE or NON-RESTRICTIVE? [closed]
What's the difference between the sentences below?
They only hired unmarried women who were selected because of their beauty.
They only hired unmarried women, who were selected because of their beauty....
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Should you duplicate prepositions when using conjunctions? [closed]
Should you duplicate prepositions when using conjunctions?
Example sentence:
I swam across the river to exercise and to relax.
Grammatically, I believe it makes equal sense as the following sentence:...
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1
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What are other forms of using the "people in general" pronoun, the equivalent of the French On?
Which phrases (which are parallel to phrases in other languages, for example) would be correct and which not?
For example is it Ok to use "you can get x for free" when you refer to other ...
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1
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Is this correct to use would twice in if-then sentence? [duplicate]
Would it be grammatically correct if I would say: (see what I did there? :))
If I would be X >then< Y.
E.g.: If I would be born in US I would be happier.
("then" is redundant so I ...
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2
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45
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Using "to be" with verb "invest" [duplicate]
I have encountered the following phrase:
"Not content with stealing your money for short-term financial gain, cybercriminals are invested in the long-term gain of identity theft".
Is it a ...
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0
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Meaning of "shall be of" in regulation language
There is an interesting style in some regulations e.g, in NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) I often see "shall be of".
For instance; Sprinklers shall be of the open or automatic ...
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1
answer
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Find enclosed in this sentence [closed]
Please find enclosed a cheque for £100.
What does it mean?
Oxford Learners Dictionaries: enclosed
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0
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Objective vs Subjective Pronouns [duplicate]
While reading The Rose of Battle (W.B Yeats) I came across this line
For him who hears love sing and never cease
My question is whether the pronoun here should be subjective or objective (as in for ...
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How to use multiple "their" word?
How to use multiple "their" word ?
For example, in the sentence "parents and their children are criminals and their accomplices respectively", does the latter word "their"...
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0
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Is it "mockup" or "mock-up" as a verb? [duplicate]
I work in design and regularly use "mockups". These are templates that let me see what my design will look like.
I know that "mockup" is widely accepted as a noun, but what is the ...
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40
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Hyphens in compound words where the second word is a verb [duplicate]
Do you hyphenate a compound word made from a noun and a verb, such as 'hand knitted', when the compound does not come before a noun? E.g.: 'This jumper is hand knitted.'
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Is this postulate about the past perfect and past perfect continuous valid?
If the second action of the two entails the ending of the first, then the past perfect simple emphasises completion, while the past perfect continuous emphasises duration.
I had waited for three ...
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3
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63
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Would like. Can we use it in the past?
I listened to "15 facts about Pierre Cardin". And there's a phrase "but at the age of 8 years old he showed his interest in fashion and design when he would like to dress up the dolls ...
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Any online tool that highlights what grammatical case each word in a sentence belongs to?
I'm absolutely confused when it comes to cases in English, and more so when I'm studying other languages (leisurely). I've tried to learn cases at least three times in my life and every time it just ...
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1
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Is freak of nature an oxymoron?
My question is, is the term "freak of nature" a oxymoron?
I feel as if it is a oxymoron due to freak and nature being contradictions of each other, but I am not sure.
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"... we should have got to Paris" vs. "... we should be in Paris"
I'm confused by the two sentences below. Are they both subjunctive mood?
Both of them use "by now", but one uses "should be" and another uses "should have done" to ...
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0
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Can I use where or wherein to connect two sentences directly?
I always use where or wherein as a normal conjunction to connect two closely related sentences, such as:
“The adventure has been inspiring, where I reaped innumerable rewards …”
“I enjoy the journey ...
