Questions tagged [grammaticality]
This tag is for questions about whether something obeys the rules of grammar in English. The question must INCLUDE THE SPECIFIC GRAMMATICAL CONCERN. If your question is about grammar itself, please use the "grammar" tag.
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Is it grammatically correct to use a sentence which lacks an object? [closed]
For example, there is a subject and predicate, but no object. Thus, the additional information is not specified, it is not said where, for what, etc.
For example:
I didn't allow enough time and missed ...
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Which is correct? "I helped him" vs. "I was helping him" [closed]
Which sentence is correct?
I helped him every day.
I was helping him every day.
As far as I know, it should be Past Simple, according to the rules. But it feels like if I'll use "helped" ...
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Which of these possible multi-choice answers is correct and why? [duplicate]
A Chinese teacher of English asked me about the following, taken from an English test for Chinese people. It's quite tricky I think.
I would like to know three things:
Which answer or answers do you ...
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Is "hadn't got" correct? [closed]
Yesterday in my English class, I tried to say 'I hadn't got that book' and my teacher told me my sentence was incorrect, she said I should say 'I didn't have that book'.
I bought Grammarly, and it ...
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Grammatical name it is a highly organized capital market [closed]
It is a highly organized capital market Grammatical name
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High-end tourism make more affordable [closed]
Can I write in my pitch
We are working on a solution that would make high-end tourism more affordable for middle class earners, by giving rewards for staying with us.
Our start-up will work as ...
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"They've grown so much" vs "They've 'been' grown so much"? [migrated]
In this sentences the difference is the been. I've been seen this two ways to write this same thing. In the translater, the two ways is right. Why?
"They've grown so much" vs "They've '...
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Is "as well as" a preposition here or conjunction?
A short passage from a book piqued my interest:
Nevertheless, it is this third line of argument which offers the most hope, by bringing
us into a largely unexplored area of moral philosophy which has ...
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Does this sentence sound natural for English native speakers? [closed]
I’m writing a story and I’d like to know if this sentence sounds weird for English native speakers.
“Swamped in anger, regret, and pain, she decided to run away”
Thank you!
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Find the incorrect part in those sentences [closed]
I am working on a scholarship English exam, and I have some trouble with these questions, where the question is to choose one incorrect part from the parts in bold:
1.
In different part of the English-...
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If I would have known [duplicate]
Is the title of one of Kyle Hume's songs "If I would have known" grammatical?
If so, what's the difference between If I had known and If I would have known?
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Negative Imperative - do not do vs not to do [closed]
Guys what's the difference?
I told you do not do that vs I told you not to do that
I do not try to do that vs I try not to do that
You'd better not to do... vs You'd better don't do...
Are these ...
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"Made in planet earth" or "made on planet earth"? [closed]
I'm confused about this. We usually say 'Made in China', but what about planet Earth?
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Why the passive "are described" is not grammatically correct in this sentence [migrated]
A student wants to use "are described" (because it's passive) in the blank space although the correct answer is "described". How can I explain the grammar of why it is incorrect?
...
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"in the Hebrew it ..." vs "in Hebrew it ..." - what is the difference of meaning in this paragraph of Milton and in general?
In book one of The Doctrine & Discipline of Divorce, it is written:
The cause of divorce mention’d in the Law is translated some uncleannesse, but in the Hebrew it sounds nakednes of ought, or ...
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Missing word? "Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's"
Consider the following sentence
Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's.
When I put it into a few grammar checkers like Grammarly, I get no errors. But I feel that there should ...
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Conditional clause within a relative clause
Is the following sentence grammatically correct?
The word "if" is not used in this sentence, which I'm not sure is a mistake or not.
And if anyone has a link to a reference on conditional ...
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SImple present to talk about the future [duplicate]
Here is my question, are both of the following acceptable?
I start dieting after Christmas.
I will start dieting after Christmas.
This is the task from Oxford English Grammar Advanced.
Note: I know ...
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"What's it worth"? [duplicate]
Recently I encountered the sentence "What's it worth?" in a book.
I cannot understand the structure of this sentence.
From my perspective, "worth" means "value" in this ...
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When can compound verbs be split? [duplicate]
Is it wrong to say:
He took the hat off.
when you could keep the compound verb “took off” together?
He took off the hat.
And is the rule changed at all by more words being placed in the phrase?
...
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Can we not use to be + v3 negatively [duplicate]
To be + v3
These clothes are to be washed.
These clothes are not to be washed.
Likewise,
These clothes have to be washed.
Now If I have to say it negatively, how can I?
These clothes have not to ...
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Be ambigious about "which" relative pronoun
I have seen an example referring to "on a par with something" at Cambridge Dictionary:
"At this rate, they'll have 600,000 visitors to the exhibition, which will put it on a par with ...
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Can a series unite independent clauses with other fragments?
It's common to unite multiple independent clauses with an "and" in order to form a sentence. For example, consider a sentence that says, "The weather is warm, campsites are abundant, ...
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Similar to how/what/why structure
I see the statement that:
Similar to how a car needs fuel to run, a computer needs electricity to power it.
In this case, I comprehend its meaning. However, I don't really get why "similar"...
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Is “if they are still not…” right and what is an alternative way to phrase this? [closed]
The sentence was this:
In his process of dying; the children, if they are still not independent of his guidance, shall perish.
The expression 'are still not' does not seem grammatically correct.
...
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'The power is out' vs 'The power has gone out' [closed]
Suppose a person is using an electrical appliance and suddenly there is a power outage- would it be correct if that person immediately said to their family members that 'the power is out'? Or would it ...
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Is using ‘down’ with ‘descend’ acceptable?
Is the following sentence grammatically correct?
A cascading silence that descends down the phone line.
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Is this sentence grammatically correct? "We are supporting troops that we don't even know who they are." [duplicate]
Is this sentence grammatically correct?
We are supporting troops that we don't even know who they are.
I hear it from a video on Youtube, where Trump was debating with someone.
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Definite article in attribute object sentence [closed]
Is that true that example (2) is incorrect? Or are the both correct but example (1) refers to a single incident, act of honesty?
I admire the honesty in him.
I admire honesty in him.
If we change ...
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Is this sentence correct? "Adele says new album will explain her divorce to her young son." [closed]
So there's this debate ongoing on one post that this phrase is incorrect. People are getting confused and wondering how can Adele take a divorce from her own son. The sentence is:
Adele says new ...
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Why should we say "watch it go"? [duplicate]
Why is "watch it go" correct? Why can't we say watch it goes? And it is like watch, it go? Or watch it, go?
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Is "The good food keeps us healthy and adds pleasure to our lives." grammatically correct? [closed]
Is this sentence grammatically correct?
The good food keeps us healthy and adds pleasure to our lives.
I believe that the article "the" is incorrect, but why is it?
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Does word order matter in “…(that) we do in the same manner” vs “…in the same manner (that) we do”?
Are both these sentences grammatically accurate and can they be used interchangeably?
It is dangerous for ecologists to assume other species sense the environment we do in the same manner.
It is ...
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Logical entailments of the verb frighten
Are the following entailments (examples 1-2) and sentences (examples 3-4) possible and well-formed?
Tom frightened Mary and he still frightens her.
Tom frightened Mary and he didn't stop frightening ...
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Using the word ‘had’ four times in a row is it grammatically correct?
The man that willed me all he had had had had my name on his will since I was born.
My mind is broke trying to figure it out.
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Why can say "diminishing weakened"? [closed]
The resource as:
However, the ability of the rainforest to pull in more carbon than it releases is diminishing weakened by changing weather patterns, deforeststation and increasing tree mortality, ...
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"I don't know what the story is about, except that it's about a basketball team." Do you reply to first or second clause; me neither / me too?
I am a native speaker, but I know that natives often use incorrect grammar.
"I don't know what the story is about, except that it's about a basketball team."
Do you reply to first or ...
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Is it grammatically correct to say "I have just wanted to say that..."? [closed]
Is it grammatically correct to say the following?
I have just wanted to say that...
Considering that just=only and I have been waiting for my turn for some time before saying it.
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Participial phrase with a subject unomitted [duplicate]
I wonder this sentence is both grammatically and idiomatically correct.
"That movie having a pretty big budget, filmmakers did not need to have one in order to succeed."
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Possibility of omitting preposition phrase
I wonder if I can omit the parenthesized part here?
Extraordinary success is achieved by working on commissions one after the other rather than (by doing all of them) simultaneously.
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Is it grammatical to use a participle phrase with a different subject from the preceding clause? [duplicate]
As I understand it, the standard use of a participle phrase is something like,
The man walked into the room smoking a cigarette.
In this case, the subject for the participle phrase smoking a ...
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Does "It would be the last time..." refer to the past or the present?
From my understanding, in direct speech/conversation (not as a narrative), "That would be the last time..." refer to the past event, and "This would be the last time..." refers to ...
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Meaning of "I was never meant to be..."
I don't clearly understand the meaning of "was never meant to be" in sentences like this:
"I was never meant to be your friend."
Can someone explain it to me?
For the example in ...
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Can later be used for expressing distance?
I was wondering if " Can you stop at the later gate?" when trying to ask a cab driver to stop at gate 8 instead of 4 was a valid way of saying it?
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Is the use of the phrase 'There is no woman like me' for this content correct?
If someone wants to say that no one looks as beautiful as her, is it correct to write it like this?
"There's no woman like me."
For example, if I write a dialog like this, does that reply ...
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Singular vs plural after "One example of such"
In sentences like "One example of such X is Y" should X be singular, plural or can it be either?
For example:
Some methods are {description of this group of methods}.
One example of such ...
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"who/what should ... but" structure, examples with different tenses?
Here's an example sentence with that structure:
I looked under the bed, and what should I find but the keys I lost last week?
Are the following sentences correct in different tenses?
I was looking ...
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"Aren't your hair long enough to be washed often?" [duplicate]
Is this statement grammatically correct?
Aren't your hair long enough to be washed often?
Should I say "Isn't your Hair...?"
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Is " A friend of his dad " a correct sentence? [closed]
A whole sentence is
He remembered that a friend of his dad's regretted not doing what he wanted to.
Which is from my textbook.
I am wondering if changing "a friend of his dad's" to "a ...
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Is "The heart wants what the heart wants" grammatical? If so, why?
Normally one would say (as Emily Dickinson did) "The heart wants what it wants." But consider these few examples from professional writers (screenwriters in this case).
"The heart ...
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