Questions tagged [rules]
Questions about the rules of English. This tag is overly broad and discouraged.
86
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Why is it true that "I before E, except after C"?
I almost hesitate to ask this, because it is hard to believe no one else asked it; but it isn't showing up in the "similar titles" list.
What is special about 'C' that switches the 'IE' immediately ...
12
votes
6
answers
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What's wrong with "We hope you will find our Qualifications to be well-organized, concise, and most of all, to exceed your expectations."
Why is the following sentence grammatically incorrect?
We hope you will find our Qualifications to be well-organized, concise, and most of all, to exceed your expectations.
I've asked three ...
11
votes
3
answers
2k
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Why doesn't English employ an H in front of Ares?
While watching the movie The Martian, a question arose regarding the name Ares:
Greek Gods were metaphrased into Latin when Romans took over. Ares (from the Greek Άρης) was now named Mars, and so on. ...
10
votes
7
answers
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Use of the superlative when only two items are present
When speaking with my mother a couple of days ago, I read to her a message I was sending to my cousin on her behalf ending with: "... the birthday of your youngest." [implying her child]
She ...
7
votes
2
answers
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A case of optional “that”: “check the” vs. “check that the”
Consider the following use case:
Please check the username and password are correct.
Please check that the username and password are correct.
In this case, I would say that that is required because ...
7
votes
1
answer
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Job requirements. Why do they write words with capital letters within sentences?
I noticed the capitalization within sentences. For example,
Great experience in Java, Android SDK with core knowledge of Object
Oriented Programming principles and Design Patterns.
Is there a ...
7
votes
2
answers
772
views
What is the origin of the rule for omitting the suffix of a hyphenated word?
I can't remember where or how, but I was taught that one can/should omit the post-hyphen (suffix?) part of a word if it is being grouped with another hyphenated word with the same post-hypen portion. ...
7
votes
2
answers
252
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Any advice for agentive suffixes of single-syllable words ending in y?
I got stuck on whether I should say I'm a frequent flier or flyer. I came across an article on writingexplained.com and it confirmed pretty much what I suspected, that there's no consensus on the ...
6
votes
1
answer
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Zero conditional form
Chatting with a colleague we came a cross a dilemma (as we are not English native), which of the following sentences are wrong? Why?
If I knew everything, I'd be a genius.
If I know everything, I'd ...
6
votes
2
answers
347
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Does use-mention distinction warrant breaking conventions?
Does use-mention distinction sometimes warrant breaking the following capitalization and punctuation conventions?
American convention recommends placing punctuation within quote marks.
Sentences ...
5
votes
3
answers
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Abbreviating names that start with a vowel
What are the rules about abbreviating names that start with a vowel? Would abbreviating "Alanis Morissette" to "A. Morissette" be correct or should it be "Al. Morissette"?
5
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2
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Is it proper grammar to write a number with "th" after the month or only if it is used before the month? [closed]
Is it proper grammar to write July 17th or would it be the 17th of July?
5
votes
2
answers
338
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Is there any rule which dictates the ordering of non-proper, non-pronoun nouns in a list?
For example,
Is "Design, Operation, and Management," as equally good of a list as "Management, Operation, and Design?"
My colleagues and I are having a tough time reasoning why one sounds better ...
5
votes
0
answers
856
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Notable English grammar rules changes in modern grammar books [closed]
Modern English grammar books like English Grammar In Use, first published in 1985, for example, has four editions till now, I am wondering if there are any notable worthy examples of changes in modern ...
4
votes
1
answer
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"24 years old or 24 year old"? [closed]
I'm wondering if there should be an "s" when telling about ages. I have heard from my native English friend says "I'm 24 year old" is it correct?
4
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0
answers
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"She talked about how..." Grammar Rule
I'm trying to find the grammar rule or name that explains these types of sentences:
The movie was about how we all need to love each other.
She talked about how there is a great fear of technology.
...
4
votes
0
answers
85
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Standardization authority [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Regulatory bodies and authoritative dictionaries for English
Where do accents and dialects come from?
I can run faster than _____. (1) him (2) he?
If the English language ...
3
votes
1
answer
967
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Suffered from vs suffered
When should I use from?
Example:
His company suffered a setback.
Vs
His company suffered from a setback.
She suffered from a heart attack.
Vs
She suffered a heart attack
I realise that sometimes ...
3
votes
1
answer
628
views
Semi-colon or colon?
I'm writing a descriptive piece, and can't figure out whether this is grammatically correct, or whether I ought to place a semi-colon between "entry" and "crooked":
"As I walked in using the cobbled ...
3
votes
2
answers
183
views
River's Name as an Adjective
Is there any rule that describes the cases when one can use a river's name as an adjective and when it should be with the -ian suffix?
There is the so-called Danubian corridor, but it's the Danube ...
3
votes
1
answer
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I would love it versus I would love
What is correct?
"I would love if you could do that"
versus
"I would love it if you could do that"
Is there a general rule I can follow in cases like this?
3
votes
1
answer
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In a combination of two vowels (such as "ae"), what rule determines if the first ("a") or second ("e") is silent?
In a combination of two vowels (such as "ae"), what English rule determines if the first ("a") or second ("e") is silent?
For example, in the word "praetor", the vowel "a" is silent but in the word "...
3
votes
1
answer
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Overusing "and" and how to fix it
Several months ago, I was writing a fan-fiction story set in the Sonic the Hedgehog universe and I ended up constructing this sentence:
"...Sonic and his allies and Dr. Robotnik and his allies..."
...
3
votes
1
answer
57
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When did rules change for hyphenation [closed]
When did the rules change for hyphenating the word "service." It should be hyphenated after the v. example: serv - ice.
3
votes
3
answers
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Usage of "go to" vs "go"
I'm trying to explain the difference between "go to" and "go" and I'm not sure what the actual rule is. I've tried searching about it, but I couldn't find anything.
When should I use "go to" and when ...
3
votes
1
answer
711
views
What are the implicit rules for creating new portmanteaux in English?
Wikipedia defines a portmanteau1 as:
“Portmanteau word” is used to describe a linguistic blend, namely “a word formed by blending sounds from two or more distinct words and combining their meanings....
3
votes
1
answer
2k
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Where is the stress of the noun "Portuguese"?
Studying suffixes I've learned that "-ESE" is a strong suffix, therefore it holds the main stress when it's added to a word (e.g. China -> Chinese; Japan -> Japanese; journal -> journalese; etc.).
...
3
votes
1
answer
651
views
What's the history of the English letter "Y" as a "sometimes vowel"?
Wondering when and why historically the Anglo-Saxon letter "Y" became a (part-time) vowel substitute for the letter "I", leading to "gymnasium" instead of "gimnasium" or "cyanide" instead of "cianide" ...
3
votes
1
answer
960
views
Use/non-use of articles before Adjective + Abstract noun
I have confusion regarding use/non-use of articles before adjective + abstract noun. Eg. competent handling, prolonged tread life, enhanced durability
Providing COMPETENT HANDLING and PROLONGED TREAD ...
3
votes
1
answer
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Comprehensive list of grammar rules? [duplicate]
Does anyone know of a near-comprehensive list of grammar rules? (Specifically those which a poor writer of English might violate.)
The most amusing candidate I've found was http://www.listsofnote.com/...
3
votes
0
answers
311
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Are there rules about where a long title should be broken across lines? [closed]
Here is the title: Clean your vessel & everything on it in a single session!
Clean your vessel
& everything on it
in a single session!
Clean your vessel &
everything on it in
...
2
votes
2
answers
3k
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Use of "either/or" in a negative phrase
I'm not sure if a sentence I wrote is correct:
"The last one didn't get neither my changes nor thiago's".
I'm trying to say that the last activity I ran in a system didn't get the changes I sent ...
2
votes
3
answers
5k
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When the plural ends in "-ies", how do I know whether the singular ends in "-y" or "-ie"? [closed]
my question is how am I supposed to recognize a singular form of a noun which plural form ends with "ies"? As you can see "cookies" are a "cookie" when singular, but at the same time "flies" stand for ...
2
votes
2
answers
369
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Is there a grammar rule that defines the properties of a legally accepted word [closed]
I would like to know if there is a grammar rule(s) that defines whether a word is gramatically legal or not. I understand a word is given meaning by a human and anyone can give meaning to anything. ...
2
votes
2
answers
272
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Comma rules - found a lot of special rules, but not general ones
I have read a lot on proper punctuation:
grammar.ccc.comnet.edu
grammarbook.com
And some more...
Now I remember my English teacher warning me that in English, you should use a lot less commas then in ...
2
votes
2
answers
542
views
Is there a fully defined way to pluralize/unpluralize words in English?
I'm wondering if there is a way, given an arbitrary word and without knowing the meaning, to switch it from plural to non-plural form and back? I know the common case is the trailing s, such as
...
2
votes
1
answer
1k
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Rules of metrics rhythm and rhyme in poetry, do they exist in English?
I know there are a lot of rules and guidelines in english, for writing a good essay (especially around S.A.T. season!) No such thing in spanish, though!
However, for writing poems Spanish does have a ...
2
votes
1
answer
802
views
Using the definite article describing a general thing [closed]
I have a question about using articles.
Consider the following sentence.
"The/a right side of a rectangle can be found ..."
"The perimeter of a rectangle may be / is found by"
The question is : ...
2
votes
1
answer
517
views
Proper apostrophe usage? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
What is the proper way to write the plural of a single letter? (another apostrophe question)
Plurals of acronyms, letters, numbers — use an apostrophe or not?
Take for ...
1
vote
2
answers
380
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Are there Official Rules for Comma Placement?
In this answer, the linguist John Lawler gave the following advice concerning comma placement:
If you would use that intonation in speaking, write a comma. Otherwise don't.
This sounds like as if ...
1
vote
3
answers
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Where can I find a list of capitalisation rules for pure British writing?
Is there any quality English orthography book that contains rules for capitalising in pure British English? I’ve noticed that an American newspaper capitalises every word in the title of an article (...
1
vote
2
answers
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Rules of thumb on using the correct tense forms and auxiliary verbs [closed]
For example, when using "since", you should use "present perfect":
Mr Smith _ _ _ the company since 1990.
runs
has run
is running
ran
Is there any reference on similar rules, ...
1
vote
4
answers
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Guardrail vs Guard rail
I'm at odds with a colleague of mine over the correct spelling of the above title words.
My stance is that they could BOTH possibly be correct. My question specifically is....
Could one spelling be ...
1
vote
1
answer
87
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How are dashes used when referring to the work of someone? [closed]
Example: [Artist] - [Song]
Is that little line supposed to be a hyphen, non-breaking hyphen, figure-/en-/em-dash, horizontal bar, minus sign or double oblique hyphen? Are there supposed to be spaces ...
1
vote
4
answers
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Constructions like "A good shot" [closed]
Is anyone aware of a rule behind which nouns can be combined with a preceding "a good" to become an adjectival phrase. For example "He's a good shot" meaning he has good aim. How many more examples ...
1
vote
1
answer
272
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Can possessives in the middle of a word exist?
According to one online dictionary, the apostrophe-s combination is
an ending used in writing to represent the possessive morpheme after most singular nouns, some plural nouns, especially those not ...
1
vote
1
answer
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as little as 1 day as an adjective object phrase of a preposition
You can get your money back in as little as 1 day!
It is a sentence I heard from an advertisement. Sadly, I cannot tell if this is what the advertisement said, for I did not pay much attention to ...
1
vote
1
answer
1k
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How to guess the pronunciation of some inconsistencies in English?
I’m not a native English speaker, and I have a lot of problems when is comes to pronouncing words like archive, archon, zealot, heal, health.
Why is the ch sometime pronounced like a k?
Why is the ...
1
vote
1
answer
4k
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Ending a clause with a preposition, rule of thumb or hard rule? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
When is it okay to end a sentence in a preposition?
So we've all heard the admonishments from our teachers not to end a clause with a preposition
A plumber visits a wealthy ...
1
vote
0
answers
317
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Hyphenating proper noun rules
Is there any special rules for hyphenating proper nouns? I've seen information like "never split a proper noun", but in numerous scientific papers these words are hyphenated.