Questions tagged [rules]

Questions about the rules of English. This tag is overly broad and discouraged.

Filter by
Sorted by
Tagged with
27 votes
4 answers
8k views

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 ...
Daniel's user avatar
  • 57.5k
12 votes
6 answers
68k views

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 ...
Sierra's user avatar
  • 133
11 votes
3 answers
2k views

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. ...
gsamaras's user avatar
  • 515
10 votes
7 answers
21k views

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 ...
Orbling's user avatar
  • 5,035
7 votes
2 answers
8k views

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 ...
Pooven's user avatar
  • 173
7 votes
1 answer
2k views

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 ...
Maksim Dmitriev's user avatar
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. ...
Matthew Read's user avatar
  • 3,345
7 votes
2 answers
252 views

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 ...
Zebrafish's user avatar
  • 12.5k
6 votes
1 answer
2k views

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 ...
tmow's user avatar
  • 163
6 votes
2 answers
347 views

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 ...
Xantix's user avatar
  • 882
5 votes
3 answers
2k views

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"?
Emanuil Rusev's user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
43k views

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?
Erin's user avatar
  • 61
5 votes
2 answers
338 views

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 ...
Axoren's user avatar
  • 179
5 votes
0 answers
856 views

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 ...
user1589188's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
88k views

"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?
jinhyun's user avatar
  • 191
4 votes
0 answers
2k views

"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. ...
Acornrevolution's user avatar
4 votes
0 answers
85 views

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 ...
Malis's user avatar
  • 95
3 votes
1 answer
967 views

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 ...
Shabasan's user avatar
  • 101
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 ...
user97971's user avatar
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 ...
user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
13k views

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?
Ant's user avatar
  • 145
3 votes
1 answer
2k views

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 "...
Yetimwork Beyene's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
2k views

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..." ...
El'endia Starman's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
57 views

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.
Tina's user avatar
  • 31
3 votes
3 answers
19k views

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 ...
Rob's user avatar
  • 31
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....
shariq shamsi's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
2k views

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.). ...
Loureiro Gui's user avatar
  • 1,052
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" ...
Shayne Thomas's user avatar
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 ...
Lukose Joseph's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
2k views

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/...
tog22's user avatar
  • 922
3 votes
0 answers
311 views

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 ...
Sharon's user avatar
  • 31
2 votes
2 answers
3k views

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 ...
periback2's user avatar
  • 271
2 votes
3 answers
5k views

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 ...
Trident D'Gao's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
369 views

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. ...
Dirty Penguin's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
272 views

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 ...
vacip's user avatar
  • 123
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 ...
Alex's user avatar
  • 23
2 votes
1 answer
1k views

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 ...
hlecuanda's user avatar
  • 790
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 : ...
ketazafor's user avatar
  • 121
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 ...
henryaaron's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
380 views

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 ...
orqunzeö's user avatar
1 vote
3 answers
9k views

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 (...
Luka's user avatar
  • 121
1 vote
2 answers
20k views

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, ...
aularon's user avatar
  • 141
1 vote
4 answers
8k views

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 ...
Boudreaux's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
87 views

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 ...
Affe Nowu's user avatar
1 vote
4 answers
8k views

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 ...
jsj's user avatar
  • 2,078
1 vote
1 answer
272 views

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 ...
rosends's user avatar
  • 2,475
1 vote
1 answer
747 views

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 ...
sooeithdk's user avatar
  • 513
1 vote
1 answer
1k views

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 ...
Jean-Philippe Leclerc's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
4k views

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 ...
Michael Brown's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
317 views

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.
Mila Kalinina's user avatar