Questions tagged [sentence-patterns]
Questions relating to the pattern of words in a sentence.
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Does 'angle' as a noun necessarily receive a definite article?
Here is the sentence in dispute:
In humans, the femoral angle shows no correlation with femoral length.
The question: why would 'femoral angle' receive a definite article, but not 'femoral length'? ...
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0
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* makes it * for * to be * [duplicate]
Is a sentence like the following correct English?
This search engine makes it hard for less popular sites to be found.
Variations would be
X makes it easy/difficult for Y to be discovered/...
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1
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Simple or compound sentences? [closed]
John ate and drank to his satisfaction.
John ate the yam and drank the juice.
My question: Are these sentences simple or compound sentences?
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2
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How to parse the sentence for better understanding? [closed]
He doesn’t sound nearly as eager to make small talk with this guy as he was with me.
how to understand the above sentence?
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1
answer
41
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"Bet" in the beginning of the sentence [duplicate]
Bet it was a quick death, though. In this sentence, there is no noun before "Bet". Does it refer to "you" or "I"?
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1
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Using the word "he" twice in the same sentence - is this grammatically correct? If not, why are there published books that break this rule? [closed]
So, I was reading some books by Stephen King, S.D. Perry, and a couple authors I really love. I notice they'll use pronouns or certains words twice in the same sentence. When I read it, it's pleasant ...
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3
votes
2
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Skipping a relative pronoun
My eyes widen, and I slowly turn toward the elderly gentleman standing at my side.
In this sentence, before "standing", "who" is skipped why?
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2
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51
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Name for concise sentence with articles and verbs removed [duplicate]
Suppose I am writing a sign for my front gate to warn people of the dog in the yard. I would write "Warning: Dog in Yard" as opposed to "Warning: There is a dog in the yard". The ...
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How can we make passive out of perfect continuous tenses?
Can we make passive out of perfect continuous tenses as below?
English is being taught here since 2013
He is being beaten since morning
We are being taught this since February
It's just that "has ...
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votes
1
answer
124
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Usage of they/them as a pronoun in confusing sentences [duplicate]
Pronouns are an integral part of the english language. However, they can also cause confusion and problems within communication, especially in the modern era, as some people choose to use ...
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1
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How is “The Stars My Destination” a grammatically correct title/sentence?
It's a bit of a niche question, but I've always wondered how the title of Alfred Bester's 1956 novel is at all grammatically correct. I feel like it teeters on being grammatically sufficient, but isn'...
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Order of time from certain time to general time [duplicate]
Here is the time order that I found quite confusing in a sentence, following with the sample sentence that I saw from a piece of teaching material:
The school party is on June 8th at 8 o'clock in the ...
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2
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Is it ok to write "no one can help you make sense of your existence"? [closed]
I just read a sentence somewhere and as a non-native English speaker, I found the structure a bit different from the ways I have learned, the sentence is as below:
This is the feeling of loneliness ...
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One verb, multiple subjects, and multiple objects
Are the following constructions valid in English where we have a common verb with many subjects and objects? If yes, how do we usually phrase such sentences?
Lisa, US; Andrew, Mexico; and Taylor lives ...
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Is it grammatically wrong if we say 'I have been unable too' and 'I have not been able either'?
So, If the context is like this:
Person 1: Hey, due to a black out in my region, I have not been able to turn on my TV. So, I missed some parts of the show.
Person 2: What a coincidence! I have not ...
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Is this correct usage of "unable"? [closed]
I sent an email to my recruiter asking how to track my application online and recruiter said this in an email -
Unfortunately you are unable to track your application online.
Is this sentence ...
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0
answers
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Why is 'a' used in "There's a good many reasons why people should follow it"? [duplicate]
There's a good many reasons why people should follow it.
Why is there an 'a' before 'good many reasons'?
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3
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Is it possible to make a declarative sentence starting with 'Can'?
everyone
As the title shows, is it possible to make a declarative sentence starting with "Can"?
For example, 'Please, can we request that you do not accept any proposals from him.'
The ...
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1
answer
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Which one is correct/idiomatic? [closed]
Which one of the following is the best choice?
The fact that only now I can see clearly was that …
The fact that I can only now see clearly was that …
The fact that I can see clearly only now was ...
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2
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How to say this more concisely with less redundancy? [closed]
I felt like I had a privileged access to something that most people had no access to.
How to say the above more concisely? I feel like the sentence suffers from redundancy. Is it so? I am saying that ...
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2
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"There are fish of every hue." For different kinds of fish, should fish be in plural form here?
In the Caribbean waters, there are fish of every hue.
Since one is talking about different kinds of fish, should fish be in marked plural form (fishes) here?
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Is this a complex sentence with a relative clause?
I have a sentence here:
“I don’t understand why you like birds.”
Upon analyzing the sentence structure, there is what appears to be a relative clause:
“why you like birds”
Is this then a complex ...
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2
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Is this a complex sentence with a dependent clause, or a simple sentence with an introductory clause?
so I came across this sentence:
Before the invention of the printing press, books were very expensive.
I know that “books were very expensive” is the independent clause, but what about “before the ...
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Rearrange the sentence in a specific order [closed]
Sentence: Developers from 10+ countries are using our service.
I want to rearrange this sentence so that it starts with "10+ countries". But keep the meaning of the sentence the same.
I ...
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0
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"Too great of a [risk]" OR "Too great a [risk]"? [duplicate]
First, I want to emphasize that my question is general.
I want your answer regarding all of the cases in the following sentence stractures:
[Adjective] + of + [Noun] (For example: It is too great of ...
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vote
1
answer
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Hitchhiker's Guide opening sentence analysis according to Verspoor and Sauter [duplicate]
Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of
the western spiral arm of the Galaxy lies a small unregarded
yellow sun.
(Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams)
Does anyone ...
0
votes
1
answer
49
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I'm getting confused between two of these sentences [closed]
What’s about this support ticket?
This was the question we used inside a product. But some users suggested the below version of the same sentence.
What’s this support ticket about?
Now I'm getting ...
0
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0
answers
51
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"He was overcome by a sudden surge of fear" or "A sudden surge of fear overcame him" - Which is more correct? [duplicate]
"He was overcome by a sudden surge of fear" or "A sudden surge of fear overcame him" - Which is more correct?
Is the latter one not idiomatic?
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Object + subject + verb pattern [closed]
I have problems with the following pattern Object + subject + verb + preposition. For example, the simple sentence,
Things I’ve been struggling with.
The idea is that I'm not sure if that pattern is ...
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Improving readability and comprehensibility of sentences in which a relative clause separates the subject and predicate
I want to bring more readability and structure in my sentences. I often write sentences in the following format / structure:
To incorporate A which can be seen as B with something of C (c.f.
Sect. X) ...
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1
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How can I build impersonal sentences like this one from Spanish
I don't know how to build in English impersonal sentences like this one from Spanish:
Es feliz quien quiere serlo.
I've thought of this one:
He's happy who wants to be it.
But I don't like it ...
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not only... but also (but also - together)
I know that parallelism is a maxim when it comes to talking about this matter, my question is:
Not only do I like chocolate, but I also like coffee. (this is correct)
Not only do I like chocolate, but ...
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Can I use a comma after an apology?
I apologize, you can return the item to the store.
Is the sentence structure correct or did I need to use a period instead?
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1
answer
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Indefinite article + noun + that + be + adj [closed]
" On top of their fees, the famous have the potential to earn huge amounts of money from promoting luxury brands. A type of wealth that is possible because celebrities are often seen as role ...
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1
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"It is!" I squealed at the same time she cried, "It's not!" - Is this sentence correct? [closed]
Is this sentence apt? -
"It is!" I squealed at the same time she cried, "It's not!"
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Does this sentence sound weird and unnatural? If so, what do you think is a better/correct sentence structure? [closed]
It seems this would be the last time we will talk about this.
I don't get the auxiliary verbs (would, will) used in the sentence above. Isn't it better to say, "It seems this would be the last ...
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2
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Is "that"a conjunction or other grammatical function in the emphatic structure"It is .... that ..."?
For example, in the following sentence
It is Mary that brought me this book.
Does "that" serve as a conjunction or pronoun or any other grammatical function? And Why?
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Is this a valid usage of "forget about" - "X can't afford three meals a day, forget about sanitary living conditions" [duplicate]
I was trying to cobble together a sentence expressing the idea above, that:
something doesn't do X, and so, definitely doesn't do Y (which is harder than X).
I grew up using ", forget about&...
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3
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Another word for "From the very beginning" [closed]
How the rephrase "From the very beginning" in a sentence in a more direct way?
For example, the sentence is
From the very beginning of the notion normed linear spaces, a considerable effort ...
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2
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Opposite of "the last one"
Let's say there is a group of people that takes turns in carrying out a certain task.
This task can be done by other people outside the group, and members of the group can repeat the same task over ...
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What would we call this literary device? [duplicate]
To best describe it, when the same word or family of words is used twice in the same sentence to provide an ironic meaning. For instance, "raiding English from the English, stealing poetry from ...
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1
answer
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With + noun+noun? Does this structure work? [duplicate]
"With cats and dogs the most popular companion animals around the world, it’s no surprise that they are often compared to one another in the great cats vs dogs debate."
Please help me ...
3
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1
answer
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Placement of infinitive [closed]
How do you expect a debate on the green new deal between Marjorie Taylor Greene and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to go?
Or
How do you expect a debate on the green new deal to go between Marjorie Taylor ...
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Singular vs. plural when the subject has multiple objects in it
This is a question about deciding singular vs. plural verb where the subject contains multiple objects in it. Let me set the context first.
I have a mathematical problem where I need to find a ...
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List of adjectives: order and conjunction
Which one of these is the right way to write a list of adjectives?
I have a tool that can be described with three adjectives: small, lean, and minimalist. How do I talk about it?
Nano is a _____, ...
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Why is this sentence grammatically incorrect?
I have been practicing sample tests for an English Olympiad and came across such a question:
Decide if the sentence is correct or incorrect.
After you make your payment, the products will be sent to ...
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1
answer
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Anastrophe or the normal grammar?
I found the following sentence on someone’s webpage which was written about some Japanese traditional things.
I can’t get it why the sentence starts with’A lot has to do with’.... Is that an ...
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Are those sentences with 'solution to' correct?
One solution to solving unemployment problems is help from governments.
One solution to solve unemployment problems is help from governments.
Thank you very much for your time and answers.
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What's the syntactic explanation in "Mistakes are likely to happen":
I'm confused about this sentence construction:
Mistakes are likely to happen.
I’ve thought of three possible explanations; are any of them
correct?
Where likely is an adjective act...
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"Note that, because English orthography, there are two verbs tear, pronounced differently, one transitive......"
While reading an answer by John Lawler, I got puzzled by a sentence with unfamiliar phrasing. I for the life of me can't understand the meaning of that sentence. I read it about 30 times. Here is the ...
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