Questions tagged [verbs]
This tag is for questions about verbs. Verbs are words that express an action, occurrence, or a state of being. Add this tag to single-word-requests if you are looking for a verb. Add the tag word-usage if you are asking about the usage of the verb.
1
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1answer
29 views
If the past participle of “say” is “said”, and “lay” is “laid”, why the one of “stay” is not “staid”?
I know about the word "staid". Does the past participle of "stay" is "stayed" to avoid confusion with this word?
Or the "staid" past participle existed at some time, but it was supplanted by "stayed",...
0
votes
0answers
5 views
why we used plural verb with singular subject in the following sentence? [migrated]
1.He does not want to tell a lie.
he is a singular subject but we used want instead of wants why ?
2.Does he write a letter?
Here he is also singular and we used write instead of writes
please explain
0
votes
0answers
43 views
Can warship be used as a verb? [on hold]
As in warship my wreck... any way to reason this out? as in a really messed up "wreck" of a person referring to events and most likely certain persons responsible for their current state … sort of ...
1
vote
3answers
47 views
What is the verb for when a person criticizes you back instead of accepting the criticism?
"When I critcise you, you start criticising me for something that's bad in me instead of correcting yourself. In this way, you think we are even and you don't have to correct yourself because I have ...
0
votes
1answer
55 views
Can a sentence have no verb except in what would otherwise be its noun phrase?
Can a sentence have no verb except in what would otherwise be its noun phrase?
e.g.
The car in the street I walk down.
I'm guessing that "the street I walk down" would be the noun phrase, and it ...
0
votes
0answers
31 views
I want him dead. [Is 'want' a raising verb?]
(1) I want him to be dead.
(2) I want him dead.
In (1), the verb 'want' is said to be a raising verb because 'him' raises to the matrix clause from the subordinate clause 'to be dead'.
How ...
1
vote
2answers
45 views
What part of speech is “like”, eg “would you like to climb a tree?” [closed]
When you say "Would you like to marry me", what part of speech is the "like" - is it a separate verb? Thank you!
I am doing research for a script and trying to figure out the grammatical definition ...
1
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2answers
52 views
Use of the verb fathom
Regarding the use of the verb fathom, is it correct to say this?
I can no longer fathom the difference between right and wrong.
Merriam-Webster says:
fathom: to penetrate and come to understand
...
20
votes
5answers
3k views
Why is “Consequences inflicted.” not a sentence?
I was helping a friend write a paper and came across a sentence which confused me.
The sentence was something along the lines of:
Horrifying consequences inflicted upon innocent people.
As soon as ...
0
votes
1answer
49 views
How would you describe the movement of a lever?
The story is that I was describing an action happens in the car park in class, and I got stuck, I said something like: "after putting a coin in the slot of the parking meter, then the lever would be ...
1
vote
3answers
57 views
Verb for making someone an enemy [closed]
I have seen this question answered before with the word "antagonize", but that is not what I want as I feel like that is provoking someone in an attempt to get them to lash back out at you. The word I ...
0
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0answers
26 views
Try a little of this and that [closed]
A verb that means sampling or trying little bits of several things.
Example: "I'll just (verb) the leftovers."
Not as casual as "graze" or "nosh" I think the word I'm looking for starts with a P.
11
votes
1answer
767 views
In horse breeding, what is the female equivalent of putting a horse out “to stud”?
The BBC today has a story about a champion racehorse who has just retired
She will now be retired to stud
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/horse-racing/47918578
This doesn't really scan for me. It ...
0
votes
2answers
39 views
Verb for action; “Actioning”
I am currently writing an email to office management.
I am asking for office management to action a fix. I want to ask them in a polite manner.
The sentence I have: "Please consider actioning a fix."...
1
vote
1answer
29 views
Verb agreement with two gerunds as subject
I would like to know which of the following sentences is correct:
Translating and adapting texts for different audiences composes the key of this theory
Translating and adapting texts for different ...
0
votes
0answers
9 views
is there a term for verbs that are followed, or can be followed, by an infinitive?
I was wondering if there is a technical term for verb like 'want', 'appear' or 'decide' which can be followed by an infinitive verb, as in 'I want to eat', 'It appears to be a cloud', 'I decided to ...
0
votes
1answer
40 views
past simple or present perfect
This is an excerpt from an official Cambridge exams preparation book:
"Mike: Thank you. Lots of people ........(help) us last year and we want to thank everyone."
The task is to fill in the correct ...
0
votes
1answer
62 views
Need+to be OR needed+to be [closed]
Which of the following full sentences is correct?
Our voice needs to be heard by the media.
Our voice is needed to be heard by the media.
It sounds to me as if they are both the same ...
1
vote
4answers
97 views
what is the verb for water going past a rock?
I'm looking for a verb to describe the "Y" thing the water makes when it hits a rock, for example in the river. Here is a professional piece of art I made (view from the top):
Is it simply called "...
0
votes
1answer
43 views
“Get to do” in an obligatory or imperative situation
Can we use "get to do" in an obligatory or imperative situation?
As in these,
We get to finish this work by Friday. (Meaning we have to finish this work by Friday.)
I get to reach the ...
1
vote
1answer
27 views
Use of infinitive form verb following “do” as emphasis
I’ve seen both versions of this sentence. Which one is correct? (Should both “matter” be infinitive or just the first one?)
Thanks
However, it did matter and matter a lot.
However, it did matter and ...
-1
votes
1answer
55 views
Correct usage of “was passed”
Recently I came across a phrase that sounds wrong to me as a native speaker (New Zealand English), but I can't find a rule that explains whether this is correct or not.
"The submitted build was ...
-1
votes
0answers
40 views
How do I conjugate “have got” in the present perfect? [on hold]
The "have got" verb is a bit extravagant in the sense that is a "present + past" pair of verbal forms, so I don't know how to properly conjugate that compound verb, for instance, in the present ...
12
votes
5answers
2k views
Is there such a thing as a proper verb, like a proper noun?
I was taught in school many years ago (in the 1960s) that there is no such thing as a proper verb. Example: I used the Xerox machine and xeroxed the document.
Or: I will use my bottle of Windex to ...
1
vote
3answers
63 views
“I teach myself”
Is it grammatically correct to say “I teach myself subject”?
Context: my girlfriend is Italian, and remarked that “I teach myself” has no meaningful equivalent in Italian — ordinarily they would use “...
1
vote
1answer
31 views
What are different forms of a verb falling under the same criteria
I have seen many different verbs that have different forms based on the conditions in/by which they may occur. Example can be as following:
See
Watch
Gaze
Stare
Glimpse
Is there a name for these ...
1
vote
2answers
36 views
Looking around with your eyes without moving your head
Is there a word or phrase for looking just by moving your eyeballs?
Something like: "the way the helmet was attached to the armour prevented her from turning her head to look at him. Instead, she ...
-2
votes
3answers
84 views
“Do I have my mobile phone inside?”- Is this sentence correct? [closed]
Is this sentence grammatically correct?
"Do I have my mobile phone inside the restroom?" or "Do I have my phone there(some place)?"--- One day I asked this question to my friend and he replied that ...
0
votes
1answer
27 views
First song I ever recorded (was to/to was) a Fat Joe beat
I watched an interview and he said
"First song I ever recorded was to a Fat Joe beat."
I wonder, can I switch the positions of "was" and "to" like this?
"First song I ever recorded to was a ...
-1
votes
0answers
29 views
Defining relative clause followed by comma when clause ends with negation & is followed by verb?
Whilst writing my dissertation I wrote the following line: 'Many of the features which Kotlin has that Java does not come at the cost of strange, seemingly erroneous drawbacks to, in particular, ...
1
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0answers
21 views
Police Have…vs Police Has [duplicate]
The State Police Have Busted the thief or The state police has busted the thief?
According to me,
It is Have because police is a group of people. So police is plural noun.
1
vote
2answers
53 views
Is there a word for following a man or his ideas too closely?
Imagine a famous person who delivers dogma that other people follow too closely. A follower might study and take as the whole truth everything he says or references. The follower might obsess and ...
2
votes
0answers
55 views
Is “I did not breakfast today” correct? [migrated]
Is the following sentence correct?
I did not breakfast today
Due to breakfast coming from ‘to break your fast’.
0
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0answers
11 views
Is “should be” talking about the past or the present or the future? [migrated]
Not sure who’s working but this should be resolved.
Does that should be resolved part mean (1) that it has already been resolved in the past, or (2) that he is expecting or needing it to be resolved ...
1
vote
1answer
23 views
“They reported being told to…” Trying to explain
I have never really thought about this one before, but out of curiosity, is it grammatical to have "being" after the verb "report"? Here is an example:
"They reported being told to stay behind the ...
0
votes
0answers
22 views
Is it “No band practice” or “No band practise” in British English? [duplicate]
I understand that one is a noun and one is a verb. But is it correct to say "There is no band practice today" or "There is no band practise today"
UPDATE: I am not asking for the correct spelling of ...
1
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0answers
33 views
Can you brew wine, or is the word “brew” specific to Beer, coffee, and tea? [duplicate]
I would like to know whether or not wine can be brewed, and secondly if the wine-making process is considered brewing. It seems that some definitions are specific to beer, coffee, and tea, where ...
2
votes
6answers
99 views
Verb for the inverse of greet
Is there a verb for the inverse of greet, or a synonym verb for greet that has an inverse verb? Everything I can think of is a verb phrase, exclamation, or noun. Salute is the closest I could find, ...
1
vote
1answer
32 views
Subject + sound + Adjective
I called after him, worried that I might have sounded ungrateful.
Unlike 'It sounds [Adjective].', if a person subject comes instead of 'it', what does the verb 'sound' mean?
I'm not sure for the ...
1
vote
1answer
50 views
“Since he did” vs “since he had done”
everyone! Could you please help me to choose between these two variants?
"He said he had been working in this laboratory (lab) since he graduated."
"He said he had been working in this laboratory (...
1
vote
0answers
35 views
What makes progressive verbs different from atelic, and can a verb be both atelic/telic, and/or progressive?
From what I've been reading about progressive verb forms those types of verbs are more often atelic, but I'm wondering if there are progressive forms that are exceptions to that. Or how can atelic/...
4
votes
2answers
361 views
Are there verbs that are neither telic, or atelic?
These examples from wikipedia are shown as tests to find what is telic, or atelic.
Fine: "John built a house in a month."
Bad: *"John built a house for a month."
→ built a house is telic
Bad: *"...
-1
votes
1answer
29 views
HAVE (negation, contraction)
Why is (1) considered correct,
but not (2) ?
(1) This would have been such had it not been for...
(2) This would have been such hadn't it been for...
P.S.: Besides, should there be commas as ...
0
votes
1answer
67 views
Is “helped paved” construction correct? (It's very prevalent—perhaps it's dated?)
I am proofreading a text with the following sentence: "By the time Henry died, he had helped paved the way for the future of economics."
If "helped paved" is incorrect (and should be "helped pave" ...
23
votes
3answers
4k views
Why doesn't this Google Translate ad use the word “Translation” instead of “Translate”?
To my knowledge, "Translate" is a verb and not a noun. So why does the above advertisement by Google uses a verb? I mean why not "Translation Community"?
1
vote
2answers
59 views
Bring is standard and good verb and collocation for “Excuse”?
Do you think "bring" verb is a suitable and correct verb and collocation for using with "Excuse"? I didn't see it in any famous dictionaries, including Oxford Collocations Dictionary and I guess it's ...
1
vote
0answers
22 views
Which one is correct? : “He is descended from Lucrezia Borgia” or “He descends from Lucrezia Borgia”
I understand that Is descended from is better than just descends from.
Maybe both forms are correct, Please explain.
0
votes
1answer
53 views
Would you say “reading books ”is“ or ”are“” [closed]
This is the sentence where it's used: "First of all reading books are important because it develops the mind."
0
votes
1answer
26 views
In African American dialect, is it “I like” or “I likes”?
Following the rules of African American dialect, one rule is to drop the 's' on a verb when using third person singular, i.e. "she like, he like" - my question is - for the first person singular, ...
1
vote
0answers
17 views
Can “wash” be a state verb? [closed]
I read in a book that we can make a dynamic verb into a state verb by using an adverb in the present simple tense.
Dynamic
I'm washing my clothes now.
State
I wash my clothes every day.
Is that ...
