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.
4,154
questions
0
votes
0answers
18 views
What is the difference between “I believe it is true” and “I believe it to be true”
Can anyone point out any large differences between the two sentences? I'm trying to see what nuance using the verb "is" vs "to be" could bring. Maybe the latter is more emphatic?
1
vote
1answer
19 views
Comparison (using Ellipsis)
I am trying to figure out when do we need to use an action verb explicitly and when can we omit it using the (ellipsis concept). For Example:
John is taller than Jim [is] (I understood that here is ...
0
votes
1answer
21 views
Is it ok to have past and present perfect tense in the same sentence (ex 1). I am unsure of which of the three sentences is more grammatically correct [closed]
I had sent them a text on 31st July but haven’t heard back from them.
I had sent them a text on 31st July but never heard back.
I sent them a text on 31st July but haven’t heard back yet
0
votes
1answer
36 views
Correct tense for “base”
I'm reviewing a document and I'm not sure of the correct wording for "base".
This is the original sentence:
correction bases on local references
And this is my proposal:
correction based ...
0
votes
1answer
33 views
“Make” versus “Makes” in sentence?
Tax Firm's excellence and location, combined with my own skills and experience, make the Firm an ideal place to continue my career back home in Connecticut.
or
Tax Firm's excellence and location, ...
1
vote
1answer
28 views
Word similar to guarantee
I’m not looking for a synonym and I’m not sure what the word is for this. There are comparatives and superlatives for adjectives but I’m looking for a verb. A guarantee, assurance, or promise imply ...
0
votes
1answer
20 views
Do + Present form of Verb / Did + Present form of Verb
What is the difference between these sentences?
I do love her.
I love her.
I did love her.
I loved her.
I did go there.
I went there.
I have seen people using both patterns. Are all these sentences ...
0
votes
1answer
41 views
Why “faced” not “face”?
Could you please help me understand why the verb "face" is used in the past, in the following sentence, not in the present although the first part of the sentence is describing a future ...
0
votes
3answers
1k views
What is the verb meaning someone is stuck at home for such a long time that the person starts to exhibit psychological issues?
I saw it on Youtube one time showing people started looting and other violence in the street as a side effect of the COVID-19 lockdown.
-1
votes
1answer
47 views
Is ill-qualified even a term?
I know the words unqualified, disqualified. But is the term 'ill-qualified' right grammatically? In some articles I have seen that they used it to say people who are not competent enough and in some ...
0
votes
3answers
63 views
Can “brain” be used as a verb [closed]
tv commercial for a brain supplement asks, "Would you like to brain better?"
-1
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1answer
32 views
The grammar of these two sentences
Sentence 1:
'He noted his father was a nice guy.'
Sentence 2:
'He noted his father, as "a man with different attributes", was a nice guy.'
May I say that:
Sentence 1:
"He" is the ...
5
votes
5answers
1k views
Go back home vs come back home
I'm arguing with my girlfriend (we are not native English speakers), what is the proper form, go back home or come back home.
For example, consider two versions:
I will go to the office and then go ...
0
votes
2answers
32 views
verb form of tiebreakers?
I wonder what's the verb form of tiebreakers.
E.g., I am tempted to say that: "I have a lot of options to solve this problem, and I use simplicity to break the ties between these choices."
...
0
votes
0answers
25 views
grammatical doubt over unfinished timeline contexts
Grammatically, we go with present perfect when referring to the actions where the time is still unfinished.
I have phoned him today.
I have watched a movie this week.
But to have a conversation over ...
-1
votes
2answers
62 views
Antonym for verb “vote”
I'm looking for a verb which is an antonym of vote, e.g. "unvote" or "de-vote", meaning to rescind or cancel the previously-made vote.
1
vote
1answer
20 views
Past Continuous Tense usages
Which of the following is a usage of the past continuous tense?
Action in progress at a specific time in the past. *(Correct)
A completed past action
An action that was completed before a past time.
...
0
votes
1answer
32 views
Verb Tenses: Present Perfect vs. Present Perfect Progressive
Please answer and explain this:
"David could help, as he (has been serving/has served) as an ambassador for the last seven years and won't retire until 2010."
According to the book that i'm ...
0
votes
0answers
25 views
My cards associated with the bank account
My cards associated with this bank account include a debit card, a credit card, etc.
My cards which are associated with this bank account include a debit card, a credit card, etc.
My cards which are ...
1
vote
1answer
51 views
Is 'swaddles' a word?
I swear I've heard the term swaddles used before, but when I look it up, I only get definitions for swaddle. I believe it was used as a noun, but the definition of swaddle is throwing me off.
Here's ...
0
votes
0answers
17 views
Repetition Of Auxiliary Verb In A Sentence With Multiple Clauses
Which one of these sentences is better?
He was given medication and was told to stay in bed.
He was given medication and told to stay in bed.
1
vote
0answers
31 views
A word to say 'I work' but for leisure
I'm a Software Engineer and I like to spend my free time developing new software/ideas.
When people ask me what I've done this weekend, I typically reply 'I worked'.
'Work' is misleading here as it is ...
1
vote
0answers
27 views
Should I use “meet” or “know” when referring to a fictional character?
My native language is Portuguese, but I can understand a lot of English, especially when reading or listening to something. However, sometimes, I get stuck on a few things when writing.
When referring ...
0
votes
0answers
12 views
Noun + Past Participle Usage
DCR(Dark Current Rate) represents the base noise level of a SPAD caused by parasitic avalanches happening in the dark due to thermal noise and band-to-band tunnelling effects.
I don't understand why ...
0
votes
1answer
51 views
What came first. The verb “to bumble” or the insect “bumblebee” [closed]
I was thinking one day about this. Not sure which came first, I'm guessing the verb came first but a second opinion would be nice
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votes
0answers
18 views
Bare Infinitive after certain verbs
"I dare you go inside"
"I will tell him go"
I have learned from my grammar book that after certain verbs such as dare, need, let, will, would, shall etc, the infinite is used ...
0
votes
1answer
36 views
Finding a verb analogous to 'analyse' (US 'analyze') requiring complementiser
I'm proofreading an academic paper and have come across the following:
"This process, as Smith analyses, is a way to reflect on..."
Intuitively I'd prefer
"This process, as Smith ...
2
votes
2answers
91 views
Verbs after adjectives, gerund or infinitive?
What's the difference between these sentences?
Ted was surprised to see his computer shutting down.
Ted was surprised seeing his computer shutting down.
It was nice to talk with you.
It was nice ...
0
votes
1answer
46 views
Does it make sense to say “to be cross over something” with cross meaing annoyed?
We can say someone is mad/angry/annoyed over something. Can we use the same structure for the adjective "cross"?
0
votes
1answer
28 views
What difference in meaning is imparted by changing the verb form?
These are both grammatically correct:
You’ll go back to reliving your college days.
You’ll go back to relive your college days.
The former is rather like "I look forward to seeing you...", ...
1
vote
0answers
46 views
What’s going on with “food > feed”? Is it like “foot > feet”? [duplicate]
I am looking for a particular linguistic term for this process of turning nouns like food into verbs like feed. For all I know, it may be older than English, perhaps even going back all the way to OE.
...
-1
votes
2answers
93 views
Why Black Lives Matter? Why not Black's Lifes Matter? [closed]
We know Black Lives Matter.
But why it's said that way. Life and Lifes are nouns. Live and Lives are verbs.
It should be Blacks' Lives Matter. Or Black's Life Matters
Or well, I am confused.
0
votes
1answer
43 views
What is the different between “display” and “be displayed” in using? [closed]
This part is the introduction, which won't be displayed on the document.
This part is the introduction, which won't display on the document.
Which one is more correct?
And what is the difference ...
1
vote
3answers
54 views
Verb to cause one to listen, as in “show” means to cause one to see
We may say, for example,
May I show you my favorite painting by Monet?
Tomorrow, I will show my grandmother my dance recital video recording.
where 'show' means to cause one to see something visual....
0
votes
2answers
47 views
Verb + Suffix ‘Ion’ as noun
I've been wondering on the usage of the suffix -ion and what it means if put at the end of a verb.
I notice that oftentimes it means the process/ action of the verb.
Examples: Transformation, ...
4
votes
2answers
82 views
“Crossed-referenced”, “Crashed-landed”, and other twice-inflected verbs
For about a month now, I've been cataloging every compound verb I encounter that, for whatever reason, causes some people to inflect both of its components in the past tense (see title for examples). ...
0
votes
1answer
36 views
What's a word for someone who scoffs at someone else's feelings?
I am trying to find a word someone who ridicules someone else's feelings. When I say generally anything, they'll say something completely unnecessary (and usually hurtful). Most of the time, I am not ...
0
votes
0answers
31 views
Dropping a first person subject pronoun in a conditional sentence
Is it possible to drop the 'I' before the verb in a sentence where the object comes before the verb?
A few examples are:
If my journey (I) restart, then I do waste my time.
If my folders (I) delete, ...
0
votes
0answers
6 views
Confusion on past tense usage [duplicate]
The sentence I was writing is:
"I thought tubes and bike ... synonymous"
is it:
"are" or "were"?
Thought process is, I am reporting what I thought at the time, which is ...
0
votes
1answer
47 views
Looking for an idiom meaning “this is not relevant to you”
I'm looking for an idiom which is the opposite of "falls under your umbrella" or "up your ally".
For example:
I noticed you are the head of IT at ACME. Until recently, I would ...
0
votes
2answers
48 views
Why does the verb sometimes change when we go from declarative to interrogative?
I have noticed this error in non-native speakers more and more recently**, but I don't know how to explain it, i.e., I don't know what this phenomenon is called nor what the rule is. An example:
Does ...
0
votes
1answer
24 views
Is 'to learn' rare in present simple?
I keep seeing this expression a lot:
I'm learning Italian, or I'm learning German.
Understandably, they mean it's their recent project.
But how about
I learn German.?
Not I study German. Learn.
The ...
0
votes
1answer
23 views
Correct usage of the word 'storage' or 'storing'?
Which is the correct sentence? And why?
Those who want more and more storing space for their content can understand the importance of portable storing solutions.
Those who want more and more storage ...
0
votes
2answers
67 views
Which verb is correct, “is” or “are”? [closed]
"Above maturity, is intelligence and self respect.
OR
"Above maturity, are intelligence and self respect.
1
vote
2answers
51 views
Can you accumulate verbs ? Is it idiomatic ? e.g. “it has recorded and is expected to maintain exponential growth.”
Should you rather write:
It has recorded and is expected to maintain exponential growth.
Or
It has recorded exponential growth and is expected to maintain it.
and why? I know that accumulating ...
0
votes
0answers
22 views
What is the verb tense of the following sentence:
In the phrase:
He'd been dead three years now.
I totally understand the meaning, but I'm curious about the verb tense. It is like a "Past Perfect Continuous" without ing. I would like to ...
2
votes
1answer
66 views
Will definitely be Vs will be definitely
Why are we saying "There will definitely be some information", instead of "There will be definitely some information"?
Thanks,
1
vote
2answers
43 views
1
vote
3answers
49 views
What does “there” mean in the last sentence?
Nakata silently stood up and came over to stand in front of Miss Saeki. He
laid his hard, sunburned hands on top of hers on the files. And as if listening
carefully to something, he felt the warmth ...
0
votes
0answers
35 views
Why is it “to complete” rather than “to be completed” in the following sentence? [duplicate]
Given that "complete" is a transitive verb meaning "to finish doing or making something," why is it "to complete" rather than "to be completed" in the following ...
