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
vote
1answer
13 views
Type of usage/mood
jail house rock peaks. (the record jail house rock peaks)
titantic sinks (the ship the titanic)
Carter for president
film flops
Family flowers only please.
What do we ...
1
vote
3answers
53 views
What kind of verb should be used in order to say that something has increased or created inefficiency?
What kind of verb should be used in order to say that something has increased or created inefficiency?
Maybe generate or produce?
Edit: I'm asking this because created or increased inefficiency ...
1
vote
3answers
37 views
What a web link does? What verb to use?
The sentence: "The 'Contact us' link in the navigation bar ... to an error page" (When you click it you get an error page)
Does it directs to / points to / refers to / leads to / ... may be there is ...
-1
votes
0answers
38 views
What is the difference between these three phrases: “Is accepted” vs. “Has been accepted” vs. “Was accepted”? [on hold]
I am wondering what the difference is between the three phrases listed above.
If I need to send a message explaining a file and whether it was accepted or not,
should I say,
a.) "The file is ...
0
votes
0answers
23 views
consider + infinitive
I know that we may say
"consider doing it"
Can we also use an infinitive after consider:
"consider to do it"
and if so, in what sense?
0
votes
1answer
27 views
The use of seem
‘It seemed that they had visited the place before’ should be changed to a sentence starting with ‘They seemed’. I came up with They seemed to have had visited the place before, but am not sure whether ...
-3
votes
1answer
42 views
How to remind a colleague about myself? Business phrases
I will delete my question later. How to remind a colleague about myself? Which option is correct?
I just want to make sure you don't forget about my request to send a photo.
I would like to reconfirm ...
3
votes
1answer
36 views
Prepositional verb structure - “[rely] [on John]” or “[rely on] [John]”
It is difficult to determine the correct consituent structure of prepositional verbs, such as rely on someone. Either on someone forms a constituent to the exclusion of rely, as in (1), or rely on ...
0
votes
0answers
30 views
grammatical error: two verb use simultaneously [on hold]
Please tell me if theres any error(I think error is in the use of these two verbs: obtained and based)in this sentence:
She said loans were obtined based on false documents.
0
votes
1answer
40 views
Word order for a split verb
If I have a split verb, such as "pick up" and I am a addressing a third person, I can say either:
I will pick Fred up at 11am.
Or:
I will pick up Fred at 11am.
For the second person, we have:
...
1
vote
0answers
27 views
What verb to use with the noun “groundbreaking”?
I need some help with the noun groundbreaking. According to the American Heritage Dictionary, 4th Edition, it is
The act or ceremony of breaking ground to begin a construction project.
My question ...
-1
votes
1answer
15 views
Can the mentioned verb be in a bare infinitive form?
However, rather than undermine its epistemic value, the intentional
character of testimony is arguably essential to this value.
Shouldn't it be "undermining" or "undermine"? As it is after "than", ...
-1
votes
0answers
30 views
Be with verb auxiliary do?
As far as I know you can never use the verb 'Be' with verb auxiliary 'Do'. So, I do not understand why is it correct to say: "Do not be an idiot!"
What is the explanation or grammatical rule?
0
votes
0answers
17 views
Did not or Did not do
"if you see some changes which you didn't, it is necessary to investigate where these changes came from"
"if you see some changes which you didn't do, it is necessary to investigate where these ...
1
vote
2answers
23 views
“detect opportunely” vs “opportunely detect”?
In the next phrase:
Only a few doctors assess their patients about the type and frequency of the tests they should be doing to detect opportunely and prevent such diseases, but we will help you ...
2
votes
3answers
47 views
verbs for when a country ends tariffs
What verb could be used to describe when country A, which has implemented tariffs on country B, ends/removes/discontinues these tariffs?
e.g. After the incident, America [X]ed the tariffs.
3
votes
3answers
112 views
Is it common to drop “are” and “is” in informal English?
I've noticed that many native speakers drop the words "are" and "is" when writing informally. For example:
How you doing? (instead of "how are you doing")
What you up to? (Instead of "what are you up ...
2
votes
1answer
42 views
Why is the verb in plural?
Why is the noun company here followed by the verb in plural? Does this actually mean - one of the companies, and is it how it should always be written ?
"... to use the services of a web hosting ...
1
vote
0answers
28 views
How to find out needed prepositions with verbs [closed]
For example: I know some verb (not phrasal) and I wish to use it, but I don't know which preposition I need for it. Does it all depend on the noun, or verb, or something else ? Thank you for your ...
1
vote
1answer
29 views
The usage of “hadn't better” in this context
The context is F. Scott Fitzgerald's "Bernice Bobs her Hair."
Oh, I wasn't thinking about that. I was considering whether we
hadn't better bob your hair.
Later on in the story, we are clarified ...
0
votes
1answer
36 views
Using *plural* allow(s) me to [duplicate]
I can not figure out what the correct usage of allow/allows is in this case.
Using plural allow(s) me to...
Would "allow(s)" refer back to the plural and thus be "allow"? or does it refer back to ...
1
vote
2answers
40 views
Using singular or plural verb after “Not only does it..” [closed]
In the sentence, "Not only does it present associates with a unique opportunity but large bonus as well.", would I put "present" or "presents"?
1
vote
2answers
27 views
Adjective or verb
Is: The girl looked angrily to us
Or
The girl looked angry to us
Which one is true? I think say that the second one to me is true but i have been told that the first one is true
Thanks for the help
0
votes
0answers
14 views
Part of speech - phrasal verb? Phrasal prepositional verb? Don't move up close to the tiger
I'm trying to identify the parts of speech in the following phrase
Don't move up close to the tiger.
Is 'move up' a phrasal verb (verb + adverb particle)? And then 'close' an adverb of position....
0
votes
0answers
20 views
What are the certain verbs followed by “implementation?”
I often get confused with verbs that go together with noun construction.
It’s particularly problem of right collocation
Example Verb + implementation
Implementation+ verb
Can you please give me some ...
2
votes
1answer
68 views
Why do 'vomit/limit' use single 't' while emit/omit use double 't'? A study case of relations between etymology and verb inflections
One comment gave me a great link for musing the answer: "Focussed" or "focused"? Rules for doubling the last consonant when adding -ed
However, my question is the rule in doubling ...
1
vote
1answer
40 views
Aim at verb+ING vs Aim to verb
In a book about the philosopher Collingwood, I have found the following statement about logic. At first glance, it seems to me that the change from aim to to aim at is merely stylistic, but I think ...
1
vote
0answers
11 views
One word for being imaginary inspired by something [closed]
Looking for a word where one is inspired to be something by watching something but only in theory.
Like I want to be a hacker because I watch too much hacking movies.
0
votes
0answers
17 views
why to use or why using or why does use [migrated]
why to use the present simple?
why using the present simple?
why does use the present simple?
which is the correct one? I guess the third is not correct but i would like to know why it isn't
0
votes
0answers
17 views
confined in or (e.g.a room)
I know that the verb "confine" is often used with "to ", but I wonder if it is also correct to say that a person is confined in a room. If yes, please tell me which preposition is better in this ...
0
votes
0answers
19 views
The difference between the gerund and the participls [migrated]
"They prefer buying organic food " in this phrase " buying " us a verb or a noun ...?
0
votes
0answers
16 views
Grammatical problem about had rather + subjunctive mood
I had rather you stayed with me.
Or
I had rather you would stay with me.
Which sentence is correct?
0
votes
0answers
27 views
What do they mean by “trailing”?
I'm not a native speaker and I'm reading "Freakonomics" in order to broaden my vocabulary. One of the examples is about a student, who was doing a survey and suddenly found himself in a crowd of ...
2
votes
3answers
47 views
What is a verb for trying to dodge an issue and smooth it over?
For example, you can tell your friend is furious at you, so you try to dodge their inevitable fury. You may do a nervous laugh and say "Wow, you look great!" or "Nice weather we're having!"
What ...
16
votes
2answers
818 views
What is the word to describe a bird organizing its feathers?
Which verb most accurately and commonly describes a bird's daily behavior to make its feathers clean and organized.
"organize" its feathers
"brush" its feathers
"clean" its feathers?
0
votes
1answer
32 views
Meaning of “He every instant fancies …”
"Besides the good things which he possesses, he every instant fancies a thousand others which death will prevent him from trying if he does not try them soon."
In this sentence, I didn't grasp the ...
1
vote
0answers
46 views
Is there a name for this grammatical structure where a verb is followed by a direction?
In English there are lots of phrases where a verb is followed by a direction and it takes on a whole new meaning.
Examples: get up, get off, get down, take in, take out, take off, etc.
This is ...
3
votes
1answer
38 views
What's the verb for saying “dawww”
When you see a cute animal or something and you let out a "Dawww", or something similar, what's the verb to describe it?
0
votes
0answers
33 views
“place that I need to search” or “place where I need to search”
What's the correct usage for the following sentence:
"I haven't found my watch. The last place that I need to search is the living room."
"I haven't found my watch. The last place where I need to ...
0
votes
2answers
26 views
Isolated information and usage of bracketing commas in these examples
This is always the case with bracketing commas, and it gives you a simple way of checking your punctuation. If you have set off some words with a pair of bracketing commas, and you find you can't ...
7
votes
3answers
748 views
How old is the use of “steal” for non-rival goods?
In the debate on copyright, there is a long-time discussion on the appropriateness of the word steal to refer to "make a copy of a non-rival good"; see for instance this article, or this essay.
How ...
1
vote
4answers
114 views
Is there a word that denotes the process by which a new leader is selected?
I'm looking for a word that describes the process by which a leader is chosen. I would use "election", but that word contains too much information about the details of the process. I need something ...
2
votes
3answers
54 views
Active verb to express proactivity when one is being given a responsibility
Say a person was granted a responsibility role after working hard.
The person accepts the role with gratitude and pride, almost as if it was natural to achieve the role.
However the decision of ...
1
vote
2answers
197 views
Lay or Lie in “what powers lies between their hands”?
This is for sure a duplicate question, but I'm sorry I'm just getting confused no matter how many articles I read. In the sentence,
And still they are not aware what powers lies between their hands!...
1
vote
2answers
25 views
(verb)ing and (verb)ing with “show”
This is easiest to explain with examples:
Examples
1a: Shouting and cursing shows that you are rude.
1b: Shouting and cursing show that you are rude.
2a: Hitting the target and splitting the arrow ...
0
votes
2answers
60 views
What does it mean? 'pulling it low over her face' [closed]
"She walked out the kitchen into the living room and picked up one of Michael’s baseball caps that he’d left on the sofa, before pulling it low over her face."
Can you give a description of an action ...
1
vote
0answers
18 views
using ''require'' or synonyms in a cover letter
I have a doubt about the correct use of the verb to require and its synonyms in a cover letter.
My doubt is: require sounds almost like it's something that you are forced to do (therefore expresses a ...
1
vote
1answer
31 views
Why are “help” and “assist” not directly interchangeable in a sentence where the context would remain the same?
I was writing a sentence with the word "help" and wanted to substitute it for the word "assist" but realized I could not do that without restructuring the sentence.
My original sentence, "I'll help ...
1
vote
1answer
30 views
A term for an ending that makes a subject from a verb?
I was looking up "wallah" and the OED said "from the Hindi suffix -vālā ‘doer’" and I was wondering if there was a term for suffixes like this. I suspect the answer is really trivial
More English ...
2
votes
2answers
50 views
Difference between applying, using and practising a “method”?
I am making an introductive paragraph to a how-to article titled "How to learn English words effectively":
Learning words is of paramount importance, when it comes to learning a second language e.g....
