All Questions
128,121
questions
0
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2
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36
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Have on + whether or not
Q: Is this sentence correct? (see image).
If so, how? I know that have on [something] would make sense, but have on whether ... or not? This, I'm not sure. Please someone explain this to me.
- 1
0
votes
0
answers
20
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Modals of obligation occuring in the past [migrated]
I made a question and now I'm confused which one is the correct form?
She should've at least given me more information about our festival so I could be prepared for it better.
She should've at least ...
- 9
0
votes
1
answer
52
views
Why are they grammatical, "those things a thought," those a thought"?
It's a script from the book Metaphysics by Aristotle.
I wonder about grammaticality. In what way are "those things a thought" and "those a thought" grammatically correct? I ...
- 21
-1
votes
1
answer
44
views
What to call someone who only works when it's visible? [closed]
What can I call someone who makes sure that other people know about the helpful or good deeds they do?
They aren't evil otherwise, they just want to make sure everyone knows how much they are doing.
E....
- 3,099
3
votes
3
answers
685
views
Is there some useful rule of thumb to distinguish words with the suffix -ence from those with -ense?
There are about ten times as many words ending in -ence than in -ense, so there's one simple rule of thumb to distinguish them: When in doubt, go with -ence. But is there any sort of rule besides ...
- 228
7
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Is "inauthentic" inauthentic?
"Inauthentic" is more commonly used than "unauthentic", at least these days, but they are both valid. Several sources (World Wide Words for example) suggest what prefix the ...
- 339
0
votes
3
answers
76
views
What does it mean "to drive something into a ditch"?
I got an email from an English native speaker.
The context is that a known situation is not going as expected.
The problem is ongoing, and at some point, the person responsible (P1) says to the people ...
- 103
-2
votes
1
answer
24
views
hereinafter or abbreviate [closed]
In my document if I mention the first time "File 1234 (in the Official Records hereinafter)", then after that in the same document if I say "File 5678", will that mean that "...
- 1
-1
votes
0
answers
17
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On/in/within when used with a range of numbers [migrated]
Here is my troubling sentence:
The student scored 1364 on/in/within a range of 987-2198.
Which preposition do you recommend?
- 1
3
votes
5
answers
299
views
Grammatical structure of "The one thing we know how to measure best is IQ."
The one thing we know how to measure best is IQ.
I was not able to understand this sentence's grammatical structure.
I think, in this sentence, the noun clause is "the one thing we know how to ...
- 49
-1
votes
2
answers
77
views
Is there a word like "alphanumeric" but is inclusive of symbols and special characters as well?
"Alphasymeric"? Apparently not a real word, so is there an appropriate one? If it matters, I'm seeking this as a vernacular term in the context of the "computer information technology&...
- 135
1
vote
2
answers
34
views
What is another word for "missing" in the context of missing someone who has passed away? [closed]
Is there a word for the deeply sad emotional state of missing someone who has passed away, such as parents?
Longing, yearning, pining, and aching don't feel like they would fit the bill.
- 111
4
votes
5
answers
656
views
What's an adjective/phrase for "as a matter of principle"?
Looking for a single-word adjective or phrase meaning "on principle" or "as a matter of principle", that can fit in:
I don't go on dates with people I just met. That's why I ...
- 141
58
votes
2
answers
6k
views
Is "throw in an ape" an expression?
In her book Toward Zero, author Agatha Christie has the following dialogue:
Kay said: ‘I don’t like my colour scheme in the livingroom. Can I have it done over, Nevile?’
‘Anything you like, beautiful....
- 581
0
votes
0
answers
17
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Are sentences containing "never" affirmative or negative? [migrated]
Maybe this is a silly question: can be the sentence "I have never seen Singapore" be considered negative?
- 101
0
votes
0
answers
14
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How to change into indirect speech " She said to me, Where were you living before you came here?" [migrated]
Do you think I am supposed to change the second part of the sentence as well which is " before I came here"?
Is this correct way to say, She asked me where I had been living before I came ...
-1
votes
0
answers
25
views
What is happening in the sentence "He stood, brazenly naked," [migrated]
In the following sentence, "he" is the subject, "stood" is a conjugated verb, "brazenly" is an adverb, and "naked" is an adjective.
He stood, brazenly naked.
...
- 147
-1
votes
1
answer
69
views
How modal verbs change while converting active voice to passive voice? [closed]
We can buy electrical appliances from Amazon.
Electrical appliances can be bought from Amazon.
Electrical appliances could be bought from Amazon.
Which among the two is the correct passive voice of ...
0
votes
0
answers
20
views
What does the conjunction As describe in this passage? [duplicate]
I'm not a native English speaker, so I have to find a solution for what I don't understand. sometimes a conjunction like AS is used in different ways which requires attention, so I go to ...
- 11
0
votes
1
answer
32
views
Is something like "the number of items selected with a certain property" correct? [closed]
I am wondering whether the following sentence is correct.
The algorithm counts the number of items selected with a certain property.
To me, this sounds somewhat incorrect. It's hard to pinpoint why, ...
15
votes
12
answers
3k
views
What's the best word to indicate "not mindless"?
I'm looking for a short word that means "not mindless". An example usage might be:
There is evidence that any _____ creature has the ability to count
small values.
(Thinking of studies ...
- 1,929
2
votes
2
answers
75
views
Use of "need" as modal auxiliary verb
I have a sentence which is, admittedly, a bit old-fashioned... however, I am wondering if it's a reasonable use of "need" as a modal auxiliary verb
Note that, because H is real and ...
- 23
11
votes
7
answers
3k
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What's a good word to describe someone who is prone to sudden changes of mood? [closed]
I'm looking for an adjective, preferably a kind of "fancy" one that I can use to describe a character who has frequent changes of mood, often in a very sudden or extreme way. It also causes ...
- 113
1
vote
1
answer
50
views
Is "turn comments" or "turning comments" an idiomatic way of responding to feedback?
I have a coworker who consistently says they are "turning comments" to mean "responding to feedback." In particular, it comes up in code review. Someone makes a comment, and the ...
- 13
-1
votes
2
answers
124
views
What are the digital versions of "clock/punch in" and "clock/punch out"?
I looked up the phrasal verbs clock in, clock out, punch in and punch out in various British advanced learner's dictionaries and they seem to imply that these verbs concern the analog way of recording ...
- 5,246
0
votes
0
answers
8
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recommendations on grammar learning and writing for intermediate level [migrated]
hey i need help with improving my English grammar and writing. can anyone recommend me some books or learning materials? My current level, I believe, is intermediate, so I need a grammar or writing ...
- 1
0
votes
0
answers
18
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Is it correct to say “Welcome to John” if you want to welcome somebody to John’s house? [migrated]
If you want to welcome somebody to John’s house, would you say:
“Welcome to John”
“Welcome to John’s”
“Welcome to John’s house”
For instance, which of the previous can be written on doormat?
Thank ...
- 1
0
votes
3
answers
65
views
What does "the fitness of things" mean?
I'm struggling to understand what it means, from this sentence:
In science, we sometimes have convictions which we cherish but cannot justify; we
are influenced by some innate sense of the fitness of ...
- 69
0
votes
1
answer
18
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Detail (countable) vs detail (uncountable) vs details (plural only)
I feel like I almost grasp the fine differences between detail (countable), detail (uncountable) and details (plural only), but just almost. It's still a little difficult to spontaneously know which ...
- 5,246
1
vote
1
answer
57
views
Looking to understand definite article use when referring to specific places [closed]
I'm trying to understand why, in certain situations, we sometimes do/don't use the definite article 'the' when referring to proper nouns (in this example, bars from my undergrad).
Specifically:
"...
- 89
0
votes
1
answer
91
views
How are the negative quantifiers "not many/not a lot of" interpreted?
I have edited the question for those nitpicking. It is a simple question.
The premise: "Many/a lot of" are multal degree quantifiers. "Not many/not a lot of" are their negatives....
- 115
5
votes
1
answer
148
views
What's the difference between backward(s) and backwardly?
What is the difference between backwards, backward, and backwardly? They're all adverbs, but I feel like there's some sort of difference in their meanings and uses.
Although this question is similar ...
0
votes
0
answers
30
views
"to be (of)" versus "to have" with properties of objects
Regarding properties of objects, say, length or mass, I'm confident that "to have" will usually work but am unsure about "to be" or "to be of". Consider the following ...
- 131
-2
votes
0
answers
6
views
take a break for a few months [migrated]
I have been studying English for over five years.
But the process wasn't continuous.I often took a break for a few months.I don't know how to write the preceeding sentence so that it wouldn't sound ...
- 1
0
votes
1
answer
37
views
What is the reason behind "has" in the sentence "One of us has done it"? [closed]
In the sentence,
One of us has done it.
We consider "one" as a third person. But why is this true?
The "one" is among "us." We know "Us" is the first person. ...
- 1
1
vote
1
answer
87
views
Does 'insisted' take indicative in the following sentence?
However the fleet eventually departed without warning after the Zamorin insisted that they left all their assets as collateral.
What is the grammar explanation for the above sentence? This sentence ...
- 29
-2
votes
2
answers
43
views
Is the sentence "The story that excites." grammatical and usable? [closed]
Technically "excite" is a transitive verb and therefore should be followed by an object. However, I have seen other examples following similar structures as such:
The little engine that ...
-1
votes
1
answer
39
views
Why is there an apostrophe in the name Ilya M. Sobol'? [closed]
Is this specific to the Lithuanian language? How come I've never seen an apostrophe at the end of a name like this (other than possessives)?
See Ilya M. Sobol' on Wikipedia.
- 9
0
votes
0
answers
40
views
Synonymous synophone [closed]
Is there a word or term for two words that sound very similar, almost indistinguishable, that share the same meaning? I've scoured the internet for a few hours a day over the past few days and ...
- 9
1
vote
2
answers
44
views
Word order in embedded clause: "had little conception of... how supine was the Security Council"
I find the word order of this sentence interesting:
You will all know the outlines of this disaster, but I suggest that many people, including me before I went down this road, had really little ...
- 339
0
votes
0
answers
13
views
Why is It "what is that supposed to mean?" And not "...to means?" [migrated]
I know it looks stupid but I really couldn't understand why it's "mean" and not "mean". Is It because it's on the past?
-1
votes
2
answers
92
views
Is it correct to say "long time no see and never will"? [closed]
It seems like it's not, because there were no negative statement before "and", after which goes future "will". I could surely write something like "Haven't seen each other for ...
- 21
0
votes
2
answers
39
views
Looking for a word that fits "False Implication by Association"
False Implication by Association (my term, maybe others as well.)
The concept is given from two sides of an argument the following;
Given that Side-1 believes NOT A.
And, given that Side-2 believes A ...
- 101
4
votes
2
answers
180
views
What's the definition of the "head" of a phrase? [closed]
What's the definition of the “head” of a phrase?
I have come across two types of definitions:
The first one uses circular reasoning (for an example, see the Wikipedia definition). The head is ...
- 115
0
votes
0
answers
4
views
Preposition "to" after the verb "Dream" followed by another verb (doing something) [migrated]
I was trying to find out the correct preposition that should go after the verb dream as in this example: Why do they all dream to come here?
The person who said that in her YT vlog is not a native ...
- 1
13
votes
9
answers
3k
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Is post-hyphenation necessary in "I am a child and adult psychologist..."?
I am editing a bio for a non-writer who has written:
"I am a child and adult psychologist..."
This is awkward... it sounds like he's a child. How do I remedy this?
Is it something like: &...
- 155
-1
votes
0
answers
32
views
Order in morphological tree diagrams
I want to draw trees of predisposition and disenchantment but I feel like there are 2 ways for the both. I could first divide in predispose(v) and -ition then divide the verb in pre- and dispose(v). ...
- 1
0
votes
1
answer
55
views
Why isn't this an auxiliary verb? [closed]
THE EXERCISE:
"I told my mother that my thoughts were bent upon seeing the world that I should never settle to
anything with resolution enough to go through with it, and my father should be ...
- 69
-2
votes
0
answers
17
views
Two subjects joined with "and" [duplicate]
Are both of these sentences grammatically correct?
Sarah and Jane arrived there.
Sarah and Jane have arrived there.
What are the differences?
-1
votes
1
answer
27
views
Cease doing/to do [closed]
Could you say if cease can be used with both infinitives and gerunds. I first searched for some examples via Reverso Context, and there are examples with both gerunds and infinitives, so I want to ...
- 201