New answers tagged grammar
3
votes
What should a professor do if their student writes "8" instead of "eight" in an email?
The professor should remember that edicts about how and when to write out numbers as words or numerals only apply to formal pieces of academic writing. And may not apply to all subjects. They don't ...
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0
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New way of understanding the present perfect tense
In fact, I think he's absolutely right. By definition of the present perfect we ''have'', NOW in the present, the effect, or result of the action (or state of being) expressed by the main verb in the ...
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Why is "I’m doing great" correct?
"I'm doing great" is not grammatically correct in my view as great is an adjective and noun but not an adverb. In that sentence you need an adverb. The traditional adverb for great would ...
2
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Understanding the gap in syntactic analysis
It may simplify things a bit to compare their account of this sort of coordination with their account of complement preposing (see p. 1080 and pp. 1372-1382).
Compare these two clauses:
She wrote the ...
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-1
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What is "What *is*."?
English is not my first language so please bear with me. However I think I can try to attempt an essence of the communication. Does following paraphrasing help?
Understanding 'X' comes through being ...
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How did she "knew"?
It's a ungrammatical. It should be a bare "know". A clause has one tense marker. In the clause
How did she know?
the past tense is carried by the auxiliary "did". You can't ...
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-2
votes
By bus (on the bus), by car (in the car), by motorbike (on the motorbike)
*We don't use the car, the bike, the taxi or the motorbike in the same way as the others. They are normal nouns.
The author is pointing out that when modes of transport are used in the agentive sense ...
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How does English grammar define dependent and independent clauses?
It was raining, so I took an umbrella.
Here, so I took an umbrella is an independent clause because you can use it as a standalone sentence:
It was raining. So I took an umbrella.
Simple as that. ...
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1
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How does English grammar define dependent and independent clauses?
A finite subordinate clause, also known as an embedded or dependent clause, is defined by being introduced by a "subordinator". This is THE criterion. What words introduce a subordinate ...
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Is "She played good" a grammatically correct sentence?
Sample sentence:
"She played good". The use of good as an adverb is part of the vernacular in several American regions/groups. It is non standard as the standard adverb is "well". ...
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Is "She played good" a grammatically correct sentence?
Basically, it's language on the move. 'Winning the game of tennis, she played good' is grammatically incorrect, and well should be the substitute for good.
However, leaving out implied words sort of ...
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Is "She played good" a grammatically correct sentence?
In addition to being an adjective, “good” can also be a noun,
good
2 of 3
noun
a: something that is good
b 1. something conforming to the moral order of the universe
2. praiseworthy character : ...
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Is it correct to use "how's" as short for "how does"?
Yes, both are correct contractions which sound fine in an informal setting.
Regarding a comment later in the thread: ... why I'm tempted to "reconstruct" "If I'd have known you were ...
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When should I use proximity rule in English grammar, and how to use pronouns?
As it stands, the sentence is ambiguous. Even the proximity rule cannot help much, as both interpretations are plausible. In the proper context, you might be able to disambiguate. Otherwise, it is ...
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How does the word "it" function in: "What is it that makes us uneasy ... ?"
What
-> complement of "is"
is
Copula
it
Subject = that thing
that makes us uneasy
relative clause modifying "it"
about (=in the matter of) accepting credit for something ...
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17
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Is "She played good" a grammatically correct sentence?
It is not a grammatical error, it's just colloquial language. You have noticed correctly that this occurs in AmE. OED labels it so:
Now chiefly North American colloquial. (c. 1275)
‘What kind of a ...
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11
votes
Is "She played good" a grammatically correct sentence?
"Good" can be used as an adverb, although some people would disagree with this assertion. See Merriam-Webster for more information:
good 3 of 3 adverb
: well
he showed me how good I was ...
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0
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Which word does with modify here?
John Lawler commented:
This is called an attachment ambiguity, and is inherent in the structure. With the hand that feeds you could be an instrumental phrase meaning 'use the hand that feeds you to ...
0
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Use of “As well” in the beginning of a sentence
I've found it used extensively in British Columbia. I find it jarring because I come from South Africa where we use British English.
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Present infinitive vs perfect infinitive
The second formulation invites us to think (although it does not logically imply) that there is some further activity for which the completion of the work is a prerequisite. One thus may naturally say:...
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2
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Can ambiguity arise from the "that" in a that-clause being misinterpreted as a determiner?
So am I correct about the that being ambiguous in these examples?
No: Because context.
So am I correct about the that being ambiguous in these examples?
"I think that rice is a good crop" ...
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-1
votes
Accepted
Can ambiguity arise from the "that" in a that-clause being misinterpreted as a determiner?
You can't have such an indeterminacy: if you have a taht-clause, then, necessarily there is a verb somewhere after "that". In the particular case of mathematical text, that (that) you are ...
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0
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Passive Construction - Standard Form vs. Non-Standard Form
Modern English is somewhat unique in allowing the indirect object of a ditransitive verb to become the subject if that verb is made passive. It can be unintuitive because that indirect object used to ...
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Passive Construction - Standard Form vs. Non-Standard Form
Double transitive verbs can be used in the passive voice.
— John will teach Jane a lesson. [They will ship the company a new product. ] (If "ship" was double transitive, this would be the ...
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4
votes
Passive Construction - Standard Form vs. Non-Standard Form
This is correct.
For ditransitive verbs, there are two ways of using the active voice:
The factory shipped a new product to the company.
The factory shipped the company a new product.
In the passive,...
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-1
votes
Reflexive pronouns and prepositions of direction
Great questions! Let’s break down the use of reflexive pronouns and prepositions of direction in these examples: nystateofhealth
She dragged it toward her.
Explanation: “Toward her” is correct ...
7
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Is there a grammatical term for the ways in which 'to be' is used in these sentences?
The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language (CGEL) lists six types of "be" (p. 113 - my summary):
Copula (be + subjective predicative complement): She was a lawyer.
Progressive (be + -...
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2
votes
Accepted
Is there a grammatical term for the ways in which 'to be' is used in these sentences?
In the first sentence the verb is said to be a copular verb; in the second it is a verb of the most common sort, that is, a verb called a full verb or, also, a lexical verb.
(SOED)
I As full vb. 1 ...
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0
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Two questions with "or"
A sentence that asks two questions separated by “or” is grammatically correct , but the questions (especially verbal) should be simple in structure. Otherwise the conversation becomes confusing since ...
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