Questions tagged [grammaticality-in-context]

For questions about whether something obeys the rules of English grammar in a certain context.

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We loved you when you were satisfied today

Is it grammatically correct to say " We loved you when you were satisfied today"?
Dan's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
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What exactly connects the two phrases in encyclopedic sentences like these?

This particular phrasing seems common on for instance Wikipedia articles: Considered one of the most influential figures in the history of the motion picture, he pioneered many aspects of film ...
KeizerHarm's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
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The Usage of "Would"

"The mission control experts cannot tell if the space junk is going to hit the space station or not, but they are sure that a collision would knock a hole in the hull and cause all air inside it ...
Erkut Ünlü's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
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Worth as a predicate adjective?

I saw the first time 'worth' acting as a predicate adjective here: I do it because it makes me happy. And I now know that I deserve happiness. I deserve love, rest and time for myself. Because I am ...
Lerner Zhang's user avatar
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Why is the past tense sometimes used in a sentence together with the present tense?

Why in the sentence "I used to be in the government service, but am no longer" is the first part used in the past tense, and the second part in the present?
Elizabeth's user avatar
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1 answer
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What creates the flow between the two sentences?

I wrote the text. I think there is no need to add linking words like specifically or this is because before the second sentence but I don't know why. I learned that we can create a sense of flow by ...
newbie forever's user avatar
14 votes
6 answers
6k views

Olive Garden: "The cheese keeps coming 'til you say 'when'"

There's an Olive Garden commercial which has the line: At Olive Garden, the cheese keeps coming 'til you say "when". I certainly understand what it's saying: only when I tell them to stop ...
CDR's user avatar
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2 answers
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Is it really wrong grammatically speaking to say " take advantage from" instead of "take advantage of"

I found examples of both phrases here https://sentencestack.com/q/take_advantage_from https://sentencestack.com/q/take_advantage_of Is taking advantage from people really wrong or just odd? as people ...
Quique's user avatar
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8 votes
5 answers
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Is the 'a nice' in 'a nice to have' grammatical?

In this context, 'a nice' is used as a noun as 'a must': Design’s role has moved from a nice to have to a must have to a differentiator I wonder if the 'indefinite article + adjective' form can ...
Lerner Zhang's user avatar
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9 votes
5 answers
1k views

Is it okay to say "must have to"?

Must and have to are both used for obligation, according to Have to, must and should for obligation and advice. However, I have come across to many sources with where they use must have to. On the ...
Ghost's user avatar
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8 votes
6 answers
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Is "slightly ajar" a tautology?

I was reading the novel Verity, and I came across the phrase "slightly ajar door". I didn't know what ajar meant and I looked it up to find it means (of a door) slightly open. I wonder if &...
Akshay's user avatar
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The book was given to me (by Rion)

I have a question about Passive verbs. One of the forms of useing passive verbs is: Object+Verb+"By+Subjects" ("optional"). E.g. Sarah was killed by a police officer. My cat was ...
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1 answer
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Proficiency in vs proficiency at - Which should be used in the provided sentence?

His skills include proficiency in using various programming languages. His skills include proficiency at using various programming languages. A post on Quora suggests the latter sentence is more ...
Soumya Ghosh's user avatar
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1 answer
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Differences in job titles. "Manufacturing manager", "Production manager", "Manufacture manager"

I was given a piece of business card with a job title "Manufacture manager". I wonder any differences between a. "Manufacturing manager" b. "Production manager" c. "...
Stats Cruncher's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
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"She is living out at her home" or "She is living out her life at her home" - which sentence is more grammatically correct?

There are two sentences: She is living out at her home. She is living out her life at her home. I was said that the first is wrong as It doesn't contain "her life". Is it really so much ...
Rodrigo's user avatar
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2 answers
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Do I need a preposition in structures 'leaves smth someone?'

What preposition (if any) would you put in the following sentence? This leaves (to/for/-) ethnic minorities little room to dissent, especially (to/for/-) those who also experience financial problems.
Arseny Aleev's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
79 views

I don't... neither am I in one sentence

I don't want to go out, neither am I interested in going to your place. Is this sentence correct? Can I use "neither" after saying that I don't do something? Most examples that I've seen ...
Arseny Aleev's user avatar
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0 answers
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'Research on this topic is a gap at Berkeley'. Is this sentence correct?

I'm now writing a cover letter where I explain how my work can contribute to academia and use this phrase: Although pockets of expertise in Eastern Europe are spread across departments, research on ...
Arseny Aleev's user avatar
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0 answers
36 views

Is this a kind of call or not? --meaning in context--

Following is a poem by Thomas Hardy. There are sentences 'Simple shepherds all' three times. I think these sentences are a kind of call towards shepherds. However, one of my friends who is a literary ...
Japanese English teacher's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
73 views

Why isn't it natural to say "throughout today" or "throughout yesterday"?

Question According to this post, the following uses of throughout are grammatical, but sound strange to native speakers(or maybe even wrong according to a comment on the post): throughout today ...
catwith's user avatar
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Tag question of ought to

I would like to know the tag question of "ought to" is oughtn't to or shouldn't ? For example, He ought to have made a note of it, ________? For this sentence, the tag will be "oughtn't ...
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1 answer
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If "some paper" means "a sheet of paper", then what would be the plural form of "some paper"?

This is from a native speaker on BBC, Mr. Maker (see: 2:38-2:44). He says: Now how about we get some white paper and draw two fluffy cloud shapes. When he says this, he takes a sheet of paper and ...
yunus's user avatar
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1 answer
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Is "Decorators are a proposal" grammatically correct?

Decorators are a proposal for extending JavaScript classes which is widely adopted among developers in transpiler environments, with broad interest in standardization. Is "Decorators are a ...
Wenfang Du's user avatar
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Is the structure "would + subject + have" in non-interrogative sentences possible?

I was writing a short story and realized I made a mistake using "would + have". At first, I tried writing the sentence like the one below but then realized the subject had to go after would. ...
once upon a time 's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
76 views

Is "all HTML elements are a single word" grammatically correct?

This prevents conflicts with existing and future HTML elements, since all HTML elements are a single word. (from "vue/multi-word-component-names") Is "all HTML elements are a single ...
Wenfang Du's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
28 views

"Should 'creature' be pluralized to 'creatures' in the sentence 'In the fish village, the small fish weren’t the only glowy creature'?"

The sentence is "In the fish village, the small fish weren’t the only glowy creature" . Should the word "creature" be pluralized to "creatures" to match the plural form ...
cengaver's user avatar
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1 answer
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Who do you think is the best boy in our class

Who do you think is the best boy in our class? I think this structure is not grammatical. I think the correct one should be:Who do you think the best boy in our class is? Because we say "Do you ...
Sahil Laskar's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
73 views

Meaning of He can run fast as I can

A. He is tall as I am. B. He can run fast as I can. C. He can sing as She can. Are the sentences above grammatical? I used as instead of as...as construction. What are the meaning of these sentences? ...
Sahil Laskar's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
27 views

A citizen questioning his government is not a crime

A citizen questioning his government is not a crime. Is its structure grammatical? It sounds weird to me. What I think the structure means is 'A citizen is not a crime' which is the reduced form of '...
Sahil Laskar's user avatar
3 votes
3 answers
511 views

Stossel has since become a pivotal part of the Time Well Spent movement. What structure is this?

I have learnt about the present perfect tense which uses the structure S(single) + has PP + since the time clause. However, when it comes to a reading lesson I have, there is a sentence on the page ...
Akane Ura's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
29 views

I left the place without/before the situation getting worse

1. I left the place before the situation getting worse. 2. I left the place without the situation getting worse. 3. I had left the place before the situation got worse. Are these sentences grammatical?...
Sahil Laskar's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
23 views

Which part is indispensable in constructions like "as it is illustrated..."?

This conclusion can be verified by checking all the situations as it is illustrated in the appendix. This conclusion can be verified by checking all the situations as is illustrated in the appendix. ...
Ypbor's user avatar
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1 answer
26 views

blow a hole in vs open a hole in

What's the difference between: The president's statements blown a hole in the country. The president's statements opened a hole in the country.
Southman's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
35 views

She would have been Sapna

Let's think of a situation. I'm talking to my father. He tells me that a girl came to our house yesterday and asked him about me. Now my father asks me "Who was she?" I'm not sure who she ...
Sahil Laskar's user avatar
0 votes
0 answers
44 views

Why does the verb "TO LIKE" have to take an object in "yes-or-no answers", when there is no chance of confusion?

A: Do you like coffee? B: No I dont like. / Yes I like. We all know B's answer is wrong. Why? Because "TO LIKE" is a transitive verb and it needs an "IT" at the end. However, we ...
yunus's user avatar
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4 votes
2 answers
230 views

What do you call an undergrad student who completed his degree?

I'm trying to write the following sentence correctly: X is a graduated undergraduate student from my same undergraduate university. I hope you get the gist. X is a student who completed his ...
Zabir Al Nazi's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
54 views

Ram is the man I thought to have killed/ have killed my brother

Ram is the man I thought to have killed my brother. Ram is the man I thought to kill my brother. Ram is the man I thought have killed my brother. Ram is the man I thought killed my brother. Are ...
Sahil Laskar's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
26 views

How does this sentence follow subject verb agreement?

I dont understand how the following sentence is following correct subject and verb agreement. Do authors think that including examples from the text files has widespread applicability? Grammarly ...
Exploring's user avatar
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0 answers
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"That is *how* I am called"

I used to think it's incorrect to say "how something is called", that it's a common mistake of non-native speakers, and that we must use "what" instead. But I just came across the ...
splaytreez's user avatar
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0 answers
29 views

the distinction appeared much clearer

Concepts of nature are always cultural statements. This may not strike Europeans as much of an insight, for Europe’s landscape is so much of a blend. But in the new worlds ― ‘new’ at least to ...
Aaaaaaassssss's user avatar
2 votes
3 answers
271 views

can you use "over" to mean "relative to"?

They prefer this method because of the cost reduction over traditional techniques. Can "over" be used in this case instead of "relative to"? I feel like the sentence can be easily ...
Leo 's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
52 views

I picked up the letter that was lying on the floor. Does it sound all right?

Here's my context: I entered the room and I saw a big heap of letters on the desk. One of them had fallen on the floor. I picked up the letter lying on the floor. / I picked up the letter that was ...
Let's user avatar
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0 answers
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go versus go by with opportunities

I was wondering if this sentence is correct: I have let many opportunities go by What's about I have let many opportunities go
diedro's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
45 views

I want to know usage of 's (with apostrophe) in the example given below

According to some grammar, 's is used for human. I know some of the usages here: My uncle's son Faizan goes to Bombay Cambridge School every day. Used as ‘of’ for human possession. It’s been ages ...
user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
28 views

Present simple or Future simple to answer question about schedule

I learned that we should use present simple to talk about schedules. However, if people were to ask me when will my flight leave. How should I respond? A. My flight will leave at 1:00 pm. B. my flight ...
Chhangsreng P's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
19 views

Mixing past and present in the same sentence

Why are the past and present tenses mixed up in the following sentence? Our findings are consistent with a recent comparative study on image processing systems, which also stated that source code for ...
Exploring's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
32 views

What does 'bad cold' refer into this situation?

‘They didn’ keep their gold in the house, boy! Nah, first stop fer us is Gringotts.Wizards’ bank. Have a sausage, they’re not bad cold – an’ I wouldn’ say no teh a bit o’ yer birthday cake, neither.’ ‘...
M.MAHDI's user avatar
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0 votes
2 answers
53 views

I know "divorced" could be an "adjective" but can I say "they got divorced" as in "They became divorced"

I know "divorced" could be an "adjective" but can I say "they got divorced" as in "They became divorced". Secondly i believe here in this sentence "got ...
Bilal Zafar's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
42 views

Can I say 'a guy or girl' instead of 'a guy or a girl'?

When asking someone's sex online, we can ask 'are you a guy or a girl'. But is it correct to ask 'are you a guy or girl'?
Michael's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
28 views

Contextual sense of the sentence

And it is only early afternoon - if we can make enough smoke, make enough noise till the sun goes down, they'll settle somewhere else perhaps.... And then: Get the kettle going. it's thirsty work, ...
Abid's user avatar
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