Questions tagged [phrases]
A phrase is a group of words that make a unit of syntax with a single grammatical function.
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What does "out by" mean in the following context?
This context comes from the tv show "Mindhunter" It's an exchange between the detectives Bill Tench and Holden Ford and a local welder by the name of Alvin that works near a dump at which a ...
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Is this sentence from the BBC web site correct: "Internet supply is cutting in and out."?
This is from the BBC. Drinking water from the Nile
"....So we have no running water and the electricity and internet supply is cutting in and out."...
The expressions "Internet supply ...
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Why not change the first "to" to "of" in "assign ... to ... to ..."?
I see this sentence in a book:
Each statement assigns the value to the right of the equal sign to the variable on the left. x = 1
I know what the assign ... to ... means, but there are two to in the ...
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Is "it is" a phrase or a clause?
Is "it is" considered a phrase or a clause? What is the reason?
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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
...
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Why do we say 'reason enough' in some circumstances?
Collins Dictionary includes these examples in the entry of reason enough
Surely that's reason enough to watch the show.
The Sun (2016)
Physical laws are reason enough for the Universe to have come ...
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Do a pure transitive verb and "interleaved" (for want of the correct name) transitive verb each need their own objects?
Alice betrayed Bob.
Alice let Bob down.
Alice betrayed and let Bob down, on a strict parsing, implies perhaps that she betrayed Bob down and let him down, even though betraying one down is not a real ...
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"Despite the fact that x" <-- phrase, a clause, or phrase + a clause?
I know that “despite” is a preposition.
However, I am confused about its role in the following sentence (and similar sentences that use “despite the fact that”):
SENTENCE: Despite the fact that I was ...
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When does "kill" mean "to put to death" and when "to destroy"?
In most dictionaries, it is said that only in phrases like "kill [something]" (ex: kill an idea) may the word "kill" mean "to destroy".
When followed by "somebody&...
RomanGhost
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Why do people say 'confidence trickster' rather than 'confident trickster'?
Using an adjective before a noun to modify it is quite legitimate, so it makes sense to say 'confident trickster'. What about the 'confidence trickster'? I can't see people's reason to use 'confidence'...
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What does the phrase "negotiating with your baby's bedtimes and night-time wake-ups" mean here? [closed]
Please help me figure out the meaning of the phrase "negotiating with your baby's bedtimes and night-time wake-ups" here:
Keep this sleep-tracker handy if you are negotiating with your baby'...
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What does the phrase "emerging from the haze" mean here?
Could you help me figure out the meaning of the phrase "emerging from the haze" here?
It's important to keep this app within reach, whether you're emerging
from the haze of night feeds with ...
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What does "a literate language" mean?
This context comes from the book "Black Rednecks And White Liberals"
By Thomas Sowell.
Being part of the Roman Empire meant that Western Europe had not only a common language—Latin—but a ...
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What is a "relationship talk"?
Many dating advices include the phrase "relationship talks". In my understanding, before a relationship, a relation talk is a talk about the plans on relationship; during a relationship, a ...
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How can I translate the supplementive phrase?
John, knowing that his wife was expecting a baby, started to take a course on baby care. = John, who knew that his wife was expecting a baby, started to take a course on baby care.
As I know,'knowing ...
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Is it a grammatically correct conditional sentence "If I won that award my life would change"?
I'm interested in whether the bold phrase in these examples is correct in terms of grammar from the native's point of view?
In tonight's competition I'm an underdog and have no chance for any of the ...
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What does the clause "giving a nod to the original looks" mean here?
I am finding it hard to figure out the meaning of the clause "giving a nod to the original looks" here:
He redrew game characters by injecting new elements while giving a nod to the original ...
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When do we use "speaking of which", "by the way" and "anyway"?
Context: Mike and Mary talked about politics and war then they talked about Bob's wedding, then talked about gifts, then talked about mom, then ed the conversation
Mary: I hate war
Mike: ....talk ...
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What does 'meet the sales' mean?
I've been reading an article and stumbled upon this paragraph:
'How can an iOS and android app meet the sales? What about other platforms and individuals using those devices?'
What does 'meet the ...
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"to throw an idea in the room" - Does it exist?
Does the phrase "to throw an idea in the room" for "having wild ideas" exist?
We have an expression like this in German, but it sounds odd to me in English.
Example: He doesn't ...
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Is the phrase "populate with" used correctly in this context?
I don't know if the "populate with" in this context is wrong:
Once you select one of these entries, you’ll see the middle and bottom row populate with information.
I am unsure because I ...
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take a break for a few months
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 ...
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What is the formal language for "making a baby"?
Making a new life is a collaborative process usually involving both man and woman. However, to my knowledge, the English phrase "give birth to" can only have the female counterpart as the &...
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Is it correct to say "Many are to rest, but few are to relax"?
Is it right to say
"Many are to rest, but few are to relax"
to express the meaning:
"There are lots of people who rest but only a few who relax"?
(To clarify, I meant the state ...
OldEgyptian
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What does the phrase "low-profile" mean here?
I'm having trouble understanding the phrase "low-profile grey and leather grip" in the description of an old model camera. Here is the sentence:
One of the most noticeable features is the ...
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What does "base fitness" mean?
What does base "fitness" mean in this sentence?
"Exercise helps. And walking can be performed by most of us, without training, equipment, or even a base fitness."
Source: https://...
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"English learner" vs "math learner"?
ChatGPT rewrote my expression "English leaners with Chinese as native language" to "Chinese learners of English", and I don't know if it is right. What I want to mean is "...
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Is 'own' in the phrase 'of my own' a pronoun or determiner?
“ I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of any thing than of a book! -- When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent ...
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Is it better to say "I took a grade" or "I got a grade"?
I believe "I got a grade", or "I received a grade" is better, but I heard "I took a grade" which sounds strange to me because it sounds like it's an active process. Which ...
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Should you use "those years" or "those year levels" to refer to the students at various Grades at school?
A parent in Australia is talking about the unusual figures about his son's school results, because the reading figures of the Year 3 students are better than the Year 5 ones. So, he wonders about that....
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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? ...
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Is it correct "I used to use this pen."?
I am curious to know if I am writing this sentence grammatically correctly.
I was thinking that using the same verb "use" two times in this sentence is grammatically incorrect.
I used to ...
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What is the definition for the noun "challenge" in the phrase "mount challenge"
This context comes from the book "Black Rednecks And White Liberals"
by Thomas Sowell.
Basically answer the question at the end of the post and I will be satisfied unless the answer is "...
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What are some words and/or phrases to describe devaluing and overvaluing something?
What words or phrases are used to describe the following?
to cause the value of something to go higher than it's actually worth because you paid for it more because you're rich and don't care
to ...
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'playing in films' or 'acting in films', which is correct?
For example, in this sentence:
Jodie Foster started __ in films when she was very young.
Looks like both are correct but it should be one.
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As a whole vs. On the whole
Which phrase is okay in the following? I don't find example sentences in the dictionary clear enough to distinguish them.
As a whole/On the whole, conditions in rural areas are getting better.
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Which is correct? "Date" vs. "date on" in a question
Can you tell me what date you wrote this article on?
or
Can you tell me what date you wrote this article?
Which is correct? Or are both correct?
Edit: I would assume the first variant is ...
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Can the phrase "bobbing in the water" be used to say a person is struggling?
If I say I can't seem to get ahead or stop "bobbing in the water", does that let the reader know that I am struggling?
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This isn't a (blank) as much as it is a (blank)
Can anyone tell me what this means and can you please give an example of how to use it? My teacher used it earlier today, and I still don't get it.
wizard of the eastern sea
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Does anyone interpret "too ... to ..." literally?
So at school I learned that "too ... to ..." means "something so ... that can't/shouldn't ..."
But I wonder if anyone would interpret it literally, like:
It's too complicated to ...
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Dances with Wolves - Does movie title really tells the whole story about the movie? [closed]
A very famous movie title "Dances with Wolves". I just to make sure does name of the title covers the whole story or just an English Phrase.
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Is this statement correct : "Certificate of Winner/Champion in English Debating Championship 2022"?
I'd like to know how to write a statement in a cover letter telling people about a certificate that I got after winning an English debate.
in my application letter where I wrote down like this:
For ...
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Can I use 'quite the collection of people' to mean 'birds of a feather'?
Can I use 'quite the collection of people' to mean 'birds of a feather'? For example, is the following use of 'quite the collection of people' natural?
Aria asked who are Bob's teammates in a ...
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I’m looking for words or phrase to describe an office environment where nothing the employee does is ever good enough, it’s pressurizing and toxic?
I work in an office environment where our manager is always finding flaws in our work no matter how well we do. We discuss the situation amongst coworkers and I’m looking for better words to describe ...
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What is "her going mad" in "I am afraid of her going mad"?
I'm having moment. In the sentence
"I am afraid of her going mad"
"her going mad" is the object/complement of the proposition "of".
But what is it? It has an "-ing&...
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Are "more keenly than" and "more keenly that" equivalent and correct?
I accidentally came across these two phrases, and wondered if they were both correct. I particularly “struggled” with “more keenly that”… It didn’t feel right to me.
What do you think? What is the ...
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"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger" or "what doesn't kill you make you stronger"
Of the two statements:
(1) What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
(2) What doesn't kill you make you stronger.
Which one could be grammatically correct and why?
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Set before & Examination meaning in a specific context
I'm reading a book about James Clerk Maxwell, and there is one passage that wrote
One great charm of Maxwell’s society was his readiness to converse
on almost any topic with those he was accustomed ...
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What's the phrase that ends with "up" and which somewhat means "someone who considers everything taboo and don't discuss anything"
So, it's a phrase like 'stuck up' or 'pent up', etc. It's been bothering me for a while now but I just can't remember the phrase. I think it starts with 's' and ends with 'up' and it means something ...
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What is the difference between "His love burned" and "He was burned with love"? [closed]
What is the difference between "His love burned" and "He was burned with love"?
Which of them is the proper expression?
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