Questions tagged [sentence-construction]
This tag is used for questions about the proper construction of sentences.
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What is the semicolon's role here?
In this following context, how does the semi-colon play? Should it not be colon (:) or emdash (—) here? And I thought the phrase ''a ceaseless heaving of waves up and down'' may be metaphor. So I ...
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What does the clause ''this is done'' mean?
In this following context, what does the clause ''this is done'' mean?
Does the verb ''done'' stand in for the above verb ''speak''?
Please simplify this to me...
The context:
'Thus, when the ...
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Book for an appointment an hour later
Say Susan has arranged an appointment for us some time in the past. The appointment was for 1 hour later. Is it correct to say:
Susan booked us in for an appointment an hour later with a specialist ...
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Emphasis (it is ... that) with comparison (less, more...)
I'm not sure how to use "less" and/or "more" in an "emphasizing sentence" (if it's the term).
It is less the quality of the alcohol, but more the quantity, that leads to ...
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"I got married" and "I have got married"
I know" I got married" could means "I was married" or "I became married but could it also mean "I have been married"?
Similarly, I know "I have got married"...
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Can somebody diagram this sentence for me please?
No parking is allowed here.
No parking is a noun phrase (determiner + gerund), but I'm not quite sure for "is allowed here". Is "here" a determiner? Thanks in advance.
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People usually say "that being said" in a sentence. I wonder if we can say as there being , instead of as there is? [closed]
is it correct to say, " As there being zero correlation between IQ and empathy" instead of "as there is"?
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What does the phrase ''but rather'' mean?
In this following context, what does the phrase ''but rather'' mean? Is it ''whowever'' or ''in fact''?
Should I take as: Hence the body is not a persisting something, but the body is rather a ...
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Musical star or music star?
Which of these expressions is/are correct?
Music star
Musical star
As in:
He is a bright music star.
He is a bright musical star.
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Expressions from News headlines
I'm trying to know which of these expressions is/are correct:
Kidnapped victims
Abducted victims
kidnap victims
Note: I have noticed that most news blogs and websites for some weird reasons, prefer ...
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""No matter how good a life we try to live..." or "However good a life we try to live ...." or "How much ever a good life we try to live...."
Suppose, we want to say that everyone will face some kind of suffering in life and there is no avoiding - unfortunately. And even if you try hard to avoid it, you won't be able to escape suffering. So,...
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The use of the singular form of the verb, "set"
I'm trying to learn the correct use of the singular form of the verb "set" which is obviously "sets".
Pls note, I need it for the practical application of constructing news ...
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“The bridge is over the road.”
Is it grammatically correct to say sentences like these:
The bridge is over the road.( Meaning: The bridge is above/on a higher level than the road)
The painting is over the sofa. (Meaning: The ...
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"I am one of them who likes fast food"
Usually we say "I am one of those who likes fast food" but If i replace "those" with "them", could i also "I am one of them who likes fast food"?
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Why should I use up until or as at in this case?
Why is it not possible to write
"it had not arrived until yesterday meaning when I checked yesterday,it had not yet arrived.(However I can't check it now so it may have arrived today.)"
You ...
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What tense should I use when I mention about a clock which has stopped?
When you found that your clock was not working, and you don't know when it had stopped, how would you say it?
It was working last night, but it didn't work this morning.
It was working last night, ...
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Why can I use 'another' in this sentence?
I'm translating the next sentence
I got other of those calls yesterday
However I've found that the correct answer is this
I got another of those calls yesterday
I understand that I can use "...
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Disappoint someone by something
I am going to imply that someone has disappointed (not discouraged) someone else by their actions. How should I convey this message properly and idiomatically in everyday speech?
I want you to study ...
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"How is it like living in London?", is this sentence wrong?
It makes sense when translated word for word from my native language but apparently it's wrong. I know I'm mixing up "how" and "what".
"What's it like living in London?", ...
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"She is running with the ball in his glove."
First thing first, the title isn't a typo and I intentionally wrote it like that. This question came to mind while I was reading someone's post in another forum and it's about the possibility of the ...
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what does 'with n as adj' mean?
The sentence:
A WSGI-compliant server or gateway should document what variables it provides, along with their definitions as appropriate.
How to understand with their definitions as appropriate?
...
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Any difference between these sentences: "Why did you have me born?" and "Why did you give birth to me?"
“So why did you have me born? I wish no one had ever laid eyes on me!" (Job 10:19, MSG version)
The first sentence sounds different to me, "have someone born", never heard it used this ...
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Books for english tenses advanced [migrated]
Can you suggest books or courses to learn shift in tense ,consistency in tenses and other advanced topics .
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Which one is correct: "What birthday was it?" or "Which birthday was it?" or "What number birthday was it?"
I have seen this online.
"The Queen had a birthday, but held no public celebration due to the coronavirus lockdown. What birthday was it?
a. 92nd
b. 94th
c. 96th"
The sentence "What ...
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Is this sentence an inverted structure or a shortened form: "Not that grief ever ends. You learn to exist with it."
This sentence in bold is from a text in which someone tells about how the death of their mother has affected themselves even after years, although she tried many ways to cope with it. Here is the ...
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Is saying "I'm people" in a certain context correct?
After reading my previous post carefully, I could say that this question is different from this question: Is "It's people" grammatically correct?.
Suppose, there is this monolog:
There are ...
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build knowledge in English
how's it going?
Consider this hypothetical scenario:
John moved to the US at a fairly young age and when he moved back to his home country he found it hard to communicate with the locals on matters ...
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Why is there an “as”?
There is also a great bitterness which was caused by the centuries of European insolent domination in Asia. This ought to be dealt with by a combination of patient tact with dramatic announcements ...
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Would you enter or will you enter
Let's say I see a person standing infront of a room. I want to ask him if he will enter or not. What would be the correct sentence to use here?
Would you enter?
Or
Will you enter?
One more ...
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"who, quite frankly, are not" vs. "who are, quite frankly, not"
Which is more natural?
We're getting a lot of new principals who, quite frankly, are not very skillful at handling student discipline.
We're getting a lot of new principals who are, quite frankly, ...
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Is "For most people, they..." redundant?
For example,
For most people, they would benefit from more exercise.
Is this construction more acceptable in spoken English, but considered poor writing? It's better to write: Most people would ...
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why is it correct to say "I'm someone who enjoys reading"?
Shouldn't 'enjoy' agree with 'I'? So the sentence becomes "I'm someone who enjoy reading".
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Which of the following is correct [duplicate]
Which of the following is grammatically correct? Do they all mean the same?
A lawyer breaking the law is also a crime.
A lawyer's breaking the law is also a crime.
A lawyer's law breaking is also a ...
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Flipping words around a bit?
In this headline I came across:
"We look back at conversations with some of the survivors of the 2018 Parkland school shooting."
would that be acceptable rewriting:
"We look back at ...
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Is this expression idiomatic when you avoid eye contact with teacher because don't want him to ask to you answer a question: "Please, don't be me."
I have seen this on a advertisement. A teacher asks: "Who wants to do the problem 3?" And one of the students who is afraid that teacher would choose him to do the question try to hide his ...
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Are the sentences equivalent?
Are these sentences equivalent?
You are so rich that you can build a new house.
You are so rich as to build a new house.
I came across this in a grammar book, i am confused about the second ...
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What does the phrase ''many among the listeners'' mean?
In the following context, Should I take the bold sentence as "There are many (listeners) who are not Buddhists among the listeners"?
I think the relative pronoun "who" modifies the ...
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How can I rewrite this sentence to make it clear? [closed]
I'm told that this sentence is confusing and hard to understand.
A little further the road skirted a small lake — a lonely sight for the glance, cast out of the window in the evening.
What I mean:
...
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WRITING: Is there any grammatical rule that prohibits multiple topics in one paragraph?
I came across an educator who teaches students to limit the number of topic sentence to only one(he is not a native English speaker).
Is this a widely agreed,valid rule for writing?Has there been such ...
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Can I start a question with a base verb?
Can I start a question with a verb without a subject? About the following sentence, which one is correct?
Want to buy these products? Please contact us now.
Wanting to buy these products? Please ...
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Where does "retain" belong in this context?
As schoolteacher and priest Agricola retained Latin as the language of
learning and culture and also many Catholic customs, such as the
doctrines of purgatory, the Lenten fast and confession.
A ...
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get us underway
I'm wondering why the word "us" is added in this sentence? I usually only say "get underway". Does this also apply with other verbs to add "us?" For example: Rashford ...
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Adding an "are" at the end of the sentence [duplicate]
I was reading The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation. I came across a sentence: "In serious writing, this must be followed no matter how strange or awkward the results."
My question: can ...
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Can I use 'a' instead of 'the' here?
In this blog, there is a sentence as follows.
Here's an example of the low angle camera angle.
Can I change the word 'the' to 'a'? Which is better and why?
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Is 'when' better than 'where' here?
In a blog about camera shots, there is such a sentence:
Our first camera angle is the eye level shot, and this is when your subject is at eye-level.
If I were the author, I would use 'where' instead ...
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Is the expression 'I totally/completely/absolutely don't understand' natural?
To express the idea that you know nothing about something, you can say 'I don't understand at all'.
Is the following sentence natural?
I totally/completely/absolutely don't understand.
In hinative, ...
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Can I say 'It's all I've ever been fighting for'?
Can I say 'It's all I've ever been fighting for'?
What I want to mean is that I've been fighting for 'it' all my life, especially when I want to justify a decision I'm about to take.
For instance,
'I ...
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Which sentence is more appropriate
Is there any difference between these two sentences? What is the appropriate sentence to use ?
A student misbehaving with his teachers is so disrespectful.
A student's misbehaving with his teachers ...
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Is there any difference between these sentences
Is there any difference between these two sentences?
She entered his room without him knowing.
She entered his room without making him know.
Please explain the meaning of these two sentences.
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How should one express the idea 'in the opinion of Japanese'? [closed]
If I want to express the idea 'in the opinion of Japanese', which of the following is correct?
In Japanese's eyes, ...
In Japanese eyes, ...
In the eyes of Japanese, ...
Is there anything I should ...
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