Questions tagged [syntax]
This tag is for questions regarding the rules for the formation of sentences.
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Why is "sally is a sandwich" grammatical? [closed]
I have this sentence:
the president thought that sally is a sandwich.
It's supposed to be grammatically correct.
But isn't that mean that this sentence is also grammatically correct:
sally is a ...
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Past Continuous with the Present Perfect
Could someone help me to fix a sentence? I’d like to say:
I was going to Italy before the war have come into my country.
I’m not sure that it’s correct. I’d like to use Present Perfect because it ...
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Isn't it supposed to be 'it' instead of 'its'?
This is a paragraph from the book 'Less is More: How Degrowth Will Save the World' by Jason Hickel. I am not quite sure whether its having fallen is grammatically correct. If I were to use such ...
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Could someone explain the meaning and structure of this sentence?
For it reminds us that far from being an unavoidable consequence of technological progress, the nature of work always remains a matter of social choice.
I heard that when "for" is used as a ...
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When to use complement in relatives clauses?
Something I question daily is whether I should put a complement in a sentence or not when it comes to relative clauses. For example:
Bullying ought not to be something that you should just "...
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Do you think it right vs Do you think it's right
When to use either of these sentences:
Do you think it right that Nicole didn't get the job?
Do you think it's right to do that?
I took the first sentence from my grammar book (Oxford Grammar) and ...
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"a city (of) the size of New York"
I know there should be no "of" before "the size", but I don't understand why. Could you explain it to me in grammar terms?
Just one of these bombs could annihilate a city the size ...
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Is " Because I don't like him" incorrect?
Because I don't like him.
Someone said it was a correct sentence. But I disagree. It is a dependent clause which can't stand alone.
But she knows nothing about him.
Why is this sentence correct?
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why the author used the word have + ing in this context? [duplicate]
Kaba Gandhi married four times in succession, having lost his wife each time by death.
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Adverb placement: is it rule based or just how you use the symbol
10 years ago/later, which is 2010, the Avengers fought/ fights the villian Thanos.
who else wants the burger?
why else would he do that?
Why are the adverbs later, ago, and else placed after 10 years, ...
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Is this sentence lignuistically correct?
This is a definition from stockedge.com about Business Houses.
Business Houses are a public or private structure business that forms a group of various companies dealing in different segments
Is the ...
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Does "which" refer to the Chinese buzzwords or the social changes and cultures?
The Chinese buzzwords usually reflect the social changes and cultures, some of which are increasingly popular with the foreign media.
I saw this sentence in an exam. What is the antecedent of " ...
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"What does it mean 'something'" Vs. "What does 'something' mean?"
I always said "What does it mean '-----'?". (For example: What does it mean 'legend'?).
Today I had thought maybe I'm mistaken and it should be: "What does 'something' mean?" (i.e....
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what is the syntactic function of the underlined clause? [closed]
what is the syntactic function of the underlined clause in the following sentence:
Based on the interview, it was found THAT ALL OF THE STUDENTS TRANSFERRED ENGLISH INTO INDONESIAN LANGUAGE when they ...
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Syntax. Analysis of the sentence
Some of the many doors stood wide open with lads carrying sacks and
buckets in and out, and some were half closed with horses’ heads
looking interestedly over the tops.
I have a question about the ...
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Can I describe an apple as "Half of an apple, it is red"?
Part of the TOEIC test is to describe pictures. So I’m picking random pictures and describing as many as possible. And my goal is to get a perfect score on TOEIC.
How can I describe this picture of an ...
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Syntax.Analysis of a sentence
Can you help me to figure out what is the function of '' no power'' in this sentence. and what does the predicate ' have ' refer to?
And what is the function of '' the setting ''? Is it predicative?
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Analysis of the sentence
Across the room, two galss doors stood open to a lavish balcony, where a light breeze played beneath a glistening cloud-swept moon.
What is the function of ' a lavish balcony' here? Is it object?
Is '...
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seen from the helicopter VS seeing from the helicopter
Seen from the helicopter, the cars on the road are as small as insects.
We seeing the cars on the road from the helicopter, they are as small as insects.
Are both of the sentences grammatically and ...
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more than needed or more than is needed or more than it is needed? [closed]
Can you explain to me why 2 is correct and 1 and 3 are wrong. At least, that is what I was told.
100 euros is more than needed.
100 euros is more than is needed.
100 euros is more than it is needed....
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would you mind waiting till or that
Shall I write
Would you mind waiting till both records are out before sending them to me or
Would you mind waiting that both records are out before sending them to me
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feel embarrassed vs feel it embarrassing
a. She felt embarrassed to be asked such a private question.
b. She felt it embarrassing to be asked such a private question.
Are both the statements grammatically correct?
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have available something
We have plenty of office space available. (from Oxford learner's dictionaries)
In the above sentence, what is the grammatical role of 'available'? 1)a modifier that is included in the NounPhrase ...
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Can anyone explain what the first part of this sentence means, in simple way?
The sentence is
She was criticized by her fellow lawyers not because she was not
hardworking, but because she so minutely prepared her cases that she
failed to bring the expected number to trial
...
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What type of sentence is "The baby was born"?
Something like "The baby was born." or "The house was built." There's no person in the sentence actually doing the action. What do you call this type of sentence?
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How to analyze this sentence, 'He apologised to me for that.'?
'He apologised to me for that.'
I know that 'he' is the subject and 'apologised' the verb but I don't know about the rest.
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What is the syntactic function of the phrase 'in a tribe' (and it's constituents) in the sentence 'We live in a tribe.'?
Also, would it be the same if we say 'We live in a city.' or 'We live in a society.'?
What kind of verb is live here?
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How can "How do you play tennis often?" be rephrased?
How can "How do you play tennis often?" be rephrased:
"In what way do you often play tennis?"
"How do you manage to play tennis (so) often?"
"How come you play ...
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Comma after "that" and before the main verb
Can I add a comma after "that" and before the main verb.
in this example, is the comma before the main verb grammatically correct?
a paper that provides an understanding of the impact of the ...
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Why is used WHICH can mean_ but WHAT usually meanS
In my textbook in paragraph "Who, What and Which" I have seen:
WHICH can mean_ a person or a thing (bottom line is mine)
WHO always meanS a person
WHAT usually meanS a thing
Question:
Why ...
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'Creating a footnote or (an) endnote reference'
Beware that creating a footnote or an endnote reference from a table is not yet possible.
The above sentence is from the manual I'm working on.
My question is whether it is correct to keep an before ...
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What is the word *then* doing in "The constant synthesis, **then**, of specific material from simple....",?
It was usually considered that the most characteristic feature of life is its
metabolism.
" The constant synthesis, then, of specific material from simple
compounds of a non-specific character ...
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What does "though somewhat dated, as, to a greater extent, are those..from the same decade" mean in this sentence?
Sentence :
Jack's various essays from the 1950's are still readable, though somewhat dated, as, to a greater extent, are those by Neville Braybrooke and Christopher Hollis from the same decade.
...
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Why do you use the word "into" in the next sentence?
1 the money or valuables that a player must hazard in order to buy "into" a gambling game or make a bet.
I think the word "in" would be more suitable as the word "into" ...
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Correct use of the phrase "[XXX], but not only"
In an essay, if someone did something for various reasons, some (but not all) of them being historic reasons, is the following sentence correct:
"For various reasons--historic, but not only--he ...
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"He concluded his speech with the words 'XXXX'": is "the words" mandatory?
Talking about a musician, for instance, the construction "He concluded his speech with the words 'and that's a great song'" seems common.
In the context of an essay, potential article, is &...
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Passive and active voices in a compound sentence
I am a little bit confused by the structure of the following sentence:
It is often argued that this is a positive development, whilst others disagree and think it will lead to adverse ramifications.
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Is "2021" an adverb or adjective?
In this sentence:
Here is the 2021 list.
Is "2021" an adverb answering where or adjective describing "list"?
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"As is not unusual with him": correct? Is the verb mandatory?
If we are describing a book written by John Doe, it seems like
"As is not unusual with John Doe, sentences are short."
is used far more than
"As not unusual with John Doe, sentences are ...
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Ellipsis: is "He was nice; the other two, less so" correct? How to punctuate?
It seems to me that I often hear syntactical structures similar to:
"He was nice; the other two, less so."
However, I am not sure what the correct way to punctuate would be.
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"some of them" + noun vs adjective
It seems to me that the following sentence is correct:
"There were many competitors, some of them very experienced."
Is the following sentence also correct?
"He loved many songs, some ...
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"The two others": same as "the other two"?
If there are three books, are the following sentences both correct? Equivalent? Roughly as commonly used?
1/ This book is better than the other two
2/ This book is better than the two others
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Which one of these sentences is correct/more idiomatic?
So, I'm not sure which one of these sentences is more grammatically correct.
The last one had just been sold before I got there.
The last one had been sold just before I got there.
I'm 99% sure both ...
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Is that statement correct? "Your schedule is final when there is without WL courses."
In my university registration system, I found this statement and I am concerned if it's a correct statement.
Your schedule is final when there is without WL courses.
I think it's not correct because ...
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Can "work experience" be plural?
When I have worked for multiple jobs, and I use "work experience," is it plural?
For example, my education and work experience make me a great candidate for the job.
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What does this BE mean in this sentence? [duplicate]
When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.
I don't know why there's a be there, anyone can help me with that?
Does it have anything to do with the verb order? ...
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Is “The Tigris is the river we are investigating” grammatical?
I saw the following sentence in formal writing:
The Tigris is the river we are investigating.
(Please don't change the sentence to "We are investigating the Tigris river" or etc..)
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The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing
As I understand it, the first phrase is common. I'm afraid, I don't understand why is necessary the second "for" here (in bold). I think "to" is necessary here because "good ...
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Is it correct to say "how-many-day a tour was it"?
How-many-day a tour was it?
How many days was the tour?
How many days of tour were you on?
How-many-day tour of Cambridge were you on?
Are the above sentences grammatically correct?
I understand ...
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Is "on one's period" (menstruating) grammatically correct?
It's very common to hear women say "I'm on my period" or "I'm having my period".
Can somebody please confirm to me as to whether these two phrases are grammatically correct, and if ...
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