Questions tagged [syntax]
This tag is for questions regarding the rules for the formation of sentences.
432
questions
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What is the grammatical structure of “I woke up tired”?
I woke up tired.
I grew up rich.
Can someone explain the position and functions of the adjectives tired, rich, poor in these sentences? Aren't adjectives supposed to always precede or succeed a noun ...
1
vote
1answer
24 views
“returned as a different man” or “ returned a different man”?
If he had fought in the First World War, he might have returned _____.
Is it correct to insert " as a different man" or " a different man"?
I suppose both are correct. "as a ...
1
vote
1answer
17 views
Is “but nonetheless” correct?
I've been seeing nonetheless used next to but. For example:
"... smaller but nonetheless important research programs." (From Merriam Webster).
There are possible risks, but nonetheless, we ...
2
votes
1answer
36 views
The more precisely - An Adverb Phrase? And its function?
I am reading Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer where I found the following sentence:
He spat into the fire, the more precisely to express his opinion of the child's parentage.
Is "the more ...
3
votes
1answer
100 views
“to find a friend to practice speaking with“ or ”finding a friend to practice speaking with"?
In the following conversation:
--- Did you have any problems in your English study?
--- Yes, _____ a friend to practice speaking with.
Is it correct to fill in the blank with "to find” Or "...
23
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4answers
7k views
Syntactical problem? Musk's tweet “I Am Become Meme, Destroyer Of Shorts”
Here is a quote from Elon Musk's tweet:
"I Am Become Meme, Destroyer Of Shorts"
I have never come across such an expression as "be+ become." As far as my syntax knowledge goes, V+...
0
votes
1answer
25 views
structure of ‘worth of’
1. Is “billions of dollars worth of satellites”(without apostrophe of dollars) grammatically incorrect?
In “billions of dollars’ worth of”
Syntactically right below?
[billions of dollars]’ worth of
•...
1
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2answers
50 views
Open-Ended Questions + coordination
In a sentence like "What did John eat and Mary prepare?", the auxiliary verb "did" is "shared" between both conjuncts.
My question is whether it is grammatical to use an ...
0
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1answer
85 views
How do you identify the grammatical construction of these sentences?
Robby is so perplexed not being told about the accident.
Maudy always gets nervous when talking to strangers.
Both sentences have a predicative adjective as a subject complement. My confusion is ...
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8answers
5k views
The grammar of “Stop Asian hate”
I have seen many people on the Internet from America sharing the sign “Stop Asian Hate”.
I know they mean “Stop hate against Asian people”, but why don't they say “Stop anti-Asian hate”?
I also see ...
0
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1answer
37 views
Is it correct to use continuous without the auxiliary verb “to be?”
I am working on a project, and I am faced with a sentence that I am unsure is correct. I can make it correct with proper punctuation, but it just made me curious to learn how to use such sentences ...
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1answer
29 views
How to use preposition “like” in a question?
Which one is correct: What was the weather like in Toronto?" or "What was the weather in Toronto like?"
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1answer
30 views
Do not stop and stop not
What is the difference between these two versions?
Arise, awake, and stop not until the goal is reached.
Arise, awake, and do not stop until the goal is reached.
Which one is better?
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2answers
35 views
How to analyze this complex sentence? [closed]
"It is not possible so to sever the belief from the action it suggests as to condemn the one without condemning the other".
It is difficult for me to analyze this sentence structure, can you ...
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0answers
24 views
Is this sentence syntactically correct?
It's in your hands for that statement not to be true.
Are there any syntax errors with it? Can it be improved?
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2answers
923 views
How to understand “They were not looking at you funny”?
A quote from the movie The Guardians of the Galaxy vol 2:
They were not looking at you funny.
How to explain the syntactic construction of this sentence? Why does the speaker put funny at the end?
I ...
0
votes
1answer
40 views
“It…that” sentence structure
I have one question!.
It's obvious through the photographs the journalist brings back from the field that he shows the situation he witnessed.
It looks like weird! Do we need to start "He shows ...
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0answers
15 views
want (to V) or want to (V)?
want / to V
want to / V ?
If I say slowly "I want to speak English well."
Do I have to stop like: I want / to speak / English / well.
or Do I have to stop like: I want to / speak / English ...
1
vote
1answer
21 views
He is going to take after his father
He is going to take after his father.
"He is going" is a present progressive. As a non-native speaker, I came to put a question to look into the flow/image of meaning in a native speaker's ...
0
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1answer
27 views
Can “Don't be sad” start a sentence followed by a comma?
Example sentence:
Don't be sad, everything will turn out fine.
I've seen "Don't worry" used like this, so I think it's not ungrammatical. But part of me, sees "Don't be sad" as a ...
2
votes
1answer
47 views
Why is the determiner after the verb in “We were both tired” and “We have both seen the movie”?
There are two sentences to determiner below:
We were both tired.
We have both seen the movie.
What I know is that the determiner is used in front of noun or pronoun, but the sentences of examples ...
1
vote
0answers
31 views
The sentence that starts as imperative one and ends in passive voice
There is a following passage in the technical manual I'm working on:
To replace invalid characters, complete the following steps:
...
...
...
The problem is that writing the steps themselves in the ...
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4answers
151 views
Prepositional Phrases used as Noun Phrases？
The country’s Supreme Court ruled last year that the ban was illegal, and gave the Knesset, or parliament, until March 1st to amend the law to allow gay couples to commission surrogacies domestically. ...
0
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1answer
23 views
For- Infinitival RC vs Purpose Adjunct
Here are the instructions for you to follow.
The verb «follow» directly related to the Headword «instructions»; for- subordinator introducers one more subject in the sentence –You – it seems to be a ...
3
votes
1answer
49 views
There’s no one but + Verb
I came across this exercise:
There’s no one ... wishes peace.
A. who
B. that
C. but
At first, I was confused with “who” and “that” as I thought both of them were correct, but then the answer turned ...
0
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1answer
29 views
In “run out of food by night” is “by night” part of the “out of food” PP?
In the sentence:
run out of food by night.
“out of food” will be one single PP.
“by night” will also be a PP, but will it be part of VP or will it be inside the "out of food" PP?
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0answers
13 views
Tree diagram for PSG
In the sentence:
.... to lend me his car in need.
what will be the tree diagram for this part. I am confused for the part "in need"?
will it be part of NP(his car) or part of VP(lend)?
0
votes
1answer
25 views
using “after” + Past Simple + Present Perfect
Is it okay to use "after" with Past Simple in the subordinate clause and then Present Perfect in the main clause?
For example:
After Marry married John, Jack has been very reticent about ...
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5answers
120 views
What's the problem with “Colonization hundreds of years ago is held accountable for such situation”?
I wrote the following sentence.
Colonization hundreds of years ago is held accountable for such situation.
I think I have used "hundreds of years ago" as a modifier of "colonization&...
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0answers
21 views
What type are these two sentences with imperative clauses
Quotes are from The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
Remember, no matter how little you want to, that you must eat him
in the morning.
Remember, he said to himself.
I thought the second one ...
0
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1answer
32 views
Difference: “the product being sold” and “the product sold”
The commercial is focused on the embarrassment that someone can experience when the product being sold isn’t used.
Is it correct or is there any difference if I use delete "being" from the ...
asked Dec 15 '20 at 11:35
HypnoticBuggyWraithVirileBevy
1,8291 gold badge7 silver badges24 bronze badges
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1answer
25 views
to whom I talked only once
Below is a sentence I wrote. Not sure if the relative clause here is natural.
It's rude to call a girl with whom I had only one talk by her pet name.
I wonder if it will be better to use a verb here....
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1answer
33 views
go on an exchange program to US
Last year, he went on a foreign exchange program to the US.
I am quite confident that the sentence above is perfectly natural as I found several similar sentences in the COCA(Corpus of contemporary ...
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0answers
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“be vigilant that +SVO,” what grammatica part does the “that clause” play?
When leading hiking tours, for example, guides must be vigilant that groups don’t trample native plants or disturb wild animals.
I understand the sentence semantically, but the thing is I am not able ...
asked Nov 14 '20 at 13:05
HypnoticBuggyWraithVirileBevy
1,8291 gold badge7 silver badges24 bronze badges
0
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1answer
36 views
independent clause, subject + past participle+…?
Massive boulders, shipped from as far away as the Northwest Territories, echo the curvaceous form of the museum building, its rough-hewn limestone surface meant to recall a cliff face sculptured by ...
asked Nov 9 '20 at 13:36
HypnoticBuggyWraithVirileBevy
1,8291 gold badge7 silver badges24 bronze badges
0
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1answer
26 views
Is the word “as” a preposition in the sentence “He ran as though his life depended on it”?
Is the word "as" a preposition in the sentence "He ran as though his life depended on it"?
I'm 99% sure that it's not, due to the verb "depended". I just want to be 100% ...
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0answers
23 views
The usage of “preposition+noun”
Under the siege was the hardest time.
Through the long hard slog was depressing.
Through the wood is the nearest way.
I’ll give you until the next morning.
Are those sentences natural?
I’m wondering ...
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1answer
61 views
Which one of the following sentences is syntactically correct?
I have 2 sentences and I can't decide which one is syntactically correct:
"If you want to leave a comment all exam participants will see, click here"
"If you want to leave a comment for ...
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0answers
44 views
Which is correct: “A that involves neither X, Y nor Z” or “A that does neither involve X, Y nor Z” or both?
I wonder which is correct in the standard varities of English:
"A problem that involves neither you, (nor) me, nor him" or "A problem that does neither involve you, (nor) me, nor him&...
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1answer
1k views
“Her this behavior” vs “this behavior of her”
Suppose a girl did something wrong that showed us her real face. Now if I want to say that I don't like her behavior, how do I say?
I don't like her this behavior
I don't like this behavior of her.
...
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0answers
28 views
Why isn't present participle correct in “feeling both personal and cultural”?
In an ACT English test:
Dismayed by the loss, ___ both personal and cultural, Santiago responded through his art.
Why is "which felt" the accepted one for filling the blank while not "...
asked Oct 3 '20 at 9:35
HypnoticBuggyWraithVirileBevy
1,8291 gold badge7 silver badges24 bronze badges
0
votes
1answer
36 views
What could speaker mean by asking “Oh, it is, is it?”
I found this in English syntax textbook.
What could speaker mean by using "is it" instead of "isn't"
The whole example goes like this:
My advice to you is to wait.
Unfortunately, ...
0
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1answer
19 views
Adverb inversion with an adjective
It is designed especially for dogs.
Can 'for' qualify 'especially,' but not 'designed'? That is, can the preposition phrase modifies adverb in this case? Thank you in advance.
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1answer
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the right way of connecting the if-clause with other clauses
What's the right way of connecting the if-clause with other clauses in a complex sentence?
Should I just use a comma?:
If there are still some issues that haven’t not been dealt with over
one month, ...
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0answers
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Is “The Department of Culture and Sports” the subject of this sentence?
My friend and I have recently got a lingering debate on defining the subject of a contracted clause below:
The Department of Culture and Sports called on male civil servants at the department to wear ...
0
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1answer
31 views
Grammar: as vs like
I'm an English learer. I have a little question. Is it correct to say that sometimes the words "as" and "like" have the same meaning in the colloquial English?
Instead of saying &...
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1answer
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“X rode Y to school” - is this grammatically correct?
This question is based on https://www.learncbse.in/ncert-solutions-for-class-2-english-chapter-2. To summarize, Haldi is a girl who got lift from Smiley (a giraffe) to her school. Now, is the ...
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2answers
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Why “He was made to pay” and not “he was made pay”?
I understand that after the verb MAKE, the verb that follows should be written without TO, Example: "They made him pay all the money" however, why it sound so correct to me: "He was ...
0
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1answer
238 views
Doubt in Subject verb agreement
I have a doubt in the following question:
Shakespeare is one of the greatest dramatists that ____ ever lived.
I want to know what will complete the sentence.
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1answer
49 views
Do Relative pronouns and Relative Adverbs have the same function in a sentence?
Consider the following sentences:
This is the house that Jack built.
This is the place where he was assaulted.
In the above sentences, why is "that" in 1 a relative pronoun and "where&...
