Questions tagged [verbs]

A verb is a word used to describe an action, state, or occurrence.

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Gerund POS classification [duplicate]

Following up on my previous question I am trying to find the proper parts of speech (POS) Tag for "Hiking interest rates" and "Cutting interest rates" in the context of the ...
Celius Stingher's user avatar
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"Born"— Adjective or Verb in this context?

Her brother was born blind. In this context,"Born" is an Adjective or verb? Webster defines it as "Adjective" while OALD defines it as "Verb".
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A kind word and forgiveness

After a to-infinitive, we can use a singular verb as in: To speak kind a word and to forgive is good. This is grammatical. But when the construction is like the following: A kind word and ...
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Why C and B are the correct answers? Is the bold part a conditional type?

While small amounts of other minerals ---1--- the savory hill, the salt pile would have a near translucent quality if not for the thin layer of reddish clay ---2--- the exterior. A. pervades B. is ...
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Can a phrase like "being honest" be considered a verb?

If I have a sentence like "I was talking with her", "talking" is clearly the verb, right? If I construct a similar sentence, "I was being honest with her", is "being ...
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it's high time or time

Do we always use past simple after "it's about time"? It's about time we worked but it was about time we had worked or just worked and only past simple is acceptable after "it's time&...
Samgra's user avatar
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3 answers
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Can I say «The car is riding on the floor fast”?

I try to comment on my son’s actions while he’s playing with his toys. He mostly play with his cars. How should I describe the moving of the toy on the surface in order to sound natural and ...
Kate's user avatar
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2 answers
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Is this grammar correct? "New rules are adhere to"

Today I learned several vocabs including "adhere to". Also the teacher said that "New rules are adhere to" is also grammatically correct and used normally. However, I think that it ...
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How to say "to prepare a place for sleeping" (for example to put a sheet, blanket and pillow on the bed)?

How to say "to prepare a place for sleeping"? I mean "to put a sheet, blanket and pillow on the surface where someone will sleep (usually it's a bed)". For example: The host of a ...
Loviii's user avatar
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2 votes
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Why is 'is' used in this sentence rather than 'was'?

Here are the sentences : Since life began in the oceans, most life, including freshwater life, has a chemical composition more like the ocean than fresh water. It appears that most freshwater life did ...
gourmet's user avatar
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Is ellipsis in this sentence grammatically correct?

In the theater of semiotic warfare corporations are a priori suspect, and legitimization essential. Is this ellipsis (the omission of is after legitimization) correct?
Arseny Aleev's user avatar
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Passive voice with it and infinitive

Practical English Usage says: A few verbs that are followed by infinitives (for example decide, agree) can also be used in passive structures beginning with it. They decided to meet at twelve. -> ...
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The dentist fixed/has fixed my tooth

John chips his tooth while eating peanuts. He then goes to the dentist, and the dentist fills in the chip in his tooth. In about an hour, John, who's still having pain in his fixed tooth, bumps into ...
prof1589's user avatar
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1 answer
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Verb omission in English. "Enemy down" without any linking verb

Why are there no linking verbs in the following examples? Enemy down Feet dry Feet wet Mission completed Shouldn't it be "the enemy is downed" or "the enemy has been downed"? &...
Petr Vatov's user avatar
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1 answer
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Verb for splitting something into eighths

Can you complete the following with the right verb: Half it (1/2) Quarter it (1/4) .......it (1/8)
Daylight's user avatar
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Questions about verbs

70% (700) of the total data is used as training data, and the remaining 20% (200) are used as validation data. I am in the process of creating presentation PPT materials. Is are used as correct in ...
seo hyun's user avatar
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Is the expression "I'm wearing shorts and sandals in the morning" correct?

The time expression "In the morning" can imply a different moment, not necessarily something which is happning at the moment of speaking. idea
Javier Fuentes's user avatar
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Can "find that" be followed by a subjunctive clause, i.e. bare form of verb is used instead of inflectional form

I saw the following sentence in a book that I'm reading: We will therefore find it imperative that the real number system which we're in the process of constructing also exhibit these qualities. It ...
Tran Khanh's user avatar
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7 answers
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Why can’t one use the verb 'to stay' in “Two yoghurts stayed in the fridge”?

"After he finished eating, only two yoghurts stayed in the fridge". Why should I use 'were left' instead of 'stayed' in this sentence?
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At weekends they prefer to stay home and visit some friends

I am wondering how this sentence is to be paraphrased: At weekends they prefer to stay home and visit some friends. I am not sure which ones are close to the original: They like to remain in their ...
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2 answers
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Are causative verbs transitive or intrasitive? [closed]

Question 1: I have had my hair cut. Here is 'my hair' an object or a complement? Question 2: Are causatives transitive or intrasitive verb? Question 3: what is passive causative?
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5 answers
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The word that describes the feeling when you're disgusted by a certain taste

Imagine that you're having a really sweet and high-fat piece of cake. At first, you can have it just fine, but after a while you get sick of its overwhelming taste. How do I describe that I am now ...
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Are linking verbs a sub-class of intrasitive or a distinct category?

Are linking verbs a sub-class of intrasitive or a distinct category?
Salim uddin's user avatar
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1 answer
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"in a way that somebody agrees is of a good enough standard or allowed" — Why is it grammatical to place “agrees” and “is” next to each other?

one of the meanings of "acceptably" from oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com: (1) ​acceptably - in a way that somebody agrees is of a good enough standard or allowed The two consecutive verbs &...
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If we can “give someone a call”, why can't we “give a phone call”?

According to Cambridge Dictionary a phone call (also phonecall) is something that you make, and provides the following examples Will you excuse me? I need to make a phone call. I've got a few phone ...
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Fall or fall down/ fall off

Is it correct if I say: He was repairing the bulb when he fell. (not fell down or fell off, just fell without any preposition after fell)
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3 answers
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Why do some type 1 conditional sentences use "can" instead of "will be able to"?

I've always thought that when using a type 1 conditional, we should always use "will/won't be able to" instead of "can/can't", but then I come up with some contexts where "can/...
Skywarrior's user avatar
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2 answers
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Why doesn’t this sentence use “will be able to”?

I think the future form of can is will be able to, and when using type 1 conditional, we should use future tense in the main clause, but then I think in some cases, “will be able to” sounds weird. I ...
Skywarrior's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
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When we can't use “can” instead of “be able to”?

I had to think about it for a while, but finally I was able to solve this problem. Why can't I use "could" instead of "was able to" in this sentence?
Elizabeth's user avatar
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Transitive and intransitive verbs, parallelism and object [closed]

This is my second question marked to be closed. If I knew the language very well, I wouldn't ask any questions here. I removed the original question. Let the moderators write the question here the way ...
South Indian ɪŋɡlɪʃɪfaɪd's user avatar
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identify the predicate and verb phrase

Identify the predicate and verb phrase - "Women should wear long sleeves and long dresses or trousers, so their body is covered."
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Can we use 'each column or row uses', since they are not alive?

Fill in the grid so that each column or row only uses the same number once. Each grid uses three different numbers. This sentence does not sound not logical to me. My question is whether a grid and a ...
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-1 votes
2 answers
137 views

What is the meaning of "lying over under all plain sail"?

(From The Wrecker by Robert Louis Stevenson and Lloyd Osbourne, Chapter XI (last sentences), published 1892) Or was it really the eye, and not rather the heart, that identified that shadow in the ...
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1 answer
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What does "I had found the time to hover at some half a dozen jewellers' windows" mean in this context? [closed]

(From The Wrecker by Robert Louis Stevenson and Lloyd Osbourne, Chapter XI, published 1892) This characteristic scene, which has delayed me overlong, was but a moment in that day of exercise and ...
philphil's user avatar
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2 answers
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Phrasal verbs 101

Many phrasal verbs make the language more aurally pleasent for example: "Hear me out!".The verb "hear" means "listen" but it doesnt sound well if you say "Hear me&...
Cerise's user avatar
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1 answer
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The meaning of the verb "to rake [one's gaze]"

I have a question about the verb "rake" in this sentence: He raked his gaze over me. What does it mean particularly in this sentence? And what does "over me" indicate here? ...
Iszhar's user avatar
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1 answer
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What does "We must hack it" mean in the following context?

What does "We must hack it" mean in the following context? “Stop this, Pinkerton,” I broke in. “I know the address: 924 Mission Street.” I do not know whether Pinkerton or Bellairs was the ...
philphil's user avatar
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Help me to understand the construction "Why + noun / adjective / adverb ?" in which there is not a verb

I came across the sentence "Why + noun phrase?". This construction is not quite clear to me because it doesn't have a verb. britannica.com: (1a) Why the hurry? What is the full version of (...
Loviii's user avatar
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Categorisation of verbs

I am confused about verbs. Have seen the following categorisation: Past Simple Past Perfect Past Continuous Past Perfect Continuous Past Subjunctive I understand that Past is a Tense. But what about ...
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asked for ten dollars

a. He asked me for ten dollars for using his calculator for an hour. b. He asked me for ten dollars to use his calculator for an hour. c. He asked ten dollars for using his calculator for an hour. d. ...
azz's user avatar
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I paid him money to stay in his house

a. I paid him money to stay in his house. b. I paid him money for staying in his house. Which sentence should be used if I paid him but ended up not staying in his house? Which sentence should be used ...
azz's user avatar
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2 votes
2 answers
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In this sentence, what are the main subject and the main verb?

Consider the following sentence: Though this was not a very good opportunity for showing off her knowledge, as there was no one to listen to her. In that sentence, what are the main subject and the ...
Jayjay's user avatar
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3 votes
2 answers
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Verb for putting a stick through a hole

Imagine a doughnut. Imagine a stick. Imagine using the stick to lift it by [pushing/putting] the stick through the hole in that doughnut. What is the correct verb for the act of putting the stick ...
YSN's user avatar
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Repeating the verb 'had' in a sentence

Svarbhanu had gulped his share of the nectar and become immortal. This is a sentence I've written myself hoping that the verb 'had' applies to both the words 'gulped' and 'become'. Or do I need to ...
Shoes's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
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Is "reach for help" a valid expression?

I have been using "reach for help" as an alternative to "seek help" or "ask for help" in a university paper I am writing. Someone pointed out that "reach for help&...
raquelhortab's user avatar
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'Focus' as a reporting verb?

The builders focused on dealing with the problems. In this example, 'focus' is classed as a reporting verb. I'm afraid I don't understand this at all. My understanding is that reporting verbs are ...
Shiver me zithers's user avatar
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What'the meaning of "break and run"

What is the meaning of break in this sentence "he'd broke and run". For the context: it's a boy bullying by three other boys. They holding him to hurting him. When one of the bullies " ...
Elo's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
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Is it correct and natural to say/write: "He was struck by a satellite."?

I'm in the middle of watching the TV series "Northern Exposure." In one of the episodes, one person died because of an accident. Can I say/write: "He was struck by a satellite." Is ...
Codewife_101's user avatar
0 votes
3 answers
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Be and become - I have become/been happy already

Example 1 A: oh you are smiling now. A moment ago, you were mad. B: I have become happy already. Example 2 A: oh you are smiling now. A moment ago, you were mad. B: I have been happy already. I ...
vincentlin's user avatar
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3 votes
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Don't need/won't need/won't be needing

At the moment I am in a hotel and a gentleman asked me if I am going to need housekeeping today. My answer was: "No, thank you. I don't need housekeeping today". Was that correct? Should I ...
Kat's user avatar
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