Questions tagged [verbs]
A verb is a word used to describe an action, state, or occurrence.
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Is "become 10°C" correct?
Turn off the switch when the temperature becomes 10°C.
Turn off the switch when the temperature becomes equal to 10°C.
Out of the two sentences I created, I think the second is better, but redundant. ...
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1answer
17 views
"(Deal / Grapple) with something" VS "(Tackle / address) something"
Deal with something:
to take action in order to achieve something or in order to solve a problem.
Grapple with something:
to try to deal with or understand a difficult problem or subject.
Tackle ...
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0answers
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Is ‘hunger’ a verb or a noun? [closed]
‘The hunger is killing me.’ In this sentence is the word ‘hunger’ a verb or a noun? Or is this sentence grammatically wrong?
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Using the proper pronoun
I was wondering which preposition is more idiomatic here:
To get a shuttle taxi all you have to do is to stand beside the street and just look interested. If a taxi driver wants to pick you up, ..... ...
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1answer
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'Enough' : adverb of degree modifying verbs
Unlike other adverbs of degree, enough can only modify adverbs and adjectives.
(https://www.thefreedictionary.com/Adverbs-of-Degree.htm)
Isn't enough used to modify verbs too?
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Where do I can find the real-world-based and trusted-worthy English verb tenses exercises? [migrated]
I have been heavily focusing on learning English tenses for a month, but I can not find real-world-based exercises.
To me, all workbooks I have known are just sandboxing exercises. They have isolated ...
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1answer
23 views
What is the correct verb to describe the situation below?
He calculated its value less than the expected value.
In this sentence I want to say that he made a mistake and the value he calculated is less than expected value.Is my sentence correct or is there ...
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17 views
Future tense + condition + past tense
I'll let you know if I changed my mind
I'll let you know if I change my mind
Which one is correct? I suppose both, but with different meanings?
What I want to communicate is that I don't know if I'...
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Which verb form is used when telling about an action that may be completed by some time in the future?
"Call me in a week; I may/might HAVE CHANGED my mind by then"
"Call me in a week; I may/might CHANGE my mind by then"
Which version is right? If both are used by native-speakers, ...
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2answers
30 views
Blessed are the undefiled in the way [closed]
The word blessed describes what? The undefiled in the way or just the word undefiled? Is the word undefiled used as noun? Why is it in past tense?
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32 views
When Talking about a specific time frame in the past, should have or had be used?
In the statements given below, since the activity is happening in the past, I thought past perfect tense would be used, but 'have/has' feels more natural to me. Please clarify the usage of has/have ...
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"Think (noun)" in phrases meaning "Think of (noun)"/ "Like (noun)"
There is a colloquial type of phrasing where think functions as an adverb, similar in meaning to like. Example:
There have been people in history that overturned previous cultural paradigms. Think ...
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1answer
138 views
Sentences structure subject+verb+object+adjectives
I read this sentence:
You'd boil the kettle dry.
Shouldn't there be an adverb to describe the verb boil like dryly? Why has dry been used which is an adjective?
Secondly following the same sentence ...
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1answer
33 views
Verbs to use with tattoo
Which verbs do you use with tattoes and is adding "tattoo" after each word required, I mean "a mermaid tattoo", "a star tattoo" "a flower tattoo"?
"I like ...
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2answers
208 views
...major changes 'on / in' people's lifestyle
I was wondering which verb below sounds more natural in the following case. Also please let me know which one of the prepositions below is grammatically correct?
Due to financial problems, it is hard ...
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1answer
23 views
What's the difference between Passive Causative and just Passive Voice?
In a clause with passive voice, the grammatical subject expresses the theme or patient of the main verb – that is, the person or thing that undergoes the action or has its state changed.
-My homework ...
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1answer
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What verb goes with "degree project"?
As the heading says: what would be the best verb to use with "degree project"? Do a degree project? Carry out a degree project? Write a degree project? Something else entirely?
Examples:
...
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1answer
26 views
Infinitive - omitable "to be"
Is there any explanantion in theoretical grammar why «to be» in some sentences is allowed to be omitted when used with Adjectives and Nouns as Complements and in some cases it is prohibited.
a) I ...
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Is there a guide for English verb tenses? [migrated]
My native tongue is Mandarin. In Mandarin, there are no verb tenses. I'm wondering what are some top guides (or books) to refer to if I want to learn about using English verb tenses properly?
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3answers
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Why is the singular verb "is" used with two things in this sentence?
There are more than 700 million cell phones used in the US today and at least 140 million of those cell phone users will abandon their current phone for a new phone every 14-18 months. I’m not one of ...
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0answers
37 views
Can I use "WhatsApp" as a verb in a sentence, and if so what will be the appropriate preposition with it? [duplicate]
Is the sentence "You can WhatsApp me at +91*******" correct and can I use "WhatsApp" as a verb here. I'm confused between the prepositions "WhatsApp me at" and "...
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1answer
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"Wear" Vs "Put on"
I was wondering which option **does not sound natural in each case and why:
Case #1:
Hey, sweet pie, you've ...... your shirt inside out. Turn it over. (Told a mother to her child.)
a. worn
b. ...
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1answer
50 views
What does "ignore," used when somebody give me instructions on reading text on some pages and what to do with those pages, mean?
Imagine somebody gives me some instructions I need to follow when reading some pages, and those instructions tell me what I have to do with those pages, and those instructions are the following.
...
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1answer
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Leave / Put someone somewhere
We can freely use "put / leave something somewhere", like in:
I'm sure I (put / left) the keys right there, but they are not there now!
But I need to know whether they both can be used ...
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1answer
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"Calm down" VS "Get calm" [closed]
After a series of bad events, my life is just ............. and I want to maintain that peace.
a.getting calm (this is the correct answer here, but I need to make sure whether there is a better idiom ...
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1answer
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"Dominate" VS "Have control over"
According to the Cambridge definitions, dominate someone / something means to have control over them. Accordingly, I think in my following cases, both sentences in each pair mean the same.
I was ...
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2answers
79 views
Is there a pattern for -able verbs turning into -ible?
So there is the -able suffix for verbs, but some verbs take -ible instead. Is there a rule for which verbs would take which form? Perhaps depending on the pronounciation of the verb?
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2answers
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Using the verbs "Leave" and "Move" when it comes to a vehicle
Let's suppose it's 5 o'clock in the afternoon and you're in a train that will leave at 5:30.
Someone calls you and asks if the train has left the station or it's still there.
You reply:
No, the train ...
2
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2answers
37 views
"It will spend you an hour" vs "It will take you an hour"
"It will spend you an hour," is incorrect grammatically, I know this. "It will take you an hour," is the correct form, but I don't know why.
Similarly, both "you will spend an ...
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2answers
53 views
Can "is" be interchangeable with "has"? [closed]
In these lines from George Harrison's "I Live For You":
Not a thing in this world do I own
Only sadness from all that is grown
the way I see it I could rewrite it as:
Not a thing in this ...
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1answer
22 views
One half dread, one half excitement
This sentence:
I half dread half excited for that.
is obviously wrong, because separately it'd be
I dread that
or
I am excited for that
But I do not now how to say it together. Can you please give ...
3
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1answer
36 views
Be revenged on someone
I don't understand this construction of revenge as a verb (example from google dictionary):
"I'll be revenged on the whole pack of you"
And also given in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary ...
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2answers
28 views
What is the 'quiet' version of reciting?
I have often used the verb "recite" to mean reading from the memory. But just recently found that the accurate meaning is doing it aloud or in front of an audience:
Cambridge dictionary:
to ...
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1answer
14 views
Is a particular meaning of "to decline" missing a noun?
When I check with the net about to decline, I see a number of verbs with various meanings. At the same place, I can also see a number of nouns corresponding to them.
to decline: to grow smaller has a ...
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1answer
19 views
When to use speak or speaking [closed]
I have a habit of saying "I am quite used to speak English"
I know it should be "speaking".
Can someone explain why in simple terms. I'm trying to understand but I'm still confused
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0answers
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What verb to use with Only
Which sentence is correct? Which verb should I use when only is present at the beginning of the sentence?
Only me and Alia was there
Only me and Alia were there
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1answer
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Word order and inversion in English
I've read some articles on the rules of word order in English, but still have many questions when it comes to particular situations. For example, do the following sentences sound natural, or I need to ...
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3answers
44 views
Can the verb "to impress someone with something" be used in a negative way?
I am quoting from the Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, The Greek Interpreter by Arthur Conan Doyle:
His visitor, on entering his rooms, had drawn a life-preserver from his sleeve, and had so impressed him ...
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1answer
40 views
Singular or plural with 'and'
When we join two or more nouns with 'and', we usually use plural verbs, as in
Lara and Pete decide to get married.
I know there are exceptions. For example, when we think of them all as one thing.
...
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2answers
28 views
Avoid Repetition of to be verb
Is the following sentence idiomatic?
This running cloud is my grandfather, that cloud my father and that big one my tired mother.
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1answer
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Cut (verb) - to reduce or to remove/stop
Context: Doctor asks me to cut smoking.
Dictionary says that cut when being used by itself means to reduce (in size/amount). However, it could also mean to remove (parts from a film, book, speech).
I ...
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2answers
80 views
Why use "has" instead of "have" in "Has your course started yet?", since it is in the second person?
I saw this question in the book "English Grammar in Use, Fifth Edition" by Louise Hashemi on page 15, the question is:
...(your course/start yet)?
Not Yet. It starts next week.
And the ...
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1answer
53 views
Does "we inform the next week seminars information." sound natural to native English speakers?
I currently work at a research institution, where various academic seminars are held nearly every week, and I receive a seminar information email from my colleague every week. It's more or less like ...
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3answers
4k views
Which is more appropriate? "I was married" OR "I have been married"?
Suppose, we're (I and my wife) asked by people how long our marriage is since we got married. Which tense should I use? Past tense or perfect tense or else?
We were married for 15 years.
We've been ...
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1answer
30 views
Does " I will go at x o'clock," imply I will arrive at said time, or does it imply I will have left for the bar at said time
For example, If I were to say, "I will go to the bar at two o'clock," does it imply I will arrive at said time, or does it imply I will have left for the bar at said time.
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3answers
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Is the word "suicide" a verb?
According to some authoritative dictionaries, like Oxford and Cambridge, the word "suicide" can ONLY be used as a noun. With that said, you can't say "A wants to suicide", but need ...
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1answer
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Is it correct to use the present perfect after a second conditional?
Given the following scenario:
I had some books; I read them all; I gave them away.
Would it be correct to follow this up - in reference to the present - with the present perfect?
...but even if I ...
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1answer
48 views
Difference between did and was/were in the past tense [closed]
I am looking / would like to learn basic difference or understanding when to use did and was/were in the past tense.
looking answer with example that will be greatly appreciated from the community.
...
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1answer
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"walk away" meaning in this sentence
I'd never taken an accounting course, never run a business, never even had savings of my own to manage. I'd stumbled into a job at Salomon Brothers in 1985, and stumbled out, richer, in 1988, and ...
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1answer
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The subject and will change position to form questions
I learned that we must change the subject to form questions using will.
But today while watching a movie I saw a question that they didn't change.
Example:
The subject and will change position to form ...
