Questions tagged [verbs]
A verb is a word used to describe an action, state, or occurrence.
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3answers
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Can you use two verbs in simple past tense in a row like this?
Is the usage of the verbs "measured & compared" correct in the following sentence?
We will assess network performance in this regard measured compared to the protocol which hops over other ...
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1answer
24 views
The grammatical role of “did” in “and so did people’s lungs”
What is the grammatical role of "did" in the following excerpt of a passage?:
The smoke just went out the same hatchway that people used for going
in and out themselves. So there would have been ...
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1answer
22 views
Complements: -ing form or infinitives
Not sure if this was already discussed, but I am confused about the use of -ing form/infinitives as complements. I've found in several threads in Stack Exchange that the verb "to be" has to be ...
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1answer
14 views
Planning to give a gift from team to a team mate [on hold]
Is the below sentence correct.
Planning to present Mary for her wedding.
Educate me if I am wrong.
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0answers
35 views
Verb Endings. When to add 's' to a verb
Why in this word the ending s is not used? This sentence is from J.Cole's song January 28th.
Cole is the hypnotist, control the game whenever he snap(s)
That's every track
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3answers
51 views
What are some spelling rules for deciding if a verb is regular?
Definition of regular conjugateable verb is that it is not an irregular verb but is there some spelling rules to decide that verb is regular for students until they memorise all the irregular verbs?...
5
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1answer
25 views
Transitive equivalent of “drag on”
I know that we can use "drag on" for something that is progressing slowly or lasts longer than expected. For example:
The meeting dragged on for 5 hours.
Is there any way to make this transitive? ...
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2answers
48 views
Verb that comes after “to”
Why saying:
"It is equivalent to saying that"
is true rather than:
"It is equivalent to say that"
I always get confused about using the word after "to" because when I was learning English I ...
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1answer
23 views
Is “An explanation what is the foundation of this stuff.” correct?
I was writing my thoughts and put it like that at first:
An explanation what is the foundation of this stuff. (&)
Then I thought: "Wait, shouldn't is be at the end?", so I rephrased the ...
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1answer
28 views
Appropriate verbs to describe future goals
When I want to describe my future goals such as short-term and long-term goals, which verb would be the most appropriate verb? TO BE or WOULD?
1- My short-term goal after graduation would be to ...
1
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1answer
34 views
Meanings of must have had [closed]
I have to analyse these two sentences:
He must have had a business meeting the next morning.
He must have had a lot of money because the furniture looked expensive.
The verb “must have had” ...
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1answer
33 views
“They should be committed”
I have come accross a very strange use of the verb "to be committed". It's from the Curious Savage:
DR. EMMETT. How could they possibly have believed you?
MRS. SAVAGE. They should be committed, ...
3
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1answer
22 views
To do a spoiler or to spoiler?
How can I say "to say something to someone that reveals something significant about a piece of media or a piece of software"?
Should I say "to spoiler", "to do a spoiler", "to spoil"…? Are both ...
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2answers
231 views
How to describe your ambition in two parts?
I want to explain my general ambition separately in two parts. Is the following sentence grammatically and literally correct? How about using "consist" as a verb for subject (ambition)? If it seems ...
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2answers
32 views
Should it be “expand” in this sentence?
This is a line I came across in someone's bio. Apparently the author is not a native speaker of English. The verb extend strikes me as somewhat unusual. Although extend has the sense cause to cover a ...
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1answer
45 views
How to determine subject of verb in a complicated sentence?
For the following sentence:
The rise in recent criminal attack incidents in the world indicate the impotency of law.
There are many nouns in the sentence before the verb indicate such as:
rise
...
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2answers
37 views
Is the expression “sealed in” grammatically correct?
Three 100 dollar bills were placed in an envelope, and then the envelope was
sealed.
I want to know whether it is possible to combine the two sentences above as follows:
Three 100 dollar bills ...
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1answer
8 views
Which of the two words sounds more natural and common to native speakers? “Though merging/merged…”
You know that the word 'merge' is both transitive and intransitive. Then in the following sentence, which of the two sounds more natural and common to native speakers? And why?
Though (merging/...
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1answer
31 views
verb form: require or requiring?
An Australian colleague of mine wrote the following sentence:
How many toilets requiring maintenance is difficult to foresee.
I'd like to know whether the verbal requiring is in the correct form ...
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2answers
24 views
Should I take a look to see if there are?
Should I take a look to see if there are the people who raise dogs ?
Q: In the above sentence, can I replace "should" with "would"? thanks in advance!
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1answer
23 views
Wrong Tense or Verb Form. Why is it? (-ing vs -to verb form)
1.Burnett,L., 2001, 15 frequently occuring grammatical mistakes, The Learning Centre, UNSW, Sydney
My questions:
Compare these sentences:
1.They were required filling out a long form before ...
0
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1answer
30 views
work out meaning in context
I cannot understand which one of the following definitions for "work out" is appropriate for the piece of a conversation's one!
Advisor: Well, good. So, bookstore isn’t working out?
Student: ...
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2answers
38 views
'Go through with something' and 'get something over with'
Could you let me know if these two phrasal verbs have the synonymous meanings ?
a) I'd better to go through with the homework.
b) I'd better to get the homework over with.
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1answer
27 views
Why in some situations comes ing?
In the following sentence:
The governor's assistant claimed to have unique psychic abilities
enabling him to read people's minds.
How can we know to use a verb with ing form? Like "enabling" in ...
1
vote
1answer
21 views
“Would have liked to take” versus “Would have liked to have taken”
I'm reading Thackeray's Vanity Fair, and I need something clarified.
The full sentence reads, "When they were married, Pitt would have liked to take a hymeneal tour with his bride, as became people ...
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0answers
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Type of usage and distinction of phrases
He lived a crime-free life and continued to do good until his demise, a victim of a 'cold-blooded assassination' allegedly done by a paid assassin.
He lived a crime-free life and continued to do good,...
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0answers
43 views
“Placed second” or “was placed second” BrE/AmE?
The Bears' 2V8 placed second in its repechage in a close race to earn a spot in the A/B semifinals. (source)
This is a line from a Brown University sports team about a race. The Oxford Dictionaries, ...
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1answer
24 views
Determiners usage with phrases
Our life was fine until we experienced Rocky, the/a neighbour's dog that chases our cat.
Are the determiners always necessary to govern the connection of the noun phrase with the rest of the sentence ...
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2answers
39 views
Tell someone of something vs tell someone something
He told me of the story.
He told me the story.
Isn't it certain that he said to me the whole story in the 1st unlike in the 2nd?
I think that the main difference between the two sentences ...
0
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2answers
43 views
Which verb goes with “achievement” [closed]
I am writing a research paper and I'm trying to figure to which one goes with achievement can somebody please help me?
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1answer
24 views
Why “ask someone on something” impossible?
There are similar verbs to "ask" in meaning or structure, such as "question" and "advise".
Both verbs can take "on" as in the examples below, but why do native speakers feel "on" very unnatural only ...
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2answers
29 views
Is the phrase “might have not been able to~” grammatically wrong? [closed]
Is the phrase "might have not been able to~" grammatically wrong? If it's wrong, why is that?
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1answer
21 views
Does “to look at” mean something similar to “looking at” in this context?
1) I was in the zoo to look at/see the animals.
2) I was in the zoo looking at the animals.
3) I went to the zoo to look at/see the animals.
Does the first sentence mean something similar to either ...
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1answer
46 views
What is the grammar name
Hey i am not an English speaker and i have and easy question the nouns fish and shop etc when you make it verb its fishing shopping the question is there a grammar or schedule that shows how to turn ...
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1answer
29 views
“waver one's determination” [closed]
She never wavers in her determination to shoot for the moon
She never wavers her determination to shoot for the moon.
My question is whether waver can be used as a transitive verb that can ...
0
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1answer
32 views
Why “have” is not a linking verb
Have can be a state of being verb. And a state of being verb is a linking verb. Why is have not a linking verb? Look at the following examples:
"He has a degree in linguistics" is the same as "he is ...
2
votes
1answer
64 views
Is “have” a copular verb
I wonder if have is also considered as a copular verb beside be. The reason is that have can sometimes be used as state of being like be. For example, we say "he has a degree in linguistics", which is ...
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4answers
27 views
Leave, pour or drop [closed]
I would like others to tell me which verb is correct in these sentences. Is there another verb which fits best?
I was leaving sand from my hand slowly.
I was dropping sand from my hand ...
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1answer
27 views
“Hand it over” vs. “give it to me”
I want to know in which situation we don’t use the indirect object.
For instance,
Hand over:
He also handed over a letter of apology from the Prime Minister.
'I've got his card,' Judith ...
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2answers
55 views
When is “ing” used in for actions in the past?
In the sentence
We went cycling.
Why is there an added "ing" in cycling?
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1answer
30 views
Is it possible to use drop by with in/to/on
Are these possible?
I dropped by in a shop on my way home.
I dropped by to a shop on my way home.
I dropped by on a shop on my way home.
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1answer
17 views
The use of “prevent” with another verb
Which is more idiomatic/correct or formal/technical:
X prevents Y from moving further into Z
X prevents Y to move further into Z
X prevents the diffusion of Y further into the Z
The first sentence ...
0
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0answers
16 views
Is there any difference between “limited to” and “limited up to”?
I found the sentence below on Southwest Airlines website:
Southwest Airlines' liability for lost, damaged, or delayed baggage
is limited to $3,500.00 per fare-paying Customer.
Does changing "...
0
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1answer
23 views
Should I use a gerund or a regular verb in this sentence
Consider this sentence:
One can observe a sharp fall in/of the IL’s electrostatic potential occurs/occurring in/at the center of bulk water.
Is it "occurs" or "occurring". The sentence explains an ...
2
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1answer
22 views
The verb that follows “help”
I wrote:
MD simulations can help [to] gain molecular-level insights into the behavior of solutes in a specific biphasic system.
I'm not sure if it is "help gain" or "help to gain", or maybe "help ...
1
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1answer
22 views
What is the subject of “to find” in this sentence?
I can't figure out the subject of "to find" in this sentence from a book. It appears to me it should connect with Each habit demands appropriate conditions, making appropriate conditions its subject. ...
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1answer
33 views
LIVE in the past or LIVED in the past
In the sentence below:
Artifacts represent how people live in the past
Or
Artifacts represent how people lived in the past
When the "people" in the sentence are already dead, which verb tense ...
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1answer
82 views
The difference between “complain” and “complaint” [closed]
What is the difference between "complain" and "complaint" (and also "to complain" and "to complaint")?
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0answers
26 views
would be/ was/ were - differences [duplicate]
1.Around midnight, as we left the previous year behind and moved into the new year, my mom would be busy cooking for the guests. I didn't like crowds so I stayed in the living room watching the telly.
...
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2answers
39 views
Are “walk” and “run” only for humans
I'd like to know if verbs walk and run are only used for humans. I think that walk is, but not sure about run.
