Questions tagged [verbs]
A verb is a word used to describe an action, state, or occurrence.
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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 ...
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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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In this sentence, should I use "hit" or "hits"?
In this sentence, should I use hit or hits?
I threw a small stone, then I was worried about a car with a driver
inside; if the stone hit the car, I would be miserable.
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How should I (know)?
Question: Do you know who it could be?
Response: How the hell should I (know)?
Would it be natural to leave out (know) in the response?
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When "much" is used as an adverb, can it be used to modify a verb?
When "much" is used as an adverb, can it be used to modify a verb? Does "We all love him much" make sense to you, native speakers?
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Can the verb "go" take an object (like a transitive verb)?
This is probably a simple question to answer (why or why not), but every answer I see about the verb "go" just says that it is transitive. For example, various websites say that "The ...
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When do we use was/were with "headed", and when can it be omitted?
For instance, in a sentence such as this:
Joe Biden headed for the White House on Monday for a meeting with Kamala Harris.
What would the correct form be — Joe Biden was headed or Joe Biden headed?
Noob understanding grammar
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Verb for someone who refuses to repay money
What's the verb to say the behavior of someone who refuse to repay the money he owed?
(Even if he knows it and is able to pay it back.)
As far as I know, there is a commonly used noun which called ...
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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)
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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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What does the verbal phrase 'presented to' mean?
In this following context, what does the verbal phrase 'presented to' mean?
Does it mean 'shown'?
How should I understand this clause 'that has ever been presented to this ego-centric world,'?
Context:...
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Can't use "should" when I write with "recommend"?
This question is not like another duplication question.
I'm confused that someone explains the quiz question about example of "recommend".
There are 5 examples of sentence which is used with ...
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What does the verb phrase 'exposed to' mean?
In this following context, what does the verb phrase 'exposed to' mean?
Does it mean 'experienced'?
Context:
Without birth there cannot be decay and death. If we had not been
born, we would not have ...
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Yes I want vs Yes I want to
Would you like some coffee?
Yes, I would.
1.1. Would you like to drink some coffee?
Yes, I would like to.
So is it true that when we ask about an object we don't use 'to' (1) and when we refer to an ...
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How do I change tenses when describing my thoughts about the past within a past tense narrative?
I am probably missing something very simple, but when you have a present + past simple sentence like the following:
I think that he looked uncomfortable when he was reading my essay.
How do you put it ...
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content is the focus or in the focus
If I want to say that disturbing icons have been removed from my webpage and from now on, the content is emphasized, should I use the "content is the focus" OR the "content is in the ...
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What does "be raised' mean in this context?
This context comes from the movie "Ford Vs Ferrari"
"We've only minutes of racing
left here at Daytona, a pitched battle for the
lead is being raised as The number 98 Ford makes an
...
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What's the rule for converting from "...[something] based on..." to "...base [something] on..."?
I'm facing a problem with the bold part. How to convert any sentence with "based on" to the following format "base...on"?
For example:
College students should choose a field of ...
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What kind of phrasal verbs could be inverted to make an inverted sentence?
I'm learning the inverted sentences in English, actually I'm a new hand to this.
There are one or two examples of inverted sentences in which the inverted parts are its phrasal verbs in my book.
Away ...
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“Simple past” vs “past progressive”
Original conversation:
“And you met her there?”
“Yes, I spent a lot of time in that library, so I was always seeing her.”
Is it wrong to say
“Yes, I was spending a lot of time in that library, so I ...
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Is it a grammar error to connect two verbs?
I found the following example sentence in my dictionary.
She renewed her promise to come see me.
Is it an error to connect come and see? My friend says it's come and see but the and got omitted. Is ...
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Sentences with :- helping verbs(except do and have)+to+verb
If I were to do this, it would be better.
All of these are to be considered music for us.
I have never seen helping verbs like 'are' and 'were' being used with 'to' in this way. What do 'were to do' ...
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What does got mean in "they've got to leave"
They've got to leave.
In the sentence above, what does "got"" mean? Is it the past participle of "get"? If not, what is it? Why bother add it? Why don't people just say
They ...
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wake up, awaken and awake
He woke up to find others gone.
He awakened to find others gone.
He awoke to find others gone.
All of the sentences can be found grammatical in OED and they seem identical in meaning.
I am ...
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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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ADVISE: "to offer advice to; counsel" vs. "to recommend; suggest"
The American Heritage dictionary's entry for advise reads
To offer advice to; counsel: I advised him to study abroad; advised that we should reconsider the idea. How would you advise?
To recommend; ...
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What is the name given to a part of a sentence that's the result of a verb?
For example, given the sentence:
Yankee batters hit the ball well enough to win their first World Series since 2000.
What is the name given to the part "to win their first World Series since ...
Richard Bamford
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Can I use 'a' after 'are' in a conjunction sentence?
'Black mold or toxic black molds are a hazardous health variety of micro fungus that usually grow in your buildings' damp areas—for example, bathroom, basement, kitchen, etc.'
Q1: In the above ...
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Verb “got” without verb “have”: “Got any kids, Detective?”
I met unusual situation when I was reading some text. On the secret it was gamescript from mafia.
I know what in Present Perfect has such form of usage:
In assertation: Face + have/has + verb in ...
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There's no proof of what {you're saying/you said/you say} - which tense is correct?
What tense should I use in this case?
Let's say that John and Paul are having a conversation. John claims to know something. Paul doesn't believe him. Which of the following answers is the most ...
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How many gerunds are in this sentence?
"He made his own ink by burning charcoal and using cheap ordinary packing paper for sketching?
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Form of a verb in a direct object of an introductory verb: <Verb> + <Direct Object containing a verb>
What is the form of a verb in an infinitive subordinate which is direct object of a verb:
to-infinitive,
bare infinitive,
conjugated verb,
or gerund?
For example would we say:
I see the company to ...
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Doing Object-Verb inversion
I was reading a poem named I Dream a World by Langston Hughes, where the first two lines say:
I dream a world where man
No other man will scorn
At first I was having difficulties understanding this ...
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Special usage of verbs - like "to have [some property]" - in sentences
What is the "grammatical category" of "to have" in these contexts?
We choose these words to have length at least two.
He built this car to have better aerodynamic properties.
...
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Does "up" act as a preposition in the following sentences?
"Put up the banner."
"Make up your mind."
I get the impression that "up" functions as an adverb or phrasal verb in both.
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Using "have" as a causative verb: have someone fooled
I know that in the following sentences, the actions are most likely not done by the subjects but by someone else:
I had my hair cut last week.
Paul had his car fixed yesterday.
But I'm not sure ...
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Verbs related to laundry
Closely related to this, after clothes are dried out, what verbs are used for:
collecting and putting them inside the house (maybe because it's raining)
collecting, folding and putting them in a ...
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PRONOUND PLUS 'TO +VERB" OR "PREPOSITION +VERB-ING
I know it this sentence is wrong but i need an explanation.
RIGHT : I hope you would help me in letting him understand.
WRONG: I hope you would help me to let him understand.
RIGHT: Adults should ...
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verbs of creation and a resultative adjectival
I'm wondering whether verbs of creation, such as build, construct, and produce, can be followed by an object and then an adjectival denoting the result, with the pattern of "shoot him dead."
...
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Verb Phrase ellipsis in the subordinate
Larson (1987) shows the following as well-formed:
(1) b. ii. I will have lived every place that John has lived.
I just wondered if the next example would be better formed.
I will have lived every ...
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when using 'and' to write a compound sentence, what is the role?
I'm reading a scientific research paper but not quite sure why some compound sentences are made in certain ways. Here is part of the article:
'Here, we summarize the roles of FGF signaling in mouse ...
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Can "FOR + period of time" be used in all tenses?
Can "FOR + period of time" be used in all tenses?
(1) Anna and Peter talk for two hours daily.
(2) Anna and Peter have talked for two hours.
(3) Anna and Peter have been talking for two hours.
(4)...
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'he swims very well' or 'he to swim very well'?
When do you use the verb which follows a personal pronoun with "to" and when without to?
Examples:
a. Do you have to read all the time?
b. He swims very well.
c. You know how to ride a bike, don´t ...
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Have someone + ing or Normal verb?
Would mind saying whether one of these sentences are incorrect?
It's nice we have someone taking care of him.
It's nice we have someone take care of him.
If both are correct, what are their ...
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Is "give" a rude verb?
Is "give" a rude verb?
Should I use only "let" with unfamiliar people?
For instance
Let me your phone!
Give me you phone!
nianzhen
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Leave as a linking verb
Is the use of leave correct in the following sentence?
The November 1 assault on a Malian military outpost at Indelimane in the eastern Menaka region near Niger killed 49 soldiers, wounded three ...
user93387
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The sound of cutting board
I have been searching for a word (verb/adjective) to describe the sound of a knife cutting on a wooden board for a while fruitlessly. What I ended up writing is "intermittent cutting board thumps" ...
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"Would have liked to take" versus "Would have liked to have taken"
I'm reading Thackeray's Vanity Fair, and I need something clarified.
When they were married, Pitt would have liked to take a hymeneal tour with his bride, as became people of their condition.
I want ...
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Modals of Probability and Possibility
A: Rita's sneezing again.
B: Yes, she _________ a terrible cold.
(must have / must be having / must have had)
My answer for this is: Yes, she "must have" a terrible cold.
In my opinion, "must be ...
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"This (should present/show/other) the (best/other) contrast of all"
While posting an answer on UX.stack (then moved to Graphic Design) I found out I wasn't sure about how to express this:
The Go button size should be bigger and present the best contrast
of all ...
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