All Questions
9,368
questions with no upvoted or accepted answers
7
votes
2
answers
156
views
Why do we only sometimes use the definite article when there's a prepositional phrase coming after that defines the noun?
I've read that when a prepositional phrase comes after a noun, defining it, the noun should take the definite article:
She was given the responsibility of taking care of her sister.
I have the ...
- 113
4
votes
5
answers
751
views
Is it "evaluated as" or "evaluated to be"?
For example, when we write programming code or math formula, would we say
If obj is foo.bar, then would we say
fn(foo.bar)
is first evaluated as fn(obj) (and then fn is invoked), or should we say it ...
- 211
4
votes
2
answers
982
views
Would it be alright if I [present tense/ past tense]?
I heard native speakers use present tense in the following sentence.
Would it be alright if I take a rain check?Would it be alright if I call you Annie?
But I think the correct grammar is took and ...
- 557
3
votes
2
answers
83
views
Why does the subordinate clause not have the verb “be”?
Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 4:
The astonishment of the ladies was just what he wished; that of Mrs. Bennet perhaps surpassing the rest; though, when the first tumult of joy was over, she began to ...
- 167
3
votes
1
answer
45
views
Present Continuous expressing future
One of my grammar books says:
The future use of the present progressive is limited to actions brought about by human endeavour.
Therefore sentences such as "It's raining tomorrow" or "...
- 31
3
votes
1
answer
77
views
Difference between "the number of people you would have thought" OR "the number of people you would think"?
This from the BBC website Lost wallet found 5 years on
It is about a story in which somebody lost his wallet 5 years ago after he watched a game in a rugby stadium, and it was found 5 years later. ...
- 5,676
3
votes
1
answer
261
views
"had + Subject + past participle" in conditionals
I always thought that the elliptical conditional clause "Had + Subject + past participle" is used only in counterfactual conditionals, e.g. :
Had Joe seen Mary, he would have fallen in love ...
- 5,894
3
votes
1
answer
58
views
Why in this example do we need to use "working" in the gerund form after the verb "love"?
In the example below I believe do we need to use "working" in the gerund form?
You will love working here
I thought that verbs following "love" can be either in the gerund form ...
- 99
3
votes
2
answers
220
views
The usage of Yours faithfully and Yours sincerely
I have a question regarding some valedictions in emails. As you know, “Yours faithfully” and “Yours sincerely” are sign-off phrases primarily used in British English.
These are the generally accepted ...
- 321
3
votes
1
answer
101
views
"Building of [ noun ]" vs "Building [ noun ]"
I was asked by one of my coworkers if there is a difference between "Building of human relationships" and "Building human relationships".
I couldn't find any discussion on this ...
- 66
3
votes
1
answer
580
views
What is the difference between "end up in" and "end in"?
Is there any difference in meaning between end up in and end in? For example:
My attempt to cook chicken ended up in a complete mess.
My attempt to cook chicken ended in a complete mess.
- 15.6k
3
votes
2
answers
336
views
“I rode / was riding / used to ride a bike every day”
Which tense should I use if I was on a holiday which lasted two weeks and during that time I rode a bike every day?
It was a great time because I rode a bike every day. (Past Simple)
It was a great ...
- 51
3
votes
2
answers
2k
views
of the form vs in the form
The structure is of the form of X.
The structure is in the form of X.
What is the difference in meaning and which one is grammatically correct?
I think 1 means the structure is united with the ...
- 2,516
3
votes
1
answer
379
views
Coordinate or cumulative adjectives? Beautiful mysterious dreamy feelings
I want to express that something brings me some feelings, then I wrote the following sentences.
It brings me beautiful mysterious dreamy feelings.
It brings me beautiful and mysterious dreamy ...
- 1,881
3
votes
2
answers
271
views
“But, along with the street lamp, everything breathes deceit.", prepositional phrase?
“However a beauty’s cloak may flutter behind her, I shall never follow curiously after her. Further away, for God’s sake, further away from the street lamp! pass it by more quickly, as quickly as ...
- 1,586
3
votes
3
answers
90
views
How does "the + comparative adjective" work here?
I was reading chapter 5 of The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells and came across this sentence:
"This smoke was so bright that the deep blue sky overhead and the hazy stretches of brown common ...
3
votes
2
answers
56
views
What's the difference between "much the more" and "much more"?
for example:
(1) X is much the more common than Y.
I don't understand the role of "the" here.
What does "the" mean in (1)?
(2) X is much more common than Y.
What's the difference ...
- 2,758
3
votes
2
answers
229
views
Past perfect or past simple in these sentences
I know this is not really a new question but . . .
I got a letter from John yesterday. We were at school but I lost touch with him because he was very ill and could not go to school anymore.
...
- 7,243
3
votes
1
answer
83
views
"which" acting as relative pronoun standing for verbal phrases?
1: Metal will bear beating with a hammer, which a stone will not.
2: He can write a letter in English, which I cannot.
In these examples does "which" act as a relative pronoun and stand for ...
- 2,993
3
votes
3
answers
426
views
Can "unless" be used in unreal past (with would have)?
I found conflicting information about the subject:
BBC World Service states that:
And we cannot use unless with would to talk about unreal future
situations:
If he didn't take everything so ...
- 1,645
3
votes
4
answers
7k
views
How to use "seems to be"
What is the correct way to say this..
I just checked my bank account and that seems to be have been activated.
I just checked my bank account and that seems activated.
I just checked my bank account ...
- 1,237
2
votes
0
answers
49
views
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 ...
- 71
2
votes
0
answers
52
views
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. -> ...
- 21
2
votes
1
answer
104
views
"Unfold the gift bag open"?
At the beginning the gift bag is folded like this (the first picture).
Now you have to unfold it so that you can easily put things in (the second picture).
Is it correct to say "you can unfold ...
- 21.6k
2
votes
2
answers
75
views
Without context, is there any difference between "had been cancelled" and "was cancelled"?
I have an example sentence that goes like this:
I rang the station, and they told me that the train had been cancelled.
Is there any difference between that sentence and:
I rang the station, and ...
- 21
2
votes
0
answers
52
views
How to understand 'by' in "until by..."
From Andrew Radford. (2004). English Syntax: An Introduction. p.4.:
From this point on, there is a rapid expansion in their grammatical
development, until by the age of around 30 months they have ...
- 613
2
votes
2
answers
38
views
Anastrophe grammar words
These triumphs were not enough to preserve him from the consequences of the merging of Aberdeen’s two Universities in 1860 when, incredibly, the powers that be decided that it was Maxwell out of the ...
Xiang Li
2
votes
2
answers
52
views
'Ryan Reynolds ... admitting to Entertainment Weekly that he went “nipples akimbo”'
What does “nipples akimbo” mean in the following phrase? This link says it can mean "having the hand on the hip and the elbow turned outward" or "set in a bent position", but I don'...
- 1,175
2
votes
0
answers
61
views
How to know when to use preposition with an adverb of place?
I saw a video of an English tutor saying that we day "I am going home" not "I am going to home" because home is an adverb here. Why do we not follow the same with sentences like &...
- 51
2
votes
1
answer
36
views
Present simple vs present continuous when describing a video
Person A: Let's watch this video now kids.
[plays the video]
[the dog in the video starts to bark at someone]
Person A: What is the dog doing?
A child: He's barking at someone.
In this exchange the ...
- 511
2
votes
0
answers
120
views
Why does this British speaker pronounce the word "gerund" as "/gerUND/" instead of /dʒɛrənd/?
This is from a British speaker who teaches speaking skills to millions of students. In one of his videos, he mentions the word "gerund" but he pronounces it "/gerUND/". Speaking ...
- 5,676
2
votes
1
answer
52
views
What does "each time out" mean?
Can you please tell me what each time out means. I've come across the phrase in this video around 6 minutes and 44 seconds. Here is the sentence it was used in:
Each [a film and TV shows] has a ...
- 15.6k
2
votes
1
answer
47
views
Why are articles sometimes NOT used before common nouns?
Take a sentence like:
'Excellent lady that she was, Lady Gigabytes invited us over for dinner.'
Or:
'Lady Gigabytes (excellent lady that she was) invited us over for dinner.'
What both these sentences ...
- 21
2
votes
1
answer
78
views
'Depends on what's you goal' and 'Depends on what your goal is'
Why does "that depends on what's your goal for life" sound less proper than "that depends on what your goal for life is"?
This is one of the few times in English when it sounds ...
- 161
2
votes
2
answers
62
views
two simultaneous events with the same subject?
Source 1 : Compact Advanced Student's Book
There is an explanation in the book.
two simultaneous events with the same subject; the
participle clause normally comes second
Example:
The woman hurried ...
- 121
2
votes
1
answer
50
views
legislating authority
I am reading an article from Economist, and it talks about "The uncanny", a 1919 essay written by Sigmund Freud. The uncanny effect arises when the subject identifies with someone else..so ...
- 603
2
votes
1
answer
428
views
How many beans vs How much beans?
When talking about beans, lentils or chickpeas should they be considered as countable or uncountable?
Would a person normally say "How many beans should I cook?" or "how much beans ...
- 131
2
votes
1
answer
116
views
A question about the expression "shame on me"
I know there are lots of examples where you can find "shame on me", including a proverb. However, I remember how a few teachers (not only ESL teachers from my country but also the native ...
- 21
2
votes
2
answers
39
views
It "is/was" good that everyone contributed to the party that day. - What are the differences?
Example 1
It "is" good that everyone contributed to the party that day.
Example 2
It "was" good that everyone contributed to the party that day.
What are the differences?
- 1,967
2
votes
1
answer
41
views
Present relevance or not , present perfect or past simple in this case
Sorry to contact you but I just realized that my last order ( two Comps on bin liner) made on discog were on Cd. I made a mistake. I thought they were on vinyl.
So I know that this order has already ...
- 7,243
2
votes
2
answers
49
views
Why is Past Perfect used here?
This is an excerpt from "The Moon and Sixpence", by W Somerset Maugham, the very beginning of chapter 18:
had this in my workbook as an example of a specific use of past perfect (the use i ...
- 21
2
votes
1
answer
553
views
Do the two phrase 'none other than' and 'no other than' mean the same?
In this following context, is the phrase "no other (cause) than" another form of "none other than"?
Do they mean the same thing?
Should I use these two interchangeably?
Could I do ...
- 429
2
votes
2
answers
60
views
Is it called a doorway even if there's no door?
Example:
He moved to the doorway to the family room and peeked in.
Is 'doorway' used even if there's no door but just an opening into another room? Or would native speakers use another word for that?...
- 1,243
2
votes
1
answer
51
views
Why is inversion used in "...than do apes in the wild"?
I wanted to know why there is inversion in the last part of the following sentence.
Apes raised by humans seem to protect more frequently than do apes in the wild.
- 87
2
votes
3
answers
72
views
Are "can" and "be able to" interchangable in these examples?
To me, the following sentences sound correct.
The computer crashed yesterday but I could fix it.
She could pass the exam, even though she hadn't studied much.
However, my grammar book
states that ...
- 315
2
votes
1
answer
154
views
a refreshing weekend
I watched an English education YouTube clip, and a native speaker in the clip said the following:
I had a refreshing weekend. (Wrong)
I feel refreshed after the weekend. (Correct)
*Source: https://...
- 31
2
votes
1
answer
256
views
I didn’t think Vs I have never thought
A scene in a novel I am reading.
Mr A just finished doing something surprising for Mrs B.
C is standing next to Mrs B, and asked: Was you surprised?
Mrs B answered like this:
The author wrote:
(1) I ...
- 373
2
votes
1
answer
42
views
That was the time I knew I should "come/go" back home. - I am at home saying this; which to use?
The scenario is this:
I am saying this at my home to my friend but when I thought about that, I was at a bar.
Example 1
That was the time I knew I should go back home.
Example 2
That was the time I ...
- 1,967
2
votes
2
answers
86
views
Would you use "the" in "(the) division of opinions"?
The division of opinions among political parties is good for democracy in new nations.
Division of opinions among political parties is good for democracy in new nations.
I don't know if "the&...
user167211
2
votes
1
answer
34
views
Should I use type or type of in this sentence
1. I must condemn your criminal type mentality.
2. I must condemn your criminal type of mentality.
Which one is grammatically correct and preferable?
Can I use kind of in the place of type of?
- 487