40
Of course in most contexts we use a to refer to a generic, non-specific example of some class (or the first mention of a specific member of that class), and the to refer to a specific previously-mentioned member of that class. This is not the case here.
In this usage, both a and the can be used to describe an exemplary peasant, taking some random peasant in ...
15
We can use the indefinite article (a peasant) if we are discussing an unknown peasant, or the definite article if we are discussing the generic peasant (considered as a type of person). Either is appropriate in the context you quoted.
6
In both cases, you’re using ’peasant’ as a generic, but the generic forms are different in their meaning.
A generic formed with the definite article in English is generally categorical. In other words, it talks about the noun as a category of person/place/thing/idea, describing all items referenced by that noun as one group. This is essentially the same as ...
4
No, it is not correct.
Firstly the phase "fed up with something" is not a past tense verb, it is a participle phrase, so you need
I am fed up with...."
And secondly, while you can say "I'm fed up" (to mean in general) you do need a prepositional phrase "with..." to complete the expression. So it must be "I'm fed up ...
3
Although the surface appearances of "hard to defeat" and "happy to see" are the same, the underlying structure is different. There are different groups of adjectives that take "to"-infinitive complements, and your two sentences are from different groups.
Your first example sentence, "He is hard to defeat" is from a ...
2
"Nautical" means anything having to do with ships or the people who operate them (still often called sailors although ships are not generally powered by sails any more). It can also, less precisely, be used for anything to do with the sea.
"Navigation" originally refereed to finding the position of a ship on the sea. It now also refers ...
2
Only "about 3000 people" can refer to more than 3000. "Almost" and "nearly" both mean close to but not yet reaching the number specified. Note that they can be used going down instead of up, depending on the context—but they still mean "not reaching or going beyond the specified number."
I would say that "almost ...
2
Both constructs are acceptable. However, there can be a difference in interpretation.
'A peasant' uses peasant as a generic category: that class of people known as peasants. 'The peasant' may also use peasant in this generic, categorical sense. However, 'the peasant' might also refer to a particular, singular person: 'The Peasant, name unknown, social caste -...
2
Have a hard time means to experience difficulty doing something. In the example, the employees will experience difficulty trusting you.
Finding something hard means the exact same thing, using the 10th meaning of hard (difficult). In the example, the employees will find that it is difficult to trust you.
So I'm both finding it hard to see and having a hard ...
2
First, as I mentioned in a comment either was or got need to come between I and fed up.
If you choose got, you can use the expression without with.
I got fed up reading this book last year.
is perfectly correct. This sentence can be used to mean
I got bored (while) reading the book.
And it makes more sense to me to get fed up with a book than with ...
1
(this is just my personal opinion, not taken from any sources)
to sustain is to give Something physical to another Thing so that it can continue doing some [desired] Act.
Microsoft (the company) isn't giving windows (the software) any physical things, they're only giving work/manpower to windows (the software)
that's why it may seem odd.
But it can work if ...
1
In case of your lines, "you may go if you want" indicates allowing like "you're allowed to go if you want" and the second line "you might go now if you want to" doesn't really make sense if you ask me, because it's more of a possibility
speaking of which, here's some info about may and might from Practical English Usage which I ...
1
"about 3000" is more than 3000, but "nearly 3000" and "almost 3000" isn't reached to 3000.
1
"Who is going to pay for it?" and "Who is going to buy it?" have the same literal meaning, and she could have used the second, but the first suggests that your computer isn't even worth any money. A more common phrasing is, "Who would pay for that?"
New answer for newly revised question:
"Who is it going to pay for it?"...
1
Of the two, only the first is natural:
You won't have long to wait
It means that the anticipated event will happen soon. The precise meaning of "long" depends on the context. If you are waiting for a doctor's appointment, it might mean a few minutes. If you are waiting for a package, it might mean a few days.
You won't take long to wait
This is ...
1
Learner's dictionary says that they overlap between constrain and restrict. The differences are often overlooked:
Both can be used in the senses of holding something back by force or
of limiting or restricting one's actions.
Restrain is used more in the sense of preventing an action:
Congress must restrain spending next year.
The man turned violent and it ...
1
In your sentence, walked away disappointed is perfect to express the fact that the people didn't get to buy tickets, and that they were disappointed.
I looked up to walk away disappointedly and couldn't find instances in GNgram (see below). As an adverb, disappointedly would really have to describe the verb, the way they went away (maybe the manner of ...
1
"Disappointed" is an adjective, and would describe their mood as they went away. Their mood and their departure would be unconnected, and their disappointment may well carry on after they finish their journey away/
"Disappointedly" is an adverb, so it describes the manner of the other verb - in this case, the way in which they 'went away'....
1
Welll ... they CAN be the same. But that's not how "navigation" is usually used.
"Nautical" is an adjective meaning "related to ships or sailing".
"Navigation" is a noun that most often is used to mean "the science or practice of plotting and following a course for travel". It CAN also mean "traffic of ...
1
Sometimes in English, a word can be used indistinctively regarding its meaning, it depends on the context. However, "upcoming" refers to an event, a situation that is going to happen in the near future like a concert, festival, etc. "Forthcoming" usually refers to something/an object that will soon be available, reachable, published. For ...
1
I answered (b), so am shocked by my polarly wrong answer? The sentence
before the bolded implies that even '4 years ... would be considered
relatively quick,' so the (predicate) 'did not happen overnight'
sounded sarcastic to me. I thought that if even 'four years ...
relatively quick,' then the end of the Bloc certainly wouldn't 'happen
overnight', and ...
1
*I'm working in XYZ company
No one would ever use 'in' in the above sentence. Using 'in' sounds ungrammatical to me.
I'm working for XYZ company
I'm working at XYZ company
Both the above sentences are grammatically correct and have (more or less) similar meanings; however, if the work is short-term you'd probably use 'for' and if you're a long-term ...
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