New answers tagged verbs
2
votes
What's "jam" mean in "The room reeled and he jammed his head down" (as well as the sentence itself)?
Your interpretation is correct - the person quickly and forcibly lowered their head because they felt dizzy. That said, I do find the use of "jam" a little unusual here, as that typically ...
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3
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How to substantiate "to be" instead of "to have" in next sentences?
Influence as a noun can be used in several ways. Oxford Languages says
the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behaviour of someone or something, or the effect itself.
and ...
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3
votes
Accepted
Why is "reckon" transitive in "to reckon to finish by ten" and "to reckon to pay so much"?
I add to what @FumbleFingers said.
In a construction reckon to do something, as in We reckon to finish by ten, reckon is transitive; the matrix clause verb head has
the nonfinite infinitive clause to ...
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1
vote
What does "go" mean in "go off trade"?
I don't disagree with the end results of the other answers, just with how to get there.
The verb "go" has the common meaning "proceed" or "act" but the preposition off ...
- 133k
3
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What does "go" mean in "go off trade"?
In this context, to "go off" something means to rely on it. For example, if someone said "I'm not sure, I'm going off instinct" that would mean they were relying on their instinct ...
- 108k
1
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What does "go" mean in "go off trade"?
The statement is a bit vague, but a good paraphrase would be "abolish all the money and proceed on a basis of a barter system."
Of the two definitions of "go" that you give, the ...
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7
votes
Accepted
"It never works" vs "It better work"
Never is just an adverb and doesn't affect the subject-verb agreement
of the sentence: It never works.
Had better (usually contracted to 'd better in informal situations) is different.
Cambridge ...
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0
votes
What does "if you ever get up this way" mean?
As a lifelong resident of the deep South (and by "deep" I mean, quite literally falling into the Gulf of Mexico) I am well-versed in directional terms that may or may not have anything to do ...
3
votes
Accepted
I went to see him to/at his house
Seeing someone to someplace means to ensure that they get there. #1 means “I made sure he got to his house,” which I don’t think is what you intended. #2 means “I visited him at his house,” which is ...
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2
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What does "if you ever get up this way" mean?
The existing answers do a good job describing the whole phrase's meaning, but since you broke down the understanding of specific words, it might be helpful to highlight two of get's many definitions ...
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7
votes
What does "if you ever get up this way" mean?
Twin Peaks is set in a remote logging town in the Pacific Northwest.
If you ever get up this way in that context means "If you ever find yourself up in this part of the country", that is, &...
- 133k
16
votes
What does "if you ever get up this way" mean?
"This way" can be an idiomatic way of referring to the general area in which you are located. So "if you ever get up this way" is a way of saying "if you are ever in this area&...
- 108k
7
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What does "if you ever get up this way" mean?
"get up this way" in this context just means you are, for any reason, in the area. It does not imply any particular mode of transport nor the route taken. You could follow the same road ...
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1
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What does "run" mean in "Yeah, they don't run Harvard at night, last time I checked."
I. Meaning of the dialogue.
What does "run" mean in "Yeah, they don't run Harvard at night, last time I checked."
Here, "run" means "offer" or "conduct&...
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What does "run" mean in "Yeah, they don't run Harvard at night, last time I checked."
To run there is a colloquial synonym for conduct operations.
They don't run their boat rental business in the winter.
In the US, there are "night schools" that offer evening classes that ...
- 133k
1
vote
Is "last couple of months had been very busy" correct?
We should have the definite article the.
As the reference point is now, we use the present have:
[The] last couple of months have been very busy.
If we are referring to some time in the past, we use ...
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0
votes
"Most of all the seats" and "Most of seats" are wrong sentences?
Here is a grammatical and idiomatic way to express that idea:
Almost all of the seats are reserved today.
Very few seats remain open and available.
- 133k
5
votes
Accepted
What do the words "bond issue passes" in "bond issue passes council" mean?
The word "issue" is used with this meaning:
a. The act of circulating, distributing, or publishing by a business, government, or organization: government issue of new bonds. (American ...
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