20
That is pure nonsense.
"Attendance" is a derivation from the root of the modern English word "attend," which goes back to Old French "atendre," which in turn goes back to Latin "attendere," meaning "to pay attention to."
Like modern German and English, Latin made verbs by combining prepositions and root verbs. So "attendere" was formed by combining the ...
20
The word "open" here is NOT a verb. "To swing something open" is a verb phrase. In your case. it means he swings the plastic strip in a way that it makes the plastic strip open. To swing is the main verb, and open is the state the plastic strip is in after the action of swinging it.
9
Yes, there is a basis for this tale. It's a spelling mnemonic - a little trick to help us remember how to spell attendance.
There are other spelling mnemonics for various tricky English words. My favourite is Rhythm helps your two hips move, for a word that I've always found difficult.
I figure attendance could be a tricky word for people learning ...
6
No. "Attendance" comes from the Latin verb attendō, which means "I pay attention". There are actually three Latin roots in "attendance":
ad-, meaning "toward" (cognate with English "at")
-tend-, meaning "stretch"
-antia, which makes an abstract noun out of another word, such as a verb
The idea of "stretching toward" started in reference to aiming a bow and ...
6
Grammatically, I wash my teeth is quite correct. Idiomatically, it is not. People don't talk like that.
As you note, the usual expression is to brush one's teeth because one usually uses a toothbrush to clean them.
People sometimes use twigs and plants to clean their teeth when the usual equipment is lacking. But even then, wash isn't an easy fit.
I ...
4
"Byheart" as single word is restricted to Indian dialects of English, and so should be considered non-standard (ie incorrect) when speaking British or American English.
The phrase "by heart" is quite common, but cannot be used as a verb.
You should learn the play by heart.
If someone told me to "You should byheart the play" I would probably be able to ...
3
Your sentence, as written, doesn't really make sense either way because you are starting the sentence talking about multiple things but finishing it talking about just one.
I would reword it. You could use your idea or break it into two sentences.
There are other ideas. For instance, to take the bike.
3
Yes, it is natural, at least in U.S. English. It is, however, informal; some may say very informal.
"Consult" has an implication of more than brief interaction and does not imply "need to gain consent." "Check with" implies something almost perfunctory in terms of time, but frequently implies "need to gain assent."
Yes, Bobby may stay for dinner if he ...
3
They both sound equally natural to me.
2
I can confirm both remained quiet and kept quiet are correct and mean the same thing in this sentence, I don't know why it was incorrect.
2
First, the direct answer to your question:
... and the universe — or fate, you decide what to call it ... (correct)
is the correct way to say this.
... and the universe — or fate, you decide how to call it ... (incorrect)
is not grammatically correct.
In English, the phrase "how to <do something>" is often explained as meaning something like "...
2
The professor is mostly right, but it's not a simple right-or-wrong situation.
"Windowed" is most commonly an adjective. A "windowed shed" is a shed that has windows. However, some dictionaries do also list "window" as a verb (whose past form is "windowed"), with meanings "to furnish with windows" or "to place (something) in a window."
"Door" can also be ...
2
From the full (subscription-only) Oxford English Dictiomnary...
one's level best
one's very best; the utmost one can possibly do. Also levelest in the same sense, and similarly level worst, etc. colloquial or slang (originally U.S.).
Of these only level best is standard in the U.K.
First citation 1851 (An Arkansaw Doctor): We put our horses out ...
1
The part of the sentence you are asking about seems fine and is perfectly idiomatic.
When we speak about something moving, this is often accompanied by a direction or the new location (eg "I am moving to Florida"). In your example, the subject is the party, and the party is moving (or shifting) to a new date.
The only thing about your sentence that I may ...
1
As an idiom, the closest thing I can think of is to drop a bombshell:
[Merriam-Webster]
: to surprise everyone
// She dropped a bombshell when she said she wouldn't run for reelection.
In the sentence in the question, the result would be as follows:
A doctor is dropping a bombshell on his patient.
While this doesn't explicitly say the news is ...
1
You actually don't need the second "with", here. "feeling abandoned" is actually a phrase which acts as an adverb (modifying the verb "go on"), the same way that a word like "unhappily" might:
We go on with life unhappily.
So you can actually replace "unhappily" with "feeling abandoned" directly. However, since the adverbial phrase in this case ...
1
Those two phrases have, I believe, the same meaning, and are technically interchangeable, however:
He was by no means a cruel man.
Is definitely much more common and natural. The second sentence:
He was by no manner of means a cruel man.
sounds distinctly outdated and embellished, the sort of thing I would expect to find in a Jane Austen novel from ...
1
So, as I can see there has been a lot of discussion of this in comments, but no actual answer, I will attempt to put one together:
I do think that this question is more subtle than can easily be answered by a dictionary. All of the sentences in question are grammatically correct, and sound fairly natural, but some of them may not have exactly the meaning ...
1
"Across" also means "on the opposite side of".
She sits across the aisle. - She is sitting on the opposite side.
They walked across. - Walked from this side to the other side.
Dots of lake water glisten in the sun across his back. - From one side of his back to the other side of his back.
1
First I'll explain the relevant sense of for in other contexts, and then I'll explain why the sentence that you found odd makes sense.
"Looking for", "listening for", etc.
Here are some similar uses of for. From your comments, it sounds like you already understand listen for, but I'm providing these just to be sure.
I reached for my keys on the dresser ...
1
They both seem correct to me.
Which bus are you taking may be asking about an arranged activity.
Which bus will you be taking seems to be a polite enquiry.
Here are two links to show the difference
https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2014/06/25/what-are-you-doing-tonight/
https://www.englishgrammarsecrets.com/willbedoing/menu.php
1
While both amulet and talisman could be considered to be a means of protection from someone or something (based on belief), the words themselves just mean, in general, a piece of jewellery (in the one case) or an object that brings good fortune only (in the other case), rather than actually acting to protect against evil.
A better word that describes the ...
1
There is no governing body that dictates what is considered right or wrong usage of the English language. Much of the usage can be agree upon, but occasionally, there is disagreement.
That is the case here. Some say it's wrong; some say it's right. That's essentially what Swan is saying. Put another way, some of us could argue that those grammar books are ...
1
Michael Swan is being subtle.
Yes, "disinterested" is sometimes used to mean "uninterested". So you can use it this way. But some people avoid this meaning and consider it wrong.
You don't know if the person who hears you speak, or reads your writing will be a person who considers it wrong, and as a non-native speaker, you will get less forgiveness of "...
1
I think you're correct: you would not use "shortly" in a negative sentence. But it's not because of the negative, it's because "not doing something" doesn't happen at a specific time.
I explained it to myself by thinking about what question is answered by the word "shortly". In the sentence it will stop shortly, "shortly" answers the question "when will it ...
1
They have different inferences.
"Discovered" tends to be used for things which you have learned about for the first time, for example:
I just discovered a great new TV show.
You may have only just discovered it, but it wasn't "hidden".
On the other hand, "uncovered" suggests that somebody else covered it up. It tends to mean that you found something ...
Only top voted, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible
