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Hi, Hussein: The normal, native expression is not "all day round"; it's " the whole day round." If you search for that phrase, you will reap a nice harvest of results. I agree with Gustavo's answer. I'd also like to mention that it is perfectly fine to use the past simple in both clauses, to omit the repeated subject from the second clause, and to use "all day." You do not have to use "all the day" instead of "all day" if the period of time is completed. "All day" is correct in both cases.Read More...

Hi, bearbear, Yes. Both of them mean misfortunes seldom come singly. I also agree with the writer 'Joe Devney' that using 'but' in 'It never rains but it pours' is a bit unusual. See his opinion here: https://www.quora.com/What-doe...ns-but-it-pours-mean BTW, you should say: I would like to know if it has the same meaning as: .........Read More...

Thanks. Brilliant reply. I just need one last thing clearing up. Can you please tell me, i read something online which puzzled me " Phrases that describe should be placed close to what they describe." Can you expand on this, is there a manner in which descrpitive phrases should be laid out. Many thanks.Read More...

Hi, Thienan, and welcome to the G.E's new platform, 'Rather than' can be used either as a conjunction or a preposition. It can be followed by 'a bare infinitive' or 'ing' . Rachel, our great late moderator, gives more detailed information about 'rather than' as a conjunction (or a "quasi-coordinator' according to Quirk) and as a preposition on the following link: https://thegrammarexchange.inf...-than-and-instead-of On 'A Practical English Grammar' (4th ed):Read More...

Hi, bear_bear, 1(c) is the only one that is wrong, because there "soon" interferes between "time" and "for lunch": the phrase is "time for lunch," and it cannot be split. The difference between 1(a) and 1(b), as well as between 2(a) and 2(b), is subtle. I prefer 1(a) and 2(b) because the end position gives too much importance to an adverb of time that does not contribute much meaning. When the adverbial provides more information, then the final position may be justified: 1(d) It was time for...Read More...

Hi, Ayman and happy Eid al-Fitr, As for me, as a non-native speaker, I always teach students what they have in their books. In fact, that has been Okaasan's advice to me. So, when our books mention something informal, I refer to it and connect my explanation with the exam. For example, our books say: I wish there was/were something I was interested in. I tell my students that both 'was' and 'were' after 'wish' here are correct, but 'were' is preferable . If they have to choose between them...Read More...

Hello again, Navi: To me, that can't mean that she talked to you as if you were a child. That is not a possible meaning. What (5) means is that she was like a child when she talked to you; that is, she talked to you in a childish manner. In informal dialectal English, you might very well hear " She talked to me like I was a child ," and that, of course, would have the "as if I were a child" meaning. As you know, one alternative to using "as if I were a child" or "like I was a child" is to...Read More...

Hello, Sadra, and welcome to the Grammar Exchange! The sentence "He screamed while being shot at" is neither wrong nor uncommon. The sentence is grammatically correct, and the grammatical structures it contains are common. What is it about the sentence that perplexes you or causes you to worry that it might be wrong? Are you familiar with reduced adverbial clauses, the progressive passive, and the prepositional passive? The sentence means the same thing as "He screamed while he was being...Read More...

Hello, Subhajit123, I find that "the" is required because we are speaking about specific villagers, those living in "this village." That noun phrase is comparable to " the inhabitants of this village." Strictly speaking, "the" is necessary as it refers to the Indian fans watching the match, but I think it can be acceptably omitted in speech. Please note that in your explanation you are mixing up the people who are chanting with the police trying to stop them. I find the first omission of the...Read More...