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Re: lie, lay
Thank you, David, for your comment. Apple
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Thanks.đ
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Re: that
Hi, Joshuaâ"That" is optional in this type of context ("It's so hot [that] it burns").
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Re: Instead
Hi, JoshuaâYou appear to be quoting an article in your post; however, you have not placed the quotation in quotation marks (or mentioned...
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Re: lie, lay
Yes, this is an extremely common grammar error among native speakers. I hear the error almost daily, even in the speech of educated...
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Re: write off?
Thanks a lot.
Instead
The meaning of "instead" in the sentence below is "other than that" or "contraditory" or "contrary" or "nevertheless", or " in contrast". Which one is appropriate? Instead, its main evening news bulletin praises the government and Mr Duda daily and attacks Mr Trzaskowski, accusing him of being in cahoots with Jewish and LGBT interest groups.Read More...
Hi, JoshuaâYou appear to be quoting an article in your post; however, you have not placed the quotation in quotation marks (or mentioned the author's name, or the title of the piece of writing from which the quote was taken). That makes it look as though you are asking about a sentence you yourself have written and are uncertain of the meaning of a word that you have chosen to use. I am not going to take the time to search for the article you are quoting, since you should have provided a...Read More...
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that
Should we place "that" after "intense" in the sentence below? In some places the crowds became so intense it caused locals, environmentalists and even governments to complain that overtourism was pushing the region's fragile ecosystems to breaking point. https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/southeast-asia-overtourism-coronavirus-intl-hnk/index.htmlRead More...
Hi, Joshuaâ"That" is optional in this type of context ("It's so hot [that] it burns").Read More...
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Past or Passive Form
1. Is "tampered" a past tense verb or a passive form or verb? 2. How did he tampered a witness to implore him to stonewall Congress? I am not clear about this statement, is it due to weak in English grammar? And he tampered with a witness, imploring him to stonewall Congress," Mueller wrote in the op-ed posted Saturday evening. https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/11/politics/robert-mueller-defends-roger-stone-prosecution/index.htmlRead More...
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Thanks a lot. Can we say that (empowering questions) mean (motivating questions)?
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thanks a lot
our class has 35 students
Hello, Is sentence 3 problematic? 1. There are 35 students in our class. 2.We have 35 students in our class. 3. Our class has 35 students. appleRead More...
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Hi, Navi, I think (1) can work, with "Tom and Sally" being a dislocated object. I'm not so sure (2) can work the same way as (1),...
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Hi, Izzy, I looked up "empowering / disempowering questions" to understand what they are. There are lots of sites containing empowering...
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Hi, Izzy, When used with "donate" or "donation," the noun "cause" refers to " an aim , belief , or organization that a group of people...
resumptive pronouns?
Can sentences 1-5 be used for the given meanings: 1) Tom and Sally, the police arrested them. (Meaning: The police arrested Tom and Sally.) 2) Tom and Sally, do you think the police should arrest them? (Meaning: Do you think the police should arrest Tom and Sally?) 3) Tom and Sally, I want to see get out of jail. 4) Tom and Sally, I want to see them get out of jail. (Meaning: I want to see Tom and Sally get out of jail.) 5) Tom and Sally, do you want to see them get out of jail? (Meaning: Do...Read More...
Hi, Navi, I think (1) can work, with "Tom and Sally" being a dislocated object. I'm not so sure (2) can work the same way as (1), because the pronominal object is inside a content clause and that sets it too far apart from the expanded object. I think (3), (4) and (5) can work without "get." You might want to read a recent related thread about preposing and dislocation .Read More...
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Re: Total
Hi, Moon Le, We generally use "of," not "out of," with percentages. By the way, your question about the singular or plural form should...
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Re: went
Hi, zonzon, Both are grammatically correct, but different in meaning: (1) means they went to the doctor's while they were complaining of...
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Re: write off?
Taxpayers can deduct the amount of expenses, donations, losses, etc. from their revenue (gross income), and thus obtain the net income...
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Re: write off?
deduct amounts of what? Money? Please give me an example of how they deduct. The idea is still not clear to me. Thanks
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Active voice: If the conditions in all zoos were improved, this (improvement) would reduce the suffering of many animals. Using the...
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Re: write off?
Hi, Izzy, The phrasal "write off" (and the noun "write-off") is mostly an accounting term. In the area of taxes, it is equivalent to...
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Thanks ahmed_btm. Could you please tell my why passive voice is used here? I am confused about this.
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Hi, Toaha, 'Would be reduced' is the only correct choice. That's because 'reduce' is transitive here.
If the conditions in all zoos...
Which one is the correct option? Please explain. If the conditions in all zoos were improved, then the suffering of many animals _________. 1) would be reduced 2) would reduceRead More...
Thanks.đRead More...
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Thanks đ
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I see. Thanks a lot.
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Re: pays handsomely?
Thank you very much.
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went
which is correct:1- They went to the doctor complaining of chest pains. 2-They went to the doctor to complain of chest pains.Read More...
Hi, zonzon, Both are grammatically correct, but different in meaning: (1) means they went to the doctor's while they were complaining of chest pains (time), while (2) means they visited the doctor for the purpose of complaining/in order to complain about chest pains (purpose). I'm not sure that "complain" is the verb speakers would naturally use in the circumstances. Perhaps they wanted to ask about the chest pains they were experiencing.Read More...
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write off?
hi, From The Top Ten Distinctions Between Millionaires and The Middle Class by Keith Smith, P 95. "Perhaps the greatest advantage of owning your own business is the tax advantage. Business owners can write off several things that you canât as an employee. I am not a tax attorney or tax strategist, so I will not offer advice here, but you absolutely must learn about the tax advantages you are entitled to as a business owner." Does (write off) mean (reduce) or (delete) or what exactly?Read More...
Thanks a lot.Read More...
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Re: pays handsomely?
Izzy, you can modify a noun once and then cease to modify it -- the modifier will be understood: Millionaires have the special skill of...
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Hi, Izzy, (1) is not correct. The verb "start" can be followed by "to"-infinitive, not by "to"+V-ing. With a progressive tense, I think...
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Yes, you can say that too.
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Yes, you can say that, with a slight change of meaning: 1. The trauma will be too heavy for her = She will go through an excessively...
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Re: How is
Is' isn't a question word. 'How' forms a 'wh-question' while starting a question with 'is' forms a 'yes/no' question or what is called...
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Re: fierce or cruel
Hi, Zonzon, The best choice is: 'cruel'. Your example above is found on 'LDOCE'. See: https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/cruel
fierce or cruel
I think it's (cruel-fierce-violent) to keep dogs locked up inside all day.Read More...
Hi, Zonzon, The best choice is: 'cruel'. Your example above is found on 'LDOCE'. See: https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/cruelRead More...
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Sorry for asking you again, Gustavo. Can this sentence "The trauma will be too heavy for her for things to be the same/normal" be...
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Thanks for your explanations, Gustavo đ. Can I say like this: Why do some people ask questions on Quora when the answers could easily...
Starting to having?
Hi, What is the difference between I was starting to having aniexty and panic attack. I was starting to have aniexty and panic attack. ThanksRead More...
I see. Thanks a lot.Read More...
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Total
Hi everyone! May I have a question? After the word "total" as adjective, we use plural or single noun? For example, if I write these three sentences, which is correct? 1. There are 20% out of the total students choosing science field. 2. There are 20% out of the total student choosing science field. 3. 7% out of the total profit is distributed to shippers.Read More...
Hi, Moon Le, We generally use "of," not "out of," with percentages. By the way, your question about the singular or plural form should be related to the statement of percentages, not to the presence of the adjective "total." Notice you can eliminate "total" and your doubt remains: 1'. There are 20% of the students choosing science. 2'. There are 20% of the student choosing science. 3'. 7% of the profit is distributed to shippers. (2') is incorrect. You need the plural "student s ." If you...Read More...
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donate to causes?
Hi, From The Top Ten Distinctions Between Millionaires and The Middle Class by Keith Smith, P 88. "Millionaires get up, do what they love, spend time with their families, donate to causes they believe in, travel to exotic places, and continually look for investments to increase their net worth." Could you please give the possible words that mean the same as the highlighted parts? ThanksRead More...
thanks a lotRead More...
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empowering questions
Hi, Ask yourself empowering questions. Ask yourself disempowering questions. What are the other words that can be used instead of (empowering) and (disempowering) to still give the same meaning? ThanksRead More...
Thanks a lot. Can we say that (empowering questions) mean (motivating questions)?Read More...
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Re: doubts
Thank you very much, Gustavo, Yes, I agree.
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Re: pays handsomely?
I meant to ask about the meaning of (special). Why does he call it (special skill) but not (skill) without any adjective as (skill)...
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Re: than
So deep
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Re: How is
"How" is a question word and "Is" also can be a question word, right? Are they not contradicting? Could you provide some similar...
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Re: pays handsomely?
Crystal clear. Thanks a lot.
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Re: doubts
I've been thinking you can also doubt the likelihood of a realistic story, or the reasonability or logic of a fantastic story -- what I...
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Re: doubts
Thank you very much, Gustavo, Yes, I think you're right. I can doubt the value of my science fiction story, but not the story itself,...
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Re: doubts
Hi, Navi, I don't think "doubt" can be used as a transitive verb to mean, as defined by LDCE, " to think that something may not be true...
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Hi, Toaha, The preposition that usually follows the noun "answer" is "to": answer to a question. However, in relative constructions I...
doubts
1) I doubted the science fiction story I had written. Does that sentence make sense? The idea is that I had doubts about it; I didn't know if it was good or not. I doubted its value. Gratefully, NaviRead More...
Thank you very much, Gustavo, Yes, I agree.Read More...
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Re: Since
Hi, Freeguy, This question has been discussed many times on this forum, and I remember sharing in one of its discussions. See here:...
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Re: Since
Hi, Freeguy, David had already answered you a similar question here .
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Hi, Joshua, The original text speaks about the possibility of Trump wearing a mask. The appositive phrase "a photo opportunity ..."...
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Re: pays handsomely?
I think that in the second text you proposed above "which pays handsomely" is not easily related to the long antecedent, with two...
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Hi, Ceedhanna, It is well-known that 'hear' isn't usually used in the progressive form. So, when can it be used in the progressive? A...
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Re: lie, lay
Thank you, Gustavo. I'm kind of shocked, because advanced level non-native English learners seldom make this type of error, but I've...
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Re: How is
Hi, Joshua, There would be a difference in meaning if you omitted 'how'. 'How' shows that the real problem lies in making the world...
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Re: than
Hi, Joshua, It is an indicative form of comparison, and is always used with the negative. The writer means that the pandemic can't be...
A photo opportunity
What is the relationship between the statement before and after "a photo opportunity that"? He is also expected to be photographed wearing it, a photo opportunity that some of the President's aides practically begged him to agree to and hope will encourage skeptical Trump supporters to do the same.Read More...
Hi, Joshua, The original text speaks about the possibility of Trump wearing a mask. The appositive phrase "a photo opportunity ..." refers to that possibility.Read More...
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How is
Why does the sentence below use "how is"? Why can't just take away "How"? "How is it difficult for humans to unite to fight a common enemy that's killing people indiscriminately?"Read More...
Is' isn't a question word. 'How' forms a 'wh-question' while starting a question with 'is' forms a 'yes/no' question or what is called 'a closed question'. They are not contradicting, but different. With 'how is it difficult' the focus is on 'uniting with greater difficulty'. The speaker knows it is very difficult to make our leaders unite. If you used 'is it difficult', the writer would seem unsure of the answer. Here are few examples that have just come to mind: a) How is it difficult to...Read More...
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than
Could you explain the meaning of "any more than" in the sentence below? I could not understand the meaning of the sentence while it joins the later clause after "than". "As we are experiencing firsthand, you cannot fight the pandemic with lies and disinformation any more than you can fight it with hate or incitement to hatred," Merkel said.Read More...
So deepRead More...
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Re: pays handsomely?
Thanks a lot. Don't you think, through the texts I have provided in the different posts published, that the writer of the book is mixing...
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Re: pays handsomely?
Hi, Izzy, When used with "pay," the adverb "handsomely" means "very well, to a great extent." If a company pays handsomely for your...
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Thanks a lot.
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Re: lie, lay
Hi, Apple, You are right that "lies down" is the correct spelling when the verb is intransitive, as confirmed by this site .
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Hi, Izzy, Actually, " sales " is plural and defined by Merriam-Webster's dictionary as the total amount of money that a business...
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That is ambiguous, because "early in life" can refer to "knew" or to "wanted to do," although the former is more likely as it is usual...
Why do some people...
Which one is grammatically and naturally correct? Please explain. 1. Why do some people ask questions on Quora for which answers could easily be found by searching on Google? 2. Why do some people ask questions on Quora to which answers could easily be found by searching on Google?Read More...
Thanks đRead More...
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Since
There are many new houses belonging to the low income employees. They have been built at a high cost since 4 years ago. To me, "since 4 years ago" is not an acceptable combination. What do you think?Read More...
Hi, Freeguy, This question has been discussed many times on this forum, and I remember sharing in one of its discussions. See here: https://thegrammarexchange.inf.../topic/since-and-ago BTW, this question reminds me of a sentence written by DOC V in one of his emails. He wrote to me, "We (David and DOC V) have been good friends since years before the Grammar Exchange even existed." Although it is rare to use, it seems that native speakers use it spontaneously.Read More...
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pays handsomely?
Hi, From The Top Ten Distinctions Between Millionaires and The Middle Class by Keith Smith, P 80. "Millionaires have also developed the special skill of getting people to work well together, which pays handsomely. It is a skill, however, that takes time to develop. It is the ability to get people to embrace one anotherâs differences and to assign the right person to the right position." Does (which) refer to the (special skill) or to (getting people to worl well together)? In other words,...Read More...
Thank you very much.Read More...
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sales equals income
Hi, From The Top Ten Distinctions Between Millionaires and The Middle Class by Keith Smith, P 82. "Millionaires are always open to learning better ways to run their businesses. Millionaires understand that sales equals income but massive income equals having a team built on the foundation of trust." Does (sales) in the context above mean (items bought and sold)? Thanks.Read More...
Thanks a lot.Read More...
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Thank you very much once again. One last question. Does " She knew what she wanted to do early in life" mean that she used to know but...
lie, lay
Hello, This is the first paragraph of an article from The Atlantic. You may have seen a recent viral video that showed a polar bear in the throes of suffering. The beast seems to be in the final hours of its lifeâits legs wobbling under its weight, its pupils widened in pain, its yellow fur hanging loosely off its bonesâas it gnaws on trash, lays down, and shuts its eyes. My comment: I think the underlined âlays downâ should be âlies downâ because âlayâ is a transitive verb which requires an...Read More...
Thank you, David, for your comment. AppleRead More...
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Re: mind block...
No, "portmanteau" is a method of word formation consisting of combining two words to form a new one : breakfast + lunch = brunch. My...
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Understood. I may rely on using some "poetic license" in the end as long as I'm making a valid point and not being grammatically...
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Thank you. I am from Thailand