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Re: The future tenses
Dear Gustavo, hope that you're fine. I just was wondering if you could clarify the meaning of the verb "win" in that context. Does it...
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Thank you very much.
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Usage of who
Hello, In sentence #1 below, I am curious to know whether the use of the pronoun who is wrong and why sentence # is 2 is preferable. 1. I believe I am not the only person who asks him that question. 2. I believe I am not the only person to ask him that question. thank youRead More...
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It is a mistake. And it's not the only one!
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It was taken from this video on You tube. A teacher who was discussing the use of "too", "either" & "neither" ...
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Hi, Abdullah, I don't know where you have taken this from, but "will" can and should be used in this case: A: Mrs. Davis won't attend...
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Hi, Ahmed55, Adverbials formed by "this time" + a NP indicating future are typically used with the future progressive (to indicate an...
For a long time vs for long
Hi. What's the difference between these 2 phrases? Sample sentences: 1. They didn't work for long. 2. They didn't work for a long time. My guess is: Sentence 1 convey a habitual idea: during a certain period of time in the past, like maybe last year, they didn't work for long hours every day. Sentence 2, on the other hand, means there was a certain period of time that they didn't work, which is long in length. Did I get it right? Many thanks in advance.Read More...
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Hi, Muh, I see that both choices are grammatically correct here.
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Hello, sir. I really appreciate every help from anyone. However, I resorted to this site for its "native" experts. We resort to this...
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Auxiliary Verbs with Either & Neither
A: Mrs. Davis won’t attend the meeting. B: Mr. Johnson WON’T either. But when starting the sentence with NEITHER, speaker B said “Neither WOULD Mr. Johnson.” Would you please clarify why speaker B used WOULD with NEITHER? Why not WILL, as was the case with EITHER? Thank you very muchRead More...
Thank you very much.Read More...
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Re: Modal verbs
I forgot to mention that, as it introduces a restrictive clause, "who" would be normally dropped: - The millionaire has a very ugly girl...
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The future tenses
This time next week,I ..... the final match .Im confident of myself(will win/will be winning/May be winningRead More...
Dear Gustavo, hope that you're fine. I just was wondering if you could clarify the meaning of the verb "win" in that context. Does it mean: 1. "To get something as a prize" I would think it won't take much time to happen, i.e. using "win" in the progressive form is a bit awkward, isn't it? OR 2. To be most successful at a specific point during the game" like when I say: Who's winning? I guess the two meanings are different, aren't they?Read More...
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Re: Modal verbs
Got it and thanks for the "could fall in love" suggestion.
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I really appreciate your response Gustavo. As new grammar challenges arise I will try to find the explanation through my own research.
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Hi, Abdul, I endorse Ahmed's answer. Sometimes non-native members' replies help, especially if provided by experienced teachers like...
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Of course, Yoozee. Your questions will be most welcome. I'm not a native speaker, but have studied the language for many years (a few...
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Hey Gustavo. Thanks for the speedy reply. I am a native English speaker who is helping a Japanese friend t o improve her E nglish...
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Hello, Yoozee, and welcome to the Grammar Exchange. Both "carry on" and "carry on with" are possible. The main grammatical difference is...
would travel / was travelling
He asked me when the manager (would travel/was travelling) to attend the next conference. I choose "was travelling". What are your choices, please? Thanks in advance!Read More...
Hi, Muh, I see that both choices are grammatically correct here.Read More...
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Re: Modal verbs
Hi, Robby zhu, I'd add "so" before "many boys," and use "could fall in love" instead of "fell in love." I think you need a...
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Hi, Harry O'Neil, The passive causative is formed by "have" + object + past participle: - He had his pants taken down (= lengthened).
Use of With as a preposition
Hi. I have just been asked a grammar question by a Japanese friend and I was not 100% sure. Comparing sentences: 1. We carried on a conversation 2. We carried on WITH a conversation Are both correct? Is there a difference in meaning? Thanks YoozeeRead More...
I really appreciate your response Gustavo. As new grammar challenges arise I will try to find the explanation through my own research. However, it is comforting to know I can seek help from experts if I am still unsure. Best wishes and I will be back 😀Read More...
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Thank you both for your responses. The situation is that the speaker and the addressee both know that Helen passed away. I was comparing...
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I would take a guess and say 1. Reason is because 2. also refers to the fact that Helen was your auntie and therefore 'was' may be more ...
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Thanks once again. So out of curiosity is this example incorrect: https://ibb.co/DDzXjc5
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Hi, Terry, I think both can be used depending on the context and the situation. If the speaker and the addressee know that Helen died, I...
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Thanks, mates. I really needed the editors' answer not just the non-native members'. Anyway, I know that we can use "went" or "had gone"
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Hi, CP1612, and welcome to the Grammar Exchange, The use of 'Were it that' is just very archaic. I don't know the whole context, but the...
"Were it" question
Wondering if the current usage of 'were it' is acceptable: Were it that the waters were not calm, so that she might at least be pushed in some other direction! I understand that it would make more sense to the modern audience to use 'If only' rather than 'were it', but the atmosphere I am going for is a more old-fashioned one. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance to any who decide to reply to this.Read More...
Hi, CP1612, and welcome to the Grammar Exchange, The use of 'Were it that' is just very archaic. I don't know the whole context, but the usage of 'If only' seems better here. You could say something like "Oh, God! If only the waters were not ...."Read More...
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My words are crippled to express my appreciation! Thanks so much, David! Wish all the members safety and prosperity!
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I get it, thanks, Gustavo.
Modal verbs
Sentence: The millionaire has a very ugly girl who I <may/can/could/would> not have dreamed many boys fell in love with. If I want to express it with the fact that: many men actually love her, from a grammar standpoint, which modal verb is possible？ Many thanks in advance.Read More...
I forgot to mention that, as it introduces a restrictive clause, "who" would be normally dropped: - The millionaire has a very ugly girl I would not have dreamed so many boys could fall in love with.Read More...
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present simple or continuous
What's the difference between: Do you speak when you're riding a bike? and Do you speak when you ride a bike?Read More...
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Causative verb + Ajd/Adv?
Hello. I sometimes see structures like this > He *has you sad*. > He dreamed he *had his pants down* in front of everyone I would like to know: 1. Are these sentences the passive causative or active ones? 2. What is the meaning they're conveing?Read More...
Hi, Harry O'Neil, The passive causative is formed by "have" + object + past participle: - He had his pants taken down (= lengthened). (Somebody took them down for him.) The active causative is formed by "have" + object + bare infinitive: - He had a tailor take down (= lengthen) his pants. (A tailor took them down for him.) I don't think "have" has a causative meaning in the sentences above, if we understand that "causative" means making somebody do something for you, or getting somebody to...Read More...
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Hi, Abu Hamza, Both are correct, but 'makes' seems more common. Generally speaking, the singular verb is particularly preferred in...
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I remember the following answer when I asked a native speaker the same question. He said, "Both the singular and the plural verb are...
Plural or sigular
Two and two ………………..four ( make / makes )Read More...
Hi, Abu Hamza, Both are correct, but 'makes' seems more common. Generally speaking, the singular verb is particularly preferred in mathematical expressions. See here: https://thegrammarexchange.inf...hree-make-makes-fiveRead More...
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Hi, Robby zhu, The verb "hope" can only apply to people or to organizations formed by people (e.g. companies, countries). Even in this...
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Implied subject of a -ing clause
This course is of great interest to students, _____ to improve their writing skills. A. hope B. to hope C. hoping D. hoped Hello everyone. The answer to that question is C, but I want to know who's hoping? This course？ If it is the "students", wouldn't a restrictive modifier be better? Thanks in advance.Read More...
I get it, thanks, Gustavo.Read More...
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Passed away - tense
1 Was Helen your auntie, a blood relative? 2 Is Helen your auntie, a blood relative? Helen passed away. Is 2 correct because although Helen passed away, it refers to the relationship which is a fact?Read More...
Thank you both for your responses. The situation is that the speaker and the addressee both know that Helen passed away. I was comparing to the case: Richard is an ex-colleague. Maybe it is different because the word “ex-colleague” itself bears the meaning which reflects the relationship in the past. But we still use present tense. David: Richard was a teacher of King’s College. David: Richard is an ex-colleague of mine. Both David and Richard are live and kicking. Richard is no longer...Read More...
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Hope all the moderators and members good health and stay safe! from Hong Kong.
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Hello I miss you so much. Stay safe. I have a suggestion. Could forum archives be downloadable? Thank you.Read More...
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Wonderful! Thank you very much.
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Hello, Christopher, and welcome to the Grammar Exchange. I think a colon (not a period) would work much better than a comma there. With...
Question about introducing quotations...
Hi there, I'm writing a children's book and have a question about a particular construction. Here's the sentence in question: Mr. Owl spoke again, “I know that the Night seems very dark to your eyes, but you have to trust my words more than you trust your eyes. Day will come again. Do you believe that?” Note that the comma before the quotation is essentially filling in for the word "saying," as in "Mr. Owl spoke again, saying, "......". My question is this: can I write this as I have above,...Read More...
Wonderful! Thank you very much.Read More...
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unless
Hello. I can't decide which one of the following sentences is correct and which one is not and why. Please help. Thank you 1- I wouldn't have the first prize unless I trained hard. 2- Unless you had studied hard, you wouldn't have got high marks. 3- Gamila wouldn't have bought the new car unless she had saved money. 4- I wouldn't have been able to do it unless she had helped me. 5- Unless you had told me about Rasha's new dress, I wouldn't have noticed it. 6- Unless my sister had been born,...Read More...
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The amount of the work (article usage)
Hello! I hope you're doing well. Would you, please, check my understanding of article usage in 'amount of something' ? Here are my examples and reasoning: Context 1: Our man has been building a house for three days = It's the entire amount of work. a) It's hard to estimate [the amount of work] [he did yesterday]. b) It's hard to estimate [the amount of] [work he did yesterday]. c) It's hard to estimate [the amount of the work] [he did yesterday]. d) It's hard to estimate [the amount of] [the...Read More...
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Re: Of vs. In?
Hello, akcpenguin, and welcome to the Grammar Exchange. To add a little to Gustavo's response, with which I completely agree, I think it...
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Thank you, David. Much appreciated!
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Yes, Amit, "What would you have done?" is ambiguous: it could derive either from "you would have done X " or from "you would have X...
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Thank you for your reply. I appreciate it.
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Thank you kindly! My head was hurting with the question: "What would you have done?" Does the person mean ...if you had been in my...
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Hi, AmitD, The rule is, use the modal as auxiliary and place the rest of the verb phrase after the subject: - Where should I have parked...
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Hi, bananas, I see nothing grammatically wrong with your sentence. Perhaps it could be improved to: - His high level of commitment to...
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Re: Massive
Apart from the quantifiers David proposed, here are the adjectives suggested by the Oxford Collocations Dictionary for Students of...
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A kind gesture and highly appreciated, David. 🤝 Truly, The whole world is living at an exceptional time and almost has become a closed...
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Hi, Abdul Rahman and welcome to the G.E, The first answer with 'had gone' is the better one here because it reflects the usage of 'go'...
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Considering your examples, you could say both. In this case, both verbs have a close meaning. If you want to be more specific about the...
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Re: Me or myself?
That's perfect. I'm afraid I didn't make myself clear enough. It doesn't matter whether the subject is I, you, he, she, we or they. My...
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Re: Me or myself?
Thanks for your welcome to GE and for sharing your thoughts on my question, Gustavo I chose my name because it seemed like a fun ID that...
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Re: Of vs. In?
Hello, akcpenguin, and welcome to the Grammar Exchange. Both and are correct. The difference is, just as you seem to have guessed, that...
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Re: Me or myself?
Hello, Me, myself, and I (is that the username you really intended to adopt or did you just get confused with the title of your...
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Hi, David and Gustavo, David, you are really such a nice and thoughtful man! I do wish everybody here to stay safe and healthy. One...
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Your post above was really very nice, David. I think the sentences I quoted are particularly good to depict this forum: we are a...
Reported speech {go}
Hello, sir! I'd like to know how to report this sentence "Did you go to school?", mother said. Is it OK to say: Mother asked if I had gone to school. Or, Mother asked if I had been to school.Read More...
Hello, sir. I really appreciate every help from anyone. However, I resorted to this site for its "native" experts. We resort to this site as a trustworthy one as we, second language learners, may argue about some kind of a rule. * Concerning the use of "had gone", not "went", I learnt that the past simple tense can be changed into past perfect or it can be kept unchanged. Thanks, allRead More...
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