Hi, Azz, Both 'a' and 'b' don't tell the exact number of books stolen from him. If the addressee knows that exact number, he / she will understand the speaker's intended meaning. It is correct, but funny, as it means that a certain book was stolen from him more than once. It doesn't convey your intended meaning above. I think you can better use your words above: He had three books. Each time, one book was stolen from him.Read More...

Hi, Kezi, and welcome to G.E, I see this question is highly problematic, so I'd like just to express my opinion about it. On 'LDOCE', we have two examples that summarize my opinion: 1. A total of thirteen meetings were held to discuss the issue. 2. A total of $950 million was spent on the new transportation system. I see 'a total of' works like 'collective nouns'. It could be followed by a singular or a plural verb depending on how the speaker sees the individuals of the group. I think that...Read More...

Hello, Apple—Yes, that is correct. "My phone" can be used in reference to your phone no matter what type of phone you have, and "I have lost my phone" can likewise be used no matter what type of phone you have.Read More...

Hi, Bear-Bear, I'm sure you know that team sports that are played with a ball take 'play' and activities ending with 'ing' take 'go', while violent and recreational activities take 'do'. However, when you ask the question 'what sports do you do?', you can use 'do' before all sports. See here: http://www.learnenglishlanguag...ports-play-do-or-go/ So, I see that 'a' and 'e' are perfect. 'B' and 'd' are acceptable answers (because of the form of the question that precedes them). 'C' is ...Read More...

I agree with Ahmed that "will have increased" is the best answer, and with you, Muh, that the progressive is wrong. While "will increase" is possible, it improperly conveys that the increase may be a sudden jump. What is needed is the idea that a process of increase will have reached a certain level by a certain date, and for that the future perfect is needed. Here is a simpler example for comparison: Your child will have grown to a height of at least 4 feet by the time he or she is a teenager.Read More...

Thank you. That was a typo. I should have been more careful. AppleRead More...

Thank you Mr.AhmedRead More...

Hello Gustavo, thanks for the fast reply!Read More...

Hello, SoulReaver09, and welcome to the Grammar Exchange. Both were and was are correct. According to (mainly British) grammar purists, "were" is more correct than "was," which is considered more informal. This has to do with the subjunctive form of the verb be (in some grammar books, you may also find it under the name of unreal past , that is, a past form that does not convey past meaning): - I wish this were (was) a trick. - If only this were (was) a trick. - It's time the trick were...Read More...

Hi, Joshua—Both sentences are totally ungrammatical. You haven't used "explore"/"explores" grammatically in either sentence, and (1) suffers from the additional error, common among English language learners whose grammar is weak, that you have used inversion in an embedded question. You can't explore someone to do something . Maybe the word you're looking for is "implore." If you changed "explore" to "implore," then (2) would be correct: (2a) Explain how a CEO could implore them to plan and...Read More...

Hi, Joshua—Neither (1) nor (2) is correct or appropriate: (1) is an absurd inversion of " An important tool for assessing how well your business has performed is in view of strategic evaluation ," which makes no sense at all, and (2) is not even a sentence (it's a fragment, an introductory phrase). You could use (2) as part of a larger sentence, however. The following would be correct: (2a) In view of strategic evaluation being an important tool for assessing how well your business has...Read More...

Thanks a lot Mr.AhmedRead More...

Okay, thanks, David.Read More...

When to Form a Plural with an Apostrophe By Maeve Maddox This reader wants to know why we write 1980s and not 1980’s. A lot of writers share this reader’s understanding that non-letter characters are pluralized by adding apostrophe s. Alas. Alas, indeed. That pesky apostrophe raises a lot of blood pressure for writers of English. I can’t really answer the reader’s question. What I can do is lay out what the Chicago Manual of Style says about when to use an apostrophe and when not to. And it...Read More...

Hello, Harit—Are you attempting to communicate with us in English?Read More...

ThanksRead More...

Hi, Ahmed55—The fact that few would doubt does not mean many are certain.Read More...

"Should" and "need to" would also be very natural and correct choices.Read More...

Hi, Ahmed, It means that by this time, the operation with have been finished and my mother will be in her room, but not the operating room. It means that the doctors will start the operation at this time tomorrow. It is scheduled. At this time tomorrow, the doctors will be in the process of doing the operation to my mother. It is something arranged.Read More...

Hi, Ahmed, I prefer to see it as a third conditional sentence, without 'now'. When you see the link below, you will see that the original source of this sentence doesn't include 'now' . https://books.google.com.eg/bo...very+different+now.+ However, I agree with your colleagues that inserting 'now' would mean that you are thinking about a present state 'counterfactual', and that would require 'would + inf.' For example: 1. A: How different the world would have been if the wheel hadn't been...Read More...

Thanks Mr.DavidRead More...

Hello, Emad—"Would be" is the only answer that works from a native standpoint in a normal context. However, this is not to say that "am" and "will be" are ungrammatical or that they are absolutely impossible in any conceivable context.Read More...

Hi, Robby zhu, "which" is wrong there, and I'd use "elderly" rather than "elder." - The problem is the elderly relatives we all have. In this sentence, "we all have" is a restrictive clause.Read More...

Hi, Ahmed, Are you sure there is no comma after 'car'? If there is, then the answer is 'which' . 'That' is the better answer because it is commonly used after quantifiers like 'something'.Read More...

Thank you both for confirming my thoughts. When my friend asked this question, it made me think hard, and so I thought it was a really interesting question. I really do appreciate your taking time to answer and adding similar structures.Read More...

Hi, Jambo12, and welcome to the Grammar Exchange. I don't think so, because it's the name of the vitamin. You might want to read this blog .Read More...

Yes, the idea is correct. Note, however, that your post above is full of grammar and spelling mistakes, which you really should try to avoid.Read More...

Hi, Emad, I see that 'all' is the correct answer. 'All' is used here for 'emphasis'. 'All alone' means 'completely by themselves / alone'.Read More...

Gustavo, >the reference points will not be included if what is measured has a different nature, Informative and very interesting explanation. Thank you very much!Read More...

Hi, Ahmed, The suggested answer is the only correct answer here. To use another relative pronoun, you must insert a definite or an indefinite article before 'hero'. Only 'which' works here.Read More...

Hello, Crys, and welcome to the Grammar Exchange. Both sentences are grammatically correct, but (1) sounds more natural than (2). One reason for this may be the prevalence of such related compound nouns as hairspray, hair products, haircut, hair length , etc. Another reason may be that hairs, hairs' , and hair's all sound exactly alike, and the speaker means to speak of the interlocutor's hair as a whole. Hair is a count and a noncount noun. It is more normal to say "You changed the color of...Read More...

Okay, Thanks.Read More...

No, because "will" has no future meaning there -- it expresses a deduction about the present.Read More...

Do you view this as a grammar question, Ahmed55? The word "species" seems to me to be unspecified in the passage. I believe the author is speaking of percentages of all species (plants, animals, insects, etc.).Read More...

Thanks alot Mr.DavidRead More...