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Thank you, David, for your reply, but I still don't understand. I used to think "the" means something specific, therefore, the passengers on that flight were a speficif group of people, not just any passengers. Is it then, acceptable to say "All students in our school passed the final " or "All visitors to this world heritage site must follow this rule" without using "the"? I will watch Sully . This incident on the Hudson river has been featured in many TV programs. AppleRead More...

Hi, Egyptian2017, Both answers are correct, but they have different meanings. With "cost," the sentence means: "My brother asked, 'How much do you think the trip cost ?'" Here, "cost" is the past tense of the verb "cost" (yes, the form doesn't change). With "would cost," the sentence means: "My brother asked, 'How much do you think the trip will cost ?'" Here, "would cost" is the backshifted version of "will cost." Everything hinges on whether the trip preceded your brother's question.Read More...

Well, they sound better to me than (1), but I perceive some unbalance: we are excluding only some of his paintings but all of others, and "let alone" works more finely when there is, so to say, grammatical symmetry: our research/their research, time and effort/money, the kids/the dogs. What do you think, David and DocV?Read More...

Thank you a lotRead More...

Thank you, Gustavo, I really appreciate the detail.Read More...

Wow! Thank you so much! I'm very grateful.Read More...

You are very welcome, Tara. I was afraid that I had personally offended you. If I ever do offend you, please tell me. You have my e-mail address (or at least you used to). Or, if you're not comfortable contacting me personally about such a thing, I'm sure you know how to contact David. I greatly appreciate your presence on the Grammar Exchange, and I'm not the only one. We would be very sorry to lose you. DocVRead More...

Doc V Thanks for your kind reply. I really appreciate the help I get from each and every admin or member here on this forum.Read More...

Doc V What about: I haven't seen Ali since two months ago.Read More...

Mr Bakr, The primary difference is that "both" can only refer to a quantity of two. 1a: I have two bicycles, and both of them need major repairs. 1b: I have five bicycles, and each of them needs major repairs. Note that, in these examples, "both" requires a plural verb but "each" requires a singular. This is because, in this context, "each" means "every one of". We also use "each" to refer to severally counted items as opposed to mass quantities: 2a: These onions cost a dollar a pound . 2b:...Read More...

Thank you sooo much ! ! ! ! !Read More...

Hi, Rasha, Here is the sentence with answer (b): (b) There are times when you can't work hard enough to live comfortably. That sentence means that there are times when you can't afford to live comfortably no matter how hard you work. Well, let's add sentential negation to "I am too short to reach the shelf": (X) I am not too short to reach the shelf. That sentence means you are short but you can nevertheless reach the shelf.Read More...

Hello, Rasha, Those two sentences can be used interchangeably, but it is possible for (1) to be used with a different meaning from (2). Read as equivalent in meaning, each sentence uses "got" as a resultative copula (linking verb) followed by an adjective phrase: "soaked" or "soaking wet." Read as not equivalent in meaning, each sentence uses "got" in a different way. In (1), it is a passive auxiliary verb, and in (2) it is a resulative copula. On the passive reading of (1), "soaked" is not...Read More...

Gustavo has elaborated on the point beautifully. Thank you, Gustavo! I really like the quotations you gave from the book by Michael Vince, too.Read More...

Hello, Benhui, and welcome to the Grammar Exchange! In your question, you need "do"-support. In English, we say, " Why does the above sentence use 'on'? ", not " Why the above sentence use 'on'? " "I go on the business trip" is a very strange sentence by itself. Normally it would be part of a larger sentence -- e.g.: "If I go on the business trip, I won't be home." We go on trips ; we don't go to trips . We do take trips to different places , but we go on trips to those places.Read More...

Hi David, Thank you so much! Interesting to see how a word is derived from another and its orthography can change over time.Read More...

I agree with you, Gustavo, that we generally use "egg" as a count noun, and that "eggs" (plural) is probably a better choice for Jiho in (b). As a vegetarian who doesn't eat eggs, or who tries his best not to, I am accustomed to using "egg," occasionally, as a noncount noun. Thus, if I am placing an order for food at a restaurant I have never eaten at before, I will often ask whether a particular dish is made with eggs (count noun), but occasionally I will ask, instead, whether it contains...Read More...

Thank you DavidRead More...

Thank you very much Mr.AhmedRead More...

And in abstract metaphorical usage, the following transitive case is common: (5) He needed to clear up the misunderstanding. Often such sentences are abbreviated like this: (6) He needed to clear things up.Read More...

Thank you very much, Gustavo. My due appreciation and respect.Read More...

No, Ahmad, it is not even remotely grammatical. It is 100% grammatically incorrect.Read More...