All Topics

This topic was posted on 30 March 2020. The last year has gone by so fast! Some of us may have lost our jobs, friends and families. Hope that all of us can continue to be brave in such a difficult situation. As a Hongkonger, I am experiencing an unpleasant change in Hong Kong, which makes life miserable for me and many other fiends in Hong Kong... All the best! Separately, hope that Doc-V is doing fine.Read More...

Thank you so much, Sir. God bless youRead More...

Hi, Navi, I think that the absence of a comma leads us to interpret the clause starting with "with" as one of reason: it is a problem area because of the poor lighting. With a comma, the same clause would be interpreted as descriptive of an additional problem the area has.Read More...

Well, the verb "finish" can be used both transitively and intransitively. A similar pair of sentences can be made up with the noun "speech": - The speech is about to finish (the delivery of the speech). - The speech is about to be finished (the delivery or the drafting of the speech).Read More...

Thank you Gustavo.Read More...

Thank you so much, SirRead More...

I didn't mean "degree of certainty" but "the amount of the bet." That is an interesting example. I can only say that the "-that" clause is the content of the bet rather than the object. Honestly, I don't know how else to explain it syntactically.Read More...

Hi, Cristi, You do need 's for the possessive above. We understand that Lorry and Simon applied for the loans on a joint basis. If they are individual borrowers, then you should say: - Lorry Burnett 's and Simon Burnett 's loan applications have been processed. Please see this old thread for further reference.Read More...

Hi, Cristi, After prepositions ("from" is a preposition), you have to use objective pronouns, that is, "me," not "I."Read More...

Hello, Nutmegger, and welcome to the Grammar Exchange. As long as you state your opinion, in this case as to how the text can be improved — which you have done —, you are not infringing any of our rules . However, what you should have done is include the source, which I think is this one . I agree with most of your objections and proposals. I think the reporter wrote "seen" because, earlier in the text, he mentioned that the player had only seen the campus virtually. Apart from your...Read More...

Hi, Zonzon, You should have provided us with a complete example to understand what you want to say. Anyway, what is natural to say is, ' The purpose of this speech is .......'. When 'reason' is used to mean 'why something happens', it is naturally followed by ' for '. It can be followed by ' of ' in the following fixed expressions: 'by reason of' and 'for reasons of'.Read More...

Thanks a lot.Read More...

Thank you Sir, God bless youRead More...

Hello, Hossam Nigm, and welcome to the Grammar Exchange. You shouldn't use "treatments," because it has a medical connotation. You can say: - Tolerance is a must in our daily relationships.Read More...

Hi, Mohammed, and welcome to the G.E, Both are grammatically correct. 1- It is important that he go away. (Formal in Br. English). 2- It is important that he goes away. (Less formal).Read More...

Hi, Ahmed—This is a terrible grammar exercise, in that the only answer that makes sense ("away") could be used only in a very special, uncommon context. Suppose you returned to someplace you hadn't visited since 2016. Explaining this to someone who lives there, you might ask about Amgad's whereabouts. Assuming your interlocutor doesn't know Amgad very well (only that he has moved away since the time that the questioner had left), he could say: Amgad has moved away from this area since 2016.Read More...

He is of Arabian/Arab descent .Read More...

Thanks David. Cheers, FayRead More...

I would suggest the ones you proposed at the beginning, had or had brought . Please also notice that we would normally say: There are no restaurants here.Read More...

If you are ready to do something, you are willing to do it. They are ready to fight each other. She was always ready to give interviews. If you are ready for something, you need it or want it. My regardsRead More...

I completely agree with you. Thank you very muchRead More...

No, Language Learner. In the situation you described, the parent could say: 2) If she studied hard, she must have passed it. (If it is true that she studied hard, then she must have passed it.) If the parent knows both the result and that his/her daughter studied hard, he/she could say: 3) I knew she would pass it if she studied hard.Read More...

Thanks alotRead More...

Hi, there, Sincerely appreciate your wonderful explanations, which have now made me understand the verb ‘ live ’ is not a stative verb in my original post. For your reference, my original question has originated from the problem - how we can tell following two constructions, since we often meet them everyday life; 1. “perceptual verb + DO + V-ing“ (-ing as a present participle describing the DO) 2. “perceptual verb + DO + V-ing“ (-ing as a reduced relative clause) For an instance, when we...Read More...

I used "had gone" because we were talking about the past perfect, and the past perfect of "go" is "had gone," not "had been," which is the past perfect of "be."Read More...