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Thank you very much, DocV, It is good to see you back! Respectfully, NaviRead More...

Is Fidelity a person? I'd go with "met with" if you are describing a confrontation ("they were met with hostility", "they were met with gunfire", "they were met with an armored battallion", etc). "[M]et by" sounds much more friendly: They were met by Fidelity’s personal bodyguards, who showed them into the sitting room and offered them some fine wine with bread and an excellent assortment of cheeses, which they enjoyed as they waited. What do you think, David? I see both choices as possible...Read More...

That was really helpful! Thanks for explaining Doc VRead More...

Hello, Emad, I agree with Ahmed_btm that "has ever happened" is a very natural choice, and it is probably the answer that the test makers would like you to choose. However, there is only one incorrect (ungrammatical) answer in the answer set, and that is "has never happened": Nothing like this happened to her. (correct in a suitable context) Nothing like this has happened to her. (correct in a suitable context) Nothing like this has ever happened to her. (correct and very natural) * Nothing...Read More...

Nice analysis, Gustavo. I agree with everything you have said and would simply like to add that another natural way of saying "I have made up the example below " is to say "I have made up the following example ." Right here on the Grammar Exchange, I have written sentences like "Please consider the following example" probably thousands of times. Ansonman, if you really want to use "an," you could say: I have made up an example, namely, the example that appears below. But there is no need for...Read More...

Hi, Azz, Please note you made a typo in (a), where you wrote "They made a n mistake... " After making that correction, I think (a) and (b) are fine: in (a), you couldn't believe the mistake they made, while in (b) you couldn't believe their having made that mistake, i.e. the fact that they made it. (c) is wrong because there is a duplication of the object: c. They made an error (that) I couldn't believe they had made it .Read More...

Hi, Leonard-Jones, Please see if this can be of help.Read More...

Hello, JenH, and welcome to the Grammar Exchange! The pattern agent + past participle is only used in English when the agent is a generic, plural noun, as in: - moth-eaten clothes (clothes eaten by moths ) or an institutional, singular noun (of which there is only one of the kind), as in: - state-owned company (company owned by the state ). The noun "department" does not belong to either of those categories. I'd express the sentence you propose as follows: - Fill out the form as requested by...Read More...

Thank you very much, David, With all due respect, I beg to differ! It might be a very friendly reply, for at the end of the day it implies that the people of your city have a high average life expectancy!!!! Thanks again for all the clear and precise replies. I really appreciate it. Respectfully, NaviRead More...

No, Hussein, you may leave your reply, but please note that your judgement that "Sentence NO. (1) is definitely correct" is right only if we suppose that the time at which the sentence is uttered or written is not now but before March of 2008 . That is an unusual context. On an grammar test, a student could not be expected to make such an assumption on his or her own. Thus, if this is a testing item, and there is no such contextual stipulation built into the question, (1) is incorrect.Read More...

Hi, Fujibei, "Meta" is being used in a rather informal, somewhat regional sense there. The OED does, however, have an entry for "meta" (adjective) in the applicable sense. Have you ever heard of a "meta-analysis"? In the academic world, it is an analysis of analyses, or a study of studies. In TESOL, we often talk about the need to minimize the use of "meta-language" -- i.e., grammatical terminology, language about language -- in our explanations. In your quote, something similar is...Read More...

Thank you.Read More...

Hello, Abo Hamza, No, that sentence is not correct. Are you trying to express one of these ideas? It was the last time I would go to work by bus. It was the last time I could go to work by bus. It was the last time I went to work by bus. If so, you should revise the sentence accordingly.Read More...

When we transitioned to this new platform, a little over a year ago, I requested that the programmers disable the "like" function, so that there wouldn't be the sense of a popularity contest, comparable to Facebook and some other grammar sites. We prefer that members express their appreciation in words. Thank you.Read More...

Hello, Joho, and welcome to the Grammar Exchange! The general rule is to use "between" when there are two things or people involved and "among" when there are more than two. However, if there are more than two things or people involved, "between" may still be used if the many countable things are thought of as being related in pairs. That applies here. In distinguishing between symptoms, we compare one type of symptom with another. That is why "distinguish between symptoms" works well.Read More...

Thank you for helping me You save my life!!! ​Read More...

Hi, Apple, The usage of the progressive with "want" ("is wanting to") is indeed abnormal. However, it does sometimes occur in conversational discourse, including between commentators in news broadcasts. The effect of using "is wanting" here is that it makes the statement informal, tentative, and confined to the ongoing present. It suggests temporariness. Compare: "I am loving the class" (temporary) vs. "I love the class" (fixed state). I would never teach this usage of "is wanting" to...Read More...

I agree with Gustavo. Please note the change from " in the party" to " at the party."Read More...

Hi, Joshua: In (1) and (2), the direct object of "describe" is the noun phrase "the characteristics of a perfectly competitive firm." Normally, we do not place an adverb, such as "briefly," between a verb and its direct object. Therefore (1) is better than (2); it is more advisable to use (1), because "briefly" does not come between "describe" and its direct object in that sentence.Read More...

Hello again, Jiho, That is not a possible reading. You cannot add "that" or "which" there. If "they like best" were a relative clause, the sentence would be ungrammatical. * " Ask people which of them " does not work. That is what your would-be reading implies. So your would-be reading is wrong. If you wish to understand the sentence, please refer to my first reply.Read More...

Hi, Kis, Yes, only "whichever" is possible there. "which(ever)" is required whenever the range of selection is restricted, and this is clearly the case because of the superlative (of all the opinions stated, there is one that has the most support): - People in group situations tend to agree with whichever opinion they think has the most support. "what" will only be accompanied by a noun in questions (direct or embedded). "whatever" may appear with a noun in any kind of sentence, albeit in a...Read More...