January 2021

Yes, Tony, "help" is a special verb—a very special verb, like "let." We use "help" in the complementation pattern [help] + [direct object] + [base form of a verb]. Optionally, the base form after the direct object can be a "to"-infinitival: "You have helped them (to) clean the backyard." Normally, it's just the base form. To illustrate, here's a famous line of Tom Cruise, in the movie Jerry Maguire .Read More...

Hello, Frapmochas, and welcome to the Grammar Exchange. I agree. Interestingly, in other contexts, "Tim's" can also be a contraction of "Tim has": "Tim's broken his ankle"; "Tim's been asleep now for a while." That said, the contraction of perfective "has," at least after a proper name, is more common in speech than in writing. It's normal, however, for "it's" to signal a contraction of "it has" as well as "it is," even in writing. It's been a while since this has come up on G.E.Read More...

Hello, SamGrammarCheck, and welcome to the Grammar Exchange. Please have a look at our Guidelines page. "Grammar check" is a bad title here. What do you mean by "sentenced"? Judges sentence convicts. Since none of your examples is a sentence, I sentence them all to death. For your information, all of your examples are noun phrases, not sentences. Both "no one" and "nobody" are OK. You can use "who(m)," "that," or nothing. If you want to create a sentence, add a predicate, such as "is here,"...Read More...

While I discussed above issue with a local person later, he advised me as follows about his analysis. How much reasonable do you think his opinion is?; 1. the original sentence is ‘ It cost 70% less to construct it than a normal building, as recycled material was used .’. - first ‘ it ’; preparatory it - ‘ to construct it ’; extraposed subject phrase 2. by the rule of ‘tough-Movement’(object raising) the ‘ it ’ after ‘ construct ’ has been raised to the beginning. 3. then, we have ‘ It cost...Read More...

Hi, Gustavo! You've always been helping me so much with explanation enough. RGDSRead More...

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Hi, Kis—Neither one is a sentence I would use. I might say: (c) The books for which refunds need to be issued are on the table. (d) The books that refunds need to be issued for are on the table.Read More...

Hi, Ashraful—We use "bush" when there appears to be only one plant or one entity-like conglomeration of plants involved; otherwise we use "bushes."Read More...

Hi, TaeBbongE, Here, we have one main clause (counterfactual): 'she would phone me.' That main clause is directly related to two subordinate clauses. The first subordinate clause is in the present simple 'factual' and that creates 'a real-hypothetical' relationship, which isn't accepted by many people. That's why I see that aa-1 doesn't work. BTW, Late Marilyn and Rachel did accept this kind of mixed conditional. See here: https://thegrammarexchange.inf...-of-would#1881008601 And here:...Read More...

Hello Gustavo, my apologies. What I meant was for indirect speech, when should we change the tense from present to past tense after the conversation took place. e.g. Gustavo told me that I have worked so hard - How long do I have to wait from the time I had a conversation with Gustavo which requires me to change to past tense as follows: Gustavo told me that I had worked so hard. Thanks!!!Read More...

Thanks. This example is very convincing. Great. I think I've just learned how words like spoonful, handful etc. came into being.Read More...

No, Tony. "$10K" is not a direct object. Not everything that comes after a verb is an object, for example: - You are Tony. ("Tony" is not an object, but a subject complement.) I will not refer to the verb "total," because I've already had my say on it here . There are more more usual verbs than "total," like amount to and add up to, which also link the subject with the corresponding value, not with an object.Read More...

Yes. "email" as a verb does not take "to" ( I emailed you ), but the noun does ( my email to you ). Yes, you can say that.Read More...

Hello, David! You're such a great inventor who deserves my sincere thanks. Best RGDS,Read More...

I got you, it is a degree of comparison, it's like The more money you have, the greater amount of food you will consume. Whereas matrix clause, it does not compare anything.Read More...

Hi, David, much appreciate your clarification. Best RGDSRead More...

Hi, Azz—Sentence (a) would only be correct and meaningful in a context in which the speaker regarded the patient's getting cured as highly undesirable.Read More...

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I agree that "have" can be changed/backshifted to "had"; however, "have" works, too, assuming the speaker of the sentence " He called me up and said that they have all the rooms booked" believes all the rooms to still be booked. I do not view this as a passive causative. If it were a passive causative, a "by"-phrase could suitably be used at the end: "He called me up and said that they have/had all the rooms booked by their front-desk clerks ." But that does not strike me as the intended...Read More...

Ah. Thank you, Gustavo. That makes sense, now.Read More...

I agree with Gustavo that the name needs to be Mount Fuji ( Mt. Fuji ) in English, not the Fuji Mountain . The only mountain name that I can think of which follows the pattern "the ____ Mountain" is The Magic Mountain, but that is the title of a book, translated from German ( Der Zauberberg ), and "Magic" is not part of the real name of the mountain that goes by that epithet, even in the book.Read More...

@ahmed_btm Ah ha, I see! Depending on the thing that the subject is animate or inanimate, "should have Past Participle" construction has two meanings or not. However as for my case, it is only used in one way - that is, expressing possibilities. Thanks~!!!!!!Read More...

Hi, Winter, It is just a matter of style, not grammar. Many people would see that 1 sounds more polite. I wouldn't use 'myself' in your example above.Read More...

Hi, Tony C, 'In my mind' could mean 'in my opinion' or something that exists in my imagination like the common expression 'in one's mind's eye'. Also, you can use it when you are thinking about something or somebody without feeling worried about it/them. Another expression is 'keep in mind' which means 'remember'. 'On my mind' means to be constantly in one's thoughts; of concern to one. It refers to something worrying or distracting you. A similar expression is 'to weigh on one's mind'. -...Read More...

Hi, Language learner, (1) and (3) inform about a current requirement, while (2) and (4) inform about a future requirement.Read More...