January 2021

Thank you very much, Me_IV and Farid, for trying to help me. I still need to learn more about this. Things are still not clear-cut. I am waiting for David or Gustavo to help me clear things up.Read More...

Thank you for the answer. I understand. And sorry that I simply forgot to say 'will'. So 'global', 'world', and 'the world's' are used as an adjective modifying 'population', and have the same meaning, right?Read More...

Hi, Cristi, The adjectives formed by a verb + -able or -ible generally imply the capacity of being V-ed, for example: visible (that can be seen), attributable (that can be attributed), comparable (that can be compared), etc. We can say that preferable means potentially preferred , while preferred will be used for something or somebody that is actually preferred. It would be great if you could provide sample sentences to check whether preferable or preferred works better in the context in...Read More...

Hi, Cristi, We always use the plural for the phrase "in italic s ." The sentence above is ambiguous, because it can mean that somebody has changed some text that was already in italics . I don't think the verb "add" is the best option. I think I'd use: - I've marked the changes in italics. or - I've used italics to mark the changes. There is also the verb italicize .Read More...

Hi, Abo—Please make sure to ask your question in the body of your post. Yes, the participial phrase ("Using that glue") is not properly attached to the main clause, since the wallpaper is not the user of the glue. Possible fixes: With that glue, the wallpaper should adhere to the wall quickly. If you use that glue, the wallpaper should adhere to the wall quickly. Using that glue, they will get the wallpaper to adhere to the wall quickly.Read More...

Hello, Ahmed Imam Attia—The normal reply is "Yes, I am." Answer (b), with contraction, does not work at all. (We never use contracted auxiliary verbs right before verb phrase ellipsis.) Answers (c) and (d) can be used, but the use of the subject complement is unnecessary. Use it if you want to be painfully clear.Read More...

Hi, MNHD—I have a footnote to add to Gustavo's excellent answer. The second example you give in the quotation above ("I solved the problem myself"), actually belongs to the type you didn't understand (before Gustavo's answer). In "I solved the problem myself," the direct object of the verb ("solved) is "the problem," and "myself" has no relationship whatsoever to the verb. It is an emphatic reflexive related to the subject. The sentence is equivalent to: I myself solved the problem.Read More...

Thanks for your reply... It's really usefulRead More...

Hi, Mrchuffie, I would definitely not use the past perfect, but the present perfect or the past simple, instead: - I have/find no evidence / There is no evidence to prove that I received my order.Read More...

Thanks. I get it.Read More...

Hi, MNHD—I agree with everything Gustavo has told you. If you want to challenge your teacher, you might ask him/her what s/he thinks of this proverb: Only the brave deserve the fair.Read More...

Hi, Subhajit—All four of your sentences are correct, and all of them have the same meaning. Regarding the reduced versions, I have a slight preference for "while," but "when" is OK. I'd be more inclined to use "when" if I were talking about repeated snake sightings: "I see snakes when walking in the garden."Read More...

Oh. Thank you.Read More...

Hi, Farid, Both "a third peak" and "the third peak" would be fine. Think of the verb "is" as synonymous with "takes place": A third spike takes place at 6 pm. Even if the events have been mentioned before, with ordinal numbers we can use the indefinite article to allow, I think, for the possibility of there being more spikes, in this case.Read More...

Dear Gustavo, Thank you so much for your answer! I will keep that in mind! FaridRead More...

Yes, those sound better. I think it is the question that renders the object necessary. With the subject complement (i.e. Who ) being so detached in that initial position, the infinitive cannot remain objectless. In statements, we would omit the object: - Jack is the right person for me to promote. - You are the right person for me to apologize to.Read More...

Hello, Navi, Threatening someone and threatening to do something are two different constructions, which are not used together, though their combined meaning could be achieved with a "that"-clause following the direct object: (4) He threatened to kill her if she didn't give him her money. (5) He threatened her that he would kill her if he didn't giver him her money. Sentence (1) does not have the meaning of (4) or (5), so it is incorrect if you intend it to have that meaning. If you mean that...Read More...

Hi, Me_IV, Yes, that is wrong because, if you treat "tomorrow" as a noun, and therefore as the subject of the question, you should say: - What day will tomorrow be? (not idiomatic) In the question: - What day will it be tomorrow? "tomorrow" is an adverb of time, and "it" is the subject. In the question above, "what man" is the subject of the sentence. A: What man will come tomorrow? B: The man you know will come tomorrow. Instead, in the previous question "what day" is the subject...Read More...

Hi, Ilko, "As I rightfully understand" is a clause, not a sentence. It will be fine or not depending on what you mean to say and how you complete it.Read More...

Hi, Cristi, Yes, you can say "as per your letter dated..." or "as per your email dated..."Read More...

"close of" does not exist as a verb. Here you can find a definition of "close off."Read More...

Please read the Guidelines page, zonzon. I direct your attention to item 3.Read More...

Thank you, David, for clarifying that. TaeBbongE, please take note of it.Read More...

Hi, iankms—Since "if" governs the two clausal conjuncts and there is a conditional relationship between those conjuncts (Nick's being right would imply the truth of the second conjunct), they should be balanced in mood: (1) What if Nick were right(,) and twelve were the most boring number? (2) What if Nick is right(,) and twelve is the most boring number? I've placed the comma in parentheses to show that it is optional; it can be used or not. Using it won't change the need for balance...Read More...

Yes, Ashraful, in that context "now" doesn't work. You can say: Three years from then . . . Three years later . . .Read More...