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October 2022

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Could the bold be interpreted as removable?

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See here: It's the key component in most or all of the standard emotions. I know it's a weird question, but I'm curious if this is a possible interpretation: It's the key component in [most standard emotions] or in [all of the standard emotions]. I wonder if this is the only possible interpretation: It's the key component in [most of the standard emotions] or in [all of the standard emotions].Read More...
David, Moderator
I personally do not find "most or all of the emotions" to be capable of meaning "most emotions or all of the emotions" (that interpretation) rather than "most of the emotions or all of the emotins" (the natural interpretation).Read More...
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paraphrasing

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Removing the trees helps grass grow freely and become food for animals such as zebras. Based on the above, can I say ' Zebras live on the grass which is unaffected from the trees'?Read More...
GBLSU
Thank you for the reply. I still have a thing to ask. Could I think removing the trees affects the growth of the grass, and so the grass is affected by the trees?Read More...
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Absolute construction

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Hello moderators ''Having spent just 45 days in office, Liz Truss announced she is stepping down with a Conservative Party leadership election to take place within the next week'' "I was elected by the Conservative Party with a mandate to change this.'' I suppose there are absolute constructions in the above sentences (....with+noun+infinitive verb). However, absolute construction needs to be preceded by a comma, also noun or noun phrase is generally modified by present participle or past...Read More...
f6pafd
The first sentence, I presume, is correct. For the second, I suggest saying: Having lost our best employee, we cannot complete the project on time.Read More...
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New1 reply

meaning

0 likes · 39 views
Hi: What is the meaning of the words in bold? Otherwise the Turks have made little attempt to get these lands and rather preferred to let them alone and were satisfied with slaves and serfs as many as they want and in total they get 8,000 of them annually. The reason may be not so much that the religion of Mohammad cannot be observed there, because the land has nothing better than pork meat and wine, both of which are forbidden by the Koran, but rather because the air is so unhealthy, there...Read More...
David, Moderator
Hello, Pars, and welcome to the Grammar Exchange. You have asked this question elsewhere, and I have already answered it.Read More...
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New1 reply

therein

0 likes · 32 views
Have I used the word " therein" correctly in the below sentence. Please find attached the collated document containing your financial information and the amount you owe us. If you are satisfied with the content therein, please date and sign where indicated.Read More...
David, Moderator
Yes, Tony, you have used "therein" correctly there. It is very formal and unnecessary (hence deleteable), but it is true that it is grammatically correct.Read More...
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New1 reply

play pool

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I went to play pool with an american friend. It is so hard to explain the rate system. The below is what I said. I don't know how to explain it. Does what I wrote make sense? Do you want to play a four-ball game or a three-ball game? You have to pay 10 $ per hour but you can play pool all day at a flat rate of 20$. Or They have a flat rate of 50 $ per month.Read More...
David, Moderator
Hi, GBLSU—The dollar symbol ($) should be placed before the numbers, not after them, and there should not be a space between it and the numbers.Read More...
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New1 reply

'The' before a Comparative

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"He had been clearing his head with a lotion of cold water, as a good preparative to providing hot water for the heads of the jury, and had been reading with the neck of his shirt thrown wide open that he might the more freely choke the opposite witnesses." From Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens Is it possible to omit 'the' before 'more freely "? ThanksRead More...
David, Moderator
Yes, D.T., "the" can be deleted before "more freely," and would generally be omitted nowadays. Dickens's use of "the more" is old-fashioned there, but it does serve a purpose. It signals to the reader that the reason for his being able to freely choke the opposit witnesses is that his shirt neck is open.Read More...
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New5 replies

Thank you for replying my email

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Are there any differences in meaning of the below sentences. Thank you for replying my email versus Thank you for getting back to me, much appreciated. Also, do I say "much appreciated or much appreciated it"Read More...
David, Moderator
Yes, Tony. " Responding my email " is just as ungrammatical as " replying my email ." Both "respond" and "reply" are intransitive verbs. You need "to."Read More...
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New1 reply

Wrongly-placed "but"?

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Hello, I was reading a presentation written by one of my friends and came across this sentence. For some reason, I feel that something is wrong with " but". However, I can't point it out. Could you help me with that? "A low impedance accelerometer has a charge accelerometer as its front end but has a tiny built-in micro-circuit and FET transistor that converts that charge into a low impedance voltage". Thank you in advance,Read More...
Gustavo, Co-Moderator
Hi, Boroj Nouri, Your friend seems to be the author of this article , or to have copied material from it. For "but" to work, there needs to be contrast between the two parts of the text separated by that conjunction. This is a highly technical matter and the text may be clear to an expert in the subject. Unless you clarify the function of the charge accelerometer (does it perhaps convert the charge into a high impedance voltage?), I don't think the layman will see the opposition between the...Read More...
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New11 replies

Would comma be needed before the two bold words? Why or why not?

0 likes · 73 views
I just wanted to use this short piece to bring attention to the excellent 19 August 2022 piece “A Progressive Vision for the Economy” where Jon Schwarz interviews Dean Baker . I’d recommend Batja Mesquita ’s 2022 book Between Us where she argues that the reason for the lack of universal cross-cultural emotions is that each culture construes the world in a way that makes the reality of emotions—let alone the words used to describe them—only approximately equivalent from one cultural context...Read More...
Andrew Van Wagner
I probably implement this construction about 5 times every single piece I do, so the stakes are high on this one.Read More...
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New3 replies

the verb SEE , stative or dynamic use?

0 likes · 39 views
Hello, GE community, Why the answer is (1) and not (2)? (1) are not seeing (2) haven't seen My girlfriend and I had been seeing each other for three years when her company offered her a job in the Shanghai office. It was an amazing opportunity, so she moved there last September, and we _______________ each other very often since then. It isn't ideal but there are a lot of ways to keep in touch. And we've just got engaged so I think that old saying “absence makes the heart grow fonder”, might...Read More...
f6pafd
If we'd like to emphasize that a past repeated action has not been repeated, the present perfect continuous tense should be used. It is also correct to say: " We haven't been seeing each other very often since then.Read More...
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New1 reply

Reported speech for question

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Hello, REPORTED SPEECH for questions Could the back-shifting to the past be optional for these sentences? PS: I am wondering especially about sentence (3) (past). (1) " which dress do you like best?", he said. (2) "will the film industry change a lot in the near future?", he said (3) "Didn't wendy retire last month?", he said.Read More...
ahmed_btm
Hi, Meriem, Regarding '1', I see that applying the rule of proximity is what is normal in this case, especially you are referring to a past situation. - He asked my about the dress I liked best / which dress I liked best. Regarding '2' and '3', mostly in an exam, time backshifting will be applied. However, in real life, if the situation is still real, there will be no need to use time backshifting. Both options are possible. - He asked if the film industry will / would change .... - He...Read More...
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New10 replies

have to extract two teeth

0 likes · 95 views
Hi, How do you interpret the following sentence? ------------ The dentist announced that she would have to extract two teeth. ----------- The sentence is from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English. Pedagogical grammar would lead us to expect that "she" probably refers to the dentist who would do the extraction, but I'm wondering if "she" possibly refers to a patient who needed to have the teeth extracted in informal speech. I'd appreciate your help.Read More...
Gustavo, Co-Moderator
Personally, I find it to be OK. We could also find "we" instead of "I" to refer to the whole family. Imagine this conversation: A. Your house looks different. B. It does! We removed the wall between the kitchen and the dining room.Read More...
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Mustn't for past and present deductions

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Hello, Why it is acceptable to use (B) to make a deduction (about the past) and not (A) (about the present)? A- Mustn't + base form of the verb ( about the present) Example: (1) The answer mustn't be A. B- Mustn't + have + past participle ( about the past) Example: (2) He mustn't have expected that to happen. Is it a semantically matter? Because it's true, it feels odd to say (1)Read More...
Meriem
Thank you Ahmed. I appreciate your answer.Read More...
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New2 replies

with a subconscious shifting of the doer

0 likes · 39 views
Recently a sentence has been under discussion with the topic "have to extract two teeth. I posted my acknowledgment of thanks to the moderators, saying: "Hi, David and Gustavo. Thank you both for letting us know the commonly acknowledged way of expression among native speakers, with a subconscious shifting of the doer. It is acceptable to say: " The dentist announced that she would have to extract two teeth," which means "She needs to have two teeth extracted." I am not sure if the sentence...Read More...
f6pafd
Thanks a million !Read More...
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New2 replies

Ways to talk about the future

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Hello, I think that the following sentences could be used to express the future. But They have different feelings /ideas to convey. Could anyone explain to me the difference in saying each of these sentences? (1) David just called. He said he will not be coming to the meeting. (2) David just called. He said he will not come to the meeting. (3) David just called. He said he is not going to come to the meeting. (4) David just called. He said he isn't coming to the meeting. 🤔 For example (and...Read More...
Meriem
That was so helpful. Thank you so much Ahmed!Read More...
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New2 replies

Tenses for future non-continuous actions

0 likes · 50 views
Hello, Do we use future continuous only for continuous actions? If yes, how should I express future actions that couldn’t be continuous? Example: (1) we ______ (be) in the park at 10 am. PS: feel free to add other examples if needed. I know usually we use for future actions/events: Will / may / might (for predictions) Going to (for prediction/intentions) The present continuous ( for plans and arrangements) The future continuous ( for continuous actions that will already be in progress at a...Read More...
Meriem
Thank you Ahmed ☺Read More...
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