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October 2022

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going to have any use at all

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May I know what is the meaning of " going to have any use at all " in the sentence below. If an assessment is to going to have any use at all , it is crucial that the inferences and decisions we make on the basis of assessment results are well founded. https://www.nzcer.org.nz/system/files/journals/set/downloads/set2005_2_055_0.pdfRead More...
David, Moderator
It means "serve any purpose at all."Read More...
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Why is the bold "the" important? It seems important to me.

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Ultimately, the best diet is one that you’ll actually be consistent about and actually sustain , so the goal is consistency and then the weight loss and long-term benefits will follow.Read More...
Andrew Van Wagner
No problem! And which version would you personally go with?Read More...
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What's the semantic difference between "more" and "most" regarding the bold?

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https://join.substack.com/p/what-are-emotions Haidt’s book lays out certain values—care, liberty, fairness, loyalty, authority, and sanctity. And he presupposes that calling these values “moral” gives them special status and overrides any non-“moral” reason that you might put forward in support of a position. My disagreement with Haidt is that I don’t actually think that “morality” should be given this status in the first place—my view is that we should set aside the issue of what’s “moral”...Read More...
Andrew Van Wagner
Thanks! Regarding this: We can even ask which systems of “morality” are going to be more conducive to human thriving and happiness I can't detect any implication about the systems in use being not conducive or scarcely so; how did you get to that idea from reading what I just quoted? The "systems" being compared could be two systems both of which aren't in use. And furthermore, being able to find a system "more conducive" than system X that's in use doesn't seem logically (to me at least) to...Read More...
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How do ", and then" constructions work?

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See the bold below: Enter the conversation with respect, bond over a value you genuinely have in common with them , and then connect that shared value to global heating. The reader doesn't see the ", and then" until they get to that part of the sentence . So is it all bad or odd if the ", and then" then retroactively signals to the reader that the previous units are all to be understood as a sequence ? Why not add the bold below? Enter the conversation with respect , then bond over a value...Read More...
Gustavo, Co-Moderator
Hi, Andrew, You have to admit that it's not good style to repeat "and then." You could use "and finally" for the last item, which I think is the ultimate goal.Read More...
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Bold is grammatical? Or sounds weird?

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See bold: But one surprising—and unfortunate—finding is that carbon efficiency tends to correlate inversely with the animals’ quality of life. This inverse correlation means that respecting animal rights can conflict with protecting the environment. Here's another example that I made up ("X'ing is in conflict with "X'ing"): The problem is that running conflicts with staying quiet.Read More...
Andrew Van Wagner
Thanks!Read More...
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behalf

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a. I'd like to thank you on my and my husband's behalf. b. I'd like to thank you for me my husband. c. I'd like to thank you from me my husband. Which, if any, of the above sentences, is correct? Many thanks.Read More...
f6pafd
Hi, Azzaro. None of the above sentences is correct.Read More...
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Expressions of desire: the will to, the desire for/ to

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Hello, In a task, it has been required to put the expressions (1) & (2) in the right gap. (1) the will to (2) a desire to A- I definitely have the warrior gene. As a child, I always had a feeling of anxiety and dread before my football matches, and now, before a big presentation, I always feel ____________ run away. B- I'm not a worrier, but I hate contests and competitions I guess I just don't have ____________win. My answer was both (1) & (2) could be used in both (A) and (B). But...Read More...
Meriem
Perfect. Thank you Gustavo.Read More...
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Will or (be) going to?

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Choose the best answer: It's cloudy. I am sure it................rain. a. is going to b. will c. would I know that I can use both "will" & "going to", but I am asking about the best choice here.Read More...
f6pafd
The best choice, I presume, is "is going to", because Be going to can express a conviction or a certainty: e.g. It's going to rain. (For sure, it will rain.) I'm not going to fail. (I definitely will not fail.)Read More...
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The user XX vs. user XX

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Hello. Can you help me understand which of the following two sentences contains the proper article usage: 1. Hello, I am sending you the requested information regarding the user "marco123" from the shop "202": 2. Hello, I am sending you the requested information regarding user "marco123" from shop "202": ("202" is the name of the shop to which the player/user belongs) I'm not sure which grammar rule covers this topic. Sorry if a similar question has already been answered,Read More...
David, Moderator
My quotation marks refer to your phrases.Read More...
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Scope

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Is the word "scope of services" a singular or a plural. Example: The scope of services is detailed in the engagement letter or The scope of services are detailed in the engagement letter.Read More...
Gustavo, Co-Moderator
Hi, Tony, In "scope of services," the main noun is "scope," which is singular, so it should take a verb in the singular ("is," not "are").Read More...
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IN a preposition or adverb

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The following is a quote from Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens: ‘Ah! poetry makes life what light and music do the stage—strip the one of the false embellishments, and the other of its illusions, and what is there real in either to live or care for?’ What part of speech is the word "IN" in the above quote, the adverb or preposition? What is its object if it is a preposition? Your help will be very much appreciated.Read More...
raymondaliasapollyon
The post-dash adjectival elements certainly make those sentences easier to understand. But I think they show the structure of the Dickens sentence (which does not have such an adjectival element) is generally problematic in contemporary English.Read More...
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Past participles vs gerunds

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Hello, Are the following bold words present participles or gerunds ? - Sam was having a hard time adjusting to the long hours of his new job. - They found him watching TV downstairs. - I spent years studying for my post-graduate degree. - The crowd just sat listening to the music all afternoon.Read More...
f6pafd
Yes, you are right. This is a quote from the beginning of my first post: In contemporary English, the concept of gerund has gradually been replaced by the non-finite form of the verb, which includes -ing participle, -ed participle, and infinitive.Read More...
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Semicolons needed here (to avoid being too "busy" in a comma-based list)?

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All organisms respond to their environment. And there are different categories of response: plants and bacteria exhibit tropisms ; other organisms exhibit simple reflexes where there’s a single preprogrammed response to a specific stimulus; and still other organisms have emotions that don’t dictate any stereotyped response but instead set a goal to pursue.Read More...
Andrew Van Wagner
Thanks! And if I wanted to keep the current structure, would semicolons be necessary? It seems debatable...semicolons are a must when you have commas/em-dashes within a given element, but in this case that's not true, but I guess that the elements are sort of complex or "busy".Read More...
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Does this sentence diagram out cleanly/unambiguously/nicely?

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We’ve learned about human psychology that you can only bring someone to believe something new on the basis of something they already believe, that what someone believes has a lot to do with who someone trusts, and that someone’s personality will play a role in how they respond to evidence that challenges their beliefs.Read More...
Andrew Van Wagner
Thanks! I'm all good! I appreciate the help!Read More...
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ellipsis

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What is the words omitted after 'it is'? And I do understand a) but what does b) mean? a) Two things are similar by virtue of their difference from another b) Two things are different by virtue of one’s similarity to a third. Two things are similar by virtue of their difference from another; or different by virtue of one’s similarity to a third. So it is with individuals. — Matt RidleyRead More...
David, Moderator
"It" has generic, situational reference there. You could replace "it" with "things": Things are so with individuals. So things are with individuals.Read More...
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Comma needed before "including myself"? I'm anti-comma except when 100% needed.

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Nature Human Behaviour published a 10 June 2021 article called “The rise of affectivism” that 64 people signed including myself —the article asks whether the “increasingly recognized impact of affective phenomena” has “ushered in a new era, the era of affectivism”.Read More...
Andrew Van Wagner
Thanks so much! I appreciate the help on this!Read More...
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if

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He said, "I think that 10minutes later and you could have been killed" Is the sentence above the same as the below? He said, "I think that if it had been 10minutes later, you could have been killed"Read More...
David, Moderator
Yes, GBLSU, that is what the sentence means, but it is malformed with "I think that." The following is fine: "Ten minutes later and you could have been killed."Read More...
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after I had listened / had been listening

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Dear sir, my regards I came across this sentence in my textbook, secondary school, Egypt. It says: After I ..... to quiet music for two hours, I felt relaxed. (Had been listening , listening , had listened , was listening). I think the answer is (had listened) but it's (had been listening) in the model answer. So, which answer is correct and why?Read More...
David, Moderator
Hi, Shahd—I agree with Ahmed's answer in the thread to which he has given a link. The past-perfect continuous is the most natural choice, assuming the music-listening was still in progress or had just finished.Read More...
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Is this a subordinating clause or a prepositional phrase?

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I was wondering if someone here would be able to clarify something for me. I'm currently analysing a sentence from 'Hound of the Baskervilles', and I've come across this: "Mr. Sherlock Holmes, who was usually very late in the mornings, save upon those not infrequent occasions when he was up all night , was seated at the breakfast table." My first thought was to regard it as a subordinate clause modifying the previous non-defining relative clause, but I now think that the word 'save' is a...Read More...
Dave2022
Thanks for pointing this out! I didn't even realise it :-) The sentence is more complicated than I ever knew.Read More...
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what is the suitable answer

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As planned, we meet...... the director in the morning and the sponsor in the evening. a-will meet b-meet c-will be meeting d-will have metRead More...
Gustavo, Co-Moderator
Hello, Ahmed Gamal, and welcome to the Grammar Exchange. Please read our Guidelines . You should tell us which you think is the correct answer.Read More...
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The past of "should"

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About about a year ago I had a violent conflict with my neighbour's tenants. Now, in the present time I'm talking about it to somebody. Can I say "The next day I called my parents and told them what had happened because they should know it in case they killed me later." Can I use 'should have known it' instead of 'should know it'? And another way of Expressing it: "The next day I called my parents and told them what had happened so that they would know it in case they killed me" Similarly,...Read More...
Gustavo, Co-Moderator
Hi, David, I understand you made up that sentence, right? I think the sentence would sound better by adding "I thought/believed" before "they should know." That way, "they should know" will express your thought at the time. "Should have known" would not work in that context. Compare with: - The next day I called my parents and told them what had happened so they should have known I was in danger. I can't understand why they insisted that I should stay. ("should have known" sounds like a...Read More...
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