Skip to main content

November 2021

New1 reply

I'm trying to find a forum where I can ask very meticulous little things about grammar and stylization and usage.

0 likes · 134 views
Hi everyone, I write a Substack (https://join.substack.com/) and I'm extremely meticulous when it comes to little things about grammar and stylization and usage. I'll give you guys an example of the finnicky little things that always nag at me. Today I published a piece that has these paragraph: https://join.substack.com/p/whats-the-actual-science-on-covid But if you can’t do that, I recommend the virologist- and immunologist-run podcast This Week in Virology that will give you detailed and...Read More...
Gustavo, Co-Moderator
Hi, Andrew, To complete my brief reply here , I'll give you my view about some questions that may have remained unanswered (for ease of reference, next time please open a new thread for each topic — for example, the capitalization of "president" is not in any way related to the use of quotes — and try to give a title that is descriptive of your doubt, as set forth in our Guidelines ). When italics are the "normal font," you should use quotes (as you did above) or unitalicized text for names...Read More...
Updated
Last Reply By Gustavo, Co-Moderator · First Unread Post
New3 replies

use of "for" after the word engage us

0 likes · 82 views
Do I need the preposition "for" in the below sentence? In order to provide you a quotation of our fee, we would like you to confirm the scope of services that you wish to engage us for as set out below. Services provided Period covered 1. Preparation of financial statement 2021 financial year 2. Bookkeeping 2021 financial year Let me know if there is anything else that you’d like to engage us for and has not been included in the above. Many thanks!!!Read More...
Tony C
Thanks so much Gustavo and happy new year to you and your family.Read More...
Updated
Last Reply By Tony C · First Unread Post
New10 replies

Find NP V-ed

0 likes · 170 views
Hello, 1. She returned to her east London home to find her back door forced open . ( Collins dictionary ） 2. When they got home, Jane cooked their dinner in the microwave oven and without realizing it, cooked her fiancé's wallet as well. Imagine their dismay when they found a beautifully-cooked wallet and notes turned to ash! （ New concept English） Questions： How would you parse "forced open"? Is it an adjective phrase with open as head？ Is "turned to ash" a modifier of "notes", or is it...Read More...
Gustavo, Co-Moderator
That's an excellent definition. A pleasure to read, David. It is indeed curious that, although a content clause can be used in both cases: - He found that the soup was too salty. - He found that she was asleep on the couch. only "find" meaning "discover" can be used in the passive. I think this restriction can be circumvented if "to be" is added: - The soup was found to be too salty. What do you think?Read More...
Updated
Last Reply By Gustavo, Co-Moderator · First Unread Post
New4 replies

Sentence structure

0 likes · 79 views
Hello Grammar Exchange members! I've run into the following sentence while reading an article on the Internet. a. On the contrary, inefficient management of ESG erodes a company’s brand value and ends up bleeding the business needn't be reiterated through mere words.(https://brandequity.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/marketing/esg-risk-management-and-brand-identity-are-closely-interlinked/87516495) I don't understand how this part "needn't be reiterated through mere words" can be attached...Read More...
KDog
Thank you so much for checking out the article on the website. I really appreciate it! Many thanks!!!Read More...
Updated
Last Reply By KDog · First Unread Post
New4 replies

"Deeply disastrous"

0 likes · 71 views
Hi there, Hope you're well! I just wanted to ask if it's ungrammatical/semantically wrong to say "deeply disastrous"? The reason being that I recently used it in an article I wrote and the editor removed the "deeply". Thanks, CameronRead More...
Cameron Boyle
I see, thanks very much! And apologies for the late response.Read More...
Updated
Last Reply By Cameron Boyle · First Unread Post
New1 reply

commas

0 likes · 94 views
In the second sentence below, "and across temperate North America" is surrounded by commas. A tutor told me that this phrase is being used as an interjection. Can a phrase such as this function as an interjection? This was copied from a book titled "The Little Ice Age and Europe's Encounter with North America." Thanks. The shift in atmospheric circulation also contributed to recurring spring and summer droughts during the first century of expeditions into La Florida. Scientists have...Read More...
David, Moderator
Hi, Clueless—By "interjection," I think the tutor meant "parenthetical insertion"Read More...
Updated
Last Reply By David, Moderator · First Unread Post
New5 replies

past continuous

0 likes · 115 views
Hello Moderators. Could you please help me choose the correct answer? Why? - Which one of the following sentences isn't in the past continuous tense? a) My father was always criticising me when I was young. b) While driving fast, Ali had an accident. c) The film was interesting, so we waited till the end. d) During their stay in England, they learnt much English. Thank you.Read More...
David, Moderator
It would be fine if it read, " Which of the following sentences is not in the past continuous tense?" (It should NOT say "Which one . . .?") Also, test takers need to be able to select more than one answer: three out of four of the sentences.Read More...
Updated
Last Reply By David, Moderator · First Unread Post
New2 replies

Try+inf. and try+ gerund

0 likes · 117 views
I find some difficulty in explaining these two examples to my students: 1- We tried opening the door, but it still wouldn’t budge. 2- We tried to open the door, but we couldn’t. Could you help? Thanks in advance>Read More...
izzathanna
I found the above-mentioned two sentences in this website ( https://www.ef.com/wwen/blog/t...nds-and-infinitives/ ). And in ( https://www.englishtestsonline...intermediate-test-14 / ) I found this question ( If the car won’t start, try _____ it.) the answer was pushing. And I found this ( I tried clicking on the box, but it doesn’t work. Try doing something means to do something which might solve a problem. ) in Oxford Practice Grammar Intermediate 2008. ThanksRead More...
Updated
Last Reply By izzathanna · First Unread Post
New0 replies

as + being

0 likes · 64 views
Dear Members, Could you please explain to me whether in this sentence: We sometimes refer to people in society as being “upper class“, “middle class“ or “working class“. being is a gerund or a present participle. Replies from native English speakers would be especially welcome. Thank you, MichaelRead More...
Posted
New0 replies

would

0 likes · 45 views
Hi, David. Could you tell me how "would" works in this sentence? Second, here the second speaker uses "would", if I replace it with "is", what is the difference? Q: What does "register" mean in football? United failed to register a shot on target. A: To register a shot on target means to have a shot on target. In this example, United have not troubled the keeper - they have not had any shots on target. Another way of saying 'on target' would be 'on goal' - the team did not register a shot on...Read More...
Posted
New2 replies

adjective

0 likes · 70 views
The behavioral intention that could result from this is to support a wolf control program and actual behavior may be a history of shooting wolves. ( source) Can I use <and actually, behavior> instead of <and actual behavior> in the context?Read More...
GBLSU
Thank you.Read More...
Updated
Last Reply By GBLSU · First Unread Post
New2 replies

although

0 likes · 64 views
Is this correct to use "Although" after a noun-phrase? It is very unfamiliar to me and makes me confused. Doesn't "Despite" work here? Could you explain it, please? Christie's World Encyclopedia of Champagne & Sparkling Wine Although a seemingly small difference , this will significantly slow down the second fermentation and retard the maturation process , causing greater finesse and longevity , but this is relative to the intrinsic quality of the wineRead More...
Dude
THE CONSTANTLY SELF-CLEANING LOTUS Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls 1 The lotus plant (a white water lily) grows in the dirty, muddy bottom of lakes and ponds, yet despite this , its leaves are always clean. 2 Despite being a bright student, Emilie unfortunately was also an invisible one. Thanks. Based on your explanation, "although this" instead of "despite this" is not correct below, right? What about in second sentence if I use "being" ? Can I use "although"?Read More...
Updated
Last Reply By Dude · First Unread Post
New2 replies

reach

0 likes · 63 views
This is from my previous thread. I have Two follow-up questions. 1 Is the verb, "reach," intransitive? 2 Can I replace "where" with "which"? Thanks as always. The Language of Houses: How Buildings Speak to Us Inside, however, where zoning does not reach , they often contain modern lighting and state-of-the-art kitchens and bathrooms.Read More...
Dude
Thanks a lot.Read More...
Updated
Last Reply By Dude · First Unread Post
New2 replies

"have" with "since"

0 likes · 69 views
Which one is correct or are they both correct and why? They've changed their car twice since 1999. or They changed their car twice since 1999.Read More...
David, Moderator
Hi, Rashad—I agree with Ahmed_btm that the present perfect is the better choice, assuming a normal context. In an abnormal context, the other sentence would work. "They changed their car twice since 1999" could be used, for example, if the referents of "they" were no longer living.Read More...
Updated
Last Reply By David, Moderator · First Unread Post
New2 replies

Have you already travelled to Aswan by ship?

0 likes · 56 views
Hello. Could you please help me? Is the following structure correct or wrong? I think it is correct but it is said on the phone, right? - Have you already travelled to Aswan by ship? Thank you.Read More...
David, Moderator
Hi, Ahmed Imam Attia—I agree with Ahmed_btm that the sentence "Have you already travelled to Aswan by ship?" is correct. Without context, we can't tell whether the intended meaning pertains to a trip that may have just ended or to a trip that may have occurred at any point in the interlocutor's lifetime.Read More...
Updated
Last Reply By David, Moderator · First Unread Post
New2 replies

since we visited , have visited

0 likes · 101 views
Hello. Could you please help me choose the correct answer? Why? - It's been two months since we (visited - have visited) our uncle in the village. Thank you.Read More...
David, Moderator
Hello, Ahmed Imam Attia—I agree with Ahmed_btm that both are correct. From a native-speaking standpoint, there is an interesting difference between the use of the simple past and the present perfect in the "since"-clause. The use of the present perfect in the "since"-clause suggests that the situation might have taken place during the interim, so it is very natural in sentences like this: " It's been two months since we have eaten at that restaurant ." The use of the past simple, in...Read More...
Updated
Last Reply By David, Moderator · First Unread Post
New4 replies

Past Participle tense

0 likes · 78 views
"picked up six bodies" is the passed action after the action of "he told French ..."; why it was not using "past participle tense (had picked up)", instead of "simple past tense"? He told French radio station Delta FM he and his crew picked up six bodies that were drifting in the water. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-59423245Read More...
David, Moderator
Hi, Joshua—To add to Ahmed's explanation, with which I fully agree, I'd like to point out why the time relationships are clear, without the use of the past perfect, in the example you have quoted. From the verb form itself ("picked up," the past simple), we cannot tell whether "backshift" is involved. In the sentence "He told them that he picked up bodies," there are two readings: (a) He told them, "I picked up bodies." (b) He told them, "I pick up bodies." On interpretation (a), no...Read More...
Updated
Last Reply By David, Moderator · First Unread Post
New2 replies

so~that~ , intention or result?

0 likes · 93 views
Hello, everyone? "That, of course, was the logic behind the establishment of the European Union: to so lock together the destinies of its nations, especially France and Germany, that they would have an overwhelming interest not to wage war again as they had done to such devastating cost in the first half of the twentieth century ." * source; https://books.google.co.kr/boo...0more%22&f=false I have following questions; 1) where do I have to devide above sentence, at collon or the ' that...Read More...
deepcosmos
Hi, Gustavo, long time, no see. You did give me another big help, which has taken away my headache all night. And then, I'm Okay if I understand the above first that at beginning is an apposition to the really long 'to infinitive clause' in order to shorten the excessively long subject? You really deserve to be my tutor, Gustavo. Thanks a million.Read More...
Updated
Last Reply By deepcosmos · First Unread Post
New4 replies

antecedent

0 likes · 71 views
"Inside" a noun or an adverb? Can "adverb" be an antecedent of a relative clause? I appreciate your help. The Language of Houses: How Buildings Speak to Us Inside, however, where zoning does not reach, they often contain modern lighting and state-of-the-art kitchens and bathrooms.Read More...
Dude
Thanks a lot always.Read More...
Updated
Last Reply By Dude · First Unread Post
New2 replies

entail

0 likes · 74 views
Can "accompanied" be a substitute for "entailed"? Beauty, Ugliness and the Free Play of Imagination When we experience nature, we do not experience it as species, but as individual objects. And as separated into individual objects, nature can have aesthetic properties that are not entailed by its scientific description.Read More...
Dude
Thanks a lot.Read More...
Updated
Last Reply By Dude · First Unread Post
New0 replies

in any manner

0 likes · 67 views
a. I can do it in any manner. I think that means that I can do it in all possible ways. b. I doubt you can do it in any manner. It seems to me that (b) is ambiguous. It could mean 1. I doubt you can do it at all. or 2. I doubt that you can do it in all possible ways. I think meaning (1) is far more likely, but it seems to me that meaning (2) is possible, although I'd say that 'any' will have to be stressed. Am I correct? Many thanksRead More...
Posted
Post

Membership Required

We're sorry. You must be signed in to continue. Sign In or Register
×
Are you sure you want to remove from your Block List?
×
Loading...
×
When you block a person, they can no longer invite you to a private message or post to your profile wall. Replies and comments they make will be collapsed/hidden by default. Finally, you'll never receive email notifications about content they create or likes they designate for your content.
Note: if you proceed, you will no longer be following .
×