December 2019

Thanks Gustavo.Read More...

Hi David, Apologies for the delay reading your comments and thank you for clarifying the book reference. I'll continue researching as I only have about 85% understanding. The gap description has helped and Payne mentions it in his book (which I now have). Kind Regards, PhilipRead More...

Hi, Freeguy, Initially when you asked this question, the line made no sense to me whatsoever. Have you considered writing to Coldplay or consulting a Coldplay fan group? This is just a guess, but today I think that perhaps the singer means that their heads are (screwed) on such that each is a science apart from the other. If that grammatical interpretation is correct, the meaning is probably that they process things in life in two completely different ways.Read More...

Mr Ahmed your contributions are so greatRead More...

Hi, Levy, There are a number of grammatical errors in the text of yours that I have quoted above, but I am going to overlook them so that I can go straight to the point. While it is true that the past tense is often used in reference to things that are no longer true, the notion of "discontinuation" is not inherent in the past tense. To see this, imagine someone asking you where your friend is. You might say, "I don't know, but he was in the kitchen about five minutes ago." Your friend might...Read More...

Thanks very much. Much appreciated.Read More...

Thank you, David, for your insightful comments. appleRead More...

So, you mean that both are correct and have same meaning, don't you?Read More...

It's really interesting and it's really a slicing the salami thin thing. I like your example and thank you very much, David.Read More...

Thank you Mr.DavidRead More...

Thank you!Read More...

Thank you Mr.DavidRead More...

Thanks you Mr.DavidRead More...

Hello, thank you very muchRead More...

Thanks a lotRead More...

Hello, elsayedelsaidy, and welcome to the Grammar Exchange. I agree with your colleagues. This is what the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English says: ► Don’t say ‘during doing something’ or ‘during someone does something’. Use ' while' : They chatted while waiting for the train (NOT during waiting for the train). | He stole her money while she slept (NOT during she slept).Read More...

Thank you，GustavoRead More...

Hello, Navi, Neither sentence aptly expresses what it is intended to express. Grammatically, it appears as though it is the trip, rather than the man, that will be doing the talking. The impression wouldn't really go away if "talking" were changed to "to talk" and "interviewing" to "to interview." However, the intended reading would at least be possible, since "for a trip" can charitably be interpreted as "to take a trip." For the best results, don't rely on reader charity. If you use...Read More...

Hi, Mr.Musa, Here you can find the answer to your question. In addition to what David explained, you could also say "the lowest number of cars" (as opposed to "the highest number of cars").Read More...

Maybe "an idea + a complement" implies that one can come up with many ideas in contrast to "the conclusion + a complement"?Read More...

Thanks, Gustavo, my idea was that "caught" probably needs to parallel with "losing", and that is part of the reason why "caught" doesn't work there. So I dropped the "losing" part. Now I get it .It doesn't work on its own with or without "losing"Read More...

"2" because they are talking about being together in one dictionary.Read More...

Hi Gustavo, Thanks for the extra information. I too see useless ambiguity in this case, but generally find there is potential value in the overall system for those who make thousands of level placement decisions for new classes. I'm trying to automate the tedious parts to leave more time for the rest. Your grammar points were helpful. Unfortunately, they don't explain the complexity criterions since they seem poorly exemplified in the first place. Thanks again.Read More...

@David, Moderator Thank you for the wonderful help! Appreciate the elaboration and other grammar options.Read More...

Thank you, David. I've compared my "My fry first" with your reply, I think what you say is more concise. in (1), the first impression "something" gives me is the police are entrapping "the man", while in (2) is, "somebody" is more open to discussion, but it needs some unusual context to bolster the whole sentence. That said, suppose the right context is given or is established, what is the usual way to say what is suggested by the "something" or "somebody" in each case? ----------------- 1.Read More...