July 2022

15 replies

Question about a semi colon

Cameron Boyle 7/25/223:15 PM

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Hi all, Is the semi-colon in the following sentence grammatically correct? Or should it be replaced by a comma? “Multiple media outlets have opted for ‘refugee’ when describing those fleeing the invasion, despite using ‘migrant’ in relation to people fleeing the Middle East; further complicating the often blurred distinction between the two terms.” or should the latter part form a separate sentence? E.g. “This has further complicated the often blurred distinction between the two terms.” Many...Read More...

Cameron Boyle 8/9/222:46 PM

One final question - in light of your point about modern convention, what are your thoughts about the semi colons in the following two examples? Totally wrong, or just incorrect from a conservative modern standpoint? 1) " It is a subject that divides and unites; fostering solidarity and discord in equal measure. " 2) " The language of migration is inherently complex; spanning, legal, political and societal frameworks." Many thanks! CameronRead More...

Updated 8/9/222:46 PM

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2 replies

Year or anniversary

Carlos 7/29/223:54 AM

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Hello, The question is: Today is the tenth ................ of moving into our new house. (Anniversary/ year) I chose Year, but if tenth was written in numbers, I would choose Anniversary. Am I right or wrong? Thanks in advance.Read More...

Carlos 8/4/229:55 AM

I see that it's perfect to say so. Thanks for your help, dear.Read More...

Updated 8/4/229:55 AM

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12 replies

To be

Sundaran 7/31/2212:22 AM

0 likes · 45 views

"Yes. In an ideal world, obviously, I would have loved to be a part of that squad but as things stand, I am happy to be going there and speaking about the matches. I am extremely excited to be doing this as well." In the above sentence "TO BE" used in different contexts. Can you give me an insight about the different uses of "TO BE" in the above sentences?Read More...

Sundaran 8/4/2212:15 AM

Thank you, David. Its clear niw🙏Read More...

Updated 8/4/2212:15 AM

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14 replies

Tying up loose ends on a few things.

Andrew Van Wagner 7/28/2212:24 PM

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1: So I should say "anytime" (one word) in this example? https://thegrammarexchange.infopop.cc/topic/is-anytime-ok 2: So I shouldn't hyphenate "well-liked" in "is very well-liked"? https://thegrammarexchange.infopop.cc/topic/we-all-know-that-is-well-liked-requires-no-hyphen-but-what-about-is-very-well-liked 3: So I should hyphenate "special-interest groups"? https://thegrammarexchange.infopop.cc/topic/hyphenate-special-interest-groups 4: Should I stylize this...Read More...

Andrew Van Wagner 8/3/229:27 PM

Thanks for this wonderful and nice comment! Regarding punctuation, I sometimes like the New Yorker but sometimes find it stuffy and silly and objectionable; to take a random example, they do a weird thing where they put an umlaut over something like "coordination".Read More...

Updated 8/3/229:27 PM

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4 replies

worried about/afraid of

navi 7/31/222:21 AM

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Are these sentences correct: 1) The accident I was worried about happening finally happened. 2) The expensive plate I was worried about breaking broke. 3) The accident I was afraid of happening finally happened. 4) The expensive plate I was afraid of breaking broke. In '2' was I worried that the plate might break or that I might break it? In '4' was I afraid that the plate might break or that I might break it? Gratefully, NaviRead More...

David, Moderator 8/3/223:17 PM

Hello again, Navi—The italicized "t" stands for "trace." It can also be represented as a "gap," as in "Who did you approve of __ studying linguistics?" Essentially, the trace or gap represents the place from which the interrogative pronoun "moved" as the sentence transformed from its deep structure (roughly: " [+Q, +past] you approve of whom studying linguistics "] to its surface structure (" Who[m] did you approve of studying linguistics? "). That's exactly what it's supposed to mean. It's...Read More...

Updated 8/3/223:17 PM

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1 reply

modals part II

navi 7/28/226:22 AM

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1-Yesterday, we had to be careful on that scaffolding because it could collapse. 2-Yesterday, we had to be careful on that scaffolding because it could have collapsed. 3-Yesterday, we had to be careful on that scaffolding because it might collapse. 4-Yesterday, we had to be careful on that scaffolding because it might have collapsed. Which of the above are grammatical and meaningful? Obviously, when we were on it, we knew that it was there and had not collapsed. Gratefully, NaviRead More...

Gustavo, Co-Moderator 8/1/224:21 PM

Hi, Navi, In (1) and (3), could/might collapse points to the future from a past perspective, and is the one that, in my opinion, works finely with had to be careful . In (2) and (4), I would have said: We should have been careful on that scaffolding because it could/might have collapsed.Read More...

Updated 8/1/224:21 PM

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1 reply

read him stories in order to...

azz 7/21/225:40 AM

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. My son tends to trust everybody. So I read him stories in order to make him less trustful of people. b. My son tends to trust everybody. So I read him stories that make him less trustful of people. The idea is that I read him particular stories whose 'moral' is that you should be a little wary of people. Obviously, not every story will do. I have to pick and choose the stories. Do both (a) and (b) work in this context? ======================== c. My son tends to trust everybody. So I tell...Read More...

ahmed_btm 8/1/223:25 PM

Hi, Azz, Sorry, this is a thread from the past. I see that in 'a' and 'c', the focus is on the purpose of the action, while in 'b' & 'd', the focus is on the kind of stories/things you tell him, i.e. you choose him some certain stories.Read More...

Updated 8/1/223:25 PM

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1 reply

What is the difference (if any)? Please share if it breaks any grammatical rules!

curtis☆experience 7/30/2212:37 PM

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'I can go back to the hospital after having eaten my lunch'. 'I can go back to the hospital after eating my lunch'. I don't have the greatest insight into sentence structure, but as I underestand in English, these sentences don't break any rules. And I'm pretty sure they mean the same thing! Thank you!Read More...

David, Moderator 7/31/221:39 PM

Hello, Curtis—Yes, both the sentences are correct and mean the same thing.Read More...

Updated 7/31/221:39 PM

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6 replies

active/passive voice

gilbert 7/27/2210:31 PM

0 likes · 41 views

Hi, everyone. Is it possible to change the sentence below to the active voice? I have tried but can't seem to do it. Have been left is the present perfect in the passive form (I think!) and that is what I've been trying to change to the active voice. Thousands of households have been left without water after the nearby water treatment plant was shut down due to the extreme turbidity in the river supplying water to it. Can it be done? Thank you for your help.Read More...

gilbert 7/30/2210:43 PM

Hi, David. Thank you for this brilliant 5-star explanation. It has been a great help to me. I hope it has benefited other members on the GE as well. Thanks again.Read More...

Updated 7/30/2210:43 PM

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6 replies

none singular or plural

Ahmed Imam Attia 7/25/223:28 AM

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Hello. Could you please help me? Which one is correct or both are OK? - Don't depend on false friends. None help / helps in need. Simple-language explanation, please. Thank you.Read More...

David, Moderator 7/30/223:11 PM

Re: none singular or pluralRead More...

Updated 7/30/223:11 PM

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2 replies

Neither... nor

Melody 7/28/221:43 AM

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1. Neither of them wanted to appear scared in front of the other, nor wanted to go on such a scary-looking ride. 2. Neither of them wanted to appear scared in front of the other, nor did they want to go on such a scary-looking ride. Which sentence is grammatically correct? Thanks!Read More...

Melody 7/29/227:51 PM

Thanks so much!Read More...

Updated 7/29/227:51 PM

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8 replies

rivers in the USA vs rivers of the USA

alexey-86 7/28/226:54 AM

0 likes · 41 views

Hello! Please, look at the following sentences: a). Rivers in the USA are beautiful. b). (The) Rivers of the USA are beautiful. My questions: 1. Which variant is more idiomatic? 2. Is there any difference in meaning between them? 3. Should I use "the" in (b)?Read More...

alexey-86 7/29/2212:19 AM

Thank you, Gustavo!Read More...

Updated 7/29/2212:19 AM

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3 replies

OK to have the bold piece of this sentence?

Andrew Van Wagner 7/23/225:16 PM

0 likes · 30 views

See here (not sure how this plays out syntactically and diagrams out structurally...you have the ",but" and then the "and a lot...legal"): https://join.substack.com/p/is-trump-a-criminal It’s important to understand that there are very fine lines—Donald has laundered money, but a lot of people have laundered money all over the United States and a lot of that laundering is actually legal.Read More...

Andrew Van Wagner 7/28/2212:41 PM

Thanks so much! I greatly appreciate it!Read More...

Updated 7/28/2212:41 PM

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12 replies

Should I invert the bold to eliminate ambiguity?

Andrew Van Wagner 7/25/228:35 AM

0 likes · 71 views

See the bold: https://join.substack.com/p/experimentation the projects were supposed to help modernize Sri Lanka and generate tax revenue , but the projects failed. I can't reach my interviewee for clarification, but my guess is that "to help" is not supposed to modify "generate tax revenue", which means the bold below would be a superior ordering: the projects were supposed to generate tax revenue and help modernize Sri Lanka , but the projects failed.Read More...

Andrew Van Wagner 7/28/2212:38 PM

Thanks!Read More...

Updated 7/28/2212:38 PM

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6 replies

I try to remove commas as much as possible; is this comma needed?

Andrew Van Wagner 7/23/2212:04 PM

0 likes · 24 views

See here: " And he went from the Maldives to Singapore , where he apparently remains."Read More...

Andrew Van Wagner 7/28/2212:33 PM

Thanks! I understand now!Read More...

Updated 7/28/2212:33 PM

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2 replies

Comma needed on the bold?

Andrew Van Wagner 7/23/227:57 PM

0 likes · 152 views

See the bold (I'm anti-comma wherever possible): he manages Stop Human Rights Violations in Sri Lanka , which is a Facebook group with 2900 membersRead More...

Andrew Van Wagner 7/28/2212:22 PM

Thanks!Read More...

Updated 7/28/2212:22 PM

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3 replies

How do you stylize a Facebook group? Italics? Quotation marks?

Andrew Van Wagner 7/24/229:28 AM

0 likes · 19 views

See here: he manages Stop Human Rights Violations in Sri Lanka! , which is a Facebook group with 2,900 membersRead More...

Andrew Van Wagner 7/28/2212:12 PM

Thanks! I'll do that!Read More...

Updated 7/28/2212:12 PM

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0 replies

modals

navi 7/28/226:18 AM

0 likes · 8 views

1-Yesterday, we were walking without fear on that scaffolding because it could not collapse. 2-Yesterday, we were walking without fear on that scaffolding because it could not have collapsed. Are the above sentences grammatical and meaningful? The idea is that there was no chance of it collapsing. Gratefully, NaviRead More...

Posted 7/28/226:18 AM

2 replies

Modal auxiliary verb 　”might have foresaw”

ken 7/27/227:04 AM

0 likes · 31 views

Would the sentence 1) conveys the meaning of 2) ? The president might have foresaw the consequences of his action. I suspect that the president foresaw the results of his action. But I don't know what he was thinking for sure when he took the action.Read More...

David, Moderator 7/27/2210:37 AM

Hi, Ken and Ahmed—We are not given any context here. Normally, however, a sentence like "He might have foreseen the consequences of his action" would be to indicate, in a critical tone, that he didn't foresee the consequences of his action, but should have . Compare : "You might have been more careful."Read More...

Updated 7/27/2210:37 AM

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1 reply

Possessive 's / s'

Basant Al-Sayed 7/27/227:50 AM

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Dear sir, Which option is correct ? 1) a- a week's haliday b- one week's holiday 2) a- two weeks' holiday b- a two weeks' holiday Concerning number ( 1), I think (a) " a week's haliday" is the correct answer . If we use a definet article in this structure, we can't use a number. As for number (2), I think number (a) is the correct answer. If we use a number in this structure,we can't use an article. Thanks a lot in advance.Read More...

ahmed_btm 7/27/228:33 AM

Hi, Basant Al-Sayed, Yes, 'a' is the correct one. For 'b' to work, you can say "a one-week holiday''. In 'a', 'a' is not a definite article. It is an indefinite article. Yes, 'a' is the correct one. If you want to know the reason why 'a' works in both, but not 'b', see this recent thread: https://thegrammarexchange.inf...-a-ten-minutes-breakRead More...

Updated 7/27/228:33 AM

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5 replies

On choice between <which/that/who>

Robby zhu 7/24/2212:32 AM

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Greetings, 1. She is the perfect accountant which/* who/*that her predecessor was not. 2. This is not the type of modern house which/* that/* ( ) my own is. （ CGEL, Quirk et al, 1985, Sec 17.14 ） Could someone please explain to me why the authors marked the other two relative words as wrong, especially "that". What is the underlying theory? I have found many examples with the same pattern using "that".Read More...

billj 7/27/228:27 AM

What explanation did the authors give?Read More...

Updated 7/27/228:27 AM

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1 reply

usual

azz 7/27/224:56 AM

0 likes · 16 views

If every time they come to my restaurant they order the same things could I say: a. Last night, they ordered what they usually order. b. Last night, they ordered the usual meals. ? I think those sentences work in that context. The problem I have is that as far as I can see those sentences don't necessarily mean they always order the same things. They might be used even if there are exceptional cases. Am I correct? Many thanks.Read More...

ahmed_btm 7/27/228:17 AM

Hi, Azz, Yes, that's the meaning I get from 'usual' and 'usually'.Read More...

Updated 7/27/228:17 AM

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2 replies

Is "anytime" OK?

Andrew Van Wagner 7/26/224:48 PM

0 likes · 34 views

I couldn't seem to get clarity from the NYT archive on this. Here's my situation: a former coworker who they play golf with and feel comfortable directly texting or calling anytime with questions See here: https://www.grammarly.com/blog/anytime-any-time/ A century ago, it was standard to write any time as two words in all contexts. But it’s now perfectly acceptable to write anytime as one word when you’re using it as an adverb. However, some readers still consider it a casualism, so you may...Read More...

Andrew Van Wagner 7/26/228:28 PM

Thanks! So my bolded example above can definitely be "anytime" (one word)? And is Garner saying that you can literally do "anytime" anytime you want?Read More...

Updated 7/26/228:28 PM

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3 replies

We all know that "is well liked" requires no hyphen, but what about "is very well liked"?

Andrew Van Wagner 7/26/224:25 PM

0 likes · 36 views

See here: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/18/style/lede-company-publicists.html She is very well liked, so she must take care of people. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/12/nyregion/adem-bunkeddeko-city-politics-envigorate.html she is very well-liked in her district, regardless. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/10/us/kamala-harris-senate-replacement.html Ms. Bass, he said, is “a quiet force, but is very well-liked in the Democratic Party.”Read More...

David, Moderator 7/26/228:04 PM

U.S. punctuation conventions exist independently of New York Times practice.Read More...

Updated 7/26/228:04 PM

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2 replies

I need to relax about this ambiguity here, right?

Andrew Van Wagner 7/26/224:32 PM

0 likes · 27 views

See here: You get used to the Hill after a while, but it’s overwhelming when you walk around and lobby for the first time —nothing can prepare you for the insanity. Technically "for the first time" is unclear; it could modify ONLY "lobby" or it could modify "walk around" as WELL as "lobby". But everyone knows that it obviously applies to BOTH, so I need to relax, right?Read More...

Andrew Van Wagner 7/26/227:42 PM

Nice! I will do that!Read More...

Updated 7/26/227:42 PM

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