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August 2021

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Passive sentence

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Shakespeare's Hamlet: Philosophical Perspectives A play that is worth watching usually engages its watchers emotionally. Why is the sentence not passive, like ' is worth being watched.' If 'a play' the object of the verb, 'watch, is fronted , would it be passive? Many thanks in advance.Read More...
Dude
Thanks for the information.Read More...
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USED TO/USED TO BE

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Dear Sir I mentioned 6 sentences here. I would like to know that some sentences are used after "used to be" with "ing" form and some are used after "used to be" with "ed" form and some are used "used to" without "be". Why? 1) I used to be recording every day 2 I used to bunk my 9th standard classes and record and come back. 3) My dad has been an actor for 12 years, he used to be Ram at one of the Ramlila productions that used to be performed in Delhi. 4) I used to be a tape recorder then. 5)...Read More...
David, Moderator
I have just seen the post of yours that Gustavo forwarded to the moderation queue and have no intention of ever providing you with an explanation again. Should you post something like that again, you will be banned from the site.Read More...
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in, at

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Hello. Could you help me? Which preposition is correct? If both, what the difference is. At Ramadan the roads tend to be very quiet. In Ramadan the roads tend to be very quiet. Thank youRead More...
David, Moderator
Thank you, Ahmed, for clarifying for me what Ramadan is. I had pretended that Ramadan was like Christmas, which, as you probably know, is a single-day holiday. But Ramadan is clearly not like Christmas. I defer to your answer.Read More...
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not so much

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Can one say a. You are expected to produce traditional musical compositions, not so much experimental ones. ? Does that mean that you have to produce fewer experimental compositions, none at all, or compositions that are more traditional than experimental? Many thanks.Read More...
David, Moderator
Hi, Azz—The intended meaning of (a) is surely that "you have to," as you say, "produce . . . compositions that are more traditional than experimental."Read More...
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do

0 likes · 84 views
Social Psychology: Core Concepts and Emerging Trends 1 People often feel like others are paying more attention to them than they are 2 People often feel like others are paying more attention to them than they do. "do" could be a substitute for " are" here? ThanksRead More...
Dude
Thanks a lot.Read More...
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'used to be (adjective) and (verb past or present)?

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This is a question from a test that the school I work for in Japan has set. It was written by a non-native English speaker so it's a little unnatural. Anyway, which is correct? And why, if you please? "She used to be very shy and KEEP / KEPT quiet if she was spoken to by someone."Read More...
David, Moderator
Hello, Gramilton, and welcome to the Grammar Exchange. Both answers are correct. With "keep," the sentence corresponds in meaning to (1) below; with "kept," it corresponds to (2). (1) She used to be very shy, and she used to keep quiet if she was spoken to by someone. (2) She used to be very shy, and she kept quiet if she was spoken to by someone. With "keep" the coordination is between the verb phrases "be very shy" and "keep quiet." With "kept," it's between "used to be very shy" and "kept...Read More...
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Intransitive

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Is it OK to replace <suffering from> with <suffering> or <suffered from>? Is there any difference between them? Thank you in advance. These patients suffering from cholera died because of not receiving the proper treatment. 1 These patients suffering cholera died because of not receiving the proper treatment. 2 These patients suffered from cholera died because of not receiving the proper treatment.Read More...
GBLSU
I see. <suffer from> can not be passive. Thanks a lot.Read More...
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in

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Can we leave the second "in" out? Thanks in advance. Oxygen-rich inhaled air remains in different parts of the body, such as in the mouth and the nose, and in the lungs and the stomach.Read More...
Dude
I got your point. Thanks a lot.Read More...
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New7 replies

that of

0 likes · 109 views
What is the meaning of the sentence below? Can we omit "that of" from the sentence? When China's GDP surpasses that of the US and its nuclear deterrence makes US policymakers ......... https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202108/1232679.shtmlRead More...
Gustavo, Co-Moderator
Your sentence above needs "than" to be correct: - John's result is better than that of Abraheem. or - John's result is better than Abraheem's.Read More...
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If-clause

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1 If you hadn't helped me, I would have been in big trouble. 2 If you didn't help me, I would have been in big trouble. Are those sentences different in meaning? I guess the second one seems so not right, though. 3 It was turned out that he hadn't completed the project passive is wrong? Many thanks in advance.Read More...
Dude
Many thanks. Doesn't (2) work at all, even in the in a colloquial style? 2 If you didn't help me, I would have been in big trouble.Read More...
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at any cost

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a. I don't want to live at just any cost. b. I don't want to live at any cost. c. You shouldn't live at just any cost. d. You shouldn't live at any cost. Which of the above are grammatically correct and meaningful? The idea is that 'to live at any cost' is wrong. There are prices one should not be willing to pay to stay alive. Many thanks.Read More...
Posted
New2 replies

prepositional phrases

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In this sentence, I understand that "the leader of its own fascist party" is an appositive phrase (clause?) that identifies "Joseph Phillips." It seems that the next phrase "in the cabinet" is a prepositional phrase. I take grammar tests online and when there is a sentence with a 4-word prepositional phrase, I don't use a comma because I've read that prepositional phrases should have commas only when they have more than 4 words. On this particular site, commas were used with this sentence...Read More...
clueless
Thanks, David. You guys are great!!!!Read More...
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Just vs Just now

0 likes · 91 views
Hi I'd like to get a better understanding of the difference between these two sentences: 1) He has just come. 2) He came just now. What I do know is that 'just' means 'recently/now' and 'just now' means 'a short time ago/ a moment ago'. In addition, the present perfect implies that him coming is related to the present one way or another; for example, a further context would be ' The manager is angry because he is late.' The past simple doesn't relate to the present time. Did I get it right?Read More...
Rasha Assem
Thanks for the detailed explanation which added a lot to me. One more question, please. Would adding 'now' make any difference for I don't see 'now' in any of your examples?Read More...
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Not to Verb

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It is advisable not to teach the theory overly and to focus on the examples. I do understand what the sentence means through contextual clue like the following. 1 It is advisable not to teach the theory overly and It is advisable to focus on the examples. But, m ight this sentence be like this? 2 It is advisable not to teach the theory overly and It is advisable not to focus on the examples. Can you help me in how I can figure it out? Many thanks, in advance.Read More...
Dude
Thank you.Read More...
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A rule or a formula?

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Hello friends. In the world of grammar, are the following considered rules or formulas?: For verbs that end in o , ch , sh , th , ss , gh , or z , add -es . Subject + is/am/are + Verb (+ing) Thank you.Read More...
Gustavo, Co-Moderator
I agree with you, Gilbert. We should also add that verbs ending in consonant + y change the ending to - ies .Read More...
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Can participial clauses modify parts of complex noun phrases?

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It is my understanding that participial clauses can modify any noun in a sentence, but with some constructions this can give rise to ambiguities. My question is whether participial phrases can modify nouns mentioned as part of a larger complex noun phrase. So, for example: The river ran through the wood and under the bridge that James had whiled away entire afternoons on, thinking about nothing in particular. Is the above example acceptable? Can writers construct sentences like this as long...Read More...
Gustavo, Co-Moderator
It is the subject of the relative clause: that James had whiled away entire afternoons on, thinking about nothing in particular.Read More...
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Can I use "keep further improve" in text?

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Can I use this combination in the text? The sentence is " What should we do to keep further improve our business? " Is it correct to use "Improve" rather than "Improving" I have never seen a phrase in the format of verb+adverb+verb I know I can simply go with "further improve" or "keep improving" But I want to know if it's correct using all three words at once. If so, is there an example of such a sentence? If not, why? Thanks!Read More...
Posted
New2 replies

Myself vs me

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Hello, After checking Michael Swann's book and the internet I am still not sure why the pronoun me is correct in the sentence below, and why myself can't be used. (it refers to a computer) I can take it with me. I can take it with myself. Of course , myself sounds unnatural, but is there a rule at play here? How can I explain this to a person I volunteer with? Thank you for your help. Appreciated as always.Read More...
Mrchuffie
Thank you for your helpRead More...
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Under water or underwater in this instance?

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Please explain the best way to say under water/underwater in the following sentence: "She had a tea party under water" or "she had a tea party underwater"? Thank you.Read More...
David, Moderator
It is the adverb "underwater" that gives the meaning you likely intend (see the photo in my last post). The prepositional phrase "under water," while possible, would indicate that she was not in the water. To have a tea party underneath a huge glass aquarium, for example, would be to have a tea party under water.Read More...
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