August 2022

8 replies

'that' in 'the first time that S V'

WinD 8/14/228:47 AM

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Hi (a) It is the first time that we have met. (b) That was the first time that she had traveled alone. (c) Yesterday was the first time that Ted swam in the Atlantic Ocean. In the sentences above, Q1) Can we change the bold 'that' into 'when'?(in terms of grammaticality) Q2) Can we change the bold 'that' into 'in which' or 'at which'?(in terms of grammaticality) Q3) What is the bold 'that' called in grammatical terms? I am curious about its grammatical identity. Is it a 'relativiser' or a...Read More...

WinD 9/27/228:03 PM

Many Thanks, DavidRead More...

Updated 9/27/228:03 PM

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3 replies

'my first time <visiting>, participle or gerund?'

deepcosmos 8/31/2211:52 AM

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Hello, everyone, Recently I've found a very interesting but old thread issued in 2020 below, on which out of my pure curiosity I added my inquiry at the end. I would really appreciate if I could be heard about it. https://thegrammarexchange.infopop.cc/topic/it-was-1Read More...

TheParser 9/7/227:32 AM

Thank you for your kind note. I remember my first time going there. I could type in some key words (with quotation marks) and immediately find out how professional writers were using the language. I was thrilled. Have a nice day!Read More...

Updated 9/7/227:32 AM

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16 replies

’Angry, he didn't say anything’

deepcosmos 8/30/2210:28 AM

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Hello, everyone, 1. I’ve found the sentence 1) in a thread of The G/Exchange and 2), 3) in CaGEL (by Huddlestone) with the names for this construction - ‘predicative adjuncts in front position’ (by CaGEL), ‘fronted subject-oriented secondary predicate’ (by Seiichi MYOGA). 1) Unhurt , Tom escaped from the accident. (= Tom escaped from the accident (and he was) unhurt.) 2) Furious , he stormed out of the room. 3) Upset , the children had daubed paint on the walls. (‘ upset ’ is in predicative...Read More...

David, Moderator 9/5/228:28 PM

I neglected to reply to this post of yours, Gustavo. Yes, I must agree with you that the "causative element" is a possible meaning with this construction. I had resisted the possibility of that meaning in my analysis above, wanting to reserve it for the "being" and "having been" variants. However, having come upon the below example in the wild, I have to acknowledge that the causative/reason meaning is possible without - ing : Below is an excerpt from the Heritage Press book insert for its...Read More...

Updated 9/5/228:28 PM

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4 replies

Deleting the verb phrase containing the verb "be" in correlative comparatives

Meriem 8/28/222:58 AM

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Hello, Would my sentence still be natural after deleting the verb "be" ? (1) The fewer customers there are , the earlier the bar will close. (2) The more I concentrate , the more accurate my answers are . (3) The more admired a person is , the vainer he or she becomes. (4) The more optimistic your boss is , the more productive you will be. Paraphrased sentence: (A) The fewer the customers, the earlier the bar will close. (B) The more I concentrate , the more accurate my answers. (C) The more...Read More...

Meriem 9/4/221:39 PM

Yes true, sometimes it feels a bit odd to the ear. Thank you again.Read More...

Updated 9/4/221:39 PM

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2 replies

Adding “the” before the noun in correlative comparative structure.

Meriem 8/28/229:35 AM

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Hello, I have 2 questions regarding adding “the” before the noun in correlative comparative structure. QUESTION1: A teacher advised me to put “the” before the noun in correlative comparative, but after practicing some tasks I’ve discovered that it works only for STRUCTURE (A) and it sounds less natural for STRUCTURE (B). I want to confirm whether I should use “the” only for STRUCTURE (A)? QUESTION 2: Does adding “the” to the STRUCTURE (A) depend on the situation or it is a must to ensure...Read More...

Meriem 9/3/2212:15 PM

Thank you for your time. That was helpful.Read More...

Updated 9/3/2212:15 PM

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17 replies

Two kinds of relative clause

Robby zhu 8/19/222:06 AM

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1. it was on the other side from where she had put her calf. Context: Just at this moment, she fell back into the river. If she were carried down, it would be certain death. I knew, as well as she did, that there was one spot where she could get up the bank, but it was on the other side from where she had put her calf. It's from an article in a test. I failed to find the original source, but there has been a discussion here: https://forum.wordreference.co...ut-her-calf.3949426/ The problem...Read More...

David, Moderator 9/2/2211:53 AM

Hi, Ray—No, I wouldn't use "from where" there. I’d use a zero relative with a stranded preposition and no There-Insertion: to go to the place a particular smell is coming fromRead More...

Updated 9/2/2211:53 AM

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16 replies

Do you have to say "I think" when paraphrasing?

Andrew Van Wagner 8/27/2210:26 PM

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Forgive me for asking a non-grammar question. But suppose you have the following: I think we must raise taxes. And we must spend more on health care. And we must stop invading countries. Regarding the bold, I would be tempted to paraphrase like this (We "must raise taxes"), since "I think" is implicit in anything that an author writes...it has to be what the author in question thinks. So there are three statements and all three of them (even the ones about health care and invasions) are...Read More...

Andrew Van Wagner 9/1/227:53 PM

I guess that a better term might be "unargued opinion"; it's not that there's anything negative about not arguing an opinion (maybe you just lacked time), so it's better than "mere opinion", which sounds like a negative thing.Read More...

Updated 9/1/227:53 PM

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2 replies

verbs that are not followed by either gerund or to-infinitive.

Tony C 8/31/224:43 PM

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Is the verb "continue" followed by verb only? e.g. I continue own/owning/to own the property?Read More...

Gustavo, Co-Moderator 8/31/225:59 PM

Hi, Tony, To add to Ahmed's answer, "continue" can also be followed by a noun or by the preposition "with," e.g. continue (with) the construction of the property. You can express the idea above as follows: - I continue to own the property. - I continue owning the property. - I continue to be the owner of the property. - I continue being the owner of the property. In some special cases, you could also say: - I continue as (the) owner of the property, but my children are the beneficiaries.Read More...

Updated 8/31/225:59 PM

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4 replies

Can "in order" connect back to "forced"?

Andrew Van Wagner 8/30/222:05 AM

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I don't want "in order" to be interpretable as connecting back to "forced" (that would be a misinterpretation): This change forced people to be constantly glued to the stock market in order to figure out whether they’ll live too long and will be destitute and unable to leave anything to their family.Read More...

Andrew Van Wagner 8/31/2210:26 AM

Thanks so much for these excellent responses guys! I greatly appreciate the help on this front!Read More...

Updated 8/31/2210:26 AM

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1 reply

Singular and plural

Tony C 8/31/224:31 AM

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I purchased an old home and wanted to turn into a duplex. Once the duplex is completed, do I say both duplexes or both units? I am so confused.Read More...

Gustavo, Co-Moderator 8/31/225:48 AM

Hi, Tony, You should have said: - I purchased an old home and decided to turn it into a duplex. A duplex is a two-unit house: one duplex, two units.Read More...

Updated 8/31/225:48 AM

Last Reply By Gustavo, Co-Moderator · First Unread Post

1 reply

On the date

Tony C 8/30/228:57 PM

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Should I use "the" in the below sentence and whether I should use cardinal number for the date 23 January 2022, so it becomes 23rd January 2022. e.g. The property was settled on the 23 January 2022.Read More...

Gustavo, Co-Moderator 8/31/222:54 AM

Hi, Tony, "23" is a cardinal number, and "23rd" is an ordinal number. You don't use the article for dates in writing. In AmE, you should say: - The property was settled on January 23, 2022. In BrE, you should say: - The property was settled on 23 January, 2022. It is mostly in speech that the article can appear: The property was settled on January the 23rd / on the 23rd of January. It would perhaps be more accurate to say: The purchase of the property was settled on ...Read More...

Updated 8/31/222:54 AM

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3 replies

has gone for a few days

Ahmed Imam Attia 8/30/2211:22 AM

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Hello. moderators. Is the following sentence grammatically correct using "a few days" with "has gone to"? - You can't see Tamer before Wednesday. He has gone to London for a few days on business. Thank you.Read More...

Gustavo, Co-Moderator 8/31/222:46 AM

Hello, Raymond, and welcome to GE. I don't think so. This position of the adverbial is typical of perfect tenses, the sense of which is completed by the adverbial that comes after them. For example, I don't think we'd normally say something like this in isolation: - For a few days, it has been raining. However, front position can be allowed by context: A- I'm fed up with this rain. B- It is true. For a few days, it has been raining a lot, but the good news is it will clear up soon.Read More...

Updated 8/31/222:46 AM

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11 replies

Participles

Rasha Assem 8/27/2212:33 AM

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1- Found in the desert, the mummy was moved to the museum. 2- Being found in the desert, the mummy was moved to the museum. Could anyone help me with understanding the difference between these two in meaning?Read More...

Rasha Assem 8/31/221:37 AM

David, I can't thank you enough. Really your explanation, with its in-depth analysis, is priceless!! I can't imagine the time invested. I've been looking for information on this topic for some time and came up with almost nothing. Thus, your help is invaluable to me. This forum has been a priceless source of information. I hope I can do anything to help in this forum; I know I don't have your knowledge, experience, or your fluency.Read More...

Updated 8/31/221:37 AM

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2 replies

Singular vs. plural on the bold? Or does it not matter?

Andrew Van Wagner 8/26/2211:18 PM

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The imperative of pursuing profit could involve eliminating millions of decent jobs. Most of the profit goes to an American company. You have to look at corporate profits and at corporate ownership structures. State-owned enterprises are clearly superior if we have goals other than making huge profits . Doesn’t China rise—and gain—as a result of the economic activity that goes on in China even if TNCs like Apple capture most of the profits ? Most of the profit goes to an American company and...Read More...

Andrew Van Wagner 8/29/227:46 PM

Thanks!Read More...

Updated 8/29/227:46 PM

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2 replies

How should "Politifact" be stylized?

Andrew Van Wagner 8/29/225:30 AM

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I've seen: (1) Politifact (2) PolitiFact But never italics, so I'm not sure if italics are an option.Read More...

Andrew Van Wagner 8/29/227:33 PM

Thanks!Read More...

Updated 8/29/227:33 PM

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2 replies

Does bold mean "show that"?

Andrew Van Wagner 8/29/223:47 AM

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Need to paraphrase this but there's a semantic ambiguity (could mean "show that much of corporate America has" or could mean "reveal the amount of corporate America that has"): Chapter 5 will show how much of corporate America has come to emulate banking—how we’re all glorified bankers now—by tracking the history of General Electric, which is one of the great American innovators, but which became the country’s fifth-largest bank before trying to reclaim its roots in industry.Read More...

Andrew Van Wagner 8/29/227:27 PM

Thanks! I see that now!Read More...

Updated 8/29/227:27 PM

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2 replies

What does "This" point back to?

Andrew Van Wagner 8/29/224:56 AM

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Consider the bold: https://join.substack.com/p/taking Baker also has a 28 January 2021 piece that responds to the notions that share buybacks (1) “allow companies to inflate share prices”, (2) allow “top management to manipulate share prices” in order to maximize the value of stock options , (3) divert money away from long-term investment, and (4) allow for tax avoidance. Regarding (4), Baker says that there is a gift to rich people, since share buybacks—as opposed to dividends —“do allow...Read More...

David, Moderator 8/29/2212:09 PM

For thorough coverage of the ins and outs of demonstrative pronouns ("this," "these," "those"), the definite article ("the"), and conjunctions ("but," "so," etc.), I heartily recommend Halliday and Hasan's classic, Cohesion in English (1976).Read More...

Updated 8/29/2212:09 PM

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1 reply

as they are joining forces

azz 8/26/226:24 AM

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a. As our enemies are joining forces, so should we. b. We should join forces as our enemies are. c. We should join forces , as our enemies are. Which could mean We should join forces because our enemies are. ? I think they could all mean We should join forces while our enemies are. We should join forces in the same way our enemies are. Is that correct? Many thanks.Read More...

ahmed_btm 8/29/2210:01 AM

Hi, Azz, A is the best one. I don't like the way sentences b and c are formed. Instead of 'b', I feel that it is more natural to use either: a. We should join forces just like our enemies. b. We should join forces as our enemies do. In all cases, with no further context, both readings (while / in the same way) are possible. Concerning your example C above, I see that 'as' has only one meaning here: 'because', but the whole sentence doesn't sound quite natural to me. I'd better say, 'Our...Read More...

Updated 8/29/2210:01 AM

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18 replies

What does bold attached to or modify?

Andrew Van Wagner 8/26/2211:12 PM

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See bold (does it modify just the preceding sentence or does it modify everything in the paragraph that precedes it?): https://join.substack.com/p/that-moment Regarding the countries that are on America’s sanctions list , there’s nothing but a constant barrage of negative information and there’s a general lack of in-depth and balanced reporting. I’d like to see neutral and interesting coverage about how Russia works and about how Iran works—I’d like to see a serious and balanced look at how...Read More...

Andrew Van Wagner 8/27/2210:36 PM

As for Lincoln, I couldn't tell you, but it's a case of "But" starting off a brand new paragraph; it might refer back to the entire preceding paragraph .Read More...

Updated 8/27/2210:36 PM

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5 replies

a fused relative clause could be extraposed or not?

deepcosmos 8/26/225:34 AM

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Hello, everyone, A) What allow us to get off the ground are studying, practicing, and asking for help. B) It is studying, practicing, and asking for help what allow us to get off the ground. These are excerpted from a local grammar book, on which the author says, A) (wh-cleft sentence) can be converted into B) (extraposed construction). I wonder if a fused relative clause could be extraposed. In relation with this inquiry, I found following references; 1. ‘No extraposition’ (CaGEL by...Read More...

deepcosmos 8/27/225:48 PM

Hi, David, I'm convinced enough. Thanks again.Read More...

Updated 8/27/225:48 PM

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16 replies

the function of ‘that’

deepcosmos 8/25/2212:37 AM

0 likes · 172 views

Hello, everyone, “A defining element of catastrophes is the magnitude of their harmful consequences. To help society prevent or mitigate damage from catastrophes, immense effort and technological sophistication are often employed to assess and communicate the size and scope of potential or actual losses. This effort assumes that people can understand the resulting numbers and act on them appropriately. However, recent behavioural research casts doubt on this fundamental assumption. Many...Read More...

deepcosmos 8/27/225:01 PM

David, I also still remember the two members above. In one thread Betty Azar herself replied to Chuncan Feng's inquiry. I saved for my reference the same thread above by Seiichi Myoga, and had very good impression on him/her especially with this thread about 'Subject-oriented/Object-oriented secondary predicate'; https://thegrammarexchange.inf...or-full-verb-or-bothRead More...

Updated 8/27/225:01 PM

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2 replies

’lie she did’

deepcosmos 8/27/2212:16 AM

0 likes · 47 views

Hello, everyone, p.65, First Impressions “You have to pay close attention to someone's normal pattern in order to notice a deviation from it when he or she lies. Sometimes the variation is as subtle as a pause. Other times it's obvious and abrupt. I recently saw a news interview with an acquaintance who I was certain was going to lie about a few particularly sensitive issues, and lie she did . During most of her interview she was calm and direct, but when she started lying, her manner...Read More...

deepcosmos 8/27/224:04 PM

Sincerely appreciate your support as always, David.Read More...

Updated 8/27/224:04 PM

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4 replies

"have" as stative/dynamic verb

Meriem 8/24/223:08 AM

0 likes · 62 views

Hello grammar exchange community, I have a question regarding "have" as stative/dynamic verb. I am wondering if "have" in the following sentence should be in its stative or dynamic form? He’s a good looking and fun and fun-loving boy and we ------- a great time together. (1) are having (2) have Thank you in advance.Read More...

Meriem 8/27/224:39 AM

Hello Raymon, I agree with your point of view. I've discovered that just after practicing many tasks. It's not always about action/state, but it's also about temporality.Read More...

Updated 8/27/224:39 AM

Last Reply By Meriem · First Unread Post

5 replies

Deleting the verb phrase after "the more/less + adjective" in double comparatives.

Meriem 8/26/2210:29 AM

0 likes · 57 views

Hello, I have a question about deleting the verb phrase after "the more/less + adjective" in double comparatives. Does the following sentence still understood if I delete "he is" in the following sentence? Tom has always loved earning money. The richer he gets, the more satisfied he is .Read More...

Meriem 8/27/224:32 AM

Hello David and Raymon, For "the following sentence" it was an unconscious mistake. Thank you for all your corrections David! Yes exactly Ramon, it was after seeing this example "The sooner, the better". Thank you everybody, that was helpful.Read More...

Updated 8/27/224:32 AM

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0 replies

What should I do about tenses?

Andrew Van Wagner 8/26/2211:24 PM

0 likes · 27 views

1: See bold: https://join.substack.com/p/noise-and-evidence Nathan J. Robinson made an excellent comment during a discussion with Glenn Greenwald . Robinson pointed out that “Russiagate was all a bunch of bullshit”, that “the criticisms that were being made of Donald Trump were frequently the totally wrong criticisms”, that Noam Chomsky—in contrast to the MSNBC pundits— had always been making the correct criticisms of Trump, and that the anti-Trump chorus “was totally unpersuasive”. I...Read More...

Posted 8/26/2211:24 PM

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