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a. Yes, it is necessary. The sentence means: "If you could shed some light on this, I would appreciate it." "Appreciate" is a strongly transitive verb (in this meaning) requiring a direct object. You can't say, "I'd appreciate." b. In the idiomatic expression "shed light on something," "light" is noncount.Read More...

"Few of" refers to a small quantity; "a few of" refers to three.Read More...

Yes, articles (books, poems, pieces of music, paintings) can express things.Read More...

To follow up on this good usage note that Ahmed has provided, it's interesting to look at the noun "commitment" and how it is complemented. While it is certainly possible and common for "commitment" to be followed by "to [V-ing]," it is sometimes followed by "to [V]" instead. This is especially true in the collocation "make a commitment to," which signifies the making of promise. In speaking of "those committed to change the world," Chomsky may be said to be referring to those who have made...Read More...

The em-dashes here function like emphatic commas or parentheses. The material they contain specifies the time of the e-mail and the response, respectively. It cannot be read in any other way. Thus, there is no ambiguity.Read More...

Hi, Sly, The noun "right" is usually followed by the preposition "to" to indicate what one is entitled to. "Right to freedom" means "right to be free." I'm not sure the plural "rights" works because the right to freedom is a prerogative shared by everyone.Read More...

Hi, Tony, In the second sentence, it is clear that "you" supplied the information. In the first one, the information may have been supplied by somebody else.Read More...

I'm just expressing some uncertainty; how confident are you that nobody would allow for the possibility that I texted with my sister?Read More...

I also read that part in the book, and "... a distinction is to be made between the following constructions: [33] i She apparently liked it more than what we gave her. ii %She apparently liked it more than what we did" but I wasn't sure if it is (i) or (ii) that the sentence in the OP is similar to. With your confirmation, and the data from PEU, now I understand. Thank you, ahmed_btm.Read More...

Hi, Azz—Sentence (a) means that alcoholic beverages can't be sold to anyone who is a minor. Sentence (b) could mean that, but it could alternatively suggest that there are some minors to whom alcoholic beverages can be sold. Compare: There is a ban on selling all minors alcoholic beverages. You can sell such beverages only to some minors.Read More...

Hi, Azz, Those four examples sound unnatural. I think what is natural to say here is "I shoved him out of my way." If I want to indicate the reason for shoving him, I might say, ''l shoved him to make him get out of my way.'' However, this might need a special context.Read More...

The present perfect continuous.Read More...

Hi, Sly, This is grammatically correct. 'Originate' can be used transitively. See here: https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/originate Yes, you can, but you need to use 'was' instead of 'is' since 'originate' in your example is in the past simple. BTW, after 'can' you should use the infinitive ('can I transform', not 'can I transformed' ).Read More...

It was an add from Ikea. You can see the ikea logo on the bottom if you look closely. The add promoted a store in New Jersey which had lower sales tax than in New York. So you could shop and pay less taxes without having to declare yourself as a church as Gustavo mentionedRead More...

Susan tried (run) after the pickpocket but although she's a good runner she couldn't catch him. Idiomatically, when we talk of running after someone in an example like this one, it’s understood that we are doing so in order to catch that person. So when we say that Susan tried to run/running after the pickpocket, we mean that she did so with the intention of catching him; after all, why else would she do it? By running after the pickpocket Susan is effectively endeavouring to catch the...Read More...

Hi, Tony C, Yes, and you can look it up in Collins Dictionary. https://www.myaccountingcourse...ionary/sales-revenue I don't know, but the difference between 'sales', 'revenue' and 'sales revenue' has to do with finance (economy), not grammar. See here: https://www.wallstreetmojo.com/revenue-vs-sales/ https://www.myaccountingcourse...ionary/sales-revenue 'Sales' is a plural countable noun here. It should be followed by 'have', not 'has'.Read More...

Hi, Sly, Yes, it is. You can use a noun between 'as ........as' if the noun is preceded by 'many', 'few', 'much', 'little'. - I have tried to spend as little money as possible. You can also use this form: 'as + adj. + a/an + a countable noun + as'.Read More...

Thank you so much في الخميس، ٥ مايو ٢٠٢٢ ١٠:٣٨ م The Grammar Exchange < alerts@crowdstack.com > كتب:Read More...

Hi, Ibrahim Elmasery, and 'Happy Eid Al-Fitr', 'On' is a preposition that refers to a particular point in time , while ' when' is a conjunction or a time adverbial and its meaning depends on the way you are using it. - When / On seeing a snake, I feel frightened. (This is a regular action, so 'when' sounds the natural one to use). = Every time / Whenever I see a snake, I feel frightened. - On / When seeing the snake, I felt frightened. (This is a unique action, so both are OK .)Read More...

Thanks a lot DavidRead More...

I think that maybe it should be something like: "I feel very lucky that you always have my back." "I don't like my boss. He is always on my back." = He is always criticizing me.Read More...

Thanks AhmedRead More...