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My nerves couldn’t handle it

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Hi, "I took the PGA test for my pro card a couple of times but never broke 80. My nerves couldn’t handle it . So I set my sights on being a club pro." What is meant exactly by the highlighted part? In my opinion it is close to mean that he did not accept the result of the test.Read More...
izzylovesyouall
Thanks a lot.Read More...
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after high school I took up golf

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Hi, "Somehow, when I was in high school, the conditioning of society got to me and I went looking for a job—because that’s what everyone said I should do. For nearly ten years I worked for wages and was never satisfied with the money I made. It always bothered me when I saw the amount of taxes taken out of each pay- check. During those ten years I did buy and sell a few other things to make extra money once in a while. For instance, after high school I took up golf . I can remember going to...Read More...
izzylovesyouall
Crystal clear. Thanks a lot.Read More...
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so was I

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1) He was overjoyed when he heard the news. So was I. Could that mean: He was overjoyed when he heard the news. And I was overjoyed when I heard the news. (We didn't hear it at the same time.) Normally '1' would mean: ...I was happy when he heard the news. 2) He was surprised when he was shouted at. So was I. Could that mean: He was surprised when he was shouted at, and I was surprised when I was shouted at. Normally '2' would mean: .... I was surprised when I was shouted at. I think '1'...Read More...
David, Moderator
Very interesting, Navi. I think that "So was I" can have either meaning in both sentences, and that it is context that will make the difference in interpretation. That said, I think that the meaning which you describe as "normal" will be the only interpretation, the unambiguous meaning, if the "when"-clause is fronted: 1a) When he heard the news, he was overjoyed. So was I. 2a) When he was shouted at, he was surprised. So was I.Read More...
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Buy vs Buy off.

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I know what buy means but I'm a little confused about 'buy off.' According to a dictionary it means 'to give someone money so that person will help you or let you do something that is not legal.' Is it like bribing? Can I say: - These people bought off the police. - To mean that they paid the police and now the police won't take any action against them for doing illegal business.Read More...
Ashraful Haque
Thank you very much.Read More...
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Have Vs Do

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Why the sentence below use "have", instead of "do"? Why have deaths stayed steady while Covid-19 infections are spiking?Read More...
ahmed_btm
Hi, Joshua, This is called the present perfect tense. It links between the past and the present. It consists of verb 'to have' followed by the past participle (like 'have stayed' in your example). If this is a scientific fact, you can use the present simple tense. That's to say: 'Why do deaths stay steady while Covid-19 infections are spiking?'Read More...
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He thought them to be indefensible.

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Hi everyone, I came across the following sentence the book The Parliamentary Debates from the Year 1803 to the Present Time. He thought them to be indefensible. My question is, is it grammatical to add to be in this sentence? Thank you very much. MaoRead More...
Gustavo, Contributor
Hi, Mao, That sentence is written in perfect English. According to Guide to Patterns and Usage in English by A. S. Hornby (note that the spelling he uses is British): (Where Hornby says "adjunct" above, I'd call it an object complement.) These are the examples the author provides: According to Hornby, this pattern is typical of rather formal style and is more usual in written than in spoken English, where that- clauses are preferred: - Most people considered (that) he was innocent. - All the...Read More...
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start adding up?

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Hi "Millionaires don’t put much value on free ad- vice. Millionaires learn from people who have been there, done it, and are preferably still doing it. This is where your financial education expense will start adding up ." What does (this) refer to? What does (start adding up) mean in this context? What is the writer trying to say in the whole sentence ( This is where your financial education expense will start adding up.)? The meaning of the above senetence is not clear to me. ThanksRead More...
izzylovesyouall
Sorry for the typo and thanks a lot.Read More...
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students of a successful life

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hi " Millionaires are serious students of a successful life, not just financial success . They continually look for new ways of thinking and acting that can produce more fulfillment in their lives." Please rephrase the hilighted sentence above as I was not able to understand what the writer is trying to say. Just write the sentence in a plain way to make it easy for me to understnad. Thanks.Read More...
izzylovesyouall
Thanks a lot.Read More...
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Is this sentence okay?! If so what is the answer?!

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I take hard exercise every day. It's useful .......... I get fitter and fitter. (in that - for which - in which - when)Read More...
David, Moderator
Hi, Muhammad—Please give your threads meaningful titles, titles that will inform potential readers about the grammatical subject matter of the thread. The only answer choice that works is "in that": "I exercise hard every day. It's useful in that I get fitter and fitter." Do you understand the sentence?Read More...
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How to punctuate sounds in creative writing?

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hello everyone! I am working on ps right now, and i have a problem, in which i do not the right way to punctuate sounds in my essay; for example: the coming sentence is in my essay: “ Inhale! ” my chest gets higher. “ Exhale! ” my chest gets back. i want to give the sound of inhaling or exhaling and then describe what will happen next, which is the move of my chest. is this the right way or not? if not what is the right one so?Read More...
Posted
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I was on something

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hi, "Nowadays you can buy golf balls at Wal- Mart that have been retrieved from ponds. I was on to a million-dollar idea way back then, but didn’t know it! I made thousands of dollars over the next couple of years selling lost golf balls." What does the sentence (I was on to a million-dollar idea way back then...) mean? Does he mean that he had the idea that would make him earn a million dollar but he didn't know?Read More...
izzylovesyouall
Thanks.Read More...
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Using the definite article before of phrases.

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Hello, I have been trying to find a rule or pattern that determines whether you use the in sentences that are followed by prepositional phrases that start with of. e.g 1 I can't pronounce the names of fruit, cakes and vegetables . e.g 2 I can't pronounce names -- of fruit,cakes and vegetables. Which example is correct and why? Both sound natural to me. Thank you for your helpRead More...
Mrchuffie
Thank you for your helpRead More...
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Can non-restrictive participle clauses be used on objects?

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Hello! I’m wondering if a non-restrictive participle clause can be used on non-subjects. For example: I lied to my mom, looking at me. I find this sentence extremely odd. However, this one isn’t: I lied to my mom, who is looking at me. If the first example is odd to native speakers as well, I would like to deduce that perhaps a non-restrictive participle clause is not a simplified, reduced relative clause, but an adverbial participle clause? Thanks!Read More...
David, Moderator
Hello, Jasper, and welcome to the Grammar Exchange. Yes, that is possible. It can happen with both present and past participial clauses: (1a) She has one other brother named John. (1b) She has one other brother, named John. (2a) We watched her favorite movie starring Brad Pitt. (2b) We watched her favorite movie, starring Brad Pitt. In (1a) (restrictive), she has more than one brother who is named John, and she has already mentioned at least one other John that is her brother. In (1b)...Read More...
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I work as a programmer, mostly building ASP.NET

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Consider this sentence, please: 1) I work as a programmer, mostly building ASP.NET applications with SQL Server as the database. Question 1) : Can we remove the comma, without changing the meaning of the sentence? Question 2) : Is sentence 1) equivalent in meaning to: I work as a programmer. I mostly build ASP.NET applications with SQL Server as the database.Read More...
David, Moderator
Yes, you can use either of those replacements.Read More...
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the conditioning of society got to me

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Hi, "Somehow, when I was in high school, [the conditioning of society got to me] and I went looking for a job—because that’s what everyone said I should do." Here is my understanding of the part in brackets above, and please correct me if wrong. The condition of the society then forced me to work... The society forced me to work becuase this was the norm for a high school student. Please tell what is meant exactly by the part in brackets. Thanks.Read More...
izzylovesyouall
clear! Thanks a lot.Read More...
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Included or including

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Which of the following is correct (or more correct)? 1. "How would you like your name included in the minutes?" 2. "How would you like your name including in the minutes?" If the explanation could include an explanation (eg, in terms of the verb form/tense/mood), that would be great. Thanks!Read More...
SpiderJon
Many thanks for such a swift explanation.Read More...
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Everything is copy

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Hi, “For writers, as the tentacles of the coronavirus unfurl each day, everything is copy,” What is meant by (everything is copy)? Here is the link to the whole article. https://lithub.com/what-will-happen-to-the-novel-after-this/Read More...
izzylovesyouall
Thanks a lot. So can we say (every thing is documented)?Read More...
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proper nouns and capitalization

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Hi, Which one is correct? 1. the Sorbonne, the Sorbonne University, Sorbonne University 2. the Solar System. Solar System. the solar system Thanks.Read More...
David, Moderator
Hi, Freeguy: "Solar System" is capitalized in all the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) examples for "solar system." Here is a link to Wikipedia on the Sorbonne.Read More...
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Success isn't measured BY?

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Are all the sentences correct? 1) Success isn't measured by the car you drive. 2) You can't measure success by the number of certificates you have. 3) Success can sometimes be measured by how happy you are. I'm not sure if 'by' is the correct preposition to use here.Read More...
Ashraful Haque
Thank you very much!Read More...
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how true

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Hi, Please tell me what "how true" exactly mean in the context below. Does he say, by using the expression "how true", that he completely agree with what the preacher said? I like what a preacher said about this. He said, “You never fail one of God’s tests. You just keep taking them until you pass.” How true! Thanks.Read More...
izzylovesyouall
thanks a lot.Read More...
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Usage of the phrase “ I have no idea”

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Hello, I’m very confused of using the phrase “I have no idea” and “ I don’t know”. I’m wondering is the phrase “I have no idea” considered rude or impolite to native speakers? Or can it be used in the same context as I don’t know? Thank you.Read More...
Gustavo, Contributor
Hello, Jessica, and welcome to the Grammar Exchange. I think it all depends on how you say it, and in what context. You can even emphasize the idea of not knowing by saying things like: - I have no idea whatsoever . - I don't have the slightest / faintest / foggiest / haziest idea. Any of those phrases will sound more polite, I guess, if you start by saying you're sorry: - Sorry, but I have no idea.Read More...
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