All Forum Topics

Oh, it looks as though I was composing when Gustavo replied. My reply and his are compatible. We are saying the same thing in two different ways. The main difference is that I have described "above" as an intransitive prepositional phrase and he has described it as an adverb. I am OK with either classification. Whether it is a lexical adverb or a lexical preposition here, it is acting as an adverbial. Another slight difference is that Gustavo has described "above" as modifying "reduction in...Read More...

Hi, Navi, Your version is technically (i.e. grammatically) more correct than the one in Wikipedia. However, I think the omission of commas in this particular case is more common because the phrases in question ( to the east and to the northwest ) are reminiscent of similar phrases used to describe boundaries, in which case using the comma would be wrong: - The islands are bounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and by the Gulf of Mexico to the northwest .Read More...

Hi, Subhajit, While all four sentences are correct, I strongly prefer (3) and (4). The "if"-clauses of the first two sentences could easily be used in a context in which the "if"-clauses are not defining who is requested to contact the authority -- for example: 1a. If any student is interested in joining the program, please let us know. 2a. If any students are interested in joining the program, they are welcome to. Between (3) and (4), I prefer (3). With (3), there is the sense that there...Read More...

Hi, Subhajit123, I find both sentences to be correct. The only difference I find is that in the first sentence the writer seems to be more certain that the company will solve the problem (that is why a Type 1 conditional is used). Instead, the second sentence is a Type 2 conditional that sounds sligthly less probable but at the same time more polite, mainly because of the use of the second "would." Actually, a typical conditional of this kind would use past simple in the condition: - I would...Read More...

And David, I'm truly sorry if it appeared that I was disagreeing with you. I took Tony's response to mean that he believed that you were, in fact, endorsing those examples. The point I intended to make was that his inferences from your reply were off the mark. Respectfully, DocVRead More...

Suesteem, Welcome to the Grammar Exchange and thank you for your question. Unfortunately, neither of your examples make grammatical sense. If you are quoting from a published source, please provide a link if possible, or at least cite the title and author. Otherwise, I'll at least need to know the context in which the sentence occurs. What does "it" refer to? Please provide at least a paragraph or two to help us understand what is going on with "time". Thanks, DocVRead More...

Tracy Ha, Welcome to the Grammar Exchange. I would only use the preposition "on" in this context. Similarly: A: Henry's car runs on gasoline, but Jimmy's runs on solar power. We could use the phrase "is powered by" instead of "runs on", but I would then want to use a different noun as the object of the preposition in order to avoid a redundant sound: B: Jimmy's car is powered by solar energy. I hope this helps. DocVRead More...

Tell your native friends to try and explain themselves better next time. It does seem that "banana plants" is more usual than "bananas" to refer to the trees, as these banana experts seem to imply at the beginning of the page. However, please note that somewhere in the middle the mentioned page says: Bananas aren't real trees, not even palm trees, even though they are often called banana palms. Bananas are perennial herbs. The use of "bananas" above clearly refers to the plants, trees,...Read More...

Hello, JamesH, and welcome to the Grammar Exchange! You seem to be under the impression that verb phrases cannot be coordinated if they are in different tenses, whereas that is perfectly fine. For example: Bill graduated from law school and has begun to work for a law firm. I saw Bill yesterday and will see him again tomorrow. The thief was arrested and has been sentenced to two years in prison. There is nothing wrong with the sentence you have quoted. It contains no violations of required...Read More...

Thank you .Read More...

Thanks for your help.Read More...

Thanks a bunch, Gustavo and David 🌹 *Concerning "no need", I thank you again for this correction, however it was a typo.Read More...

Hello, SUBHAJI T , Swan in his book Practical English Usage said, 'We normally use the present perfect to announce news, but when we give more details, we usually change to a past tense.' , so I would think that you can say: Kolkata, 14th December, 2018: Today a tragic rail accident has happened near Kolkata. At least 50 people died in the accident. Witnesses said the number of deaths could be more. I guess (I'm not sure) we can use the simple present in the 3rd sentence: Witnesses say the...Read More...

Thank you, Gustavo. Your explanation is so wonderful. Thank you very much.Read More...

Thank you very much, David, I used 'someone' because in the context I was thinking of the speaker was expecting an affirmative reply. I wasn't sure I was making the right choice. Maybe even is such a context 'anyone' would work better than 'someone'. Sentence '2' is interesting. I had not even thought of the possibility you mention. 5) "Did you know someone who died of old age while you were living there?" I suppose the natural interpretation of that sentence would be that 'dying' takes...Read More...

Thank you both for your answers.Read More...

Hello, Awkwarddpenguin, and welcome to the Grammar Exchange! You need "would" in the "that"-clause following "hoping." The phrase introduced by "hoping" is an adverbial phrase modifying the main clause, "He (had) bought the bag," which is in the past tense (or the past perfect, in the case of (1)). Because the "hoping"-phrase is in a past-tense domain, "will" needs to be changed (or "backshifted") to "would," which can be described as the past form of "will." I see no motivation for the use...Read More...

Hello, Lipper and Ahmed, I think the sentence above could also form part of an itinerary: He stays in Paris for two days, then leaves for Amsterdam and stays there for three days, etc. I think we can also say: He will have left by tomorrow at ten. Now, I suspect Lipper wanted to know if the pairs of sentences could work as presented. My answer is that it would be unlikely, because that would mean changing the mode in which the verbs are used without any transition or linking: While "is...Read More...

Thanks, Gustavo.Read More...

Hello, Poet20, I think it's the first time I see you here, so welcome! In this case you need "view" because, by saying "amazing," you are referring to the landscape. The word "view" does not involve the subject who is looking at the meadow: the meadow is there for anyone to contemplate. The sentence: - The view of the meadow was amazing merely describes the landscape. By contrast, the word "sight" would refer to the act of seeing, so it involves the subject. A sentence like: - The sight of...Read More...

Hi, Ruifeng, I don't recommend using either one. I recommend using an infinitive: A student's work is to study . But if you must choose between "study" and "studies," choose "studies." With "study," their would be the sense that students study work, i.e., that they make a study of work.Read More...