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What's the grammar function of "noting that"

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Hello everyone, We use quantification and quantifier as semantic terms, noting that there is no one-to-one relation between them and the syntactic category of determinatives. （CGEL） 1. Does the sentence mean: We use quantification and quantifier as semantic terms, and note that there is no one-to-one relation between them and the syntactic category of determinatives. 2. What's the grammar function of the "noting that" part?Read More...
Robby zhu
I'll keep that in mind.Read More...
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Capitalization: The Earth or the earth

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I have read conflicting guidelines for when the proper noun the EARTH, meaning our planet, used with the article the, should be capitalized. I understand that earth, as in soil, is not capitalized, and that idioms have their own guidelines, so I am just asking about when the EARTH, used as a proper noun, should be capitalized. Here is the conflicting information I have found: 1) YES! The word the Earth should be capitalized if it refers to our planet. If Earth is used as a proper noun, then...Read More...
susanm 2
Thank you! I will do that search.Read More...
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Unless in third Conditional

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Hello. I'm really confused and still can't take this point in well. In the following sentence: - If you hadn't lied to me before, I would have believed you. Can we say: - Unless you had lied to me before, I would have believed you. Please help me understand that in other examples Thank you.Read More...
ahmed_btm
Hi, Ahmed, I hope you don't mean this thread: https://thegrammarexchange.inf...4#615218990016305234 No, you can't, as you did know that he lied to you before. Again, we can't use 'unless' for things that we know to be true. For more explanation and examples, see: https://dictionary.cambridge.o...itish-grammar/unless https://www.oxfordlearnersdict...rican_english/unlessRead More...
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do and to

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1. All we can do now is just stay home and study. 2. All we can do now is to just stay home and study. I believe 1 is correct, but what about 2? Thanks.😊Read More...
ahmed_btm
Hi, Ruifeng, I see that both are grammatically correct. Mostly when verb to 'do' is followed by verb to 'be', it can take either a bare infinitive or a 'to-infinitive'.Read More...
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future perfect

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Hello, as a teacher - not a native speaker - I am struggling sometimes. My students´homework was to create sentences with future perfect, they wrote: "By 2030, my life have been perfect, I will have been famous author." Is it correct? It sounds strange to me with the verb "to be". Thank you very much. SonaRead More...
Sona Trombauerova
thank you very muchRead More...
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simple present and simple past to describe a person's life

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Hi. I know I can say "Einstein was the scientist who developed the theory of relativity." with the simple past "was" to describe who the dead scientist Einstein was. M y question is whether you can use the simple present "is" as well (i.e. Einstein is the scientist who developed the theory of relativity) because Einstein is still regarded as a scientist to today's people.Read More...
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Past simple or perfect

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I wish I ....what i was going to do when I leave school (knew/had known)Read More...
ahmed_btm
'Knew' is past simple in form, but it is really referring to the present. It is more common for the following verb of the first subordinate clause to be used in the past tense to fit with the past tense form 'knew'. If you change 'leave' into 'left', you would have to change the original sentence and would need a special context to work. It would be "I wish I had known what I was going to do when I left school." That means I regret (now) that I didn't know what I was going to do when I left...Read More...
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thousands of

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1. There are thousands of poor people in the city. 2. He is one of them. I want to combine these two sentences together. 3. He is one of the thousands of poor people in the city. Is the necessary in the sentence? Thanks. Wish everybody all the best!Read More...
David, Moderator
Yes, Ruifeng, that response works. However, the most natural response is: Yes, I'm one of them. What would NOT work is to respond, "Yes, I'm one of thousands of them."Read More...
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wish

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Hello. Could you please help me? I wish I (could do - did - had done) better in the last exam. I think the three forms are correct, what do you think? Thank you.Read More...
David, Moderator
While not impossible, that interpretation is very strained, for it would need to refer to the last of a series of exams that the speaker is not only taking now but has taken before, perhaps a number of times. Otherwise, for one future test, the verb would change to "hope": I hope I do better on the last exam (than he does / than I did on this exam / etc.) . Your interpretation is so strained that it does not affect the validity of the test question. If a student is so clever as to come up...Read More...
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Similar and the same

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I'm happy we have ..... ideas though they vary in some parts(similar/the same) Is the existence of "though" change the answer(similar)Read More...
David, Moderator
Hi, Ahmed55—Similar ideas are ideas that are not exactly the same. The "though"-clause draws out the idea that is already present in "similar," that the ideas do vary in some particulars. "Similar" is the correct answer. Incidentally, the "though"-clause should be set off with a comma: I'm happy we have similar ideas, though they vary in some parts.Read More...
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It cleft sentence! About alternatives of 'that'

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I am a student from Korea, who has learned English for few years.. I have a question. In my English grammar book, which is published in Korea by Korean writers, we can use "which" instead of "that" in 'it cleft sentences',.. as in (A) (A) It was a white suit which John wore at the dance last night. Is that acceptable gramatically? or at least, that kinds of sentences can be acceptable in spoken language? Please, let me know Thank you :DRead More...
Hussein Hassan
As far as I'm concerned, yes, it is. "Cleft sentences" are accepted and used in all forms of spoken, written, formal and informal English. If you're referring to using the relative pronouns "that" or "which", I don't think any of them is more or less formal than the other, i.e. it's just a matter of preference.Read More...
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what, which

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Hello. Which one is correct? You should make up your mind on (which - what) you want to buy. I believe that the correct answer is "what" but some colleagues disagree with me. Thank you.Read More...
Gustavo, Contributor
Hi, Ahmeds I think it's also possible to use no preposition at all. I also see no problem with using "which" if the decision revolves around a limited range of options: - You should make up your mind which you want to buy.Read More...
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inversion after not only?

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Hello, Here's a text whose source is unknown to me. But I found it here; https://bit.ly/2QjIlV0 Not only tennis players get free clothing, but also all the people involved in the game—the referees, linespeople, ball boys and girls—are living advertisments for tennis wear producers. I believe when we use "not only + sentence, but also + sentence, " we need to do a subject-verb inversion after "Not only" (as we would for any negative introducer). It should read like this: Not only DO tennis...Read More...
Gustavo, Contributor
Hi, Freeguy, The source of the sentence seems to be this book . It is true that inversion is not used when it applies to the subject, and that is what I think the author of that sentence had in mind when he/she wrote it: - Not only tennis players but also all the people involved in the game — the referees, linespeople, ball boys and girls — get free clothing. In this case, the correlative conjunctions not only ... but also join two noun phrases. My impression is that the writer of the...Read More...
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Grammar

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Hi, can anyone tell me the difference between these two? Why are you upset? Is it because you don't have any kills in this match? Why are you upset? Is it because you haven't had any kills in this match?Read More...
David, Moderator
Hi, Kyle—In the clause "you don't have any kills in this match" (simple present), the focus is on the present score in the match. In the clause "you haven't had any kills in this match" (present perfect), the focus is on the what has or has not occurred in the period of the match leading up to and including the present. The two sentences convey the same basic meaning, but there is a difference in focus.Read More...
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Past continuous for a habit or repeated action in the past

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Hello. Can we use the past continuous to talk about "a habit or a repeated action in the past" as in the following sentence: - When I was in Sharm El-Sheikh, I was sunbathing a lot. If so, Is it equal to the following form? When I was in Sharm El-Sheikh, I used to sunbathe a lot. Thank you.Read More...
David, Moderator
It is correct, provided it is uttered or written in the right type of context. The right type of context will be one in which the speaker wishes to emphasize that the sunbathing that he did in Sharm El-Sheikh was a very temporary habit. The sentence goes beyond saying merely that the speaker sunbathed regularly there. In addition, it implies that when the speaker left that place he no longer sunbathed a lot.Read More...
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used to

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Hello. Can we use "used to do" with the expression "thousands of years ago,"? Is the following sentence correct, or we must use "paid" instead of "used to pay"? - Thousands of years ago, people used to pay for goods using salt instead of money. Thank you.Read More...
David, Moderator
Hi, Ahmed Imam Attia—Yes, that sentence is correct. Semi-modal "used to" works with past-time adverbials that specify extended bygone periods of time.Read More...
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such that

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Are these sentences correct: 1) Children are all different such that the same educational methods don't work for all of them. 2) Children are all different, such that the same educational methods don't work for all of them. Is there any difference in the meanings? Which corresponds to: a) Children are all different in such a way that the same educational methods don't work for all of them. and which corresponds to: b) Children are all different and the consequence of that is that the same...Read More...
navi
Thank you very much, Gustavo, Yes, that would be an elegant solution. I have to say that I hadn't thought of that. One could maybe go for 'are so different that' as well, but I was wondering if the comma changed anything in the originals, Respectfully, NaviRead More...
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post modification with adjectives

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Hello, every one! This is related with the previous thread; https://thegrammarexchange.infopop.cc/topic/postmodification-with-adjectives I have following two questions and will appreciate on your additional kind explanations; 1. She was a woman tall . (x) => She was a tall woman . (0) 2. She was a woman tall and beautiful . (0). This sentence works fine because the adjectives are bundled. 3. I talked to the woman tall and beautiful . (x) 4. I need fresh water to drink . (0) 5. I need...Read More...
Posted
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as your Dad told you

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a. You didn't come home late last night, as your Dad told you to. b. You didn't come home late last night, as your Dad told you. Do these mean Your Dad told you to come home late last night or Your Dad told you not to come home late last night ? I think (b) might mean that you didn't come home late last night, and that is a fact that your Dad mentioned to you. =============================== c. You didn't come home late last night, as your brother did. Does (c) mean Your brother did come...Read More...
Gustavo, Contributor
I think (a) means the person's dad told him/her to come home late, and the person did not. (b) may mean the same as (a) or what you say above: Your dad told you you didn't come home late last night. I think (c) means that, unlike what the person did, his/her brother came home late last night.Read More...
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A complicated relative clause

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Hello everyone, Source: How to use your initiative at work Do you ever have an idea you’re so excited about you want to tell everyone about ? Does the underlined part mean "you’re so excited about the idea that you want to tell everyone about it (=the idea)"? Or should I view the underlied part as 2 relative clauses（" you’re so excited about " and "you want to tell everyone about" ）, which, by themselves, modify the antecedent? Thanks a lot in advance!Read More...
Robby zhu
Okay, I get it. Thanks a lot！Read More...
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relative pronoun

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Hello, 1.The man was a police officer. 2.He answered the phone. 3. The man who(that) answered the phone was a police officer. 4.The man was a police officer who answered the phone. When you are asked to combine sentences 1 and 2 by using a relative word, I would make sentence 3. But if someone else makes sentence 4, is it grammatically correct? I have an impression that 3 is better, but what would be the explanation? AppleRead More...
apple
OK. Thank you, Gustavo.Read More...
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