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feel bad for you

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Are these sentences correct: 1) I feel bad for you having to work in a place like this. 1a) I feel bad for your having to work in a place like this. 2) I feel bad for you doing all this work. 2a) I feel bad for your doing all this work. I think 'feel bad for' works a bit like a verb of perception here. I don't find the 'a' versions correct. Gratefully, NaviRead More...
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Needing help with father title in writing

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When do you capitalize father within a sentence? He looked over with a grin. "Thank you, father." * Should father be capitalized. What about if you are saying this: "My father is a brave man." * Capitalize father? And also this example: She clasped her hands and sighed. "Stay quiet, father said no talking" * Capitalize father?Read More...
ahmed_btm
Hi, Whisperdrone, Yes, the word father should be capitalized as father is the person addressed here and is used as a proper noun. No, the word father is lowercase when it is a generic noun. Yes, it should be capitalized as it is used as a proper noun.Read More...
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Till or by

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Here is a carton of milk. You bought it on December 1st, and it is still fresh. On the carton, what would it say? Please drink on December 20th. Please drink by December 20th. Please drink until December 20th. Model answer is : by ( but why not : until) It means you are allowed to drink until December 20thRead More...
Gustavo, Contributor
Hi, Ahmed Towab, The preposition "until" is used to refer to an action that continues up to a certain moment, for example: - You are allowed to drink it until December 20 (the permission or authorization to drink it extends up to December 20). Instead, the action of drinking should take place at any time before December 20, that is, by December 20.Read More...
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could vs would

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Question: Can you guess where it could be? Answer: (a) Yes, I guess it is an airport lounge. (b) Yes, I guess it could be an airport lounge. (c) Yes, I guess it would be an airport lounge. Please tell me which of these 3 answers is correct? Sorry for all the mistakes I madeRead More...
ahmed_btm
Hi, ashik, If you know that it is an airport lounge, you can use '(a)'. If you aren't sure, you can use 'b'. You can use 'c' if you want to say 'I guess it would be an airport lounge if those people were passengers waiting for their planes.'Read More...
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men stabbed

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1) When I stepped out of the building, right in front of me there was a man stabbed. Meaning: When I stepped out of the building, right in front of me a man was stabbed. 2) During the riots, there were windows smashed and men stabbed. 3) We saw everything. Right in front of us, there were windows smashed and men stabbed. Are 1, 2 and 3 correct? Gratefully, NaviRead More...
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Type 3 Phrasal Verb - Knock out

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Is knock out a type 3 phrasal verb in this context? Do you know anyone who's been knocked out? If so, is anyone the object, and does that mean a type 3 phrasal verb can have the object before the verb? I thought type 3 phrasal verbs had the form verb + particle + object or verb + object + particle , but I've never seen the form stated such that it can be object + verb + particle .Read More...
FionaB
Thanks. Type 3 phrasal verb is the terminology my grammar book uses for object (transitive) separable phrasal verbs. Thanks for your help. I couldn't find any text that showed the object can come before the verb.Read More...
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On the premise or on the premises

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Q1: Should I use on the premise or on the premises for the sentence below? Q2: What is the distinction between on the premise and on the basis, is it difference in meaning or it can be used interchangeably? Q3: Should I use for the 2020 income year or in the 2020 income year? Example: We are not satisfied with the tax return completed by you for the 2020 income year, on the premise that no expenditure has been incurred by you, but you reported an expense of $5K.Read More...
Gustavo, Contributor
Hi, Tony, If you say "for," it means that the document corresponds to the 2020 income year. If you say "in," it means that the document was prepared in the 2020 income year. It is clear that you mean to say the former. My interpretation is that the tax return was completed on the premise (= assuming) that no expenditure had been incurred by the taxpayer. This is in clear contradiction with the fact that the taxpayer did report a expense. My feeling is that there is a problem with the commas...Read More...
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Embedded clause with "desire"

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The following excerpt comes from Siddhartha and puzzles me because, although I understand what the translator is trying to convey, I cannot convince myself that the latter part of the sentence is grammatically correct. "No, something else in him had died, something that he had long desired should perish ." It is as if the translator is wanting to treat the "something" as the subject of "should perish" but, should that be the case, how can the sentence be correct grammatically when one takes...Read More...
Gustavo, Contributor
Thank you very much for sharing that material. Your gesture is highly appreciated.Read More...
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If clause, when embeded

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Hi. - If he earns $10000 a month, will he give 50% of it to his parents? If I want to make the sentence above a subordinate clause in the construction "I'm not sure if...", should I substitute "when" for "if": I'm not sure if ( if/when he earns $10000 a month, he will give 50% of it to his parents). I think that the compound "if if" doesn't sound right. And is there any other options？ Thank you.Read More...
David, Moderator
Hello, Robby zhu—Yes, avoid using "if if," which would be stylistically horrid. But don't use "when"; that presupposes he'll make that much. You can say: (1) I'm not sure whether, if he earns ten thousand dollars a month, he will give fifty percent of it to his parents. (2) I'm not sure if he will give fifty percent of his monthly earnings to his parents if he earns ten thousand dollars a month.Read More...
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Intrusive= Intruder?

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This is the meaning of intrusive I found online- "Something intrusive is getting in your face or invading your space. Nosey questions, a poke in the ribs, and a hovering mother are all intrusive." I wonder if the word is somehow related to 'intruder?' I know an intruder is a person who intrudes in a place they are not wanted. Are these words related? I thought it would help me remember the meaning of the word better.Read More...
ahmed_btm
Hi, Ashraful, The stem of both words is the verb 'intrude'. 'Intruder' is a noun referring to a person and 'intrusive' is an adjective. Interestingly, 'intrusive' has another meaning related to phonetics and can be used as a noun related to geology. See here: https://www.dictionary.com/browse/intrusiveRead More...
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a, the uniform

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Hello. Which one is correct? Why? - She has to wear (a - the) uniform when she’s at work. Thank you.Read More...
David, Moderator
Both are correct, Ahmed. We'd use "a" in a case where the specific uniform that she has to were is not being discussed, only the fact that she has to wear a uniform. We'd use "the" in a case where we are talking about a specific uniform.Read More...
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is this grammatically right?

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The poignancy is palpable because of what we know is going to happen. Which one is the subject of "is going to happen"?Read More...
David, Moderator
Hello, 2Kay, and welcome to the Grammar Exchange. The subject of "is going to happen" is "what." The free relative clause "what we know is going to happen" functions as the object of the preposition "of." That free relative clause contains another clause, complementing "know." "What" is the subject of that clause: "We know [what] is going to happen." P.S. Please read the Guidelines page to learn how to write a good title.Read More...
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are infinitive clause and participle clause correct

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Terms like to-clause, infinitive clause or participle clause are often mentioned. Are these terms grammatically correct? for example, in the sentence: Having gone through ups and downs, John and Tom are now good friends. "having gone through ups and downs" is said to be a participle clause, but it has neither a subject nor verb. Are we having a trend of doing away with phrases?Read More...
David, Moderator
Hello, Cindy, and welcome to the Grammar Exchange. To add a couple of further remarks to what Gustavo has already explained, I wanted to assure you that "having gone through ups and downs" does indeed have a verb. It has two verbs, actually: "having" and "gone." "Gone" forms part of the phrasal verb "go through," which is in its past-participial form. "Having" is the present-participial form of the auxiliary "have" that we have in "John and Tom have gone through ups and downs." It's true...Read More...
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commenting on your actions

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Which tense should be used when I am commenting on my on-going actions at the time of speaking? I am coming into the room. I am going to the desk. I am taking the note-book. or I come into the room. I go to the desk. I take the note-book. I've heard that some natives say both are possible. What do you think?Read More...
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about real self-talk, <acknowledging> ...

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Hello, everyone, Much has been written and said about positive self-talk_for example, repeating to ourselves "I am wonderful" when we feel down, "I am strong" when going through a difficult time, or "I am getting better every day in every way" each morning in front of the mirror. The evidence that this sort of pep talk works is weak, and there are psychologists who suggest that it can actually hurt more than it can help. Little, unfortunately, has been written about real self-talk,...Read More...
deepcosmos
Hello, David and Gustavo, Sincerely appreciate that you have shared me your time for this issue for two days. Now I have got your explanations with great thanks. Best RGDS,Read More...
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Relative clauses

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I saw this question in an ESL book . Find the mistake and correct it in the following sentence : "The playground wasn't used by children whom it was built for. This question came after a brief explanation of relative clauses , so I expected the relative pronoun "whom" to be the mistake but i couldn't see why . Consequently , I thought the mistake could be the missing " the " before the word children . Finally , I said maybe he wanted me to replace" was built " with " had been built " . 😭...Read More...
RachelRow
There's nothing wrong with the relative clause in the sentence "The playground wasn't used by children whom it was built for." Kudos to you, a nonnative speaker, for noticing as much. My ear strongly desires to place the determiner "the" before "children". However, this may not even be necessary because "whom it was built for" determines which specific children are being referenced. As such, it cannot be a matter of—as was suggested in comments—restrictive versus non restrictive modifier. If...Read More...
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In your opinion is this quoted sentence below referring to two things or three?

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"Federal adjusted gross income shall not be reduced by the amount of a net operating loss carryback or carryforward." My question is, does this sentence refer to these three things: 1) net operating loss 2) net operating loss carryback 3) net operating loss carryforward Or these two things: 1) net operating loss carryback 2) net operating loss carryforwardRead More...
misterk
There was a problem when I was copying and pasting to create my question. The two instances of "net" that you highlight should not be there, and I have now edited them out. Thanks for your help.Read More...
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Punctuations

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Which is considered correct? 1 (a) Wow, that's a beautiful painting. Who painted it? (b) Wow! That's a beautiful painting. Who painted it? (c) Wow, that's a beautiful painting! Who painted it? (d) Wow! That's a beautiful painting! Who painted it? 2 (a) "No! It's not your calculator. It's mine!" yelled Peter. (b) "No! It's not your calculator! It's mine!" yelled Peter. (c) "No, it's not your calculator. It's mine!" yelled Peter. (d) "No, it's not your calculator! It's mine!" yelled Peter. (e)...Read More...
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