1,755 Answered Questions for the topic grammar

06/23/19

How can I reliably and accurately identify the passive voice in writing or speech?
How can I *reliably* and *accurately* identify the passive voice in writing or speech? I'm not interested in advice about whether or not to use it yet... I just want to know for sure what it is, so... more
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06/23/19

Have you got a chance to vs "Did you get a chance to"?
What is the difference between following two statements? > 1. Have you got a chance to look into this? 2. Did you get a chance to look into this?
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Grammar Clauses

06/23/19

Is a dependent clause part of the superordinate clause's predicate?
Could you please help me determine what the complete predicate is in the following sentence? > I get the willies when I see closed doors. — Joseph Heller, *Something Happened*. At first I... more
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06/23/19

Is there bad grammar in Cinemark's "No Texting" warning?
The sentence in question is "Do not be the person we ask to leave the auditorium, because we **will**." It sounds very wrong to me, but I can't put my finger on the exact problem. Nobody on the... more
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Grammar World English

06/23/19

How do we call (something) in English??
Is it really wrong to say "How do we call something in English?" instead of "What do we call something in English?"? The former's not unusual in Philippine English at all (probably it's because of... more
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06/23/19

Conjunction Puzzle: Is this clause dependent or independent?
Third grade teacher here. I plan to teach students to distinguish between simple, compound and complex sentences — but only if I can demonstrate a clear and meaningful difference between the latter... more
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06/23/19

Identifying parts of a sentence?
How do the bolded sections of the sentences below function grammatically? (taken from David McCullough's *John Adams*) 1. Philadelphia, the provincial capital of Pennsylvania on the western bank of... more
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06/23/19

How can “for” be classed as a coördinating conjunction in the following instances?
How can *for* be classed as a coördinating conjunction in the following instances? - I cannot give you any money, for I have none. - He deserved to succeed, for he worked hard. - Blessed are the... more
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06/22/19

Clauses in Sentences?
I understand that a clause contains (in order) a subject, verb and object, like below: > He let his daughter. "He" is the subject, "let" is the verb and "his daughter" is the object. But what... more
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Grammar English Esl/esol

06/22/19

Slightly Incomplete Sequential Acquisition, Possible to Fix?
I have had my first exposure to English at about six years of age (and have used it ever since), and I generally consider myself a native speaker since I use it a lot (even if this is probably... more
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06/22/19

Streaks of sunlight make way through the holes in the roof. Is this correct grammar?
Streaks of sunlight make way through the holes in the roof.
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06/22/19

Order of "sometimes" relative to the subject of a sentence in the passive voice?
I have a doubt that is the following one: I have two alternative sentence transformations of this sentence below and, I wonder if it is possible to write the adverb "sometimes" before the subject... more
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06/22/19

Why use "need not" instead of "do not need to"?
The header of psyco.sourceforge.net states: > High-level languages need not be slower than low-level ones. Why use *need not* instead of *do not need*? What does it mean? Also, why no *to*... more
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Grammar Greetings

06/21/19

I'm well vs. "I'm good" vs. "I'm doing well", etc?
The greeting _How are you?_ is asking _How are you doing in general?_ — > How are you? I'm well. [**Misunderstood the question.**] because _well_ as an adjective which means: > in good... more
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06/21/19

should have instead of could have?
I've heard this on a crime documentary. Two intruders break into a house, a confrontation ensues with the residents (wife and husband). The couple manages to disarm one man and fight off the other.... more
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Grammar Syntax

06/21/19

How do the rules of English inform understanding of one of our language's most disputed sentences?
Yes, historical context is important, but forget it for a moment. Taken at face value, what does the text mean? > A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the... more
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Grammar Verbs Infinitives Be

06/21/19

I think him to be about 50 or "I think he is about 50"?
I have two options. Which one is correct? >a) I think him to be about 50. b) I think he is about 50. If both are correct, should I avoid one or the other?
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06/21/19

A word to describe the action of rendering a harmful person powerless?
I'm looking for a word to describe rendering a person powerless, for example somebody who is causing some grief to a group, and you are able to say something that destroys their argument and leaves... more
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06/21/19

Americans can eat Chinese, but Chinese can't eat Americans?
No offence!! Please take it just for knowledge. I heard one of my friends saying **Americans can eat Chinese but Chinese can't eat Americans**. He said so for fun, and everybody was just laughing.... more
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06/21/19

Alternative to vs "Alternative for"?
I'm wondering whether there is a difference between these two expressions. I never know which one to use. Google seems to return the same amount of results for both, so I suppose there might be a... more
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06/21/19

Difference between 'eat soup hot' and 'eat hot soup'?
Can anyone explain the difference between the following sentences?1. I eat most kinds of soup hot.2. I eat most kinds of hot soup.Earlier today, one of my non-English speaking friends asked me the... more
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Grammar Synonyms Usage

06/21/19

Correspond to vs. Correspond with?
Is there any significant difference between `Correspond to` and `Correspond with`? I only mean in the sense of "matching", here, rather than "communication". I've looked at a few sources, but I... more
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06/21/19

Why use "need not" instead of "do not need to"?
The header of [psyco.sourceforge.net](http://psyco.sourceforge.net) states:> High-level languages need not be slower than low-level ones. Why use *need not* instead of *do not need*? What does... more
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Grammar

06/21/19

Can “due to” and “because of ” be used interchangeably?
Is it fine to use *due to* in place of *because of* ? How about the other way around? Are any of these sentences ungrammatical? * He was lost because of the storm. * He was lost due to the storm. *... more
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06/21/19

Comma after To at the beginning of a sentence?
I am just writing my master thesis and I am unsure whether to place a comma in sentences starting with "To". Here are some examples: - To be able to improve the performance[,] it is important to... more
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