Questions tagged [grammar]
This tag is for questions about morphology and syntax, the two elements of grammar. DO NOT USE THIS TAG IF YOUR QUESTION IS ABOUT WHETHER SOMETHING SPECIFIC IS GRAMMATICAL. For such cases use the 'grammaticality' tag. Also do not use this for punctuation or spelling (orthography); those are not about grammar, and they have their own tags.
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Is the word "smacking" only used when slapping someone on the buttocks? [closed]
I'm reading a book where the narrator says he wants to "smack" someone. I don't understand if he intends to slap the face or the buttocks. Can smacking only be used when someone is slapped ...
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Is "me's" a word?
I was writing out song lyrics and the guy pronounces "me is" (as in "ignoring me is bad enough") as "me's". Is this a real spelling or just sloppy pronunciation? I do ...
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'If I were mayor, I'd make the public transport free.' What is the reported speech of this sentence beginning with 'she said'? [migrated]
I am confused about the answer to this question in the Cambridge English Objective Proficiency Student Book Second Edition. The answer given is
She said that if she had been mayor, she would have ...
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In Early Modern English, is it common to use “if thou do something”, or “if he do something”?
In the sentence patterns mentioned above, the predicates are uninflected. But in current English, such subjunctive usage only appears in the copula be (I assume). Eg., "whether it be" is a ...
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"smaller to larger" vs "smallest to largest"
Would it be ok to say "from smaller to larger" or do I have to say "from smallest to largest"
E.g., I'm using the batteries from smallest/smaller to largest/larger capacity.
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Which one of these sentences is correct? [migrated]
My vocabulary is lower than Americans'.
My vocabulary is lower than an American's
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Is an adjective justified in the place of the subject in a sentence? [migrated]
I am an ESL Chinese student in China. And I wonder whether it is standard to put an adjective in the place of the subject. Subject is always noun phrases including infinitives, gerunds and noun ...
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Using "though" instead of "but" in "Not only ... but also ..." [closed]
Is it possible to use "though" instead of "but" in the "Not only ... but also ..." construction?
For example, instead of
Not only is it interesting, but it can also be ...
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Why the sentence 'An extensive literature is devoted to X, the reader is invited to read.' is correct? [closed]
The sentence
An extensive literature is devoted to X, the reader is invited to read.
seems to be missing a conjunction. But it is correct. Are there same examples, and why it is correct?
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Need an accessible explanation on nitty-gritty details of how semantical distinction between count vs uncount nouns works in English
Sorry if this question has been answered before, I have been unable to find anything remotely adequate on this website.
What I want: to learn patterns that allow to be better at guessing (and/or ...
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Choosing between That and Who [migrated]
Which one of the following sentences is more appropriate (from both grammatical and daily conversational points of view)?
I love things and people "who are beautiful.
I love things and people &...
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What Is the Function of the Participle Clause in 'Time + -ing'?
[1] My time working in the US was eventful, to say the least.'
In Example 1, I have used a participial-gerund clause (or present participle clause, if you prefer) alongside the noun 'time,' and I'm ...
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Equation X is given "by" or "as"? [closed]
Which sentence is correct?
Equation A is given by x+y=z.
Equation A is given as x+y=z.
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Past Perfect or Simple Past When Using Since in Reported Speech? [duplicate]
While reading The Beautiful and Damned, I stumbled upon a passage that caught my attention. It stated,
Only with the flow through the transmitter of his own familiar but faintly impersonal tone did ...
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Which is the correct way to answer this? [duplicate]
So there's no eggs in the fridge?
No,there isn't
So there's no eggs in the fridge?
No!
So there's no eggs in the fridge?
Yes, there isn't
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