Questions tagged [descriptive-grammar]
Descriptive grammar is a set of rules about language based on how it is actually used. In descriptive grammar there is no right or wrong language. It can be contrasted with prescriptive grammar, which is a set of rules based on how people, mostly writers of style books and grammar text books, think language should be used. See https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/descriptive-grammar .
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Is "persuasive techniques" or "persuasion techniques" more grammatically correct?
I've tried looking this up on various sources. Wikipedia has a category called Persuasion Techniques.
However a couple of different Google searches for "persuasive techniques" and "...
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Verbs "COME" and "GO" followed by the gerund
Good evening everyone,
I was listening to Tears for Fears' song Everybody wants to rule the world, and I came across the line "when the walls come tumbling down". I looked the expression up ...
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Single word equivalent for short, natural length grass?
I am trying to describe the length of grass in an area without dwelling on it too much with multiple adjectives or a more in depth explanation. The main point I am trying to get across is that the ...
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Why can’t I turn “fast-paced” into a quality noun by adding the “‑ness” suffix?
I needed to write a word that expressed the quality of being fast-paced.
"Fast-pacedness" sounded off and I looked the dictionaries up.
Collins is my favourite one. Webster I use when I need ...
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What should be the correct form of 'be' verb in the following sentence? [duplicate]
So I was asked to rewrite the following sentence with the correct tense of the verb given in bracket:
It is I who (be) to do it.
Initially I believed, the following would be correct:
It is I who has ...
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Is "considering stealing" grammatically correct? [duplicate]
I am working with a student who sends me essays and I help edit them. In one of his paragraphs, he wrote "The lecturer indicates this is illegal since it is considering
stealing." In my head,...
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is there an expression to describe “something/someone that is more real than the original item/thing”
I’m looking for a word or a phrase that describes the following:
“something/someone that is more real than the original item/thing”
I am looking for something specific, if possible! Thank you!
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"I found that, on average, there are...." or "I found, on average, that there are..."? [duplicate]
So if you couldn't figure out the question from the title, does the subordinating conjunction (the word "that") precede or succeed the extra information between the commas?
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Does saying "I was stolen by my sleep" make sense in English?
In my native language, we say "my sleep stole me" when we unintentionally fall asleep. I'm guessing it's more of an idiomatic expression.
My question is, can it work in English?
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Sentence structure and form
Is this sentence grammatically correct?
"The great sea creature came alongside Lotty and nudged him, so he climbed on board its strong back.
I don't get what sentence structure the second part ...
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How to describe the use of 'them' with nouns? [duplicate]
I'm looking for a short and precise word to describe the use of the pronoun them with plurals, i.e.
Let's kill them zombies!
Them townsfolk sure are full of baloney.
I hate them bees.
It appears to be ...
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Can I use where instead of from which? I want to migrate this question to English Learner Site [closed]
Imagine something secretly entering your body and controlling your behavior, turning you into one of those zombies from science fiction movies. Does that sound creepy? That's exactly how a parasitic ...
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Word choice - Grammar! [closed]
I came across these questions in an old English Language book from the 70s and was wondering if one form of the following sentences is more correct than the other.
Only the team with the lowest ...
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adjectival/adverbial grammar issue relating to "undisturbed"
In the sentence "The blackbird was singing undisturbed on the outskirts of the wood" Could the word "undisturbed" be seen as both adjectival (qualifying "blackbird") as ...
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Agree with/on/about/to the book - In what scenarios are these correct?
Is my current use of these correct:
We agreed on that book. - Eg.: When in a book club you are choosing the book for the next session.
We agreed about that book. -Eg.: When two friends discussed a ...
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