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 “I’ve boughten many vinyls” correct in its use of “boughten”?
Per Merriam-Webster (https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/is-boughten-a-word) boughten is an adjective.
According to my non-native-English-speaking friend the sentence "I've boughten ...
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"I am finished my sandwich" sounds correct but "I am started my sandwich" does not?
Grammatically these 2 sentences seem to have the same structure
I - pronoun
am - verb
finished/started - verb
my - pronoun(dictionary.com -> possessive, used as an "attributive adjective")
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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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"Here is my two cents" vs "Here are my two cents"?
Which of the following two phrases is correct, in the context of giving an opinion on a subject?
Here is my two cents on subject X
Here are my two cents on subject X
Most of what I found online was ...
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I am trying to remember a word/phrase that is often used to describe backwards and heavy handed laws
I am having the darndest time trying to remember this word/phrase. I have seen it used many times over the years to describe laws, rules, and policies that are usually very heavy handed and backwards ...
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Can I say "the US people"?
Is it fine to describe people of the USA as "US people"?
For instance: "the US people display different cultures and traditions."
What I want to ask is that can I use the word &...
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He discovered that his father had a special box in the basement
He discovered that his father had a special box in the basement
I was told that I should not use "that" in the above sentence although it is grammatically correct to use it. Why I shouldn't use "that"...
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Conflicting Advice: "Not Only," "But Also" Constructions -- Comma, No Comma, Parallel Structure?
I've searched for the answer on this site and other websites, and found conflicting advice and sample sentences that look wrong to me.
I'm posting this question hoping for clarification.
My ...
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Word to describe an absorbing activity which causes one to fail to notice the passage of large amounts of time
The phrase, "Time flies when you're having fun," is often used when one has become absorbed in an activity and lost track of time. I'm looking for a word to describe something that has a tendency to ...
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Is "The heart wants what the heart wants" grammatical? If so, why?
Normally one would say (as Emily Dickinson did) "The heart wants what it wants." But consider these few examples from professional writers (screenwriters in this case).
"The heart ...
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How should I use 'right' and 'left' when describing a person?
Is there a standard convention for using right and left when describing a person? Should it always be from the perspective of the person being described?
For example, when describing a flat object:
...
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Is "don't" a particle of its own?
I noticed an oddity in the sentence Why don't you just do it?: Although I always thought of don't simply as of a short form of do not it seems to me as if this is not the case in this sentence. ...
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What is the opposite of "acquired taste"?
I've been breaking my head trying to find an opposite term for the phrase/expression "acquired taste". I vaguely know that "acquired taste" refers to something (a taste) that you start liking after ...
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In what regions is "Do you work tonight?" clear and acceptable usage?
In my answer at ELL regarding a question of whether someone is working that evening, I suggested the alternative:
Do you work tonight?
There was a comment about this being incorrect usage, because &...
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Adjective for someone unable to cope with the past
I'm looking for a word that could describe a character's personality in the sense that he is someone who (re)lives the past too much and is uncapable of overcoming it and moving on with his life.
Any ...
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