Newest Questions

1 vote
3 answers
43 views

The usage of "be"

I got this phrase: “My father believed in redemption,” Teddy Jr. said. “And he never surrendered, never stopped trying to right wrongs, be they the results of his own failings or of ours.” Can ...
Trieu Ho's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
396 views

Be about to do something

I will go to work soon. Can I say "I'm on the verge of going to work" or is it formal and I should use "be about to"?
train bee 282's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
22 views

About the usage of “help”

Why “I can help her learn to read” is fine and “I can help her with learning to read” is not fine? What is the difference of these two sentences?
kohei's user avatar
  • 11
-3 votes
2 answers
45 views

Relative clauses can't be based on the prepositions "since" and "until". — Do you agree with this rule?

I need your approval for the following rule which I myself made up: Relative clauses can't be based on the prepositions "since" and "until" (except when "which" is a ...
Loviii's user avatar
  • 6,066
0 votes
1 answer
11 views

2 conditional with perfect infinitve

If I were at home, I would have finished cleaning my room before mum gets home Is it possible or idiomatic to use "would have finished" instead of "would finish" in 2 conditional ...
train bee 282's user avatar
-3 votes
1 answer
65 views

'Who' versus 'that' in American English

From https://quillbot.com : Use that with restrictive clauses, which can't be omitted without changing the meaning of a sentence (e.g., “The poem that I wrote won first place”). Use which with ...
Not British's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
42 views

So, probably <would have done> vs <will have done> it by the time you're watching this

Mat Armstrong, REBUILDING A WRECKED AUDI R8 I BOUGHT FOR MY FRIEND -> here, 25:50 That's going to get repaired. Bob can do that on the Saturday. So, probably would have done it by the time you're ...
Tony_M's user avatar
  • 515
0 votes
1 answer
53 views

Can you use apply for college when referring to a university?

According to Merriam-Webster, it's "apply for college"—no question about that. However, what if I want to get into a university? What do I say? "Apply for university"?
Not British's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
28 views

Whether to use "If you aren't in the habit of fact checking..." versus "If you're not in the habit of fact checking..."

It seem like there are two possible ways to contract the sentence "If you are not in the habit of fact checking..." I feel like "If you're not in the habit of fact checking..." ...
phil1008's user avatar
  • 295
0 votes
2 answers
40 views

"They left on Monday, since when we have heard nothing." — Does "when" mean "which time" or "that time" here?

collinsdictionary.com: one of the meanings of the word "when": when = which time the only example for this meaning: (1) They left on Monday, since when we have heard nothing. It seems to me ...
Loviii's user avatar
  • 6,066
-1 votes
2 answers
57 views

About "cannot be replaced" and "not replaced by"

So I read some reference, which has the following sentence: Some of the elements of the vocabulary cannot be replaced by other symbols. These are called terminals, and the other members of the ...
Rain's user avatar
  • 1,193
-1 votes
1 answer
41 views

Leading zeros and punctuation in American English

I know it’s a matter of style, but I’d like to know the common one. In the 12-hour system, I know it’s not recommended to use leading zeros, but I’m not sure about the punctuation. 4:00, 4.00, just 4? ...
Not British's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
42 views

Plural and uncountable nouns without articles

I am confused about a section describing the usage of uncountable and plural nouns without articles. Can they both be about all of the things and things in general? Or can they take only one function ...
Daniel's user avatar
  • 21
4 votes
3 answers
826 views

"A: Did you know Lucy was back in England? B: Is she - since when?" — What words were omitted after "is she"?

cambridge.org: A: Did you know Lucy was back in England? B: Is she - since when? (1) Is she - since when? The grammar of "is she" is unclear to me. What words were omitted after "is ...
Loviii's user avatar
  • 6,066
-1 votes
1 answer
56 views

In which accents is [k] or [t] pronounced in strength?

Cambridge says strength noun UK /streŋθ/ US /streŋθ/ Merriam Webster says: strength noun ˈstreŋ(k)th ˈstren(t)th In which accents is strength pronounced as ˈstreŋkth or ˈstrentth ?
Tim's user avatar
  • 4,637

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