Most active questions
59 questions from the last 7 days
4
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3
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826
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"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 ...
- 6,066
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"?
- 2,003
3
votes
3
answers
204
views
Canned food/foods
I'm a bit uncertain whether 'food' or 'foods' should be used in the example below.
I found a lot of canned food(s) in the kitchen. (I found several cans with food in them)
Could anyone help me out? ...
- 1,321
1
vote
1
answer
264
views
not a politician like my uncle
a. I am not a politician like my uncle.
b. I am not a politician, like my uncle.
To me, (a) could mean two things.
Unlike my uncle, I am not a politician.
I am a politician, but not the kind of ...
- 3,265
0
votes
3
answers
56
views
Why is it "Master of Science in Robotics" and not "Master in Science of Robotics"?
MSc. is title of Magister Scientiae, scriptum in Lingua Latina, and MSc. Robotics is a degree specifically in the interdisciplinary field of Robotics. For context, a master's degree is evident ...
- 117
3
votes
2
answers
333
views
An article + a possessive word, is it possible?
We have an article as well as a possessive word in the following sentence:
"They were heading for an antiglobalists' tent camp in a Madrid
suburb".
However, according to Swan (Practical ...
- 365
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"?
- 45
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 ...
- 21
0
votes
2
answers
60
views
Why is the second "it" needed?
My editor, who is a native speaker, added "it" after "will" and she is so sure this is correct. So now the sentence contains two "it". I don't understand this usage. I ...
- 1,387
1
vote
3
answers
68
views
Is it acceptable to say "So beautiful some flowers!", just as one can say "So beautiful a flower!"?
Is it acceptable to say "So beautiful some flowers!", just as one can say "So beautiful a flower!"?
0
votes
1
answer
36
views
"Grandfather comes from way back." — Why does "grandfather" not have an article?
thefreedictionary.com:
(1) Grandfather comes from way back.
Why is the countable noun "grandfather" without any article or any other determiner?
For example:
(2) Our grandfather comes from ...
- 6,066
-1
votes
1
answer
61
views
The vague joke about punitive
This sentence isn't so complicated. It looks like a common one, but I'm pretty sure that the last part hides something that I can't understand. Because now I can't get what he said about the term ...
- 69
0
votes
1
answer
55
views
Susan will marry the man who buys/will buy (?) her a Ferrari
Consider these sentences of mine, please:
(1) Susan will marry the man who buys her a Ferrari.
(2) Susan will marry the man who will buy her a Ferrari.
What is the difference between the two?
Can I ...
- 976
0
votes
2
answers
68
views
And has there ever been a time when you <were> vs <have been> sure?
A: My husband wants me to become a sales manager in his company.
Currently, he's actively pushing me in this direction, but I'm not
sure about this job. I think in the future I will never stop ...
- 515
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 ...
- 6,066