Unanswered Questions
504 questions with no upvoted or accepted answers
4
votes
1
answer
188
views
"Had somebody something"
I wonder if it's okay to use "had somebody something" to convey the meaning of "if somebody had something"?
For example:
"I would have laughed at him had he more facetious ...
CommunityBot
- 1
4
votes
2
answers
652
views
Placement of “anymore” with respect to other complements, as in "not possible anymore to …"
I often see sentences like this from non-native speakers:
?It is not possible anymore to cross the border without a passport.
To me, this sounds wrong, and I would write this instead:
It is no ...
CommunityBot
- 1
3
votes
0
answers
71
views
Is the irrealis 'were' used in the dependent clauses of conditionals?
I'm already aware that directly inside of an if-clause, it is common to use the irrealis 'were.' Take the following sentence for example:
If he were taller, he might walk faster.
My question is ...
- 31
3
votes
0
answers
133
views
Usage of “so” in “So do I”
What are the grammatical rules behind the construction using “so” in the following examples?
A: “I like chocolate.” B: “So do I.”
Alice likes chocolate. So does Bob.
Both examples seem to be correct....
CommunityBot
- 1
3
votes
1
answer
224
views
Seem small clause
It is said that the omission of "to be" is allowed only when the adjective (phrases), noun (phrases), or prepositional phrase comes after the to be like this:
a He seemed (to be) angry about the ...
CommunityBot
- 1
3
votes
1
answer
506
views
Can you say "rancoring"?
I know it's an adjective, but I googled it, and found it in an article about John McEnroe, specifically, "a rancoring go-to-hell beast".
I was wondering if it is okay to use the word as if it were a ...
3
votes
1
answer
574
views
Subordinating conjunctions "who" & "when" as subject clause?
I understand who and when can be used to introduce adjective clause for sure like the following sentences.
The time when it is good for us to meet has not been decided.
The person who is qualified ...
CommunityBot
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2
votes
0
answers
80
views
Uncanny Sounding Technically Correct Sentence
I came across quite an odd predicament. This type of situations seldom appear - and the sentence could just be restructured to avoid the whole issue altogether, but it got me thinking what the rules ...
- 72.4k
2
votes
0
answers
155
views
Swear in vs sworn in
Someone elected to office is sworn in and the event is called a swearing-in ceremony.
Mr X has been elected chief minister. I saw a public announcement in a newspaper saying Mr X 'will swear in as ...
- 138k
2
votes
0
answers
95
views
How do multiple modal constructions work with ellipsis or inversion?
I have been researching on multiple modal constructions, which is a dialect mainly used in
The Southern United States. Unlike Standard English, this dialect allows more than one modal auxiliary per ...
- 67.9k
2
votes
0
answers
136
views
What is this way of speaking called?
I was having a conversation with my friend the other day. At one point, we were talking about a very wealthy individual that has amassed a significant amount of wealth. I told my friend that this ...
- 94.1k
2
votes
0
answers
87
views
"The exam sheet should only be used to write answers (on)"
Do I need the prepositions in these sentences?
The exam sheet should only be used to write answers (on).
The blanks should only be used to write answers (in).
The equipment should only be used to ...
- 665
2
votes
0
answers
61
views
Why should the past simple tense be used in this case?
In the following sentences, the past simple tense is used after the present perfect tense. Both sentences are connected with each other:
I have been hit by a baseball bat in the past. It felt awful!
...
- 37.6k
2
votes
0
answers
1k
views
Cardinal numbers in dates when speaking
I understand that in speaking (if we are talking strictly about formal rules) it is more common to use ordinal numbers and not cardinal numbers. However, it has come to my attention that people these ...
- 779
2
votes
0
answers
88
views
"there were expected" vs "there were expected to be"
There aren't half as many guests as there were expected.
There aren't half as many guests as there were expected to be.
What's the difference if I add in the end of that sentence "to be"? ...
- 157