Submitted by hsoward • June 24, 2004
Is “Endeavored” used correctly in the following:
We endeavored on Fulton county warrant #123456 charging Jane Doe with Stalking.
2 comments
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Posted in Grammar
Submitted by jeff • June 21, 2004
What is the difference between says “I would” and “I used to” when talking about past habits. Someone suggested to me the difference is that “I used to” expresses an event that had regularly occured while “I would” expresses something that happened only occasionaly. However, this does not seem to be true in all cases. The particular sentence I was confused about is this:
When she was young, she would sing at the church.
When she was young, she used to sing at the church.
In either case the frequency which she sang at the church is not specified. So what is the difference?
7 comments
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Posted in Grammar
Submitted by bigtop • June 19, 2004
I’m having a very hard time figuring out how to ask which seasons a character is missing from in a television show. I started like this:
“Which seasons is he not in?” but that sounded wrong, so I tried “Which seasons are he not in?” but that also sounds wrong.
I’m having a hard time with this one for some reason.
14 comments
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Posted in Grammar
Submitted by katherine • June 14, 2004
This is obviously wrong, but I can’t figure out how to fix it without rewording the whole thing. Can anyone help?
15 comments
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Posted in Grammar
Submitted by elizabeth • May 16, 2004
I’ve always used ‘a while’, but I’ve heard that ‘awhile’ is also correct. What is the difference between the two? Or are they interchangable?
4 comments
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Posted in Grammar
Submitted by jonasgalvez • May 16, 2004
Which is correct?:
“So much have been written”
or
“So much has been written”
I think the latter is the correct one.
5 comments
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Posted in Grammar
Submitted by alicia • April 26, 2004
Why would you say “10 head of cattle” instead of “10 heads of cattle”? Don’t give me: “That’s the way cowboys say it.” I want a real reason. Isn’t it “10 heads of lettuce”, anyway?
5 comments
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Posted in Grammar
Submitted by goossun • April 14, 2004
What do you in grammar terminology call a word that is not compound?
2 comments
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Posted in Grammar
Submitted by Dyske • March 16, 2004
“The essence of this book and that book was identical.”
“The essences of this book and that book were identical.”
If they were identical, they are one and the same, so I feel that the first is correct.
6 comments
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Posted in Grammar
Submitted by prahlad • February 19, 2004
Do you say “Seventeen kinds of thread?” or “Seventeen kinds of threads?”
6 comments
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Posted in Grammar
Submitted by goossun • February 12, 2004
What’s the difference between gerund and present participle?
12 comments
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Posted in Grammar
Submitted by sarah2 • February 11, 2004
When referring to a group of people, as being released in a contract, should it read “Releases” or “Releasees”? My dictionary lists releasee as singular but gives no plural spelling. Having looked under “Releases,” in the dictionary, it does not list it as a plural of “Releasee.” Any help would be greatly appreciated.
2 comments
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Posted in Grammar
Submitted by jenga • January 25, 2004
Whilst happily typing away my math report, I came upon this slight roadblock...
“We observed a triangle created by the basketball pole and replicated a smaller triangle that was much more scaled down in size, but each of its sides WERE still in proportion to the larger triangle’s. ”
Please take note of the entirely capitalized “were” that *was* the reason I capitalized it in the first place:’) My absolutely horrible computer supported by its “state-of-the-art” spelling program argue that my “were” should be “was.” Of course, I personally don’t *trust* my computer as it takes some perverse pleasure in pointing out that i spelt “colour” wrong. So can i get backed by a professional opinion, please?
23 comments
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Posted in Grammar
Submitted by jakephot • December 9, 2003
I went to English exam today. One of the problem was very difficult for me.
The problem is
Which is correct?
1) The old IS respected in our society.
2) The old ARE respected in our society.
I wrote #1 is correct . I wonder if I was right.
17 comments
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Posted in Grammar
Submitted by Dyske • April 4, 2003
In New Yorker, I read:
“There was a cold wind and an intermittent drizzle.”
A cold wind and a drizzle together would make two things. Shouldn’t it be “There were”?
13 comments
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Posted in Grammar
Submitted by Dyske • January 17, 2003
Why do you think that these nouns resisted the temptation of adding an “s” to pluralize? Like Sheeps, Fishes, or Cattles. How was it decided that they do not have plural forms? And for what reason? And ultimately, if these nouns function fine without the plural forms, then why do we even need plural forms for any other nouns?
15 comments
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Posted in Grammar
Submitted by Dyske • December 23, 2002
You can count chickens. 1 chicken, 2 chickens. But Once you fry them, you can’t count them. Why not? What’s wrong with 2 fried chickens?
7 comments
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Posted in Grammar
Submitted by Dyske • December 20, 2002
“For this recepie, vodka or rum can be used, though neither is ideal.”
Should it be “neither are”?
If I were to cast it, “both are not ideal”, it is “are”. So, it seems that “neither” should also get “are”.
22 comments
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Posted in Grammar
Submitted by Dyske • November 21, 2002
“That’s such bull-shit.”
Here you have no article; not “a bull-shit”.
“He gave me shit.”
Here, too, you have no article.
“I don’t give a shit.”
Now, why do you have an article here?
14 comments
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Posted in Grammar
Submitted by Dyske • November 16, 2002
When you refer to something that is labeled with letters, like letter A, button B, formula C, or exhibit D, you don’t put articles, but that seems odd. Why wouldn’t you say “a button B” or “a formula C”?
4 comments
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Posted in Grammar
