I’ve tried typing this question or variations of this question into Google to no avail, so I apologize if it has already been answered elsewhere. I’m trying to edit a paper for a class in which the instructor has written the following: I know that [to be verbs] CAN have the proper place, so don’t … Read more
I would like to know if the following sentence is correct: They actually had more soldiers than was shown on TV. Here I use “was” because I think the full sentence should be “They actually had more soldiers than (it) was shown on TV (that they had). I know it might not be a sentence … Read more
In Catalan and in Spanish we have two verbs: “ser” and “estar” . Both translate into English as “to be”. One of the uses of “estar” is to say that something is in a certain state or place. So, for example, in Spanish we’d say: “la belleza a menudo ESTÁ donde menos te lo esperas”, … Read more
Should I use was or were in sentences like this: Who was/were the bride and groom? In my opinion, both are possible, but I don’t know why. What to use if there is or instead of and? Answer The correct answer is: Who were the bride and the groom? The past form of the verb … Read more
Both of these sentences feel wrong to me: if I am alone, I will go today if I would be alone, I will go today By looking up some rules, it seems that using would in the protasis is a common mistake, even if there are a few exceptions of the form if I would … Read more
Should one use “the mechanics of the mind are” or “the mechanics of the mind is? The term “mechanics”, used in this sense, seems to be an uncountable noun. Answer The meaning of the mechanics is something like The sum of [the rules governing] the behaviour of the inner workings of which, as you say, … Read more
If one has multiple sentences all of the form “Let x be y” written successively. Is it grammatically correct to write “and god said “let apples be red, oranges be orange, etc””?. Is it possible to not repeat the verb “to be” and to simply write “let apples be red, oranges orange, etc”. Answer Yes, … Read more
As a non-native speaker, I often hear the word ‘been’ pronounced as /bɪn/ instead /biːn/ as I expect from the double ‘ee’. The phonetic transcritpion in the MacMillan dictionary is /biːn/ for the British entry, but in the American entry is /bɪn/. Nonetheless, when I heard that word pronounced in British English in sentences such … Read more
Sentence: 1.Sweets are made from milk. 2.This building is made of stone and brick. In above “made” is adjective or “verb”? Since “made” is followed by “be verb form” in above sentences. Answer made is the past and past participle of make. made is an adjective usually used in combining form, e.g., handmade, tailor-made As … Read more
The expression “woe is me” (meaning) looks strange. On the surface, it seems to mean “an unhappy event is me”. Sure, it’s an old idiom, undoubtedly reflecting vocabulary or grammar that is no longer productive in modern English. But what old language feature does it reflect? Is woe used as an adjective which is the … Read more
