I could not remember him; but I knew that he was my own uncle—my mother’s brother—that he had taken me when a parentless infant to his house; and that in his last moments he had required a promise of Mrs. Reed that she would rear and maintain me as one of her own children. (Jane … Read more
Adverbs often end in -ly. But the word friendly is not an adverb, is it? A friendly advice is incorrect, but a friendly person is correct. Is the word friendly very unusual or are there many non-adverbs ending in -ly? Answer This is fundamentally a historical question, and if asked on ELU would deserve a … Read more
Today, several users on a Facebook group were requesting me to send some materials to them via email. So I thought to assure them and I commented using the following sentence: I will send the materials via email to you personally. But no sooner had I written it than I realized it might be interpreted … Read more
Is there any difference between using pretty, and quite, in the following sentences? I am pretty good at playing soccer. I am quite good at playing soccer. How are you? I am quite well. How are you? I am pretty well. The reason I am asking is that, in Italian, the translation of pretty, and … Read more
In a book, I encountered this sentence: Kosovo was a province of Yugoslavia before its split. This sentence portrays split as a noun/action. Now, I usually encounter split as: Kosovo was a province of Yugoslavia before it split. This portrays split as a verb. So, which is right, the first one or the second? And … Read more
Suppose I am enumerating reasons not to fly. Is it then correct to write/say: Firstly, I prefer the train because I can see the landscape. Secondly, I have control over my luggage, and thirdly, it is better for the environment. Or is it rather: First, I prefer the train because I can see the landscape. … Read more
I came across an English learner writing It snowed hard Monday. After saying that it didn’t snow on Friday and Saturday. It didn’t quite feel right to me. I’d be okay with It snowed hard. or It snowed Monday. Is it okay for there to be two things (“hard” and “Monday”) modifying the snowing without … Read more
