I am trying to write a sentence like the following: The skills I acquired is/are knowledge in A, B, and C. However, I know that uncountable nouns such as knowledge doesn’t go with are. Yet, the subject is a plural noun skills so are seems to be appropriate. Which one is correct? Answer The sentence … Read more
There are believed to be some ghosts in that house There is believed to be some ghosts in that house Can anyone tell me which of the to be verb is correct in this case? Answer The predicate of this sentence ‘are believed to be…’ is called a modal complex predicate. Its finite verb form … Read more
You should have let me given you a ride home. You should have let me give you a ride home. Your should have let me gave you a ride home. You should have let me driven you home. You should have let me drive you home. You should have let me drove you home. I’m … Read more
I have a sentence in a short story which wants to use ‘stang’ instead of ‘stung’. Dictionaries that include ‘stang’ say it is ‘obsolete’. Would you as a reader accept it? a shriek so fierce her throat stang with it To my ear ‘stung’ doesn’t have the same impact, but perhaps the ‘obsolence’ of stang … Read more
I would like to properly use the verb get in the following sentence: “You’ve ___ bigger since the last time I saw you, Bobby.” Should the past tense got be used or the past participle gotten? I know it should be conjugated according to ‘You have’ (present). Answer Here’s a quick way to remember: Have … Read more
In the following article from English today there is a survey about the usage of the erroneous, but apparently rather commonly used expression “have went” in place of “have gone”: … several speakers, all of them American teachers aged between 55 and 64, informed us that they regularly ‘hear[d] people say have went, not have … Read more
Should I use specializing or specialized? Or better, what’s the difference? Microsoft is a German software development company specializing in software development tools for the engineering industry. Or Microsoft is a German software development company specialized in software development tools for the engineering industry. Thanks. EDIT: I did many research among companies presentations without getting … Read more
(This has gotta be a duplicate, but I didn’t quite manage to find anything…) Is either of the following correct? If so, what is the general rule that makes the other one wrong? I have always—and will always—preferred chocolate over vanilla. I have always—and will always—prefer chocolate over vanilla. I’m aware that I could just … Read more
Every online source seems to agree with the preconceived notion I had that the correct usage is “worshipping” with two p’s, saying that “worshipping” is an exception to a rule about doubling the leading consonant when the preceding vowel is stressed. However, the spell-checker in my browser seems to think that the correct spelling is … Read more
I recently used the word subjugative in the following sentence: Any company that wants to be “legitimate” (raise money, hire employees, file taxes, distribute shares, etc.) puts itself in a subjugative position toward the government. The dictionary in Google Chrome thinks subjugative is not a word, and I can’t find many dictionary entries for it … Read more
