I just encountered this sentence in the novel David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. Why is it grammatical? I am just not sure why there could be no conjunction between the two subjects it and he. And, it being low water, he went out with the tide. Answer [It being low water], he went out with … Read more
There’s a Beatles song called “Love You To” (not To Love You nor Love You Too). I’ve never understood this grammar construction and I don’t understand what the title actually means. Is it just a poetry resource to say “To Love You”? Or does putting the “to” at the ens of a sentence change its … Read more
While framing a question, many teachers are doubtful when they are testing their students’ comprehension of a given passage. For example, read the following paragraph and answer the following questions Alexander: I see what you mean, and here I agree with you. The Indian generals are still following the old methods of warfare. Their battle … Read more
This question came from a student of mine – he wanted to know how to parse the grammar of this sentence, which appears to be simple but clearly is not: Peter seems to have found his glasses. Sentences of this form are very common in English but the syntax is puzzling. The main verb is … Read more
Extracted from an English cloze test: …..these virtual selves exist in the same online spaces that many people use every day. And this is a new and unfamiliar phenomenon that some people might find___________ — previously dead people were not present in this way. trouble troubled troubling be troubled to trouble The answer is 3 … Read more
Which one is more correct? a) Thank you for your help Norman. -or- b) Thank you Norman for your help. Answer Both are correct, but missing commas. Norman, here, is being used as a appositive phrase and as such can be placed nearly anywhere in the sentence. The connotation/tone changes with placement, so be careful … Read more
Examples: “The father, he was very angry.” instead of “The father was very angry” “The cup, it was overflowing.” instead of “The cup was overflowing” I have seen it in dramatic texts, especially where a special emphasis is needed for dramatic effect. But recently I have heard this guy on youtube do this with almost … Read more
Once the employees have completed the company’s largest project successfully, they will be offered an opportunity to be considered for a promotion. I found that sentence in my English book and this is a little bit confusing because I am not sure WHO consider the opportunity between the employees and the company. First, I understand … Read more
Would this sentence follow the rules of parallel structure? In order to improve your country, you should take care of the environment, avoid throwing litter, help society, and don’t use plastic. I could make this sentence better by changing the last part to “avoid using plastic”, but I was wondering if the above sentence is … Read more
The sky is dark blue. Source: BBC English Catherine: The sky is dark blue. The sky is dark blue. Finn: So, is blue an adjective or adverb? Catherine: It’s an adjective. Blue is describing the noun sky. Now number two: it’s actually the same sentence but this time, think about the word dark. Is dark … Read more
