Is there a term for a sentence in the form of “The ___, the ___”? For example: The quieter you become, the more you are able to hear. Further, is this a proper sentence? Is there an implied verb? Answer Comparative Correlatives Constructions like “The bigger they are, the harder they fall” are called comparative … Read more
“If it isn’t [a name]!” can be used to show surprise when you bump into someone, but it is not a complete sentence. What is omitted (and understood) here? I’d appreciate your help. Answer What has disappeared from if it isn’t [name]! is an oath, euphemistically expressed or not, along a familiar pattern: …may thunder … 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
I am citing the play All My Sons in an essay I am writing. I don’t want to have a lot of unnecessary content in my quotes and I am not too familiar with quoting plays, so I want to ask how I should omit lines when quoting a play. P.S. I’m not sure if … Read more
Can I omit the subject if it has been mentioned in a preceding sentence? For example, is the phrase inside the parentheses necessary in the below?: The sculpture A exhibits degradation at a seemingly increased rate from 30 years ago. However, the surrounding environment is considered not to have changed at a significant level since … Read more
First, I have to admit that I don’t know a good term to refer to this case, nor do I have a concrete example. Everything is just from a vague memory. So if you can correct me or suggest a good correction, please feel free to do so. I believe that I have sometimes come … Read more
I’ve come across this sentence in a piece of technical documentation: Disabling personal usage requires the user provision the device as a fully managed device. In my opinion this sentence is grammatically correct, but I’ve gotten into a dispute with a co-worker why "to" isn’t strictly needed before "provision" in this case. Can anyone confirm … Read more
I quite often find in New York Times that American writers often use an objective relative pronoun–or omitted it all together–where, I strongly believe, a subjective relative pronoun should be present. Example 1 thanks to well-publicized remarks about the women he suggested weren’t attractive enough for him to have assaulted Here, the original two chunks … Read more
If celebrities visit public places, such as malls and bars, people will crowd them demanding for a picture or autograph. 1: Why did the writer use the "-ing" form of the verb "demand"? Is there any rule for this? 2: Why there was no article before the word "autograph"? Answer Demanding for a picture or … Read more
Is on needed a second time in this sentence? There is a bad effect either on human health or environment. There is a bad effect either on human health or on environment. Answer The answer is that the second on is not needed, and may be deleted. But that doesn’t have anything to do with … Read more
