They came, four by four, down the vast hall between double rows of columns. The drum beat dully. No voice spoke, no eye watched. Torches carried by black-clad girls burned reddish in the shafts of sunlight, brighter in the dusk between. Outside, on the steps of the Hall of the Throne, the men stood , … Read more
Why aren’t the ‘progressive’ verbal constructions (such as ‘I am talking’) regarded as tenses in traditional grammar? “There is no consensus, not even among linguists, about what constitutes a tense.”–yeah, okay, fair enough, but that is hardly an answer. “I have worked”–a tense, apparently. “I am working”–not a tense, apparently. There is no aspect of … Read more
Do I clearly understand difference between this two sentences? “How long do you dance?” – As I understand I can use this sentence to ask a person about his expirience in dancing. “How long have you been dancing?” – As I understand it is good for case when someone is dancing in the club (right … Read more
Here is my question: Can I say “he is being sick”? I was looking for how to use been and being. What I have found: The word being is the present participle form of the verb be. It is not used after have. As a rule, being is used after a form of be (is, … Read more
Consider these two sentences, please: We had a strange woman come to the door selling pictures. We had a man singing to us as we sat in the restaurant having our meal. Can I use the progressive form of the verb ‘have’ in the above two examples. For instance, We were having a strange woman … Read more
What is the difference in meaning and / or use between: I will have worked here for two years by this time next year. and I will have been working here for two years by this time next year. This is often a point of confusion for students and even ‘experts’ alike. There could be … Read more
Although Present Perfect Continuous is less commonly used in its Passive form. I want to know if it’s possible to use a sentence below in its passive form. Active: I have been telling him a long story and not finished yet. Passive: He is being told a long story by me but not finished yet. … Read more
Can anyone tell me why sentence (A) is wrong, and (B) is correct? (A) “The topic of landmines is very heavy and complicating.” (B) “The topic of landmines is very heavy and complicated.” To me, both seem to make sense. In my understanding, ‘complicating‘ in sentence (A) is equivalent to ‘confusing,’ while ‘complicated‘ in sentence … Read more
Can you please explain differences in following phrases: I am thinking I thinking I think I have been thinking Answer I am thinking This is present tense. You currently thinking at this precise moment. I thinking This is not the correct usage of English. I would presume it was heard as the incorrect version of … Read more
In this exchange: A: I’m having trouble finding my car. B: Of course you are. I think this sentence could also be used, keeping the same meaning: Of course you do. I don’t see any difference between the two, but I feel like there should be? If it is, under what circumstances would you use … Read more
