Featured Questions

Is the phrase "I sentence you to two and a half years' imprisonment" correct? Or should it be "I sentence you to two and -half years' imprisonment"? I would ordinarily transcribe it the first way, but I have recently been told it should be the second way and I am wondering if both are correct?

I mostly see nouns or noun phrases following hence. What about other grammatical components? Are the following sentences correct? Flashing lights and camera lenses may put the judge, who must always be of sound mind, off his stride and hence affect his judgments. She put her make-up on and hence...

I've implemented a "Reset" button in a text editor that triggers this confirmation message: "Are you sure you want to reset the editor's content?" I'm debating whether to remove the apostrophe: "Are you sure you want to reset the editor content?" Or even: "Are you sure you want to reset the conte...

a. When we went into the kitchen, the salad was already on the table to eat. b. When we went into the kitchen, the salad was already on the table to be eaten. Is there any difference between the meanings of (a) and (b)? c. ​All the documents are on the managers desk to review. d. All the document...

I was doing an exercise on the present perfect which describes life experiences. There was a dialogue: A: Have you ever eaten snake? B: No, never. I have eaten eel, though, but I didn't like it Why do we use here past simple?

I am dancing while she sings. While I am dancing she sings. Is there any difference between them? I think both are almost the same and that the actions in both happen at the same time, right?

Is there any difference in meaning between I never saw it before and I have never seen it before when talking about life experiences? For example: I never saw such a big fish in real life before. This is the first time. I have never seen such a big fish in real life before. This is the first tim...

Context: In a talk show, I would like to start the speech like this: (1) Today, I am going to talk about dogs. (2) Today, I am going to be talking about dogs. (3) Today, I will talk about dogs. (4) Today, I will be talking about dogs. (5) Today, I am talking about dogs. I know that the sentences ...

I want them to have different meanings because two cakes are the same if both are chocolate cake and two cakes are exactly the same if not only both are chocolate cake but also the frostings are the same. If they use the same frosting, they are exactly the same and if they use different frosting,...

In the movie "Insomnia" by Christopher Nolan, there is a scene in which a group of townspeople enters a forest to conduct a search, in an area in which a crime was committed. A detective who came from L.A to work on this case and a local Police Officers are coordinating the sweep. In this scene w...

(1) I 'll really tell him what I think of him. => I think this sentence implies a decision. (2) I 'm really going to tell him what I think of him. => I think this sentence implies an intension. I think that both are good to use, and there is just a small difference in the emphasis as I wrote abo...

What are the similarities and differences between these definitions, besides the existence of an object? 1.2. pretend [with object] = Give the appearance of feeling or possessing (an emotion or quality); simulate 2. pretend to [no object] = Lay claim to (a quality or title) p 23, Select ...

I recently found a discussion online about choosing between the articles when specific modifiers are used. The following examples were provided: [1] Have you ever heard of a fruit called the jacobo berry? [2] You know the fruit called the jacobo berry? I like to put it on cereal. In Example 1...

https://vivfortoday.com/relationships/dear-mom/ I so wish that you had left me a letter I put myself in your shoes and imagined writing a love letter to Anna, so that if she, like me, ever had to look into the corners of her mind for memories of her mother, she would have no doubt that I had rea...

Example 1 You can always expect me to tell you what I did. Example 2 You can always expect me to tell you what I have done. Does Example 1 refer to a specific past time or it can mean the same thing as Example 2? Example 2 refers to a time in a general sense in my opinion.

There are cases when I can tell for sure if I should use the before such a noun. However, things might get trickier sometimes. These disciplinary techniques could range from depriving children of ____ things they treasure, such as their favorite toys or TV programs, to... One might argue that t...

What are the differences between the two following sentences? She recovered well after stopping the pills. She recovered well after having stopped the pills?

SEE THE CLIP HERE Please watch the clip from Mother of the Bride above The newly married couple was going to go to the honeymoon right after the wedding, but a problem happened, so they decided to not going to the honeymoon and stay to see what happened The girl who is the bride in the white dres...

Context 1: A: Do you have plans tonight? B: Yes, I’ll watch/ 'm going to watch/'m watching/ 'll be watching a movie on Netflix with my friend tonight. Would you like to join us? => in this post, Native speakers tell me that in this context, because watching a movie is a decided plan, the vers...

see the clip here In the movie Mother of the Bride, A bellman talking with the customers: (1) I came over here on holiday 32 years ago, and I never left So, how about this sentence using present perfect: (2) I came over here on holiday 32 years ago, and I have never left Is that "I have never lef...

Example 1 John: My friend David thinks [if he can grow taller, he will attract more attention from others.] However, I don't think he can grow taller anymore because he is a grown adult. Does this example work? Despite the fact that the speaker John doesn't think David can grow taller, the pres...

Cambridge dictionary examples and what I learnt - Can someone please clarify if the words in bold are determiners or pronouns? Each of my teachers has long hair. Both of my close friends live in Delhi. Either of these plans sounds good. Neither of these videos explains the procedure in detail.. ...

Context : in a meeting: A: I will summarize the progress of our project..... I think that we can't finish this project on time. B: Really? If so, I will give/ going to give/ am giving you 5 months in addition to finish this project. In this context 2, Are 3 forms good to use or only "will give"...

When someone is a grown-up, how can we say their photos when they were taken when they were younger? I remember someone told me I can say "a photo of baby you/ baby him / baby Mary...". I am not sure if the noun is longer, then can we still say that way? For example, is "a photo of baby Aunt Mary...

What is the difference between the three answers or do they mean the same. Is the past perfect usage correct ? ( The past perfect tense is used to describe a past event that occurred prior to another past event) A) No. I already saw it B) No. I have already seen it. C) No. I had already seen it. ...

When referring to a class of things, especially countable things, I am always confused about singular noun and plural nouns. For example: Dogs are the most lovely animal in the world. and The most lovely animal in the world is dogs. I know both sentences are grammatical correct becaus...

Context: Yesterday, I decided to visit Uncle Peter next month. This means the decision was made before speaking. Now, I want to inform my friend about this visit. I want to invite my friend to join with me. (1)I am going to visit Uncle Peter next month. Would you like to go with me? (2)I am visit...

In a graph showing data on people using the Internet in Korea, Japan, and China, a writer wrote: The line graph compares the percentage of people in three countries who used the Internet between 1999 and 2009. The graph shows the percentages in three countries, so I wonder why he didn't use the p...

I know that when we have fixed arrangements about a plan, we use present continuous. Example: We are visiting X city next week. Would you like to join with us? -> All things have been arranged. I already decided the time, bought flight tickets... But when there are not fixed arrangements about a ...

Is there any difference between these two? She was a good student, finishing in half the time the others took to finish. She was a good student, finishing in half the time the others to finish took.

So I've found some examples where "the share of" has a similar meaning to "the percentage of". 1.The fracking boom and a more modest clean-energy boom have increased this country’s share of energy production and held down costs worldwide. (source) 2. His share of the vote rose by 15 percentage p...

The sales for the video games sector ARE (or) IS increasing. According to the OALD, sales (plural noun) means the number of items sold. If it refers to the number, not the items, why is it a plural noun? Second, should I use sales to talk about the money received by selling the items? If so, I ...

...It is also clear that the contingent migrant workforce in the US was highest in number, but the ratio thereof was lowest in 2006. ...It is also clear that the contingent migrant workforce in the US was highest in number, but the ratio of them was lowest in 2006. ...It is also clear that the...

Here is what I researched, is the meaning correct, and when to use Please help me 1. Beg ask for help, mercy, or forgiveness. sometimes carry a connotation of weakness or dependency. 2. Plead ask for mercy or leniency, especially in a legal context (like in court) 3. Entreat to try very hard...

This is the second World Cup in succession that Germany have failed to get out of their group, suffering the same fate in Russia in 2018. This is from BBC sports. https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/63829138 I learnt that you can use "where" instead of "in which," but that you can't use "that", ...

Example 1 I will tell him what my schedule will be like. Example 2 I will tell him what my schedule is like. My analysis: I will tell him (future time 1) what my schedule will be (future time 2) like. I will tell him (future time 1) what my schedule is (future time 1) like. I think if "...

When can you swap the words and remove "of" like "the cafe of the uni" vs "the uni cafe"? Which one is more natural for everyday English? This is an example only and I'm looking for a general answer. Noun1 + of + noun 2 vs noun2 + noun 1

UPDATE: The question has been edited to make the compared examples more consistent with each other. [1] Beverly felt a relief that was similar to the relief she had felt when the bathroom was clean again. [2] He saw the flickering of doubled vision, but the movements of violence had receded as...

Example 1 My father provided me with money so that I could go to those swimming lessons. Example 2 My father provided me with money so that I was able to go to those swimming lessons. Example 3 My father provided me with money so that I went to those swimming lessons. Example 3 basically me...

Which one would be correct English: The tiger is an example of a feline species. or The tiger is an example of feline species. It may be related to one of my previous questions titled 'One type of [noun]' v. 'one type of [plural noun]', but I decided to post a separate question in case there ...

Does "go to" mean "arrive" or "depart"? Example: Let's assume the time of talking is 20:30. If we go to his place right now, we will see him playing computer games. Does this mean that if we arrive at his place at 20:30, we will see him playing computer games? or Does this mean that if we head ...

Example 1 A: oh you are smiling now. A moment ago, you were mad. B: I have become happy already. Example 2 A: oh you are smiling now. A moment ago, you were mad. B: I have been happy already. I have a feeling that only example 1 is correct because I feel Be-verb is a state not like "become"...

The Da Vinci Code (movie, 2006) has this: Once the sarcophagus is destroyed, DNA testing will be impossible. There is no way to prove a living bloodline. But if you had to... would you do as councils have done before us? Christ...Christ sacrificed his life for the betterment of humanity. So, too...

I am trying to use the expression: A reacts to and acts upon B. The intended meaning is that B influences A ("A reacts to B"), and that A influences B ("A acts upon B"). However, the above expression 1 feels a bit clumsy, so I would like to use something more readable. I have found several ex...

Can we use countable nouns to refer to "types" of things? Example 1 They are two different additives. Example 2 They are two different types of additives. Can Example 1 have the meaning of Example 2? Example 3 Milo is a drink. Example 4 Milo is a type of drink. Can Example 3 have the mean...

Example 1 Tomorrow at 10 o'clock, there will be something that comes up. Example 2 Tomorrow at 10 o'clock, there will be something that will come up. What are the differences in meaning? I think Example 2 means something will happen later than tomorrow at 10 o'clock while Example 1 means some...

Que : did you check that file before sending ? Ans 1 : yes, I did check that file before sending. Ans 2 : yes, I checked that file before sending. Which answer is appropriate Ans 1 or Ans. 2 ? Why ?

They built a wall to avoid soil being washed away. - Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary I think it is better to say They built a wall to prevent/stop soil from being washed away. “Prevent” is used when you want to stop something from happening, while “avoid” is used when you want to stay awa...

Between the three sentences is there any difference? You should think as I do to be me. You should think like I do to be me. You should think like me to be me. Are the first and second formal or are they all informal?

This may sound ridiculous but who can explain the origin of the rule about not ending a word with "v"? To me it still sounds awkward even after so many years of study. Why cannot we end a word with "v"? Why even a closed syllable word should have an "e" at the end? I mean take the word "love"...