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What's the difference between ce, cet, cette, and ces? The teacher was like," this one's masculine singular, this one's feminine singular, this one's masculine plural, and this one's feminine plural..." I don't get it? Which one's which? | Ok, here's the breakdown... use\nce when it's masculine singular unless the next word begins with a vowel (to avoid putting two vowels in a row and making odd sounds the french use) cet\ncette is for all fem. singular (even if the next word begins with a vowel) \nand ces is for all plural whether masc. or fem. | If you want to answer a question like "What is the tallest mountain on earth?" Ask Jeeves (www.ask.com) is a good place to start. You can also perform an advanced search on Yahoo! or Google, putting the phrase in quotes like this "What ist he tallest mountain on earth?" Of course, Q&A can help you, too! | eng_Latn | 17,200 |
What is the difference between this word? and when I shoul use then? \n\nIf I want to talk about my mother's hair and my father's hair at the same time. I'm talkin about my ...........?? | hair remains singular in use! u just use a plural descriptive word before it so that the word hair can be made plural! like eg; "my mother and father's hair!" or "i found 2 STRANDS of hair" or "my PARENTS hair" etc get it? :D | A woodchuck could chuck no amount of wood since a woodchuck can't chuck wood. But if a woodchuck could chuck and would chuck some amount of wood, what amount of wood would a woodchuck chuck? Even if a woodchuck could chuck wood and even if a woodchuck would chuck wood, should a woodchuck chuck wood? A woodchuck should chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood, as long as a woodchuck would chuck wood. Therefore, if a woodchuck could chuck wood and would chuck wood, a woodchuck could and would chuck as much wood as a woodchuck would. | eng_Latn | 17,201 |
Though he wasn't part of the Lincoln conspiracy, his name's been blackened in many a town | jeopardy/2265_Qs.txt at master jedoublen/jeopardy GitHub Value: $1000. Number: 24. WORD ORIGINS | Though he wasn't part of the Lincoln conspiracy, his name's been blackened in many a town | (Dr. Samuel) Mudd. | writingxmu - Pun Cowley does not use the word pun, and we do not know how the name and the ... "We must all hang together, or we shall all hang separately." By Benjamin Franklin ... Homographic or antanaclasis puns play on the multiple meanings one word may ... In the preceding example, the pun was created by alluding to the fact the... | eng_Latn | 17,202 |
Gertrude Stein's famous phrase about Oakland; it contains 5 words, 3 of them the same | Gertrude Stein Quotes (Author of The Autobiography of Alice B ... 148 quotes from Gertrude Stein: 'One must dare to be happy. ', 'We are always the same age inside. ... Gertrude Stein quotes (showing 1-30 of 148) ... Why should a sequence of words be anything but a pleasure? ... when someone has lost out of them a piece that it was not natural for them to have in them. ... Three Lives | jeopardy/2603_Qs.txt at master jedoublen/jeopardy GitHub Number: 22 ... Scores at the first commercial break (after clue 15) ... A EUROPEAN TOUR | (<http://www.j-archive.com/media/2004-05-12_DJ_15.wmv> Sarah of the Clue Crew reports from Munich, Germany.) This automaker's Munich office building consists of four 22-story towers representing a four-cylinder engine | BMW. | eng_Latn | 17,203 |
In grammar, it's the noun to which a relative pronoun refers | Defining relative clauses | English Grammar Guide | EF If the defining relative clause were removed from the sentence, the sentence would still be gramatically correct, but its meaning would have ... at the start of the defining relative clause and refer to a noun that appears earlier in the sentence. | My Cousin, My Gastroenterologist by Mark Leyner Reviews ... MJ said: Mark Leyner is not, according to the latest reports, a fictional character c. ... See a Problem? ... My Cousin, My Gastroenterologist is a postmodernist/absurdist book ... into the artist's mesmeric eyes, is in fact a real person who wrote this real book. ...... Im just sayin any one who likes strange humor needs to read this. | eng_Latn | 17,204 |
"You" is defined as the pronoun of this "person", singular or plural | Pronoun Shifts The most common shift is from third person nouns and pronouns (he / she / it / they) ... In the faulty sentence, the word we undergoes a pronoun shift to you midway ... Second, using a plural noun means the writer avoids both awkward singular... | Li'l Folks - Wikipedia Li'l Folks, the first comic strip by Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz, was a weekly panel that ... Schulz was 24 at the time he drew Li'l Folks, and he was living with his father in a four-bedroom ... However, by that time Schulz had also developed a comic strip (also called Li'l Folks), typically using four panels rather than one. | eng_Latn | 17,205 |
I'm writing a story and while I have all my details worked out, I need help with writing the sentences. Is there anything I could call the character other than saying his name or using the word he in the sentences? | Any book uses the third person and then skips to the 1st person occasionally..........for instance start a new chapter i.e. starts out "What was I thinking" and then talk about what this person was going to do....... or, Just start out dialogue........We were walking along the river for quite some time before Dan got up the courage to tell me.....blah, blah, blah....you can always talk in first person and then perhaps go back to the third person......you don't have to say he either...say the name. I hope I was clear here. Good luck with your story. | Traditionally a dude is a dandy; a man who dresses flashily. But in recent years, the term has taken on a colloquial meaning at variance with that: it now means a male friend, mate, comrade, or associate. It can also be used as an informal form of address when the speaker does not know the name of the person that he or she is speaking to.\n\nInformal An Easterner or city person who vacations on a ranch in the West. \nInformal A man who is very fancy or sharp in dress and demeanor. \nSlang \nA man; a fellow. \ndudes Persons of either sex. | eng_Latn | 17,206 |
God told the Israelites to gather about an omer per person of this food He provided in the desert | Exodus 16: The Manna Tests (Devotional 22) - CRI/Voice Nov 8, 2011 ... They accuse Moses of leading them into the desert to starve them to death. ... He is not limited by desert conditions. ... God, and all these things (food and clothing) will be added unto you. ... are to gather an omer (about two liters) of manna per person every ... Notice that Yahweh provided the Israelites rest. | Free Flashcards about GRAMMAR/LIT TERMS - StudyStack IT'S THE INDIRECT OBJECT OF THE SENTENCE "CARMEN GAVE JOSE A COOKIE", JOSE. IT'S THE THIRD PERSON PLURAL OBJECTIVE CASE... | eng_Latn | 17,207 |
I was reading and it it's always refered as female. Is it unique to ships? I've learn in school that words in english does not have a sex, you can call a cats and dogs as "it". | While talking about ships and countries, is it a good practice to use the feminine form? For example: "Her economy" - while referring to a country's economy "Her flag (or deck etc)" - while referring to a ship Is this practice common? Is it used today? | In English, especially in a poetic description, ships and cars are referred to as "she". Maybe their owners compare their beauty and elegance with those of women, but what if a female owner wanted to describe her yacht or car? Would she also say, "She is a real beauty", or it might be "he" then? Does the choice of a pronoun depend on whom she is giving the description of it to — a man or a woman? What about a man-o’-war or a merchantman? Being ships, are they also referred as "she"? P.S. on the use of "she" in reference to ships, but there seems to be no answer to my question there. P.P.S. My question wasn't pulled out of a thin air. I came across a book by a prominent Russian linguist, G.Veichman, written in 1990, (Novelties in The English Grammar is my translation of the title), where I read that the rule of personification of vehicles may be added regarding a female owner talking about her car using the preposition "he". Period. No further explanation or reference examples. | eng_Latn | 17,208 |
Why is "any ancient civilization" supposedly wrong in this sentence? All Middle East people believed in life after death, but the Egyptians of ages past carried this idea further than any ancient civilization. One of the four highlighted phrases is supposed to be grammatically wrong. The solution is any ancient civilization. Can you please explain to me why. I am not able to find it out. | taller than any student or taller than any other student Which of the following sentences is correct? a) 1. John is taller than any student in his class. 2. John is taller than any other student in his class. b) 1. No student is taller than John in his class. 2. No other student is taller than John in his class. | Is this a grammatically correct line in a poem: “Will he roll the dice, and follow it to Vegas?”? I want to use the following line in a poem: "Will he roll the dice, and follow it to Vegas?" A couple of things to note; firstly, obviously I'm using "roll the dice" in both a figurative/idiomatic sense (as in taking a risk), and in a somewhat more literal sense (painting the image of the person actually following the dice that have been rolled to Las Vegas). That being said, my confusion here is if I can get away with using "follow it" or if I need to say "follow them" .... As I've read online "dice" traditionally refers to more than one die (i.e., the plural of die), but in the modern usage, "dice" can also be used to refer to the singular (i.e., just one die). So, it seems like if I was referring to the image of just one die, then the way I phrased it could be correct. However, the image I'm trying to paint is the one usually associated with the phrase "roll the dice" (i.e., rolling two dice)... So could "follow it" still be considered acceptable in this sense... or would I need to use "follow them"?... And if not referring to the dice themselves, could using, could the "it" be taken to refer to the act of rolling the dice, or would that not work either? Thanks so much in advance!! | eng_Latn | 17,209 |
Either way, I just want to wish all of our Troops a safe and Happy Thanksgiving. My brother and a few close friends are deployed right now and it is another Holiday season where we pray for their, as well as many others, safe returns. Thank you for what you do. | Deployed OEF-7 Afghanistan. Thanx a lot. Everyone stateside please eat a wonderful dinner, burp eat dessert, burp watch football, burp make a turkey sandwich, and have a beer for me. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. And if you get up early enough watch the parade. If you have never been deployed you will probably never understand what you take for granted. I know I didn't. Happy Holidays. | The first sentence is incorrect because "is" is a singular, and you refer to yourself and your family, which is a plural. You would need to use the plural "are" to make the sentence correct. \n\nYou could also write it as "My family is very thankful to you for understanding our hardships" because in that case you are using "My family" as a singular unit. In this second case, the "I" is understood as being included in "My family" and doesn't need to be mentioned separately.\n\nIt is common practice in English for the speaker to include themselves second in such a sentence. So, another alternative would be "My family and I are very thankful to you for understanding our hardships." | eng_Latn | 17,210 |
By double I mean 2 people each and by single I mean 1 person each. No this isn't math homework, I actually have to do this! :-) | 2x+80-x=120\nx=40 double \n80-x=40 single. | Teacher: "Joey, what is the plural of Ox?"\nJoey: "teacher, the plural of ox is oxen, 'I saw many oxen in the fields'".\nTeacher: "Very good Joey. Now Brian, what is the plural of box?"\nBrian: "uh... Boxen? 'I saw many boxen at the store'"\nTeacher: "no brian, the plural of box is boxes. Joey, what is the plural of Goose?\nJoey: "The plural of Goose is Geese, "I saw many geese flying."\nTeacher: "Very good Joey. Now... Brian.... what is the plural of moose?"\nBrian: "MOOSEN! no, MEESEN! I SAW MANY MOOSEN IN THE WOODSESES!" | eng_Latn | 17,211 |
Can 's be used as a contraction of was? For example, can "maybe she's born that way" mean "maybe she was born that way"? | Is there a contraction for "I was"? There are contractions for "I am" (I'm), "I will" (I'll), "I have" (I've), "I would" (I'd), and yet the simple past tense seems conspicuously missing. Why is that? Does that reasoning apply to "I did" and "I had" as well? | For abbreviations - both acronyms and initialisms - where the last word in the abbreviation is the noun, I'm accustomed to adding an 's' with no apostrophe (e.g. ATMs), as described in the answer to this question: But how do you pluralize abbreviations where the noun is not the last word? E.g. 'Point of Presence' (POP) I can see how 'POPs' could read 'Point of Presences', when the intention is 'Points of Presence.' | eng_Latn | 17,212 |
"With whom" vs. "with who" It suddenly came to my mind that this is quite strange: Obama, with whom I was at school, has just come to live in our street. Who are you hanging out with? Obviously, both sentences are correct, so is "with whom". But... why do you say "who are you hanging out with", not "whom"? | What’s the rule for using “who” and “whom” correctly? I can never figure out whether I should use who and whom. Most people use who for both colloquially, but some people say this is not correct. What’s the rule for using who and whom correctly? | Is it "I" or "me" in "Keep Tom and I/me updated"? In this case what is correct? Keep Tom and I updated. or Keep Tom and me updated. I understand that me is an object pronoun. And therefore I feel the second option is correct. Especially, because I would say "Keep him updated" and also "Keep me updated". Instead of "Keep he updated" or "Keep I updated". But something about saying "Keep him and me updated" feels wrong. However I am not sure, because several people have told me that in this case I is the correct option because it is being used in conjunction with a name (Tom) and not a pronoun. Is that correct? | eng_Latn | 17,213 |
Bob does not know who/whom the thief is. Which is correct? | What’s the rule for using “who” and “whom” correctly? | They are quite full up this year. | eng_Latn | 17,214 |
What happened to those who killed Michael's wife? Did Michael ever get revenge on the guys who killed his wife back in Sicily in The Godfather? I have been unable to locate this on any message boards. | Did Michael Corleone ever get revenge against those who killed his wife? Did Michael Corleone ever get revenge against those who killed his wife? I just watched the 3 Godfather movies again and I was not able to figure out who made the attempt on his life and in the process killing his wife with the car bomb Sicily in the first movie. I know it was one of his body guards that planted the bomb, but I could not get who was actually behind it. I am guessing it was probably the Barzini crime family for the killing of Virgil Sollozzo, but I am just making an assumption there and if in fact it was the Barzini crime family then obviously he did get his revenge. I was hoping someone could back this assumption up, or not. So did Michael Corleone ever get revenge against those who killed his wife? | Why is the subject omitted in sentences like "Thought you'd never ask"? "Thought you'd never ask" is "I thought you'd never ask" with "I" omitted. "Hope this helps" is "I hope this helps" with "I" omitted. In English grammar, normally every sentence should have a subject, right? My first thought is that these two examples are so often used that they are like set phrases. But these are not really set phrases. You can alter the words after "thought" and "hope". Another possible explanation is the tendency to drop the subject if it is the first person pronoun. It seems that in many languages, such as Spanish, Italian and Japanese, the first person subject is usually omitted. Maybe English is going the same way? (Not exactly the same, since in Italian, verb forms change according to the person, so the subject is not necessary to understand who one's referring to.) And, apparently, such omission is more common in spoken English than in written English. Are there more examples of such first person subject omission? How frequent is it? | eng_Latn | 17,215 |
How should I transform "Jane has just broken her leg" into a question starting with "Who" and whose answer is "Jane"? | Is there a correct gender-neutral singular pronoun ("his" vs. "her" vs. "their")? | Correctness of questions without inversion, relying on intonation | eng_Latn | 17,216 |
Singular or Plural in conjunction with OR condition that could include one or more objects | Controversy over verb choice in "neither you nor I {is/am/are} in control" | What a pluperfect a##hole | eng_Latn | 17,217 |
How can I solve this question mathematically? There are two paths $A$ and $B$, in each path there is a person, one of them is a liar and the other is a truth teller. I want to know the right path, so what is the question that I should ask only one of them. and be sure about the right path? | So i was solving exercises in propositional logic lately and stumbled upon a puzzle, that goes like this: Each inhabitant of a remote village always tells the truth or always lies. A villager will only give a "Yes" or a "No" response to a question a tourist asks. Suppose you are a tourist visiting this area and come to a fork in the road. One branch leads to the ruins you want to visit; the other branch leads deep into the jungle. A villager is standing at the fork in the road. What one question can you ask the villager to determine which branch to take? I intuitively guessed the answer is "If I asked you this path leads to the ruins, would you say yes?". So my questions are: What is the name and/or source of this logical riddle? How can i corroborate my answer with mathematical rigor? | I wonder which of the two is correct: I have a red and a blue car. I have a red and a blue cars. or Everyone has a left and a right arms. Everyone has a left and a right arm. My (non-native) inclination would be for option 1, as it sounds better. On the other hand, in the following examples, the plural sounds better to me. Everyone has left and right arms. I have old and new cars. (when I only have only one old car and one new car) The left and the right arms are... But are they correct? | eng_Latn | 17,218 |
Are there public bath etiquette to be aware of in Japan for foreign women? I'm in Japan now and it is simply awesome. I'm thinking of visiting a public bath. Is it separate for the two genders? Can I go in with a swim suit (after my mandatory shower, of course) or do I have to be completely nude? Not that I'm uncomfortable but in a completely alien part of the world, I'm acutely aware of offending cultural sensibilities. Also being a south-Asian woman, upper body size is fairly different. | What is the proper etiquette at Japanese onsen? Japan is a volcanically active country which means it has a plethora of onsen (hot springs) all around the country. Visiting these onsen is supposed to be a popular vacation destination for the work-weary Japanese. I've been told that, as with other things in Japan, there is a rather strict etiquette surrounding the use of the onsen. In particular, the two things I've read about so far are Swimming Suits are not allowed. It is very important that one bathe immediately before entering the onsen. Are these true? Are there any other taboos that a naive American should be aware of? | "They're using a cell phone" vs. "They're using cell phones" The usage of singular and plural has always been confusing for me. I often see sentences like these People are using cell phones. People are using a cell phone. Does the first sentence mean everyone has a phone and they are all using their own? Does the second sentence mean they are sharing one cell phone? If I see a group of people holding a cell phone in their hand(s), <- even this is confusing for me, should I use the first sentence then? Another example: you see two men, and both of them are carrying a bag. Which sentence should I say/use? They are carrying backpacks They are carrying a backpack Could you please make it clear for me? | eng_Latn | 17,219 |
Double Strike with Lifelink that destroys its blocker in the first strike phase Say I have a 5/5 creature with double strike and lifelink. I attack with the 5/5 and my opponent blocks with a 1/1. The creature is killed by the damage in the first strike phase and I gain 5 life. Do I gain an additional 5 life in the normal damage phase? | How does the double strike mechanic interact with other mechanics like lifelink or trample? I understand that the double strike mechanic allows a creature to attack in both a first strike combat damage step and a normal combat damage step. It's clear that when a creature with no other abilities aside from double strike is blocked that even if the defender has lethal damage marked in the first strike step that the additional damage does not carry forward to the player. How does this view of double strike change with relation to trample and lifelink? I believe the correct interpretations are (not accounting for other effects or abilities) that 2 times the attacker's power is marked as damage on the defender. For trample this amount is reduced by the defender's toughness and additional damage carries forward as normal. Similarly for lifelink the active player gains life equal to 2 times the attacker's power. Thus a 10/10 trampling double striking life linker blocked by a 1/1 creature would deal 19 points of trample damage and the active player would gain 20 life. Is this interpretation correct? | How should the "and/or" text of a card be interpreted? How should the "and/or" text of a card be interpreted? For example on a card like the text reads: Nahiri's Wrath deals damage equal to the total converted mana cost of the discarded cards to each of up to X target creatures and/or planeswalkers. For the remainder of this question, let's fix X at 2 to keep things simple. Should the "and/or" be interpreted such that the effect is applied to a combination of targets the player chooses. That is to say for Nahiri's Wrath the player could perform one of the following options: Nahiri's Wrath deals damage to each of two target creatures. Nahiri's Wrath deals damage to each of two target planeswalkers. Nahiri's Wrath deals damage to each of one target creature and one target planeswalker. Or should the card's effect be expanded and applied to both sides of the "and/or". With this interpretation the player would have to the following two options when playing Nahiri's Wrath: Nahiri's Wrath deals damage to each of X target creatures and Nahiri's Wrath deals damage to each of X target planeswalkers Nahiri's Wrath deals damage to each of X target creatures or Nahiri's Wrath deals damage to each of X target planeswalkers The confusion stems from (which was formerly formerly worded using the same phrasing) where some commenters have said things like: So this lets you do a total of 12 damage? 3 each to 2 target creatures AND 3 each to 2 target players, one of which could be a planeswalker? That's how the "and/or" works, right? You can choose. Otherwise it would just be "or"... | eng_Latn | 17,220 |
lefty and righty classification question title I am creating a survery where need to put the question about there "most used hand in general", what do we call this behaviour combindly? right now what I write Are you lefy of righty? a) lefty b)righty c) both Please suggest me the proper word here, and also the sentence structure. | What's the single-word for "left or right handed"? 'Male'/'female' is to 'gender' as 'left-handed'/'right-handed 'is to...? Is there a word to describe this? For example, if I ask a guy What's your ____? It should mean I'm asking whether he's left or right-handed. Another example could be Our designs are not biased against your ____. Basically, I'm looking for something that means the state of being left- or right-handed which could be used analogously as gender. EDIT: Sorry for the delay in the edit, but I was tied up. There are some points I'd like to clarify: I'm not looking for a way to paraphrase my questions. I'm looking for a single word. I know people normally ask something along the lines of "Are you left-handed or not?" People also ask "Are you afraid of the dark?" instead of "Are you scotophobiac?". The word for it, still exists, right? It has been pointed out that I should go with Our designs are not biased against left-handed people as that is what I mean. But that is not necessarily what I mean. For example, let's say there is a washbasin with the tap on the right. Clearly, it's biased against lefties. Sometimes, you come across a washbasin with a tap on the left. (The logic being: you use your left hand to turn the tap as your right one's dirty). But, your right hand might not always be dirty, in which case, it's biased against righties. A washbasin with the tap on the center is, then, handedness-blind or chirality-blind, if you will. (I foresee that some would dwell on Our designs are symmetrical. Please don't.) I'm looking for a term that would be applicable here, as well as in the 1st example. My favorite so far is chirality, suggested by Dan Bron in a comment (with 25 upvotes!) But, I'm reluctant to use it because there's no hard proof it's used in that sense If we are talking about male-female, gender works perfectly. What's your gender? and Our designs aren't biased against your gender. , both work perfectly here. Sorry for the late edit again. If the consensus is that I rollback, I will. Let me know in the comments. | What is the correct way to write 1.5 hours? I'm a bit confused in describing 1.5hrs in words. Is writing one and a half an hour correct or should it be one and half hour? E.g: I'll see you there in one and a half an hour. OR I'll see you there in one and half hour. Or is there any other correct way of writing this? | eng_Latn | 17,221 |
which sentence is in the third-person omniscient point of view? | Third person omniscient point of view is when the narrator is connecting and explaining all the characters feelings in the story, and in 3rd person limited, he/she is only expâ¦laining one character. The narrator is NOT in the story. Third-person pronouns include: he, him, she, her, it, they, and them. | Third Person Point of View Third person point of view is told by a narrator who is not part of the story and generally uses pronouns such as: he, she, it, they, them, him, her, its, etc. There are three type of third person narration: omniscient and limited. Third Person Omniscient âOmniscientâ means all-knowing. | eng_Latn | 17,222 |
what are examples of proper nouns | Read the following sentences. Notice the difference between the common and proper nouns. Tina offered Antonio one of her mother's homemade oatmeal cookies but only an Oreo would satisfy his sweet tooth. Cookies = common noun; Oreo = proper noun. Charlie had wanted an easy teacher for his composition class, but he got Mrs. Hacket, whose short temper and unreasonable demands made the semester a torture. Teacher = common noun; Mrs. Hacket = proper noun. | Here, weâll take a closer look at proper nouns, provide proper noun examples, and help you learn how to use a proper noun the right way. Remember that all nouns are words naming people, animals, places, things, and ideas. Every noun can be further classified as either common or proper. | eng_Latn | 17,223 |
I know many husbands in the United States do not even have four wives, but my religion allows four; well, why shouldn't I have as many as I want if I can afford them? I feel I am just stetching my religion slightly to have 3 or 4 more. | How many wives did God give Adam? | I believe the rule of thumb is to not have more than 3 separate parts to any sentence.\n\nYour sentences make enough sense, but remove the word "has" between "light" and "changes".or change "changes" to "changed to".\n\nThe last sentence has more than 3 parts so I suggest you make 2 sentences out of that group of thoughts, somehow, with "Of course, I understand. Though, it may be hard to explain."\n\nThe next sentence makes sense, but is missing a "d" in the word "crowded".\n\nRetarded is the correct spelling of that word.\n\nLet's say you could light 3 candles with one match, but you have 5 candles. You'd have two too many candles to light with one match.\n\nI used to refuse to do my own English essays, although I knew I could get a much better grade, simply because I didn't like the teacher nit-picking. Like i just did ... lol\n\nI hope you do much better than I. | eng_Latn | 17,224 |
One: He only likes Americans.\nTwo: He likes only Americans. | I agree with The Professor (real or not) but regarding the last example he used (See below)\n>>>Thus, the rule requires you to say We can come to an agreement only if everyone is willing to compromise. But you can say more naturally, with slightly different emphasis and with no risk of misunderstanding, We can only come to an agreement if everyone is willing to compromise.<<<\nI tend to disagree. These two arrangements do convey different meanings. The first one means "No compromise, no agreement (i.e. a compromise is the requirement for an agreement)." The second sentence means "An agreement is the only thing and nothing else we arrive at upon a compromise. (i.e. when a compromise is reached, we have no choice but agree)." | Try this: I would like to find out my GPA and class ranking in order to determine whether or not I have met college acceptance requirements.\n\nOr: I hope you'll be able to help me find out my GPA and class ranking so I can determine whether or not I have met college acceptance requirements.\n\nRemember: If you're going to use the verb "to be" with "GPA and class ranking," you must use the plural form, since you're referring to TWO things and not ONE: "what my GPA and class ranking ARE"--not "IS." | eng_Latn | 17,225 |
GUYS ONLY.... what do u check out more....da booty or da breasts? | Well, if she is walking towards me, the breasts. If I come up behind her (no pun intended :) then the booty. | Quote: "I like her teaching and BUTT, why I do not know?"\n\nThe 'and' in that sentence is the real problem. Misspellings aside, if he were only trying to convey that he is not certain why he likes her teaching, the 'and' makes the sentence totally grammatically incorrect. It does look as if the child was trying to convey that he likes her teaching and her backside. Proper grammar can go a long way to correcting for spelling mistakes. The sentence, if truly intended the way the child says, should read: "I like her teaching, but I do not know why." | eng_Latn | 17,226 |
is it teacher's or teachers' day | Well, I have come across many people who have used â Teacherâs â instead of â Teachersâ â . But the grammatically correct one would be âHappy Teachersâ Dayâ because it is for all the Teachers and not just one Teacher . All Teachers - Teachersâ. One Teacher - Teacherâs. | Now Hiring: Teachers, Aides and Floaters! Entry Level - Qualified Teachers:. Creative Minds Learning Centers is now hiring teachers, entry-level Aides and Floaters to join our dynamic team!... Teacher and Teacher's Aide:. 1 or 2+ years in the day school setting as Teacher or Teacher's Aide. Teacher's - $30-35/hour, Teacher's Aides $20-$25/hour.... | eng_Latn | 17,227 |
Omitting the subject in writing I wonder whether it is formal to omit the subject in writing. Must all sentences always have a subject when I'm writing an English test? Ìs it colloquial and reserved to speech? | Is it acceptable to begin a declarative sentence with "Am"? I want to know firstly if it's grammatically correct to start a declarative sentence with "Am". For example: Am excited about the game today. Secondly, if it is grammatically incorrect, then I wanted to ask how much "head room" there is for the above usage. I can't think of an example now, nor find one here at english.stackexchange. However I imagine there are usages of the english language that grammatically are illegal, yet have somehow become accepted as colloquial or idiomatic perhaps. | How should I refer to a friend who is a girl but not a girlfriend? When I'm talking about my friend, who is a girl, but not a girlfriend, what word or phrase should I use? If the gender was unimportant, it would not be a problem. But if I want to note that the friend is female, not male, how should I say that, to avoid ambiguity? | eng_Latn | 17,228 |
Alice and mine's office? Is this correct: "This is the view from Alice and mine's office" | "My wife and I's seafood collaboration dinner" I just stumbled upon a : My wife and I's seafood collaboration dinner. How does it look? Sure enough, the top comment immediately points out that it should be "my wife's and my". However, a cross-post to the Grammar subreddit produced : It's fine as it is written. "my wife and I" is a noun phrase, functioning as a subjective pronoun in the singular and made possessive with the apostrophe. It is exactly the same as "our". It seems weird because you would never use "I's" on its own but it is not on its own here - it is part of a noun phrase. That's a rather intriguing argument. Does it hold any water? | "He saw it stop and his son get out" I have been reading Men With Brooms for a few days. I read a sentence which did not make any sense to me, so I landed here to get some help on it. I have pasted the sentence from the novel. Please go through it and let me know your valuable feedback on it. An excerpt from the novel (Men With Brooms: A Sweeping Epic, paperback 2002, a novelization by Diane Baker Mason): Gordon was about to walk away from the Impala when he saw it stop and his son get out. So it was real the boy had come. As per my opinion it should have been: Gordon was about to walk away from the Impala when he saw it stopped and his son got out. So it was real the boy had come. I have two questions here: Why did the writer use stop and get instead of stopped and got? As she is telling us a story which happened in the past. Let's say the writer is telling us her mind's situation and she used the present tense for it but why did she use stop and get instead of stops and gets? | eng_Latn | 17,229 |
Should I pluralize based on an item in parentheses Which of the following two sentences is correct: Jon (and Michael) is smart. Jon (and Michael) are smart. This example is clearly contrived but my question is whether the sentence should be grammatically correct when you erase the text in parentheses (Jon is smart) or should it be grammatically correct when read with the text in parentheses (Jon and Michael are smart). | Changing plurality in parentheses If a set of parentheses lies between a subject and its verb, and the parentheses contain an substitutive subject whose singularity/plurality disagrees with the original subject, whose singularity/plurality should be chosen for the verb? In other words, in the following example, should "questions" (and its verb "are") be singular, or should they remain plural as shown? Many (if not every) questions on this StackExchange are answered. My intuition tells me that the two words in question should remain in plural forms, since the text in parentheses only interrupts the sentence (and the sentence would be grammatically incorrect if everything in parentheses were removed and the words were in singular form). On the other hand, when read aloud (assuming one reads the text in parentheses), this has an uncomfortable sound to it, and I've seen others write in what would be the above example's singular-form case, so I'm curious to find out which is correct. And, thinking about it, I suppose the same question would apply when commas are used in place of parentheses. | Question Tag problem! Question: A man like you should not do this, _______? Which question tag should I use in the blank space? should he? should you? Which would be grammatically correct? I think 1 is true. | eng_Latn | 17,230 |
Agreement between subject and verb in a number of / the number of 3 sentences:- A number of such incidents has/have been reported by the local residents so far. The number of such incidents is/are very low. The number of elephants in Kerala has/have been dwindling. What is the correct form of verb in the sentences, and why? | "A number of students" vs. "the number of students" Possible Duplicate: From the grammatical view both are correct, but please explain the difference in meaning: The number of students in the class is fifteen. A number of students were late for class. | Which form should be used for attributive nouns like “student union”: singular or plural, or possessive singular or possessive plural? When should a noun that’s used attributively to describe another noun be plural, and when should it be singular? And when should it be possessive, like baker’s dozen and when should it be plural possessive, like farmers’ market? In other words, why do we say teachers union rather than teacher union? And why do we say wedding planner rather than weddings planner? Which of these variants is or are correct? student union students union student’s union students’ union What about community values versus community’s values? Please note I am looking for a general rule or at least some tips. These are only examples. Update: It seems even native speakers follow their personal style to write such compound words. I wonder why in the IELTS listening section, the language learner has to write a specific form and there is no rule for this. | eng_Latn | 17,231 |
"element identification techniques" or "techniques of element identification" I don't know how this phenomenon is called. Simply put, I can either put the noun to the end and place it's properties before, or I can use "of". What is the difference, is some form more formal and suitable for academic writing? | Attributive nouns vs. of-genitive I would be very grateful for some advice on how to decide whether to use an attributive noun or the "of genitive" (periphrastic genitive). It seems to me that an attributive noun is generally preferable, except when it leads to ambiguity, often due to the combination of several modifiers with mixed dependent relationships. Additionally, the of-genitive, when used stand-alone, seems to impart a more formal tone, a higher register. Simple examples (preferred first, less-preferred second): The department secretary vs. the secretary of the department. But: The excellent secretary of the department vs. the excellent department secretary. Any additional guidelines would be most welcome. | How should I refer to a friend who is a girl but not a girlfriend? When I'm talking about my friend, who is a girl, but not a girlfriend, what word or phrase should I use? If the gender was unimportant, it would not be a problem. But if I want to note that the friend is female, not male, how should I say that, to avoid ambiguity? | eng_Latn | 17,232 |
Any mail vs Any mails I wonder why do we say Is there any mail for me? rather than Is there any mails for me? As far as I know, whenever the word any is used, we have to add an s to the end of the next word. | 'An avalanche of mail'? - it should be 'mails', shouldn't it? I came across this example on WordWeb while going through the meaning of the word ''. the program brought an avalanche of mail (Just like "a group of man men"). I'm quite sure it should be mails. Kindly confirm. | Should we write “allow” or ”allows” in “require that the class allow[s]”? Can you explain to me whether I should or should not use ‑s at the end of the verb allow in this sentence? This function requires that the container class allow[s] random access The sentence in the book I read wrote allow without ‑s. However, the container class is a third-person singular, so the ‑s must be required. Is that right? | eng_Latn | 17,233 |
Is it grammatically correct to use his, her, or his/her? I've always thought that using the word "his" as a gender-nonspecific pronoun has been acceptable; in recent years, however, I've been told off by people when I do this, saying it is now "politically" correct you use "her" for a gender-nonspecific pronoun. I've always have, since these occurrences, used "his/her" (or "his or her") instead, though I am now pondering which of these to use, for I am currently writing a paper, and have no idea which pronoun to use; the "his or her" seems a little clunky, and I would much rather prefer an alternative. This is not a duplicate of , because I am asking which is generally accepted; also I am unable to use the word "one," as my paper should be understood by little ones. I already know that the use of the singular "they" is frowned upon (by English professors, both mine and others'), and that using a plural noun doesn't work for a good deal of my sentences that encounter this problem. Any clarification is appreciated! | Is there a correct gender-neutral singular pronoun ("his" vs. "her" vs. "their")? Is there a pronoun I can use as a gender-neutral pronoun when referring back to a singular noun phrase? Each student should save his questions until the end. Each student should save her questions until the end. | Formal writing: "…for my colleagues and {I/me/myself}."? I'm currently using Cambridge English Advanced 1. It's a book that contains past examination papers, and includes numerous samples of authentic writing. This material helps, candidates and teachers, understand what the examiners are ‘testing’ and how these papers are marked. The assessment covers four categories: content, communicative achievement, organisation and language. Each category is awarded a mark between 1 and 5, so the maximum score is 20, and each mark has a brief note attached by the examiner. Any errors of punctuation, orthography, grammar, appropriacy, and vocabulary are left intact. In fact, there are no corrections because the ‘examiner’ does not specify where the errors lie. This can be frustrating, even though spelling mistakes are rare at the advanced level, and errors in style, collocation or register are still relatively easy to identify, sometimes I'll read a phrase that forces me to ponder. Dear Director, [ TEXT ] To conclude, this letter is a polite request to cover the costs of a 2 month language course for my colleagues and me. We would be very pleased if the company would do us this favour. Yours sincerely John Smith The following marks were awarded Content 5 blah, blah, … Communicative Achievement 2 blah, blah, … Organisation 3 blah, blah, … Language 3 blah, blah, … I am able to pick out six minor errors in that brief extract, maybe some users will identify more, maybe some will identify fewer, and maybe some will say that the language used is perfectly acceptable. But if I can help a candidate attain that elusive B, I would be delighted. I am interested in (what could be) the 7th error, emphasised in bold. Because the letter of proposal is formal, I feel the phrase, for my colleagues and me, is jarring. I want to change it to for my colleagues and I, but the antecedent requires an object. You would not say: “This is a request to cover the cost […] for I”. So, why use the subject pronoun I in the expression “my colleagues and…”? Could I use instead, myself? Which of the following is preferable in a formal written proposal? …for my colleagues and me …for my colleagues and I …for my colleagues and myself EDITED: I found a of the writing sample (11/11) if anyone is interested. I've looked at the following question, Some answers appear to be contradictory, the accepted answer says using I and me are both grammatical, which in my example is not true. Moreover, there's no mention of myself, as a possible solution, in the question. | eng_Latn | 17,234 |
"Each and every one of you's opinions" Suppose a group of friends are having a discussion and the turn comes to one of the friends who says the below sentence. "I respect each and every one of you's opinions" Is this sentence grammatically correct? If it is, then is even "Each and every one of you's opinion also correct? | "My wife and I's seafood collaboration dinner" I just stumbled upon a : My wife and I's seafood collaboration dinner. How does it look? Sure enough, the top comment immediately points out that it should be "my wife's and my". However, a cross-post to the Grammar subreddit produced : It's fine as it is written. "my wife and I" is a noun phrase, functioning as a subjective pronoun in the singular and made possessive with the apostrophe. It is exactly the same as "our". It seems weird because you would never use "I's" on its own but it is not on its own here - it is part of a noun phrase. That's a rather intriguing argument. Does it hold any water? | A significant amount of zombies were detected in your city Can anyone please help and tell me if this sentence is correct? "A significant amount of zombies were detected in your city." In my opinion it should be "A significant amount of zombies was detected in your city." because "amount" should be in agreement with "was" even though amount usually refers to something plural. Are both (was and were) acceptable in this case? Edit1: Yes, "number" would be the correct one in this case. So allow me to ask one more thing. "A significant amount of purchases were detected..." Does the use of "number" apply in this case also? As purchase is not exactly a thing/person. And if no, is it correct to say "A significant amount of purchases were detected..."? Edit2: So, please tell me what is the correct phrasing? "A significant amount of purchases were detected..." "A significant amount of purchases was detected..." Or, since purchases are countable, is the use of "number" instead of "amount" correct here, as in: "A significant number of purchases were detected..." "A significant number of purchases was detected..." Or would amount be correct since a purchase involves money and it refers to the amount of money? Would greatly appreciate an answer, and if possible a detailed explanation. | eng_Latn | 17,235 |
"I understand him going back there" I heard a sportscaster say this. Since gerunds are preceded by possessive pronouns, this would have to be a present participle. (him, who is going back). I do think, however, that the gerund (his going back) would have been more appropriate. Can someone tell whether this is wrong usage, gerunds are preceded by objective pronouns in informal speech, or why he chose him here. Can you use the objective to put emphasis on the person rather than the action itself? I am aware of the fact that some might be annoyed by my repeated questions regarding this topic but I have not been able to answer this despite having looked at various sources, covering this topic. | When is a gerund supposed to be preceded by a possessive adjective/determiner? I assume that the following sentences are grammatically correct: He resents your being more popular than he is. Most of the members paid their dues without my asking them. They objected to the youngest girl's being given the command position. What do you think about his buying such an expensive car? We were all sorry about Jane's losing her parents like that. I'm still getting used to this possessive gerund structure. It sounded so weird to me at first. Is the structure used in both formal and informal contexts? Are there any alternative structures that result in the same meaning and are more frequently used? (Examples taken from ) | When may adjectives precede determiners? (E.g. too difficult a task) The expression too difficult a task sounds a little pompous, but it doesn't sound ungrammatical. According to my folk-beliefs about English grammar, determiners precede adjectives. However, the expression too difficult a task seems to controvert that belief. Additionally, the expression too difficult of a task seems grammatical too. Under what conditions may determiners precede adjectives? Are there conditions under which too difficult of a task would be a more grammatical expression than too difficult a task would be? (This question does not ask what the question “How big of a problem” vs. “how big a problem” asks. That question does not pertain to determiners.) | eng_Latn | 17,236 |
Calculating interrater agreement for multiple choice questions I'm trying to figure out how to calculate interrater agreement so I can aggregate raters' responses. I'm asking 5 raters to select topics (out of 6 topics: A, B, C, D, E or F) that describe texts they read (1 = topic relevant to text, 0 = topic irrelevant to text). They can choose as many topics as they like (these are multiple choice questions). For example, these are the ratings for the first text: # A B C D E F # Rater_1 0 0 0 1 0 0 # Rater_2 1 0 0 1 0 0 # Rater_3 1 0 0 1 0 0 # Rater_4 1 0 0 0 0 0 # Rater_5 0 0 0 1 0 0 # Results for text 1: # 3 raters selected topic A # 4 raters selected topic D And another example (second text): # A B C D E F # Rater_1 1 1 0 1 0 0 # Rater_2 1 1 0 1 0 0 # Rater_3 1 1 0 0 0 0 # Rater_4 0 1 0 0 0 0 # Rater_5 1 0 0 1 0 0 # Results for text 2: # 4 raters selected topic A # 4 raters selected topic B # 3 raters selected topic D What would be the right way to aggregate raters' responses for each text: 1) Should I select the topic with the most votes (e.g., for text 1, topic D; for text 2, topics A+B)? 2) Should I select any topic the majority selected, i.e., more than 3 raters said topic is relevant (e.g., for text 1, topics A+D; for text 2, topics A+B+D)? 3) Should I do it any other way? Thanks! Edit: Using R. | which statistic should I use for inter-rater agreement on nominal data, multiple responses I have over 400 open-ended responses. The total has been coded by one rater, and a 10% identical sample of the total has been coded by 2 raters. There is a choice of 14 nominal codes, of which the rater can use any number per case, though most cases have between 1-4 codes. Which statistical test is the most appropriate to determine if I have inter-rater agreement on the 10% sample? Also am I right in assuming that I will need to treat each code as a variable and look for the level of agreement for each variable? I'm using SPSS 21. Much thanks, Kellie | Formal writing: "…for my colleagues and {I/me/myself}."? I'm currently using Cambridge English Advanced 1. It's a book that contains past examination papers, and includes numerous samples of authentic writing. This material helps, candidates and teachers, understand what the examiners are ‘testing’ and how these papers are marked. The assessment covers four categories: content, communicative achievement, organisation and language. Each category is awarded a mark between 1 and 5, so the maximum score is 20, and each mark has a brief note attached by the examiner. Any errors of punctuation, orthography, grammar, appropriacy, and vocabulary are left intact. In fact, there are no corrections because the ‘examiner’ does not specify where the errors lie. This can be frustrating, even though spelling mistakes are rare at the advanced level, and errors in style, collocation or register are still relatively easy to identify, sometimes I'll read a phrase that forces me to ponder. Dear Director, [ TEXT ] To conclude, this letter is a polite request to cover the costs of a 2 month language course for my colleagues and me. We would be very pleased if the company would do us this favour. Yours sincerely John Smith The following marks were awarded Content 5 blah, blah, … Communicative Achievement 2 blah, blah, … Organisation 3 blah, blah, … Language 3 blah, blah, … I am able to pick out six minor errors in that brief extract, maybe some users will identify more, maybe some will identify fewer, and maybe some will say that the language used is perfectly acceptable. But if I can help a candidate attain that elusive B, I would be delighted. I am interested in (what could be) the 7th error, emphasised in bold. Because the letter of proposal is formal, I feel the phrase, for my colleagues and me, is jarring. I want to change it to for my colleagues and I, but the antecedent requires an object. You would not say: “This is a request to cover the cost […] for I”. So, why use the subject pronoun I in the expression “my colleagues and…”? Could I use instead, myself? Which of the following is preferable in a formal written proposal? …for my colleagues and me …for my colleagues and I …for my colleagues and myself EDITED: I found a of the writing sample (11/11) if anyone is interested. I've looked at the following question, Some answers appear to be contradictory, the accepted answer says using I and me are both grammatical, which in my example is not true. Moreover, there's no mention of myself, as a possible solution, in the question. | eng_Latn | 17,237 |
"increase", singular or plural? In the following sentence: Furthermore, the tools require intensity data provided by an external software which, along with possible file conversion, increases the total execution time. Should increase(s) be singular or plural? | X, along with Y, "were" or "was"? I was interested in the following sentence which appeared in a in The Washington Post, Politics, (WHO RUNS GOV). She, along with Mark Childress, were set to be Daschle's deputies at the White House before he stepped down. Can someone clarify if the fragment "She, along with Mark Childress, were set to" is ungrammatical, as I think it is? I would reword were with was because I think that the subject of the sentence - obviously, in grammatical terms - is "She", not "She" and "Mark Childress", but I'm not sure on this correction. More precisely, I'm not so sure that "She, along with Mark Childress" is equivalent to She and Mark Childress with regard to the effects on the grammatical numbers. | Which form should be used for attributive nouns like “student union”: singular or plural, or possessive singular or possessive plural? When should a noun that’s used attributively to describe another noun be plural, and when should it be singular? And when should it be possessive, like baker’s dozen and when should it be plural possessive, like farmers’ market? In other words, why do we say teachers union rather than teacher union? And why do we say wedding planner rather than weddings planner? Which of these variants is or are correct? student union students union student’s union students’ union What about community values versus community’s values? Please note I am looking for a general rule or at least some tips. These are only examples. Update: It seems even native speakers follow their personal style to write such compound words. I wonder why in the IELTS listening section, the language learner has to write a specific form and there is no rule for this. | eng_Latn | 17,238 |
Which one is correct? You are always complaining about me driving your car. You are always complaining about I driving your car. You are always complaining about my driving your car. | When to use an object pronoun or a possessive adjective before a gerund The rule says that we can use a possessive adjective or an object pronoun before a gerund. Is there a rule that says when to use each or are they interchangeable? Some say that it's wrong to use an object pronoun before a gerund. | Formal writing: "…for my colleagues and {I/me/myself}."? I'm currently using Cambridge English Advanced 1. It's a book that contains past examination papers, and includes numerous samples of authentic writing. This material helps, candidates and teachers, understand what the examiners are ‘testing’ and how these papers are marked. The assessment covers four categories: content, communicative achievement, organisation and language. Each category is awarded a mark between 1 and 5, so the maximum score is 20, and each mark has a brief note attached by the examiner. Any errors of punctuation, orthography, grammar, appropriacy, and vocabulary are left intact. In fact, there are no corrections because the ‘examiner’ does not specify where the errors lie. This can be frustrating, even though spelling mistakes are rare at the advanced level, and errors in style, collocation or register are still relatively easy to identify, sometimes I'll read a phrase that forces me to ponder. Dear Director, [ TEXT ] To conclude, this letter is a polite request to cover the costs of a 2 month language course for my colleagues and me. We would be very pleased if the company would do us this favour. Yours sincerely John Smith The following marks were awarded Content 5 blah, blah, … Communicative Achievement 2 blah, blah, … Organisation 3 blah, blah, … Language 3 blah, blah, … I am able to pick out six minor errors in that brief extract, maybe some users will identify more, maybe some will identify fewer, and maybe some will say that the language used is perfectly acceptable. But if I can help a candidate attain that elusive B, I would be delighted. I am interested in (what could be) the 7th error, emphasised in bold. Because the letter of proposal is formal, I feel the phrase, for my colleagues and me, is jarring. I want to change it to for my colleagues and I, but the antecedent requires an object. You would not say: “This is a request to cover the cost […] for I”. So, why use the subject pronoun I in the expression “my colleagues and…”? Could I use instead, myself? Which of the following is preferable in a formal written proposal? …for my colleagues and me …for my colleagues and I …for my colleagues and myself EDITED: I found a of the writing sample (11/11) if anyone is interested. I've looked at the following question, Some answers appear to be contradictory, the accepted answer says using I and me are both grammatical, which in my example is not true. Moreover, there's no mention of myself, as a possible solution, in the question. | eng_Latn | 17,239 |
Which is the proper way; RBIs or RsBI? Lately I have been listening to a local morning show, the sports analyst for this show, when referring to "Runs Batted In", always says (Rs - B - I) instead of (R - B - Is). I shudder every time I hear this because it just doesn't sound correct. What is the proper way to say this and why? | What is the correct way to pluralize an acronym / initialism? For example, if I wanted to write the equivalent of There are many automated teller machines in this city. Would it be There are many ATMs in this city. or There are many ATM's in this city. (could get confused with possessive form or contraction). or just There are many ATM in this city. (assuming the final s is included in Machines represented by M). Maybe something else? | Is this a grammatically correct line in a poem: “Will he roll the dice, and follow it to Vegas?”? I want to use the following line in a poem: "Will he roll the dice, and follow it to Vegas?" A couple of things to note; firstly, obviously I'm using "roll the dice" in both a figurative/idiomatic sense (as in taking a risk), and in a somewhat more literal sense (painting the image of the person actually following the dice that have been rolled to Las Vegas). That being said, my confusion here is if I can get away with using "follow it" or if I need to say "follow them" .... As I've read online "dice" traditionally refers to more than one die (i.e., the plural of die), but in the modern usage, "dice" can also be used to refer to the singular (i.e., just one die). So, it seems like if I was referring to the image of just one die, then the way I phrased it could be correct. However, the image I'm trying to paint is the one usually associated with the phrase "roll the dice" (i.e., rolling two dice)... So could "follow it" still be considered acceptable in this sense... or would I need to use "follow them"?... And if not referring to the dice themselves, could using, could the "it" be taken to refer to the act of rolling the dice, or would that not work either? Thanks so much in advance!! | eng_Latn | 17,240 |
Could I pick up a human with a strong enough magnet? Could I pick up a human with a strong enough magnet? Humans contain magnetic materials, such as iron. | How strong of magnetic field would noticibly attract a person? There is iron in our blood, which is magnetic. Roughly how strong would a magnet have to be to induce a noticeable attraction? It would be nice to know this for several distances. Also, do electromagnets that strong exist? | Does English have any singularia tantum besides mass nouns? and are, respectively, nouns that have only a singular form and nouns that have only a plural form. In English, we have a handful of pluralia tantum that are mass nouns which take the plural form (e.g. "riches" and "remains"), a whole load of pluralia tantum that refer to things that come in pairs (e.g. "trousers", "sunglasses", "knickers", or "scissors"), and at least one plurale tantum that fits into neither of the above categories ("clothes", meaning multiple items of clothing - it's clear what the hypothetical singular "clothe" would mean, yet it mysteriously isn't a word). Singularia tantum, on the other hand, seem less varied. As far as I can tell, they are all - things like "information", "milk", and "racism". One can imagine there being a singulare tantum that is not a mass noun. For example, we can imagine an alternate universe in which it is still correct English to talk about "a dog", but talking about "dogs" in the plural is incorrect and funny in the same way that it is incorrect and funny to talk about a "scissor". It might seem unintuitive to think that such a noun even could exist - surely, if it is not a mass noun, then people would just pluralise it with an "s" on the end like most other words? But the converse argument could just as well be made about countable pluralia tantum, and I still cannot go to a shop and buy a "clothe". Hence my question: do we have any such countable singularia tantum in the language? Have we in the past? | eng_Latn | 17,241 |
Why isn't the nominative case generally used with "to be"? In German, constructions with sein, which is uninflected infinitive meaning "to me", seem to generally use the nominative case. For instance, this is a dog translates to das ist ein Hund, and ein here is in the nominative. In German, seems related to what the subject of the sentence is. In any case, I was thinking about this and wondered about why in constructions like it is [inflected pronoun], using the nominative case for the pronoun instead of an objective case seems slightly overly formal. That's not to say that the nominative case is never used. For instance, from the book of John: Then Jesus, knowing all that was to happen to him, came forward and asked them, “Whom are you looking for?” They answered, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus replied, “I am he.” (This is from the New Revised Standard Version, but the King James Version gives the same.) Now, this seems grammatically correct to me, but it probably seem unnatural to the casual listener if, upon asking who Jane Doe is, I answered with "I am she" instead of "I'm her." Why is this the case? Has this just always been the case in more informal English? Or have there been shifts in usage? | Which is correct: "This is her" or "This is she"? Upon answering the telephone, the person calling asks if Joan is available. If Joan is the person who answered the phone, should she say "This is her" or "This is she"? | Is it "I" or "me" in "Keep Tom and I/me updated"? In this case what is correct? Keep Tom and I updated. or Keep Tom and me updated. I understand that me is an object pronoun. And therefore I feel the second option is correct. Especially, because I would say "Keep him updated" and also "Keep me updated". Instead of "Keep he updated" or "Keep I updated". But something about saying "Keep him and me updated" feels wrong. However I am not sure, because several people have told me that in this case I is the correct option because it is being used in conjunction with a name (Tom) and not a pronoun. Is that correct? | eng_Latn | 17,242 |
Can multiple spells be activated with the same mana? So first off I am fairly new to MTG and I was playing with my friend today and he corrected me on my move making. The way I thought it worked is that, for example, if I have a creature that requires 1 Mountain to attack it can attack after I tap the Mountain and the creature. However my friend said that the same land can be used multiple times in a turn, so I could use 2 other creatures on the battlefield that only required 1 Mountain to attack. Is this correct? | Can I pay two different costs with the same payment? Say I have a Zombie token, , and on the battlefield. Can I sacrifice the Zombie token to activate both the Altar's and Seer's abilities? Similarly, if I have one card in hand, and and on the battlefield can I discard the one card to both of their abilities? If I have a with 3 charge counters can I activate both of its abilities by tapping it to add a counter, and tapping it to remove 3 counters and destroy a permanent without untapping it in between? | Is this a grammatically correct line in a poem: “Will he roll the dice, and follow it to Vegas?”? I want to use the following line in a poem: "Will he roll the dice, and follow it to Vegas?" A couple of things to note; firstly, obviously I'm using "roll the dice" in both a figurative/idiomatic sense (as in taking a risk), and in a somewhat more literal sense (painting the image of the person actually following the dice that have been rolled to Las Vegas). That being said, my confusion here is if I can get away with using "follow it" or if I need to say "follow them" .... As I've read online "dice" traditionally refers to more than one die (i.e., the plural of die), but in the modern usage, "dice" can also be used to refer to the singular (i.e., just one die). So, it seems like if I was referring to the image of just one die, then the way I phrased it could be correct. However, the image I'm trying to paint is the one usually associated with the phrase "roll the dice" (i.e., rolling two dice)... So could "follow it" still be considered acceptable in this sense... or would I need to use "follow them"?... And if not referring to the dice themselves, could using, could the "it" be taken to refer to the act of rolling the dice, or would that not work either? Thanks so much in advance!! | eng_Latn | 17,243 |
Is it "Myself and _____", "_____ and myself", or "____ and I"? For example, "Lucy and I are going to a movie" vs. "Myself and Lucy are going to a movie" vs. "Lucy and myself are going to a movie" | Should I put myself last? "me and my friends" vs. "my friends and me" or "my friends and I" I've always been taught to put myself last when referring to myself in the same sentence as others but the usage of "me and..." seems to be everywhere these days. The misuse of the word "me" instead of "I" aside, is there some new rule I haven't heard of? Shouldn't we put ourselves last regardless of the "me"/"I" usage? Examples of "correct" usage: My friends and I went for some ice cream. Did you see my friends and me at the ice cream stand? Examples of "incorrect" usage: Me and my friends went for some ice cream. Did you see me and my friends at the ice cream stand? Note: I was also taught that the only person who could put themselves first was the queen. | What is the correct way to write 1.5 hours? I'm a bit confused in describing 1.5hrs in words. Is writing one and a half an hour correct or should it be one and half hour? E.g: I'll see you there in one and a half an hour. OR I'll see you there in one and half hour. Or is there any other correct way of writing this? | eng_Latn | 17,244 |
What is the correct order? I'd like to know the correct order of this sentence: Is it: I and my friends plan for a movie months before the release. or My friends and I plan for a movie months before the release. | Should I put myself last? "me and my friends" vs. "my friends and me" or "my friends and I" I've always been taught to put myself last when referring to myself in the same sentence as others but the usage of "me and..." seems to be everywhere these days. The misuse of the word "me" instead of "I" aside, is there some new rule I haven't heard of? Shouldn't we put ourselves last regardless of the "me"/"I" usage? Examples of "correct" usage: My friends and I went for some ice cream. Did you see my friends and me at the ice cream stand? Examples of "incorrect" usage: Me and my friends went for some ice cream. Did you see me and my friends at the ice cream stand? Note: I was also taught that the only person who could put themselves first was the queen. | Rules for the usage of "me" VS. "myself"? What are general guidelines for the use of "me" and "myself"? Did I describe me or did I describe Maria? OR Did I describe myself or did I describe Maria? | eng_Latn | 17,245 |
"One of the features that emerge" or "One of the features that emerges" "One of the features that emerge" or "One of the features that emerges" Is 'one feature' the subject, therefore it emerges, or are 'features' the subject and they therefore 'emerge' ? I keep looking at this sentence but can't decide! thanks. | "one of the cables that runs" or "one of the cables that run"? Recently at work I was writing the following, and I have not been able to get a firm answer on which version is the most grammatically correct. The sentence is: We would like to use one of the cables that _________ between rooms. Is the correct conjugation run or runs? I think 'run' is correct, because I think that the verb in the prepositional phrase is referring to 'cables' not 'one.' However, a number of colleagues have said that 'runs' is correct because one is singular. | Is this a grammatically correct line in a poem: “Will he roll the dice, and follow it to Vegas?”? I want to use the following line in a poem: "Will he roll the dice, and follow it to Vegas?" A couple of things to note; firstly, obviously I'm using "roll the dice" in both a figurative/idiomatic sense (as in taking a risk), and in a somewhat more literal sense (painting the image of the person actually following the dice that have been rolled to Las Vegas). That being said, my confusion here is if I can get away with using "follow it" or if I need to say "follow them" .... As I've read online "dice" traditionally refers to more than one die (i.e., the plural of die), but in the modern usage, "dice" can also be used to refer to the singular (i.e., just one die). So, it seems like if I was referring to the image of just one die, then the way I phrased it could be correct. However, the image I'm trying to paint is the one usually associated with the phrase "roll the dice" (i.e., rolling two dice)... So could "follow it" still be considered acceptable in this sense... or would I need to use "follow them"?... And if not referring to the dice themselves, could using, could the "it" be taken to refer to the act of rolling the dice, or would that not work either? Thanks so much in advance!! | eng_Latn | 17,246 |
A noun that really does not have a plural I recently wrote an answer about the verb agreement when using the word "some", and I needed a noun that didn't have a plural. I had a discussion about this with , that has been moved to . But we didn't really find a noun that absolutely does not have a plural. Do you know a noun that doesn't have a plural? | Is there a noun that doesn't have a plural in any of its forms? While attempting to answer @ProgramFox has been trying to come up with an example of a noun with no plural. The best I've come up with is egotism and Judaism. () Some of the contenders I've already shot down are air, water, and money. (Airs, waters, and monies are all legitimate plurals.) My question is, a) Do my two examples have actual plurals? b) Are there any other non-ism nouns that don't have a plural? | How do you pluralize the acronym "POC" ("proof of concept")? Possible Duplicate: What's the plural form of the acronym , short for proof of concept? ...for his contributions to many POCs or ...for his contributions to many POC is not a duplicate as it is focused on cases like "ATMs" where the expanded form "automated teller machines" ends in a noun with a regular plural form ending in "s." In "proof of concept," the noun is in the middle of the abbreviated phrase. If we pluralize the uncontracted phrase, we get "proofs of concept," which has an "s" in the middle rather than at the end. It's unclear from the linked answers how abbreviations with this structure should be pluralized. (POC, POCs, PsOC?) | eng_Latn | 17,247 |
I am a B.Tech. fresher. I want to know that if I am sending my Curriculum Vitae to a placement consultant, whom should I address in the cover letter; the consultant or the recruiting company? | You should address The consultant. if you are not sure who to address, then you would say "Dear Sir or Madam" or "To whom it may concern" | Gone Car - This is a question relating to the correct usage of prepositions in English which we have discussed before. If you recall we touched upon the point that it is all a matter of convention, what is accepted as correct at a given point in time by the majority of people speaking the language in question, here English.\n\nWith that in mind I would say that sentence 4 here could never be used in the manner you suggest. It might be used to describe the ambassador FROM India TO Iraq but not the ambassador FROM Iraq TO India. The other three sentences could each be used to describe the ambassador FROM Iraq TO India, but the preferred method would be sentence 1. You might hear sentence 3 used and it would have the same meaning but is a litttle confusing. Sentence 2 seems to suggest that the ambassador is currently in India which adds a slight nuance of meaning to the other two forms. You might hear it used but I still say sentence 1 is the best in the context you are suggesting here. Hope this helps. | eng_Latn | 17,248 |
Or should it be:\n\nI and my family are very thankful to you for understanding our hardships.\n\nI'd be indebted for any other suggestion in this respect. | The first sentence is incorrect because "is" is a singular, and you refer to yourself and your family, which is a plural. You would need to use the plural "are" to make the sentence correct. \n\nYou could also write it as "My family is very thankful to you for understanding our hardships" because in that case you are using "My family" as a singular unit. In this second case, the "I" is understood as being included in "My family" and doesn't need to be mentioned separately.\n\nIt is common practice in English for the speaker to include themselves second in such a sentence. So, another alternative would be "My family and I are very thankful to you for understanding our hardships." | Gone Car - This is a question relating to the correct usage of prepositions in English which we have discussed before. If you recall we touched upon the point that it is all a matter of convention, what is accepted as correct at a given point in time by the majority of people speaking the language in question, here English.\n\nWith that in mind I would say that sentence 4 here could never be used in the manner you suggest. It might be used to describe the ambassador FROM India TO Iraq but not the ambassador FROM Iraq TO India. The other three sentences could each be used to describe the ambassador FROM Iraq TO India, but the preferred method would be sentence 1. You might hear sentence 3 used and it would have the same meaning but is a litttle confusing. Sentence 2 seems to suggest that the ambassador is currently in India which adds a slight nuance of meaning to the other two forms. You might hear it used but I still say sentence 1 is the best in the context you are suggesting here. Hope this helps. | eng_Latn | 17,249 |
"Let's see them aliens" grammar | What's the meaning "them" here? | Is "Five dollars is all I have" correct? | eng_Latn | 17,250 |
"An example of you not knowing" or "An example of your not knowing"? | When is a gerund supposed to be preceded by a possessive adjective/determiner? | Word for phrases that are examples of what they describe | eng_Latn | 17,251 |
Technically, would the contraction "I'm" be a sentence? | Can you contract the main verb '[I] have' in a sentence? | Indefinite articles used with plural nouns: It was AN amazing TWO DAYS | eng_Latn | 17,252 |
Possessives & Compound Construction | "My wife and I's seafood collaboration dinner" | Why are properties lost in the Cayley–Dickson construction? | eng_Latn | 17,253 |
Usage of Personal pronoun "I" | When do I use "I" instead of "me?" | Choice of personal pronoun in single-author papers | eng_Latn | 17,254 |
Correcting grammar | Is "Michael here" correct? | Is "aren't I" correct grammar? | eng_Latn | 17,255 |
Using a/an with several singular nouns | The indefinite article applied to a group of things | Why is "union" an exception to the "a/an" rule? | eng_Latn | 17,256 |
Pronoun cases (e.g. "my," "his") before gerund constructions | "...his parents' dream of *him* achieving a Cambridge degree." What is the function of "him" here? | Is there a gender-neutral pronoun that can replace “his” or “her”? | eng_Latn | 17,257 |
Which is correct: "...she knew it was I even before..." or, "...it was me..."? | Which one is correct to say: "It's me" or "It's I"? | If "No One" uses a face from the Hall of Faces to become someone then how did he do this | eng_Latn | 17,258 |
Use of plural pronoun to avoid mentioning of gender | Is there a correct gender-neutral singular pronoun ("his" vs. "her" vs. "their")? | Singular or Plural setting to a variable. PHP | eng_Latn | 17,259 |
12-Column Grid or 12-Columns Grid | When are attributive nouns plural? | Why is MixColumns omitted from the last round of AES? | eng_Latn | 17,260 |
How to use his/her about a general group of people | Is it correct to use "their" instead of "his or her"? | Is it correct to use "their" instead of "his or her"? | eng_Latn | 17,261 |
In this sentence is it "you and me" or "you and I"? | Which is correct, "you and I" or "you and me"? | Which is correct, "you and I" or "you and me"? | eng_Latn | 17,262 |
"Who are the neighbors of who?" : is this grammatically correct? | What’s the rule for using “who” and “whom” correctly? | How can I explain to people that the phrase “off of ” is grammatically incorrect? | eng_Latn | 17,263 |
Stack Exchange profile: “This user prefers to keep an air of mystery about them” | Is there a correct gender-neutral singular pronoun ("his" vs. "her" vs. "their")? | We've drastically simplified the user deletion process! | eng_Latn | 17,264 |
Naturalness of expressions like "Me and Adam have discovered ....." in conversational English | When do I use "I" instead of "me?" | Should I write "X and I", "X and me", "I and X", or "me and X" in a conjoined object? | eng_Latn | 17,265 |
"I and my wife" or "My wife and I"? | Should I put myself last? "me and my friends" vs. "my friends and me" or "my friends and I" | Salutation for two doctors (not married) | eng_Latn | 17,266 |
Compound possession | "Nikki's and Alice's X" vs. "Nikki and Alice's X" | Compound possessives and yours | eng_Latn | 17,267 |
Write in Third Person | Writing in third person can be a simple task once you get a little practice with it. For academic purposes, third person writing means that the writer must avoid using subjective pronouns like “I” or “you.” | This wikiHow help you to act like the wickedly creepy hunters from Left 4 Dead. | eng_Latn | 17,268 |
How can the position of 'only' change the meaning of a sentence? | Where to place 'only' | Correct position of "only" | eng_Latn | 17,269 |
Can the word "fruit" be used as an invariant plural as in "the fruit are" and "two fruit"? | Is using "fruits" as the plural of "fruit" acceptable? | The title word filter is one of the worst ideas ever implemented on SO | eng_Latn | 17,270 |
Should I use Singular or Plural for "Donor(s) List"? | Which form should be used for attributive nouns like “student union”: singular or plural, or possessive singular or possessive plural? | Agreement in "[Singular Noun] Is/Are [Plural Noun]"? | eng_Latn | 17,271 |
What to use for the clubs | “Are” vs. “is” after “parents and the family” | When wouldn't I use LASSO for model selection? | eng_Latn | 17,272 |
What to use SHE or HER? | "Who wants ice-cream?" — Should I say "(not) I" or "(not) me"? | I can run faster than _____. (1) him (2) he? | eng_Latn | 17,273 |
Doesn't and Their | Is there a correct gender-neutral singular pronoun ("his" vs. "her" vs. "their")? | I can't not be pregnant | eng_Latn | 17,274 |
either vs neither | What's the difference between "either" and "neither"? | When should we use proximity rule in "either/or", and "neither/nor"? | eng_Latn | 17,275 |
When does wrong grammar become right? | Will grammar errors become correct after enough people use them for enough time? | Is this correct? "One of the things that makes him great is..." | eng_Latn | 17,276 |
Difference between I and Me | I can run faster than _____. (1) him (2) he? | Is it "me" or "I" and why? | eng_Latn | 17,277 |
After "some", plural or singular verb? | Usage of Some: Does "some" require a plural or singular verb? | Usage of Some: Does "some" require a plural or singular verb? | eng_Latn | 17,278 |
“group have” vs “group has” | Are collective nouns always plural, or are certain ones singular? | I 'had' better get going (Why 'had'??) | eng_Latn | 17,279 |
Do I use the plural or singular form of a noun when saying "zero or one"? | Singular or plural verb after a series connected by "or" | Is -1 followed by a singular or plural noun? | eng_Latn | 17,280 |
Can he's always be used instead of he is? | is "I'll" correct as a short answer? | I can run faster than _____. (1) him (2) he? | eng_Latn | 17,281 |
they or he/she when the gender/count is not known? | Grammatical number agreement in a complex phrase using singular "they" | Grammatical number agreement in a complex phrase using singular "they" | eng_Latn | 17,282 |
Singular vs plural: the effect of conjunctions | Singular or plural following a list | Does "the same number of people" behave as singular or plural? | eng_Latn | 17,283 |
"...and all would have to be accounted for." Improper sentence ending at 'for'. Please suggest alternative | When is it appropriate to end a sentence in a preposition? | In a party people shake hands with one another | eng_Latn | 17,284 |
"me and the other" or "I and the other"? | Which is more formal: "My parents will reside with me and my family" or "my family and I"? | When do I use "I" instead of "me?" | eng_Latn | 17,285 |
Who, the subject or the object of the main clause, does the subject pronoun of a subordinate clause refer to? | Antecedent Precedence? | Number agreement between subject and object | eng_Latn | 17,286 |
"What are Liam and Noel's jobs?" versus "What are Liam's and Noel's jobs?" | "Nikki's and Alice's X" vs. "Nikki and Alice's X" | Possessive form of "one of [a list]"? | eng_Latn | 17,287 |
What type of pronoun shoould I use before a gerund? | When is a gerund supposed to be preceded by a possessive adjective/determiner? | When to use an object pronoun or a possessive adjective before a gerund | eng_Latn | 17,288 |
can "one' be substituted by "they" in a sentence? | Using both “one’s” and “their” to refer to the same entity | Grammatical number agreement in a complex phrase using singular "they" | eng_Latn | 17,289 |
is this sentemce correct? | Ihis is a very awkward sentence in English, and a native speaker would not be likely to produce it. \n\nFirstly, you should use 'start with' in this context. You are speaking about the start of the advertisement, which is an event, not a place. If you were talking about a place, you could 'start from' there. \n\nSecondly, the use of 'which' generally requires a comma to preceed it because it is a pronoun used at the beginning of clauses. You can more correctly use 'that' in this sentence. Alternatively, you may use 'who' to refer to the dog, but as with 'which', 'who' is a pronoun and requires a comma as it indicates the beginning of another clause in the sentence.\n\nYou are speaking about two dogs with gender. A male dog and the male dog's girlfriend, a female dog. Instead of using 'its', you would more correctly say 'his', however 'its' is often used in relation to animals regardless of their gender because many people do not regard animals as 'he' and 'she'. I would use 'his' in this context, however, because you are ascribing human values to these dogs with the use of the word 'girlfriend'.\n\nThe correct way to write this sentence is:\n"The advertisement started with a male dog that wanted to give a gift to his girlfriend".\nOR\n"The advertisement started with a male dog, who wanted to give a gift to his girlfriend".\n\nThere is a third alternative which involves a split verb, which would sound more acceptable as a sentence of English, but the rule involved to produce it may confuse you:\n"The advertisement started with a male dog, who wanted to give his girlfriend a gift."\n\nWe split this verb in order to emphasise what was given, not to whom it was given. The rule here involves understanding what is more important, the gift or the receiver of it. It is confusing to split verbs because you often lose parts: in this case, there is an implied 'to' that has been left out. The sentence is no less correct, but it is much harder to correctly produce.\n\nMy recommendation is to use "The advertisement started with a male dog, who wanted to give a gift to his girlfriend". | You can use Microsoft Word if you have it. Else you can use the text editor that comes with windows: Not the greatest. Paint will also work for you, in fact if you don't have paint try a search on paint.net it is free and you can do a good job with it. | eng_Latn | 17,290 |
pluralize in PHP | Singular or Plural setting to a variable. PHP | Singular or Plural setting to a variable. PHP | eng_Latn | 17,291 |
If it's "yourself", why isn't it "hisself"? | Why "themselves" and "himself" | Why "themselves" and "himself" | eng_Latn | 17,292 |
Do I use a plural or singular verb after "half"? | Half doesn't or half don't? | Should I use the singular or plural verb in mathematical formulae ("Two and two make/makes four")? | eng_Latn | 17,293 |
Debate, Bare plurals and Injustice | Debate, Bare Plurals, and Mass Nouns | Debate, Bare Plurals, and Mass Nouns | eng_Latn | 17,294 |
Triple noun, plural and ownership apostrophe | Do you pluralize the singular possessions of / items or people associated with individual members of a plural group? | Is “ ’s ” ever correct for pluralization? | eng_Latn | 17,295 |
Is it right to replace "it depends on the person and his/her environment" to it depends on the person and their environment"? | Is there a correct gender-neutral singular pronoun ("his" vs. "her" vs. "their")? | I am so confused by, for example, "People love their life or lives." | eng_Latn | 17,296 |
Singular noun after "or," or is that in dispute? | Singular or plural verb after a series connected by "or" | the verb in plural with one company | eng_Latn | 17,297 |
When to use "me or I" | Is it "I" or "me" in "Keep Tom and I/me updated"? | When do I use "I" instead of "me?" | eng_Latn | 17,298 |
Is "A list which its items are..." wrong? | 'Which', 'whose' or something else? | Is this correct? "One of the things that makes him great is..." | eng_Latn | 17,299 |
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