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Blog »Grammar
In an informal style, we use much and many mostly in negative sentences and questions, and after so, as and too. In affirmative sentences (except after so, as and too), we use other words and expressions. Compare:
Blog »Grammar
There are two ways of telling a person what somebody else said.
b. reported speech
When we use 'direct speech', we give the exact words (more or less) that were said. When we use 'reported speech', we change the words that were said to make them fit into our own sentence. Blog »Grammar
clause + conjunction + clause conjunction + clause, + clause 1. A conjunction joins two clauses.
Blog »Grammar
We use come for movements to the place where the speaker or hearer is. We use go for movements to other places.
We can use come for a movement to a place where the speaker or listener was or will be. Compare:
Blog »Grammar
We use the singular holiday in a short period of, say, one or two days.
We often use holidays for the 'big holiday' of the year.
We always use the singular in the expression on holiday. (Note the preposition.)
Americans use the word vacation for a long holiday. Blog »Grammar
We use sorry for . . . -ing or sorry about . . . -ing to talk about past things that we regret.
We can use a perfect infinitive with the same meaning.
Sorry + infinitive is used to apologize for something that we are doing or going to do.
Blog »Grammar
We use each to talk about two or more people or things. We use every to talk about three or more. (Instead of 'every two' we say both). We say each when we are thinking of people or things separately, one at a time. We say every when we are thinking of people or things together, in a Compare:
As I was going past the Art Theatre on my way home I heard somebody ask in a low voice, "Want to come to the theatre?" It was a young fellow with no hat on and a disappointed look on his face. I understood at once: his girl hadn't turned up, otherwise he would not have had a ticket for the Art Theatre to spare—they're not that easy to come by.
Blog »Grammar
Grammarians are not always agreed as to the grammatical status of the article in Modern English. The name "determiners" is then given to closed system items, which, functioning as adjuncts, show their head-words to be nouns. The most central type of "determiner" is that to which we traditionally give the name article. Blog »Grammar
We often put small questions at the ends of sentences in speech.
We use these 'question tags' to ask if something is true, or to ask somebody to agree with us. Structure We do not put question tags after questions. |