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100 | 29,552 | 76823_0 | > **Possible Duplicate:** > What is the correct possessive for nouns ending in s? I know that we pronounce "someone else's" as "someone else sus." I'm wondering how do we pronounce _others'_. Is it pronounced _others_ , "others sus," or "other sus"? |
101 | 180,660 | 76823_0 | I am editing my brother’s paper, and I realized I am unsure about the possessive form of _Marine Corps_ , such as > The best kept secret of the Marine Corps Is it > the Marine Corps’ best kept secret or > the Marine Corp’s best kept secret I am leaning towards the first because the _s_ is part of the word _corps_. |
102 | 145,369 | 76823_0 | Where a noun ends with the letter _x_ , is it proper for the possessive form of the word to end with _'s_ or simply _'_ ? Example 1: > "It is Xerox' position that it owns the patent." > > vs. > > "It is Xerox's position that it owns the patent." Example 2: > "The ox's tail was short." > > vs. > > "The ox' tail was short." |
103 | 127,072 | 76823_0 | I'm taking a classics class, and we're currently reading Lombardo's translation of the Iliad. It strikes me incredibly odd how possessive and plural nouns are formed: > The met by the ancient oak tree. / Lord Apollo, Zeus' son, spoke first > (7.15-16) The professor of the class says, for the purposes of our paper, to always use an " 's " to clarify the possessive form of the noun, even if the noun ends in an s. > Achilles's love of battle... Just to make things perfectly clear, the way that I understand usage: * Single: "Greek" or "Achilles" * Plural: "Greeks" or "Achilles" (For more than one Achilles, we have to infer plurality) * Single Possessive: "Greek's" or "Achilles's" * Plural Possessive: "Greeks'" or "Achilles'" (Once again, for something belonging to more than one Achilles, we have to infer plurality in the sentence) And the pronunciation, as I understand it, is as follows: * Single: "Greek" or "Achilles" * Plural: "Greek-s" or "Achilles-s" * Single Possessive: "Greek-s" or "Achilles-es" * Plural Possessive: "Greeks" or "Achilles-es" Am I completely off base here, I'm so confused. Can someone shed some light on this? |
104 | 76,161 | 76823_0 | > **Possible Duplicate:** > What is the correct possessive for nouns ending in s? > When did it become correct to add an 's' to a singular possessive already > ending in 's'? Today's Newyorker News Desk says Texas's insurgent establishment. Is _Texas's_ correct usage? Doesn't seem elegant in any case. |
105 | 62,257 | 76823_0 | > **Possible Duplicate:** > What is the correct possessive for nouns ending in s? > When did it become correct to add an 's' to a singular possessive already > ending in 's'? I just bought _The Elements of Style_ , an awesome little book. However, in the first section, the authors promote the use of `'s`, no matter what the last letter of a word is, to show possessiveness. Some examples they use: Charles's friend Burns's poems Are these grammatically correct? |
106 | 50,686 | 76823_0 | > **Possible Duplicate:** > What is the correct possessive for nouns ending in s? I just took a grammar quiz in 10th grade English Honors, and one of the questions was very interesting to me. In this certain section of the quiz, we had to insert (we couldn't take something out) either a semicolon (;), a colon (:), an apostraphe ('), a hyphen (-), or a dash (--). The sentence in question went like this: > Jack Walls, Chris Walls, and Jackie Wallses children were very upset when > they got home. I decided to take out the 'e' and insert an apostraphe between the two S's like so > Jack Walls, Chris Walls, and Jackie Walls's children were very upset when > they got home. I knew that I was told to only insert punctuation, but I decided to take the risk anyway. After class I went to my teacher and showed her. She says she might need to make the question a freebie. Am I right, or is the correct version this? > Jack Walls, Chris Walls, and Jackie Wallses' children were very upset when > they got home. |
107 | 147,063 | 76823_0 | Hi assuming you have a name like Cross, Tess or Ross. What is the correct way of writing including the apostrophe assuming the owner is a singular entity? Eg. Ross's apples Ross'es apples |
108 | 7,841 | 76823_0 | > **Possible Duplicate:** > When did it become correct to add an 's' to a singular possessive already > ending in 's'? I learned from school to use _Dawkins'_ , for example > That is Mr. Dawkins' house. But I see many people write _Dawkins's_ instead. Is it something related to American English as opposed to British conventions? |
109 | 120,709 | 76823_0 | Is this sentence correct? Here you can find Jaume Casals's biography. I think the final " 's " is unnecessary, but I am not 100% sure. Could anyone help? Thanks. |
110 | 174,143 | 76823_0 | Can someone help me to clarify this. Is the word Jesus' feet pronounced as "Jesuses feet" or simply "Jesus feet"? I read up some articles and most of them said both versions are correct. However, when I was in London recently, I heard St. James' Park pronounced as "St. Jameses Park." I am not sure whether it was spelt as St. James' Park or St. James's Park. Should it then be Jesus's feet? Much appreciated! Petra |
111 | 119,530 | 76823_0 | What is the proper use of the apostrophe in this phrase: > The party is at the Johnsons's Assuming, the regular form of the last name is "Johnson" and there are at least two people in the Johnson family. I assume it should be possessive because it is implied that it is referring to their house. What would the correct form be for a last name ending in an S in its singular form? |
112 | 147,905 | 76823_0 | I'm a pretty fluent English speaker, but this has been bothering me for a long time... It all started when I saw people, for example, saying Mars' atmosphere, according to my knowledge, the only time you have an apostrophe without an "s" is when said word is plural, so in this case it would be Mars's or not Mars'. Am I correct? (I'm using the word Mars merely as an example, this applies to other singular words that ends with an "s" as well.) |
113 | 129,431 | 76823_0 | Example 1: > Peter’s bag Example 2: > Chris’s car Is example 2 correct? If not, what is the rule for names that end with “s”? |
114 | 13,093 | 76823_0 | > **Possible Duplicate:** > What is the correct possessive for nouns ending in s? Hello! New to English, but doing fairly fine so far... well, here's a situation I had a couple times, and... well, I kind of failed: When my word ends with 's', and I need to use it for a... umm... possessive statement, do I use the possessive apostrophe? If yes, do I have to put another 's' after the apostrophe? Like: > The beasts's claws! or > The beasts' claws! |
115 | 192,402 | 76823_0 | I've found this discussion, where a guy claims that in **British** English it's correct to write _Chris's donkey_ when talking about a single person named Chris and his ass. Does it mean that **American** English treats that differently?! If so, since when? |
116 | 186,518 | 76823_0 | I'm normally pretty confident with my punctuation, but this one has been stumping me, and it's probably because I don't know the proper phrasing for what I'm trying to ask: How to we add a possessive apostrophe to a proper noun when that noun is a plural word? I.e., I'm working with a company named WeBuyAssets. Assets is clearly a plural, but "WeBuyAssets" is the proper name of a singular entity. Would the correct possessive here be: WeBuyAssets's CEO (my best guess) or WeBuyAssets' CEO (looks more likely to be used). Thanks for your help! |
117 | 85,125 | 76823_0 | > **Possible Duplicate:** > Which singular names ending in “s” form possessives with only a bare > apostrophe? Today on IRC, I used form > Griwes’ and I was instantaneously corrected that the proper form is > Griwes’s I looked over the Internet to find any concrete proof of this, and probably the most concrete one was > Well, according to my Modern Language Association Handbook, only one- > syllable proper names ending in "s" should have an apostrophe and another > "s" added -- "Keats's poems." Polysyllabic names ending in "s" should take > only an apostrophe for the possessive: "Cervantes' books, Hopkins' poems." > The MLA would thus prefer "Dickens' books." (at http://www.funtrivia.com/askft/Question61965.html) Therefore, which form is correct, and if both are correct, which is preferred? I lived my (nick’s) entire life being sure that the correct form is just _Griwes’_. For the sake of completeness of the question: the nick comes from the word _grievous_ and has the same pronunciation as _grievous_ — it’s just a phonetic spelling of the word in Polish. |
118 | 2,964 | 76823_0 | According to my grammar book, but at variance to the answer to this question, the correct singular possessive if a word ends in _‑s_ is: > James’s car The grammar book allows exceptions for historical nouns, so the examples in the answer to the above-linked question would pass muster. However, I’m sure that I learnt at school (which, admittedly, was a while ago) that for a singular (proper) noun ending in _‑s_ , the apostrophe went after the _s_ and there was no additional _s_. I don’t wish to start a flame war on which is correct, though my question doesn't really make sense if my grammar book is wrong! What I’m curious about is _when_ the change occurred. : So my question is when did _James’s_ become the correct form and _James’_ the incorrect one? |
119 | 62,692 | 76823_0 | > **Possible Duplicate:** > What is the correct possessive for nouns ending in s? > When did it become correct to add an 's' to a singular possessive already > ending in 's'? Hey guys I was wondering where to put the ' when using the possessive case of my surname, Franks. I've seen it done all the below ways, depending on what family member wrote it, but I was wondering which one was correct? 1. Franks' 2. Franks's 3. Frankses' |
120 | 161,894 | 76823_0 | The golfer Tiger Woods's clubs... -or- The golfer Tiger Woods' clubs... The last name Woods is not biblical, etc. It is singular when it refers to the person, Tiger Woods. It is plural when it is the word, "woods". I have, literally, seen it both ways, online and in newsprint, and ask which is correct. (I'll go out on a limb and say that the first example seems right to me, and yet it is the second example that I see more often in print and online) Thank you very much for any education you can provide me on this matter. Sincerely, Sven |
121 | 23,421 | 76823_0 | > **Possible Duplicate:** > What is the correct possessive for nouns ending in s? First, sorry about my English. I would love to know when I need to add _'s_ at the ending of the word. 1) When I meant _is_ , like... _He's famous._ ...to: _he is famous._ 2) When it's like possession (don't know is this right word for that) of that word? And... exactly when?? _John's book._ _Dream's city._ _Alien's ship._ (one alien) _Aliens's ship._ (two or more aliens) |
122 | 132,833 | 76823_0 | For example, should I write : (1) Chris's dog OR (2) Chris' dog (1) the infants's toy OR (2) the infants' toy ? I read in Struck & White (4th edition from 1979) that you should use option (1) in most cases (except with ancient proper names like Jesus' or Moses'), but Word 2010 corrects that back to option (2). I also read several "duplicate" questions (What is the correct possessive for nouns ending in "‑s"? or Apostrophe after Proper Noun ending with s) but their answer were inconsistent and even added up to my confusion, with one contributor saying that plurals that finish with an "s" should go with option (2), and any other words (except Jesus etc.) with option (1).... Is it a case of old vs modern, or American versus British? Which form would be more correct in a professional setting? Do people actually care? Thank you :-) |
123 | 19,847 | 76823_0 | > **Possible Duplicate:** > What is the correct possessive for nouns ending in s? > When did it become correct to add an 's' to a singular possessive already > ending in 's'? I always had this difficulty understanding how to depict possessive nature for words ending with s. For example: Is it correct to say, "James's heart is made of gold"? Or is there any other way to use apostrophes with words ending with S? |
124 | 41,889 | 76823_0 | > **Possible Duplicate:** > What is the correct possessive for nouns ending in s? Me and a friend are wondering whether the right form of the possessive for the plural of a word (say dog) would be dogs' or dogs's Example sentence: > Those dogs' water bowls are empty or > Those dogs's water bowls are empty Also, could you please clear up the use of the possessive on words both singular and plural which end with the letter 's'? |
125 | 15,609 | 76823_0 | > **Possible Duplicate:** > What is the correct possessive for nouns ending in s? I want to write this sentence: > In a singleton pattern, a class's constructor needs to be private instead of > public. it is correct to write: * a classes constructor * a class' constructor * a class's constructor * a classes' constructor |
126 | 22,978 | 76823_0 | > **Possible Duplicates:** > What is the correct possessive for nouns ending in s? > Pronouncing possessive words that already end in s How do I pronounce possessives that end with the awkward "s's" and "'s"? Examples: > I found the mistress's attitude ridiculous > > These are the eggs' shells. > > Which coat is Amos'? |
127 | 108,150 | 76823_0 | I always forget the rule about if something is possessive put 's at the end, for example "the sailor's hat". I know some people say to remember because it has a different meaning if it's plural (e.g. "the sailors hat" would mean there's multiple sailors owning the hat) but it also doesn't make sense if 's is expanded to it is (e.g. "the sailor is hat"). Does anyone have any advice on how to remember this? I had to look it up and found this article which claims that if something has an s at the end already it is preferable to add 's (see note on rule 2). I was taught not to. Is it better to add a second s? For example Chris's golf clubs vs Chris' golf clubs. |
128 | 52,244 | 76823_0 | > **Possible Duplicate:** > What is the correct possessive for nouns ending in s? "Please submit your and your parent(s)' federal tax returns." Is the possessive of "parent(s)'" correctly formatted in that sentence? I know the apostrophe comes before the "s" for just parent singular, and it would come after the "s" for parents plural, but what if I don't know if it is one or two parents, and therefore want to use the (s)? |
129 | 118,097 | 76823_0 | In a SU topic about computer viruses I wanted to write a sentence starting with something like `The ability of a virus to...`. So I started writing `A viruse's ability to...` and realized that `viruse's` doesn't seem quite right. Nor does `viruss'` or anything else I can come up with. What is the proper way to write this word in this context? |
130 | 1,073 | 76823_0 | What is the possessive of a noun ending in _‑s_? Are these both right, or is the second one wrong? 1. the boys' books 2. the boss' car |
131 | 111,169 | 76823_0 | Currently, we are having an issue at work where we may not be able to tack on apostrophes to words programmatically, in order to make them possessive, because of certain edge cases; such as Arkansas' versus Arkansas's. From what I've read on the Purdue OWL, you should add an apostrophe to a singular form of a word to make it possessive, even if it ends in -s. However, I've also come across several debates. So, my question is: how do you correctly make Arkansas possessive? |
132 | 44,026 | 76823_0 | > **Possible Duplicate:** > What is the correct possessive for nouns ending in s? Before you vote to close as a duplicate, note that these two questions deal with similar issues to this, but none of them address all three criteria of this question: * The singular already ends with an _s_. * I am dealing with multiple of the thing. * I want the possessive of all of them in general. The singular is _class_ , and the plural is _classes_. The singular possessive is _class's_ (as addressed here). What is the plural possessive? Is it _classes's_ , or _classes'_? |
133 | 35,654 | 76823_0 | > **Possible Duplicate:** > What is the correct possessive for nouns ending in s? > When did it become correct to add an 's' to a singular possessive already > ending in 's'? I've always heard that when talking about stuff belonging to either a Jones or many Jones, you'd write Jones' (pronounced Joneses). But recently I've stumbled upon a book which consistently uses Jones's when talking of a single Jones. What's the correct way of using possesives? |
134 | 174,727 | 76823_0 | What is the difference between Process's and Process' . Please mention the usage as well. |
135 | 117,544 | 76823_0 | Is it correct to say "Forbes' building was sold to NYU" or "Forbes's building was sold to NYU" ? Or perhaps both are correct? |
136 | 142,427 | 76823_0 | Programming languages like **sEnglish** , **Inform7** , **WolframAlpha** , and even **AppleScript** purport to use the "natural language programming" (NLP) paradigm. Even **SQL** is a kind of NLP, if you think about it. Since I've only ever seen these in English, I wonder if the grammar and syntax of English make it a great candidate for programming expressions. I'm inclined to doubt it, because my beef with NLP is that English vocabularly is overloaded and is particularly ambiguous, whereas programming languages (even NLP) demand clarity and precision of expression. So you get sucked into thinking "Hey, natural language, this should be easy. I already speak English!" And you wind up unconsciously extending the syntax with other constructions that are understood in English by humans, but don't survive the compiler's syntax checking. Note that I'm not asking if English is "logical," because it isn't. And, as John McWhorter says, "No language makes perfect sense." |
137 | 13,135 | 76823_0 | > **Possible Duplicate:** > Octopuses, octopi, or octo? What is the "proper" plural of "octopus"? A web search turns up three candidates, but is there a "right" answer? |
138 | 103,914 | 76823_0 | I have recently found this video online from Merriam Webster saying the plural form of octopus is in fact octopuses. The video explains how octopus comes from the Greek language and thus it would be incorrect to say octopi since that is a latin plural form. The Greek plural of octopus would be octopodes, but octopus actually turns into an English word which makes the plural octopuses. With that being said, why do dictionaries have octopi listed as the plural form if that is incorrect? Is the plural so widely misused that they just threw in octopi in there? And then there is the Latin word radius. No one ever uses the word radiuses however it is listed in the dictionary. In fact, even my google chrome and firefox spell checker tells me radiuses is incorrect. Is this word never meant to be used? Despite radius also being an English word, people will always say radii for the plural version. |
139 | 26,168 | 76823_0 | > **Possible Duplicate:** > "Octopuses", "octopi", or "octo"? I've heard octopi, octopuses, octopodes, octopoids, and every time someone uses any of those, all people in the surrounding area immediately launch into an argument about which it is. So, which one is the actual plural form of octopus? |
140 | 130,460 | 76823_0 | I remember reading Dan Brown's the Lost Symbol and coming across a word that was used to call one of Katherine lab/research rooms. I can't remember what it is, and this really bugs me. Does anyone know this word? (Or at least understand what I'm talking about?) Thanks Edit 1: Maybe it doesn't even have to be glass walled. Just any kind of lab or just a room. |
141 | 132,274 | 76823_0 | Suppose I classify dishes in a restaurant menu. I would like to classify them by two categories: * _Category 1_ : 1. entree 2. main course 3. dessert 4. etc. * _Category 2_ : 1. meat 2. fish 3. vegetables 4. cheese 5. etc. What would you call _category 1_ and _category 2_ ? |
142 | 274 | 76823_0 | I'm curious to hear from folks in the the Northeast United States (or anyone, really) an explanation of why "standing on line" seems preferable to "standing in line" in the US northeast. I imagine for many people that their reasons for preference will be that "It just sounds better," just as my reasons for my preference is that "standing on line" sounds too awkward to my ears. That said, I can't even create a linguistic argument for why it might be more "correct." |
143 | 162,442 | 76823_0 | Which is correct? * 1.) _Attached_ **are** _our compensation plan, an independent contract agreement, and a W9._ or * 2.) _Attached_ **is** _our compensation plan, an independent contract agreement, and a W9._ I thought because each of the items segregated by the comma was singular it should be "is". |
144 | 19,975 | 76823_0 | How is "e.g." pluralized? Usually I just see "e.g." used regardless of the number of examples given, but I don't know if that's correct or merely a product of widespread ignorance. More rarely, I've seen "ee.g." and "e.e.g." but I haven't been able to verify that either of those is right. |
145 | 195,516 | 76823_0 | > I know for a fact _don’t anybody go by there._ What is the meaning of the italicised part? |
146 | 16,704 | 76823_0 | What does "email exchange" mean? |
147 | 19,979 | 76823_0 | What does an exclamation mark inside parentheses "(!)" mean? I saw this in a book review I was reading and I didn't understand what the use of it was. Can someone help me? |
148 | 80,590 | 76823_0 | Is there a single word for someone who forms their own opinion based entirely on their personal experience, without having been influenced by any outside source? |
149 | 88,022 | 76823_0 | I am a programmer and my current project has me scanning and analyzing texts to see what elements can be corrected automatically. For example, change _i_ to _I_ , _ur_ to _your_ , etc. Basically getting rid mobile text speak. That's pretty straight forward. However, things get a bit more interesting when you have a sentence like, "i fOund you dog. Plz call." In my programming, most of that is simple to correct. But what about 'you dog?' Was it meant to be 'your dog?' Was it meant to be 'you, dog?' So you can see, this could get pretty deep, and I think it will be fun to analyze English grammar rules to see what can be accomplished through computer means. My google searches are coming up with nothing, so if any of you English buffs out there are also programmers who have discussed rules like this, please let me know where I can join in. Thanks! |
150 | 88,021 | 76823_0 | This is adapted from a silly conversation I had about a baseball player. It set me wondering how to describe this sort of wordplay linguistically. > HIM: Do we leave Jay in center? > HER: He's pretty good. > HIM: Better than average maybe. > HER: Not _much_ better than average ... > HIM: Better than not much better than average, I think ... > HER: But not so much better than average that he's _much_ better than > average ... > HIM: _Enough_ better than average. > HER: Exactly. Typography in writing, representing prosody in speech, make it easy enough to sort out what's going on here. But how do you explain it in terms of a linguistic which confines itself to what is _verbally_ expressed? * How does “traditional” grammar analyze and describe these shifts in scope? * Are these terms and concepts readily understood by, say, high-school students or moderately advanced EFL students? * Does any “modern” grammar afford better terms and concepts? |
151 | 2,031 | 76823_0 | I can’t for the life of me figure out where to use _a_ and where to use _the_ — and where there is no article at all. Is there a simple rule of thumb to memorize? The standard rule you always hear: > “If a person knows which item you are talking about then use "the" . . . doesn’t clear things up for me, as I have no idea whether or not they know. |
152 | 65,896 | 76823_0 | There are two correct (I hope so) sentences with _weather_ taken from a book: > * Was _the weather_ nice? > * Did you have nice _weather_? > Can somebody explain why there's an article in the first sentence and there isn't an article in the second one? |
153 | 185,546 | 76823_0 | I'm responding a test. I write a correct answer: > * I was telling _the_ stories this time yesterday. > * He isn't answering _the calls_ at the moment. > Is the use of the definite article in these examples correct? |
154 | 6,236 | 76823_0 | > **Possible Duplicate:** > Are there any simple rules for article usage ("a" vs "the" vs none) Is there a good rule for articles usage? I just don't get it and everytime in doubts. |
155 | 147,987 | 76823_0 | Would you please explain the difference between the following? > **The** average American city requires a prodigious amount of fish daily. And: > **An** average American city requires a prodigious amount of fish daily. Thanks in advance |
156 | 96,935 | 76823_0 | > **Possible Duplicate:** > Are there any simple rules for article usage (“a” vs “the” vs none) Which article should I use in the following situations? 1. There is only one book store near my school, and I buy books there. Suppose that I'm having a conversation with a person who doesn't know anything about that book store, my school, how many book stores are near it, or if there are any at all. Which of the following should I use? > * I buy books in _a_ book store near my school. > * I buy books in _the_ book store near my school. 2. The same situation, but there are several book stores near my school, and I buy books in only one of them. 3. The same situation, but I buy books in all of the book stores without any distinction. I hope that I made myself clear enough. |
157 | 189,760 | 76823_0 | When do we omit the definite article THE at the beginning of a phrase and for what reason? _Removal of skin_ or _the removal of skin_. Could someone give some examples? |
158 | 71,333 | 76823_0 | > **Possible Duplicate:** > Are there any simple rules for article usage ("a" vs "the" vs none) Which is correct? 1. Everyone knows what a proton is. 2. Everyone knows what the proton is. 3. Everyone knows what proton is. |
159 | 134,391 | 76823_0 | I have some questions concerning sentences. 1. ... majoring in Biological Systems Engineering chosen by [full name] conclude with preparation of **a thesis** and the engineering exam. The title of the thesis prepared by ... 2. ... majoring in Biological Systems Engineering chosen by [full name] conclude with preparation of **the thesis** and the engineering exam. The title of the thesis prepared by ... 3. ... majoring in Biological Systems Engineering chosen by [full name] conclude with preparation of **thesis** and the engineering exam. The title of the thesis prepared by ... Which sentences is correct? Which sentence is better? Thank you for your help in advance. |
160 | 133,835 | 76823_0 | > * the Chinese invented the paper > * the Chinese invented paper > I can't decide which article we get before _paper_ -- zero article or _the_. Are we talking about paper in general (so zero article is used before it) or is the definite article _the_ used? |
161 | 140,783 | 76823_0 | Which one is correct? > * An apple is green. > * Apple is green. > * The apple is green. > Please describe for me. |
162 | 180,914 | 76823_0 | Which of the three articles (a/an/the) would the blanks in the following sentence take? **It is not unusual for ____ editor to tamper with _____ writer's manuscript.** I think it should be **'an'** and **'the'** in the first and second blank respectively, but my colleagues think otherwise. Please suggest. |
163 | 120,231 | 76823_0 | A police officer is discussing a case, after returning from the crime scene: > 'Hardly that,' said he, 'when I saw **signs of strange weapons** I was > inclined to think so.' Referring to those signs of strange weapons so definitely, why doesn't the police officer say " _the_ signs of strange weapons"? |
164 | 187,332 | 76823_0 | I'd like to know when I should use 'the' and when I shouldn't. For example: " **The use** of 'the' is confusing" or " **Use** of 'the' is confusing" ? "There's a building over there, **the height** of the building is 50m" or "There's a building over there, **height** of the building is 50m" ? "What's **the rule** behind it?" or "What's **rule** behind it?" |
165 | 55,368 | 76823_0 | > **Possible Duplicate:** > Are there any simple rules for article usage ("a" vs "the" vs none) Can someone explain the difference between 'the messenger' and 'a messenger'? Please don't just explain that one is a definite and another is an indefinite article. I have seen people using both where differentiating one from the other seems difficult to understand. For example: > I am just the messenger. > > I am just a messenger. |
166 | 177,836 | 76823_0 | I have read some grammar points about definite/indefinite articles, but I still have problems recognizing the right choice in questions requiring them. I know sometimes I can omit articles but I don't know exactly when.(Maybe this is the most confusing point for me!) For example: > It would be difficult to imagine---life without---telephone. Answer:(zero > article/the) Why not?(zero article/zero article) Why "the" is needed here? > > \---government is now insisting that --- math is taught with traditional > methods. Answer:(The/zero article) Why not?(zero article/zero article) Why > "the" is needed here? > > \---company needs to make sure that it is earning --- profit. Answer:(A/a) > Why not(zero article/a)? Isn't company a general thing? Or maybe any special > company?(using "the") We don't have any context here to understand what it > really means. Same things here: I don't mind---airport;it's---flying that I > hate.(the/the) or (the/zero article) During---spring semester,---chemistry > will not be offered.(the/zero article) or (zero article/zero article) > > \---Microscope was invented by him.(the/zero article) Can someone please > provide information or resources to get better answers? |
167 | 83,238 | 76823_0 | > **Possible Duplicate:** > Are there any simple rules for article usage ("a" vs "the" vs none) I always don't understand which one to use, **a** or **the** or nothing. I got a question about programming and wanted to ask something like "What would be the best way to release a beta version of a plugin?" Here I'm always not certain that a noun after the **of** , in this case, **plugin** , should have which article, a or the or none. Which one is correct? 1. "What would be the best way to release a beta version of **a** plugin?" 2. "What would be the best way to release a beta version of **the** plugin?" 3. "What would be the best way to release a beta version of plugin?" I understand that **a** means one of many and **the** means a specific one. So I guess #1 is the correct sentence but I'm not sure. Also if the sentence gets more details like "What would be the best way to release a beta version of **(a/the/none)** plugin of WordPress?" Then it becomes specific to WordPress so should the noun, plugin, have an article, the? But there are so many WordPress plugins in public. So it could be a; I don't know. But what if the sentence is like "What would be the best way to release a beta version of **(a/the/none)** plugin of WordPress which I'm currently working on?" This one should be **the** I guess because it's very specific. This is really a hard part to get in English for me. Thanks for your explanation. [Update] I found another confusing case. > Me: If I use the WordPress caching functionality, does it slow down ( > _the/a/none_ ) page loading speed? > > Somebody: No, it won't affect _(the/a/none)_ speed. > > Me: Are you sure? How can you tell it won't affect _(the/a/none)_ server > responses? In this case, it's specific to the speed on a server which uses WordPress caching feature. However, it could be many; there are lots of Web servers which installed WordPress and using the caching system. So it could be one of those. So I don't know if _a_ could be applied here too. |
168 | 155,879 | 76823_0 | When we want to refer to a specific noun, we use the definite article 'the'. When the noun is followed by a defining clause, again we use the defining article 'the'. My question is why the following sentence does not have the article 'the'? The who-clause seems to require the article. _People who haven't got cars can't stop at these out-of-town stores_ Moreover, if I want to refer to, say, some cookies that can be find at a particular store, should I say: _Rolo Cookies are cookies (that are) sold at Tesco_. or _Rolo Cookies are the cookies (that are) sold at Tesco?_ Another example: _"Make that change" is a/the??? slogan written on the Oriflame eye shadow pallet_. Could someone explain why sentence #2 in the question is ungrammatical because there i is no explanation why the article is used: Use of article in front of product names |
169 | 42,255 | 76823_0 | > **Possible Duplicate:** > Are there any simple rules for article usage ("a" vs "the" vs none) > When should I use “a” vs “an”? Can anyone explain to me when and where to use articles? I always get confused with the usage of _a_ , _an_ , _the_. |
170 | 110,792 | 76823_0 | Which of the following sentences are correct? 1. Although it lives in all oceans and most seas, it prefers temperate and polar regions. 2. Although it lives in all oceans and most seas, it prefers the temperate and polar regions. |
171 | 187,365 | 76823_0 | Suppose I need to mention two nouns in a phrase so that they are joined with either "and" or "or". Do I use "the/a/an" with the both of the nouns or just with the first one? |
172 | 150,991 | 76823_0 | > A human ear responds to a wide range of frequencies. My teacher already has said me, when you are speaking about a part of your body that it belongs to it- it is not artificial et cetera- you must say the following: the eye the ear . . et cetera. But, I just have seen the above sentence. Would anybody kindly elaborate it? Many thanks |
173 | 114,446 | 76823_0 | Most of the time I understand how to use articles, but when it comes to certain sentences I start to lose confidence. Could anyone please consider the following uses? In each case I am trying to explain how I see it, any corrections or answers are welcome. (Maybe somebody has links to some pieces of texts, where each article is explained, if so then please post a link here) **A.** > ( **1** )The potential disruptions in ( **2** )the functioning of ( **3** ) > an integrated global monetary system could result in ( **4** )a renewed > global economic meltdown as well as ( **5** )a drop off in ( **6** > )international commodity trade. 1. Perhaps disruptions were mentioned earlier? But if they were not, does it mean that they are specific? (we know that they stem from "...the functioning of..." and that they "could result in...") 2. As I understand, we can use _the_ before a noun if it is followed by "of something"? 3. Isn't "integrated global monetary system" something unique? (thus requring using _the_ ). **B.** > This global oversupply of commodities is ( **1** )a direct consequence of > the decline in purchasing power and rising levels of poverty [.] ( **2** > )Oversupply contributes in turn to the further depression of the earnings of > the direct producers through the closure of excess productive capacity. 1. Isn't "direct consequence" something specific? It is indicated what is the essence of this consequence (that is, "global oversupply") and we can see that the consequence occurred due to "the decline in" . This question correlates with **A**.( **2** ). 2. The absence of the definite article in ( **2** ) is not clear. Maybe it is a mistake. Maybe it is an uncountable, general noun. However, could (or should) we use _the_ as we have a connection with the previously mentioned "global oversupply". The second sentence sounds for me like "[this] oversupply contributes..." **C.** > The legal basis for CEEPUS is ( **1** )an international Agreement signed by > the member states and open for accession. 1. Isn't a particular "international agreement(that was signed...and then serving as "the legal basis" for a particular thing )" implied here (thus, requiring _the_ )? **D**. > [It] is a two-year Program that provides the( **1** ) students with the( > **2** ) essential insights, capabilities and intellectual tools to analyse > the legal problems of the information society 1. Why is _the_ used? I can assume that, for example, enrolled (thus, particular) students are implied there. However can we use zero article if we are talking, for example, about any and all students (that is, indefinite 'population' of students) who are interested in this program. 2. Why is _the_ used? I can assume that these insights were mentioned somewhere earlier (in other sections describing this particular program). Or _the_ is used because they are somewhat particular insights, that is "essential insights ... to analyse [smth]" however these 'insights' still sound to me like an abstract concept - infinite set of such essential insights. (And not a particular set of some cognitive processes) because there is not any strong description of them. Each student can obtain a different set of skills/methods and a different level of knowledge to analyse the problems. Thus there can be infinite set of such essential insights. |
174 | 158,105 | 76823_0 | I know strength is a noun. So in some sentences article is used and in some sentences, an article is not used before Strength. Example I was impressed by his strength. She's doing exercises to build up the strength in her legs. I would appreciate if anybody can she some light on it? Parry |
175 | 147,367 | 76823_0 | In English, _generic reference_ takes three possible forms: A. Cats are cute. B. A cat is cute. C. The cat is cute. But the names of nationalities seem to me to make an exception to this rule. As far as I know, when referring to all the members of a nation, you can only use the _C_ version: _The Italians are musical_ , or _The French are posh_ , or _The British are cold_. Why is it that in this case only _C_ is considered grammatically correct? If all the Italians, or all the French, or all the British are musical, posh, or cold, why can't we also say: A. *Italians are... // *French are... // *British are... or B. *An Italian is... // *A French is... /// *A British is... ? |
176 | 145,098 | 76823_0 | What's the difference (or correct way of saying it) between the followings: 1. "Review plan" vs "Review a plan" vs "Review the plan"? 2. "Agree on plan" vs "Agree on a plan" vs "Agree on the plan" 3. "Implementation of the plans" vs "Implementation of plans? vs "Implementation of plan"? I suppose it boils down to when do you add "the" or "a" or not add it at all? |
177 | 100,016 | 76823_0 | When should _proxime_ and _proximate_ be used? Can they be used both to mean _spatial_ as well as _temporal_ nearness? Are they being used differently in British and American English? |
178 | 52,469 | 76823_0 | If I have, for example, a model ship, model railroad, model car, etc. what is the best word to refer to the original from what this model is created? I'm also looking for a context-free version, to use it in a heading and the table of contents, this is why I'm looking for an alternative for "model" or "prototype". |
179 | 100,014 | 76823_0 | Which is correct? > * If you tell me the cause, I will have a better chance **at** fixing the > problem. > * If you tell me the cause, I will have a better chance **of** fixing the > problem. > A quick Google search for the two phrases returns a nearly equal number of results. So, perhaps both are correct. However, there are some scenarios where it seems "chance of" is the only correct option. For example, > The chances **of** dying in an airplane crash are nearly 100%. Using " _chances **at** dying_" doesn't seem right in the above statement. Are there any general usage guidelines for this? |
180 | 153,774 | 76823_0 | At uni you can do the final test of a course twice, what do you call the second test ? Is it a second term ? No that's the second semester isn't it ? |
181 | 100,013 | 76823_0 | Is it correct to use the expression "consolidate cost" when you add cost figures in a specific period of time? The context is a description of what a piece of code is doing: > consolidate cost over several periods I've found the following definition of _consolidate_ : > to bring together (separate parts) into a single or unified whole; unite; > combine: _They consolidated their three companies_. But a Google search for "consolidate cost" only returns 12 600 results which is usually an indication of a wrong usage. |
182 | 153,771 | 76823_0 | I have been edited in some SE post while using the saxon genitive in the next sentence, where I'm referring to the ToC of the corresponding MWE. _In this' MWE ToC A and B should link to the same point._ The edition was to change _this'_ with _this_. What is the problem there? "when talking about things that belong to other things" |
183 | 17,253 | 76823_0 | A statement is said to be _tongue-in-cheek_ if it is not to be taken seriously. How did this meaning come into vogue? Where did it originate from? |
184 | 52,466 | 76823_0 | The "Deutsche Bahn" - our German railway exmonopolist - is driving me nuts each time I ride the train, when the conductors tell us > In 5 minutes, we arrive Bremen consistently in all trains and from all speakers. In my young days, I learned it to be "arrive at" or "arrive in" or "reach" ... did I miss something, or is this a coprorate-language-school-quirk? |
185 | 140,350 | 76823_0 | One recipe states "one cup of cheese, shredded". Now, does this mean you need a "cup" of cheese (i.e. 8oz.) and then grate it (I am English), or do you grate it first and then measure your "cup" of the resultant grated cheese? The volume will be greater once the cheese is grated! I am anxious to get the right quantity; if it said "one cup of grated cheese" that would be clear. It seems to me that this system of using 'cup' measurement is all based on volume, rather than weight. |
186 | 63,024 | 76823_0 | I have a website. I have 5 subscription options in my site. As of now my titles displayed like this: 1. subscribe by email 2. subscribe by rss 3. subscribe using facebook 4. subscribe using twitter 5. subscribe using googleplus My 3,4,5 title looks long. So can I use "by" word instead of "using"? I mean like "subscribe by facebook","subscribe by twitter","subscribe by googleplus". |
187 | 63,025 | 76823_0 | I am trying to write a sentence where a person has very negative feelings towards Nature and the natural world. The feelings would be misanthropic, if directed towards people. Is there such a word? I'd like to use it in a sentence such as this one: > Bob deliberately put his recyclables into the garbage can, being in a > particularly [word similar misanthropy but directed at Nature/the natural > world] mood, after being pooped on by a pigeon on the way to the office. |
188 | 95,799 | 76823_0 | I am wondering if there is a positive, formal counterpart to the slang "No strings attached" to describe, for example, a parent's unquestioned devotion to their children, or the virtue of someone's "a friend in need is a friend in deed", help first, question later mentality. |
189 | 194,084 | 76823_0 | There is a family of grammars called construction grammar that started perhaps in the 80s with the work of Fillmore & Kay among others. Examples of constructions include: 1. the time + _away_ construction ( _they danced the night away_ ) 2. the _way_ construction ( _he glad handed his way into the club_ ) 3. the incredulity construction ( _Bush, a humanitarian!?_ ) I'm wondering if there is a dictionary or list of these constructions. I'm not looking for something exhaustive, but fairly extensive. Various online searches have turned up only a Japanese dictionary _The Taishukan Contemporary Dictionary of English Constructions_ , but judging from the Japanese title 〈最新〉英語構文事典, I would say it's unlikely to be what I'm after. |
190 | 9,257 | 76823_0 | Which sentence is right? > * It's important that he should know this. > * It's important that he shall know this. > Is the _shall/should_ auxiliary or modal verb? |
191 | 9,254 | 76823_0 | I have often heard presenters talking about _something centered around another thing_ , but it seems a bit illogical and hence improper to talk like this. Am I right about this? |
192 | 29,299 | 76823_0 | Why do we say "ain't I" or "aren't I" instead of "amn't I"? What's the history of this usage? Are there any other similar patterns in English? I'm guessing it has something to do with the dispreference of two consecutive nasal consonants, but a more authoritative answer would be great. |
193 | 9,252 | 76823_0 | Please tell me if the following sentences have the same meaning or if there is any difference between them. > 1. I can't do this task. > 2. I didn't finish this task. > |
194 | 9,253 | 76823_0 | Every other time I see a "wet floor" sign the following idea comes to my mind. That sign forces me through unnecessary mental effort to deduce that wet floors can be slippery. I think it's like providing a set of differential equations that describe slippery floors and expecting that everyone recognizes them and deduces that there's danger of falling. The sign actually means "man, the floor is slippery, you can fall and break apart" and IMO it could just read "slippery floor" instead. Is there any reason why those signs use "wet floor" phrasing? |
195 | 5,475 | 76823_0 | I'm not sure what these are called, but how can I form a word like "quadruple" for any number I want? Like 5× as much is quintuple, what is 31× as much or 147× as much? I want to know how they are formed so I can make my own. Similarly, how do I construct the prefixes, such as unicycle, bicycle, tricycle, quadricycle? I figured out 12 is duodeci-, but how can I form any prefix like this? |
196 | 111,277 | 76823_0 | I forget what the word for 5 times is. I know it is single, double, triple, quadruple but forgot what the one for 5 is. |
197 | 10,704 | 76823_0 | I found the phrase _backing forward or backing back_ in Secretary State Hillary Clinton’s remark on the Sunday Show, which was quoted in today’s Washington Post as follows. > Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton continued making the rounds on the > Sunday shows to discuss the fast-evolving situation in Egypt. "This is a > complex, very difficult situation," said Clinton, "We do not want to send > any message about backing forward or backing back." What does _backing forward or backing back_ mean? Does it mean _keep positive support to Mubarak regime_ or _Withdraw support to Mubarak regime_ , or simply mean _move back and fro_ , or _move back further_ on U.S. policy toward Egypt? |
198 | 149,143 | 76823_0 | I applied for a job today (online). The conversation I had with HR is below. Me: > Since I'm from India so could you please let me know whether you'll be > providing H1B-Visa or not? HR: > This position does not merit an H-1B. The job requires training in the US > for about 2.5 months and then deployment to Antarctica. When we have an > international hire we get a short term J-1 visa for the training period > only. There is no visa requirement for Antarctica. I'm not getting him completely. Does the above means I am allowed to get training in US or I must have a VISA which they are not ready to provide? |
199 | 149,141 | 76823_0 | What's the proper term to use if you want to talk about trying to move up in the lineup or switch up? |
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