In Constructions^x, Verbs^x

Hello. Sorry to hear you're feeling uncomfortable with this type of activity. But you're not alone: I would be, too! The sentences lack context, which makes it difficult to tell when tense changes are necessary and when they are not (among other things). There is one sentence that is...

No, Jim, I really meant an adjective, as in "I'm happy to see you". happy to see you = predicative (or subject complement if you wish); adjectival construction. happy = head of the predicative to see you = to-infinitive clause acting as "adjectival complement" (which...

In Old English there was a real infinitive (bare) -- e.g. "fremman" (to do) -- and the "inflected infinitive" -- "to fremmenne" (in order to do). The bare infinitive was used with auxiliaries/modals much as it still is, while the inflected infinitive was used to...

In response to the questions posed in the first post of this thread, "the officer" is NOT the subject of the sentence regardless of whether the sentence is active or passive. "The officer" is undoubtedly the doer of the action in both sentences, but it is the subject only in...

Hello, welcome to the forum. No need to say sorry - that's what we are here for You have quite a few problems but nothing major and you are certainly understandable, so you are getting there! I'd say your main problems are verb tenses - for example 'technologies keep...

Sorry - "old wives' tale". The meaning that I meant in this context refers to an unverified claim and with untrue detail. It is a proverb that is so named becasue it stems from discursive constructions on the alleged lack of sophistication of old wives, so I am led to believe.

Your instinct is right--the phrase refers to "last year's figure " but the word "figure" is understood and so dropped. So grammatically the spelling should be year's. However, it has become common especially in conversation to drop the 's, and that has slipped...

. Some grammarians don't like the name 'gerund' and stick with 'participial form of the verb' and/or call such clauses merely ' ' -ing ' clauses'. If the clause serves as a noun, the -ing verb form can be called a gerund. Utilizing tomography thrills me. My...

"It lay a dog on the bed" does attempt, unsuccessfully, to make 'it' the subject. The prepatory 'there' is never the subject of a sentence. "There was a dog lying on the bed." In this sentence the dog is the subject, because this is what the verb is happening...

BeginStudent, You will see this type of construction quiet often. She looks good! = Everything about her is good This wine tastes terrific. = This wine is terrific This station’s music sounds boring. = The music is boring . When we are working with verbs of senses “feel, taste, sounds...