In Constructions^x, Expressions^x

"The Change of the Characteristics in the passage from The Hours" The passage from the novel The Hours by Michael Cunningham is intriguing. The passage illustrates the difference between the character's characteristics in different time settings: past and present. This difference is...

Given the structure: he drew compensation from the team until beginning his investigation in March 2006. One possible paraphrase is as you have written it: he drew compensation from the team until the beginning of his investigation in March 2006. But a better paraphrase is: he drew...

I agree with you, Barb. My ear rebels against "It's 10 minutes' meeting".I think the construction in question is most common in (to the point of being nearly exclusive to) expressions such as "in 10 mintues' time" or "in 3 months' time". And even then, I think it sounds more British than American.

Whether an expression is number transparent shouldn't vary depending on whether agreement is "from the left" or "from the right". Are you finding cases where that's so? (The only agreement with the verb on the left is the there construction, isn't it? Is that what you mean?) I don't...

Chariot wrote: The fax machine is running out of ink. (1) The ink is running out. (2) Is (2) a correct expression? Thanks. It certainly is a common construction.

Clive wrote:Hi, Very generally speaking, the expression 'How about these?' in writing often seems infelicitous and imprecise. CliveHello Clive,Thank to you, I've just learned a new word, infelicitous! If you don't mind, may I pose a few more questions to you?Question #1: The phrase 'very...

Hello, I'm sorry I have more than one question today, and I will post them all here because I'm supposed to hand this part in on Sunday. Help me explain what's in red please: A) The implications 1 for parents and educational policy makers is to realize that intense intellectual input and...

Hi, He sat all day glued to the TV. We spent the entire morning tied up in meetings.What is the correct term for the underlined constructions? I think you may be thinking of 'figurative expressions'. Clive

Mister Micawber wrote:Here where I live, we deal with those kinds of incidents almost EVERY DAY. Kind has two plurals, the old unchanged kind and the newer kinds. The original plural can still be used in the expressions these/those kind of:" —Usage. The phrase THESE (or THOSE) KIND OF, followed...

Is "propose to do sth" a grammatically correct expression? I know "propose that ..." is all right. In addition to that construction, I also say "propose doing sth.". But I'm quite hesitant in using it in the way mentioned above. Look forward to your kind comments. Thanks, Vincent