Search results for 'tag:Determiners tag:Verbs' matching tags 'Determiners' and 'Verbs'

Re: The next / Next

CalifJim — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 16:18:59 GMT

Oops! I oversimplified. My remarks pertained to the use of next and the next when referring to time. Trains are different!

Both of your examples require the next (train). train is a countable, singular, concrete noun, so it has to have a determiner. This takes precedence over any other considerations.

Time expressions are adverbial, so We're leaving next Monday is OK. Monday is noun-like, but it's used as an adverb. And besides, it's not a concrete noun anyway.

Re: Noun number and determiner

Goodman — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 15:20:43 GMT

Hi KVE,
Welcome!
<<<<Variations in noun number and determiners:
. - If he is a pianist or a singer, yes, you can say. "he performed [for ] many charities [last year]". Note the brackets.
. "Perform" is a verb with broad meaning. He performed poorly on the project= He didn't show his best ability on the project.But your sentence also carries a hint that he could be involved with charity work.

She loves to pull your legs.- This is ok. This means she loves to do practical jokes on you, or kid around with you.

Re: few, tag questions

Teo — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 13:29:11 GMT

There are several adverbs and determiners which are negative in meaning but not in form. They include: seldom, rarely; scarcely, hardly, barely; little, few (in contrast to the positive a little and a few) They can effect clause negation: for example sentences in which they appear generally require a positive tag question.

1. There are few students in the classroom, __ there? (A) are (B) aren't

I think the answer is A because few is negative in meaning. Am I right?

3. There are only a few students in the classroom, __ there? (A) are (B) aren't

Is only a few positive or negative in meaning?

Re: Grammar Suggestion

Mr Wordy — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 23:24:50 GMT

1. Why itâs not good using "Gently landing" I mean gently is adverb of verb landing?

There is no problem with "gently landing" itself. As you rightly say, "gently" is an adverb qualifying "landing". The issue is whether, in the sentence you wrote, the verb "landing" fits the noun "glow". It's not wrong, but to me it sounded slightly odd.

2. Glow is singular, so we use "it's" to balance subject-verb agreement, is it correct?

Almost. It should be "its", not "it's". (It's actually noun-determiner agreement rather than subject-verb agreement.)

Today, in these pleasant evening rays, different colors stepping [ or streaming would be good?] inn through my brown [adding different adjective] window, [situated word is ok?] over the tall blue, right-hand side wall, [same] I feel much relaxed -- light as fur, the dark cloud of stress and fatigue seemingly fading away.

"tall blue, right-hand side wall" is, to me, slightly too much. "right-hand side wall" isn't really grammatical, and again I question whether it helps the sentence to mention that it's "right-hand". If you really do want to include this kind of detail then I wonder if you would do better with two sentences -- perhaps one sentence to explain the layout of the room, window and wall, and another to describe the sun's rays and the feelings that they evoked.

As I mentioned before, "stepping" is the wrong word; "streaming" is fine. "Inn" should be "in". I don't understand what you mean by "situated word is ok?".

And I would like to ask, what if the last line [the dark cloud of stress and fatigue seemingly fading away]
I separate it from rest of the sentence. Would it be fine in case of coherence where each sentence should agree with previous?

I think I answered that one before. I said: "But if you were starting a new sentence then 'seem to be' would be correct: I feel much relaxed -- light as fur. The dark clouds of stress and fatigue seem to be fading away."

Re: has / have

Yoong Liat — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 13:40:54 GMT

Grammar Geek

You need some sort of determiner before "meal."

In the U.S., we generlaly use a singular verb for family, but would still use "their" in the plural.

The dining area is where the family has/eats their meals.

It's the same in BrE; either a singular or a plural verb can be used after 'family'.

My family was/were in Orchard Road last Sunday.

Re: has / have

Grammar Geek — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 13:32:26 GMT

You need some sort of determiner before "meal."

In the U.S., we generlaly use a singular verb for family, but would still use "their" in the plural.

The dining area is where the family has/eats their meals.

Re: predicate adjective??

CalifJim — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 17:40:58 GMT

There is no consensus on how to handle numerals. They are like determiners and like nouns. Some grammarians just use "numeral" as another part of speech, like "noun" or "verb".

I offer this analysis, but there are surely others.

fifty is a noun acting as a determiner for years.

years is a noun acting as an adverb of degree for old.

fifty years is thus an adverbial expression modifying old.

old is an adjective. Functionally in that sentence old is a predicate adjective.

Re: There's no/not

Yankee — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 02:33:47 GMT

<<You can't have an adverb between a determiner and its noun. >>

Is there no even remotely possible chance of that?

Sorry, Jim. I do agree with what you wrote, and I suppose my comment above could use a couple of commas.

(I'm also testing to see whether my posts are still getting gobbled up by some mysterious cyber bug.)

Re: There's no/not

CalifJim — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 02:02:03 GMT

Liveinjapan
There's no even a desk in the room.

No! Can't do it!

no is a determiner. a is a determiner. You can't have more than one determiner before a noun. Never.

*no even a desk

*a the desk

*a no desk

*the my desk

*my no desk

Besides that, even doesn't go with no. You can't have an adverb between a determiner and its noun.

*an always desk

*no slowly desk

*the never desk

Help me with this sentence, please!

vi4ro — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 08:19:07 GMT

I have posted this question on another forum, but I haven't exactly received a satisfactory answer, so here it is:

"I am all that you have home." (If anyone here is a fan of The Decemberists, then they might recognize this line!)

"I" would be noun phrase one and the subject
"am" would be the predicating verb and stative verb
"all that you have home" would be the subject complement and second noun phrase, where "all" is the quantifying predeterminer, "that" is the demonstrative determiner, "you" is the head-noun, and then... what would "have home" be?

I am so embarrassed! I am not entirely sure whether or not everything I have above is even correct (so please, be sure to let me know if it isn't!)