Dear friend, but is sometimes used to mean 'only', and this usage is considered formal, eg ...Napoleon and Marie Antoinette, to name but two who had stayed in the great state rooms. Respectfully, Gleb Chebrikoff

Is as well as considered a parenthical phrase? Should it be set off with commas? Thanks! My non-linguistic view thinks not. I may be wrong but one of the "as well as" usages has a prepositional property which is typically

It makes me contented to realise that you have made sense of the striking difference between not... but vs and , so this 'one thing' you are referring to is the last on the agenda, and may I be clear about two points. First, the omission

I've been told by British friends that "different to" is basically the British equivalent of the American "different than": Neither is approved of by hardcore prescriptivists, but everybody uses them anyway. The American

Could you tell me if the following sentence sounds idiomatic from a native speaker's viewpoint? "I need to slam-dunk her a quick one" It may well get a laugh from Al Bundy in the context of a TV sitcom, but I think it would be

Do/does/did is not used in questions 1. with forms of to be : Is he happy? Were they swimming? 2. with perfect and past perfect auxiliaries : Have you seen him? Had it already begun? 3. sometimes with have/has/had when the verb is in the

Both is not needed. "Kate's parents aren't home" is perfectly clear as is. Both assumes two and parents assumes two. Yes, you could also say "Neither of Kate's parents is home." (Do not use neither with not -- this

Dear friend, if the pronoun is part of a subject, I should be used: My wife and I will be there. if the pronoun is not a subject, as in I hope that you will visit my wife and me in the near future. me should be used. People often make

Setting: Meeting up and waiting for a friend. She finally arrives. I have been waiting for a long time! I had been waiting for a long time! Please explain reason of usage. Is this sentence ok? We just arrived at a new restaurant and my bf

<< Can "No, she seldom is" be used for #3? >> Technically, it can; but it's not idiomatic. To use it in this way would be rude, implying that the questioner has asked the wrong question. If this exchange occurred between