Search results for 'tag:Modals tag:Colons' matching tags 'Modals' and 'Colons'

Re: please help

richard_s — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 00:13:58 GMT

Due to is a preposition, so the first clause should be a prepositional phrase (remember that you can't use modals in prepositional phrases, so you will have to change cannotÂ to not be able to. Â The verb in the clause needs to be in gerund form. You need a comma after the prepositional phrase, not a semicolon. Â

There are only 50% good included 500pcsÂ doesn't make sense. Â Probably included should be including, but I am not sure what this sentence means.

Re: Native opinion needed! a modal guestion

Clive — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 15:35:52 GMT

Hi,

'Soon' is commonly used to relate to a point in the future that is close to 'now'.

It's true that you can use 'soon' to refer to the past.

eg I began to learn Chinese in 1980. Soon, I was fluent.

However, as shown in this example, you need to make it clear that 'soon' relates to a time close to 1980. In other words, you need to make it clear that your context is the past.

Now let's look at Gamze and Murat must have broken up soon; they both seem very sad and I hardly ever see them together anymore.

To say the first part, you'd need earlier to have mentioned some point in the past, to which the reader can relate the term 'soon'.

In addition, in the second part you'd need to say something to make clear to the reader that you are shifting the reference to 'now' into the past. I would also replace the semi-colon by a period, to weaken the temporal aspect of the link between the two parts of the sentence.

For the meaning you are thinking of with regard to option A, I'd write something like this.

When I visited Gamze and Murat last Spring, they seemed happy. They must have broken up soon after (that). Now they both seem very sad and I hardly ever see them together anymore.

Best wishes again, Clive

Part of speech identification

Eagerlearner — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 20:22:31 GMT

Hello, this is my first post here, I like to know these words
kilometer
centimeter

Are those words noun if they are standing alone ? if it's, what kind of noun it's, proper noun or abstract noun or etc ?

After that, I want to indentify the part of speech of the following sentence by using the stanford parser at http://nlp.stanford.edu:8080/parser/index.jsp
if you input,
convert kilometer to centimeter
it gives convert/VB kilometer/NN to/TO centimeter/VB

if you input,
convert 2 kilometers to centimeter
it gives convert/VB 2/CD kilometers/NNS to/TO centimeter/NN

You can refer to the tagset below, my question is, is the first input grammatically correct ? if it's correct the part of speech given by the program seems to be incorrect because
the centimeter should be noun instead of Verb, or am I wrong ? If you add the "2" as the second input the program gives the correct part of speech tagging,
is it because my first input grammar is incorrect ? Thank you.

Reference
1. CC Coordinating conjunction 25.TO to
2. CD Cardinal number           26.UH Interjection
3. DT Determiner                27.VB Verb, base form
4. EX Existential there     28.VBD Verb, past tense
5. FW Foreign word              29.VBG Verb, gerund/present participle
6. IN Preposition/subord.     30.VBN Verb, past participle
218z     conjunction
7. JJ Adjective                 31.VBP Verb, non-3rd ps. sing. present
8. JJR Adjective, comparative    32.VBZ Verb, 3rd ps. sing. present
9. JJS Adjective, superlative    33.WDT wh-determiner
10.LS List item marker          34.WP wh-pronoun
11.MD Modal                     35.WP Possessive wh-pronoun
12.NN Noun, singular or mass    36.WRB wh-adverb
13.NNS Noun, plural              37. # Pound sign
14.NNP Proper noun, singular     38. $ Dollar sign
15.NNPS Proper noun, plural      39. . Sentence-final punctuation
16.PDT Predeterminer             40. , Comma
17.POS Possessive ending         41. : Colon, semi-colon
18.PRP Personal pronoun          42. ( Left bracket character
19.PP Possessive pronoun        43. ) Right bracket character
20.RB Adverb                    44. " Straight double quote
21.RBR Adverb, comparative       45. ` Left open single quote
22.RBS Adverb, superlative       46. " Left open double quote
23.RP Particle                  47. ' Right close single quote
24.SYM Symbol             48. " Right close double quote

Part of Speech identification

Anonymous — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 20:16:08 GMT

if you input,
convert 2 kilometers to centimeter
it gives convert/VB 2/CD kilometers/NNS to/TO centimeter/NN

You can refer to the tagset below, my question is, is the first input setence correct ? if it's correct the part of speech given by the program seems to be incorrect because
the centimeter should be noun instead of Verb, or am I wrong ? If you add the "2" as the second input the program gives the correct part of speech tagging,
it it because my first input grammar is incorrect ? Thank you.

Reference

1. CC  Coordinating conjunction  25.TO  to 
2. CD  Cardinal number           26.UH  Interjection 
3. DT  Determiner                27.VB  Verb, base form 
4. EX  Existential there   28.VBD Verb, past tense 
5. FW  Foreign word              29.VBG Verb, gerund/present participle 
6. IN  Preposition/subord.   30.VBN Verb, past participle 
218z     conjunction 
7. JJ  Adjective                 31.VBP Verb, non-3rd ps. sing. present 
8. JJR Adjective, comparative    32.VBZ Verb, 3rd ps. sing. present 
9. JJS Adjective, superlative    33.WDT wh-determiner 
10.LS  List item marker          34.WP  wh-pronoun 
11.MD  Modal                     35.WP  Possessive wh-pronoun 
12.NN  Noun, singular or mass    36.WRB wh-adverb 
13.NNS Noun, plural              37. #  Pound sign 
14.NNP Proper noun, singular     38. $  Dollar sign 
15.NNPS Proper noun, plural      39. .  Sentence-final punctuation 
16.PDT Predeterminer             40. ,  Comma 
17.POS Possessive ending         41. :  Colon, semi-colon 
18.PRP Personal pronoun          42. (  Left bracket character 
19.PP  Possessive pronoun        43. )  Right bracket character 
20.RB  Adverb                    44. "  Straight double quote 
21.RBR Adverb, comparative       45. `  Left open single quote 
22.RBS Adverb, superlative       46. "  Left open double quote 
23.RP  Particle                  47. '  Right close single quote 
24.SYM Symbol  48. "  Right close double quote

Re: more modal

Inchoateknowledge — Tue, 18 Jul 2006 16:49:58 GMT

Thanks.
I believe where an indefinite article may be used, the use of 'one' is justifiable too.
My use of colon is acceptable too.
'Possibly' emphasise the degree of the probability.
I was particularly interested in the use of modals.
Thank you once more.

Re: why?

Clive — Tue, 18 Jul 2006 15:30:53 GMT

Hi,

1. You will not have heard of me before but I used to live next door to your sister.
2. That is absurd; they really could not have taken your motorbike by mistake, surely?
3. You are a bit overweight; you should have been doing more regular exercise.
4. You were to have been promoted.

questions:
1. Why using this modal: will; why not You might have ... ? 'will' is definite, 'might' is not definite'.
2. Why is there a question mark at the end; why is it not a full stop? 'Surely' is often used in speech to convert a statement into a question. (In addition, and personally, I'd replace the semi-colon with a period.)
3. Why using present perfect continuous? why not You should be doing or should do ... . The continuous form stresses duration ie exercise over a prolonged period.
4. What tense is it?

'You were (to ...) ' indicates past necessity, eg I was to call Tom yesterday. There is a strong implication that the event did not happen, eg I didn't call Tom.

'to have been promoted' is the perfect passive infinitive.

Best wishes, Clive