In Nouns^x, American English^x, Relative pronouns^x

Hi Taka: For the many nit-picking rules of grammar, it's best to check out a more authoritative site than just an informal discussion group. For collective nouns, indeed, there is a divergence in British English and American English. They say that Brits and Americans are two peoples divided...

The airport custodial staff, which (A) hasn't been working under contract for a year, (B) are thinking about (C) striking if management (D) doesn't agree to salary increases. I think (B) should be corrected to is thinking because in American English "staff" is considered a...

As a (BrE) footnote: 1. The Yangtze is the longest river in China, that flows eastward from Tibet to the China Sea. — this non-restrictive use of "that" may be found in older texts, but is not so common these days. It is unpopular with ESL examiners. 2. The Yangtze is the longest river...

Teo wrote: the longest river in China, that flows eastward from Tibet to the China Sea. It is also called the Yangtze. In Standard British English, the above relative pronoun "that" should be replaced by "which". What about American English usage? Hi Teo, very good question, I've always...

In Longman Advanced American Dictionary (page 219), the definition of the Chang Jiang is as follows: the longest river in China, that flows eastward from Tibet to the China Sea. It is also called the Yangtze. In Standard British English, the above relative pronoun "that" should be replaced...

I have trouble figuring out why 'grammar experts' get the blame for these. There are a number of reasons why people might disagree over these usages: colloquial vs written, American vs British, PC vs non-PC, prescriptivism vs descriptivism, and even one or two examples where there are...

1. Susan is a girl eleven years old. Sounds fine in a narrative style, or perhaps for a voice over in a documentary, but not natural in everyday speech 2. Used they to take a walk after dinner? Definitely not standard modern English. 3. Italy, who has been in the forefront...

I sympathize with Jeff. When I was learning English--that's decades ago--I read a grammar book delineating the same rule as Jeff brought up. As years passed, I realized that's a rather weird rule. I checked it with native speakers, they said in unison to the effect that I should forget the...

I'll try to give a partial answer. A relative clause is a portion of a sentence that adds information about a previous noun in the sentence. The previous noun is called the antecedent. Relative clauses are marked by relative pronouns: that, which, who, whom, and others. Examples will help: ...

When we talk about comparison between people, things or actions, we can use "as" or "like", depending on the structure. "Like" is a preposition which should be followed by a noun or a pronoun. Example: I'm not _like_ my brother. "As" is a conjunction which should be followed by a clause...