In Nouns^x, Analogies^x, Grammar^x

I'm not an expert on grammar or linguistics, but here are my thoughts as an ordinary native user of English. I hope I got all the grammatical terminology correct! I think that all verbs -- transitive or intransitive -- are able to form present perfect sentences: "He has...

First,. let me say that I agree usage-wise Nona and you. I also think that the mother-example is a good one - but it's not a perfect one. It's a good one, because it demonstrates the difference between the time of action and the time of speaking. Noun references are routinely rooted...

Schetin, I am still trying to dial to the right frequency so that we can communicate. I am afraid I have failed because I realize we are not talking in the same wave length. I find your pattern of thought difficult to understand. I once heard this analogy "there is only a thin line between a...

"Grammar and exercises are only requirements of the syllabus, not of learning a language. Did you learn the grammar of your mother-tongue when you were acquiring it? Most of you may still not know the grammar of your mother-tongue but you speak it effortlessly." If grammar means identifying...

Another kind of illegitimate argument is based on analogy between one area of grammar and another. consider yet another construction where there is variation between nominative and accusative forms of pronouns: , where the subject has the form of a coordination of pronouns. This shows us not...

Mr Pedantic wrote: Grammar isn't everything, K. It's always worth considering the context of a phrase. In this instance, the context includes the fact that while perfectly grammatical, and commonly used, it will sound strange or flabby or sloppy to some people, since (as CJ has demonstrated)...

People sometimes refer to the CGEL on this site. Conveniently, some sample chapters from this publication are now online at CGEL sample chapters The preliminary chapter includes the odd lapse of logic. This is one of the first. Apologies for the fairly lengthy quotation: Another kind of...

From: HOW GRAMMARS OF ENGLISH HAVE MISSED THE BOAT (ref above) Consider the English pronoun pairs, her : she, him : he, me : I, us : we, and them : they. It is easy to show that the uses of these paired forms are not directly related to functional (subject and object) “cases” in the manner...

Essay on The Collective Noun by Sophie Johnson Traditionally, the noun that names a collective is considered to be singular. Being singular, the verbial that denotes its act is also singular: (1) The family prays every evening. (2) Australia is playing against Portugal in the final...

Hi, this is just a cut & paste job from various internet resources: 1 The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology 2 The Oxford Dictionary of English Grammar 3 Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language 4 The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Linguistics (7 parts) 5 Pocket Fowler's...