In Nouns^x, Negatives^x, Auxiliaries^x

Hello, In affirmative sentences, we use " has " when the subject is " he/she/it ". " She " and " he " can replace a proper name (" John ", " Mary "), while " it " can replace a singular noun (" my cat ", " that...

When looking up tricky constructions or words, one can often go to the dictionary to view its proper usage. For example, www.dictionary.com shows this definition and usage note for nor: 1. (used in negative phrases, esp. after neither, to introduce the second member in a series, or any subsequent...

Both the first and third examples work. The first is the gerund construction, the third is the subjunctive construction. The second is incorrect. However, despite being technically correct, both the first and third examples still sound awkward. Ultimately, I think this is because it sounds...

"Do" is the finite verb when negative occurs, which turns "want" into an auxiliary verb along with "sleep". "As you" is added to make things clearer. It depends on how the finite verb agrees with the pronoun: "We don't want to sleep in the same bed (as each other)" - both of us share the...

Another set of patterns occurred to me. These sometimes give learners trouble, and it's a good idea to practice them until they are automatic. They are drills on 'subject pronoun + auxiliary verb' contractions. Type X1: he's, she's, I'm, you're, we're, they're Type X2: he'll,...

Pieanne wrote: Mister Micawber wrote: Did Mary say is the interrogative inversion, Pieanne-- no question. Yes, but I was trying to compare this kind of inversion (in reported speech) with constructions like "little did she know..." etc... In the former, there's no problem to put...

Hello, Janissary, 1. If a clause begins with a negative adverb, inverted word order must usually be used, with the subject following the Simple Present or Simple Past of the verb to be , or the first auxiliary. In the case of the Simple Present or Simple Past of any verb other than the...

1) My little brother would not turn down the radio volume in the morning. MY = possessive adjective LITTLE = DESCRIPTIVE ADJECTIVE BROTHER = noun WOULD = modal auxiliary NOT = NEGATIVE PARTICLE TURN = main verb DOWN = adverb particle THE =...

Hey, you forgot about all the other things "do" could stand for, like: do. abbreviation for ditto. .do abbreviation: Dominican Republic (in Internet addresses). n. Music The first tone of the diatonic scale in solfeggio. n. Slang pl. dos A hairdo. v. did, (dd)...

'Usually' does not work well there, Hanuman. As I said, some do and some don't. 'Not' is always an adverb, as far as I can think; sometimes it's considered a function word, a 'negator'. I cannot think of another part of speech that can split the auxiliary from its negator, either-- except...