By Pronouns, Idioms

Hi CB,I wouldn't know where to start! English grammar is pretty different from Italian grammar. However, there are a lot of similar words (one example: government - governo), and several similar structures and idioms. The problem is that there are also several false friends, and lots of...

Sorry, I changed the category of the question to Voc. and idioms Read the following and choose the number of word which is not proper in context. (originally it has diagram, but I couldn't post picture last time. I'll try to post again. but even if I fail, please try the following and give...

Grammar Geek wrote: So "to lay by" is a phrasal verb meaning "to store away"? New vocabulary for me! But anyway, when you have a phrasal verb like that (or like "look up" (as a word in a dictionary) or "write down") - do the prepositions act like normal prepositions, or because they are...

I guess you don't get out much, Anon. Here is a sampling of respectable online sources. Doing a bit of Google research yourself will turn up many, many more.The American Heritage Dictionary: Grammarians have sometimes objected to the so-called double genitive construction, as in a friend of my...

"me" is not dropped after "with", no. Neither "me" nor any other similar personal pronoun is part of the idiom. With "get", "over with" means "finished". This idiom is used in circumstances where there is something undesirable or unpleasant about the task to be finished, and the idea is...

Mr. P., Could you reconsider whether the "for" in "I was worth X-ing for" is a required element of the idiom? I've been reading this thread with interest, and it occurs to me that the "for" is an artifact of the verb choice for X, not part of the idiom itself. The "for" may go with the verb it...

For the ordinary, simple "to have": British: have some ..., haven't any ... American: have some ..., don't have any ... For the ordinary, simple "to get". British principle parts: "get, got, got American principle parts: "get got, gotten For the idiom "have got", used as a substitute for...

The following may help you understand the statement that "all" can be singular or plural. Singular use of "all": With non-count nouns, "all" goes with the singular form of the noun. As the subject of a sentence, it also goes with "is", "was", or any other singular form of a verb: All of the...

Anthony, It's possible that your internet friend did not mean "I suppose ... should " in the way described here, but what I describe below is one of the most common uses of that expression. In my opinion, whoever said "reluctantly conclude" just about hit the nail on the head. I'd go a small...