No. Each adjective takes its own (different) preposition. When you switch to the verbals, you have new problems. They don't work in parallel. You have respect for X. You can devote the next four hours to homework. You can devote yourself to

Don't worry - the number of people (native speakers) who say "If I was" instead of "If I were" is very high. If you said "It's the subjunctive, so you need 'were'" they would look at you as if you had

I like this question. It's really about nuance and subtle differences. In a very basic way, you can say that 'can' is stronger, based on actual facts. Could is based on opinion and theory. By definition, can is referring to the

The uses you quote are obsolete. I haven't heard them in the 73 years I've been around. Of course you'll find them in old books. "Is" is the correct term these days. (Personally, I've always liked the "be.")

" If it be a sin to work hard then i am a sinner." Why do we use " be" instead of " is" in the sentence ? In mathematical problems why do we say "if x be a prime number and y be an odd number ".Why don't

It's the subjunctive, used here in a case of necessity. It is important that you be at the hospital one hour before your scheduled surgery. The professor demanded that the reports be in his hands by Friday.

The wine cup is the little silver well where truth, if truth there be , doth dwell . Get a man drunk if you want to know what he's really like. Shakespeare is picturing wine being served in a silver cup. well is metaphoric for anything deep

weren't subjunctive in contrary to fact

Dear friend, normally, the subjunctive were follows as if/as though : He spoke as if she were dead. However, the ordinary present tense is required where the emphasis is on truth rather than falsity : It's not as if he' s dishonest (= he

I wish there were someone who knows what I mean when.. Actually, if I were you, I think I'd be just as concerned about the form of the other verbs in the sentence. I'd make them subjunctive as well. I would write the sentence this way: -