Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
In the English language, there are grammatical constructions that many native speakers use unquestioningly yet certain writers call incorrect. Differences of usage or opinion may stem from differences between formal and informal speech and other matters of register, differences among dialects (whether regional, class-based, or other), and so forth.
An example of a noun phrase that includes all of the above-mentioned elements is that rather attractive young college student to whom you were talking. Here that is the determiner, rather attractive and young are adjectival pre-modifiers, college is a noun adjunct, student is the noun serving as the head of the phrase, and to whom you were ...
In older dialects and more formal registers, the form "were" is often used instead of "was". Counterfactuals of this sort are sometimes referred to as were'd up conditionals. [2] Were'd up: If I were king, I could have you thrown in the dungeon. The form "were" can also be used with an infinitive to form a future less vivid conditional. [3]
For example, "I had lunch with a client, then I worked on this month's sales report." Than is used in comparisons. For example, "The new computers were much faster than the old ones." 4. Your and ...
However, in British grammar, it is also possible for should and would to have the same meaning, with a distinction only in terms of formality (should simply being more formal than would). For most Americans, this nuance has been lost, with would being used in both contexts; [ 22 ] for example, I should like to leave is no longer a formal way to ...
Perceived violations of correct English usage elicit visceral reactions in many people. For example, respondents to a 1986 BBC poll were asked to submit "the three points of grammatical usage they most disliked". Participants stated that their noted points "'made their blood boil', 'gave a pain to their ear', 'made them shudder', and 'appalled ...
The meaning was essentially the same as the general idea today: a simple word preceding a noun expressing a relation between it and another word. [9] William Bullokar wrote the earliest grammar of English, published in 1586. It includes a chapter on prepositions. His definition follows:
Get AOL Mail for FREE! Manage your email like never before with travel, photo & document views. Personalize your inbox with themes & tabs. You've Got Mail!