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General Writing and Grammar Help/Questions
| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
| the | 2/11/2012 | Martha Beth Lewis |
| Q: How are you? What is the best answer.?Please explain your reasons.Thanks "He ate ...... food at 4." ... A: Did he eat the food on his own plate, or did he eat the food on someone else's plate? ~~ If he ate ... | ||
| Grammar - Echo tags | 2/9/2012 | Jerry Leone |
| Q: Mr Leone, I have a question on the subject matter. What is really an echo tag. I think, I know what ... A: George, Didn't they implies that you know they did but are looking for reassurance. Did they ... | ||
| meaning of "oversight" | 2/9/2012 | Ted Nesbitt |
| Q: Is there any real difference in meaning between the expressions "oversight" and "careless ... A: Is there any real difference in meaning between the expressions "oversight" and "careless ... | ||
| asking questiuons | 2/8/2012 | Ted Nesbitt |
| Q: I have another question that may be considered a bit "off the wall". I hope that you will not mind, ... A: I am answering your question and, at the same time, praying that we don't get hung up with your ... | ||
| secret, mystery | 2/8/2012 | Anne Benington |
| Q: How are you? Two questions: What is the best choice? "He ate food ....... a restaurant." a)at b) ... A: Again, very little difference is made between the two sentences using "at" and "in". We use these ... | ||
| hyphen | 2/7/2012 | Martha Beth Lewis |
| Q: Regarding Chicago Manual of Style 16th ed.and the term healthcare. It appears from my manual that ... A: An interesting question. The hyphen is used in adjectival structures. A noun format has no ... | ||
| Thesaurus with explanations for usage | 2/6/2012 | Ted Nesbitt |
| Q: I truly appreciate that. I'm a high school student from Germany and was researching a good ... A: I don't know what you mean by "those said 'offline' versions." Also, I copied the OED's complete ... | ||
| asking questions | 2/6/2012 | Ted Nesbitt |
| Q: Can you please verify for me that the category of English helping verbs known as "modal verbs" can ... A: Can you please verify for me that the category of English helping verbs known as "modal verbs" can ... | ||
| I’ll try AND work it | 2/6/2012 | Ted Nesbitt |
| Q: Which of the following sentences is correct and natural? 1) I’ll try AND work it so we can leave ... A: Which of the following sentences is correct and natural? 1) I’ll try AND work it so we can leave ... | ||
| anyway/already & use of commas | 2/6/2012 | Martha Beth Lewis |
| Q: Is a comma necessary prior to the word "anyway?" My comments that follow would apply to either the ... A: Yes, necessary. I have gone to the store, anyway. ~~ Bonus! Before =already=, also. I've gone ... | ||
| secret, mystery | 2/6/2012 | Isaac |
| Q: How are you?I have two questions: 1) What is the plural form of the word "sms"? 2) What is the ... A: * 1) I don't know if there is an answer to this (if there is, I don't know the answer). SMS isn't ... | ||
| capitalization | 2/5/2012 | Ted Nesbitt |
| Q: Can you please help me with the following question about capitalization? When writing the names of ... A: I've been thinking about this capitalization issue. I believe that English-speaking people always ... | ||
| capitalization | 2/5/2012 | Ted Nesbitt |
| Q: Can you please help me with the following question about capitalization? When writing the names of ... A: When writing the names of a type of cheese, can you please tell me if it is correct or not to ... | ||
| a | 2/5/2012 | Deborah Burgess |
| Q: Happy to see that you are available once more! You were on vocation! I have a question as usual. Do ... A: Hame, I have a news flash for you--I won the lottery! You may want to submit this question to ... | ||
| by | 2/5/2012 | Martha Beth Lewis |
| Q: Is the following sentence correct? "I have never traveled by a small plane." Thanks ANSWER: It's ... A: =Small plane= vs. =airline= is what I had in mind when I made those distinctions. ~~ In U.S. ... | ||
| its, the | 2/5/2012 | Anne Benington |
| Q: Hope you are OK! What is the best choice? "I asked him a question, but he did not know ...... ... A: The use of "his" or "my" depends entirely on the meaning of the sentence. If he ate his own food ... | ||
| its, the | 2/4/2012 | Anne Benington |
| Q: Hope you are OK! What is the best choice? "I asked him a question, but he did not know ...... ... A: Every language has phrases that are common usage, phrases that are typical of everyday speech and ... | ||
| by | 2/4/2012 | Martha Beth Lewis |
| Q: Is the following sentence correct? "I have never traveled by a small plane." Thanks A: It's ok, but in U.S. English it is more likely to be: I have never traveled by small plane. This is ... | ||
| by | 2/4/2012 | Jannie Balliett |
| Q: How are you? Are the following sentences correct? a)They went to the park by two cars. b)I have ... A: It is "I have not traveled by a small plane," Or, "I have never traveled by small plane" which you ... | ||
| two test | 2/3/2012 | Anne Benington |
| Q: Hope you are fine! What is the best choice? Please explain your reasons. a)my glasses is on the ... A: 1. My glasses are on the table. The word "glasses" is plural since you have two lenses in a pair ... | ||
| a | 2/3/2012 | Deborah Burgess |
| Q: Happy to see that you are available once more! You were on vocation! I have a question as usual. Do ... A: Hame, This may not be satisfying to you but the intent of the writer is so important in English. ... | ||
| and jumped - to jump | 2/2/2012 | Ted Nesbitt |
| Q: Which of the following sentences is correct and natural? 1) The man went up to the 86th floor and ... A: I just got back from a three-day conference. I apologize for not being able to respond sooner. *** ... | ||
| meaning of "well-earned" | 2/2/2012 | Ted Nesbitt |
| Q: I know that the meaning of the expression "well-earned" is the following: fully deserved, deserved ... A: I have been attending a conference for three days, and I am just now catching up on my e-mail. I ... | ||
| a | 2/2/2012 | Deborah Burgess |
| Q: Happy to see that you are available once more! You were on vocation! I have a question as usual. Do ... A: There are a couple of decision points with respect to your question. Progress is considered to be ... | ||
| Thesaurus with explanations for usage | 2/1/2012 | Ted Nesbitt |
| Q: I truly appreciate that. I'm a high school student from Germany and was researching a good ... A: I have explored my resources and then did a little internet searching. I am going to recommend the ... | ||
| beside [a?] fire | 2/1/2012 | Martha Beth Lewis |
| Q: How are you? Which of the following sentences is correct? a) He was thinking about other ... A: Use =a= always. I am sorry I have been unclear. ~~ Parallel constructions would be: I want to ... | ||
| parsing | 1/31/2012 | Ted Nesbitt |
| Q: Would you please tell me if the following is correct or not: "watch out!" "watch out" is an ... A: I have been out of town for several days attending a conference. I apologize for the delay in ... | ||
| acronyms | 1/31/2012 | Mitchell W. |
| Q: In a book, do acronyms need to be footnoted? For example, Assume the word multiple scleroris (MS) ... A: I'm not sure what type of book this is being written in, but they do not necessarily need to be ... | ||
| relation, relationship | 1/31/2012 | WordChannel |
| Q: How are you? What is the difference between "relation" and "relationship?" Please explain the ... A: A "relationship" is an active entity that exists between two or more people, places, or things ... | ||
| I went and answered the phone #2 | 1/30/2012 | Ted Nesbitt |
| Q: Do you find the use of "I went and answered the phone" correct and natural in the sentence below? I ... A: I was cooking dinner when the phone in the upstairs bedroom rang. I went and answered the phone, ... | ||
| fire | 1/30/2012 | Jannie Balliett |
| Q: How are you? Which of the following sentences is correct? a) He was thinking about other ... A: Because it is "he" therefore, his verb action "a nice drink" by the adjective "warm" and noun "fire" ... | ||
| the use of "a" and "the" | 1/30/2012 | WordChannel |
| Q: How are you? which of the following sentences is correct? a)Peter, why do not you go to shoemaker? ... A: You would say, "Peter, why don't you go to a shoemaker? A shoemaker can make you the right shoes." ... | ||
| I went and answered the phone. | 1/29/2012 | Ted Nesbitt |
| Q: Which of the following sentences is/are correct and natural? 1) I went and answered the phone. 2) ... A: Which of the following sentences is/are correct and natural? 1) I went and answered the phone. 2) ... | ||
| one, you, everyone, people | 1/29/2012 | Martha Beth Lewis |
| Q: How are you? What is the best choice? "........... expects to be respected by other people." a)one ... A: Use =one=. Yes, in the sentence you give, it is gender bias. One correction is to use =his or ... | ||
| see | 1/29/2012 | Jannie Balliett |
| Q: How are you? Is the following sentence correct? Please explain your reasons. "He saw fire was ... A: You must add a definitive article; "the" before the noun "fire." "The" is used to refer to specific ... | ||
| the use of | 1/29/2012 | WordChannel |
| Q: How are you? Can we use "a" before "healing" and "Marked" in the following sentences? Please ... A: You are very astute, and that is good! Perhaps you should be teaching me!:) In theory, you are ... | ||
| Grammar changes | 1/28/2012 | Jerry Leone |
| Q: Three short questions: 1. When did grammar change from; " That is okay with me." to "I'm ok with ... A: Steven, The beauty of the English language, as I mentioned in my profile, is that it is organic or ... | ||
| one, you, everyone, people | 1/28/2012 | Martha Beth Lewis |
| Q: How are you? What is the best choice? "........... expects to be respected by other people." a)one ... A: It depends on whether (1) it is formal writing; (2) it's a generality. =You expect= can be used ... | ||
| the use of "a" | 1/28/2012 | WordChannel |
| Q: How are you? Can we use "a" before "healing" and "Marked" in the following sentences? Please ... A: You could say, "Literature has a healing power, and it helps one enhance his understanding of life," ... | ||
| Settle the score | 1/27/2012 | Ted Nesbitt |
| Q: Does "to settle the score" have any meaning in U.S. English? If so, what does it mean? Would you ... A: Does "to settle the score" have any meaning in U.S. English? If so, what does it mean? Would you ... | ||
General Writing and Grammar Help
Answers by Expert:
Ted Nesbitt
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
I am the bibliographic instruction and reference librarian at a public college. Some members of the English department recommend me to their students. I offer assistance in grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, and paragraph development. My master`s thesis concerns William Faulkner`s tragic novels. I formerly taught advanced placement English at two schools in the Philadelphia area.
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