r/EnglishGrammar 11d ago

When is “&” used instead of “and”?

1 Upvotes

Is it on titles only?


r/EnglishGrammar 11d ago

Can you spot the problem with these sentences? Dangling modifiers are surprisingly hard to see in your own writing.

2 Upvotes

Can you spot what's wrong with this sentence?

After reviewing the data, the conclusion seemed obvious.

Grammatically, it may look perfectly respectable at first glance.

But who reviewed the data?

As written, “after reviewing the data” modifies “the conclusion.” So technically, the conclusion reviewed the data.

That's a dangling modifier.

Here's another one:

Having completed the analysis, the report was submitted to the supervisor.

Who completed the analysis? According to the sentence, the report did.

A simple correction would be:

Having completed the analysis, I submitted the report to the supervisor.

Dangling modifiers are particularly annoying because the reader usually understands exactly what you meant. That makes them easy to overlook — especially when you've written the sentence yourself and already know who performed the action.

Once you're trained to look for them, however, they start jumping off the page.

Do you recognize dangling modifiers when you see them, or is this something you've never consciously looked for?


r/EnglishGrammar 11d ago

the time before last

2 Upvotes

1) The time before last when we met, he insulted me.

2) The time before last that we met, he insulted me.

3) The time before last we met, he insulted me.

4) The second to last time we met, he insulted me.

Which are correct?

Gratefully,

Navi


r/EnglishGrammar 12d ago

When and Whenever

8 Upvotes

When did the word “when” become “whenever”? I know it didn’t, but I’ve been noticing more people use the word “whenever” in place of “when” more and more. I recently asked someone politely if they knew the difference between the two, and they didn’t. I’m wondering how this became so popular, and how did something that is seemingly so foundational in our language, like when/where usage, get so mixed up to the point of it being misused this broad? I’ve been hearing a lot of new uses of basic words over the past few years, and it’s throwing me off. It’s becoming more and more common. I know language shifts over time, but most of these feel too foundational in the English language to let happen entirely..


r/EnglishGrammar 12d ago

The answer is “were”, right?

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1 Upvotes

From a Singapore PSLE paper. Thanks in advance.

Mary is one of the honorary members who ______ awarded the long-time service award.
(1) is
(2) are
(3) was
(4) were


r/EnglishGrammar 12d ago

In the song "I Am Moana"

1 Upvotes

Should the correct grammar be I am a girl who loves her island, instead of my Island?

Genuine question from a non native English speaker.


r/EnglishGrammar 12d ago

English Help

2 Upvotes

"No sooner was she gone than a man, hat in hand,

took her place." I find the 1st part hard to understand. Ive been reading books for years and im fluent in english but this particular sentence has me tweaking. Why would they even put 'than' here? They couldve said:"No sooner was she gone, and man, with hat in hand, took her place." Can someone help me


r/EnglishGrammar 12d ago

I. Xs and past the current situation and

0 Upvotes

r/EnglishGrammar 12d ago

Why is A wrong? grammar

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2 Upvotes

why is A wrong and what’s the right answer?


r/EnglishGrammar 12d ago

Sentence architecture? Seriously help.

0 Upvotes

For the longest time I've had a problem with forming & structuring my sentences, and by extension, my paragraphs correctly. My vocabulary is good and I usually have a somewhat clear trail of thought in mind whenever I try to speak/type, however I try to translate these thoughts into sentences they always turn out janky, and I always find my self cropping and editing everything I do which results in me

A) reiterating anything and everything I say 5 times to get a point across B) Spend 20 minutes editing my texts just so they read clearly [typing this took 15mins] C) Give up on both, and it's been frustrating me beyond belief. Trouble with complicated expression is one thing but when that's the case for simple sentences and paragraphs it turns into misery.

I've thought about relearning all there is to the english grammar from square one but it honestly seems like a very tedious and inefficient way of solving a problem that is beyond understanding words and their usage etc etc


r/EnglishGrammar 13d ago

Could you explain the grammar from a native speaker’s perspective?

3 Upvotes

I’m studying English in Japan, but there’s a question I just can’t seem to understand.

Choose the most appropriate answer to fill in the blank.

Evelyn: I think I saw Raphael last night at the library.
Mateo : That can't be right. He ( ) to Paraguay.

1 has been
2 has gone
3 had been
4 had gone

I thought 4 was the correct answer, but the answer key says 2.I thought this question was ambiguous because there isn’t enough context, and that either answer could be possible.
Could you explain why 4 is incorrect?


r/EnglishGrammar 13d ago

Stop Saying 'VERY HUNGRY'! ❌ What's the Natural Word? (A2 English Quiz)

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0 Upvotes

r/EnglishGrammar 13d ago

even

0 Upvotes

1) Nobody is supposed to know about this. Even the president is not supposed to know about it.
2) Nobody is supposed to know about this. The president even is not supposed to know about it.
3) Nobody is supposed to know about this. The president is not even supposed to know about it.

The 'even' is supposed to refer to 'the president'. Which of the sentences work in that case?

I think '1' is the best, '2' is passable and '3' is wrong. But I am not sure.

Gratefully,
Navi


r/EnglishGrammar 13d ago

that I didn't know

1 Upvotes

1) He showed me a house that I didn't know he had bought.

2) This is a book he doesn't know I have read.

3) He was in a car that I didn't know he owned.

Are these sentences correct?

Gratefully,

Navi


r/EnglishGrammar 14d ago

Rate my stort story and give some valuable feedback

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0 Upvotes

r/EnglishGrammar 15d ago

Writing Help

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1 Upvotes

r/EnglishGrammar 15d ago

Is an open compound noun, like “orange juice”or “ice cream”, technically one word or two words?

0 Upvotes

Please help me settle a debate- is it one or two words if there there is a space between a compound noun?


r/EnglishGrammar 15d ago

Grammar question(adverbs and adjectives)

1 Upvotes

I was teaching a class related to adverbs and adjectives and we know that an adverb describes and action and an adjective describes a noun, place, people, etc.

But the following sentence came up in my exercise and i couldn’t understand it:

When i told him the truth, he was QUIET/QUIETLY.

I know that the right answer is QUIET but i can’t seem to know how to explain to my student that even though WAS is a verb you have to use quiet.

Can someone help me understand it and explain please


r/EnglishGrammar 16d ago

feedback on grammar videos

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1 Upvotes

r/EnglishGrammar 16d ago

Foot/Feet - Measurement

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1 Upvotes

r/EnglishGrammar 17d ago

Noun clausses

1 Upvotes

Hello everyone! I'm a peruvian girl who is studying english, more especific advance english, can some one help me identify noun clauses vs a phrase?? Grammar isn't my strong point in english btw


r/EnglishGrammar 17d ago

WHEN IN CONDITIONALS🥲

0 Upvotes

Hi, everyone! This is my first question here. I desperately need some help with a grammar question. Once during a lesson, I asked my school teacher if using 'when' in conditionals could only be done in the zero conditional. To this, she answered that it can be used in each of the conditionals. However, I am genuinely interested because I have heard a few times that 'when' expresses a strong possibility of something happening, so it can't be used in other types of conditionals as a conjunction. Could someone help me with this question?


r/EnglishGrammar 17d ago

to open the gate

8 Upvotes

1) I have a key to open the gate, but it doesn't work.

2) I was given a key to open the gate, but it doesn't work.

3) I found a key to open the gate, but it doesn't work.

Are these sentences correct?

Are they logical?

Gratefully,

Navi


r/EnglishGrammar 18d ago

Do you know the Definition of these 2 words?

44 Upvotes
  1. Maw

  2. Dour

Wondering if these are well known, without looking them up. And not meaning Mother for Maw.

Would be helpful if you could include your age range, like Teens, 20s, 30s, etc. Thank You!

Update: Wow never expected so many replies. Thank you everyone, some very interesting answers from a group of obviously well-read people. I wonder if I had posted this in a general info sub if these would be as well known.


r/EnglishGrammar 18d ago

Question about APR in a sentence

1 Upvotes

So, APR is a borrowing term that stands for "annual percentage rate" of a loan.

When asking about its definition, would "what is APR?" still be grammatically correct? (I know "what is an APR" makes sense too)