Introductory There
There In English, the most common way of indicating existence is by using the structure there + to be. Normally there is an adverb of place. But the introductory there has no adverbial sense and is just used to...
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That-Clauses
That is simply a connector. It shows that a declarative clause forms part of a larger sentence. Compare: I understand. You are right. (two separate sentences) I understand that you are right. (The clause you are right has become...
Talk To vs. Talk With vs. Talk At
There is hardly any difference between talk to and talk with. I think the form talk with is more common in American English. Can I talk with Alice, please? OR Can I talk to Alice, please? I want to talk to you. OR I want...
Take | English Usage
We can use take to say how much time we need to do something. Different structures are possible. Person + take + time + infinitive When the person is the subject, we use the structure person +...
Surely | English Usage
Surely does not mean the same as certainly. There is usually a difference. Compare: That is certainly Jane’s boyfriend. (= I know that is Jane’s boyfriend.) Surely that is Jane’s boyfriend? (That really seems to be Jane’s boyfriend. How...
Such … That
The structure such + noun can be used to mean ‘like this/that’. Note that such comes before the article a/an. The management is planning to hire more people. I would oppose such a decision. (= I would oppose a decision...
Subject Verb Agreement Rules
The basic principle of subject – verb agreement is simple. The verb has to agree with the subject in number and person. That means if the subject is a singular noun, the verb has to be singular...
So That vs. In Order That
These structures are used to talk about purpose. So that is more common in informal speech and writing. Both these expressions are normally followed by modal auxiliary verbs such as can or will. I waited for an hour so that I...
The Conjunction So…That
The correlative conjunction so…that… shows cause and effect. Study the following sentences. It rained very heavily. As a result, the town went under water. Here the first sentence refers to the cause that leads to the...
Some vs. Any
Some suggests an indefinite quantity or number. It is most common in affirmative clauses. In questions and negatives, we normally use any to express the same idea. I want some milk. Is there any milk left? No,...
