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Results 61 to 70 of 110 (page 7 of 11)
below, beneath, under
Below, beneath and under all refer to a relatively lower position: The area around Ste. Agathe in Manitoba is below the high-water mark of the 1997 flood. Main Street is under two metres of water today, and canoes have replaced cars for local transportation. As the chairlift climbed higher, the ground seemed to drop away beneath our feet. Under can also be used to indicate domination or control by a person or situation. The crew is really under the captain’s thumb.Source: Writing Tips Plus (English language problems and rules)
Number of views: 1,084
pursuance (in)
The expression in pursuance means “in pursuit (of)” or “in trying to obtain”; it is followed by the preposition of. In pursuance of justice, the victim hired a private investigator to find his attacker.Source: Writing Tips Plus (English language problems and rules)
Number of views: 1,083
beg off
To beg off is to back out of an obligation. Do not hyphenate this phrasal verb. Hans will have to beg off; his father is due to arrive from Frankfurt just as our meeting starts.Source: Writing Tips Plus (English language problems and rules)
Number of views: 1,082
aware of
The adjective aware is followed by the preposition of. He was aware of the full extent of the problem.Source: Writing Tips Plus (English language problems and rules)
Number of views: 1,074
parallelism with items in a series
A sentence is parallel when items in a series share the same grammatical structure (when all are nouns or verbs or gerund phrases, for example). Writers use parallelism to help readers see connections between ideas and to emphasize particular points. Examples of parallel structure The following sentences all contain a series of items that are parallel. André loves to play golf, tennis and badminton. [3 nouns] Larry drove to the lake, parked and gazed out over the water. [3 verbs] Reading books, playing the piano and going to the theatre are Mie’s favourite activities. [3 gerund phrases] The group travelled by plane, by bus and by car. [3 prepositional phrases] OR The group travelled by plane, bus and car. [3 nouns, sharing by] Melissa hoped to graduate from college, to find a job and to buy a car. [3 infinitive phrases, with to repeated] OR Melissa hoped to graduate from college, find a job and buy a car. [3 infinitive phrases, sharing to] In these sentences, the parallel structure helps to draw attention to the ideas. Faulty parallelism A sentence with faulty parallel structure is unbalanced and less effective, as the faulty examples below illustrate. Faulty: Jason made cake, pie and he baked dumplings. [2 nouns + 1 clause] Correct: Jason made cake, pie and dumplings. [3 nouns] Faulty: Marisa has been skiing, jogging and has been lifting weights. [verb phrase, participle, verb phrase] Correct: Marisa has been skiing, jogging and lifting weights. [3 participles, sharing has been] Faulty: The facts were given with accuracy, clarity and with concision. [phrase, noun, phrase] Correct: The facts were given with accuracy, clarity and concision. [3 nouns, sharing with] Correct: The facts were given with accuracy, with clarity and with concision. [3 prepositional phrases]Source: Writing Tips Plus (English language problems and rules)
Number of views: 1,071
begin at
To indicate a precise time or place for the beginning, use the preposition at. Breakfast begins at 8 a.m. every day. Begin at Section II, and go on until you come to the end.Source: Writing Tips Plus (English language problems and rules)
Number of views: 1,068
in, into
A verb followed by the preposition in expresses condition or location. Grégoire was writhing in agony when he broke his knee. Juliette was strolling in the park with her boyfriend. The Free Press carrier leaves the newspaper in the mailbox every day. A verb with the preposition into indicates movement or transformation. Juliette strolled into the park to meet her boyfriend. The Free Press carrier shoves the newspaper into the mailbox every day. I had just stepped into the arcade when I met Joe. It was once believed that witches could transform people into frogs, bats and other creatures. My younger sister turns into a monster as soon as our parents walk out the door. Although into is normally used in cases of movement or transformation, there are some exceptions common in informal speech, such as “split in two” or “go jump in the lake.” When I complained, Jason split the last piece of cake in two. Annoyed by her brother’s teasing, Miranda told him to go jump in the lake.Source: Writing Tips Plus (English language problems and rules)
Number of views: 1,049
forbid (someone) to
After the verb forbid, use to and an infinitive to express the action that is forbidden. (Note that a direct object always comes between forbid and to.) Her mother forbids her to stay out past midnight.Source: Writing Tips Plus (English language problems and rules)
Number of views: 1,047
if not
Phrases with the words if not are heard often, but they are not always clear. These two little words can take on different meanings depending on the context. Nothing if not = definitely Nothing if not acts as an intensifier and means “definitely” or “certainly.” Bad spelling is nothing if not annoying. Here, the meaning is clear: Bad spelling is definitely annoying. Most, if not all = and possibly all Similar phrases, such as most, if not all, can be very confusing. You should avoid this phrase unless you are discussing a truly uncertain situation. Here is a logical use of that phrase: Scientists believe that most, if not all, black butterflies live in South America. The scientists are not positive that all black butterflies live in South America, so they are being cautious. Here, if not all means “and possibly all.” (Note that a comma is needed before and after if not all.) If not = although not Often, if not phrases are used to connect strong and weak descriptors: Alex’s welcome was pleasant, if not enthusiastic. Because enthusiastic is a stronger word than pleasant, we understand this sentence to mean that the welcome was not unpleasant but not very enthusiastic, either. Here, the phrase if not means “although not.” If not = or even In a similar sentence, if not may mean “or even”: You will receive an answer in a matter of hours, if not minutes. Here, the emphasis is on a rapid response: your answer will arrive in hours, or even minutes. As you can see, the meaning of if not changes according to the context. Our advice: be very careful when using those two little words!Source: Writing Tips Plus (English language problems and rules)
Number of views: 1,042
lodge a complaint
Lodge a complaint means to present a complaint formally to the proper authorities. It is followed by the preposition with or against: lodge a complaint with an authority against someone. Frustrated, Alley lodged a complaint with the rental board against her landlord.Source: Writing Tips Plus (English language problems and rules)
Number of views: 1,041