Why do we write "The shop is open" and not "The shop is opened"?   The passive voice is formed this way: verb + ed. On the other hand, we write "The shop is closed".
4599
Is there are rule when to use opened vs open?  I always get confused even though I've been speaking English as the dominant language for more than half my life.  E.g.         Is the door open(ed)?   Which file do you have open(ed) in your editor?
26923
I have noticed that some native english speakers use the "-" sign to explain some additional things in a sentence: eg     Sophie is going to the shop - which happened to be around the corner -   to buy some groceries.   Before knowing this notation I would write the same sentence as follows:     Sophie is going to the shop, which happened to be around the corner,    to buy some groceries.   To me the "-"-sign seems much  clearer than a comma. Am I using the "-" correctly. If so what is the difference between a "," and a "-".
68553
In English, there are at least two ways to express negation, for example: — I don't have money — I have no money  or — No objects were found — Objects were not found  or — No restrictions are applied — Restrictions are not applied  Questions:   What is the difference between these two forms? Is it only the matter of style or there is more significant differences in the meaning of the sentences? When should we use the first one form and when the second? Do these two forms stress a difference between British and US English?
43304
I am not sure how to explain these phrases to a nonspeaker of English. Have all these examples the same form?  Get (v) married (v past participle)   or it is Get(v) married (adj)  ? Get (v) engaged (v past participle)                   engaged (adj)  ?   Get (v) divorced (v past participle)                  divorced (adj) ? Get (v) promoted (v past participle)                  promoted (adj) ?   Could somebody help me?
30439
The day before yesterday I think, my daughter asked me where we were going and since I was not planning to do the weekly shopping on that day and I just wanted to buy some stuff from two stores, I said offhand we are going to the shops! Looking back, it seems when I don't find a NAmE word I turn to UK if I know of.  So what do you say when:   go shopping (it's just go shopping!) you go to buy something specific; I mean you're not going shopping, and it's usually found in any store. You don't have to shop around. you want to buy non grocery or clothing stuff, maybe a can of paint and a spare part for your car together.    I have found some kind of answer for this question on , but I prefer to get a clear answer to my points above, and also if you agree with this native speaker about using store in singular form not plural:     Just as a side note, we don't use the plural in American English. "I'm   going to the store" (even if I may visit several stores), not "I'm   going to the stores". (If we know we are going to several stores I   think it would be more likely to say "I'm going shopping" or even "I'm   going downtown" in smaller towns.)
77691
Which one is correct?     Wind up working in a gas station (song name by Frank Zappa)   or     He knew that Old Joe didn’t work at the gas station anymore   (an example from Grammar textbook.)   Or may both variants be acceptable?
114691
Its a simple ask as it doesn't appear to be wrong while using it in emails etc.  I didn't had breakfast or i didnt have breakfast.  Which one of above is better in grammatical manner.
89401
What's the correct form? If both are correct, what's the difference?
89247
I came across an English learner writing     It snowed hard Monday.   After saying that it didn't snow on Friday and Saturday.  It didn't quite feel right to me.  I'd be okay with     It snowed hard.   or     It snowed Monday.   Is it okay for there to be two things ("hard" and "Monday") modifying the snowing without an "on" breaking things up a bit?
50495
I understand inversion but I have a difficulty when it comes down to "there."  A: Under the window there stood a vase. B: Under the window stood a vase.  Here my teacher said that option B is correct.  C: Under the window there was a vase. D: Under the window was a vase.  And here he said that option A is correct.  Could someone explain why I can't say option D?
72484
Once again, a problem encountered while marking German pupils' exams. We teach them the following rules:     A present participle can be used to shorten an active relative clause:         The boy who was driving the car didn't stop = The boy driving the red car didn't stop         A past participle can be used to shorten a passive relative clause:         Strawberries which are grown in California are delicious = Strawberries grown in California are delicious.      While marking, I encountered several problems. For example, why does this not work:     The girl who has black hair is in the corner   NOT   The girl having black hair is in the corner   or     That's the man who is happy to be here   NOT   That's the man being happy to be here   Does this all have to do with:   the verbs have and be? (But "The girl, being happy, phoned her friend") the continuous and simple forms? (But "We help people who live in ghettos = we help people living in ghettos") the tenses?    Or what? I'm totally stumped by this problem and do not know how to explain the pupils' mistakes to them. The problem seems to occur mostly with the use of the present participle. Who can help with some explanations or even better, specific rules!
67688
Which of the following is correct?     Why can't I see?   Why I can't see?   I am a bit confused, since both have inversion, negation and a "why" in the beginning.
24254
I've been having an argument with a colleague about this sentence, could you please let me know which one of us is correct:     There are no shortage of applications for our product in this   space.   She is convinced that are should be replaced by is, and I think it should stand as it is. Thanks for your help!
107637
I know that there are two ways to form the past tense of to light (i.e. lit/lighted). Which one is appropriate for the sentence below?     His thoughts lighted our way.   or     His thoughts lit our way.
25284
Can you guys help me with my problem here. I"m confused between these two sentences:     My hand breaks   and      My hand is broken   As far as I'm concerned, for the first sentence "breaks" is a verb. Conversely, for the second sentence "broken" is an adjective. But is the first sentence grammatically correct? If it is, do both sentences indicate the same meaning?
57778
Is it proper to use the following expressions  I started to London yesterday afternoon . I started to London yesterday morning  I ask because it is supposedly correct to say 'last night'. Why don't we say 'last afternoon' or 'last morning'?
121687
Tell me please why the is not used in the first following sentence and is used in the second one.     Ancient egyptian civilization existed for a long time.      The Inca civilization flourished for a long time.   Is the omitted because of the word ancient, or the use of the is optional in both sentences?