Is one of these two right and the other wrong?   There aren’t many farms out here, but the few fields he does see have already been emptied of their crop.  There aren’t many farms out here, but the few fields he does see have already been emptied of their crops.   If both are right, how does the meaning change?
18657
After the therapy, eight children (43%) became able to crawl/move on their back.   Or should I use "on their backs"?   Singular because each child only has one back, or plural because we're dealing with eight backs?
118920
This came up when reviewing a written English exercise, and I realized that I don't entirely trust my intuition on the answer.  Which of the following is correct?  Or are both valid?  (Or is it strongly advisable to rewrite the sentence in some other way?)   "I see what appears to be a man and his son." "I see what appear to be a man and his son."
66705
My colleague and I were discussing a student's paper.      We agreed that according to our experiences and knowledge of English, the following sentence is grammatically correct: "The difference between the rich and the poor in our city stems from..."     But, another colleague claimed that it would be acceptable to say, "The difference between rich and poor in our city stems from..."     While searching for examples of each, we found ourselves befuddled.  Why are both versions seemingly acceptable?
69976
Here's the situation: I meet a friend and I tell her about yesterday:     “Hey, John!”   “Hi, Sarah!”   “How was yesterday's trip?”   “It was great. Karl took me to the countryside to show me his new house. It reminded me of the/a house I rented in Oxford.”    “...a house I rented in Oxford.” indicates one of the (multiple) houses I rented in Oxford? “...the house I rented in Oxford.” indicates I rented only one house in Oxford?
28783
Should you use a plural verb if you refer to a fraction?     Nine tenths of the pillar have rotted away.   I think has should be used here, but I'm not sure.
51381
a) They have no child. b) They have no children.  Are both a) and b) correct? Though b) seems more common.
81776
My question is what is the difference among these three sentences.   He is big enough to do such  heavy works. He is not big enough to do such heavy works. He is small enough to do such  heavy works.   I am so much confused between 2 and 3.Also, I don't get what the 3rd one means.
89401
What's the correct form? If both are correct, what's the difference?
29459
Is the following grammatically correct? My friend says the second sentence is grammatically incorrect, but couldn't explain why.     I have always been fascinated by statistics. The different ways in   which you could look at data and infer knowledge from it.
111732
So, when I was a comparative novice to the novice I am right now, I used to think that these two things were syntactic sugar for each other, i.e. that using one over the other was simply a personal preference. Over time, I'm come to find that these two are not the same thing, even in a default implementation (see  and ). To further confuse the matter, each can be overridden/overloaded separately to have completely different meanings.   Is this a good thing, what are the differences, and when/why should you use one over the other?
99890
I'm reading Robinson Crusoe and came across many of these constructions with "but" in it. I can't help but thought they were a little unusual. I don't consider myself fluent in English, that's why I ask.  Here is an example:     This I saw no remedy for but by making an enclosure about it with a   hedge; which I did with a great deal of toil, and more, because it   required speed.   Second one:      However, as my arable land was but small, suited to my crop, I got   it totally well fenced in about three weeks' time;   By typing the second out I figured it is actually the normal textbook case of "but", just an, in my opinion, screwed ordering in the sentence. Is this what it means?     However, as my arable land was suited to my crop but small, I got it   totally well fenced in about three weeks time;   Why did the author do this? Can you comment on the first sentence too? It's not a textbook-but-usage as I see it.
40451
Sentences are:   "The rainforests are in danger." "Rainforests are in danger."  So in this case, I think that they are both correct sentences...but:  "Guitars are musical instruments."  "The guitars are musical instruments."  In this case, we are still making generic statements about a plural noun, but the second one sounds bizarre. This for a student. I'm not sure WHY it's awkward. Why do we opt for "The guitar is a musical instrument."  Thanks in advance :)
21895
Can anyone please help and tell me if this sentence is correct?  &quot;A significant amount of zombies were detected in your city.&quot;  In my opinion it should be &quot;A significant amount of zombies was detected in your city.&quot; because &quot;amount&quot; should be in agreement with &quot;was&quot; even though amount usually refers to something plural. Are both (was and were) acceptable in this case? Edit1: Yes, &quot;number&quot; would be the correct one in this case. So allow me to ask one more thing.  &quot;A significant amount of purchases were detected...&quot;  Does the use of &quot;number&quot; apply in this case also? As purchase is not exactly a thing/person. And if no, is it correct to say &quot;A significant amount of purchases were detected...&quot;? Edit2: So, please tell me what is the correct phrasing?  &quot;A significant amount of purchases were detected...&quot; &quot;A significant amount of purchases was detected...&quot;  Or, since purchases are countable, is the use of &quot;number&quot; instead of &quot;amount&quot; correct here, as in:  &quot;A significant number of purchases were detected...&quot; &quot;A significant number of purchases was detected...&quot;  Or would amount be correct since a purchase involves money and it refers to the amount of money? Would greatly appreciate an answer, and if possible a detailed explanation.
114233
Man: What do you think of the view?  Droid: I do not think of it.  Man: I don't think of it. I don't. Droids and apostrophes, I could write a book, except you are... barely a droid anymore.  (c) Deep Breath  I can't understand the difference between do not and don't in this case. I'd be grateful if somebody helps.
40163
Sometimes I feel difficulty telling the difference between simple past and present perfect.  Given a picture like this:    which one is correct between these two? Or in what sense are they different?  A. He fell off his motorcycle.  B. He has fallen off his motorcycle.
39069
I believe the sentence in the title is grammatically correct.   Recently I've seen too many people writing it this way:     I'm not sure what is the right way.   Is it grammatically correct as well? Maybe in a different sense? Or simply misuse by non-native speakers?
8840
Nothing but birds and a few insects [was/were] to be seen.    In that sentence, should the verb agree with "nothing" or with "birds and a few insects"?