He's been here quite a couple of times.   Would this be a natural thing to say?  How many times would you say that &quot;quite a couple of times&quot; are? (I know there's no precise answer to it)
35260
Today I said some event was a couple of weeks away. A native speaker from Australia corrected me and said, no it's at least three weeks away. What followed was a discussion as to whether a couple always means two, or if it can mean more than two.  What does a couple, in particular a couple of weeks, mean to a native speaker?  According to :        Two partners in a romantic or sexual relationship.   Two of the same kind connected or considered together.   (informal) A small number.      According to :        two people or things of the same sort considered together:   'a couple of girls were playing marbles'   [treated as singular or plural] two people who are married or otherwise closely associated romantically or sexually:   'in three weeks the couple fell in love and became engaged'   'a honeymoon couple'   [informal] An indefinite small number      Yet my colleague — a native speaker — insists that a couple never means three, although there can be a small error bar on the two. We asked one other native speaker who agrees with him, yet three non-native speakers point at the above-mentioned sources to claim they're wrong. But it's a bit tricky for non-native speakers to claim native speakers are wrong. Note that both native-speakers are from Australia/New Zealand.
67952
She has five kids. I can imagine how busy she would be.   Is the use of would be right in this sentence? What about      She has five kids. I can imagine how busy she is.   Are both correct? Do they mean different things?
102769
Not being a native speaker and suffering semantic satiation from overthinking this, I'd like to ask this probably overly simple question.     Not once would he...   uses reversal for negation and means "he wouldn't even once..."     Not once he would...   is litotes for "He would frequently..."  Is that correct or did I mess up? If I did mess up, how to correctly express the two meanings?
10336
Is it correct to say:     1) I've lived in London for five years.   Or      2) I've been living in London for five years.   I think second one is correct because we use present perfect continuous for actions started in past and is continuing in present.
91746
Accourding to ,   We often use "been to" when we refer to completed visits to a place:  Have you ever been to Budapest?  Not: Have you ever gone to Budapest?  If the visit is not complete, we use "gone to".  Joan’s just gone to the shop. She’ll be back in about ten minutes. (Joan has not yet returned from the shop.)  Joan’s just been to the shop. She bought some cakes. Would you like one? (Joan has returned from the shop.)  Now, does that rule apply to the  "Have been on a trip" &amp; "Have gone on a trip"?  So, "I have been on a trip" (I completed the trip &amp; currently I am staying at home)  "I have gone on a trip" (I haven't completed the trip &amp; currently I am on the trip)  And what about "gone crazy" &amp; "been crazy".  Does "He has gone crazy" mean now he is still crazy?  Does "He has been crazy" mean now he is not crazy any more?  Are there any differences between "Have been on a trip" vs "Have gone on a trip" and "Have been crazy" vs "Have gone crazy"?  Note: I am not asking about "been to" or "gone to". I am asking about "been on a trip" &amp; "gone on a trip". Do we apply the same rule of "been to" or "gone to" to "been on a trip" &amp; "gone on a trip"?  Note2:  seems to prove that my thinking is right.
95843
Question: Is the first one redundant and proper, or is it redundant and not necessarily correct?  (1) He is a friend of Doug's. (2) He is a friend of Doug.
86695
The situation is that:  We've already read three English novels.  Which is the correct question for that situation?   Who has already read three English novels?  Who have already read three English novels?    Or could both be correct? Please also provide the grammatical reasons for your answers.
67527
Please anyone tell me when we have to use "has been, have been , had been" and something  started in past and still continuing is it possible to use has been ?
77121
I just would like to know if this sentence would be grammatically correct and in which cases should I use it:  I don't know when he is back instead of he will be back . I know the rule with when "no will" in most cases but we can say" please let me know when it will be available or when it is available"  If that's not correct let me know why please
67812
I'm wondering whether I should use the present tense for a descriptive statement but in a past context. For example:     (1) I went to the zoo and saw a giraffe last week.       (2) A giraffe is a mammal with long neck.       (3) It is the first time I see that animal with my own eyes.   Statement (2) is a description of a giraffe in general, not the specific one in the zoo, so is it correct to use is?  Statement (3) is an event that is still true now, so should I use is and see?  I'm not native speaker so forgive me if the question is very obvious to others.
94963
Here are three ways to say the same thing. I wonder if there are particular rules regarding to the position of adverb phrases:     Then play those passages over and over again in your memory   Or,     Then play those passages in your memory over and over again   Or,     Then play over and over again those passages in your memory   I think the last is the worst choice but the first twos seem ok. The first is better because "over and over again" is closer to "play" so it is emphasized. Agreed?
38278
Statement is as follows:      Obama makes a surprise visit to Afghanistan.   Is this a simple present tense? If yes then please explain  As per the definition of simple present tense, this statement does not fall into any of the following categories:   For repeated or regular actions in the present time period. For facts. For habits. For things that are always / generally true.   This statement is one of the headlines in the New York Times.
104896
I am going on holidays in two days for two weeks, but before going I would like to see my friend: shall I say  It would be nice to see you before I leave. It would be nice to see you before I left.  I think the second one is better, as it is not a real situation but a wish.
42510
The other day I heard someone say:       They've been going out a week; I mean, that's not (a) serious (relationship).     I wondered if she was speaking correctly, which is presumable, since she was a native American English speaker. But more often I here the for when people talk about duration. So is it also possible to leave out for? Maybe only in the informal register?   EDIT: There was a heavy stress on the word week. Does it play a role in this matter?  EDIT#2: ... OK. It's more suitable as an answer.
110446
Someone introduced himself to us.  After that, when we look back and say what he said, which is right to say?     What did he say his name is?      What did he say his name was?   I think the first one is plausible because his name is always XX, but I'm not sure. Please tell me which is allowed.
108398
Well we know that is is the correct form for singular and are is the correct form for plural, right?  As such "There is a great pizza place in Chicago" would be correct in prose or dialogue as would "No, actually there are many great pizza places in Chicago."  However, I hear and occasionally myself say, "If you go to Gino's, I'd stick to the one downtown, but there's several locations now."  So my question is: Is this tense mismatch an eccentricity of speech, or is there any basis for this contraction of there's in plural?  Are you hungry now?  Edit: My question specifically asks for an irregular usage concern. Of course I know what it's supposed to say.
41082
I was always under the impression I should not use and more than once. I have this text:     I appreciate that all my previous work experience is within office based industries however I am a quick learner, keen and enthusiastic and am looking to change to ensure longevity of career and that the remainder of my working life is spent doing something that I enjoy and that I can feel passionate about.   Are there too many ands in that sentence?