Wordwizard

Are these sentences correct: 1) He is a bad person for what he did to you. 2) He is not a good person for what he did to you. Does '2' mean the same as '1'? Is it ambiguous? I think it can mean: 3) What he did to you doesn't make him a good person. but I don't know if it could also mean the same as ...

1) I recalled an incident in 1997.

Can we tell if the incident took place in 1997 or if it was 1997 when I recalled that incident?

Gratefully,
Navi

There is a story-writing contest. Around fifty stories are selected and published. John sent in one or more stories. One of his stories were among the fifty that won. Which of the following can be used in that context: 1) He had a winning story in the contest. 2) He had a story that was among the wi...

Which are correct: 1) I will tell you how he behaves, in our office and out of it. 2) I will tell you how he behaves, in our office and outside of it. 3) I will tell you how he behaves, in our office and out. 4) I will tell you how he behaves, in our office and outside. 5) I will tell you how he beh...

Are these sentences correct: 1) On the way to learning where I should board my plane, I saw a beautiful gift shop. 2) On the way to inquiring where I should board my plane, I saw a beautiful gift shop. 3) On my way to learning where I should board my plane, I saw a beautiful gift shop. 4) On my way ...

Thank you both very much,
How about:

3) You can't share your room with everyone.
4) You can't marry everyone.
5) You couldn't marry everyone.

Do these work as well?

Gratefully,
Navi

Can one use: 1) I can share a room with some people, but not everyone. instead of: 2) I can share a room with some people, but not just anyone. I don't think '1' makes sense. It is saying I can't share a room with everyone in the world. That is obvious. There won't be enough room. I don't think '1' ...

1) I don't believe he's able to crack any code. 2) I don't believe he can crack any code. Can '1' and '2' have two meanings: a) I don't believe he's able to crack just any code. b) I don't believe he's able to crack a single code. ----------------- ----------------- 3) He is unable to crack any cod...

Which are correct:

1) He went out in order not to see the operation.

2) He went out not to see the operation.

3) He went out to not see the operation.


4) Not to see the operation, he went out.

5) To not see the operation, he went out.


Gratefully,
Navi

1) Only one is a wanderer. Two together are always going somewhere. 2) One alone is a wanderer. Two together are going somewhere. The first sentence is from the famous classic 'Vertigo' by Hitchcock. Source: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Vertigo I understand the sentence. But is it grammatical? How...

1) Getting drunk ends badly with me. Does this mean: a) I end up badly when I get drunk b) Things end up badly when I get drunk c) People end up badly when they get drunk with me d) People end up badly when they get drunk around me e) Things end up badly when people get drunk around me Is the sente...

Are these sentences correct:

1) I saw Pete, Tom, Harry.
2) Pete, Tom, Harry came here yesterday.
3) He acted under the influence of Pete, Tom, Harry.
4) He acted under the influence of Pete, of Tom, of Harry.

Gratefully,
Navi

Thank you very much, Tony, '1' is supposed to mean: 1a) The influence of Derrida and deconstructionism, of Foucault and his ideas of consciousness and domination, remains strong, notwithstanding these reversals. 1b) "In spite of these reversals, the influence of Derrida and deconstructionism, of Fou...

1) "Notwithstanding these reversals, the influence of Derrida and deconstructionism, of Foucault and his ideas of consciousness and domination, remains strong. " Source for '1': Paul R. Gross, ‎Norman Levitt Higher Superstition: The Academic Left and Its Quarrels with Science Link: https://tinyurl....

Thank you very much for this detailed reply, I really appreciate your patience and the effort you've made. I can follow the first part of your explanation. It is crystal-clear. But as regards sentence '1', I seem hopelessly lost. I think I have a blind spot or something. To me, in that sentence 'muc...