Wordwizard

Thank you both very much for your kind replies. Things are much clearer now! One more question: 3) They gave him the drug ABC, to be taken in case of a nervous crisis. 4) They gave him the drug ABC, which is to be taken in case of a nervous crisis. Are those two sentences equivalent? In '4' we are n...

Can one use: 1) They gave him the drug ABC, to use in case of a nervous crisis. instead of: 2) They gave him the drug ABC, which is to use in case of a nervous crisis. The examples are totally imaginary. What interests me is the grammatical structure. '2' is not equivalent to: They gave him the drug...

Which is correct: 1) Which of you are coming? 2) Which of you is coming? 3) Who of you are coming? 4) Who of you is coming? I think '1' means: 5) Which ones of you are coming? and '2' means: 6) Which one of you is coming? I am not particularly fond of '3' and '4'. Gratefully, Navi. HAPPY NEW YEAR.

1) He was given a bottle of the magic potion, to use in cases of extreme emergency. 2) He was given a bottle of the magic potion, to be used in cases of extreme emergency. The comma could indicate an afterthought. Could it also be used if one wanted to postmodify 'the magic potion' non-restrictivel...

Are these sentences correct: 1) I talked to John in his function as a lawyer, and not as my cousin. 2) I gave him those documents in his function as a lawyer, not as my cousin. 3) I gave those documents to him in his function as a lawyer, not as my cousin. (John is my cousin and he is a lawyer.) Gra...

1) They fired a journalist who wrote two articles about ecology. Could this sentence be used instead of: a) They fired a journalist who had written two articles about ecology. 2) They sent a lawyer who drew up a contract. Could this sentence be used instead of: b) They sent a lawyer who had drawn u...

1) She started singing when they put the furniture on the cart. Could this sentence be used instead of: c) She started singing when they were putting the furniture on/onto the cart. 2) She started singing when they loaded the furniture on the cart. Could this sentence be used instead of: d) She sta...

1) He will get through this as he did everything else. 2) He will get through this like everything else. Do these necessarily mean he will get through 'this' in the same manner he got through everything else? Couldn't they be used instead of: 3) He will get through this, as he did everything else. ...

Are sentences '1', '2', '3' and '4' ambiguous? 1-He doesn't play football, like his brother. Two possible meanings: 1a-His brother doesn't play football and neither does he. (Like his brother, he doesn't play football.) 1b-His brother does play football but he doesn't. (Unlike his brother, he doesn'...

Are these sentences correct: 1) Like your other tooth, they will extract this one. 2) They will extract this tooth like the other one. 3) They will extract this tooth, like the other one. 4) They will extract this tooth like the other one was. 5) They will extract this tooth, like the other one was....

Are these sentences correct with the given meanings: 1) He played the banjo, as I played the guitar. (He played the banjo and I played the guitar) 2) He played the banjo as I played the guitar. (He played the banjo in the same way I played the guitar.) 3) He played the banjo like I played the guitar...

Are these sentences correct: 1) Anything money my horse earns in races, I am entitled to. 2) Anything he does, I have a share in. 3) Anything he does, I am proud of. 4) Anything he earns, I take a part of. They don't have the normal word order. But I think this word order puts the emphasis on the no...

Are these sentences correct:
1) He asked a favour of her, but she refused him the favour.
2) He asked a favour of her, but she refused him.

Gratefully,
Navi.

1) He is the man to drive us there tomorrow.

Does this sentence mean:
a) He is the man who can drive us there tomorrow

b) He is the man who has been given the job of driving us there tomorrow

c) He is the man who will drive us there tomorrow

Gratefully,
Navi.

Are these sentences correct: 1) He likes his food not too greasy. 2) He wants his food not too greasy. 3) He likes his steak well-done and not greasy. 4) He wants his steak well-done and not greasy. I think '3' and '4' work. Normally one would say 'He DOESN'T WANT his food greasy. But here we have t...