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Questions tagged [construction]

symbolic units that connect a linguistic form with meaning

In other words, what do speakers of English know in order to produce utterances that other speakers will understand?

The theory of construction grammar postulates that lexical items and syntactic patterns are symbolic, meaningful units. Also, the syntax used contributes to the meaning of what's said.

This topic can also cover mixed constructions. Example: "Beginning in the winter of 1945, the beginnings of the party began to take root, was the target of much international attention."

This topic can also cover parallel constructions, one or more sentences of similar phrases or clauses with the same grammatical structure.

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Is "Please be reminded to ..." a valid construction?

I received an email today with the following sentence: Please be reminded to bring your basketball gear in. He was subsequently made fun of by a co-worker: 'Please be reminded' - Will you be doing the reminding, or should I expect somebody else…
Bringer128
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"Was to " vs "was to have "

What is the difference in the meaning between following sentences: John was to have picked strawberries yesterday but the downpour made the field too muddy. John was to pick strawberries yesterday but the downpour made the field too…
yubraj
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Use of "still" in a reply in informal conversation

In informal conversation, in answer to the question, "What happened?" would it be correct to reply, "Nothing still important"? (Meaning nothing that is still important to discuss now; the topic lost its importance).
Amalia
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"To have it [be] " construction?

I have several times come across this construction in which the verb have is followed by the verb be, although normally be is omitted as saying just have is enough to convey the meaning. Are the following valid sentences? Can I make a new account…
anonymoo
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Usage of a participial construction in a specific interrogative sentence

I cannot grasp the construction and meaning of the following sentence. "What do Company A and Company B intend to achieve, anticipating that their intentions may be somewhat different?" Could you please teach me the construction and who is…
user48754
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Is this a positive or negative sentence?

I heard a sentence like this: How will Bill ever know that? Can someone tell me if this is a positive or negative sentence and what are the guidelines to decide which it is?
Sameer Patil
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Now we live in a well-ordered society

Context from a video: After Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, God decreed the laws and commandments, which guided the Israelites' life on earth and taught people how to worship God. These laws and commandments not only guided the Israelites,…
Megan Lee
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Preposition followed by pronoun and noun phrase

I am reading Scrivener's Plain Introduction to textual analysis, written in 1874, and was surprised by the following construction : It was presented to the University by Theodore Beza, for whom and his master Calvin the heads of that learned body…
Nigel J
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A long sentence about a car

I realize this is OK grammatically, and it even makes sense eventually, but what would you call this style/construction, and how could it be fixed to be more digestible? Is it a run-on sentence, or is it just poorly arranged? It's to get kind of a…
Brian Hitchcock
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What is awkward about this construction?

From a Murakami novel: Just as he appreciated Sara’s appearance, he also enjoyed the way she dressed. I am reading an article that criticizes Murakami's style and writing. I am curious, what is awkward about the above sentence?
Jwan622
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Boxer-turned-politician Vitaly Klitschko pulled out of the race for Ukrainian

The sentence underlines that Vitaly Klitschko is a former boxer who has now given to politics. Is "boxer-turned-politician" a common construction to refer to people who change activities, or is it more the writer's wording ability?
user66974
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What is right sentence construction of "same as"?

This is the same car that you bought me. (Does it mean only one car exists?) This is the same car as the one you bought me. (Does it indicate to two cars? One is the current one we are looking at, and the other is one you bought me?) This car is…
user64814
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cannot in 'not only...but also'

I know from verious other discussions that 'can not' and 'cannot' are basically both correct but 'cannot' is being used more often. Nonetheless what happens if I have a 'not only...but also' construction like in the following sentence: "Heat pumps…
PeterBe
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Is is possible to use this construction?

Is it possible to say "He was being run after" instead of "He was being chased" the same way it is possible to say "He was being shot at" "He was being run down/over" etc. or is that not a valid construction?
user79773
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Can I say “to be a person (man) of something”?

In Russian, we have a popular poetic construction that can be literally translated as to be a person (man) of something. For example, if some person is very active, we can say that he is a man of action. I try to translate this construction in…
BukvaCe
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