In my last post (The Verb Phrase), I referred to something called the principal parts of a verb. This concept is fundamental to the study and practice of grammar, and a few more words about it might serve us well. Let’s begin by remembering that verbs lie at the heart of our everyday sentences. We …
Author Archives: rultimo
The Verb Phrase
Lessons abound. I was standing by my car the other day, waiting for a friend to finish shopping. Someone parks in the space next to mine, walks toward the store, and then turns around abruptly to retrieve his pandemic mask. As he passes me again, he points to the mask and says, we’re going to …
Adjectives, Before and After
For the first time in a long time, I sat down for a meal in a restaurant the other day, and when I happened to look around, I saw this sign posted for the staff at the wait station: Needed to Be Cleaned Menus. Curious, I thought. It’s referring, of course, to all the extra …
The Theory of Lie and Lay
One of the persisting confusions for writers is the difference between the verbs lie and lay. If it’s been a long day, do I lie down or lay down to rest for a few minutes? There is nothing intrinsically difficult about using these two words if—and it’s an unfashionable condition, I know—we apply a little …
Shape-Shifters
Order something online, and soon thereafter you receive an email like this: Your order has shipped. You understand the sentence, but what does the grammar mean? Taking a look at this construction will give us a chance to review some of the basics and add—guardedly—a new design to our repertoire. We know that sentences are …