But why do we grammar

Emily: About half an hour ago. Can Jenny speak Chinese? Did you go to the cinema on Saturday? Wh-questions can be used to ask about the subject or object of the verb.

Compare these questions:. Who wants ice cream for dessert? Who broke the mirror in the dining room? Who answered the phone? What did you do at the weekend? Where does your brother work? Who will you ask for help? How big is your apartment? How old are your children now? How much is the black dress in the window? He knew the sunset could be spectacular. I could be wrong. Could you come over here, please? In conclusion, you could use these three auxiliaries if you would, and you should!

Would, Should, Could. Would Technically, would is the past tense of will , but it is an auxiliary verb that has many uses, some of which even express the present tense. It can be used in the following ways: To ask questions: Would you like some coleslaw? With who , what , when , where , why , how : How would the neighbors react? To make polite requests: I would like more coleslaw, please.

To show a different response if the past had been different: I would have helped you if I had known you were stranded.

To tone down strong, controversial statements-not recommended in formal essays: I would have to say that you're acting a bit immature. To explain an outcome to a hypothetical situation: Should I win a million dollars, I would fix up my house.

To show habitual past action: Helen would sob whenever John would leave home. To show repetitive past action: For a moment the plane would be airborne, then it would bump back down along the hard earth.

To show preference between two choices, used with rather or sooner: I would sooner die than face them. However, the second choice may by implied but not stated: I would rather die.

To show wish or desire: Those people would allow gambling. To show intention or plan: She said she would come. To show choice: I would put off the test if I could. To express doubt: The answer would seem to be correct. To show future likelihoods relative to past action: He calculated that he would get to the camp around 6 p.

Strange but true: Notice how changing have to had can change the way would works: Would you had changed your mind. Should Technically, should is the past tense of shall , but it is an auxiliary verb with a few uses, not all of which are in the past tense, namely, the following: To ask questions: Should you have erased the disk? As HW Fowler observed: "The power of saying 'people worth talking to' instead of 'people with whom it is worth while to talk' is not one to be lightly surrendered.

You can spot it in the third person singular of the present tense resign instead of resigns and in the forms be and were of the verb to be: if she were [rather than was] honest, she would quit. The writer Somerset Maugham, who in announced "the subjunctive mood is in its death throes", might be surprised to see my son Freddie's bookshelf, which contains If I Were a Pig … Jellycat Books, It's not true, however, that David and Don Was came under pressure from language purists to change the name of their band to Were Not Was.

Misusing the subjunctive is worse than not using it at all. Many writers scatter "weres" about as if "was" were — or, indeed, was — going out of fashion.

The journalist Simon Heffer is a fan of the subjunctive, recommending such usages as "if I be wrong, I shall be defeated". So be it — if you want to sound like a pirate. But while a double negative may make a positive when you multiply minus three by minus two, language doesn't work in such a logical way: multiple negatives add emphasis. Literature and music abound with them. Chaucer used a triple — "He nevere yet no vileynye ne sayde" — and Ian Dury gave us: "Just 'cos I ain't never 'ad, no, nothing worth having, never ever, never ever.

Not Standard English, it's true, but no native English speaker is likely to misunderstand, any more than when Jane Austen produced the eloquent double negative "there was none too poor or remote not to feel an interest". Between is appropriate when the relationship is reciprocal, however many parties are involved: an agreement between the countries of the EU, for example. Among belongs to collective relationships, as in votes shared among political parties, or the items among Paul Whiteman's souvenirs in the song.

While I am on the subject, it's "between you and me", not "between you and I". It's probably unfair, though quite good fun, to blame the Queen; people have heard "my husband and I" and perhaps assume "and I" is always right. It is when part of the subject "my husband and I would love to see you at the palace" but not when part of the object "the Queen offered my husband and me cucumber sandwiches".

And good luck to them: there is no justification for it. I have, however, managed to come up with a little distinction worth preserving: compare "bored with Tunbridge Wells" a person who finds Tunbridge Wells boring with "bored of Tunbridge Wells" a bored person who happens to live there, perhaps a neighbour of "disgusted of Tunbridge Wells". A gerund is a verb ending in -ing that acts as a noun: I like swimming, smoking is bad for you, and so on.

The tricky bit is when someone tells you about the rule that, as with other nouns, you have to use a possessive pronoun — "she objected to my swimming". Most normal people say "she objected to me swimming" so I wouldn't worry about this. You rarely see the possessive form in newspapers, for example. Announcing "I trust too much in my team's being able to string a few wins together" sounds pompous.

This prompted generations of English teachers to drill into their pupils, including me, that to start a sentence with and, but, because or however was wrong. As , when or while? Been or gone? Begin or start? Beside or besides? Between or among? Born or borne? Bring , take and fetch Can , could or may? Classic or classical? Come or go? Consider or regard? Consist , comprise or compose? Content or contents?

Different from , different to or different than? Do or make? Down , downwards or downward? During or for? Each or every? East or eastern ; north or northern? Economic or economical? Efficient or effective? Elder , eldest or older , oldest? End or finish? Especially or specially? Except or except for? Expect , hope or wait? Experience or experiment? Fall or fall down? Far or a long way? Farther , farthest or further , furthest? Fast , quick or quickly? Fell or felt? Female or feminine ; male or masculine?

Finally , at last , lastly or in the end? First , firstly or at first? Fit or suit? Following or the following? For or since? Forget or leave? Full or filled? Fun or funny? Get or go? Grateful or thankful? Hear or listen to? High or tall? Historic or historical?

House or home? How is …? If or when? If or whether? Ill or sick? Imply or infer? In the way or on the way? Late or lately? Lay or lie? Lend or borrow? Less or fewer? Look at , see or watch? Low or short? Man , mankind or people? Maybe or may be? Maybe or perhaps? Nearest or next? Never or not … ever?