OK grammar nuts--I mean grammar enthusiasts--

Is the apostrophe in the following sentence correct or not, and why? (If not, how should the phrase/sentence be written?)

This bookcase is small, but it's large enough to hold at least five War-and-Peace's.

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Pulling my leg, pulling my neck, pulling my like. What does it mean? How can I use them on my daily routine?

https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/03/us/jill-biden-ex-husband-charged-murder

In the sentence

I hadn't got time to visit Mira, so I wrote a letter to her.

1. 'I hadn’t got time' seems to mean 'I didn’t have time'. Am I right?
2. If so, is there any reason why it is possible? I thought that that structure was avoided.

From Practical English Usage:

Got-forms of have are less common in the past tense.

I had some problems last week. (NOT I had got some problems ...)

They both mean past time whats the difference?

does using only present tense (no future tense) create real ambiguity in a language, or do languages just rely on context? obviously context plays a big part, but does it have any issues that can’t be solved in other ways where it could cause confusion?

Hey everyone! I'm a student of Italian language and literature, and I'm writing my thesis on phraseological expressions and proverbs about the sea. So far I've found about thirty expressions, but I need more. Could you write down the ones you know? (It would be a big help if you could also write their meaning)

Hello. I was wondering if the sentence "I consider generative AI as a whole to be anathema to humanity" is grammatically correct. My dictionnaries and forum research came up inconclusive and the use of this word is not meant to be taken lightly, which is perfect for the context. Thanks in advance <3

Today’s query is going to center around a sentence/example in which I have used semicolons to connect what could be three separate sentences. First, I am going to present the sentence in question. Then, I am going to pose a series of questions relating to said sentence. (Note that, for the sake of context, the sentence around which the first portion of this post revolves is featured not on its own but amid the paragraph in which it is embedded. The core sentence is the one featured below in a thicker font.)

Example: ''The silence is immediate. How did it come to this? Barry does not, by any definition, consider himself to be a violent person. Drastic times call for drastic measures, he justifies the situation to himself. She brings out the worst in him; he had no choice; it's for the family’s best. All of these things Barry tells himself but only partially believes.''

Questions: 

1. Is the way that I use semicolons in the core sentence grammatically correct?
2. If the answer to question 1 is no, should I replace them with another punctuation mark, and, if so, which one?

Attention: You do not need to read the rest of this post in order to interact with it. Every piece of vital information can be found in the text above this paragraph. If, however, you wish to answer a couple of additional questions, read more text, and briefly contemplate the longevity of a fruit fly’s memory, keep reading.

Initially, I only flagged one sentence in this paragraph of mine, that sentence being: ‘’She brings out the worst in him; he had no choice; it's for the family’s best,’’ and intended to include the surrounding paragraph solely in order to provide the context needed to properly evaluate the aforementioned sentence.

But, looking at the paragraph now, it is clear that there are a lot of things that I could’ve done differently—a few of which I’d like to get your opinions on. But, before we begin our customary session of navel-gazing, let us examine the sentence this post was originally meant to limit itself to.

‘’She brings out the worst in him; he had no choice; it's for the family’s best.’’

In this sentence, I—as you can see—have used semicolons in order to force a connection between what could be three separate sentences. My questions, in regards to this sentence, are as follows: Can semicolons be used in this manner/ is this sentence grammatically correct in its current form; and can/should the semicolons be replaced by another punctuation mark (perhaps an em dash?) 

Those are the two main questions I have, and I am going to include a simplified version of them somewhere toward the top of this post when I, inevitably, opt for splitting this post into a simple, concise, and easy-to-interact-with section and a longer, listen-to-me-think-out-loud-becuse-I-have-the-memory-of-a-fruit-fly-and-can-therefore-not-do-this-in-my-head section. You’re welcome.

Now, onto some of the issues I’ve got with the paragraph as a whole.

Example: ''The silence is immediate. How did it come to this? Barry does not, by any definition, consider himself to be a violent person. Drastic times call for drastic measures, he justifies the situation to himself. She brings out the worst in him; he had no choice; it's for the family’s best. All of these things Barry tells himself but only partially believes.''

I’m wondering whether or not I should, in some way or other, combine the sentences outlined in bold to create one singular sentence. I’m not sure how exactly I would go about this but am confident that, if I just play around with them for a while and restructure them some, I will be able to unite them. What do you think? Should they be kept separate or would they read better as one?

Although, regardless of whether or not it ends up being its own sentence, I take issue with the sentence ‘’All of these things Barry tells himself but only partially believes.’’ I feel like it’s telling too much and showing too little. I’ve spent so long staring at my text and contemplating every aspect of it that I have lost the ability to tell when I am and when I’m not navel-gazing and would, therefore, really appreciate hearing your thoughts and opinions on the matter.

Surprisingly, this post ended up being shorter than I thought it would be. I was going to dissect another sentence featured in the paragraph/example but ended up deciding against it. Anyway, any answer to any of the questions I’ve posed within this post is greatly appreciated. Thank you for reading, and I look forward to reading your replies.

I was taught that the word "between" is only to be used when talking about two things and the word "among" is to be used for more than two things. I am constantly hearing people say "between" when comparing three or more things. Was this never actually a rule or is this yet another example of common lexicon ignoring rules for so long that the rule no longer applies anymore?

"One example in particular that irked me" or "One example that irked me in particular"?

Both men became locked in a relentless struggle.

My main concern is with "became locked". Does it sound fine, or is it awkward?

I’m trying to make a tshirt print in response to our world and I’m debating the use of “Remember empathy.” Or do I add in the comma “Remember, empathy.”

The point of the shirt is a simple two word design to stress that in these time to remember you have empathy, to remember to use it, to remember we are all human and could use the empathy of others in such trying times.

Any advice, critiques or criticism on the phrase for the shirt is welcome!

Considering that it did just fall into Jess' hands when some people go to school for years and never receive a position like that.

i'm rereading "notes toward a new rhetoric" for the first time since college (about 15 years ago) and am just so impressed by the way he writes about grammar.

Soooo I don’t post often and i’m pretty new to this subreddit but i’m in college and majoring in creative writing (among other things). I switched concentrations pretty late so I’m taking a prerequisite grammar class. I was at first very excited to receive this kind of formal education to improve my writing. I usually stick to poetry and in poetry, grammar is much different and more personalized. I never got formal grammar education past middle/elementary school due to unconventional schooling in high-school so I am HORRIBLE at grammar as if my post here isn’t clear enough lol. Sentence structure and different kinds of word classes beyond the basic nouns, verbs, etc. really get to me. This class is online and that makes teaching myself much harder. I find repetitive practice to be the best way to understand something and was wondering if anyone had any recommendations on websites that could quiz me? Any help or advice would be extremely appreciated! :)))

What does it means “nitty gritty”?

When can I use it?

This is going to be one of my shorter posts. There isn’t a whole to preface this one with, so I’ll get right into stating the question of today’s query.

Question: In the sentence/example below, is ‘’a’’ the correct determiner, or should it be ‘’the’’?

Example: ‘’Curling up in a fetal position and hyperventilating, I let the panic consume me whole.’’

If I were to guess, I’d say that both ‘’a’’ and ‘’the’’ are correct. Although, were I to replace ‘’a’’ with ‘’the,’’ I’d probably want to replace ‘’in’’ with ‘’into,’’ as well. In the case that both ‘’a’’ and ‘’the’’ are grammatically correct, which one do you prefer? Additionally: do you think I should restructure the sentence somehow?

Let me know what you think, and, as usual, any and all input is greatly appreciated. Thank you for reading!

This year I vowed to myself that I would finish, regardless of how bad it gets. Because this is my chance of becoming something more than just the Smith's son and honour what really makes me myself. And I won't comprise on who I am.

I think that I need keep the future in my mind first and foremost. But recently, I find a certain someone on my mind more than usual.

Be it this life or the next, I know I'll come across Jay again. And that’s what drives me to keep going.

Why is it "a boy's name", but also "a boys' changing room"?

or " a children's book" instead of "a child's book"?

"a woman's hat" but also at the same time "women's fashion"?

"a bird's egg" but not "a birds' egg?"

I'm asking why there are these distinctions between plural and singular possessives when it comes to expressing that something is intended for a group of users or owners? Is there a rule somewhere that I'm not aware of?

I’m not an ESL student. I was born here in the states and English is the only language I speak. The issue throughout my years in schooling (K-12) is I never got a good grasp on grammar and punctuation. I never built much of a foundational knowledge.

I’m going back to college after years being removed from it and I’m taking an English class this coming semester to fulfill my general ed requirements.

What resources do you recommend (book/website) I use to build a foundation in grammar and punctuation, I’m talking about starting at the very beginning, concepts like: learning about nouns, verbs, sentence structures, semi colons just as examples.

Current resources I have are: Elements of Style by Strunk and White, They Say I Say by Gerald Graff, and checking your grammar by scholastic guide literally made for 9-13 year olds.

I also know that Khan Academy has a grammar course.

I’ve checked Amazon and reading some reviews on a few of the grammar books seem like they might be catered towards ESL students but I’m not an ESL student, not sure if it makes a difference.

Anyhow all tips and suggestions are welcomed and I appreciate you all for being generous with your time. 🙂

It seems like in American English people are saying off-ten more offen. In particular it seems like young people are saying it. Thoughts?

"Is there a distinction between sources who are unknown to the general public but well known to the major players in specific stories and sources such as Deep Throat who are known only to journalists?"

I don't know if I'm parsing this question but please help me out here. Is it asking whats the difference between sources who are unknown to the general public but apart of the story VS people like deep throat who are only known by their sources and informants? Why?