Language level
Intermediate: B1
Upper intermediate: B2
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Comments
Hi
I would like to know which of the following is correct.
1.No singer in John's school is more accomplished than John.
2.No singer in John's school is more accomplished than him.
Thank you.
Hello Leen
1 is less ambiguous than 2, since 'him' could refer to a different person, but they are both grammatically correct.
All the best
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi,
Please I need clarification on the use of "they" as a singular. Is it considered standard British English to use it as singular? For example, "Tell anyone that calls the landline, they should reach me on my cell"
Hi Justina,
Yes, it is perfectly fine to use 'they' as a genderless singular form and your example is correct.
This use of 'they' is quite old. You can find examples in Shakespeare, for instance:
It is certainly not a modern imposition on the language, as is sometimes argued.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Thanks.
Good
hi,
A: I've brought some white wine.
B: Thanks. Shall we put ___ in the fridge for a while?
here right answer is it, why not them,while it is more one.please explain...
Hello archijais,
'wine' is an uncount noun. As you can see in the explanation on our uncount nouns page, uncount nouns are grammatically singular - that is why 'it' is correct and 'them' is not.
Best wishes,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
When do we use "by tomorrow" when talking about the time when something will be finished?
As in the phrase "I'm sorry I haven't finished my essay. It should be finished tomorrow." Would it be correct to say "It should be finished by tomorrow" as well?
Thanks!
Hello,
The difference is that 'by tomorrow' means 'tomorrow at the latest'. So it could be finished later today or it could be finished tomorrow and the promise would still be true.
Best wishes,
Adam
The LearnEnglish Team
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