# Difficult sentences
A collection of difficult sentences to test Harper's ability to correctly tag unusual/uncommon but correct sentences.
Note that some word may **not** be tagged correctly right now.
Most example sentences are taken from https://en.wiktionary.org/. License: CC BY-SA 4.0.
# A
With one attack, he was torn a pieces.
I brush my teeth twice a day.
## At
### Preposition
Caesar was at Rome; a climate treaty was signed at Kyoto in 1997.
I was at Jim’s house at the corner of Fourth Street and Vine.
at the bottom of the page; sitting at the table; at church; at sea
Target at five miles. Prepare torpedoes!
Look out! UFO at two o'clock!
Don't pick at your food!
My cat keeps scratching at the furniture.
I was working at the problem all day.
He shouted at her.
She pointed at the curious animal.
At my request, they agreed to move us to another hotel.
He jumped at the sudden noise.
We laughed at the joke.
She was mad at their comments.
men at work; children at play
The two countries are at war.
She is at sixes and sevens with him.
### Noun
The at sign.
### Verb
(In online chats:) Don't @ me! Don't at me!
## By
### Preposition
The mailbox is by the bus stop.
The stream runs by our back door.
He ran straight by me.
Be back by ten o'clock!.
We'll find someone by the end of March.
We will send it by the first week of July.
The matter was decided by the chairman.
The boat was swamped by the water.
He was protected by his body armour.
There was a call by the unions for a 30% pay rise.
I was aghast by what I saw.
There are many well-known plays by William Shakespeare.
I avoided the guards by moving only when they weren't looking.
By Pythagoras' theorem, we can calculate the length of the hypotenuse.
We went by bus.
I discovered it by chance.
By 'maybe' she means 'no'.
The electricity was cut off, so we had to read by candlelight.
By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife.
By Jove! I think she's got it!
By all that is holy, I'll put an end to this.
I sorted the items by category.
Table 1 shows details of our employees broken down by sex and age.
Our stock is up by ten percent.
We won by six goals to three.
His date of birth was wrong by ten years.
We went through the book page by page.
We crawled forward by inches.
sold by the yard; cheaper if bought by the gross
While sitting listening to the radio by the hour, she can drink brandy by the bucketful!
He sits listening to the radio by the hour.
His health was deteriorating by the day.
The pickers are paid by the bushel.
He cheated by his own admission.
By my reckoning, we should be nearly there.
It is easy to invert a 2-by-2 matrix.
The room was about 4 foot by 6 foot.
The bricks used to build the wall measured 10 by 20 by 30 cm.
She's a lovely little filly, by Big Lad, out of Damsel in Distress.
Are you eating by Rabbi Fischer? (at the house of)
By Chabad, it's different. (with, among)
### Adverb
I watched the parade as it passed by.
There was a shepherd close by.
I'll stop by on my way home from work.
We're right near the lifeguard station. Come by before you leave.
The women spent much time after harvest putting jams by for winter and spring.
### Adjective
a by path; a by room (Out of the way, off to one side.)
by catch; a by issue (Subsidiary, incidental.)
## For
### Conjunction
I had to stay with my wicked stepmother, for I had nowhere else to go.
### Preposition
The astronauts headed for the moon.
Run for the hills!
He was headed for the door when he remembered.
I have something for you.
Everything I do, I do for you.
We're having a birthday party for Janet.
The mayor gave a speech for the charity gala.
If having to bag the groceries correctly is more than you can handle, then this isn't the job for you.
This is a new bell for my bicycle.
The cake is for Tom and Helen's anniversary.
This medicine is for your cough.
He wouldn't apologize; and just for that, she refused to help him.
He looks better for having lost weight. (UK usage)
She was the worse for drink.
All those for the motion, raise your hands.
Who's for ice-cream?
I'm for going by train
Ten voted for, and three against. (with implied object)
Make way for the president!
Clear the shelves for our new Christmas stock!
Stand by for your cue.
Prepare for battle.
They swept the area for enemy operatives.
Police combed his flat for clues.
I've lived here for three years.
They fought for days over a silly pencil.
The store is closed for the day.
I can see for miles.
I will stand in for him.
I speak for the Prime Minister.
It is unreasonable for our boss to withhold our wages.
I don't think it's a good idea for you and me to meet ever again.
I am aiming for completion by the end of business Thursday.
He's going for his doctorate.
Do you want to go for coffee?
I'm saving up for a car.
Don't wait for an answer.
Fair for its day.
She's spry for an old lady.
Don't take me for a fool.
For all his expensive education, he didn't seem very bright.
And now for a slap-up meal!
Go scuba diving? For one thing, I can't even swim.
For another, we don't have any equipment.
He is named for his grandfather.
He totally screwed up that project. Now he's surely for the sack.
In term of base hits, Jones was three for four on the day
At close of play, England were 305 for 3.
He took the swing shift for he could get more overtime.
to account for one's whereabouts.
## From
Paul is from New Zealand.
I got a letter from my brother.
You can't get all your news from the Internet.
He had books piled from floor to ceiling.
He departed yesterday from Chicago.
This figure has been changed from a one to a seven.
Face away from the wall!
The working day runs from 9 am to 5 pm.
Tickets are available from 17th July.
Rate your pain from 1 to 10.
Start counting from 1.
You can study anything from math to literature.
It's hard to tell from here.
Try to see it from his point of view.
The bomb went off just 100 yards from where they were standing.
From the top of the lighthouse you can just see the mainland.
I’ve been doing this from pickney.
Your opinions differ from mine.
He knows right from wrong.
## In
### Preposition
Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?
The dog is in the kennel.
There were three pickles in a jar.
I like living in the city.
There are lots of trees in the park.
We are in the enemy camp.
Her plane is in the air.
I glanced over at the pretty girl in the red dress.
There wasn't much of interest in her speech.
He hasn't got an original idea in him.
You are one in a million.
She's in an orchestra.
My birthday is in the first week of December.
Easter falls in the fourth lunar month.
Will you be able to finish this in a week?
They said they would call us in a week.
Less water gets in your boots this way.
She stood there looking in the window longingly.
In replacing the faucet washers, he felt he was making his contribution to the environment.
In trying to make amends, she actually made matters worse.
My aim in travelling there was to find my missing friend.
My fat rolls around in folds.
The planes flew over in waves.
Arrange the chairs in a circle.
He stalked away in anger.
John is in a coma.
My fruit trees are in bud.
The company is in profit.
You've got a friend in me.
He's met his match in her.
There has been no change in his condition.
What grade did he get in English?
Please pay me in cash — preferably in tens and twenties.
The deposit can be in any legal tender, even in gold.
Beethoven's "Symphony No. 5" in C minor is among his most popular.
His speech was in French, but was simultaneously translated into eight languages.
When you write in cursive, it's illegible.
Military letters should be formal in tone, but not stilted.
### Verb
He that ears my land spares my team and gives me leave to in the crop.
### Adverb
Suddenly a strange man walked in.
Would you like that to take away or eat in?
He ran to the edge of the swimming pool and dived in.
They flew in from London last night.
For six hours the tide flows in, then for another six hours it flows out.
Bring the water to the boil and drop the vegetables in.
The show still didn't become interesting 20 minutes in.
### Noun
His parents got him an in with the company.
### Adjective
Is Mr. Smith in?
Little by little I pushed the snake into the basket, until finally all of it was in.
The bullet is about five centimetres in.
If the tennis ball bounces on the line then it's in.
I've discovered why the TV wasn't working – the plug wasn't in!
The replies to the questionnaires are now all in.
Skirts are in this year.
the in train (incoming train)
You can't get round the headland when the tide's in.
in by descent; in by purchase; in of the seisin of her husband
He is very in with the Joneses.
I need to keep in with the neighbours in case I ever need a favour from them.
I think that bird fancies you. You're in there, mate!
I'm three drinks in right now.
I was 500 dollars in when the stock crashed.
### Unit
The glass is 8 inches.
The glass is 8in.
## Of
Take the chicken out of the freezer.
He hasn't been well of late.
Finally she was relieved of the burden of caring for her sick husband.
He seemed devoid of human feelings.
The word is believed to be of Japanese origin.
Jesus of Nazareth
The invention was born of necessity.
It is said that she died of a broken heart.
What a lot of nonsense!
I'll have a dozen of those apples, please.
Welcome to the historic town of Harwich.
I'm not driving this wreck of a car.
I'm always thinking of you.
He told us the story of his journey to India.
This behaviour is typical of teenagers.
He is a friend of mine.
We want a larger slice of the cake.
The owner of the nightclub was arrested.
My companion seemed affable and easy of manner.
It's not that big of a deal.
I’ve not taken her out of a goodly long while.
After a delay of three hours, the plane finally took off.
## On
### Adjective
All the lights are on, so they must be home.
We had to ration our food because there was a war on.
Some of the cast went down with flu, but the show's still on.
That TV programme that you wanted to watch is on now.
This is her last song. You're on next!
Are we still on for tonight?
Mike just threw coffee onto Paul's lap. It's on now.
England need a hundred runs, with twenty-five overs remaining. Game on!
Your feet will soon warm up once your socks are on.
I was trying to drink out of the bottle while the top was still on!
Climbing up that steep ridge isn't on. We'll have to find another route.
He'd like to play the red next to the black spot, but that shot isn't on.
The captain moved two fielders to the on side.
Ponsonby-Smythe hit a thumping on drive.
If the player fails to hit the ball on, it's a foul.
He always has to be on, it's so exhausting.
### Adverb
turn the television on
The lid wasn't screwed on properly.
Put on your hat and gloves.
The policeman moved the tramp on.
Drive on past the railway station.
From now on things are going to be different.
and so on.
He rambled on and on.
Ten years on, nothing had changed in the village.
### Preposition
A vase of flowers stood on the table.
Please lie down on the couch.
The parrot was sitting on Jim's shoulder.
He had a scar on the side of his face.
There is a dirty smudge on this window.
The painting hangs on the wall.
The fruit ripened on the trees.
Should there be an accent on the "e"?
He wore old shoes on his feet.
The lighthouse that you can see is on the mainland.
The suspect is thought to still be on the campus.
We live on the edge of the city.
on the left, on the right, on the side, on the bottom.
The fleet is on the American coast.
on a bus, on a train, on a plane, on a ferry, on a yacht.
All of the responsibility is on him.
I put a bet on the winning horse.
tug on the rope; push hard on the door.
I stubbed my toe on an old tree stump.
I caught my fingernail on the door handle.
The rope snagged on a branch.
to play on a violin or piano.
A table can't stand on two legs.
After resting on his elbows, he stood on his toes, then walked on his heels.
The Tories are on twenty-five percent in this constituency.
The blue team are on six points and the red team on five.
I'm on question four.
Born on the 4th of July.
On Sunday I'm busy. I'll see you on Monday.
Can I see you on a different day?
Smith scored again on twelve minutes, doubling Mudchester Rovers' lead.
I was reading a book on history.
The city hosted the World Summit on the Information Society
I have no opinion on this subject.
I saw it on television.
Can't you see I'm on the phone?
My favorite shows are on BBC America.
I'll pay on card.
He travelled on false documents.
They planned an attack on London.
The soldiers mutinied and turned their guns on their officers.
Her words made a lasting impression on my mind.
What will be the effect on morale?
I haven't got any money on me.
On Jack's entry, William got up to leave.
On the addition of ammonia, a chemical reaction begins.
The drinks are on me tonight, boys.
The meal is on the house.
I had a terrible thirst on me.
Have pity or compassion on him.
He's on his lunch break.
I'm on nights all this week.
You've been on these antidepressants far too long.
I depended on them for assistance.
He will promise on certain conditions.
A curse on him!
Please don't tell on her and get her in trouble.
### Verb
Can you on the light? (switch on)
## To
### Particle
I want to leave.
He asked me what to do.
I have places to go and people to see.
To err is human.
Who am I to criticise? I've done worse things myself.
Precisely to get away from you was why I did what I did.
I need some more books to read and friends to go partying with.
If he hasn't read it yet, he ought to.
I went to the shops to buy some bread.
### Preposition
She looked to the heavens.
We are walking to the shop.
The water came right to the top of this wall.
The coconut fell to the ground.
I gave the book to him.
His face was beaten to a pulp.
I sang my baby to sleep.
Whisk the mixture to a smooth consistency.
He made several bad-taste jokes to groans from the audience.
I tried complaining, but it was to no effect.
It was to a large extent true.
We manufacture these parts to a very high tolerance.
This gauge is accurate to a second.
There's a lot of sense to what he says.
The name has a nice ring to it.
There are 100 pence to the pound.
It takes 2 to 4 weeks to process typical applications.
Three to the power of two is nine.
Three to the second is nine.
Three squared or three to the second power is nine.
What's the time? – It's quarter to four in the afternoon (or 3:45 pm).
### Adverb
Please push the door to. (close)
## With
### Preposition
He picked a fight with the class bully.
He went with his friends.
She owns a motorcycle with a sidecar.
Jim was listening to Bach with his eyes closed.
The match result was 10-5, with John scoring three goals.
With a heavy sigh, she looked around the empty room.
Four people were injured, with one of them in critical condition.
With their reputation on the line, they decided to fire their PR team.
We are with you all the way.
There are a number of problems with your plan.
What on Earth is wrong with my keyboard?
He was pleased with the outcome.
I’m upset with my father.
slain with robbers.
cut with a knife
I water my plants with this watering can. This is the watering can I water my plants with.
Find what you want instantly with our search engine.
They dismissed the meeting with a wave of their hand.
Speak with a confident voice.
With what/whose money? I have nothing left to buy groceries (with).
It was small and bumpy, with a tinge of orange.
There are lots of people with no homes after the wildfire.
Speak with confidence.
He spoke with sadness in his voice.
The sailors were infected with malaria.
overcome with happiness
green with envy; flushed with success
She was with Acme for twenty years before retiring last fall.
With your kind of body size, you shouldn’t be eating pizza at all.
That was a lot to explain; are you still with me?
### Adverb
Do you want to come with?