texts: Should I use the past simple "have had", or the present simple "have"?

texts:
I decided to vent out all my frustrations on you but now
  {I have a change of heart /I've had a change of heart}.


texts: In spanish the word "guacho" has several meanings. The main ones and I believe somehow related are , breeding of an animal, young animal who lost his mother , kid abandoned by their parents and mean and despicable person. Now all these meanings together doesnt make the word "orphan" to be a good translation at all, in my opinion (I dont think that when someone say orphan also refers to a despicable and mean person. Therefore my question is, is there a word similar to "guacho" in English?


texts: “Should I buy...” or “Should I purchase...”

texts:
Should I buy/purchase web hosting?
  Should I buy/purchase Adobe Photoshop?
  Should I buy/purchase this car?
  Should I buy/purchase this land?

When should I use buy and purchase? Why?


texts: Should I still add "on average" when saying "per day"?

texts: When I say "...run 29km per day" or "She played music for 2 hours per day during last three month" should I add "on average" at the end of the sentence, or does "per day" already means "on average"?


texts: What does "generally" refer to in this sentence?

texts:
We can see why the non-reductive understanding of the computational theory fits into scientific theorizing generally.

What is the reference of "generally" exactly? Fits or theorizing?


texts: "The English ____ won the World Cup" - what should I put in the blank?

texts:
This Question is in my Exam book.

  Q1.The English __ won the world cup
  A) Has
  B) Have
  C) Is
  D) Are

Which is correct? Also explain why.
Because as far i know we use Have with I, We, They, You.
And Has with He, She, It, or with a name.
 So what is "The English" is this a name.?


texts: "could" has various meanings depending on context

texts:
Mary Sanders was a successful artist.

Before she died, ---

a) she could do practice

b) she had better take photos

c) she has won several awards

d) she could draw many pictures

The answer is supposedly d) but I have serious doubts.
First of all "she could draw many pictures" may have various meanings.
In order to be the correct answer we have to take for granted that "could" is here the past tense of can. On the other hand, "could" may also refer to the present and the future. We can read the sentence also as; "Before she died, she might draw many pictures" (as a suggestion). In this case the sentence would be incorrect because it would be irrelevant with the beginning sentence "Mary Sanders was a successful artist." It would sound as if we suggested her to draw pictures before she died and the sentence would be absurd. I think that neither of the choices are correct or could we say that c), althouh looking grammatically incorrect, may be true hence a person might continue winning awards after her death. "Before she died she has won several awards and she still does"(which would fit the "having a conneciton with the present" rule of the Present Perfect Tense.) I think that it is confusing to put a sentence which conveys more than one meaning as a choice.


texts: Why "partner" instead of "wife\husband"?

texts: What's wrong with the words "wife" and "husband"? Why do people instead use "partner" more and more often?


texts: What is 'playing' in 'He hurt his back playing squash'?

texts:
Consider this sentence:

  He hurt his back playing squash.

What is the role of playing squash here?

Is it a reduced adverbial clause or a present participle phrase? If so, why isn't there a comma before it? (I was taught that there should be a comma there)


texts:
We will start the day with cloudy skies.

(here is the audio of the above sentence )

Is the will in this audio file pronounced as /will/ or /wəl/?

To me, I hear that the speaker's vowel for will is not as near as /ə/ or as /i/.

How does he pronounce the word?


texts: Difference between "What does that matter?" and "Why does that matter?"

texts: "What does that matter?" Vs "Why does that matter" What is the difference between these two?


texts:
Suppose a person who has mounted a horse for the first time and it is difficult for them to get off the horse. Someone helps them to get off. Which one of the following sentences sound more natural:

  He helped me dismount the horse.
  He helped me get off the horse.
  He dismounted me from the horse.  --- This sentence sounds odd to me. I don't know why.

The first two sentences both work for me and seem to be grammatically and idiomatically correct and natural.


texts: won't instead of using' wouldn't' is possible?

texts:
I have asked many questions about "would" both in ELL and ELU. But I still have a question about the use of "would". I have recently asked a question which @Jay also answered.
He used "wouldn't" in the following sentences:
1. Here, you wouldn't say, "May I ask you what is your name?" Though we break this rule for questions sometimes
2. Well, someone might say that in informal speech, but you wouldn't write it or use it in formal speech.
3. "May I ask you what's your name?" is awkward; a fluent speaker wouldn't say that.

I had asked Use and meaning of "wouldn't" in "you wouldn't" and "a speaker wouldn't" question in ELL and I have received answers for it. But there is one thing that I'm still confused about.

Do the meanings of the sentences above change if we use 'won't' instead of using 'wouldn't' ? can we use 'won't' in the place of 'wouldn't' without changing the meanings of the sentences above?


texts:
It includes an overview of the testing equipment, software, and
  samples needed.

In the example above, does it mean "needed testing equipment, needed software, and needed samples" or "testing equipment, software, and needed samples"? Is it context-dependent or is there any clear way to identify the meaning?


texts: check is the contact email address correct

texts:
someone give me the email address made contact another one,
but I can't get reply. so I wanna ask:

...
Is the email address to xxx correct?
Because I can't get response from him.
...

is there something wrong with the grammer


texts: Ask about verb tense in "now it gets flickering screen"

texts:
I have this sentence:

  I accidentally splashed water on my phone, now it gets flickering screen, can i fix it by putting it into rice container

In the first clause, splash ~> splashed (simple past).
Now i'm confusing about what tense of "get" should be?


texts:
Regarding the usage of the relative pronoun "which", after it, do you use singular verb or plural?

  ”Historic buildings enliven the memories of how people lived in the past, which make each country fascinating as every nation has different stories to tell.

Or

  Historic buildings enliven the memories of how people lived in the past, which makes each country fascinating as every nation has different stories to tell.


texts:
Are the following sentences grammatical?:

I went to the cimema last day.
I finished my reading my book last hour.

The thing that is worrying me is the use of the phrases last hour and last day. Is this grammatical English?


texts: Two Questions 1) In a bad condition VS In bad condition 2) I said good bye to him

texts:
When I am trying to express that 'I felt really bad yesterday.', should I write 'I was in a bad condition' or 'I was in bad condition'? do I need to put 'a' between 'in' and 'bad'???
Is it correct to say (or write) 'I said good bye to him.'?? What I intend to express is not about breaking up or spliting up between lovers. I am intending to say 'I met my friend yesterday and hung out. After that, we went back to each one's home.'


texts:
I came across this sentence:

  You have done that you should be sorry for.

Is this grammatically correct?


texts:
When I am writing paper, I am often confused with the usage of Verb or Verb-ing  at the beginning of proof proceed,  for example:

  Denote the following stochastic process

or

  Denoting the following stochastic process

which one is correct?


texts:
I have the following constructions:

  Conversely, automatic canopy detection is often failed in dense scenes.
  Therefore, efficient and more specific solutions are demanded.

What would be an acceptable way to combine above ideas into one sentence? I have written it as follows but I brought the verb to the front.

  Conversely, automatic canopy detection is often failed in dense scenes, which demanded efficient and more specific solutions.

Is this correct?


texts:
I know "walk through", "pass through", "go through", ...
I find a sentence

  The restaurant was through a low arch

What is the property of "through" here (verb, adv)?


texts: Order of adjectives "a big ideal house" or "an ideal big house"

texts:
There is a phrase in the following question:

  a big ideal house

Is this the correct order of adjectives? I thought that "opinion" adjective 'ideal' should go before "size" adjective 'big'.


texts:
A: I'm sure he stole the money.

  B1: No. He couldn't have done that!

  B2: No. He wouldn't have done that!

  B2: No. He mightn't have done that!

May I ask the difference between B1,B2 and B3?


texts: What is this specific newspaper section called in English?

texts:
In France, in local newspapers (mostly small town magazines), there is sometimes a section called "État civil" ("civil register"), where you can find the names of the people who married, have born and died in the town during the last month/week/semester.

How is this specific newspaper section called in English, supposing it's not just a french thing? I couldn't find anything certain by searching online dictionaries and Google.

Thanks in advance!


texts: What is the difference between remember, recall and mention?

texts:
I know that "remember" means "not to forget"...but when I translate "recall" or "mention" it gives me the same answer(I use a google translate and the dictionary)

I'm confused and can't find the difference between them...Could somebody help me?


texts:
Example with a context (Murders of pro-Russian lobbyists increase tension in Ukraine standoff):

  Ukrainian officials and political analysts suggested they were the work of Russian special forces assassins out to blacken the image of Kiev's pro-Western authorities.

How do you understand the expression to be out to do something?


texts:
What does "I live this" mean here? "I'm a good fit for this deal"?

To sell his offer, Cuban pointed out that he already has a portfolio of plant-based companies and knows how to successfully market Pan’s product. “I’ve done this before. We already have Alyssa’s [vegan cookies], we have Snacklins, Unreal Deli. And I’m a vegetarian. So, I live this,” Cuban said.

Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/11/23/shark-tank-mark-cuban-invests-in-founder-selling-vegan-jerky.html


texts:
the number of passengers in cruise ships is also soaring

Why is the verb used here 'is' ?
I thought number of passengers is plural and the verb used should be 'are' ?

Pls help.. Thanks !


texts:
So kill me,” screamed my mother. “You know what you are! You are
  failure. Failure! You are failure!”

  Then there was a sudden, terrific, bursting crash – and after it, as
  if on a bungled cue, the serene blare of an a capella soprano picking
  her way down a scale.

  From the Water Faucet Vision by Gish Jen

Context: The protagonist's mother and father had a fight. Then her mother fell out of a window. (They were U.S. immigrants)

I originally asked a related question here. https://forum.wordreference.com/thre...#post-18170005

We take "the serene blare of an a capella soprano picking her way down a scale" to mean the writer's mother's screams were going downwards one by one in a scale as the writer's mother fell down.

My question: how do you understand "on a bungled cue"? Was the cue itself wrong? or did the writer's mother bungle the cue (metaphorically)?

How do you understand "serene" and "blare"? They seem to be a contradiction to me.


texts: What does "testing the weather" mean here?

texts:
My brothers are awake, testing the weather.

Does it simply mean

  they're testing the weather condition?

Or it has another meaning?

Could you please explain it to me?

The fuller text is here:

    The hill is paved with wild wheat. If the conifers and sagebrush are
    soloists, the wheat field is a corps de ballet, each stem following
    all the rest in bursts of movement, a million ballerinas bending, one
    after the other, as great gales dent their golden heads. The shape of
    that dent lasts only a moment, and is as close as anyone gets to
    seeing wind. Turning toward our house on the hillside, I see movements
    of a different kind, tall shadows stiffly pushing through the
    currents. My brothers are awake, testing the weather. I imagine my mother at the stove, hovering over bran pancakes. I picture my
    father hunched by the back door, lacing his steel-toed boots and
    threading his callused hands into welding gloves.

Educated, by Tara Westover.


texts: What's the difference between "Let the people"+verb and "Let people"+verb

texts:
For example is there a difference between "let the people sing" and "let people sing"?
I think in the first case it's like "Allow the people singing" and in the second is like "If you can't sing, people could sing for you".
Is that correct?
Thanks...


texts: Understanding of the phrase "an **inspirational** speech"

texts:
an inspirational speech

Does the phrase mean "the speech gives people new ideas" or "the speech gives people encouragement  or makes people more active"?


texts: Can colons be used to indicate a consequence?

texts:
I wonder whether colons may be used to indicate a consequence.

Example:

Texts usually appear in sequence: using information from preceding texts may improve the classification accuracy.
Texts usually appear in sequence, therefore using information from preceding texts may improve the classification accuracy.

Are the two forms correct, or is only the second one correct?


texts: Are these words "cap" and "overhead" synonyms?

texts:
The words cap and overhead are synonyms?

Are they have the same meaning?

Can I treat them the same?

(After Edited)

Are these sentences the same:

"The cap of the Computer Internet Packet is 1024KB"

"The overhead of this packet is 1024KB".

Is the first one is correct English?


texts:
I hope you don’t mind me messaging you.

Is ‘me’ the subject of the gerund phrase, or what would we call the phrase ‘me messaging you’? What’s the structure of the phrase ‘me messaging you’? How is it functioning in the sentence?


texts:
Is there a general rule telling me when I should use an Infinitive or a Gerund?
For example, why is in this sentence a Gerund instead of an Infinitive?

  "The aim of this report is to give suggestions to a group of elderly tourists on how to make the most of their morning in Roxburgh".

How do I decide whether I use each of them?


texts: "came" or "comes" in the "when" block of the future perfect continuous in the past

texts:
In some Russian book about the English grammar I have read the example of the sentence for the future perfect continuous in the past:

  I said that I should have been writing a letter for an hour when he came.

In my opinion the  word "comes" must be instead of "came" at this case. But another Russian man told me the sentence is incorrect completely...


texts:
I just had a discussion with a college who used the phrase

"No authority"

to inform a user (text display) that he is not authorized [to use the device] after holding a card in front of a device.

My guts tell me this is just wrong, but I wasn't able to point out why. I would have used "Not authorized" or "Unauthorized"?

He argued that "authority" means "Befugnis" in German, so "No authority" would just say "Keine Befugnis".

Whats the better or only option? Any other suggestions?


texts:
In Collins dictionary website, I found an example as follows,

"A report yesterday that said British unemployment would continue to rise."

My question is, Why it is not, "A report yesterday said that British unemployment would continue to rise."

Is the first example with "that said" some kind of writer style? Or it should be the right grammatical way to say that.

Or both sentences are grammatical and usable?

Thanks in advance.


texts: Is the prefix "self" optional if the meaning wont change if it is removed?

texts:
I want to build my confidence.

  I want to build my self-confidence.

  He is not as conceited as you think.

  He is not as self-conceited as you think.

I think "self" is not necessary here. I think only necessary for words like "self-centered" because the 'center' word has different meaning if you remove self. Please clarify my thinking. Am I correct?


texts: Can I omit the definite article or use the indefinite article even though I'm writing about specific items?

texts:
We only use definite articles when we want to be more specific. If in a situation where I don't want to be specific though I know the reader will understand if I specify, can I do that?

For example:

  This is a cake which she made yesterday.

Or

  I am reading history of China.

Or

  I ate 3 bananas brought by you yesterday.


texts:
The retail market for a syndicated loan consists of banks and, in the
case of leveraged transactions, finance companies and institutional
investors. The balance of power among these different investor groups
is different in the U.S. than in Europe. The U.S. has a capital market
where pricing is linked to credit quality and institutional investor
appetite. In Europe, although institutional investors have increased
their market presence over the past decade, banks remain a key part of
the market. Consequently, pricing is not fully driven by capital
market forces.
In the U.S., market flex language drives initial pricing levels.
Before formally launching a loan to these retail accounts, arrangers
will often get a market read by informally polling select investors to
gauge their appetite for the credit. After this market read, the
arrangers will launch the deal at a spread and fee that it thinks will
clear the market. Until 1998, this would have been it. Once the
pricing, or the initial spread over a base rate which is usually
LIBOR, was set, it was set, except in the most extreme cases. If the
loans were undersubscribed, the arrangers could very well be left
above their desired hold level. Since the 1998 Russian financial
crisis roiled the market, however, arrangers have adopted market-flex
language, which allows them to change the pricing of the loan based on
investor demand—in some cases within a predetermined range—and to
shift amounts between various tranches of a loan, as a standard
feature of loan commitment letters.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syndicated_loan

The bold part doesn't seem to be a conditional-perfect which would normally imply "this wasn't it".
On the contrary, the excerpt is saying this type of arrangement without using market-flex language used to be the common practice in the U.S. capital market until 1998. However, as suggested by a native speaker, it would sound careless or uneducated to say "Until 1998, this would be it" instead, which I would intend it to mean repeated actions or events in the past. I don't understand why this would be it would be a poor choice for this context..
In this context, I would reword it this way: Until 1998, this was/had been it.
Added: in case I might forget the reason why I re-edited this question, I'll add several related questions in ELU:

Wouldn't have been alone
would have and would in non conditional statements
Usage of “might” and “would” to indicate doubt

Their answers also attempted to unravel the intricacies of "would have done" in context. Their main point is ‘would(n’t) have done’ can suggest what is being said is past habitual and speculative as well.
However, the snippet wasn't written in a tone of ambivalence. I'm not sure how their explanations relate to this particular instance.


texts: "may contain sugar" vs "can contain sugar"

texts:
Consider the following self-made sentences:

  Please note that some of the foods over there may contain processed sugar.
  Please note that some of the foods over there can contain processed sugar.

According Practical English by Michael Swan, the second one should not be said. I am not very sure about this argument.

I suppose that it is fine to say "something can be harmful"; if so, why is it not fine to say "something can contain a harmful ingredient", but "something may contain a harmful ingredient"?


texts:
What is the name for metal elements reinforcing and protecting wooden elements, for example on coffers, doors, wooden window shutters, even covers of finest ancient books - often decorative?

(my attempts at Google Translate returns only pipe plumbing parts apparently).


texts: Should I use simple present or simple past in a tiny story to illustrate a scenario of the usage of some words?

texts:
I made up a tiny story to illustrate a scenario of the usage of "just" in a post (In terms of meaning "recently", what is the difference between just & only?).

  there is an appointment at a caffe, I am late for 10 minutes, when I arrive at the caffe, my friend is already in there. I say: "I'm so sorry! I am late". My friend says: "Nah, I am just arrived".

Should I use simple present, simple past or other else tense in this kind of stories?


texts: I have a hard time understanding "since" in the following sentence

texts:
Example with a context:

  The setbacks to the Minsk deal since the rebels disavowed it by taking a strategic town they said was not covered by the truce have prompted new calls for U.S. President Barack Obama to give Kiev lethal weapons to defend Ukraine.

I don't think I understand how since is used in that sentence.


texts:
The train _ at 8.30 p.m. today, but as a rule it _ at 8.00 p.m. sharp.

ANSWER: left and started

but could left and starts be ok as it is a general habits still in work at the time of writing  so present tense should be ok for start

no more context


texts:
A moment in a movie went like this:

  A woman was sitting on a man’s lap and about to kiss him in her room which has extremely thin walls. Her neighbor shouted suddenly, "Just kiss already! Get a damn room!".

Does he mean "I wanna hear the sequel. But get another nice room for the sake of your own privacy." or "Get any another room! I don't wanna hear anything romantic from your room."?
I'm wondering if the neighbor is willing to hear the woman's privacy or not, for he said "Just kiss already!" which sounds he wants her to kiss the man.


texts: what does " may have been to figure" mean?

texts:
She was my best friend, and hard as it may have been  to figure by the looks of us, she was the good girl, I the bad.

Would anyone please teach me what the bold part mean simply?

Meanwhile, I think you remove was in the situation- I was the bad, don't you?

Thanks


texts: What does "couldn't do it without the little people" mean?

texts:
In A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas, Neil Patrick Harris say this words to Jesus in heaven scene:

  Jesus: Jesus Christ. That's me. I'm Jesus Christ, Neil.

  Neil Patrick Harris: Thanks. Couldn't do it without the little people.

What is the meaning of Neil Patrick Harris words here?


texts: The factors include... or Factors include.. (is article necessary)

texts:
Here's an example text:

  Factors that affect a person's adaptation to exercise could
  be seen as falling into one of two groups: the subjective and the
  objective factors. The subjective factors include, among other things, the age and sex of a person. The objective
  factors include the external conditions ...

Is the definite article needed here? Or is it in the wrong place here? "Subjective factors" and "objective factors" are mentioned in the first sentence, but only vaguely, not as some definite finite group. In books I find examples of "subjective factors include" without the definite article.


texts: Ask direction of/from someone in street?

texts:
Do we "ask direction from someone" or "ask direction of someone"?

Example:

  As I didn't know the address, I asked direction from/of a total
  stranger in the street.


texts: When you want to ask someone to maintain their class

texts:
Please imagine that you take a friend (a guy) to meet a group of your friends at a party. The group and the guy are have never met one another and know nothing about one another. The guy starts clowning around out of the blue and you have no idea why he is acting like that. You feel shy in front of your group of friends and wish to let the guy know that you feel uncomfortable with his actions. You wish to tell him to not act foolishly and present the appearance of a low-class guy in front of your friends. In my mother language we may use any of the sentences below. I don't know if there are some equivalents in AmE to convey similar messages, or if they all work in English. I would appreciate it if someone could let me know if there is a natural sentence from among my suggested examples I could use, or if not please tell me what an AmE speaker would say instead:

  Be high-class.
  Be like a high-class person.
  (Observe / maintain) your class.
  Don’t act like a low-class person.


texts:
"As he slipped down into the sea, his life vest kept him from going under. Bobbing in the water, he placed the end of his snorkel tube into his mouth."

Does "bobbing in the water" here mean go underwater and exhale for a few seconds, and then surface, take in another breath, and then go under and surface for a few more times?


texts: How to understand which words or phrase brackets point to?

texts:
Example showing how brackets can be confusing

This is a sample from an O' Level science book:

  The impure solid is dissolved in the minimum amount of hot water (or any other suitable solvent) [...]

There are two ways to interpret this:

Hot water (as a whole) is one "suitable solvent", but any other such solvents can used. The solid is to be dissolved in a suitable solvent.
Water is a "suitable solvent"; other solvents can also be used. Whatever the solvent is, it has to be hot. The solid is to be dissolved in a hot solvent.

Since this is a science book, the writers have to state the reasons behind everything and ensure clarity. The following sentences (indirectly) clear up the confusion:

  [...], and then allowed to cool again. Most solids are less soluble in
  the cold than in the hot, and so crystals are formed again.

So #2 was the right interpretation.

The question

However, in most unscientific day-to-day writing, not every sentence has to be backed up by explanation. So the question is
how to understand which word(s) or phrase brackets point to?


texts:
Does it sound natural to native speakers?
"It could have ended much more sadly."
Should I say instead: "It could have ended much more dramatically."


texts: Avidly received news vs excited to receive the news

texts:
I have a sentence: "I was excited to receive the news that I won the lottery..."

and I need to keep the meaning but avoid the word "excited" (I have the same word in the sentence before)

Can I say: "I avidly received the news that..."

Or any other suggestions?

Thanks!


texts: Is there any difference or even slight difference between the following?

texts:
United Kingdom, Britain, England, Wales and Scotland
I have seen it more than once written as "England and Wales" and I always thought Wales is part of England. I hope my question is not silly.

Before you say it is off topic or not related to learning English, I as a learner of English find all these words and I make no distinction between them. To me they are all the same.


texts: After a recent scam, at a parliament meeting, a minister said "buck stops here". What was this minister saying? Was he assuming responsibility, or did he mean something else?


texts: Does it sound awkward if I ask someone"Call me when you are free to talk"

texts: Does it sound awkward if I ask someone "Call me when you are free to talk"


texts: What's meant here by yellow & red stripes?

texts:
In "The Chief Mourner of Marne" by G. K. Chesterton, Mr. Outram was talking to Father Brown about an old duel between Mr. James Mair, whose second was Mr. Outram himself, and his cousin Maurice Mair, whose second was Hugo Romaine, saying:

The duel was fought on a flat stretch of sand on the east coast of Scotland; and both the sight and sound of it were masked from the hamlets inland by a long rampart of sandhills patched with rank grass; probably part of the links, though in those days no Englishman had heard of golf. There was one deep, crooked cranny in the sandhills through which we came out on the sands. I can see them now; first a wide strip of dead yellow, and beyond, a narrower strip of dark red; a dark red that seemed already like the long shadow of a deed of blood.

The author didn't mention anything about the time of the duel, but does he mean by "wide strip of dead yellow, and beyond, a narrower strip of dark red" "the sands and the sea in the twilight"?
And what's meant by "deed of blood"?


texts: What is the difference between 'stand' and 'take a stand'?

texts:
1.You had to take a stand.

  2.You had to stand.

What is the difference between 'stand' and 'take a stand' in meaning?


texts: What is the word for product price besides "quotation"

texts:
Is there any equivalent words to the word 'quotation'?

For instance, I'm asking about the price of a service I want.


texts: (Shoot or fire) at something or somebody

texts:
In which one of the following sentences the preposition 'at' seems to be redundant and why:

  He shot at the sparrow.
  He fired at the sparrow.

Meanwhile I need to know if both 'shoot' and 'fire' sounds natural to you and of course they are identical in this sense or each one of these two convey different meanings.


texts:
I wanted to say about a field in physics, that

  the laws are not well understood.

To my ear, "well understood" sounds fine, but "not well" sounds clumsy, and  any antonym I tried seems a little wrong...

How would I call it:

badly?
or ill?
or poorly?
or [...]


texts: Any difference between "coming up, coming up next, next, up next, ...."

texts:
On TV channels, I often hear the following expressions used very often to refer to the subjects to be covered later in their show before they take a break for commercials. However, the TV presenters use many different expressions. So, I wonder if there is any difference between the following:

Also in the program,....
Also,....
Coming up....
Coming up next...
Next,
Up next

Do they all mean the same thing, or are there any differences?


texts: How to describe multiple objects having equal/the same probability

texts:
I wrote:

  Due to the symmetrical positions, there is same probability in selection of the destination node.

  Due to the symmetrical positions, there is equal probability to select the destination node.

  Due to the symmetrical positions, they (the nodes) have the same probability to be selected.

Info: We want to select a node among multiple nodes. The selection rule is a random variable and completely depends on the nodes' positions - the same position translates to the same probability of being selected. The selected node is called "destination node". We know the nodes have symmetrical positions. Consequently, probability of node 1 to be selected is equal with node 2, node 3, ...

Edit (Additional Information) :

The context is mathematics. Thus, probability is preferable rather chance and possibility.

Q1 : I want to convey that "the nodes have equal chance to be selected as the destination node". Now, which  above sentence convey the same information?

Q2 : The main problem is how to use "the same/equal" and "have/there" in a sentence correctly.

Q3 : If all the sentences sound awkward, I will appreciate any hint or guidance.


texts: Future perfect progressive tense with 'if'

texts:
I would just like to ask if the part of the sentence marked bold is correct.

  My friend started her chemo yesterday and will be checked next month to know if she will have been responding well to the treatment.


texts: Who can clarify the the usage of "anyone and everyone"?

texts:
I read the following "anyone and everyone" sentences but I don't understand why anyone and everyone are used together. Hope anyone can clarify for me. Thanks.

Everyone knows they love to talk on the phone to anyone and everyone.

Anyone and everyone is to speak to you on the phone.

You will speak to anyone and everyone who might list.


texts: Should I use "on the threshold" or "at the threshold"?

texts:
She felt as though she was on/at the threshold of a new life.

Could you cast light on this sentence? Which is correct?


texts:
Good evening

Can you tell me how to name different pronunciations these forms (the picture below) in British English? I would like to know more about those forms. How and when to use them. Our teacher has told us something as assimilation but I'm not sure and I'm not sure which one it is.

The same style of pronunciation as in the 1st column is orange juice.

Thanks for help.


texts: What does "he had a nasty look about him" mean?

texts:
"I always thought he had a nasty look about him,..."

I don't know what "about him" is doing in this sentence. I feel "he had a nasty look" is fairly enough. What additional information does "about him" add?


texts:
I know that "approach to" is a prepositional phrase that it requires a present-participle verb following.

  He approach to transitioning students from high school to university.

But, why not "going to"?

  I'm going to meet you.

Aren't they are same transitive verbs and used to express a movement or moving action?
How can I actually use the "to" as an infinitive marker or preposition ?


texts: Is comma obligatory after a prepositional phrase starting with "Under": "Under our beef brand, we produce marbled beef"

texts:
Under our Sverdlovsk Beef brand, we produce marbled beef from Aberdeen bulls brought to Russia from Scotland.

Is comma obligatory after "brand", or could this prepositional phrase be left without a comma?
I googled and found the following rule on a website:

When the prepositional introductory phrase is short (less than 3-4 word), the comma can be omitted, but it is not wrong to use it.

Does it apply here?


texts: Will + Present Perfect constructions, application for past and future

texts:
And they will not have been in a bed or have had a shower in almost a week!

Does this sentence say that there will be a period of time in the future, and it will last a week, when they are not going to have a shower or be in a bed? Or it says about the past, and the verb will here is a modal of some kind expressing volition?


texts: "..of human immunoglobulin G" or "... of the human immunoglobulin G" - is definite article necessary?

texts:
The drug is comprised of light and heavy chains of the human immunoglobulin G.

Is the necessary here? Maybe the letter "G" works like the number in the phrase "He went to room 234", and thus no article is needed?

On the other hand, there's the word "human" that works like an adjective, and thus the definite article may still be necessary. It's complicated for me.


texts:
“Take-home ideas from my presentation will include combining leafy
  plants with sculptural succulents to soften the landscape,” says Gatz,
  and “placing architectural exclamation points with hardscape and
  potted succulent plants.”

  From
  https://tucson.com/lifestyles/home-and-garden/love-succulents-this-tucson-conference-is-for-you/article_85e22321-d75e-58d1-8e5d-321211f67f43.html

How can I interpret “sculptural succulents”? After I looked up “sculptural” in OED and searched the term on google, I still cannot find a definition. What are “sculptural succulents” like?

  OED:

  sculptural, adj.

  Of or pertaining to sculpture.
  Having the qualities of a piece of sculpture.


texts: What does "to begin with the more obscure as a way to build recognition about the familiar" mean?

texts:
My strategy in this chapter is to begin with the more obscure as a way to build
  recognition about the familiar.

There is not a single word in the above sentence that I do not know; nonetheless, the meaning of the whole sentence is unclear. What does it mean?


texts: It could be interesting = It had a chance to be!

texts:
If I say:

  It could be interesting

= "the thing had a chance to be interesting" -- either was or wasn't interesting.

  It could have been interesting

= "the thing could be interesting, but actually it wasn't."

And what about:

  You could do it

= "I don't understand why you didn't do it."

  "You could have done it"

= I don't understand why you didn't do it.

Which one is correct?


texts: Can a game be a subject in the sentence?

texts:
Where is the basketball game? (A Korean middle school English
  textbook)

The sentence seems to ask where they are playing basketball. I’d like to know if the sentence is proper and natural, for I’m not familiar with it that a game is used as a subject in sentences.


texts: Is it ok to say, "by 2020 I would be the most famous teacher in town"?

texts:
by 2020 I would be the most famous teacher in town

I know that will, not would, is the right word for this sentence, but does that make "would" incorrect? Or is it also possible but with a different meaning?


texts: How to use "flashback" and "fast-forward" in a sentence related to events

texts:
Here is my question: when you want to describe an event which happened in the past, and when you finish talking about the past then you bring the reader to the current event using "fast-forward". How to use these two words in a sentence properly?
I've seen some articles using this method to compare two events but I can't find them now.


texts:
I learned that the name of the man should be written in a capital letter.
But the name of the man is written in a small letter(prince charming).
What happened in this case?


texts: can someone pleas check is it correct usage of "as well as"?

texts:
"I am a young, passionate, just graduated from university developer.
                    Looking for a dream team where I could get challenging tasks, interesting experience, new friends and an environment where I can grow not only professionally but as well as mentally" is this sentence grammatically correct?


texts: Can the adverb ‘next’ be placed before its modified verb?

texts:
South African track star Oscar Pistorius has been granted bail over
  the murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. The decision was made
  after a four-day hearing, with the magistrate ruling the prosecution
  had not made a strong enough case that Pistorius would try to flee the
  country. He’ll next face court on June the fourth. (ABC News)

Can the adverb ‘next’ be placed before its modified verb, face?


texts: Should I say "in the world" or "on the world"?

texts:
For instance in the following sentence is it correct to say "on the world" or "in the world"?

  "This is the biggest animal on / in the world"


texts: What is the word for "doing something in various steps"?

texts:
The expression I am looking for is something like this:

  Rather than putting the whole mixture of spices at one while cooking something, put a part of it in various steps/rounds separated by a regular interval.

Is using rounds correct, or should I use something else?

Basically, what I want to know is what word I am supposed to use to mean I am doing something in distributed steps rather than all at once.


texts: Is "tactically" an appropriate word to use in reference to animals?

texts:
I have issue with this sentence:

  According to the habitat selection theory, individuals are assumed to behave ideally, thus, they are selecting available area where they achieve the highest fitness.

Is ideally really the best word? Would it be correct to replace it with tactically? Or is tactically appropriate only in relation to humans? I've looked for synonyms, but none of them seem to fit.


texts:
This all started in 1965.

Is 'all' a determinative here or an adverb?


texts:
From Core Java Volume I—Fundamentals by Cay S. Horstmann:

  Isn’t that a lot less efficient? It would seem simpler to change the code units than to build up a whole new string from scratch. Well, yes and no. Indeed, it isn’t efficient to generate a new string that holds the concatenation of "Hel" and "p!". But immutable strings have one great advantage: The compiler can arrange that strings are shared.
  To understand how this works, think of the various strings as sitting in a common pool. String variables then point to locations in the pool. If you copy a string variable, both the original and the copy share the same characters.

I don't understand what they actually mean by common pool. Is it something like a swimming pool or something else entirely?


texts:
"Wretched creatures that we are! what resource for us amidst the
  innumerable ills of life, did not religion suggest some methods of
  atonement, and appease those terrors, with which we are incessantly
  agitated and tormented?"

From Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion by David Hume

About the second sentence structure, I have some questions.

First, why is the first letter of what (the starting word of the second sentence) not capital? As far as I know, exclamation mark serves the same syntactic function as period, so it should be "What" rather than "what", I guess.

Second, more confusing one, what is the status or meaning or function of the phrase "what resource for us amidst the innumerable ills of life," in the sentence? I think "religion" should be the subject, and "did not suggest"(inversion form) the verb phrase. I do not understand what the phrase is doing exactly. Please enlighten me with the pre-inverted sentence.

I appreciate your help.


texts: Meaning of the word "bromide" in "an additional charge for special presentations (e.g. bromides)"

texts:
From "The thirty-nine steps" by the Institute of Translation and Interpreting ("Questions you need to ask yourself when undertaking a
translation"):

Does this word "bromides" relate to "charge"? I doubt it.

Does it relate to "special presentations"? Does it mean: "for instance, a presentation about bromides"?

Or is there some other sense? I looked up "bromide" in the dictionary and found that it can mean "a platitude" or "a dull person with conventional thoughts". I can't apply this meaning here, but maybe it is used in some way?


texts: Use of 'today' in present continuous and present perfect continuous

texts:
1)Why are  you cooking food today?
  2)Why have you been cooking food today?

-Which one of them would be grammatically correct? And why the other one would be wrong? The use of 'today' in both of them has really confused me. Can you guys help? Thanks in advance.


texts: Articles before uncountable noun form of "Need"

texts:
I am really confused as to why there is an article before the singular uncountable form of " need" noun. I stumbled upon this while looking out for its usage in Oxford learner's dictionary.

"There's an urgent need for qualified teachers"
"To fulfill an emotional need"

Please help as to when I can put an article "an/a" before "Need" or any other uncountable nouns in general.


texts: What does the phrase "mock up" mean here?

texts:
Please help me figure out the meaning of the expression "source real products, mock up your space, and bring it to life with AR" in the following sentence:

Morpholio Board lets you source real products, mock up your space, and
bring it to life with AR.

For more context, here is another excerpt from the same text:

  Have an eye for interior design? It’s easier than ever to realize your
  vision, from finding the perfect chairs to picking a wall color to
  complement them....Start by dragging product images onto your blank
  board. There are thousands in the app, everything from bath tiles to
  light fixtures to furniture by manufacturers like Knoll, Blu Dot, and
  Poliform, as well as retailers like Design Within Reach. You can also
  import your own images.

Thank you for your time.


texts: What will be the correct preposition for the blank?

texts: The soldiers held the fort ___ all attacks. What will the most suitable word be?


texts:
I just read this Wikipedia article and have a questing regarding this sentence:

  Moulds can be obtained to uniformly cast bullets of a diameter producing optimum accuracy in a specific firearm, and a firearm owner possessing such a mould can obtain a supply of those bullets independent of unreliable manufacturers and distributors.

Why isn't it "independently"? My understanding is as follows: "obtain" is a verb and "independent" describes a property of that obtainment of bullets. Therefore, I'd write "independently", not "independent".


texts:
Do I need to add that I am not agreeing with Hitler when describing his opinion about the Jews and Germany?

Source: non-idiomatic meaning of "in terms of"

I was going through some my previous posts on this site and came across the above sentence from Jay's answer. I would like to ask why the continuous form is used instead of just "I do not agree with Hitler". It seems as if Jay was not agreeing with Hitler the exact moment of answering which is not probably true.


texts:
"the handle of the doors was/were damaged."
This was an example at our English class and it has gotten me confused.
Which of them is the right answer and why?


texts: Is it right to use firstly in the middle of a sentence? (In formal writing)

texts:
Is it formally accepted to write :

  However,I would like to thank you firstly on your.....

Can I use "firstly" in the middle of the sentence?
Thanks in advance.


texts: Can we use an each after a preposition between?

texts:
We shared between each students.

Is it correct?


texts: Difference between (might, might have and could have)

texts:
Consider:

He might go to Beijing last month.
He might have gone to Beijing last month.
He could have gone to Beijing last month.

Any difference in meaning?


texts: Do these sentences have the same meaning with past perfect?

texts: "I saw a movie before I came here that I had never seen." vs " I had never seen such a movie before I came here". are these have same meaning?


texts:
If it is Kate Moss it will take all day but we spend  more time
  laughing than working.

David Bailey in an interview given to the guardian

Why present for spend does it mean that is something he always does when Kate Moss is here (a kind of habit) but what is not usual is the coming of Kate Moss. Am I right?


texts: In, "They are talking cars and deals", what does "deals" mean?

texts:
If someone says, "They are talking cars and deals", what does "deals" mean in that sentence?

I googled and found many expressions like "steel and deals", "events and deals", "coupons and deals", "meals and deals", etc.

But I don't know what does "...and deals" mean, and whether it is an idomatical use or not.

Does that have anything to do with "business" or "contracts"?


texts:
Say if I go to a hotel and want to ask them what they provide for breakfast,
What is the right way to ask the question?

Can I say:

  What's for breakfast?

And what is the right way to reply to the to the question?

Is it correct to say:

  We offer bread and milk for breakfast?


texts: Is there an adverb like "in during", for a meaning similar to "on the way"?

texts:
I am inclined to use the phrase "in during" to end some of my sentences. Here's an example:

  I was headed to the library, and I've talked with my mom on the phone in during.

Does this phrase exist? Perhaps it is recently emerging? I cannot find it in any resource, so I'm afraid I might have just invented it.

It is usually possible to replace it with "on the way", especially when there is a verb for movement in the main sentence, be it explicit or implicit. However, take this other example where the subject is still, in which it feels like this "in during" suits better:

  I was waiting for Judy in the lobby, and I've talked with my mom on the phone in during.

Of course, I can just rewrite the sentence and use "while" instead, but I really feel like using this phrase at some other times.


texts: How to explain advantage and disadvantage of one particular thing in the same sentence

texts:
I am working on a statistical method. I would like to describe one main step of this method in one sentence. This step has a good and weak point.

Here is my try:

The free choice of the parameters is one of the main strength of the structure method, and it also forms one of the main challenge parts.

I feel that my sentence is very weak.

Any help, please?


texts:
I would like to say that the furniture is in bad condition (because of a long use) but still usable. Can I use 'shabby furniture'? If I use 'worn-out furniture' does it mean that it is no longer usable and has to be thrown out?

What about kitchen area? Can I say 'shabby kitchen area' (meaning - also in a bad condition because used for a long time)?

Thank you in advance!


texts:
Please explain the title of the following image:

I know that tuck away is an idiom and may have a literal or figurative meaning.

I also understand that according to The Free Dictionary, definition #16 nip may be: 16. (Medicine) plastic surgery performed for cosmetic reasons.

Despite all the above mentioned I cannot realize the meaning of the whole sentence.

Do I have to consider the literal meaning and as such the sentence may read:

  We are only (plastic surgery performed for cosmetic reasons) = nip,  and are hiding the body non conformities?


texts:
I would like to know the most natural-sounding word order when asking for a degree of comparison using 'how much + comparative adjective". Should the second element come before the first or the other way around?

To clarify by means of examples:

How much older than you is your brother?
How much older is your brother than you?

What about if the subject and object are both names instead of pronouns?

How much taller is John than Marry?
How much taller than Marry is John?

Are they all interchangeable, or does common usage dictate that one option in each pair sounds more natural than the other?

Many thanks in advance.


texts:
...or is there a word or expression more common than 'rostrum'?

When you want to give a speech, and there's this in the room:

...where do you stand? At, on, behind a rostrum?

Ngram was quite unhelpful, showing only trace amounts of any of the variants.


texts:
Should a location such as east or west be capitalized in a sentence?

Example: The committee members voted on a new law that would affect the east.


texts: Food is cold, put it on fire or put it on flame?

texts:
Here I am talking about the gas stove. Can I say "put it on fire" where the fire is actually the flame of the gas stove?

Do I have to say "Put it on flame"? Which one is better? Why?


texts: gerund or infinitive with the verb going

texts:
I went to watch my girl friend playing drums yesterday
  I went  watching my girl friend playing drums yesterday

First , is the last sentence correct? What is the difference between go +  gerund and go + infinitive?


texts: Should not there be "accused" instead of "prisoner" in this definition?

texts:
I read a definition of "dock" in "Merriam Webster dictionaries" which was:

The place in a criminal court where a prisoner stands or sits during trial

I suppose there should be "accused" instead of "prisoner" in the definition. It's a trial. He's still to be found guilty.


texts:
Is  "it" used as a demonstrative pronoun like "that" or "this" in these situations and is the speaker pointing to the objects mentioned?
My friend sees a beautiful ring on my finger and asks me "What is it?"
My sister puts something she has just bought in the supermarket and I ask her "What is it?" She is holding it in her hand or it is near her on the table.


texts:
When I play with my toddler, I often see him put his finger in his mouth & stick his tongue out.

So, I say "don't put your finger in your mouth" & "don't stick your tongue out of your mouth".

I may want to say "put your finger out of your mouth" & "stick your tongue in your mouth".

But it seems people prefer to say "keep your finger out of your mouth" & "keep your tongue in your mouth". They seem to use keep rather than "put" & "stick".

What are the opposites of "put the finger in your mouth" & "stick your tongue out"?


texts:
I came across many sentences which have has had, had had for example

  The one that has had the most profound impact is generics

I wanted to know what are the basic rule of using those?


texts: Meaning of: who is as market savvy as he was

texts:
I'm watching Warren Buffet's biography, but I can't hear clearly and I'm not sure if I am correct in this excerpt:

  "Warren Buffet had found Monger, who was a market savvy as he was.

Or

  Warren Buffet had found Monger, who was as market savvy as he was.

Which is correct? I just can't google this one because this is a grammar issue.


texts: Advisers told him that he did not want - What does "want" mean here?

texts:
Does "want" here mean "be in a state of need"?

In June, during an Oval Office meeting with political advisers and outside consultants, Trump raised the prospect of suing state governments for how they administer elections and said he could not believe they were allowed to change the rules. All the states, he said, should follow the same rules. Advisers told him that he did not want the federal government in charge of elections.

Source: American newspaper


texts: Can a pronoun refer to a subject in the next clause?

texts:
Is it grammatically correct to have a pronoun refer to a subject in the next clause? See the below example.

Because their guardians are with them, teenagers will not
be able to approach drug dealers to buy illegal substances.

What is this called?


texts: sentence meaning "I'm not telling people generally yet."

texts:
I'm not telling people generally yet.
  OK, mum's the word!

In here, what do you mean by "I'm not telling people generally yet." ?
(especially "generally")

My guess is as follows
1) I'm not telling = firm intention / definite decision?
2) yet = in the future?


texts: Difference between "undemonstrable" and "indemonstrable"

texts:
What is the difference between "undemonstrable" and "indemonstrable"? Indemonstrable has the meaning whereas the undemonstrable doesn't have. According to Google NGRAM both the words are widely used but Merriam webster or Oxford Dictionary doesn't provide the meaning.

Which word is correct "undemonstrable" or "indemonstrable"? Do they have same meaning?

EDIT: This is what I got when I searched in Merriam-webster.

And for Oxford dictionary


texts:
Is it correct to say

  Once paid yearly you have...(many advantages)

? Or would be better to unfold it to

  Once you pay early you have...

or

  Paid yearly once...

Meaning that it's said to a person who chooses a payment period in order to persuade him to select annual payment. The advantages result from the fact of the paying for an year, no matter if a user would cancel the subscription for next year.


texts:
The transaction was successfully authorised with the bank

can I substitute with in the sentence with by? If so, does by the bank have any different meaning than with the bank?


texts: What do we call an act of making sounds from bending/twisting body joints (as in knuckles)?

texts:
In my mother-tongue, there's a word that describes this act. I'm searching for an idiom/phrase or whatever that describes this without any ambiguity.

This sound comes when someone twists the body part that contains joints. Making this sound out of knuckles is quite common. Also, imagine Bruce Lee in the ring and just before the fight is started, he twists his fingers, rotates his head and stretches his legs and all of these gestures will produce a special sound--a cracking sound--but I'm not sure about using this word. If there's a 'crack' sound, medically, it's a hairline fracture! Being a healthcare provider, I have heard/used this word that way. :)

What that sound is called? or in that way, what do we call that act?

And please mind it, I'm not just referring to knuckles but any joint in the body.


texts: Should this sentence use "could", or "managed to"?

texts:
In this sentence:

  I looked very carefully, and I ________ see someone in the distance.

Is the missing word "could", or "managed to"?

I have been told the correct answer is "could", but I think this is "managed to", because I looked really carefully.


texts:
she’s broken wide open, raw.

Could you please tell me what's the meaning of "broken wide open"?

The full text is:

  She glances at Riley, whom she recognized the night before as a war
  correspondent for the New York Times. She’s got the look. Not the look
  of the hardened journalist who has necessarily grown a thick,
  protective skin. She’s at the other end of the scale—she’s broken wide
  open, raw. She wonders if Riley will ever be put back together again.
  She can recognize PTSD when she sees it; she’s seen it before.

An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lopena


texts:
"I'll call round and see you on my way home."

Can we replace 'round' with 'around'?
The question is: If I change to 'call around', does it still mean 'visit for a moment'?
In English, 'around' and 'round' go exchangeably together, but dictionaries say 'call around' means 'make several phone calls'.

The earth goes round / around the sun.
They live round / around the corner.
We travelled round / around India.
She turned round / around when I came in.

My dictionary says these are both acceptable in BrE. But "around" is possible only in AmE. The dictionary says "around" is more formal.
CALL AROUND
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/call-around
Definition of 'call around'
call around
REGIONAL NOTE:
in BRIT, usually use ring round
PHRASAL VERB
If you call around, you phone several people, usually when you are trying to organize something or to find some information.
[mainly US]
Call around to find the best bargains.
https://onlineteachersuk.com/phrasal-verbs-call/
Call around 1. visit 2. make phone callls
CALL ROUND
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/call_round
call round : To pay a short visit.
I'll call round later to pick up my prescription.
https://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/call-round
I called round yesterday, but you weren’t in.
If it's not interchangeable, it's totally different and English learners must pay attention to the usage.
PS. I feel In BrE, "call around" has two meanings 1. visit 2. make phone calls and in AmE "call around" is making phone calls and both in BrE and AmE "call round" is visit.


texts:
The following approach, though being generally discouraged, is acceptable and may be useful in some rare cases.

I'm not sure this sentence is correct; the part that confuses me is though being generally discouraged. It confuses me because it seems nobody use it (according to Google), and this is strange, of course.
I can change it to though it's generally discouraged, which seems to be grammatically correct, but that way the sentence looks awkward to me.


texts: "You can expect..." is that "can" necessary?

texts:
Is this sentence grammatical?

  You can expect to receive my message in five days.

I think "can" is unnecessary here.


texts: I want to learn English, once and for all

texts:
I can speak or put some words together but there are still a lot of words I don't know. The English we study at school is 'poor' and we do nothing than just talk with the teacher about her trips and that she has been all over the world, which is boring and I'm learning literally nothing from these lessons. I want to speak well but I still can't move to an English speaking country. I want to write well but i can't find some books that can help me improve. So, if you can tell me which books to read in order to improve then it would be great, also some websites with exercises and grammar rules too. By the end of the year I need to be able to write like an Oxford teacher.
Thanks.


texts: What is the meaning of "Progress slashing" in the following sentence?

texts:
What is the meaning of "Progress slashing" in the following sentence,

  Progress slashing unhealthy ozone in the western United States has been largely undone by pollution wafting across the Pacific from
  China.

?

Does it mean " Progress which is slashing unhealthy ozone in the western United States has been largely undone by pollution wafting across the Pacific from China." ?

Or does it mean "Progress in order to slash unhealthy ozone in the western United States has been largely undone by pollution wafting across the Pacific from China." ?


texts: "A man who gave it up for 700 days.." vs "A man who has given it up for 700 days..."

texts:
A man who gave it up for 700 days says it gave him superpowers.

Is the tense used in this sentence right? So far I know prefect tense is used with " for/ since" when we indicate time.If I say-

  A man who has given it up  for 700 days says it gives him superpowers.

Which one is right?


texts: How to decompose/parse 'to know better (than to do )'?

texts:
How does to know better than to do <something> effect/imply/induce the definition:

  to be wise or moral enough not to do <something>?

Please explain the steps, thought processes; I’d like to try to resolve this myself in the future? I realise that this may seem a basic question, but I want to confirm because the definition above connotes positivity, whereas this use by the Spectator alludes to slyness?


texts: What does "grab a hit" mean in this context?

texts:
Audiences expect spicy and sometimes dark narratives, but because the networks are still in the business of not offending mass audiences, they cannot even grab a hit when it comes lurching through the door.

What's the logic here? Why cannot audience grab a hit? And who is lurching through the door? I am very confused.


texts: What is the meaning of "we take the sword to "?

texts:
A: Are we dependent on that for anything?

B:  I don't actually know for sure

B:  Tom / Ben would be the best bet here.

B:  My feeling is that we take the sword to this if we can

What is the meaning of the last sentence? I am curious about "take the sword to".


texts: Have anyone read a book of British writer Michael Sadleir "Fanny by Gaslight"? Or seen a movie of the same name? I Googled all about the title, but never met a clear explanation what does it mean. There isn't any gaslight in the movie (I didn't read the book) and people offer different theories


texts:
When reading I encountered two sentences:

  The guard carefully studied her. Langdon had already decided that Vittoria's form-fitting shorts and blouse were not bulging anywhere they shouldn't have been.
  Vittoria's blouse wasn't bulging where it shouldn't have been.

A native speaker commented that in the first sentence, 'shouldn't have been' can be changed into 'shouldn't be', but in the second sentence, 'shouldn't have been' is the only option. Can anyone please kindly elaborate on the reason? Your answers are greatly appreciated


texts: Appropriate usage of "can't" and "cannot"

texts: Are there any rules for using can't and cannot since they mean the same thing, and they are used interchangeably, but they sound weird in certain contexts?


texts: Is the phrase "I wish you a good mood" used by native English-speakers?

texts: Strict search yields many hits but the authors all seem to be foreigners. Thanks.


texts: What do you think the term paperback romance refers to? Here's the picture (just click on it to make it larger):


texts:
Which sentence is correct? The sentence is to be understood in a mathematical/CS context.

The nodes are placed to a random location on a plane.

or

The nodes are placed in a random location on a plane.

I tried to google it, but it did not came out with a convincing enough result.


texts: Indefinite article with country's name? The New York Times article has it

texts:
The paragraph from the New York Times reads...

  Rarely has any world leader come full circle the way Mr. Modi has: Denied a United States visa for nearly a decade as punishment for his handling of religious riots that broke out in the state he then led, Mr. Modi flies into New York as an immensely popular leader and a sought-after strategic partner, viewed as uniquely capable of balancing the might of a rising China.

I wonder this indefinite article. What am I missing?


texts: what is the meaning of UL & LL in elevator button

texts: I knew that "G"means ground, but I don't know UL and LL means what, thanks.


texts: "Cross over the river" OR "Cross the river"

texts:
Sentences:

  I want to cross over the river.

  I want to cross the river.

Which one of the sentences conveys correct meaning?


texts:
When making a question in the past tense using did and two verbs do you write the second verb in the past or present tense?

  Example:
  Did you call and cancel the appointment yesterday?

  or:
   Did you call and canceled the appointment yesterday?

Does did apply only to the first verb, in this case call, or does it also apply to cancel and I do not have to write the second verb in past tense?


texts:
At least around here, maybe not in Milwaukee, maybe not in Brookfield,
  maybe not in Madison, but around these parts, if you're gonna suggest that a cop is crooked, you're gonna suggest that a cop committed crimes, then you better have something other than "Your elbow was on the table."

From Season 1, Episode 7 of Making a Murderer, spoken by Ken Kratz.

Can you please provide me the explanation of the phrase "Your elbow was on the table" in the context of the above excerpt. The DA resolutely defends the work of the police but what he means by saying that phrase I am not able to understand.


texts:
In movie Avatar the main actor said to the female doctor "I got this". I have looked it up on UrbanEnglish.com. It means "I have got this controlled".

Meanwhile, in movie The Pacific Rim the main actor said to the main actress "Let's get this son of a b**ch". I guess this has a different meaning here.

In addition, in movie Sin City Lucille said to her girlfriend "I'll get it, Claire. It's gotta be Marv."

And Bruce Willis said to himself in a cell "You got me, Roark. You beat me."

What is the usage of get for these examples above?


texts:
In other likeable sociopath news, viewers were thrilled in this week’s episode to see Cersei re-find her love of blood. Only one of those hideous preachy Sparrows have been decapitated by Cersei’s patchwork death machine, The Mountain, but it’s a strong start. Sadly it wasn’t Lancel Lannister, who has proven for Cersei to be the world’s most un-riddable ex-shag.

V.V., TRomano Thank you for your help!


texts:
The two distanted cities are included in our comparison.

Is it the correct usage for "distanted"? Do we have an adjective serving our goal here? I want an adjective to fill the blank to imply that the cities are far away to each other.

The two ________ cities are included in our comparison.


texts: Does "whenever" mean "only when" or "in all cases when"?

texts:
This action is wrong whenever the sign is not red.

Does the above sentence mean

  This action is wrong only when the sign is not red.

or

  This action is wrong in all cases when the sign is not red.


texts: Why does Batman say these words when King Kong attacks the building?

texts:
In The Lego Batman Movie, Batman & his team are hiding in some building and suddenly King Kong attacks the same building by jumping on it so building starts to fall down, then Batman says these words:

  This building's not up to code!

what exactly is Batman saying by this line?

I would say: his performance is not up-to the mark etc. what does code means ?


texts:
While I was just watching Instagram, I saw a post by some celebrity. In that video he said:

Hellow guys, I could not be more excited for today's post

What if we use can not Instead of could not here?

Hellow guys, I can not be more excited for today's post

Wjat is the difference in meaning between these two sentences?


texts:
It feels awkward to me to say:

  Q : How has she gone to Prague?
  A : She has gone to Prague by plane.

Wouldn't this sound more natural?

  Q : How did she go to Prague
  A : She took a flight.


texts:
A word that means "how well it is written"?
I am trying to think of a word that means that, but the closest thing I can think of is "form", which doesn't mean the same thing.
Example:

This author doesn't write good novels, because he focuses on the form
instead of the plot.

I am trying to find a word that means the state of being well written, but as I said I can't think of any other word that form.


texts:
When I listened to a new program, I heard a word "life-saving" and I thought it was life saving without the hyphen.

  Medical community is outraged after a life-saving drugs.

I have seen other forms of words that have a hyphen (-) such as fire-proof and two-seater aircraft. How would I exactly know the words that have a hyphen in to avoid my confusion? Is there any grammatical reason behind this?


texts: i am not able to figure out exact meaning of this sentence

texts:
When you are looking like this, I feel happy/I dont care(/anything).

What's the meaning of "When you are looking like this"

I couldn't make out exact literal meaning.


texts: 'analyse the scalability' or 'performance analyse'?

texts:
I have the following sentences.

  It is also important to analyse the scalability of the proposed solution.
  It is also important aspect of performance analyse of the proposed solution.

I am not sure, which sentence is correct?

Thanks!


texts: What is the meaning of "measure of grace"?

texts:
What is the meaning of measure of grace in that context below? I saw it in a movie called Amistad (1997), that scene starts at 00:32:10 in the movie.

You're quite the scholar, Mr. Joadson, aren't ya? Quite the historian. Let me tell you something about that quality if I might. Without an accompanying mastery of at least one-tenth its measure of grace, such erudition is worthless, sir.


texts: Which is the correct preposition: ... draws on research and analysis [from/by] leading experts ...?

texts:
I wrote the following sentence, but I can't figure out which is the appropriate preposition in this case.

  This paper draws on research and analysis from some of Canada’s leading experts on UI.

Is it "from" or "by"?

Here are some examples from google books and google news:

"draws on research from"

This area of disaster social work research, as might be expected, draws on research from a number of disciplines including psychology, sociology, and geography.
The chapter draws on research from multiple disciplines that examine the psychological, social, and environmental factors that affect ...
It draws on research from economics, law, demography, sociology, and other disciplines.
LSE IQ is a monthly podcast that draws on research from the social sciences.

"draws on research by"

This chapter draws on research by Martin Minogue, David Levi-Faur and Malathy Knight-John on the politics of regulation.
Chapter 6 draws on research by Bernard Hoekman, Constantine Michalopoulos, and L. Alan Winters.
This section ... draws on research by Oswald et al. (2016), Tyler (2015) and Van der Bom et al. (2018) ...
Piketty was among the founders of the WID, which draws on research by more than 100 economists globally.
Their work draws on research by Timothy Besley and Torsten Persson.

Here is what I think based on the above examples:

  It seems like "from" is used when talking about specific disciplines, fields of study, organizations, and other sources. And the preposition "by" is used when talking about people. Is this correct? Because there are examples that do not follow this pattern.

The campaign draws on research by the Brookings Institution and the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. - Wall Street Journal
The full study, which draws on research by the World Bank, was published in the Journal of Development Economics (JDE).

What is the consensus on this?


texts: Meaning of “the first year it has featured anywhere on the list”

texts:
I read in an article in the Daily Mail listing the most violent cities in the world. The article had a picture caption which says:

  Los Cabos, in Mexico, was ranked as the most violent city in the world, the first year it has featured anywhere on the list

  Sounce: Daily Mail news article

I am having trouble understanding the meaning of “the first year it has featured anywhere on the list”.


texts: "Already being wealthy" or "being already wealthy"

texts:
In spite of already being  wealthy, he is very greedy.

In spite of being already  wealthy, he is very greedy.

Where should "already" be placed?


texts:
I'm learning passive-voice and something is really confusing for me.

I learnt that I can't say "Hamlet has been written by Shakespeare" because Shakespeare is dead so there's no link with the present anymore, I must use the simple-past.

I can understand that I can't say "Shakespeare has written Hamlet", Shakespeare is the subject, he is dead => past-simple.

But in the passive-voice, the main subject is the book, and Hamlet still exists today, in fact, the very book written by Shakespeare himself still exists. So there is actualy a link with the present, no ?

It's a simple example but that kind of issue comes too often to me :/

How am I supossed to guess this ?


texts: Does gorgeous carry a sexual connotation?

texts:
From dictionaries, gorgeous means

very beautiful (macmillan)
Beautiful; very attractive (Oxford)

But I wonder if calling someone gorgeous, as in  she is gorgeous, means beautiful in a sexual way. Does it ?


texts: Is the sentence in bold a subjunctive mood and how to understand it?

texts:
In fairness, though, investors couldn't have found adequate shelter in the yuan even had they wanted to. Despite all the hype about the
  yuan's growing stature, the universe of yuan assets in which global
  funds can invest is minuscule. And size matters when it comes to
  measuring the importance of international currencies.

Can the sentence in bold be parsed in the following:

  In fairness, though, investors couldn't have found adequate shelter in
  the yuan even had they wanted to.
  = In fairness, though, investors
  couldn't have found adequate shelter in the yuan even if they had
  wanted to.

But I don't know the meaning of it.
This article is from: enter link description here


texts: ''Its solid finish and colour also gives a chic addition to your kitchenware.''

texts:
Its solid finish and colour also gives a chic addition to your kitchenware.

Is it gives or give in the question because it is really confusing me?


texts:
I finished 400+ hours of teaching assistant duty, including giving tutorials, delivering lectures, and supervising group projects. This work was involved in a total of four undergraduate courses, namely A, B, C, and D.

I want to demonstrate that I have done these types of work in four modules. The bolded words can be removed, forming one big sentence, but it will be too long (A, B, C, D are all long titles). So I split it, but am not sure if it reads naturally.


texts: You may leave the room,how can we report it

texts:
How could we report
"You may leave the room"Teacher said
Can we report it as
Teacher gave me the permission to leave the room
        OR
Teacher said to me that I might/could/may leave the room.
May,might or could is all are possible.


texts: Difference between Can/Could: "Can (could) you sell your old computer to me?"

texts:
What is difference between

Could you sell your old computer to me, seeing (that) you have no use for it.
Can you sell your old computer to me, seeing (that) you have no use for it.

Can I use either one of them?
Which one is grammatically correct or if both are, what is the difference in meaning?


texts: When addressing students, can I use "dear students" instead of "ladies and gentlemen"? Likewise, can I address my colleagues as "dear colleagues"? If not, what is a valid alternative?


texts:
there! Which one is correct:
I prefer rain to sun.
Or
I prefer the rain to the sun.
According to dictionary examples, both are correct.


texts: What does claw with their fingernails mean?

texts:
Is it the same as pull out fingernails like this thread?
What does "pulling out one's fingernails" mean?
“I believe with the things that we have seen so far that it will end with a compromise between FIFA, UEFA, national football associations and the leagues and these 12 clubs,” Cortsen says. He adds, “However, I think we could see FIFA, UEFA, national football associations and leagues claw with their fingernails to protect their current position in the global hierarchy of professional football.”
https://www.forbes.com/sites/justinbirnbaum/2021/04/19/new-european-super-league-taking-a-swipe-at-champions-leagues-24-billion-annual-broadcast-revenues/?sh=4e36b66d1d05


texts:
Can you help me make this sentence more clear? Especially the part about users' compliance.

Two issues of the computer system are lack of customization and ignorance of users’ compliance.

I want to say that the design of the computer system does not take into account the way that users respond to the system. But I just want to say it in one word: ignorance, negligence,...
Any other suggestions?


texts:
Prison(noun)
A building to which people are legally committed as a punishment for a crime or while awaiting trial:
He died in prison.
Both men were sent to prison.

Why not He died in a prison? And is it possible to say He died in the prison if I want to talk abount the prison in which he died?
Are there any other noun with this characteristic?


texts: Can "how close you may be" act as the subject, complement or appositive?

texts:
"Do not let any failures discourage you, for you can never tell how close you may be to victory. "

In the sentence, an “exclamatory sentence”, "how close you may be to victory" , acts as an object. I am wondering whether an exclamatory sentence can acts as a subject, complement or  appositive.

Do the following sentences sound natural to you?

Sentence 1: How close you may be to victory is never known.

Sentence 2: My question is how close they can be to victory.

Sentence 3: They have no idea how close they may be to victory.

Thank you in advance!


texts:
I was reading a poem named I Dream a World by Langston Hughes, where the first two lines say:

I dream a world where man

No other man will scorn

At first I was having difficulties understanding this but later the idea of object-verb inversion sprang to my mind.
Am I correct, the poet has just done the object-verb inversion and nothing else?
By the way, Google has nothing to say about object-verb inversion.
I wonder if it exists?


texts: "One track mind"; what is it supposed to be?

texts:
I'm doing some exercises online, I have to deal with this question.

He has a one ......... mind as all he ever talks about is money, money, money.
(a) track
(b) road
(c) path
(d) rail

How am I going to be able to decide which option to choose? Is the answer a set idiom or can it be different in other circumstances?
thank you for your help


texts: What is the difference between "tedious to" and "tedious for"?

texts:
Which of to or for should I use in the following sentence?

  Nevertheless, as correcting one’s written work seems to be quite tough and sometimes [tedious to or tedious for] both students and teachers, it is important to do it in a proper way.

And what is the difference between the two alternatives?


texts:
I came across this sentence in Barron's "504 essential words" book:

  We hardly ever believed Vinny because what he said was usually fiction.

but I guess the correct form should be something like this:

  We hardly ever believed Vinny because what he said were usually fictions.

Am I wrong? Or both are correct?


texts: The use of the past perfect after the word "before" in context

texts:
I have found it in this video. It is at 9 minute and 6 second.

  I think it is great I got to come, you know, before 10 or 20 or 30 years had passed, and I would have more agency in my career.

I cannot get whether the speaker was referring to the future or past by before 10 or 20 or 30 years had passed. I think she was talking about the future, but then why did she use the past perfect. If I am mistaken, she was talking about the past then why didn't she use after? For example:

  I think it is great I got to come, you know, after 10 or 20 or 30 year had passed, and I would have more agency in career.


texts:
Can someone be your priority, when talking about having all your availability for that person? and can I omit (it) in the sentence below and just write "will be fine"? Feel free to add any corrections to my text.

  Hello Dr. Robert Frey, how are you doing today?  My name is Maria. I
  am assisting Ms. Andrade on her trip to NY.  She is looking forward to
  having these appointments with you. She will be in NY for a week from
  May 7th till May 14th. She will have an event every night of the week,
  but aside from that you are her priority, so whenever you can have
  the appointment with her will be fine, you are her first choice.
  As she requests, the first appointment would be the longest, around 2
  hours, and the second could be shorter, around half an hour would be
  fine.  Thank you a lot for your time! My best regards, Maria.


texts: tenses agreement, and the usage of the second conditional: "Would it be okay if I didn't (don't) come to your show next week?"

texts:
Would it be okay if I didn't come to your show next week?
Would it be okay if I don't come to your show next week?

Now, as per the rule of the second conditional, if + Simple Past, + would + base verb, would the first not be more grammatically accurate than the second one, and it even follows the being in harmony of tenses?
Is there a difference in the meaning between the two?


texts: "Out do each other" what does this mean?

texts:
I would like to ask thing a few about the abovementioned term.
At Reddit, there is a JLL site which I am participating.
About 2 hours ago from my posting here, a woman jumped in exclaiming "Why is the Japanese language learning community so elitist?"?
And here is the line.

I’m just gonna call it out. Japanese language learning circles are extremely elitist, if not downright hostile. I literally do not see such hostility in Spanish, French, Russian, Italian, German, ANY other language learning communities. It’s only with Japanese. You can even see it in this sub, which is why I don’t do much more than lurk here.

It’s like foreigners are trying to out do each other with how serious they are about learning Japanese. So many people are out here trying to prove they aren’t one of those weebs who want to learn Japanese because of anime or manga.

Sorry that my question is so simple in comparison with the length.
What does the bold part, "out do" mean here?


texts: 'deep' in 'Beauty is more than skin deep.'

texts:
What is the exact meaning of deep in the following sentence:

  Beauty is more than skin deep.

Is it an adverb in this case? If yes, what is the meaning? If not, what grammar rule is applied here?


texts:
I celebrate myself, and sing myself,
And what I assume you shall assume,
For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.

As far as I am concerened, shall has had an old usage in first person . What does the word shall here mean in natural modern English? With which word it could be substituted?


texts:
does "public intelligence" means "intelligence service"?

If anything could annihilate Spiritualism, its present estimation by the
English public, its treatment by the Press and the courts of law, its
attempted suppression by all the powers of public intelligence, its hatred
by the heroes of the pulpits of all churches and creeds, the simple
acceptance of even the public folly and wickedness attributed to it by the
Press, its own internal divisions—in a word, its pre-eminent unpopularity
would put it out of existence.

source:http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks03/0301051h.html _ hos by acd


texts:
Should I say:(ESL perspective)

  "I have to treat English as if it is my own''.

Or

  "I have to treat English as if it was my own''.

Which is correct?


texts:
What do you call the action of "describing events as they happen" like sports anchors do? I heard the word "commentary", but I doubt "commentary" actually refers to the action of describing an event as it's happening. Also, I am wondering what the verb might be.

Here's a video example, but I doubt it's needed:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiYXiRZncYk


texts: "I became good friend with the man I met yesterday." or "I became good friendS with the man I met yesterday."

texts:
I became good friend with the man I met yesterday.

I became good friend{s} with the man I met yesterday.

Should "friend" be in plural or singular? Which one is right: "friend" or "friends"?


texts: Could a word stand alone between two periods?

texts:
The Source Time Magazine

The word, Dramatically, is standing alone, without making at least a clause or complete idea.

  According to current projections, Cape Town will run out of water in a matter of months. This coastal paradise of 4 million on the southern tip of South Africa is to become the first modern major city in the world to completely run dry. And even though residents aren’t responsible, the burden of making sure it doesn’t happen rests largely on our ability to cut down on water usage. Dramatically.
  Millions of people around the world live without sufficient access to water. But Cape Town is no developing-world urban quagmire. It is a prosperous metropolis, a well-managed global tourist destination responsible for 9.9% of South Africa’s GDP, full of multi-million-dollar beachfront properties, art museums and two of the world’s top 50 restaurants. Cape Town running out of water is like San Diego going dry. Which, if you factor in the looming threat of climate change, may not be that far off. California’s five+ year drought, which ended in 2016, had state officials scrambling to enact their own water restrictions. At one point, NASA warned that the state had less than a year’s supply in its reservoirs.


texts: In this sentence "They agreed unanimously that John looked like an extremely happy man", what gives case to 'man'? Is it 'like'? I know the preposition can assign case and I think the adjacency requirement is violated in this sentence because of 'extremely happy', but it is a grammatical sentence.why?


texts:
I would like to ask if it is acceptable to call an event "English in the town" putting the emphasis on the contrast that is is not held in the classroom.
It is the name of the event, i.e. it should attract and draw attention to it.
Thank you.


texts:
I was reading a novel and I think, there is a mistake, they missed an article as per me but I am not sure yet, so putting this here.

In the book, it has been written:

  Destiny, it is way over the horizon.

As per me, it should be:

  Destiny, it is a/the way over the horizon.

My point is that, way is a countable noun and singular as well so an article should be there.


texts: In the following sentence: " He likes to sit there and read a book". I've been noticing that most of the time, we don't use 'to' after the word 'and', but even though there isn't 'to' before the verb, it is still in the infinitive form. Is there any rule which explains that?


texts:
(Walking / To walk) on a regular basis everyday is more effective than making intense efforts once in a while.

Sometimes it is very difficult for us (non native) to understand the difference between infinitive form and gerund form, especially when they are used as 'subject'.
The infinitive or infinitive phrase can indeed be the subject of the verb.

So, what is the answer? What is difference between 'walking' and 'to walk'? Why one is the answer and the other is not?


texts: What is this usage of "have [Object] [Complement]?"

texts:
I hate Bush but I would rather have him president than Obama !

It is normal to expect it to be followed by a verb or past participle or present participle, but here it is not. is this archaic?


texts: A problem with "as...as": "Mike has as cute a cat as you do"

texts:
Take the below sentence for example:

Mike has as cute a cat as you do.

I wonder if it's a "cute a cat" or "a cute cat"?


texts:
That's what your fantasy was
This was your fantasy
This all was your fantasy

What is the difference between these three sentences? To me, being a non-native speaker, they sound alike. But I know there have to be some differences between them.


texts:
I was in my English class yesterday where I was learning direct/indirect questions, and I tried to come up with examples of them. I thought it was going to be easy, but I ended up being confused about these three varieties of a question I thought of.

Which car is yours? / May I ask you which car yours is?
Which one is your car? / May I ask you which one your car is?
Which is your car? / May I ask you which your car is?

Are any of these grammatically wrong? Which one is the most natural?


texts: Is it correct to say "the problem of living cost increasing"?

texts:
I'm curious about the right way to say the rising of living cost, because usually I will use:

The problem of living cost increasing
The living cost increasing problem
The increasing of living cost

but I have read some article, most of the authors are using "rising cost of living" instead of "living cost increasing".
Thus, can I know the right way to express the living cost is increasing (in formal writing)? Is it fine to say "the problem of living cost increasing"?


texts: What does "Cracked the door a sliver" mean?

texts:
How should I understand the phrase marked in bold in the following sentence?

  Then, feeling light-headed and forlorn, I trudged to her bedroom and - unable to resist - cracked the door a sliver.

What role does the word "sliver" plays in this context?

Note: The original question asked about cracking the door a silver, not sliver.


texts:
You/one can get very nasty skin diseases from bathing in dirty water.

I know this is a generally true sentence. But could it refer exclusively to the future?


texts:
She is the baker to have made this unique bread.

  She is the baker who made this unique bread.

What is the difference? Can I use 'to' and 'relative pronouns' interchangeably?


texts:
I just want to know whether the word accede in the following sentence makes it formal or would it be better if I swap the word accede with agree in spoken language?

  When my friends told me about the trip they had planned, I acceded
  to it without much further thought.

PS: I am trying to apply newly learnt words while I have a conversation.


texts:
I read the word 'pace' from a word-builder vocabulary book and says it comes from a Latin root and has the meaning of 'contrary to the opinion of', and an additional sentence example:

  She had only three husbands, pace some Hollywood historians who claim she had as many as six.

However, I look up the whole dictionary for the items of 'pace', and found no such meaning.


texts: omitted relative pronoun - movie star we would like to be

texts:
In the following sentence, a relative pronoun is omitted.

  Few of us can become the professional athlete, entertainer, or movie star we would like to be.

Can you tell me what relative pronoun is omitted? Can "that", "which", and "who" be used as a relative pronoun here?


texts:
Good morning, when we do a call, usually we introduce ourselves or answer using "this is Name" or "it's Name". But if I should say that I am the father/friend/colleuge/mother etc of the person who the caller is looking for, can I use: "I am a/the...", right? And why not "this is etc..." thanks
Here I found an example https://books.google.it/books?id=Kh_RZhvHk0YC&pg=PT128&dq=%22i%27m+a+friend+of%22+telephone+dialogue&hl=it&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiT-PXf_LrhAhVMKlAKHWaMCjEQ6AEIEjAB#v=onepage&q=%22i'm%20a%20friend%20of%22%20telephone%20dialogue&f=false


texts: What is the meaning of the phrase "with his loved ones"?

texts:
What's the meaning of "with his loved ones"? 'Ones' refers to the existence or people? The sentence is from IELTS 15 T1P3.
The full example sentence:

Explorer and travel writer Peter Fleming talks of the moment when the explorer returns to the existence he has left behind with his loved ones.


texts: How to punctuate when a sentence is embedded into another sentence

texts:
As in title.

For example,

  "Where have you been?" she asked at home.
  "We don't know it." he said in that meeting.
  The sentence "where are you?" is grammatical.

So, what would be the correct way to punctuate these sentences?  Are there any rules for this?


texts:
I think it's "any of them + ... not" to say what everyone did, which happened to be not doing something:

  I wonder why any of them have not addressed the issue.

And the nuance differs if it's

  I wonder why none of them have not addressed the issue.

Is there any tendency or something that the latter is prefered?


texts: Present Perfect with a phrase "in the past"

texts:
His car is very reliable, and he rarely has any trouble with it. But he has had a couple of difficulties in the past.

Can you justify using Present Perfect in this sentence? Since "in the past" was used, the time frame must have been established, and, as I know, Present Perfect does not go with an exact time frame.


texts: meaning of "right off" in "melted right off the sky"

texts:
What "Right off" means in this sentence?

  As far as I was concerned, the sun could have melted the blue right off the sky. Then the sky could be as miserable as I was.


texts: How to request/say to interviewee not give wrong answers

texts:
During an interview taken by me an interviewee was trying to defend himself either with wrong answers or diverting me to another topics.

In such situation, how to put my concern for being specific and correct in English to such people.

Each version – polite, hard – most welcome.


texts: differentiating between the usages of the word"learnt"

texts:
They are learned people
They are learnt people
They are educated people

I am wondering if they are correct or mean the same?

I am also wondering if the following could be correct grammatically and semantically? Or, do they mean the same thing?

A. x is learnt that x should be careful...

B. x should be careful is learnt by someone...


texts: How to use " some of + adj+noun" and " one of +adj + noun"

texts:
I know we can say these sentences:

  They are some of my best friends.
  He is one of my best friends.

Can we say these?

  They are some of my friends.
  He is one of my friends.

Thanks so much!


texts:
Now it is proven that that medicine is harmful to people.

Now it is proved that that medicine is harmful to people

Here, are proved and proven interchangeable? .


texts:
I have a question about the usage of the pattern "X varies from Y to Z".  Does the pattern "X varies from Y to Z" mean that the value of the attribute "X" could change from "Y" to "Z".  Or does it mean the value of attribute "X" changes when the value of some other attribute changes from "Y" to "Z"?   I found the following the on web:

  Example 1:
  Iowa nest card data from 65 nests show that nest height varies from ground level to 50 inches, averaging about a foot from the ground.

  Example 2:
  On a warm summer’s day, for example, air temperatures may vary by 16.5 °C (30 °F) from just above the ground to waist height.

In first example, it seems the value of "nest height" changes from ground level to 50 inches.  But, in the second example, it seems the value of the air temperature changes when the value of the height of measurement changes from ground level to waist level".

So, is the usage of the pattern "X varies from Y to Z" wrong in one of the example sentences?


texts:
What is the procedure to use "being" in english sentence.how to apply in english sentence in quasi passive voice.
Any reference would be appreciated


texts: Can someone please help me understand the highlighted sentence from the paragraph given down below from the book Dreams From my father?

texts:
“I found myself trying to prolong the conversation, encouraged less by Miss Omoro’s beauty—she had mentioned a fiancé—than by the fact that she’d recognized my name.”

Excerpt From: Barack Obama. “Dreams from My Father.” Apple Books.


texts:
Me and a friend are arguing on which is correct. Which one would be more correct and why?

  When cholera did break out in Britain Farr believed, like Chadwick, that it was caused by miasma.

or

  When cholera did break out in Britain, Farr believed, like Chadwick, that it was caused by miasma.


texts:
what does this mean?

  While not industrial grade, these implementations are easy to follow.


texts: Can I use the word "in that" in "Freedom which is reflected in that we always reach out to help others?"

texts:
I am writing a sentence which says

  We followed a large set of Buddhist rule, but we have freedom inside which is reflected in that we always reach out to give and help others.

I'm trying to make in that means by the fact that, but by the fact that is too long and I want to be concise.

This sentence sounds a bit strange to me. Is that the correct word choice in this context? Can I improve the sentence to make it sound more natural?


texts:
What's correct in this sentence?

  Each one of these axes indicates on(?) other direction


texts: Isn't this sentence grammatically inaccurate? "It changes the way their expectations about the way other people are going to treat them"

texts:
This is an excerpt from a dialogue with a psychologist Elizabeth Brondolo, PhD in APA(Link is here; https://www.apa.org/research/action/speaking-of-psychology/stress-health):

"So when people face discrimination it changes the way their expectations about the way other people are going to treat them."

I believe the object of the verb;changes is 'their expectations about ~ treat them.'

Then what does 'the way' that comes right after 'changes' function here in terms of grammar? Is it an adverb? If it is, for what?