texts: Question about an Obama's statement on Iraq

texts:
Here's a quote from an Obama's statement on Iraq.

"But what we've also seen I think is a wake-up call for a lot of Iraqis
inside of Baghdad recognizing that we're going to have to rethink how we do business
if we're going to hold our country together."
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/08/09/statement-president-iraq

I wonder what "we" means in "we're going to have to rethink...".
Does it mean Americans or Iraqis?
I also wonder who recognizes that "we're going to have to rethink...".
Iraqis or Obama?
Thanks in advance.


texts:
For the blanks in the following sentences, which tense is correct, will or be going to?

"Closed over the New Year period. This office _____ reopen on 2nd January." (A sign on an office window)
"The 2.35 to Bristol _____ leave from platform 5." (An announcement at a railway station)


texts:
i have a sentence

  His knowledge of many languages elevated him among his companions.

Which type of noun is knowledge.

  Collective noun

  Material noun

  Abstract noun

  Concrete noun


texts: Unambiguous alternative to the word "lower"?

texts:
Higher is to lower as upper is to ... lower?

I asked a question on Quora about why the human voice has a lower volume limit. Like, you can't speak at as low of a loudness as you can whisper.

Here's one answer:

  A "lower volume limit" in comparison to WHAT? Can you be more specific, please?

I used "lower limit" to mean "the least you can go," but the answer understood it as a comparative adjective (as such in "A has a lower Stack Overflow reputation than B").

"Bottom limit" doesn't sound right. What're unambiguous alternatives to the word "lower" in this context?


texts: A word for "a person who does whatever he wants"

texts:
I'm looking for a word (or phrase) for describing a person who acts according to his own will, who does what his heart says, and who does whatever he wants. I tried to search in many (more than 20) dictionaries but found nothing relevant.
So, please provide a word or more for describing such a person.
Do the following sentences mean what I want?

He follows his heart.
He follows his mind.
He's a happy-go-lucky person.


texts:
Can we use the past simple instead of the past progressive in the following sentence:

  I thought we were saying goodbye forever, but we were to meet again, many
  years later, under very strange circumstances.

This sentence is provided as an example for to be + infinitive structure. Since there is no more context I can provide.


texts: "Who will I talk to on Saturday?" or ""Who will I talk on Saturday to?"

texts:
Which word order is most correct for the following question?

Who will I talk to on Saturday?
Who will I talk on Saturday to?

Also what is the grammatical/semantic reason why?


texts: How to report a contradictory opinion issued in a debate?

texts:
Consider you are asked to summarize a discussion between two students where they are not on the same page about an issue. I came up with two sentences.

First, a sentence with non-defining relative clause:

  The man, who disagrees with the woman, believes that universities should not raise the tuition fees.

I don't want to use such clauses. I want to use phrases implying the same thing. For instance:

  The man, in contrast to the woman, believes that universities should not raise the tuition fees.

In this context, I came up with these phrases:

as opposed to
in (sharp) contrast  to
on the contrary

However, based on this and this, I think neither would be idiomatic.

Does the sentence #2 make sense?

Would you suggest some phrases? Please note that, I want to put that phrase between two commas. I guess (I don't know) that is called apposition which is somehow similar to non-defining relative clauses- first example.


texts: Is the use of 'organize for' correct in this sentence?

texts:
There is little doubt that a burning desire can, in certain situations, be a valuable quality. Firstly, our ambitions allow us to organize for our future career success, which in turn, leads to prosperity for ourselves and our family.

Is the use of 'organize for' is correct in the sentence? I tried to use an online dictionary, but I think dictionary often don't tell use which preposition to use. If you know where I can find this kind of information, please let me know and thank you very much! (I tried google too.)

(Source: Beacon English)


texts:
I initially understood "defecting from the slate" as "defecting from the plan". And then I checked out "slate" and found its definition is: a list of candidates, officers, etc., to be considered for nomination, appointment, election, or the like.
It seems neither the defintion nor my "plan" is very suitable here.
What does "slate" mean then?

After Hawaii cast its four votes for Mr. Biden, he finished with 306 Electoral College votes, with no electors defecting from the slate.

The vote follows six weeks of unprecedented efforts by Mr. Trump to intervene in the electoral process and change the outcome of an election he lost by about seven million votes. He was joined by many Republicans who supported his unfounded claims of voter fraud, including 126 party members and 18 state attorneys general who supported a case before the Supreme Court that legal experts said had no merit. The court rejected the case on Friday.

Source:  NYTimes


texts: What does the phrase "rushing off down" mean?

texts:
What movement does John make according to the sentence? This sentence is taken from a dictionary, which explains the usage of "go".

  John went rushing off down the corridor.


texts: Can "increased" and "increasing" be interchangeable?

texts:
"The expansion of Willis Corp leads to ... needs of new staffs."
A. increase
B. increased
C. increasing
D. increasingly
They said the correct answer is C but I doubted that so I immediately conducted a database search. The result is that "increased needs'' is a valid phrase. For instance:
They do not take into account your nurse-to-patient ratio even for the increased needs of care for those patients. (Source)
When state governments are faced with reduced tax revenues and increased needs in health care and other essential areas, it's difficult to allocate funding. (Source)
Her staff is trying to meet the increased needs while the center's budget tanks. (Source)
But another thought was simply that increased spending led to increased needs for cash. (Source)
So my question is: "Can both of these two adjectives ("increased" and "increasing") be interchangeable? If not, what is the difference between them? I really need your help.


texts: I see both "Related Work" instead of "Related Works" phrases in papers. Assuming either one of these could be used, can someone explain why that is so? If more than one reference is listed, it seems the heading should be "related works" (plural) or maybe the those that say "Related Work" are in error?


texts:
I have a question about the usage of "go into" and "enter".  It seems that one can write these:

  1a.  He went into politics.
  1b. He went into this profession.
  1c. He entered politics.
  1d. He entered this profession.

as standard English.  But then, I found these on the web:

  2a. He went into the Army.
  2b. He entered the Army.
  2c. He went into the armed forces.
  2d. He entered the armed forces.

The Army and armed forces are groups of people, not a profession like politics.  Could the sentences 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d be wrong?


texts: "Joe told me how he spent time at a birthday party." "He told me how he had spent time at a birthday party."

texts:
My friend (let's say he's named Joe) is telling me how he spent time at a birthday party. Two days later I want to talk about that to my other friend (let's say Ryan). What's the right way?

Joe told me how he spent time at a birthday party.

or

He told me how he had spent time at a birthday party.

I, personally, think that the second example is correct because birthday had been before he told me about it.


texts: Single word for correcting controls out of bounds

texts:
In a software development environment or page layouting, you can place elements outside the control bounds or outside the page. The coordinates can e.g. have negative values.

We're now introducing a button that moves items outside the visible bounds back to inside. I suggested "Bring all controls into view" and "Adjust clipped controls".

Is there a shorter, e.g. single word that describes the same thing?


texts:
Last night, my friend and I have to work until 3 in the morning. We did not sleep at all.

When we decided to go to sleep, he said, “Have a nice day”. In my opinion, he should have said “goodnight” even though it was past 3 AM because we did not sleep at all.

So what should one say in this context?


texts: "for IELTS speaking part two" or "for the IELTS speaking part two"

texts:
I've gone through Cambridge Dictionary grammar tutorial on "A/an and the" and tutorials about Determiners. I guess I understand the rules in them.
From a tutorial (Transcript)

here's some advice for IELTS speaking
part two

According to "preparing for IELTS" vs. "preparing for the IELTS", there should be an article when saying something like "for the IELTS". How about "part two"?
I guess I shouldn't use "the" there. According to the rule "No article before determiners"

We don’t use an article with other words that specify a noun (determiner), e.g. any, some, my, her, this, that ...

I love my job. Does she want this book?

The phrase "part two" itself has a similar feature to "my job", "this book". Is my understanding correct?


texts: 'With the exceptions of' vs. 'with the exception of'

texts:
In a sentence listing a number of exceptions, do we still use 'with the exception of'?

    Lake Champlain furnishes the only commercial fishing grounds in Vermont, with the exceptions of small catches of white fish in Lake Bomoseen, Lake St Catherine in Rutland county and Lake Memphremagog (from link).

    With the exceptions of Queen Victoria, Edith Cavell and Boudicea, are there any public statues of women in London? (article from The Guardian)

I did find a discussion on this topic. One commentor has has said 'Here are two examples from MWDEU, which says 'with the exception of' is commonly used as a synonym for 'except (for)':

    with the exception of British Guiana and the Virgin Islands.

    ... with the exception of cases of deliberate, premeditated theft

I was unable to view the exact page on MWDEU to do further research on this.
But a quick Google search showed me that the other usage is not uncommon.

I have never seen the usage of 'with the exceptions of' before this. Are both these usages applicable? Thanks in advance.


texts: Different tenses for the phrase "kept putting off"

texts:
I am wondering what the difference is in meaning between sentences 1, 2, 3 is (just meaning, not grammar)

  She had always felt that she was missing out on a lot of fun because of her clumsiness on the dance floor.  She had put off taking lessons.
  She had always felt that she was missing out on a lot of fun because of her clumsiness on the dance floor.  She always kept put off taking lessons.
  She had always felt that she was missing out on a lot of fun because of her clumsiness on the dance floor.  She had been putting off taking lessons.

Actually, the main source is number 3. I have my doubts if there is any difference in meaning between 2 and 3.


texts: Question-like structure (word order) in non-question sentences

texts:
Occasionally I see constructs like this in English sentences:

  Not only is this true in this case, but ...

What puzzles me is the "is this" part of it. The sentence is not a question, yet it seems to have a question-like order. Isn't this correct/preferred:

  Not only this is true in this case, but ...

Are there other cases where non-question sentences contain question-like parts (so to speak)?


texts:
The second heading: Reasons of principle
Torture treats the victim as a means to an end and not an end in themselves
[First bullet] ● it treats the victim as a 'thing', not as a person with all the value that we associate with persons
[I omit the other bullets because I want to understand this sentence only from itself, alone]

What does 'thing' mean? Is this use right?
I interpreted this sentence differently as follows but please correct me. If a person with depraved, heinous values is tortured, then torture is treating the values of this victim, and thus this victim him/herself? In other words, torture is treating this person, with his negative values, which can be associated with persons? So how does 'not as a .... associate with persons' make sense?


texts:
DevOps aligns with iterative and agile project development models.

I am trying to understand what are they really saying. iterative is repeating but still I am not able to catch the real meaning in this sentence. Agile project methodology is more flexible and is eliminating the silos but not sure what do they mean by iterative.


texts: How to express this action: "I am hungry and dredge / scoop the little left-over food in the pot as much as possible"?

texts:
This is the context, you are so hungry & you found a pot with very little food sticking on the bottom of the pot. You then scoop the little left-over food in the pot as much as possible to eat.

what word should I use?

I am hungry and dredge / scoop the little left-over food in the pot as much as possible with a spoon.


texts:
I am curious about the meaning of this sentence:

  "Man proposes and God disposes."

(Mathematical Thought from Ancient to Modern Times, M. Kline, vol. 1, page 181)

Whole paragraph is as follows:

"It has often been said that man proposes and God disposes. It is more accurate to say of the Greeks that God proposed them and man disposed of them. The Greek mathematicians were wiped out. But the fruits of their work did reach Europe in a way we have yet to relate."


texts: Is it allowed to omit apostrophes after `s`?

texts: In this question meaning of the s' explained, but what if I'll say my childrens toys (several kids), i.e. with no ' after s ?


texts: Hyphenating a Hyphenated word: tree-trunk-like legs

texts:
He seemed to have tree-trunk-like legs.

How do you hyphenate a hyphenated word, properly, and grammatically?


texts: I need to find the most suitable option!

texts:
Which sentence is incorrect:

a) The plot of the movie was too confusing. Nobody could make heads or tails of it.
b) The economic situation is not good, so we have to do our best to make ends meet.
c) You have to make do with what you have at the moment.
d) We simply can't make without that. It is our cash cow.

Possible answer:
- a) 'make heads or tails of something' that seems ok

b) 'make ends meet' it is also ok
c) 'make do with something' ok
d) 'can't make without that'. it seems to me that a pronoun is missing here. Wouldn't ' can't make it without that' be a better option?
and so choice d) is the correct one.


texts:
I was wondering if there is any fixed expression, poem, proverb to imply:

Every one who is left far from his source (source= his / her tendencies,) wishes back the time when he was united with it.

I.e. You will always have a tendency to become what you are and not what you are trying to be! So, you will revert back to your essence one day.
For instance:
Please imagine a young person who loves music composing field of working and wants to be a composer at heart. However, despite their feelings, their parents want them to become an engineer.
They may get even a university degree at engineering just because what his/her parents want, but usually, they will revert back to their own interests and probably will work as a composer even as their second job one day! Because this is the field that they belong to and enjoy it.


texts: I know Past Perfect rules and I have also read some questions here connected with this point, but I still doubt.                                                                 “My telephone fell down and hit the wall yesterday. I thought that had been the end of it.” OR “I thought that was the end of it”? Can we use Past Simple here as the actions are almost simultaneous?


texts:
Does it mean encourage or nurture?
https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/foster_1?q=foster
“There is never enough time — for work, for family and friends — and it takes work to make the best use of it,” he said. “It’s all about fostering a holistic perspective in life.”
Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/10/06/spotify-ceo-i-start-my-workday-at-1030-ama-look-at-his-morning-routine.html


texts:
to worry: to keep thinking about unpleasant things that might happen
  or about problems that you have Source

  Ex: Don't worry about me. I'll be all right.

  to be worried about: thinking about unpleasant things that have
  happened or that might happen and therefore feeling unhappy and afraid Source

  Ex: I'm not worried about her—she can take care of herself.

So, can I say "Don't be worried about me. I'll be all right" & "I don't worry about her—she can take care of herself"

can we use "to worry about" & "to be worried about" interchangeably?


texts: "In the earthquake" vs. "from the earthquake" vs. "because of the earthquake"

texts:
Improvement-

  In 2001, hundreds of people were killed from the earthquake in Wakanda.

options - 'in', 'because of'

Which is more appropriate? ( my book says 'in' but 'because of' can be used here as an adverb as it explains why they were killed?)
Please tell me where I can use 'because of' apart from as an adverb in a sentence.


texts:
I am not sure whether my question is correct or incorrect but a question arose in my mind about VERB COMPLEMENT when reading the book namely (Wren & Martin).

The sentence was:

Seeing is believing.

In the given sentence, whether 'believing' is VERB COMPLEMENT or SUBJECT COMPLEMENT?

As I have done my research on this sentence on Google and studied about complement and its types as well as uses.  So I am really confused to distinguish between Subject complement and verb complement in the given example.

Thanks in advance!


texts: Is it correct? "Files/binders are in sequence order"

texts:
I received a sentence from a colleague. He has checked all files and binders, and there is no findings. He writes to me a sentence

  All files and binders are in sequence order.

I don't know what he means. Is this a correct sentence?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Jin


texts: Which sense of the phrase “to be in” is used here?

texts:
Hu Tao: A satisfying trade to be in, though, and Wangsheng Funeral Parlor is well-known around town. Whatever the request, I’d be glad to hear it.
from the YouTube video “Hu Tao wants to sell you coffins (Genshin Impact)”

What does “trade to be in” mean?

“To be in” https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/be+in

To be found or located inside some place or thing.
To be involved in or a part of something.
To be willing to become involved in or contribute to something.
To be currently (and usually temporarily) fashionable or trendy.
To be in an elected position.
To be inside a particular place.
To be in close association with someone or some group. In this usage, the phrase is usually accompanied by “with.”
To anticipate or be very likely to experience something, usually that which will be unpleasant or undesirable. In this usage, the phrase is usually accompanied by “for.”
To be involved with or a part of something for a particular reason or purpose. More usually “be in it for.”
To be in prison or similarly detained for a particular reason. In this usage, the phrase is usually accompanied by “for.”
To be participating or involved in something, often something secret or exclusive. In this usage, the phrase is usually accompanied by “on.”


texts: Can we use "to" before home, if we are using determiners (her, my, your etc.) before home?

texts:
I know these sentences are correct:

  I am going home.

  I am coming home.

  I went home.

Please let me know, are these sentences also correct or not:

  I am going to her home.

  I am coming to your home.

  I went to his home/house.

Or these are correct:

  I went her home.

  I am going her home.

Thanks in advance.


texts: Is it grammatically correct to say: "I never lend anyone it"?

texts:
Is the use "I never lend anyone it" grammatically correct?
I'm asking about it because its flow of reading sounds a bit clumsy to me.

Can you give me this book? - This book was signed by my favourite author. So, I never lend anyone it.

Can you buy me this pen? - Not now, but I'll buy you it a few days later.

Don't insist on asking me for the book. I'll never give anyone it.

I know they are not natural and the more natural ones are "I never lend it to anyone, I'll never give it to anyone, I'll buy it for you a few days later..".
Nevertheless, I would like to learn if my examples are grammatically correct.
What do you think about them? Thank you.
[ Edit: According to the links
1-) https://courses.dcs.wisc.edu/wp/grammar/category/direct-and-indirect-object-pronouns/ (I sent her it yesterday)
2-) http://www.grammar-monster.com/glossary/indirect_object.htm (Give him it.)
My examples are correct. ]


texts:
Is the following question is a matter of style or correctness?

I'm not sure what the correct structure is:

  There are many definitions for this word in the dictionary.

Vs.

  There are many definitions in the dictionary for this word.

What's more clear, understandable or coherent?


texts: Can you emphasize the present subjunctive with "do"?

texts:
The present subjunctive is seen in this example taken from the NYT:

  The country demanded that Boeing pay a $1 billion penalty for the manufacturing delays in India’s 27-plane order.

The verb 'pay' here is in the present subjunctive.

Now, can you emphasize the verb by adding 'do' like the following?

  The country demanded that Boeing do pay a $1 billion penalty for the manufacturing delays in India’s 27-plane order.

If this is not possible, please explain to me why, and also please let me know how else I could emphasize the verb 'pay'.


texts:
Mrs. Woods ....... New York very well. She has lived there all her life.

  a. must have known
  b. must know
  c. should have known
  d. should know

The test answer key says b is the right option. But I think both b and d can be correct.


texts: 1.Such that extrajudicial 2.Nobody can claim to be surprised

texts:
"We shouldn't jump the gun and say that they're automatically extrajudicial killings, such that extrajudicial means it has the badge of the government," says Kris Ablan, assistant secretary at the Presidential Communications Office.

  Nobody can claim to be surprised. The carnage is exactly what Duterte promised. "All of you who are into drugs, you sons of bitches, I will really kill you," he said before his election.

Paragraphs above are cited from Time magazine:
Inside Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s War On Drugs

What do such that extrajudicial and Nobody can claim to be surprised. mean here?

I have already checked Oxford dictionary. It says 'such that' means 'to the extent that' but I still don't get it.
And there's one more question. Why is 'such that' followed by 'extrajudicial' instead of 'extrajudicial killings'?


texts: "Do you have any idea who you're talking to?"

texts:
I've got caught up in a discussion about this particular sentence from new season of The Walking Dead on non-English forum. No one seems to know why are appears after you.

My guess is that it's dependent clause (this is why I'm adding such tag), but I'm not sure because it's the first time I'm reading about it. People on the forum mentioned:

Spoken English
Silly Americans

So, my question: Why is are appears after you and not before as many people on the forum expected?


texts: For a simple stroller, the cloth seat can be easily removed from the frame. Would you say "to take the cloth seat off or out of the frame"?

texts:
For a simple stroller, the cloth seat can be easily removed from the frame.

As shown in the picture, the cloth seat has 2 long holes on its sides. To put the stroller together, people will slide the 2 holes onto the 2 sticks of the frame.

Would you say "to take the cloth seat off or out of the frame"?

I think it would be "off" because we put the seat "on" the frame.


texts: How would formally ask someone to confirm return date to book a ticket

texts:
I would like to book a return ticket back to my hometown for a particular date. I need to ask my someone before finalizing the date. How can I express that in a question form? I have few examples:

  (For) which date/day should I book my return ticket?
  When should I return?
  I am thinking of returning on xyz date. Is that okay?
  Which date/day should I return (on)?

Similarly, is the following sentence grammatically correct?

  I booked my return ticket for my hometown for xyz date.


texts:
An entertainment news article talks about Demi Lovato posting an unedited and not-skinny photo of herself in a bikini.

Lovato says that she's now focused on being herself and not trying to meet other's expectations, etc.

Then occurs the following sentence:

  Demi also said that she feels "great" to be back to work "while not stressing myself with a strenuous workout schedule before 14 hour days, or depriving myself from a real birthday cake rather than opting for watermelon & whip cream with candles because I was terrified of REAL cake and was miserable on some crazy diet sh*t."

I saw the sentence from this article.

Has the word 'not' been omitted in the second phrase "(not) depriving myself from a real birthday cake rather than opting for watermelon & whip cream with candles"? What does "diet shit" mean?

And I actually don't quite get the meaning of the part in bold.


texts: the second part for a disjunctive question: was it

texts:
I booked a lesson with a teacher a few days ago, and left a message about my need regarding to English speaking and writing. When I am in the class, the teacher says

  You wanted to practice your speaking and writing, was it?

I understand she uses past tense because I booked the lesson in the past.

The whole sentence seems to be a disjunctive question. If it is, the second part should be something like "didn't you", right?


texts: In this lecture (15. Petri nets, Basis of The Flow of Tokens), around 5:25, the lecturer uses the word thenfore, I am guessing he is meaning to say therefore but misspeaks. However, he is a native speaker and I'm not, so I just wanted to check if this might be is an old, archaic word form that I just didn't know about.


texts: "Butterflies have interested me" or "Butterflies had interested me" - which is correct?

texts: Is this correct?  Butterflies _____ interested me for a long time.  Which do you use, have or had?


texts:
Is it OK to use this expression in an academic text?

The given charts represent ball-park figures of mortality rates in European countries.

Is ball-park formal enough to be used in an academic context?


texts:
Which term is more appropriate to use?

"fucked" or "buggered"


texts: Can I use the coordinating conjunction "and" in the single word question "And?"?

texts:
Is it correct to ask the following question: "And?", when you ask for more answers to avoid the repetition of the full question you are referring to. For example, in the following conversation:

  Arnold: What colors can you see in this picture?
  Billy: Brown.
  Arnold: And?
  Billy: Yellow.
  Arnold: And?
  Billy: Grey.


texts:
I've heard this sentence recently in season 1 episode 1 of the TV show "13 Reasons Why" at about 18:05:

  If you don't improve your language, I will kill you dead.

What does “Killing someone dead” really mean?

Note: This is often spoken in America. I've found no any satisfactory solution to this query on the web.


texts: How to distinguish compound nominal predicate from predicate + AM of manner?

texts:
I don't know how to put it right … the problem is that it's rather difficult for me to distinguish the parts of the sentence.

For example in the sentence:

  Something has gone wrong.

I can't say if a predicate is  "has gone" or "has gone wrong".

In the following:

  The sun was shining bright and warm.

Is the predicate "shining" or "shining bright and warm"?

It's confusing to me that in the sentence "she looks happy" the predicate is "looks happy". I would put "looks" as predicate and "happy" (looks how?- happy) as an adverbial modifier of manner, as in sentence "He speaks English fluently", "fluently" is an adverbial modifier.

For the example:

  For him to leave the town in early spring was an unbearable thing.

I can't understand this, is the subject here "for him to leave" and the object (to leave what?) "the town", or is the whole construction "for him to leave the town in early spring" the subject?

Sorry for the bad grammar, I'm just a beginner.


texts: Idioms of shame and embarrassment: along the lines of "lose face"

texts:
If you recommended someone for something, for example, a job, as an adult obviously, they would be responsible of their own actions. However, unacceptable misbehavior or unacceptable incompetence would affect you (not legally but rather socially) because you recommended them.

Is there an idiom or idiomatic expression to express the part where you would be blamed or ashamed of actions of someone whom you recommended or probably praised?

There might be many but there is this Libyan idiomatic expression the literal translation of which goes: "it would be in your face". The meaning is unacceptable or embarrassing things they do, as a result, would disgrace/embarrass you.

The lose face came to mind but I guess there might or should be another one that is more apt or specific in this common situation.

A made up example:

  No, he cannot do as he wishes. I am after all the one who brought him
  here; any  stupid mistakes like that would be "in/on my face".


texts:
I have watched a movie and in it there is a dialogue which confused me. So can someone tell me whether it is correct or not?

The dialog is:

  tree is got to go.

It is from the movie Grinch (animated) at 22min. In the movie a neighbor brought a big tree so the hero got angry and said "that tree is got to go". It is either American or British accent.

At first I thought it was:

  tree's (tree has) got to go.

but after rewinding it, it is clear.
So is it grammatically correct. I am asking about the part of the sentence "is got" can we say that?


texts: Wondering what does "my treat" mean here

texts:
I just herad it in a TV series from satelite

My treat.
My treat.
No my treat
Ok your treat.


texts:
Is there a phrase that means "give a lot of attention to"? I am trying to think of a good idiomatic sounding phrase I can use, but I can't really think of one. The best phrases I could come up with were: "give the spotlight to", "turn all eyes towards", but none of them works particularly well with "story" and "media".

For example:

  The media ___ the story.


texts:
To reduce words I want to write 'a maximum six times' rather than 'a maximum of six times'. Is that ok?

Here's the context: 'I saw people a maximum six times (approximately weekly)'


texts: There is a Cuban phrase that means - literally- I HAVE MONEY EVEN TO MAKE DESSERT WITH IT, or something like that. I guess it's like having too much of something. Is there an English expression for this?


texts:
Please help me to understand the answers in this test question. I made a mistake while answering it. Though it looks easy to me, I didn't get/understand the answer.

  Altruism is thought by some to be a purely human trait, developed during our evolution as a tribal species. However, studies of other animals (i) _________ this notion. Chimps will adopt orphaned infants, and many species of birds will warn others, at the risk of exposing themselves, when a predator approaches the flock. These displays of animal altruism (ii) __________ that animals other than humans also evolved to exhibit this trait.

Blank (i) options:

belie
confirm
promote

Blank (ii) options

assuage
intimate
rescind

My answers were confirm and assuage, because I thought studies support the claim according to the passage. The actual answers are belie and intimate. Though I understand that intimate is the better word choice but didn't get why belie is the answer.


texts:
I'm having a bit of a trouble here while trying to compose a "It has been" in the past.

I'm aware that if I want to say for example that I started to study English 2 years ago and I keep studying it I could say this: It has been 2 years since I started studying English. But what I want is a bit different.

It's hard to explain, so I'll give a "timeline".
Yesterday I said: It's been 2 days since I should have started the book
Today I've started the book, but I want to say to my friend that besides the fact that I started the book today, took me 2 days to start it. How could I phrase it? I would try something around this: It's been 2 days since I should have had started the book but I'm pretty sure that this is wrong. Maybe even my Yesterday phrase is incorrect.

Can someone help me?
Thanks.


texts: "what's needed more" or "what's more needed"?

texts:
What is the correct form?

  what's needed more?

  what's more needed?

There is no context. It's generally used.


texts:
Yesterday my school bus got to my bus stop late. So my mother had to wait a lot. Actually we were held up in traffic. But today we reached the stop on time, but my mother wasn't there to get me. Thus the driver asked me "Where's your mom?" So I replied:

  Actually we were held up in traffic and were far behind at this time yesterday.

  We were stuck in traffic far behind at this time.

I used "at this time" to indicate that I am at the stop today at this time while we were far behind this location yesterday at this time.

Is the use of "far behind" in this context natural? I feel that it's sounds ambiguous. So is there a better way to express the "location"?


texts:
For decades, China was the world's largest importer of waste — a
  status that many countries took for granted, going by the reaction to
  Beijing's surprise decision to stop taking in 24 types of scraps
  starting 2018.

source

I don't know Who was/were going by. China was going by? "A status" was going by? Many Countires were going by?
And What does "going by" mean here?
I have looked up "go by sth", and I think that is not what means here.


texts:
Note the text below is technical (programming).

  The function main shall not be used within a program. The linkage
  (3.5) of main is implementation-defined. A program that defines main
  as deleted or that declares main to be inline, static, or constexpr is
  ill-formed. The name main is not otherwise reserved. [ Example: member
  functions, classes, and enumerations can be called main, as can
  entities in other namespaces. — end example ]

I'm trying to understand meaning of highlited sentence. Can I mention it as

there is no more restrictions applied to the main, except are noted above.

UPD:

I will have cited the definition in my understanding.

function::= is a block of instruction to be executed.

main function::= It can be mention as abstract function at the point of previous definition.

linkage::= I can cite a definition of this concept, but it contains terms which are required a definition themselves.

inline, static, constexp::= modifiers which can be applied to any function.

member function, classes, etc::= Entities of the programming languages which I'm considering. It can be mentioned as "building blocks" of a program.

Also, I think that there is no need to provide a definition of program. :)


texts: Meaning of "nonexistent" in "Because his delivery was halting, the effect of his speech on the voters was nonexistent."

texts:
I know that nonexistent means not exist or not real. But in this context what does nonexistent mean. Is it meaning his speech is not real or effective.

  Because his delivery was halting, the effect of his speech on the voters was nonexistent.


texts:
What's the meaning of "should" here?
The news is from from NewYorker.

  Steyer’s pitch to the donors was simple: “This is the best deal I’m ever going to give you. You should want to give this money, period, even if you never got anything. You can go and speak to the highest people in the Democratic congressional leadership. And we’re throwing in the President of the United States as a gimme. So you should be begging me to come.” To insure that the event left an impression on Obama, Steyer invited fifteen top donors to join him for an intimate conversation with the President before the reception for a hundred. Jim Steyer said, “Tom really hammered Obama on the pipeline.”


texts: "move two inches" vs. "move by two inches"

texts:
He walks two kilometers every day.

Is two kilometers a adverb here?

Which is more appropriate:

  He moved two inches.

  He moved by two inches.

Explain.

Thank you.


texts:
I am wondering whether it is OK to use a noun to modify a couple of other nouns. For example, is it correct to write:

The computer brands HP, DELL, Apple and IBM are becoming the symbols of IT industry.

OR

The cities New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Boston are where I want to go.

I know it is usually considered acceptable in oral English, but I am wondering if it is OK for them to this usage to appear in formal writings?


texts: I hear this a lot especially in group discussions when someone says, "Going off of [an earlier comment],[I want to say that]..." I've also heard "I want to bounce off of [another person's point and say that]..." I can't find this in the dictionary, obviously, as I presume it's relatively an emerging phrase. I assume it means that the speaker is agreeing with what the last one said and wants to add a different point on the same issue. Am I correct? How would you define this? Are there any other phrasal verbs or idiomatic phrases that mean the same thing?


texts: "Enter string theory to rectify the problem." Where is the subject of the sentence?

texts:
The standard model, however, failed to explain gravity. Enter string theory to rectify the problem. (From an ACT test)

As the bold sentence above, it throws me off when I see a verb lead a sentence: where is the subject?


texts: What grammar is being used in this sentense?

texts:
What is the grammar of:

I promised myself I wasn't gonna cry at this one.

I mean can I just say "wouldn't" instead of "wasn't"?:

I promised myself I wouldn't cry at this one.


texts: "He doesn't should." How do you cancel a helper verb?

texts:
What is a concise and grammatical way to cancel a helper verb?
For example, if I wish to say that someone isn't obligated to do something, I could say, for example, "He doesn't should go, he could go," but this doesn't sound right. I see this present in "'Can't' never could" and "He doesn't have to," but the former is intentionally solecistic and the latter seems different because of the way it implies an infinitive.


texts: "This reminds me of before we were together"

texts:
Recently my girlfriend wrote to me:

  This reminds me of the time before we were together.

Later she corrected herself:

  This reminds me of the time before we are together.

Her logic being that we are still together. However, I feel like the latter is incorrect. Even though the more correct way of saying this is probably (as suggested by our American friend):

  This reminds me of the time from before we were together.

– it is still confusing to her why the verb is "were" and not "are". And confusing to me, because I don't know the grammar rules behind these sentences.

How would you explain this to a couple of non-native English speakers?


texts: What does "already" in “…so saturated with the past already” mean here?

texts:
I always have problem with the meaning of "already". Oxford Dictionaries show it means:

Before or by now or the time in question.

1.1 As surprisingly soon or early as this.

North American informal
Used after a word or phrase to express impatience.1

but I cannot understand which definition (or another one) fits with the phrase below:

  It seemed the natural thing, to bring this voice from the past into a moment so saturated with the past already, even if the voice was mixed with my own.

The context is here:

  For two days we explored Rome, a city that is both a living organism and a fossil. Bleached structures from antiquity lay like dried bones, embedded in pulsating cables and thrumming traffic, the arteries of modern life. We visited the Pantheon, the Roman Forum, the Sistine Chapel. My instinct was to worship, to venerate. That was how I felt toward the whole city: that it should be behind glass, adored from a distance, never touched, never altered. My companions moved through the city differently, aware of its significance but not subdued by it. They were not hushed by the Trevi Fountain; they were not silenced by the Colosseum. Instead, as we moved from one relic to the next, they debated philosophy—Hobbes and Descartes, Aquinas and Machiavelli. There was a kind of symbiosis in their relationship to these grand places: they gave life to the ancient architecture by making it the backdrop of their discourse, by refusing to worship at its altar as if it were a dead thing. [...]

  The next morning was cloudless. We took a picnic of wine and pastries to
  the grounds of the Villa Borghese. The sun was hot, the pastries ambrosial. I could not remember ever feeling more present. Someone said something about Hobbes, and without thinking I recited a line from Mill. It seemed the natural thing, to bring this voice from the past into a moment so saturated with the past already, even if the voice was mixed with my own.

  There was a pause while everyone checked to see who had spoken, then
  someone asked which text the line was from, and the conversation moved
  forward.
  For the rest of the week, I experienced Rome as they did: as a place of
  history, but also as a place of life, of food and traffic and conflict and
  thunder. The city was no longer a museum; it was as vivid to me as Buck’s
  Peak.

Educated by Tara Westover


texts: What does "move worlds" mean/imply mean in this sentence?

texts:
I have no idea what "move worlds" mean/imply in this sentence:

  I have moved worlds out of conviction, he thought.

I only have seen phrases like "move across the world", but "move worlds"?

Does it mean "Loki travel across many worlds"? If so, is it common or grammatically right to omit "across" here?
Or does it mean "Loki changed the physical  position of worlds" ? Or something else?

Could anyone help me understand please?

Here is the sentence in the context:

  He got a little surprise then, in the form of quiet words from Agent
  Coulson. “You’re going to lose.”

  “Am I?” Loki was intrigued. He paused to see what this dying mortal
  would have to say.

  “It’s in your nature.”

  Loki tried to understand what Coulson could possibly mean. “Your
  heroes are scattered; your floating fortress falls from the sky . . .
  where is my disadvantage?” he asked.

  “You lack conviction,” Coulson said. He did not move from where he sat
  against the wall. Blood trickled at the corner of his mouth, and the
  enormous gun lay uselessly across his lap.

  Of all the things Coulson might have said, this was perhaps the one
  Loki expected least. I have moved worlds out of conviction, he
  thought. Made bargains with beings who snuff out planets as an
  afterthought. “I don’t think I . . .”

  The enormous gun discharged a bolt of dazzling blue energy, striking
  Loki squarely in the chest and blasting him through the nearest wall.
  For a moment, there was silence. Coulson watched, but Loki did not
  reappear.

  The Avengers I


texts: An "a" article doesn't become a "the" despite the fact it was already mentioned

texts:
With her watching, I'm a liar. She's a fake. She's the liar.

  ...(7 sentences, another paragraph)...

  To Marla I'm a fake.

Source: Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

  "I'm a liar. She's a fake. She's the liar."

Looks like here "a" become "the" because "liar" was mentioned already and we should use a definite article.

But after 7 sentences in the next paragraph we see the already-mentioned noun "fake" with indefinite "a". Why so?


texts:
Can I use the helping verb can in the future?
"I can travel to London tomorrow."
Or I have to use able to?
"I am able to travel to London tomorrow."


texts:
I have already researched this word in an online dictionary and in my native language (Dutch), though I'm not sure if I fully understand it yet.

Take following examples:

  A time of contempt is approaching.
  Am I to gain X, while paying with contempt for myself?

Would a suitable synonym be despise? Could someone explain it please?


texts: Can you use would when referring to a single event in the past?

texts:
This construction with would is just rubbing me the wrong way, but I'm not sure whether I'm right.

The majority of their tanks lacked radios, and and often relied on visual confirmation for communication. These deficiencies would again impact French efforts to organize and react to situations quickly when Germany would invade in May of 1940.

Specifically, it's the "when Germany would invade" that bothers me, as this is referring to a single event rather than a recurring one. I'd be more comfortable with a past tense -- "when Germany invaded" -- or just rewriting it entirely, e.g., "following the German invasion."


texts: Since the accident of the last year or something

texts:
Imagine someone has experienced a bad accident one year ago and then has become housebound. Which one of the following sentences sounds grammatically and structurally more correct in this respect:

  She’s been housebound since the last year accident.
  She’s been housebound since the accident last year.
  She’s been housebound since the accident in last year.
  She’s been housebound since the accident of the last year.
  She’s been housebound since the last year's accident.

For me, no one of the sounds natural. If I'm right, please let me know the natural way of saying it.


texts: What "find out" implies in this context?

texts:
The Times: last Sunday night I turned on the TV to find out
  what was happening in Libya

Does this means that I turned on the TV intentionally to know what is happening in Libya because I heard about it and I wanted to know more, or it implies that I didn't have any idea what was going on in Libya, and I started to learn about it when I turned on the TV.


texts: Which would be better here - 'cranky' or 'grumpy'?

texts:
In American English, what would be preferred in this context - 'cranky' or 'grumpy'? Or would you say they're equally natural and could be used interchangeably here?

"Don't listen to her, she's just cranky/grumpy because her date canceled on her."

(Note : the woman being talked about is not old if that makes any difference)


texts: Which word should be used, "what" or "which"?

texts:
A camera is something […] is used for taking pictures.

What word should be inserted, which or what?


texts:
In the old days, I didn't like coffee. However, at some point I stared to like it. In this situation, what's the difference between these?

I had grown to like coffee. vs I grew to like coffee.
I had come to like coffee. vs I came to like coffee.
I had stated to like coffee. vs I started to like coffee.


texts: What adjectives should be used in this sentence?

texts:
The population of Cairo had become too ____.

Which answer is correct? Large, small, big, wide. I say too large but not sure.


texts: Past tense or present perfect? "I told Link about you before I even knew" or “ I have told Link about you before I even knew”?

texts:
I wish I could blame this on him, but I told Link about you before I even knew.---- from the TV show Grey's Anatomy

Present perfect "have told," IMO, should be used rather than the past tense "told" in the original context, as there is a clear sequence of events.
So which one is best fitting here? Or both are interchangeable here?


texts: Do you use triple class, when three classes together?

texts:
"What have we got today?" Harry asked Ron as he poured sugar on his
  porridge.

  "Double Potions with the Slytherins," said Ron. "Snape's Head of
  Slytherin House. They say he always favors them –– we'll be able to
  see if it's true."

  –– Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Double seems to mean two Houses together. When three houses together, do you use triple class?


texts:
I wonder in which context these two would be fitting.

The car was going at the maximum speed of 200 mph.
or
The car was going at a maximum speed of 200 mph.

Usually, it's "a" but I think there are situations in which "the" is correct. What are they?


texts: American to British English: down/mid/up-towns?

texts:
How do you convert down/mid/up towns to British English?

Core (less than 2 km2) part of city; usually the financial district

American: downtown + city name
British: city name + city centre

Urban (between city centre and suburb)

American: midtown + city name
British: city name + urban area

Outer part of city; zone for housing complexes and parks

American: uptown + city name
British: suburban + city name


texts: "What makes you think of watching a movie?" Is this sentence OK?

texts:
The answer for the question I want to say would be "the story", "casts", etc.

You might say "What is the factor that makes you think of watching a movie?" for that question.

(I don't know if my explanation was good enough. I hope you could understand my question.)

Thank you in advance!


texts:
(a) Now a days
(b) the accidents of diabetes
(c) among urban children
(d) is on the rise.
(e) No error

Sorry for this silly question.

I am little bit confused where is the error in the above sentence.
Please suggest


texts:
This sentence from a wiki page of a court case grates. I have always seen/heard appeal a decision or appeal against a ruling. What does appeal from mean?

  Tiffany appealed from these decisions to the Second Circuit. (source)


texts: "The preferred Swiss chocolates" or "The preferred Swiss chocolate"

texts:
Would you say

  The preferred Swiss chocolates

OR

  The preferred Swiss chocolate


texts:
I was watching  a TV drama   along with my friend  recently when   this scene  came  up.
Scene  goes  something  like this :
Two  guys  were  having a conversation  when  a third  person  overhears their  conversation  from  a far distance .
I wanted to ask  my friend  "is it possible to  overhear  the conversation  to such a long distance". But I felt  that   something  was off with  the sentence . Is it  right to say  to such a long distance.  If  not  what  alternatives would you suggest


texts: ...so is applicable to all environments - Where did the subject of the verb go?

texts:
This book is about JavaScript and focuses on its object-oriented nature. The book starts from zero, and does not assume any prior programming knowledge. Although there is one chapter dedicated to the web browser environment, the rest of the book is about JavaScript in general, so is applicable to all environments.

What is applicable to all environments? Where did the subject of the verb go?


texts: Why is "lies" plural in "Everything is secrecy and lies"?

texts:
I found this sentence:

Everything is secrecy and lies.

Why is "lies" pluralized? Is there a rule? I would put a singular form here.


texts: Is 'you might look but won't see' correct?

texts: When your eyes are open but your mind closed, you might look but won't see.


texts:
I need to know what you normally call these pieces of paper which you receive from cashier at any supermarket when you quit there:

A) Bill
B) Check

With a simple search on the Internet you can easily find out that there are lots of links for both "supermarket bill" and "supermarket check".

I am well aware about the semantic differences between the two and various usages of each word, but I have no idea how it works when it comes to the paper which includes the list of purchased items at a supermarket.

Is there a regional (AE/BE) preference or they both can be used everywhere interchangeably as it goes with restaurant case?


texts: Meaning of " as if the vision splendid had shimmered into view over his father’s shoulder"

texts:
‘I’ll be forty soon,’ she said.
Doctor Fox opened his eyes and let out a peculiar cry. ‘Ah! Then you will
be out of the fog. At forty you can no longer harm anyone, and no-one can
harm you.’
‘What?’ she thought. ‘That can’t possibly be true.’ But it was exactly the
kind of answer she had wanted.
He laughed and pulled a long face at her, then turned to kiss the child
goodbye, but the boy’s face was suffused with sudden bliss, and he flung
open his arms as if the vision splendid had shimmered into view over his
father’s shoulder. Elizabeth too recoiled, as we do in respect and fear before
the ecstasy of someone tripping on acid, to whom we are nothing more
substantial than a liquid blur of light.

First of all I want to know if I am right in understanding the phrases in bold.

Dose "But it was exactly the kind of answer she had wanted." mean: But it was exactly the kind of answer she had liked to hear when she was younger?

in the sentence "as if the vision splendid had shimmered into view over his father’s shoulder" instead of "vision splendid" can we write "splendid vision"? I think "splendid" is adj and "vision" is noun. And does "vision splendid" mean: something splendid that we see?

Source: The children's Bach by Helen Garner


texts: Do we say "in the nightmarescape" or "on the nightmarescape"?

texts:
I am really not sure. I often have trouble determining if we should use "in" or "on", but in this case it seems both are valid. Is there a general rule, because I feel like I have asked similar questions before, but I feel like it's always a case by case question when it comes to whether we should use "on" or "in".

For example:

  The men must survive on the nightmarescape of Antarctica.

  The men must survive in the nightmarescape of Antarctica.


texts: Known As, Better known as, Best known as

texts:
Consider:

  John Wilkes Booth is known as the man who killed President Lincoln.
  Durian is known as the king of fruits.`
  She is known as an actress.
  I want to be known as the guy I really am.
  She is known as the author of The New York Times best-selling series The Underland Chronicles and The Hunger Games trilogy.

These are sentences that have the phrase "known as".

  Drew Scanlon, better known as the blinking guy.
  Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, better known as Lenin.
  Suzanne Collins, best known as the author of "The Hunger Games" trilogy.
  He is known as the coward in our school.

These are the ones that have the phrase "better known as" and "best known as".

I am confused as to what these sentences really intend to mean.
Note that I know the literal meaning of some of them. I am confused because of how they differ from sentences like:

  B1. He is a mass murderer.

  B2. Drew Scanlon is the blinking guy.

  B3. Suzanne Collins is the author of  "The Hunger Games"  trilogy.

In my opinion, this sentences just describes something but it doesn't seem right because it seems like I am missing some point(emphasis, the fact that people know, popularity)

These type of sentences are common and I used to just ignore them. It may be very simple for English native speakers but in my language we don't really use this phrase much so it is hard to perceive the meanings.

What is the meaning of these sentences and when should we use them, and for what purpose?  Thorough answer would be appreciated.

ALso, it would be much better if you interpreted every sentence. Thanks in advance.


texts:
He was insinuating that she slept her way to the top.
Most memorably, Huffington urges the assembled luncheon group: “Sleep your way to the top. Four hours is not enough.” She is a big advocate of naps and of dreaming up ways to reshape the workplace that men have designed.

What does it mean?
As I see it, you either don't get to the top because you like to sleep a lot; or you get to the top through beds (fornicating).
EDIT:
I found this TED video where Arianna Huffington uses this idiom in a funny way.


texts: Does 'in the promisee’s position' harm the promisee or promisor?

texts:
O'Sullivan & Hilliard's The Law of Contract (2018 8 ed). p 110.

  5.64. What should we make of the importation of Williams v Roffey reasoning here? Many
  commentators will welcome it; after all, there is certainly much that seems absurd about
  the Foakes v Beer rule. We saw in the earlier section on ‘Pre-existing contractual obligation
  owed to the other party’ that one of the criticisms of the rule in Stilk v Myrick was
  that the slightest detrimental variation in the promisee’s position could be seized upon
  as consideration, even when in substance the variation was unilateral. A similar position
  applies to discharge of debts. Pinnel’s Case made it clear that if the debtor’s obligation was
  varied in some respect other than a reduction in the amount to be paid, this variation
  could be sufficient consideration. This might be payment on a date earlier than the due
  date for payment, or payment in a different place or currency. Likewise, if the creditor
  accepts payment of part of the debt from a third party, in discharge of the whole, this is a
  binding accord and satisfaction. So in Hirachand Punamchand v Temple (1911) a creditor
  accepted and cashed a cheque in settlement of the debt from the debtor’s father, for part of
  the amount the son owed, and this was held to discharge the balance of the debt.

Does the promisee’s position concern the promisee if his position changes detrimentally  (eg in this case, 2 other sailors' desertion)? Or does the promisee’s position refer to the promisee's ability to exploit the promisor somehow?
What exactly does seize mean here?


texts: The whole furniture here __ provided by IKEA

texts: Should I use is or are?, Personally I think the correct answer is using is but I have a little doubt in my mind. Can someone help me out? Thank you


texts: What word is he saying in «I want to read you a couple of things will use as a (...)»?

texts:
I'm listening to this lecture, and at the mark of 1h50m50s approx., the lecturer says the following:

I want to read you a couple of things we'll use as a (...)

(...) is a placeholder for what sounds to me as 'progerom', a word which I cannot find anywhere -- except as a name of a company, which I doubt it's what he intended to say.
What is what he said, and what is its meaning?


texts: "Writing a business letter" vs "Writing business letters"

texts:
Am I right that we need indefinite article in this sentence:

  Writing a business letter.

but we don't need any article in this sentence:

  Writing business letters.

(it could be a  title for a post in a blog, for example).


texts:
One of my team members is constantly using the "Non" prefix instead of "Not"; for example, to describe an item that is not to be imported, she writes "NonImportedItem", while I'd use "NotImportedItem".
Are both terms correct? Is one of them preferable?


texts: The female equivalent of "don't break my balls"

texts:
We all know that someone who can never be quiet, who criticizes, moans and nags until your patience wears thin and snaps.

Some men will intimidate the nagger by saying:

  Stop breaking my balls!

I think this is a universal expression, it certainly exists in Italy and they have an even more explicit version.

Although Wiktionary tells me about its meaning, it doesn't mention anything about gender. But I always feel silly when I use this vulgar expression myself.

  break someone's balls
  1. (slang, vulgar) to seriously irritate or nag someone.
  2. (slang, vulgar) to tease or ridicule someone; to take the piss out of someone

On a small number of occasions, I have uttered, half-jokingly

  Don't break my uterus!

However, on Google there was only one result

Could the uterus version be used in the US, or in the UK?
What would be a female equivalent? I would like an expression that cannot be appropriated by men, I want something that says: "I'm a woman, but don't mess around with me."


texts: Which one is more common: "allow to reduce" or "allow reducing"?

texts:
Activation allows (to reduce/ reducing) the temperature of the process.

I found that "reducing" can be used after "allow". Moreover, we can write "to reduce" after "allow", too. But which one is more common?


texts:
It seems to me that I needed to use three different tenses in this sentence - is that correct?

I will look at Elsa’s perception of the literal confinement of Nieu Bethesda that caused the town people to be figuratively confined to the previous century.

I read through the suggested questions, and I see that I can use different tenses in one sentence. I guess my question is - did I do it correctly?


texts: The use of "stand" or "stand up" in context

texts:
Tell me plese if the use of up is optional in the following context.

  I have been standing (up) in line for three hours.

In one of English textbooks they use up, but what does it add to the meaning?


texts:
For example, there are books with titles such as
"A Way to Life" or
"The Way to Life".

What does "way to life" mean? Also, what is its difference to "way of life"?


texts: brown and white sugar is made of sugar cane or are made of sugar cane?

texts:
Which sentence is correct:

  White and brown sugar is made of sugar cane?

or

  White and brown sugar are made of sugar cane?


texts:
should I use any with singular or plural nouns in the following context? And can I use a instead?

If you have any complaints with respect to any programme(s) on this channel, please inform us.
If you have any complaint with respect to any programme(s) on this channel, please inform us.
If you have a complaint with respect to any programme(s) on this channel, please inform us.


texts:
is it correct to say "people will make fun on/over you" or it should be "people will make fun of you"

what makes me to think the two phrases has discrimination/difference is. "fun of you"=here the second person "you" did something funny that make others to laugh. "fun on you"= does it sound like people will create fun over the second person you though he/she doesn't anything funny?

is the above discrimination is correct?

please give me an answer as why we should use X than Y besides than saying X is correct and Y is wrong, So do follow the X:).


texts:
My question is about the words "when" & "while" in the sentences (when/while doing; when a + noun (instead of "when I was" etc.)).

Could you please explain 2 and let me know if 1, 6, 7 are correct?

  When I entered the room / when entering the room / entering the room, I found her playing the piano
  a. When she was a child / when a child, she liked to read books
  b. When he was a student / when a student, he often missed classes

As we can't use "being": being a child (my English language book says we can't).

However, "being" is used in the following sentences (found in the internet):

  So I, being a great girlfriend, tried to help him out
  I used to make a living, being the sheriff in this town here
  Being a pastor, I started reading the Bible

So what's the difference between A and B sentences:

  A. When a child, she liked to read books
  B. Being a pastor, I started reading the Bible

I'm going to ask in another way: in which cases we should use "being a student" and when is it better to say "when I was a student/when a student"?

  While I was taking a shower / while taking a shower / taking a shower, I heard a strange noise in the kitchen
  While he was in Berlin / while in Berlin, he made some new friends


texts: How to interpret "much to" in "much to the chagrin of its original investors" sentence?

texts:
In "much to the chagrin of its original investors" sentence, I can understand "chagrin of its original investors". but I confused when I try to understand "much to"

The full sentence is:

  Millions of dollars over budget and months late, the planned software was finally ready for release, much to the chagrin of its original investors; although it actually had all of the capabilities that the original specification boasted of, the delay meant that it had already been surpassed by competitor's products.

(Source: 5 lb. Book of GRE Practice Problems)


texts: Who exactly was sure in "Robin was sure to have done the work"? Robin or some other person?

texts:
Robin was sure to have done the work.

Who was sure? Was it Robin? Or was it another person who was sure that Robin had completed the work? If this was Robin, why would someone write the following sentence to say that Robin was sure?

  Robin was sure that he had done the work.


texts: Do I need comma in the following example?

texts:
I was at school at the time, slapping a boy who'd called me a nerd(,)
  when I spotted a drop of blood between my shoes.

Do I need to put a comma there? Why and why not?


texts:
I wrote:

  There is a policy in the current government to show itself victimized by suggesting some men who won't pass the Gaurdian Council's filter.

It's the literal translation of a quote by a conservative man about the presidential policy of the current president of Iran for the next round.

What is the related phrases for "to show be victimized" to grab attention or support? I mean a deliberate move by someone to show themselves oppressed...


texts: Is it grammatically correct to say "I am (feeling) hot"? (hot vs warm)

texts:
Definition of hot by Dictionary.com:

  having or giving off heat; having a high temperature:

Definition of warm by Dictionary.com:

  of or at a moderately high temperature; characterized by comparatively high temperature:

Many people argue that you it is wrong to say "I am (feeling) hot" and argues that "hot" refers to temperature 40℃ and above while "warm" refers to temperature 30-40℃.

I personally feel silly to say "I am (feeling) warm" because it is the fact that you have been warm all the time (unless the temperature just rose to 30℃ or dropped to 40℃).

I have tried to search about this but to no avail. Although I cannot find a direct comparison explanation ("hot" or "warm"), but I can find individually and confirm that both are grammatically correct.


texts:
Why do we use "the least" in this sentence:

  She is the least polite person in our family.

A person is a countable noun so shouldn't we use:

  She is the fewest polite person

... ?


texts:
I've noticed a lot of native speakers struggle to use the indirect forms, in that they stick to the incorrect inversed structure when forming a simple informative sentence. For instance, while listening to an online course on social media marketing, the lecturer would ceaselessly form his sentences as follows:

  What we have to do is realise who are the customers we're trying to reach out to.

While he should've said:

  What we have to do is realise who the customers we're trying to reach are.

Right?

This syntax though led me to another question: where should I put the verb in more complex sentences? If I were to state the following, should I say it as A) or rather as B)?

  A) What we don't know yet is how many kids there are who regularly skip classes.

  B) What we don't know yet is how many kids who regularly skip classes there are.

The bottom line is that I'm a tad worried about putting the verb so far away from the subject. But is it really wrong? Or are both options viable?


texts:
The teacher has to try to remember to remind him to make his friends be interested in different subjects.

I wrote this sentence but I am not sure if this follows the grammar rules.(the sentence may seem a bit weird though)

I am trying to analyze the sentence, so the infinitive to try is the object of the verb has,
the infinitive to remember is the object of the verb try,
the infinitive to remind is the object of the verb remind,
him is the object of the verb remind, and the infinitive to make is the complement of the noun him,
his friends is the object of the verb make, and be interested in different subjects is the complement.

Am I breaking down the sentences correctly?
If it is correct , then why does it not fit into the fixed sentence patterns (SVO,SVOO,SVOC,etc...)

By the way, my friend told me a tip, but I am not sure if that always works:

instead of breaking down the sentences and complicate them, whenever a second or third verb appears in the sentence,doesn't matter whether if there is a noun or object in between , just change the second or third verb into infinitive or gerund form, the only exceptions are verb like make/have/let.

Is this tip a valid one? Are there any exceptions?


texts:
My student said:

  "They watch cartoons for a lot of time"

but I corrected it to:

  "They watch cartoons for a long time".

My student replied, but we can say:

  "I spent a lot of time doing that".

Why is it wrong to say “They watch cartoons for a long of time”?

I'm not sure about the grammatical reason here. Or am I wrong?

Any advice would be helpful!


texts: Zero article before countable nouns after the phrase "that of"

texts:
Tell me please why an article was omitted in the following sentence.

  One of the premier shape-shifters of his generation of actors, able to convincingly play an uncanny variety of characters, Paul Dano would seem to have slipped easily into yet another role: that of (an) accomplished director.

The word director is a countable noun, so I think an article should have been used. Does that have to do with the phrase that of?


texts: Difference: who cleans, who cleaned, and who has cleaned

texts:
I'm so confused about the different time when we use 'who cleans', 'who cleaned' and 'who has cleaned'.

So when we ask to someone for ex 'who cleans the room?' 'Who cleaned the room?' or 'who has cleaned the room?'


texts: The difference between 'Replay' and 'Replay!'

texts:
While writing content for a game, I got stuck in naming a button. Now, this button shows how the player played the game. Clicking this button will again play the recorded game that has just ended. This feature is to learn what all mistakes the player has made during the game.

Now, the button is little and one word is what it can occupy. I wrote 'Replay' because we have replays in baseball, cricket, lawn tennis, and the like.

The developer said that 'replay' also means 'Playing Again.' And, she's right! We don't want our gamers to get confused.

The word is the same: 'replay,' but it means two things: playing again and playing the recorded game that has just ended.

What solution you can think of?


texts:
I request you to rectify only those mistakes which you are absolutely sure of.

  The theory of Karma implies that every individual is (1) answerable to his actions, both good and bad. By this it is understood that (2) each one will have to face the consequences of all (3) deeds he performs — the rewards in the case of the former and the punishments in the case of the latter and this (4) is manifest as the joys and sorrows one experiences.

First I thought "answerable to" should be replaced with "answerable for". But is it really necessary?
Is the usage "each one" correct? I think it should be replaced with "everybody" or should be just "each".
Is "deeds" okay or should it be "the deeds"? Because we're talking about deeds of a particular person.
"these manifest" or "are manifested" or something else? Which is correct and why?
Is there any other grammatical mistake in the passage? Please bring it to light. Thanks!


texts:
The complementiser that is the first word in a complement of a noun♦. When can it be omitted?
Do 1 and 2 below differ?

I am asking in general, but I exemplify with Prof John Lawler's examples modified by me:

  1. He concealed the reason that he had robed.
  2. He concealed the reason he had robed.

Please exclude and omit reason why, about which I ask not because 'why' is redundant.

♦See [5][vi], p 176, A Student's Introduction to English Grammar (2005) by Huddleston, Pullum.


texts:
I'm currently doing some research for my thesis and one of the books I read lists the following entity as the author. "NIST Tech Beat"

Now I know NIST is the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The citation refers to a website and I'm guessing it refers to their web masters or tech crew?

What would be a suitable synonym or definition for this word?


texts: How to understand "admit/acknowledge + -ing verb"?

texts:
"He acknowledged having been at fault" means he acknowledged that he had been at fault, right?
What does "he admitted making a mistake" mean?

Does it mean he admitted that he had made a mistake?
Why not "he admitted having made a mistake"?


texts: outlet, booklet, tablet... Are there any other word that contains a conjugation of "let" with other words? Why do these words contain let? If not coincidental, what is the significant meaning of let in these words?


texts: Can we use infinitive clauses with prepositions at the end of them for a purpose?

texts:
Do they always have to be next to nouns?
Examples;

  To talk about, We should find a topic.

  To live lots of amazing moments with, I need some friends.

  To study with, I will invite my friend to the library.

etc.

Do you think that this usage is possible in English? Or we have to complete the infinitive clauses with nouns?


texts:
Edited:

Just as Hmm is a sound made when

  you pause while talking or when you are uncertain

Is there any interjection used in agreement?

Many a times during formal chat it so happens that I don't have much to say but I'm nodding in agreement. I wonder if there's any word that means agreement but isn't a texting term like 'mhm' .


texts:
What is the real differnce between Forest and Jungle , Is there any specific usage for this words ?

From Here:

  The definitions clearly state that a jungle is a type of forest. It
  just differs in the density. A jungle is a dense and impenetrable
  forest or a part of a forest.

But I dont clearly understand what is this saying , I mean when I should call a couple of trees a Jungle and when Forest?


texts:
English learners are taught not to write "the" when writing dates but I see that many native speakers do. Or am I wrong? The sentence below was written by a native speaker.
"I paid off my PayPal Credit balance on the 10th September."


texts: What is the difference between two sentence in meaning?

texts:
I have three sons who became a doctor.
I have three sons,who became a doctor.

I want to know the difference between two sentences.
Please, tell me the difference in meaning.


texts: Which way: One and one ARE two? One and one IS two?

texts:
Which verb is grammatically correct when used to describe addition?

One and one are two.
One and one is two.


texts:
What is the correct form of this sentence:

"I have bought another product meanwhile"?

Thanks!


texts: How to express 'going down the stairs to street'?

texts: Suppose, one of my friends is waiting for me on street. I'm going to ground floor using stairs of our building. At that moment if my friend phones me, what should I say to mean that I'm on the way to street? Is "I'm coming down the stairs" okay? I just want to know, how does a native speaker respond to the question 'Where are you?' in the described situation?


texts: What is the meaning of "to being made light of"?

texts:
Here is the sentence:

  He was not accustomed to being made light of.

What does "to being made light of" mean?


texts: The meaning of "a little Moor and how much it is"

texts:
The Duke of Falvertoon was one of those human hors d'oeuvres that
  stimulate the public appetite for sensation without giving it much to
  feed on. As a mere child he had been precociously brilliant; he had
  declined the editorship of the Anglian Review at an age when most boys
  are content to have declined mensa, a table, and though he could not
  claim to have originated the Futurist movement in literature, his
  "Letters to a possible Grandson," written at the age of fourteen, had
  attracted considerable notice. In later days his brilliancy had been
  less conspicuously displayed. During a debate in the House of Lords on
  affairs in Morocco, at a moment when that country, for the fifth time
  in seven years, had brought half Europe to the verge of war, he had
  interpolated the remark "a little Moor and how much it is," but in
  spite of the encouraging reception accorded to this one political
  utterance he was never tempted to a further display in that direction.
  It began to be generally understood that he did not intend to
  supplement his numerous town and country residences by living overmuch
  in the public eye.

from East of the Web

Why did the Duke of Falvertoon say "a little Moor and how much it is,"?


texts:
Is it possible to use "have had to do something" in this sentence?
I have had to give him a call for one week now. But I am lingering.


texts:
"From a young age we aren't taught to help others. Growing up we are taught
to play it safe and avoid risk at all cost."

Are the sentences correct? I'm not sure about 'from a young age' and 'growing up we are.'

I know that any native or nan-native speaker would easily understand what this sentence mean. But does it sound natural?


texts: How long do you have — what does it mean?

texts:
„How long do you have?” — what does it mean?

The conversation regards my potential trip to another country to visit someone. It means how long I want to stay there?


texts: Sentence configuration: not real or true and imaginary

texts:
Is the following definition correct?

  Fiction is something that is not real or true and imaginary.

Does the not modify imaginary as well as "real or true" thus say that fiction is "not" "imaginary"?


texts:
Frome this Manual:

  These guidelines sometimes give competing advice; common sense is advised.

I don't know what is competing advice. I also cannot figure out why common sense is advised and why semicolon is used.


texts:
In accordance with this rule, it may safely be assumed that the forefathers of Boston had built the first prison-house, somewhere in the vicinity of Cornhill, almost as seasonably as  they marked out the first burial-ground, on Isaac Johnson’s lot, and round about his grave,  which subsequently became the nucleus of all the congregated sepulchres in the old church- yard of King’s Chapel. Certain it is, …

I am wondering what is the difference between lot and the round about.
UPDATED:
Now that I have extracted the following explanations, could you show me an exact answer?I am too confused.
Oxford Learners Dictionary Entry on Plot

lot or plot?
Either a lot or a plot can be used for building on. Only a plot can also be used for growing vegetables or burying people.


texts:
How to make an exclamatory sentence with a verb?

For example:

Someone plays football incredibly and you want to exclaim how he plays.

I guess I made the sentences wrong.

  How he plays football!

  How playing football he is!

  How played football he is!


texts:
I would like to ask if I can use "to farm out something" as in the following way.

  I farmed out for a small  fortune to build the  website of my business
  through freelance web designers.

or only I can say the following sentence

  I farmed out the website of my business through freelance web
  designers and it cost a small  fortune to me.

EDITED   : small  of fortune


texts: Adjective that describes a norm that is abided to 99% of the time

texts:
A "norm" is a behavior that is usual or expected. But there are different levels of norms: there are norms that e.g. 70% of the people abide to, and there are norms that 99% of the people abide to.

What is an adjective or an adjectival phrase that describes a norm of the second type - a norm that almost all people behave by?

The number "99%" is only an example. I would like to say something like:

  The X norm in computer science is...

where "X" is an adjective that emphasizes that this norm is abided to by most people in computer science.


texts: Whats the meaning of ""to combat labor exploitation"?

texts:
In the following sentence, I'm curious whether "to combat labor exploitation" only relates to "require documentation" as single or "limit hours, impose age limitations, or require documentation" as whole.
Furthermore, I'm also curious what "require documentation to combat labor exploitation" means.

Just as trucking regulations cap truckers’ driving hours in the
interest of public safety, labor regulations that limit hours, impose
age limitations, or require documentation to combat labor exploitation
may help correct market participants’ biases undervaluing the harm to
third parties or vulnerable participants with particularly weak
bargaining power.


texts:
Is the following sentence correct

In an imperfect world with not-so-perfect people and institutions, you have to play your role the best you can, take as many as you can along with you, with empathy and a bit of loving detachment

When best is used as adverb, it is not preceded by the.
Example
He works best in the morning.
So I think the should not be used before best in the above sentence.
Am I right?


texts:
A shrine was built on Singuttra Hill by the decision of King Okkalapa over 2,500 years ago.
  A shrine was built on Singuttra Hill by the decision of King Okkalapa, over 2,500 years ago.

I think the sentence would be clear if I put comma before the time phrase "over 2,500 years ago."


texts:
I am a little confused as to what the differences in meaning and/or in usage between these three word choices are (all in their intransitive forms).

Merriam-webster defines them as follows:

  Lie back: to lean backward against a support

  Lean: to incline, deviate, or bend from a vertical position (it doesn't have an entry for lean back)

  Recline: to lean or incline backwards


texts: "One fifth of the population is children" or "are children"

texts:
Which is correct:

  One fifth of the population is children.
  One fifth of the population are children.


texts: Which nouns can relative clauses refer to?

texts:
Can the relative clause refer to either supermarket or street in the following sentences?

  I often go shopping at Sonam supermarket on Main Street, which carry everything I need.
  I often go shopping at Sonam supermarket on Main Street, where there are a lot of superstores.


texts: Could I say "this March" to mean the March which just passed?

texts: My question is if I could say "this March" to mean the March which just passed.


texts: What grammatical construction is the idiom "to look the part"

texts:
Normally, "look“ is used with prepositions like "at, towards". However, there is this neat construction "to look a part / one's age etc.".

Is this just a shortened version of a comparison with like?

E.g.

  Se looked (like someone at) his age

  She looked (like an actor playing) the part

Or is it a grammatical construction where look can take a direct object?


texts:
According to Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, relation and relative have the same meaning

  A person who is in the same family as somebody else.

I wonder if there are any differences between them. Is is up to me using them in any cases?


texts: The Pattern "furnish something to somebody" is valid?

texts:
I would like to ask whether the pattern below using the verb furnish with the preposition to in front of a person, highlighted in bold, is correct and natural.

  She was able to furnish the details of the incident to me.

And the original sentence is as below.

  She was able to furnish me with details of the incident.

I am sure also the pattern below using the preposition for is correct but can I ask you to confirm it?

  She was able to furnish details of the incident for me.

Any explanation will be appreciated. Thank you for your help.


texts:
Which one is correct? In case both of them are correct, which one is more common?

  How long have you and John known each other?
  How long have you and John known one another?


texts: Is is natural to say a "month has" something as an object?

texts:
I wrote an article analyzing trade figures for 2019. Originally I wrote: "We can find that only the first 3 months have their export values bigger than their import values". Upon proofreading, I was suggested to rephrase the "first 3 months have" part, because I was told that a month cannot possibly "have" something as an object that belongs to it.

I want to check if my original expression sounded natural to the native Americans or English speakers.

As a side note, I noticed a native expression that goes: "The last 3 months have seen significant development in the housing market." Perhaps this is relevant to my question here.
I thought if an action word ("seen") can come right after "3 months", the "3 months" here can be regarded as a subject. If a subject can have an object, so do "3 months".


texts: "How close are you to your goal?" vs. "How close to your goal are you?"

texts: I tried searching for an answer but I'm not sure what the underlying concept is and thus am not having much luck with my searches.


texts:
What does being mean in this sentence?  and also after looks strange to me! since isn't better?

  I have had a privileged life after being brought up in Govan?


texts: MS Word does not like 'any body' and corrects it to 'anybody'

texts:
I am always at loggerheads with MS Word in this case. I write a sentence with 'any body' and it pops up its annoying blue underline suggesting 'anybody'.

The question: should I let it correct it? Does the meaning change? Personally, I don't like this correction.

Example:

  The catastrophic disaster left the city with hundreds of bodies. While walking through the corpses with my heavy heart and tears in my eyes, I kept on shouting, “If you find any body [MS Office suggestion -anybody] even with the slightest movement, call for emergency. Jesus, help us.”

Anybody = Any body = Any corpse here?


texts: "Along" versus "together" or "alongside"

texts:
Can I say this sentence, where along means together?

  They were walking along.

Should I instead say They were walking together or They were walking alongside?


texts:
Is the following sentence correct?

  I did not breakfast today

Due to breakfast coming from ‘to break your fast’.


texts: "curves of a compressor at different speeds" or "curves at different speed of a compressor"

texts:
I encountered this problem when writing a report. The situation is that a compressor has several curves showing its performance. These curves are of different speeds. I want to discuss these curves. Is it right to say

curves of a compressor at different speeds

or

curves at different speeds of a compressor


texts:
The parcel appears to have been opened before it was delivered.

Could you let me know if it is possible to use 'to be opened' instead of 'to have been opened', and if not, why?


texts: What's the meaning of the expression "wiggle room" in the phrase bellow?

texts: Here, too, there is still a fair amount of wiggle room for the label. For example, the record label may be paying personnel $10 per hour but charge a retail price of $40 per hour when charging the cost of the personnel to the album as a direct cost.


texts:
Notice the italicized part of the following text:

  In essence, when a retailer decides to build a larger store, it bets that it can use that extra square footage and expanded inventory to attract the higher volume of customers it needs to generate an acceptable return on investment.

If I am to put a relative pronoun between [the higher volume of customers] and [it needs], I surely can put relative pronoun that.

However, I want to know the type of the relative pronoun. Is the noun being modified by the relative clause the volume(a thing) or customers(people)?

Which of the following is acceptable?

  ~the higher volume of customers which it needs~
  ~the higher volume of customers whom it needs~


texts:
Tourism professionals, particularly investors, governed by the regulations laid down by the public authorities, should carry out studies of the impact of their development projects on the environment and natural surroundings; they should also deliver, with the greatest transparency and objectivity, information on their future programmes and their foreseeable repercussions and foster dialogue on their contents with the populations concerned; <Source>

Does foster mean encourage here? Does it simply mean they should have dialogue about the aims and details of their plans with the populations concerned?


texts: Someone who disregards his/her own countrymen

texts:
I hope this question fits here.
Imaginary situation:

Internet user X is from abc country. User X is of the belief that he/she is an experienced user of a particular Q&A website. He/she is also of the belief that he/she is more educated than other users of his/her country. So, he/she prefers and even advocates that answers should come from people other than his/her country. At times, he/she is rude to people from his country. But he/she is not an anti-national. Why user X does so is unknown. Perhaps, he/she desires to receive holistic opinions, even if that means subscribing to false facts.
PS: Real life description of user X is not considered as of now

Question: Which word(s) can be used to describe user X?

I did try to look for answers here before asking. I looked for answers in this question
Some words here are:

Chauvinism is a form of extreme patriotism and nationalism, a fervent faith in national excellence and glory.

Xenophobia is the fear or hatred of that which is perceived to be foreign or strange.

Chauvinism is a form of extreme patriotism and nationalism and a belief in national superiority and glory.

Prejudice is an affective feeling towards a person based on their perceived group membership. This words seems good for the situation

If you say that someone is insular, you are being critical of them because they are unwilling to meet new people or to consider new ideas. I think this word fits as well

Jingoism is nationalism in the form of aggressive and proactive foreign policy, such as a country's advocacy for the use of threats or actual force, as opposed to peaceful relations, in efforts to safeguard what it perceives as its national interests.

Bigot: a person who has strong, unreasonable beliefs and who does not like other people who have different beliefs or a different way of life.

Most of these words don't fit for user X, I think. (I could be wrong)

Disclaimer: I don't intend to hurt anyone's sentiment by this question. The situation described is purely fictional


texts:
What is that means?

  Full sentence:
  DM and me have a roll off to see how many rounds it
  takes the wizard to break my grapple before he gets out.

Source - https://www.reddit.com/r/DnDGreentext/comments/83o8p7/higher_constitution_wizard_or_barbarian/


texts:
A: I already know what's going to happen.

B: You do? (to C) Have you told him?/Did you tell him?

C: No, I haven't said a word.

Are "have you told him?" and "Did you tell him?" equally natural here?


texts: How do native speakers say condolences to someone else (especially in AmE)?

texts:
In my mother language, when someone dies, friends and family usually try to say their condolences to everyone who is suffering from that loss.
What we say is as follows:

  I say condolences to you.

I've Googled and found just 7 hits with the above sentence. It seems that there is something wrong with my sentence. How would native speakers say this, especially in AmE?


texts:
I took the test and I think, I was well done. I was hopeful and I hoped to pass it.
But, I failed the exam.
I shouldn't have expected it.

I should haven't expected it.
Which one is correct or more natural than the other one and what is the differenct between those things?


texts:
After the article came out, Shields said he asked for an independent
  investigation, which ultimately exonerated him. He also reached an
  out-of-court settlement with the newspaper ahead of a lawsuit.

  He said the Globe and Mail published a retraction: "It was about two
  inches by two inches."

Laura Robinson made false accusation

What does "two inches by two inches" mean?

Thank you.


texts:
Yesterday, I met one of my friends. Then, I met another one. This (another friend) looked happy and told me good news.

Is it correct to use "This another friend"? If no, how to refer to the other friend?


texts: "I should be doing my homework." Vs. "I should do my homework."

texts:
I can discern a certain nuance from the following examples:

I should be doing my homework.

I should do my homework.

I would think #1 suggests that I am supposed to be doing my homework now while #2 suggests that I may as well do my homework now but it is not required. I am not sure I got it right. Please help to elaborate on this.


texts: "barely formed" vs. "only formed" — equivalent in this context?

texts:
On CNN today:

  It deprives Trump, who has no foreign policy experience and a barely formed
  national security team...

Furthermore, any specific case that one should use barely instead of only and vice versa?


texts: How can I interpret this sentence without "That" between words!

texts:
TSF = Target Security Functions. (Security Functions of the Target)

  FDP_ITC.2.3/Installer :

  The TSF shall ensure that the protocol used
  provides for the unambiguous association  between the security
  attributes and the user data received.

Above, you see a part of JCOP V2.4.2 R3 Security Target (Source here).

I can't understand it!

Why it is written like this!? Is it written correct? Shouldn't he/she put a "That is" between words in "protocol used" and also between words in "user data received"

I mean, does the above sentence mean like this :

The TSF shall ensure that it (TSF itself) provides the protocol that is used for the unambiguous association  between the security attributes and the user data that is received

Is it right?


texts:
Could you please explain me the difference between:

He is there.

There he is.

As I understand it, both phrases are used: Ngram


texts:
Basically, I just read something in Spanish saying that; since they belong to God they do not own themselves.

So, would saying:

  I do not own myself.

... be correct? Or, is there a better way to say it? Does it sound natural to a native English speaker?


texts: Meaning of the closure in the provided context

texts:
I have the following excerpt:

  Closure to girls is a basis to be unattractive to you. They can`t be more invested and just let go. They need something to support letting go.

Here is how I understand it:

If I will close myself to a girl she will become unattracted to me. Because she won`t be able to continue our relationships(the same as absence of investment) and she won`t be able to just left me, since there would be no reason for doing this.

Do I understand the excerpt written above correctly? I am not asking you to help me understand the relevance of what is said in the excerpt I just would like to get the point of the excerpt meaning from the language as a tool for information convey perspective.

The part with which I struggle the most in the excerpt is the word closure. I really can not guess what it could refer to except being unavailable to a woman, i.e close yourself to her.


texts: "I had better go now." or "I have better go now."

texts:
Why did the writer use "had"? Why didn't he use "have?

  Well, thank you for showing me a great dance. I had better go now.


texts:
Google tells me that it's a word. However, it gets underlined in red in most word processors. If it's not a word, what's a better alternative?

Example sentence:

  I watched Nishimura stuff her creaseless books into her shoulder bag.


texts: What does "call BS" mean in the sentence "We call BS"?

texts:
What does BS mean in the sentence "We call BS"?

I saw an article about protests in the US that said the following (see here the video):

  Florida student Emma Gonzalez to lawmakers and gun advocates: 'We call BS'

I've checked Cambridge dictionary and I found that BS is an abbreviation of "bullshit". Then, now it's absolutely not understood to me what "we call bullshit" means.


texts: Could you please expand a little bit and explain in more detail what this quote by Hamlet means?

texts:
"And blessed are those

  Whose blood and judgment are so well commingled,

  That they are not a pipe for Fortune’s finger

  To sound what stop she please"

Something else I'd like to know is about the grammatical  structure of "To sound what stop she please". Seems strange to me! Could you be more specific about that?


texts: Better phrases meaning "Learner of Android App Development"

texts:
I am learning Android App Development(I know how to build Android Apps to a certain extent), and since I haven't completed it, I cannot call myself an App Developer yet. Also, I cannot call myself an enthusiast or aspirant as these phrases doesn't describe that I could develop apps. So I decided Learner of Android App Development holds good. But it looks somewhat long and I need a better phrase which means the same.

I need it for LinkedIn


texts: "~ with I'm in ~" : How should I interpret this sentence?

texts:
During that time, I got way more nervous with I'm in physical contact with him.

What's the thing possibly omitted between with and I'm in? Or if that's grammatical and being seen natural to natives, what am I missing?


texts: "To know + object + to + infinitive" works here, right?

texts:
I made up a sentence: "Whom do you know in the picture who has been in jail?"
Is the sentence correct? If so, can it be rephrased as "Whom do you know in the picture to have been in jail?"?


texts:
Which word is correct "unmoveable" or "unmovable"?

Meaning is found in Oxford Dictionary but not in Merriam Webster.

In below image, the word "unmoveable" is used more in 18th century than in 19th century. Does anyone know the answer?


texts: What is the difference between "mental position" and "feeling" or "emotion"?

texts:
Some of the meanings of attitude according to Merriam-Webster are:

a: a mental position with regard to a fact or state
a helpful attitude
b: a feeling or emotion toward a fact or state a negative attitude
an optimistic attitude

How does one distinguish a "mental position" from a "feeling or emotion"?


texts: Conditional sentence, past condition, future result

texts:
I have this sentence to complete:

Anne is not going to the graduation ceremony because she broke her leg last week.
She (go) ... to the graduation ceremony if she had not broken her leg last week.

I thought that it should be "she would have gone" but it is not correct.
Could you please help me?