texts: Are these rules, principles or something else?

texts:
There are some consideration different to typical grammar rules, such as Positive statements are often preferred, putting negative as early as possible, less is more (concise), etc.
Is there a term to refer to that kind of rules? Are those rules, principles or something else when writing and speaking?
In other words, what keywords could be used for searching when I want the results contain those topics. For counterexample, one of the results returned for "100 Things It Means to Be a good english article" is 100 things you can do to improve your English, which doesn't contain similar topics I'm looking for.


texts: "newly-springing-up technologies", is this phrase formed in the right manner?

texts:
I am writing a sentence like this:

Music at the turn of the twentieth century was trying to abandon the traditional rules and restrictions and to embrace the newly-springing-up technologies, but after the world-war-I people reallized that technology cannot solve all the problems and they then began to ridicule the meaninglessness of modernization.

I wander if the bolded phrase is right?


texts:
Paul found some Nazi Vinyl records in Bob's house, so he asked about him it.

  Bob: Not mine. Nazi stuff belongs to Moburg.

  Paul: Moburg lives here?

  Bob: He keeps his uniform here. I never see him from one month's end to
  the next.

I didn't understand "one month's end to the next" in his words.


texts: What does "degree of informality" means here?

texts:
Lawyer & Judge discussing about the law.

  Judge: Well, we don't have any serial killers in Beechum County. But
  what we do have is every bit as sophisticated a system of justice...
  as they do in the rest of the country.

  Lawyer: Oh, I'm sure.

  Judge: You being from New York and all might have the impression that
  law is... practiced with a certain degree of informality down here. It
  isn't?

  Lawyer: Right.

Does it means Bribing the lawyers to win the case, etc?


texts:
Yesterday, when I was using a printer, it suddenly turned off in the
  middle of printing. I was surprised and pushed the power button many
  times, but it never turned on again. I realized that it had broken
  down. I used it for about four years.

Would it be possible to use simple past just as a simple fact? The action is finished ,not for a long time but it can belong to the past to yesterday.
I know present perfect is better.


texts: You accept a contract conditions or approve them?

texts:
Suppose you are talking to your close friend after finishing a commercial meeting which was established in order to come to an agreement with a partner company's directing manager; I was wondering if you could let me know which one of the following self-made sentences sound more natural to you:

  No matter how much I persisted he would not accept the conditions of the contract.
  No matter how much I persisted he would not approve the conditions of the contract.


texts: What is the difference between "have an issue" ,"facing an issue", "have got an issue"?

texts:
If I'm contacting customer support of a software company to report an issue with the software prodct that I purchased from them what is the correct usage?

I have an issue
I'm facing an issue
I've got an issue


texts: What is the difference between "merge" and "mix"?

texts:
I was asked: what is the difference between merge and mix?

If I said “I will mix the colors”, is it the same as if I said “I will merge the colors”?

When should we use either verb?


texts:
What's correct here?

There has to be some people left after the flood.
There have to be some people left after the flood.

I assume "have" because "people" is plural but I'm confused now because I was told that some people is uncountable, so that would make it come with the singular verb tense.


texts:
"Former President Barack Obama encouraged Kenyans to fully embrace the promise of democracy by accepting the results of their forthcoming presidential election —without resorting to violence."

Can it be changed to "without resort to violence"？

Looked up in a dict. "Resort" can be used as a noun word: "There are hopes that the conflict can be resolved without resort to violence."

Looks like resort can be either used as a noun or a verb in this context. Is "resort to violence"="resorting to violence" true in this context？ If yes, will the meaning be the same as well?


texts: "Nice and easy does the trick" VS "Nicely and easily does the trick"

texts:
“Nice and easy does the trick, Potter,” he growled.

I feel "Nicely and easily does the trick" is correct, because "nicely and easily" modifies the verb 'does'. I'm wondering why the author wrote "Nice and easy does the trick" instead? Is it a colloquial usage?


texts: The progressive futurate is not aspectual: meaning?

texts:
Both the Cambridge Grammar of the English Language (CGEL) by Pullum and Oxford Modern English Grammar (OMEG) by Aarts clearly say that the progressive futurate (i.e., the present progressive indicating a future event as in I'm leaving next week) does not have an aspectual meaning to it.

OMEG on page 270 says:

  It is important to be aware of the fact that [the progressive futurate] is not aspectual, that is, the situation is not regarded as unfolding over time.

What exactly does this mean?


texts: A simple word order question: when turn "please come in" to negative

texts:
My kid has an English exercise at school, which asked them to turn the sentence Please come in. into a negative sentence. I thought that should be very simple, but then I realized that I was not 100% sure about word order here. So, can someone tell which one(s) are correct orders:

  Don't please come in.
  Please don't come in.
  Don't come in please.

It's a very simple question. I personally think they are all ok, but I am not quite sure. Appreciate if someone can help to confirm.


texts:
Could you you tell me if there is any difference meaning between not long ago and until recently? For example:

Not long ago, I would have thought it was impossible to build such a building.
Until recently, I would have thought it was impossible to build such a building.


texts:
A question in my mathematics homework is as follows:

  Find the number of ways in which seven men can sit at a round table so that all shall not have the same neighbors in any two arrangements.

My doubt is about the darkened part. Does it mean that everybody should have different neighbors in every arrangement or does it mean that not everybody should have same neighbors in every arrangement.
Thankyou.


texts:
Additonally, as they increase in independence, it will make them less anxious about seperation.

Can I omit one comma and which one? It just looks and sounds wrong.

Is it better to keep both?


texts: Can I use this sentence in a presentation?

texts:
When I start a presentation, can I say this

Let me start with highlighting our achievement last month.

Is this sentence weird? If yes, is there any better?


texts: Batman: a compound noun or a proper noun?

texts: Is Batman a compound noun since it is made up of two nouns? Or being a name it remains only a proper noun?


texts:
Is there any difference in meaning between these two prepositional phrases?

  I am standing at the entrance
  I am standing in the entrance


texts: Parsing "as this child's parent or guardian"

texts:
Do you provide your consent as this child's parent or guardian for them to have access to website?

This is a sentence appeared on website, but I am confused about the sentence structure, in the as clause, they dont have a verb, and dont make clear what is the consent to.


texts: 'give a facial expression' or 'have a facial expression'?

texts:
In this sentence:

  He gave a cynical expression on his face.

I'm confused if 'give' is the appropriate word in this case. Is it?


texts: Acute and chronic are sub-classification of what?

texts: We can classify a disease for example according to the severity (mild, intermediate, and severe) or according to the stability (stable and non-stable) and so on. According to what we determine acute and chronic?


texts: what is the difference between " when it rains" and "when it is going to rain"

texts:
I will buy an umbrella when it rains.
I will buy an umbrella when it is going to rain.

What is the difference between the first one and the second one?

Besides, can I change it to "when it is raining" in the first sentence?

Thanks a lot!


texts: I don't understand this sentence of an article about Windows 10

texts:
Here's a quote from the article of COMPUTERWORLD:
http://www.computerworld.com/article/2825116/free-at-last-after-windows-10-consumers-wont-pay-for-updates-or-upgrades.html

  The two put Microsoft's Windows 10 and Microsoft's promise of a steady stream of updates in context for businesses, which have shied away from Windows 8 and are being coaxed back into the fold with promises that Windows 10 will be all that its predecessor wasn't.

I don't understand the meaning of this sentence.
For example,
what does it mean "putting something in context"?
and what does it mean "being coaxed back into the fold"?

Would you please rephrase it in plain English?


texts: What is the specific name of the heater which works by hot water & attached to walls?

texts:
What is the specific name of the heater which works with hot water and always attached to the walls?

In my language we call it something which is translated to "central heating" (I could find a lot of pictures on Google when I wrote it), but I don't know - even in my language - what is the name of the device rather than the system. Can I call it simply "heater" or it has a specific name?


texts: Is "it started to grow arms" understandable here?

texts:
I write kinda fairy-tale, and there are two people who turned into other beings. When they begin to change into human form, I wrote that one sentence:
"In their stony bodies it/there started to grow arms (... so Kim could finally hug her own sister...)" - is it understandable that I mean that they are still in form of the other beings, but they begin to change into human (at that moment) starting with their arms? If no, how else could I write it or how can I get to know (about) how to write it in more slick way?
And I don't know what I can put instead of "it" or "there", if that "it" or "there" would be incorrect.


texts: "Tomorrow might be difficult." -> Is this sentence is natural for real?

texts:
I wonder the sentence "Tomorrow might be difficult." is natural.

For meaning like this context :

A : how about having dinner with me tomorrow?

B : Tomorrow might be difficult. I have to do work.

Thanks for your answer in advance!!


texts:
I just came across a sentence which confused me a lot.

In Cambridge Dictionary, there's a sentence:

  You should have heard the audience applaud - the noise was fantastic.

I think that the action "applaud" in this context is a past action, so shouldn't it be "You should have heard the audience applauded" instead? Can anyone please explain this type of grammatical structure?

Here is the link:
Translation of "applaud" - English-Traditional Chinese dictionary


texts: Noun phrase with gerund phrase? Noun phrase with participial phrase?

texts:
Does the gerund phrase belong to the noun phrase?
Does the participial phrase belong to the noun phrase?


texts:
I came across this sentence in one of the facebook posts.

"I hold dual citizenship for New Zealand and Australia"

Is it okay if I replace "for" with " of"?

"I hold dual citizenship of New Zealand and Australia"

Thank you


texts:
Why does "blue mood" means "sad mood"?
Why is the color blue associated with sadness?

According to Cambridge dictionary "blue" means sad or unhappy.


texts:
I came across the following sentence and I was wondering if I can use resulted instead of resulting in the passive sense of usage as "which was resulted in"

  A massive dose of venom can cause cardiac dysfunction, resulting
  in loss of consciousness and cardiac arrest and death within 5 minutes
  of being stung.


texts: What does "put out someone's joint" mean?

texts:
While listening to "Furious" by Jade Bird, I found a line I don't fully understand.

The lyrics:

  When did you make up your mind?
  When did you decide to let me down?
  When was the turning point?
  When you put out your joint and you laid her down
  [...]

What does the part "put out your joint" mean?

The second piece "laid her down" is ambiguous to me as well.
It can be either "he killed her" or "he satisfied her sexually".
It is likely the latter, though.

Any help would be welcomed. Thank you in advance.


texts: What would you call a speech introducing an honoring ceremony for highest-ranking graduating students?

texts:
Suppose I am a college president and I'm preparing a speech to deliver in honor of the graduates who came top of their graduating class. After the speech, there's going to be a celebration and the students will step forward and receive medals. What should I call this speech? I'm thinking:

  Valedictorians honoring ceremony speech


texts: Proper usage of "I wish it would....... so I ......"

texts:
Is this sentence grammatically correct?

  "I wish it would rain so I hang my dirty clothes outside"

Or should it be more like:

  "I wish it would rain, so I would hang my dirty clothes outside"

Are both of them correct?


texts:
Since her childhood she has had to struggle with serious illness.

In the above sentence the present perfect of the modal verb is used. I would like to ask whether the continuous form is possibe.


texts:
Suppose I woke up an hour ago, when I am still in bed, can I say these:

I woke up at 10 and it's an hour from when I woke up

Or

I woke up at 10 and it's an hour since I woke up

Or

I woke up at 10 and it's an hour that I am awake

I specially doubt the last sentence


texts:
Could you give me your advice about the structure of the sentence:

  That gives a single channel nearly twice the bandwidth of the older PCI and an eight-lane slot a data rate comparable to the fastest version of AGP.

is like:

That gives a single channel + nearly twice the bandwidth (of the older PCI)
and
(that) (gives) an eight lane slot + a data rate (comparable to the fastest version of AGP).

Is this OK?


texts:
Birds with the wrong types of beak would have gradually died out. On
  an island with different conditions a slightly different sort of finch
  would evolve. Over long periods of time the birds’ beaks became better
  and better adapted to their environment. The varying environments on
  different islands meant that the birds that thrived were the ones best
  suited to that place.

What does the word "varying" mean?
I think it has the same meaning with "different", is it right?

thank you!


texts:
When it comes to measuring quantities, we say 1 L of water, 1 gallon of gasoline, or 1 kW of power.
Is it correct if I rearrange the words by exchanging the position of the unit and their quantities?
For example, is "water of 1 L" the same as "1 L of water"?
Is "power of 1 kW" the same as "1 kW of power"?


texts: How to use supplementary -ing clauses at the end of sentences

texts:
I'm wondering how to use those "(noun-y) -ing clauses" when they are at the end of the sentence.  Most grammar references I've found on the internet only talk about their use as adverbials at the beginning of a sentence. For example:

  1) Wanting more money, he accepted the offer.

But I've seen many times people put them at the end of sentences:

  2) He issued an attack on her at the company, describing her as an amateurish programmer.

  3) She ran all the way to the playground, her friends following.

In these last two examples above, the -ing clauses don't look like adverbials to me. They can be paraphrased as separate sentences. I feel like, because they are related, instead of writing two separate sentences, the writer combines them together.

Grammatically, what are those types of -ing clauses called? And when is it appropriate to use them?


texts: How to use 'I learned that if I faced' in its reported-speech kind of context

texts:
It is said that in reported speech, verbs tense will change. Also, when using 'if', verb tenses change. So what is the correct form of the below sentence?

  I learned that if I faced another question about designing a
  structure, how I could use the formula.


texts:
I was reading model answers on CAE writing part and in one of the essays found out a grammar structure I misunderstand:

  In my opinion, whilst any facility would be a positive improvement, I have distinct reservations about the addition of a history museum to the town. To begin with, I think that museums are rather dry, boring places and a new museum would be my last choice as a solution to liven up the town. Moreover, a history museum would have a very limited appeal and only be of interest to history buffs and would be unlikely to appeal to the town's younger generation.

In bold, why should we use here this grammar structure, but not "live up"?


texts:
A) I got my hair cut

  B) I got my car cleaned

Sentences above are causitive sentences.

They mean:

  A) I paid someone to cut my hair

  B) I paid someone to clean my car

But

  C) They are doing overtime to get the job done

is in the same structure with the sentences above get + something + past participle but it is not a causitive sentence.

It means

  They are doing overtime to finish the job (They are doing it themselves not paying someone else to do)

Is to get + something + done a fixed phrase and is it an exception for the verb ''do''?


texts: Can I understand this sentence in this way?

texts:
This is the original sentence:

  This is sapping political energy from continent-wide deals such as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership and Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Does it mean the same as this?:

  Continent-wide deals such as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership and Trans-Pacific Partnership are sapping political energy."

source: http://www.businessinsider.com/globalisation-is-slowly-dying-2016-7


texts: How to ask if someone has finished eating (their food/meal)

texts:
How can I correctly say that I have eaten all my food (the food is gone)?
How can I correctly ask someone if he has eaten all his food?

Imagine the situation when your child is eating:

Does the following dialogue sound fine?

  Have you eaten your food?  (I want to know if my son has finished eating and has eaten all his food)
  Yes, I have eaten my food!
  Good boy!


texts: Meaning of "emphasized upon" in the given context

texts:
Please help me figure out the meaning of the words "emphasized upon" in the following context:

"The ‘Grishastashram’ emphasized upon the Bhakti movement, and did not
permit saints to take to sanyas without the consent of wife."

Here the word "sanyas" means "renunciation".

For more context, please visit the following link:

https://books.google.co.in/books?id=Pcf1nrvUwD0C&pg=PA110&lpg=PA110&dq=%22The+%E2%80%98Grishastashram%E2%80%99+emphasized+upon+the+Bhakti+movement,+and+did+not+permit+saints+to+take+to+sanyas+without+the+consent+of+wife.+%22&source=bl&ots=IPeL2szjvS&sig=lLogide-NvNk5DM47W4jkEk-M78&hl=hi&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjttMeK8sTWAhUHKo8KHRSnCtoQ6AEIJTAA#v=onepage&q=%22The%20%E2%80%98Grishastashram%E2%80%99%20emphasized%20upon%20the%20Bhakti%20movement%2C%20and%20did%20not%20permit%20saints%20to%20take%20to%20sanyas%20without%20the%20consent%20of%20wife.%20%22&f=false


texts: events in the past: "people who saw" or "people seeing"

texts:
I still have a difficult question in my mind.

Why do we have to write

  "The police wanted to interview the people who saw the accident"

instead of saying

  "The police wanted to interview the people seeing the accident"

Thanks so much for spending time helping me ^-^


texts: {Is/are + adjective} or {have been+ adjective}?

texts:
When to use {have been + adjective} as both sentences look the same.

Can anyone explain when to use 'have been' and when to use only 'is/are'?

  You have been dishonest to me.
  You are dishonest to me.


texts: Choosing correct tense for dependent clauses when casting a present-tense statement into past

texts:
Putting present-simple statements in the past is my pain. In particular, I always stumble upon which tense to chose for dependent clauses:

  Right now the teacher is asking students one by one some similar questions and they
  are answering them one by one while Johnny is following them precisely -
  in order to to know how to answer properly when it's his turn.

If I try to put it in the past I get the following:

  At that moment the teacher was asking students one by one some similar
  questions and they were answering them one by one while Johnny was
  following them precisely - in order to know how to answer properly
  when it was his turn.

Do I need to say here when it was his turn, or when it would be his turn, or when it would have been his turn? Or should I say something completely different?


texts:
I want to ask regarding the time at which I will be interviewed. Which option is correct? Or both are incorrect? I am confused regarding the usage of "time" and "timing"?

What is the timing of the interview on Monday?
What is the time of the interview on Monday?


texts: Do you go there often? / Do you often go there?

texts:
Which one is correct or used often, or is there no difference?
A. Do you go there often?
B. Do you often go there?

How about these two sentences?
C. Do you go there usually?
D. Do you usually go there?


texts: Why is would incorrect in "He wishes he would live near the sea."?

texts:
He likes to swim. He wishes he would live near the sea. (Incorrect)
  He likes to swim. He wishes he lived near the sea. (Correct)

Why is the first one incorrect, it is something that can change, the person can move


texts: A word to describe staff member that is treated well by other colleagues

texts: I am writing an essay that need a word describing an employee who is treated well by most of his/her colleagues? Or is there any common phrase for that? Please, give me some suggestions.


texts: I have a book that says "we use present perfect for something that happened in the past without a specific time and still continue until now". Then what should I use if it happened in the past with a specific time and still continue until now?


texts: Is the definite article ‘the’ superfluous in this sentence?

texts:
For the efficient running of the business, banking facilities play an important role.

This is a text from my textbook. In my opinion, if we remove the bolded the from the quoted text then the sentence will sound better. I believe the in that place signifies that we are talking about particular “efficient running”, and not “efficient running” in general terms [in the original context, we are not talking about specific efficient running]. Is my interpretation correct about the superfluous use of the definite article in the quoted text? Do we really need the definite article there?


texts:
I read a sentence in OALD:

She doesn't like to walk home late at night.

https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/night?q=night
Will 'late at night' remain the same if something continues from a point to time up to late at night?

He exercises late at night.

He begins such as in the evening and continues until it is late night. We are not mentioning when he starts but mean to say that he starts earlier, not late at night. Or should it be:

He exercises till late night.

He exercises till late at night.


texts:
Can't decide whether the following sentence conveys the intended meaning.

  Sam is the only presenter to pose difficult questions in post match
  presentation to players with supreme confidence

Mean to say that Sam is the only presenter who poses difficult questions (with supreme confidence) to players, during/in post match presentation/interview.

It seems as though my sentence is implying that he poses tough questions to players who have supreme confidence, and not that he poses tough questions and does it with supreme confidence. Similarly, can't decide whether it should be 'poses tough questions to players in post match
presentation' or poses tough questions in post match presentation to players'.

So I guess I am having trouble with deciding which phrases is modifying what in the sentence.


texts:
If I enter a letter incorrectly when typing, for example vagetable instead of vegetable, then "a" is a misspelled letter or mistyped letter?

What is the difference in general?


texts:
These philosophers were inspired by Hegel in their philosophical work.
  Like Karl Marx, these philosophers took a few ideas from Hegel and put
  it into their own systems.

Is "inspired by X in their work" grammatically correct?

I am not sure if "in" is appropriate, but can't think of a more succinct way to say this.


texts: What verb or phrase could I use to mean "fail to notice and take action about something until it's too late"?

texts: In Russian, you can use the word 'oversleep' (as a transitive verb) to mean "fail to notice and take action about something until it's too late" (usually, something that causes harm to that person/organization etc.). For example, you could say that Nokia "overslept" the advent of smartphones and lost its leading position in the cellphone market which it maintained through most of the 2000s. What verb (or expression, if there's no such word) can I use to convey the same meaning?


texts: Is the use of semicolon in the mentioned text correct?

texts:
I think comma is a better choice instead of the semicolon in the following text. Isn't it?

  Faulkner’s starting point is Burge’s "acceptance principle";
  according to which, a person is entitled to accept as true something
  that is presented as true and that is intelligible to him, unless
  there are stronger reasons not to do so.(Source)


texts:
I was searching for something and I didn't find it. So I would say to my friend:

  I searched for it but I didn't find it.

or

  I've searched but haven't found it.

What is the difference between them?


texts: "problem investigation", "problem's investigation" or "investigation of the problem"?

texts:
The experiment's life cycle is composed by the processes of problem investigation, experiment's prototyping, experiment's execution, and result's publication.

  The experiment's life cycle is composed by the processes of the investigation of the problem, the prototyping of the experiment, the execution of the experiment, and the publication of results.

My question is, are both sentences correctly structured and do they have the same meaning? Which one sounds better?

I have mixed the "noun + adjective" form and the possessive form in the title, as it also doubts me.


texts:
Today I've come across a phrase and now I'm at a loss and confused a little bit.
It was:

I don't cook sushi because I got told off I was trying once.

It sounds very "English" and for a non-native speaker is a little bit unusual.
It is usual and common for you?
Or would you say the same thing in another way?
Also, can you explain me, why do we have " I got" rather than to have "I was told off", please?
(or: Can you explain me, why we have "I got" rather than to have "I was told off", please?)
Thank you!


texts:
Should I say:

  It's a book I need to make a summary

  It's a book I need to make a summary about

  It's a book I need to make a summary about it

Which one is the most correct? And how can I know whether or not I should use a preposition?
For example: should I use in at the end of this sentence?

  I love the world I live


texts: You may know the song "THIS TIME AROUND" by Michael Jackson. Does it mean around this time, these days, or something like that?


texts:
People sometimes don't recognize talent when see it . Their vision is clouded by the first impression we give and that can lose us the job we want

What does that refer to?
first impression OR the whole preceding sentence?


texts:
In 2018, Japanese national soccer team called Samurai Blue took part in the World Cup held in Russia and won to the round of 16.

Is there anything wrong in the sentence? Should there be the definite article "the" before "Japanese"? If yes, then why?


texts:
What's the meaning of "mellow mama" in this description?
I found this expression in a recipe book, but I don't understand what it means:

  Pulling from the inspiration of a green goddess dressing, this blend will channel your inner mellow mama!


texts:
Consider these expressions,

  The article is about Mr X, who invented Y in 1960.

In this expression do I need a comma after Mr X?

I took a look at this document, It discusses Restrictive vs. Nonrestrictive Relative Clauses but I don't think my expressions are either one of those.


texts: What is the difference between "a" and "the" in these sentences

texts:
There are these 2 examples for "ability" on oxford learner's dictionary.(https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/ability_1?q=ability)

This program has the ability to adapt to its user.

She has an uncanny ability to predict what consumers will want.

Would you tell me why the word "ability" from the first sentence is with "the", and why the second one is with "an"?


texts:
It is hard for me to understand the meaning of the expression "saying that". If it is at the beginning of the sentence, how is it right to explain? Where is it appropriate to use and what construction to write?

Here's an example, from a list of tips about how to improve English:

  Plan to take a test. You’ll find that you work harder when you need to study for something.
  Saying that, it’s better not to study just to take a test. Think of the bigger picture. What can you do when you have a good command of English? How will the quality of your life improve?


texts: Is it correct to use "serve" in this context?

texts:
A long queue of citizens were waiting at the reception of the ministry to be served.

They intended to submit official documents or something, and I am not sure whether "served" works here.


texts:
I've just read a linguistics study by Zlatner and Ahlner 2010 where it says:

  Observe that the precondition for the success of the second step is
  that the contrastive relationship between the two expressions
  (representamina) on the one side is found to correspond to an
  analogous contrastive relationship between the two objects.

Does "observe" have the meaning of "note", "notice" or "point out"?


texts: what does 'Both" refer to in this sentence

texts:
What does "Both" refer to in the following paragraph?

  The programme's specific objectives are:
  - to promote structured cooperation between higher education institutions and enhance the quality in European higher education with a distinct European added value, attractive both within the European Union and beyond its borders.

Thanks in advance


texts:
Workers may prefer a tray that matches with paper sizes, which vary
  based on the business and to a lesser degree the operational
  requirements of a company.

Does the bold part mean "the paper sizes vary based on the business, and it also varies based on the operational requirements of a company, but it's degree of variance is lesser than the one based on the business"?


texts:
Can generalised form of is that is be be used everywhere?

Are the following two sentences  different?

  Take heed ere it be too late.
  Take heed ere it is too late.


texts:
I understand the meaning of  the words makes and causes.  However, I'm having a hard time explaining to a student (that I volunteer with) as to why makes seems to be a better choice in the following sentences:

The medicine makes me feel better.
The medicine causes me to feel better.

The first sentence sounds more natural to me, but I cant explain why.

Can someone help?  Thank you.


texts:
Movie quotes from subzin.com:

00:34:12 I'm sorry, Dwight.
00:34:20 An atom bomb goes off between my leg.
00:34:24 A freight train barrows into my jaw.
00:34:30 I've taken a beating before but never like this.
Sin City 2: A dame to kill for

The violent scene happens when the narrator is heavily punched across the face.
I suspect it's burrows rather than barrows, but the question here is not just about a possible typo. The narrator is an American. Normally, He would pronounce it as /bərəu/ instead of /bʌrəu/. After a little search, I find barrow is rarely used as a verb. And it doesn't fit with the context semantically.
I was wondering why it's pronounced as /bærəu/ if it's indeed a typo. I have difficulty distinguishing the two vowels sometimes.


texts:
The title says it all really, but I'll repeat it again here.

Does a person see their reflection IN or ON a mirror?

I'm tempted to say the former but somewhere in my head a voice is telling me that the image (the reflection)  is on the surface of the glass, not in it. The surface of a glass is flat and impenetrable so how can anything be reflected from the inside? Still...

Please provide examples and/or references that support your answer. Thank you.


texts: How to report the result of a mathematical approach?

texts:
Consider:

we have several approaches for calculating an expression. One of them is T1. Using this approach, we derived some expression for an mathematical problem. For instance, and optimization problem. Now, I want to generate a report that must be submitted to my teacher. It must be formal, articulate, and such that does not strike to a Native as odd!

Compare:

  In the case of T1, deriving a closed-form expression for Eq.1 requires solving a complicated integral.
  In the case of T1, deriving a closed-form expression for Eq.1 requires a complicated integral to be solved.
  In the case of T1, closed-form expression of Eq.1 requires a complicated integral to be solved during the derivation process.
  In the case of T1, closed-form expression of Eq.1 requires solving a complicated integral within the derivation process.

The above sentences are all that I can construct with my little knowledge. Can you help me to improve my report. My key purpose is to create a succinct sentence which stands out this point:

solving the complicated Integral is crucial for reaching to the closed-from expression


texts:
I wrote this sentence:

  He exerted total supremacy over his enemy as when he defeated the whole army himself a few years ago.

I am not so sure if "as when" is grammatical here. I am trying to mean something like "just like when he..." and make it sound a little more formal. Is it grammatically correct?


texts: What is the meaning of "May I also take this opportunity of..."?

texts:
What is the meaning of the following sentence in simple terms?

May I also take this opportunity of welcoming you on board at our company.

I searched the web but couldn't find something similar.


texts: two "will be" in a sentence - "not all the policies that 'will be' put in place 'will be' favorable"

texts:
The company will put in place some policies to cut cost. Nevertheless, not all the policies that will be put in place will be favorable by everyone.

Is the sentence above with two "will be" in one sentence grammatically correct? Does it read awkwardly?


texts: mead-halls; wood-shafted; bronze-hilted; iron-edged; bog-iron

texts:
Structures and meanings of the bolded phrases in the following short passage?

  The Beowulf warriors have a foot in both the Bronze and Iron Ages.
  Their mead-halls reflect the wealthy living of the Bronze Age
  Northmen, and their wooden shields, wood-shafted spears, and
  bronze-hilted swords are those of the Bronze Age warrior. However,
  they carry iron-tipped spears, and their best swords have iron or
  iron-edged blades. Beowulf also orders an iron shield for his fight
  with a dragon. Iron replaced bronze because it produced a blade with a
  cutting edge that was stronger and sharper. The Northmen learned how
  to forge iron in about 500 B.C. Although they had been superior to the
  European Celts in bronze work, it was the Celts who taught them how to
  make and design iron work. Iron was accessible everywhere in
  Scandinavia, usually in the form of "bog-iron" found in the layers of
  peat in peat bogs.


texts:
From time to time I hear the phrase rain check. For instance

  I have to take a rain check on that.

I would say that means

  I have to get back to you on that issue.

How do I use that phrase?
What does it mean?
Where does it come from?
I always think while hearing rain in rain check that it sounds a little different than the word rain. Is it pronounced differently? It sounds like rai-n check. But I could be wrong.


texts: What is the meaning of 'it' and 'that' in the sentence?

texts:
There is an example of sentence below.

  What is it that you don't like about the subway?

And I'll give another sentence below.

  I don't like it when the subway gets really crowded.

In second example, what is the meaning of 'when' and 'it'?


texts:
dappled sunlight had danced in Soraya’s eyes, and of the delicate hollows above her collarbone.

Here why have we used the word 'of' before 'delicate hollows' instead of using 'on the delicate hollows'
The usage of the word 'of' on Google is written as 'following a noun derived from or related to a verb' where expressing the subject of the verb underlying the first noun.
So here the first noun or subject of the verb should be sunlight. Then why use it before delicate hollows?


texts:
In the following sentence

  Mr. Modi, who arrived in Russia on a two-day visit, during which he will also attend the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF), is the first Indian Prime Minister to visit to the Russian Far East region.

 Link

I think instead of visit to only visit should be used, because visit something is the correct construction


texts: How to differentiate Simple past and passive voice?

texts:
When he saw his wife and her boyfriend chatting, he was infuriated.

In above sentence "he was infuriated" is not passive voice. It gives idea / State that he became infuriated when he saw that.

Like this can we construct below sentence in Simple past? Or this will give idea of Passive voice?

a) When the match was started?

Ans: Yes, when organiser cleared the rule, match was started.

b) Is the strike ended/Called off?

Ans: Yes, when boss declared bonus, the strike was ended/ called off.


texts: How to understand this sentence 'Nobody can argue that the acquisition of knowledge is more fun and easier with computers.'

texts:
I'm studying IELTS writing, and I just came across a confusing sentence from this band score 8 essay:

  Nobody can argue that the acquisition of knowledge is more fun and easier with computers.

As I understand it, this sentence is saying that no one can argue for the opinion, that computers make learning more fun and easier.

But the rest of the paragraph is actually supporting the opinion. So it's supposed to mean the opposite: nobody can argue against the opinion.

Then I found another usage of the word 'argue':

  He argued that America should stop Lend-Lease convoying because it needed to fortify its own Army with the supplies.

In this case, the author certainly means that "he" is in favour of something.

Is the first usage wrong? Or am I missing something?


texts: Can we use "to jettison" as a synonym for "to throw"

texts:
I was discussing the verb to jettison with a native speaker, and my interlocutor gave an example:

  I was jettisoned from the bar. [for bad behavior]

Was this usage sloppy or it is legitimate? My guess is that it is sloppy. For me this verb has two feelings: to throw something away (an action) which is no longer needed (a reason). My friend grasped only the action meaning in his sentence, but the verb has a strong reason component, which doesn't fit into the situation. Its usage would be more legitimate in this context:

  I was a bartender at the bar. But the owners decided they didn't need me anymore. I was jettison from the bar.


texts:
Why are there two different formats that is ' ~to being able ~' and '~to hold~' in the following sentence. Is it correct that 'to' connecting with a verb not v-ing ?

  'It's equivalent to being able to hold a reasonable confident basic conversation'


texts: When the word "our" is unstressed, is it pronounced like /ʌɹ/ or /əɹ/? For example: https://vocaroo.com/i/s0uXE3Gaahqm


texts: "I'd rather it be with you on date night" - is 'be' correct?

texts:
Listen to  this sentence

  I'd rather it be with you on date night

in this Big Bang Theory video  at 1:07.

Cambridge says you have to use the simple past in the clause after rather in this case.

So  I think it should be either

  I'd rather be with you on date night

or

  I'd rather it was with you on date night.


texts:
I am preparing for CAE exam, can anyone tell me what's the difference between these two sentences?
The first sentence should be correct. Is the second sentence possible as well?

  British people are commonly believed to be weak at foreign languages
  British people are commonly believed to being weak at foreign languages.


texts:
She has to tell her boss when she will be on holydays or when she is on holydays

I think the first one is better because you can ask the question she has to tell what not when


texts: Use of "was" when reporting in the third person

texts:
This was written in an interview of an Indian leader published in today's newspaper. I am unable to understand why the writer used "was" in the below statements:

  1) He on Sunday said he was proud to be a Hindu but would like to see himself as an Indian first.

  2) He had said the government was run according to the Constitution and not by the ideology of any organization.

  3) He said the party was "hiding in the bunker of secularism" as it had failed on all parameters of governance.

I would have expected them to be in the active form, like:

  1) He is a Hindu and would like to live as an Indian.

  2) The government is run according to the Constitution.

  3) The party is hiding in the bunker of secularism.

Why did the author choose "was"?


texts: can “which” act as a demonstrative pronoun?

texts:
As a relative pronoun, "which" can be used to refer to a sentence; for example,

  She ignored him, which proved to be unwise.

In this case, a comma should be necessary.

In The rite of spring written by Arthur Miller, I found such sentences:

  ... As an example: you simply have to face the moment when you must
  admit that the lettuce was planted too deep or was not watered enough,
  cease hoping it will show itself tomorrow, and dig up the row again.
  But you will feel better for not standing on your dignity. And that's
  what gardening is all about—character  building. Which is why Adam was
  a gardener. (And all know where it got him, too.)

I am not sure if "which" in the context is a relative pronoun or a demonstrative pronoun.

As a relative pronoun, a comma should be needed before "which" instead of a period.

As a demonstrative pronoun, can "which" be a demonstrative pronoun?


texts:
Both Mr. and Mrs. Bacon were looking at Adam now, and he knew he had
  to make some explanation for letting his good land run free. He said,
  “I guess I’m a lazy man. And my father didn’t help me when he left me
  enough to get along on without working.” He dropped his eyes but he
  could feel the relief on the part of the Bacons. It was not laziness
  if he was a rich man. Only the poor were lazy. Just as only the poor
  were ignorant. A rich man who didn’t know anything was spoiled or
  independent.  “Who takes care of the boys?” Mrs. Bacon
  asked.  Adam laughed. “What taking care of they get, and it
  isn’t much, is Lee’s work.”  “Lee?”  Adam became a little
  irritated with the questioning. “I only have one man, he said
  shortly.  “You mean the Chinese we saw?” Mrs. Bacon was
  shocked. (John Steinbeck, East of Eden)

Is there any relative pronoun before ‘they get’, omitted?


texts: "The world sucks according to the famous principle"

texts:
The world sucks according to the famous principle. Never give a sucker an even break.

Could you explain to me the point of this aphorism? My probably false reading is as follows: Because the world is bad or injust, treat in bad manner those who are naive, stupid… Is this "cynical" reading OK?


texts: Formal equivalent for "in fact" and "actually"

texts:
As a Persian speaker, we do use "In fact" and "Actually" in the spoken and written language. And it is quite formal. I think when we want to add more details to something, or say something in another way (as it is in other words, however we have this phrase too), or to be more clear and factual and direct we use it.
But as I used it in some English sentences, I am told that is informal! OK, then what are the formal ways for it?.
For example these are some literal translation of the phrase usage in my language and I do feel a need for a formal equivalent phrase (for "in fact", and "actually") in English.

In this paper we do this..., In fact we simulate the way a human user do this.
We should help each other, in fact it is the sign of our humanity.
A pregnant woman shouldn't smoke, in fact, smoking pose hazards for the infant.


texts:
Which parts of speech does Conjunction Reduction work with? (and which parts doesn't?)

Does it work with identifiers and adjectives before a noun?

1a. the two running men and the two running women
1b. the two running men and women

I think 1b means there are two identified running men and two identified running women resulting four people in total (similar to the two running men and the two running women).

2a. the two running man and running woman
2b. the two running man and woman

I think 2b means there are one identified running man and one identified running woman resulting two people in total (something like the two running man and running women? Does that makes sense?).

3a. the two running men and the running woman
3b. the two running men and woman

Can 3b mean there are two identified running men and one identified running women?

Does it work with the participle verb after have?

4a. I have been to China and I have gone shopping (there).
4b. I have been to China and gone shopping.

Is sentence 4b grammatical?


texts: Around vs along vs over vs down, meaning "to a place"

texts:
Consider:

I went around to the post office/my sister's house.
I went along to the post office/my sister's house.
I went over to the post office/my sister's house.
I went down to the post office/my sister's house.

Any nuances about the distance, how I got to the place, etc?


texts: How do you interpret these sections of this Security Target?

texts:
TSF = Target of evaluation Security Functions

  FDP_ACF.1.2/JCRMI :  The TSF shall enforce the following rules to
  determine if an operation among controlled  subjects and controlled
  objects is allowed: none

  FDP_ACF.1.3/JCRMI :  The TSF shall explicitly
  authorise access of subjects to objects based on the following
  additional rules: none.

Above, you page 64 of security target a NXP JCOP V2.4.2 R3 smart card. (Its here)

The question is:

What is the meaning of indicating "None" in the end of sentences as the rule?

Does it mean :

For FDP_ACF.1.2/JCRMI : TSF could not determine if an operation among controlled
    subjects and controlled objects is allowed or not?

and for FDP_ACF.1.3/JCRMI : The TSF could not authorise access of subjects to objects?


texts: Clarification about the meaning of "that" in particular sentences

texts:
What's the meaning of the word "that" in sentences like "He's not that smart"? How much does it change the sentence meaning and how is different from "He's not so smart"?
Thank you.


texts: Why double past tense is used with "to be" but not with "do"?

texts:
Very simple:

I can say "Was he told you?"/"Was he married?"
I cannot say "Did he told you?"/"Did he married?"

Why the first example is right, but the second is not? They both use doubled past-tense.


texts: "[…] which would by the end of the evening, raise nearly two million dollars"

texts:
Is the highlighted phrase an indirect way of saying "the auction raised nearly two million dollars"?

  The program featured a cocktail hour—the Top Spin (gin with lime juice), the 40–Love (strawberry liqueur and Prosecco)—followed by dinner, a performance by a mentalist, and a live auction, which would, by the end of the evening, raise nearly two million dollars.

Edit: The sentence came from this lengthy piece about tennis star Novak Djokovic.


texts:
I'm new in learning English, so I want to know more about idioms and some words that I can't understand.

What is the meaning of trap queen?

And how and when the situation we can say that. If you have an example, it would be better to me to understand. Thank you very much.


texts: "Come" vs "come on"-"The bus should come on in at any minute."Is it idiomatic to use "come" to talk about something that's going to happen?

texts:
I know I can say

The streetlights come on automatically at dusk.

Now suppose that you and your friend have been waiting for a bus for a while.

And you turn and say

  The bus should come on at any minute.

Is that a proper usage for the phrasal verb "come on"?

My intention behind using "come on" instead of simple come is that I think using "come one" implies there is kind of schedule for the buss departure. I am not sure though.


texts:
Do I need to put "the" in th following sentence:

  "(The) display of strength is a very good thing in the country."


texts: English equivalent for French "Moi oui"?

texts:
In French, there are some situations where we say "Moi non" or "Moi oui" (that could be literally translated as "Me no" or "Me yes"). You can use it when somebody told you something and for you, it is the opposite of what this person said; for example:

  "I don't know how to open this bottle!"
  "Me yes!"

or even in a case like this:

  "Nobody knows how to open this bottle?!"
  "Me yes."

I am not even sure if this is even completely correct grammatically, anyway, this is not formal language at all.

Do you know how to express that correctly in English ?


texts: Is there any difference in meaning and usage between the phrase "on one's part" and "for one's part"?

texts:
Is there any difference in meaning and usage between the phrase on one's part and for one's part in the sense of something being done by someone or experienced? For example:

  There were a few mistakes on my part.
  There were a few mistakes for my part.
  If you cook a meal, I will do the dishes on my part.
  If you cook a meal, I will do the dishes for my part.


texts: What does "utility purpose" mean in the text "Cycling is being encouraged for utility purposes (such as journeys to work, school and the shops)"?


texts:
In the UK people can say

  I need to top up my mobile phone
  (= pay more money so you can make more calls)

How do we say this sentence casually in the US or other countries?


texts:
Can somebody explain what does the author mean by using two prepositions after travel?

  With the construction of new subway and bus lines,
  Beijing became a much more comfortable place to travel around in.

Can I leave the last "in" part of the sentence?


texts: Difference between the elderly and the old

texts:
A guide for journalists suggested that "people aged over 50 should be referred to as 'older people' or simply 'man' or 'woman' followed by their age.
So, I wonder if these two sentences are different:
Appropriations to care for the old.
Appropriations to care for the elderly.

I use "the elderly" when I refer to old people, but their ages were not specified, e.g. nurses take care of the elderly in hospitals. but not "nurses take care of the old in hospitals" I have never used the term "the old", because my English language teachers had never taught me this term.


texts: Which is the correct/most appropriate option out of the following?

texts:
Q: They_______the saplings before we reach home.

Options:

will have been planting
will be planting
planted
will have planted

I got this question in my recent FSSAI exam and I have to fill objection form including this question because the correct answer they provided in the answer key is Option 2 which I think is incorrect but I might be wrong hence the reason for my post here.

I think that Option 1 should be the most suitable one. What do you think?


texts:
It's a family business , it's fun to get to go do all these things together, and I love it .
  You look at my daughter, my wife , and now my brother is now building all my fan lights and fan lamps , and it seems only fitting that my dad would have to help as well , being that he started the whole thing with a light that I made for him .
  It's family , outside of Bill , but I think of him as family because , good grief , I've been stuck with him for 30 years , you know , so he's almost family .

I wonder how one person can be referred to with a word that represents a group of people .
 Is this common ? if so could you give me an example ?

can I say : "I think of him as a family member" ?


texts:
Can I use compound sentences and relative clauses in complex sentence?

Although Mr. McConnell waited until weeks after Mr. Biden was declared the winner to recognize the outcome, his actions were a clear bid by the majority leader, who is the most powerful Republican in Congress, to put an end to his party’s attempts to sow doubt about the election. (source)


texts: 'How delayed is the flight?' - Is it the right expression?

texts:
The word delay simply means that the thing is not on time but pushed further in time. However, it does not show any amount (of hours?). In this...

  How delayed is the flight? [From 250 Ways to Say it in Business English by Andrew D. Miles]

...rightly expressed? Frankly, I'm not fully convinced. Or it should be...

  How many hours the flight is delayed by? That's because when we ask someone about the flight delay at the airport, we certainly require the 'number of hours' not how it got delayed.

If I ask how delayed is the flight, does it mean How the flight is delayed? and I am likely to get an answer - "The pilot did not report on time and this is how the flight is delayed."

I agree that Why is the flight delayed? should be the question but the way I put my answer, how also works, doesn't it?


texts:
I'm trying to write a paragraph explaining an internet-of-things platform (through/on) which users can interact with their houses using a smartphone application (for instance when the owner walks in, the house detects that it's him and turns on the tv to his favorite channel or turns on the lights etc.) (can i use platform like this; on+ platform ?)

I'd like to know how i can incorporate the word platform in my sentence.
i have some ideas :

  the platform enables users to interact with their houses

  using the platform users can interact with their houses

  the platform allows users to interact with their houses

  users can interact with their houses on (or via/through) this platform

but I'm not really sure about any of the above.

I did some research on the web and went through a couple of dictionaries but almost all the examples I found refereed to the word platform as a solid foundation on which people or things stand which is not the usage in this sentence. honestly i couldn't find a single example where the word platform was used with a preposition (on/through/for .... )

the following is from Webster online dictionary :

Definition of platform
1 : plan, design
2 : a declaration of the principles on which a group of persons stands; especially : a declaration of principles and policies adopted by a political party or a candidate
3 a (1) : a usually raised horizontal flat surface; especially : a raised flooring
(2) : a device or structure incorporating or providing a platform; especially : such a structure on legs used for offshore drilling (as for oil)
b : a place or opportunity for public discussion
4 a : a usually thick layer (as of cork) between the inner sole and outer sole of a shoe
b : a shoe having such a sole
5 a : a vehicle (such as a satellite or aircraft) used for a particular purpose or to carry a usually specified kind of equipment
b : operating system; also : the computer architecture and equipment using a particular operating system

from all the definitions above only the bold one makes sense in my sentence.
please help ! thanks :)


texts:
Can the adjective "absent" which has a negative meaning to it be used with the phrase "there is" or "there are" as, in their affirmative form, these are meant to assert the presence and not the absence of something or someone?
Then is it correct for a teacher checking out the attendance of their pupils to ask their class:
"Is any pupil/student absent/away today?".
To which the class would answer either:
"Yes miss, everyone's here today."
or "No miss, everyone's not here today."
Besides, is "Everyone's not here today." preferable to "No miss, not everyone is here today."?


texts:
Could you simplify this sentencd. I can't get the meaning :

" ...every one of them fell ill because he had lost that which the living religions of every age have given to their followers, and none of them has been really healed who did not regain his religious outlook."

I have problem with that which ... in the first part of the sentence. And in the second part with ... heald who did not ...

Thanks.


texts: Meaning of "The past was the enemy in Ireland"

texts:
She wondered where they would go, and could not bear the thought of
somewhere that was impossible to imagine. She cried to herself among the
ferns that grew in clumps a few yards from the stream. ‘It’ll be the end of
us,’ Henry had said when she had listened, and Bridget had said it would
be. The past was the enemy in Ireland, her papa said another time.

Does it mean: in past somethings had happened and because of that these trouble was happening in Ireland?
or in the past there was an enemy in Ireland?
Source: The Story of Lucy Gault by William Trevor


texts:
What term would correctly complete this sentence:

  "The local official _ _ _ _ _ _ the Minister of the situation"

  explained
  warned
  apprised
  told

I am confused between "warned" and "apprised". Both seem right to me. Which one of these two is the answer and why?


texts: How to use Past Perfect correctly in Reported Speech?

texts:
Is the below sentence construction is correct using had been?

"The homemaker was returning after dropping Siddhesh to school when the bridge had collapsed."

This sentence construction seems awkward to me because by reading this I can imagine that when she returned to the bridge after dropping his son to school the bridge had already collapsed. Actually She was on the bridge when it collapsed and because of it she died in that accident. Please correct the sentence if wrong.

Refer below news artical for details

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/gokhale-bridge-collapse-after-housewife-52-year-old-ca-dies/articleshow/65190895.cms


texts: The meaning of Idiom like "Killed something"

texts:
Here's my question.

When we say "He really killed the fried chicken",

Does it mean...

  1) He really loves fried chicken and scarf down, while having it.

or

  2) He's really good at making the dish

Does the meaning depend on the situation/context?

Thanks in advance. :)


texts:
Does it mean to quit something -- such as a project?

Why not just say "quit" instead?

Does it have a precise meaning?


texts:
To my mind, to pout means to push one's lips forward, as an expression of petulant annoyance or sexual attraction. To pucker one's lips has a similar meaning.

I am wondering what the opposite expression is called, namely pulling one's lips back. I am not sure scrunch would do, as it signifies the crumbling and squeezing of face.

Here's an image example of such a facial expression from a movie.


texts: Semantic difference between two different kinds of usage of the participle as an adjective

texts:
I am wondering what is the difference between using particles as in (1) and (2) in terms of meaning.

(1) We need to revise the plans devised.

(2) We need to revise the devised plans.

There are some other examples same above, I don't know what we call them grammatically; for examples available in:

there are some planes available.

which is equivalent to (if so):

there are some available plans.

What I have made out is sometimes the adjective is a phrase which would not be able to precede the noun it modifies. for example in:

We need to revise the plans devised for this kind of
problems.

But is there really any subtle semantic difference between this kind of expressions?


texts:
Which one is correct?

Do you know what is the best thing that's ever happened to me?
Do you know what the best thing that's ever happened to me is?

And also, how can I know when the word "is" goes at the end of a sentence or not? Because I've also seen cases where people write «I don't know what love is»


texts:
We use the structure both...and when we are giving two facts or alternatives and emphasizing that each of them is true or possible.

In the article I have read the following sentence:

  Flavor is the overall impression of a wine or food, the combination of both aromatics, taste, and mouthfeel.

To me, the sentence above is incorrect because after "both" there are three nouns, not two. I think the writer should have omitted "both" and written:

  Flavor is the overall impression of a wine or food, the combination of aromatics, taste, and mouthfeel.

Am I right? Or can we actually use "both" with more than two alternatives, say, in colloquial English?


texts: Noun for people not yet confirmed as alive, or dead

texts:
In Italian, disperso (whose plural is dispersi) is a noun used for every person that is not yet confirmed as alive, or dead. The closer English word I can think is missing which is an adjective, and which I always heard as in missing in action.

Is there a noun that can be used for all the people missing after an accident, or a natural event?


texts:
The plan:
                   |  month 1          month 7          month 13          month 19
Sharing sessions   |  seminar          workshop         seminar           workshop

Can I express the above planning as below, if not, how to improve?
There are four sharing sessions, comprising two seminars and two workshops, are planned; one in every six months.


texts: What "the thing" refer to in this context

texts:
“You've got to take the rest of your potion. Harry,” Mrs. Weasley said at last. Her hand nudged the sack of gold on his bedside cabinet as she reached for the bottle and the goblet. “You have a good long sleep. Try and think about something else for a while…think about what you're going to buy with your winnings!”

  “I don't want that gold,” said Harry in an expressionless voice. “You
  have it. Anyone can have it. I shouldn't have won it. It should've
  been Cedric's.”

  The thing against which he had been fighting on and off ever since he
  had come out of the maze was threatening to overpower him. He could
  feel a burning, prickling feeling in the inner corners of his eyes. He
  blinked and stared up at the ceiling.

  Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

The sentence looks a bit complicated to me. I think the main part is: The thing was threatening to overpower him. But I'm lost here about what "the thing" really is in this context. Any thoughts on that?


texts: Is that sentence correct "we stared at her on surprised"?

texts:
I have doubt about the correctness of this sentence:

  we stared at her on surprised

I would like to express. We were staring at her and  we were surprised at the same time.


texts: "I'll be with you in a moment." Is "moment" a countable noun?

texts:
People say

Give me a moment.
I will see you in a moment.

From what I've learned from Dictionary.com definitions, Moment doesn't seem to be a countable noun.
Why is "a" used with "moment" to mean a short period of time?
I've never seen anyone saying, give me "two or three moments".


texts: When to use "'s" and when to use "that of"?

texts:
When to prefer the former and when the latter? Example sentence (with context):

  When Mary heard about oocyte cryopreservation, which consists of
  freezing your eggs to be used when you need them, she commented, "I
  don't want to put my eggs in a fridge like a chicken's/those of a
  chicken"


texts: The difference between "complain" and "complaint"

texts: What is the difference between "complain" and "complaint" (and also "to complain" and "to complaint")?


texts:
Recently, I tried to request the name of a project manager I am communicating with,  using the following sentences:

  "By the way, so far I  know by name only [XXX] from [company YYY]. I
  am not sure if I am still communicating with [XXX]:)"

I havn't recieved response for the email yet, and I am wondering if my language was not good enough to ask a name. I wanted to ask his/her name because he/she didn't mention his/her name and I don't want to keep on saying just Hi, without mentioning his/her name.

I would appreciate if someone can advise me if I said it properly.


texts: Can I use "would have had" in a hypothetical statement?

texts:
Example:

  Even if she was an astonomer, it would have been impossible for her to predict that.
  There are too many variables to handle—even for the most powerful
  computer. Not only it would have had to include every particle in
  the universe, but also how they would affect each other.

The whole paragraph is an hypothetical statement. So I thought I should use would. Is it correct my use of would have had?


texts: What do we say when a person doesn't support someone in need?

texts:
When a friend doesn't stand by his friend in need, what expression do we use for it?
I'm particularly looking for a phrasal verb. The sentence should be in positive form, as I've already written the negative form "not stand by someone". It should be like "run away/turn someone's face away/close the doors".


texts:
It is a pretty big floor and you are just running around praying for a terminal which are surprisingly rare.

So,  I wrote this sentence in a forum long time ago and now that I look at it again, I am concerned for its grammatical well being. Is my usage of the verb 'are' (highlighted in the sentence) correct?

The reason I ask is because it follows the singular noun "terminal". But, I think it is evident from the usage of "a terminal" that there is more than one terminal and somehow, the usage of "are" in the above sentence sounds correct aurally, but I don't know for sure.


texts: What's the difference between comma + "-ing modifier", and "-ing" modifier alone?

texts:
I am studying English, and I came across this example.

In theory, international civil servants at the United Nations are prohibited from continuing to draw salaries from their own governments; in practice, however, some governments merely substitute living allowances for the paychecks of their employees, having been assigned to the United Nations.

This sentence does not convey the intended meaning since the modifier "having been..." modifies the subject of the second clause (i.e. "some governments" ).
Is it right to say that if I have a comma + an -ing modifier, such modifier modifies the entire setting clause?
A possible way to fix the sentence to match the intended meaning is this:

In theory, international civil servants at the United Nations are prohibited from continuing to draw salaries from their own governments; in practice, however, some governments merely substitute living allowances for the paychecks of their employees who have been assigned to the United Nations.

Now my other question is: what is the meaning conveyed if I leave out the comma?
Does "having been.." modifies "employees"? i.e. could I fix the sentence just by leaving out the comma between employees and having been?
Is it tre in general that if I don't have a comma then an -ing modifier modifies the preceding noun?


texts:
Is there a semantic difference between the following two sentences?

  We now explain some of the issues we face in localizing such a bug using approaches other than ours.

  We now explain some of the issues we have faced in localizing such a bug using approaches other than ours.


texts:
I have gone through many Q and A's on some other sites regarding this but I still dont have clarity about the usage of both.

Please read the following sentences.

I wish I hadn't sold my car.
I'd rather I hadn't sold my car.
I wish you hadn't left your job.
I'd rather you hadn't left your job.

Are these sentence exactly identical? Any subtle difference?

Thanks


texts: Are past participles in -thed ever pronounced -ðid?

texts: Do native speakers ever (erroneously) pronounce past participles in -thed, such as bathed and clothed, as */-ðɪd/ rather than /-ðd/?  If so, how prevalent is this?


texts: Why using past perfect tense in "some scientists had noted .."

texts:
While I was reading this BBC article, I  wondered Why using past perfect tense in

  some scientists had noted a decline in skills and numbers of students
  applying to read Computer Science.

I have checked the following question which seems very similar to my question, and the answer of that question is great, But the answerer adopt on main point and time points happened before that main point. But I can't understand where is the main point in what I was read.


texts:
I listened to a program where a person asks another person a question.
After answering the question the first person says: "you would be exactly right."
What does "would" mean there?
Would it be better to say "you are exactly right"?


texts: When you want to replace someone with someone else in a position

texts:
Imagine an emperor dies. He had two sons prior to his death. The older son was the emperor's successor. After the emperor's death, the older son succeeds to the throne, but after awhile the queen (their mother and the emperor's wife) notices there is something wrong with the older son. She realizes that successor is too incapable for that position and whereas she has such an influence to unseat the son, she does that and now she wants to replace sons with each other.
How shall I say that? Does the verb "succeed" work in the self-made sentence bellow:

  The queen succeeded the older son with the younger son.

If my sentence doesn't work properly, then I would appreciate it if someone could help me to know how shall I say the sentence in my question in a natural way.


texts: Word for "a person who seeks seriousness in jokes"

texts:
Is there a word to describe a person who constantly points out logical inconsistencies, misapplication of concepts and such stuff in jokes while completely missing the point?

Thanks!


texts: Parsing "the shortest route to take in a reasonably sized problem"

texts:
This is the context:

  The traveling salesman problem must be seen as a limitation of the human ability to know. There is no way that one can possibly know the shortest route to take in a reasonably sized problem.

Can anyone tell me what's the meaning of taking in? does it mean like understanding or comprehending the problem?


texts: Interpretation of an integrated relative in "my brother who doesn't [live in New York]" in context

texts:
Here goes a sentence from a grammar test published on the online version of The Telegraph (UK):

  I should like to introduce you to my sister Amanda, who lives in New
  York, to Mark, my brother who doesn't, and to my only other sibling,
  Evelyn.

The question is whether  Evelyn is male or female, which to me--since the name and the word sibling can refer to persons of either sex--appeared impossible to define from the wording of the sentence; although the answer is: male. Could someone kindly explain to me where the correct answer comes from?


texts:
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/common-verbs/ask-and-ask-for says that "to ask" is used for questions and "to ask for/to" is used for requests (the 1st with nouns, the 2nd with verbs). However, the link says nothing about "to ask something of somebody"

I have recently read:

I want to ask a few things of you guys
I asked my sister for some favors

In both sentences, one asks someone to do something (things/favors). I assume that "to ask something of somebody" expresses a request, similar to "to ask somebody for something ". What is the exact difference between them ?

I also assume that the sentence could be reworded to use "to ask to"? eg. I want to ask you guys to do a few things.


texts: why the tense which is used with "Never" is Present Perfect Tense

texts: I know the usage of present perfect tense is to say that the action is done at this moment or to say that the results of a past action is still existing at this moment, But how we can apply these rules when we are using the word "Never" in a sentence, for example, "I never have done this". I think that I have not understood the usage of negative present perfect, which is confused me.


texts:
I'd like to know whether there's any relation between what comes before and after "namely." Are the following sentences both correct? If not, why?

John bought a wolf-like dog, namely, a Siberian husky.

John bought a Siberian husky, namely, a wolf-like dog.

Consider also cases where a definition precedes the defined:

John bought a dog of a powerful, wolf-like breed with a thick double coat that is typically gray, used in the Arctic for pulling sleds, that is (to say), a Siberian husky.

John bought a dog of a powerful, wolf-like breed with a thick double coat that is typically gray, used in the Arctic for pulling sleds, namely a Siberian husky.

Are #3 and #4 correct?


texts: Meaning of "it come down to" in this sentence

texts:
I don't understand the phrase "it comes down to" in this dialogue:

  A: Help me with my homework, please.

  B: ARGH!So this is what it comes down to

I have looked this up in the dictionary but all the meanings are seemingly incorrect.


texts: Value something above something/ value something over something

texts:
Which of the 2 is best?

  He values her above all others.
  He values her over all others.

I can't tell which sounds better and looking up in dictionaries amounted to nothing at least the ones I have looked at.


texts:
Can I delete the last word ‘by’ in:

  Who picked you up by?

Why? Can I delete the last word ‘by’? Why? I feel that ‘Who picked you up’ is a right sentence.


texts:
She dashed to/for the door.

Is 'dashed' natural here?

Is there any difference between 'dashed to' and 'dashed for'?

Is 'dashed' typically used when a destination is included or would it be just as natural to use it like this:

She dashed down the hall.


texts:
I've found this phrase:

  The police __________ 2100 alleged up loaders using peer-to-peer.

I've got four possible answers:

targeted
aimed
directed
pointed

I've already set aside "aimed" and "directed", but I can't see the difference between the remaining ones.

I understand targeted to mean: intend (something) to move towards a certain goal and pointed to mean: indicate a place, direction, person, or thing; either spatially or figuratively. So I don't know which one is the right one.


texts: The correct forms of verbs when the time is 'all something.'

texts:
A fill in the blank from a school's worksheet. What bothers me is the word 'all.' Does it matter in deciding the verbs in this blank?

  I ______ (work) on the project all night.

The confusion:

Without any context, it could be had been, have been, or simple past tense. Say:

  I had been working on the project all night. I have been working on the project all night.  I worked on the project all night.

Who knows which night? Last night, the night last week, or the night last year? So with almost all the blanks there!

Does the answer lie in the word 'all'?

What am I missing? What could be the answer?


texts:
1.Nobody is following what being said.(somebody is saying something and at the same time nobody is following him/her).

2.Nobody is following what being said.(something was said earlier but now nobody is following).

Now if we don't use auxiliary 'is' in first sentence and 'was' in second sentence. They are the same.
My question is we can use 'being+PP' without 'is' or 'are' as auxiliaries in first sentence but we have to use 'were' auxiliary in second sentence to show that something was said before


texts: Could you please define the words contributors and span in the following text in a very very simple English

texts:
History of medicine and their use:
  Plants  have been collected cultivated harvested for the healing properties and used for the treatment of illness for centuries. Contributors to the current knowledge about drugs span the globe.

Please don't simplify whole passage. I need a simplified definition of the highlighted words so that I could research about the meaning of passage on my own.  A million thanks in advance.
I looked them up in the dictionaries but didn't manage to associate them with this context


texts:
do we call it "a box of dental floss"?

It could be a round container of dental floss

or a square container of dental floss

or it may come in different shapes


texts: Thank you for the most superb dinner (that) I’ve ever eaten

texts:
Sentence 1:Thank you for the most superb dinner that I’ve ever eaten.

Sentence 2:Thank you for the most superb dinner I’ve ever eaten

Which sentence is more natural to you?


texts:
There are some symbols which you can see on your keyboard, I'd like to know how do you say their names in English. I know some of them, so I'll would be appreciate it if you complete and correct the following list.
( = Open Parenthesis
) = Close Parenthesis
[ = Open Bracket
] = Close Bracket
{ = Open Curly Bracket
} = Close Curly Bracket
* = Asterisk
& = Ampersand
^ = Caret
% = Percent Sign
$ = Dollar Sign
# = hash Sign
@ = At Sign
! = Exclamation
~ = tilde
' = Single Quote
" = Double Quote
` = grave
< = Open Angle Bracket
> = Close Angle Bracket
/ = Forward Slash (Slash)
\ = Backward Slash
- = Dash, Line, Hyphen
_ = Underscore, Underline
. = dot, point
? = Question Mark
| = Pipe

Math Signs:
+ =
- =
×(*) =
÷(/) =
=(equal) =


texts:
I am in confusion  of using causative verb 'have'
If i write
"I wanted to have you sit on the chair".
" i wanted to get you to sit on the chair".
"Why did you get him to come with you?"
Are those grammatical and idiomatic.


texts:
John has two daughters, S and X.
  S = 18 years old
  X = 9 years old

Now, if I want to compare their ages, how do you say it naturally?

I have written these three sentences,
do they sound good to native speakers?

  Sentence 1:
  S's age is twice as old as X's age

  Sentence 2:
  S's age is twice X's age

  Sentence 3:
  S's age is 2 times older than X's

After reading the comments and answers, I still don't understand why sentence 3 is not correct, Could you explain it please?


texts:
In the following paragraph I have some doubts. The first one is in which tense is acceptable to use in this context. The other doubts are emphasized in their place. My doubts say that I'm not sure if it's correct to use in this words or styling by English native speaker (that I'm not one of them...). Here is the spoken paragraph:

Imagine that you are in the anatomy class, and the professor gives you this bone and ask you these three questions:

  1) In which place in the body, this bone is located?**

  2) What is its name

  3) Do according to what you can decide that it's what you answered?


texts: Potential Subject Verb Agreement error - in an English Textbook

texts:
"In what ways do the past affect the present?"

I read the above in an English textbook.  So that the verb agrees with "the past", should we have used "affects" instead of "affect"?


texts:
I had never traveled outside my country until I went to Disney World last summer

or

  I never traveled outside my country until I had gone to Disney World last summer

Until is followed by past simple or past perfect ?


texts: Differences between using "used to" and the simple past

texts:
In following examples I understand:

Situations are in the past.
Situations are continued until some time and stopped.
Situations are regular, routine and repetitive.

My question is should we use used to or simply use the simple past of a verb? When and how do we use used to and what are the differences?
Please, explain this to me with examples.
E.g. 1

I used to prepare this report when I was in Company X.
I prepared this report on daily basis when I was in Company X.

E.g. 2

I used to work for this company.
I worked for this company for 8 years.

E.g. 3

He used to play for X Country.
He played for X Country.

E.g. 4

He came to meet me regularly.
He used to come to meet me regularly.


texts: "What we want is for the amendment to be withdrawn" vs. ""What we want is the amendment to be withdrawn"

texts:
Is there any difference between:

  What we want is the amendment to be withdrawn.

and:

  What we want is for the amendment to be withdrawn.

? If so, what does the for express in the second statement then?


texts:
Which one is correct?

  The definitive guide to surviving in...

or

  The definitive guide of surviving in...

Also can I say the definite guide?


texts: My English professors' opinions about infinitive clauses (to do something)

texts:
My English teachers (Canadian and British) said:

  "We usually use infinitive clauses in order to define nouns, however, it doesn't mean that they can never be separated from each other. Sometimes we can do that and separating them may cause the sentence to be unnatural but they may be still correct grammatically."

Then they gave a few examples.

I know nothing to play this game. ("To play this game" defines "nothing")

  To play this game, I know nothing.
  ("To play this game" says for what verb I know nothing.

I have enough money to have a great holiday this year.("To have a great holiday this year" defines "money" and says my money is enough to do that)

  To have a great holiday this year, I have enough money.
  ("To have a great holiday this year" says for what/to do what I have enough money.)

What they added at last is

  Their emphasis are different and meanings are slightly different, however, they go to the same meaning finally.

What do you think?


texts: "What about you" in the following context is correct?

texts:
My friend sent me message like this:

He: "Hi, how are you"
Me: "I'm fine, thank you. What about you?"
He: I see television
Me: Are you watching television? nice, I hope that you enjoy of that.
Me: Actually I don't understand a lot in football...

By the way I would like to get your feedback on the rest of this conversation as I mentioned above, because I have some doubts about some things that I marked as you can see in the text. Thanks


texts: what does "is off by" mean in this context?

texts:
what does "is off by" mean in this sentence?

  If the height of a single step
  is off by as little as two millimeters...


texts:
I am going to make up an example with the verb clinch.

(ex) The five goals he scored last night for a total of eighty this season clinched The Player of the Year.

Can I use "clinched" in my sentence?


texts: "Like you" or "As you", works as an answer in the following context?

texts:
If my girlfriend and I are in a restaurant and she told me that she wants 3 cutlets and then she asks me "And you?" or "How many do you want?", can I tell her "Like you." or "As you." meaning that I want 3 too?

Alternatives - for example - that I can think of are:

The same as you.
I want 3 too.
I also want 3 cutlets.

But I'm not asking about the alternatives but about these two specific examples that I asked about.


texts: Structure of "Consumers with no need for a public."

texts:
Excerpted from chronicle.com:

  Consumers, as Sunstein’s utopia makes clear, with no need for a
  public. In decades to come, Sunstein writes, the choice architect "might draw on available information about people’s own past choices or about which approach best suits different groups of people, and potentially each person, in the population." So finely tuned to each of our needs will this future choice architect be that "personalized paternalism is likely to become increasingly feasible over time." Whatever libertarian slippage may be occasioned by the current state of choice architecture — where some serendipity of desire is eclipsed or ignored by the crude technology of the day — will be overcome in the future. Assured by the detailed knowledge the choice architect will have about each of us, each of us will be happily corrected in our choices. We will know that these are truly our choices, inspired by our ends, uncontaminated by anyone else. What we are witnesses to here is not a public being summoned but a public being dismissed.

The bolded sentence above is strange to me, as it generally equals to Consumers with no need for a public, but then there is no verb or any sentence structure there, it consists of a noun only and then ended.

How can a sentence be constructed as such? Isn't it considered a bad writing? I think it better writes "Consumers, as Sunstein's utopia makes clear, are with no need for a public".


texts:
They were in the middle of the meeting when suddenly a naked man stumbled out of a closet and piled out of the room.
Is it natural to use "pile" as I have (similar to "dart") when it's only one person and not a group of people?


texts: What does "that argument" refer to in the first chapter of SICP?

texts:
It might be frivolous, but I are not aware where to ask the question.
I am reading SICP and very confused about its description about a dummy simple concept of scope : Local Name

This principle -- that the meaning of a procedure should be
independent of the parameter names used by its author -- seems on the
surface to be self-evident, but its consequences are profound. The
simplest consequence is that the parameter names of a procedure must
be local to the body of the procedure. For example, we used square in
the definition of good-enough? in our square-root procedure:
(define (good-enough? guess x)   (< (abs (- (square guess) x)) 0.001))
The intention of the author of good-enough? is to determine if the
square of the first argument is within a given tolerance of the second
argument. We see that the author of good-enough? used the name guess
to refer to the first argument and x to refer to the second argument.
The argument of square is guess. If the author of square used x (as
above) to refer to that argument, we see that the x in good-enough?
must be a different x than the one in square. Running the procedure
square must not affect the value of x that is used by good-enough?,
because that value of x may be needed by good-enough? after square is
done computing.

I am stuck with

If the author of square used x (as above) to refer to that argument,
we see that the x in good-enough? must be a different x than the one
in square. Running the procedure square must not affect the value of x
that is used by good-enough?, because that value of x may be needed by
good-enough? after square is done computing.

What's 'that argument' refer to?
Did the author said switching x and guess?


texts: how to tell the diffrence among the following expressions?

texts:
The following pairs of expressions seem to have the same meaning in general. The active group means "to persuade or force sb to do sth" in LONGMAN dictionary, and their passive version means "sth have been done". Are they actually different in terms of usage, style or meaning?
A:

have sb do / have sb doing / get sb doing

B:

have sth done / get sth done


texts: People in Turkey voted in / on referendum?

texts:
What is the correct preposition for voting in / on referendum?

For example:

  "People today voted in / on referendum in Turkey."


texts:
What's the difference between them?
I don't quite understand as they have quite similar meaning according to what I managed to understand from Cambridge Dictionary.


texts: We are going to eat- after eat, must be a noun?

texts:
"We are going to eat." I told my son.

Is the sentence above a complete sentence?

After eat, must be a noun?


texts: the meaning and grammar of 'borrow' in this sentence

texts:
These are the sentences:

  My umbrella  is borrowed by Tom. May I use yours？

  My umbrella  has been borrowed by Tom. May I use yours?

What is the difference in these two sentences?
Thank you


texts: correctness of the expression "x and yet more x"

texts:
Within a paper I am writing, someone asked me to check the correctness of the following expression:

"x and yet more x"

used in the following sentence, discussing urban sprawl:

"Despite all the efforts, sprawl and yet more sprawl remain the
reality in most places around the world."

Now that I read it, I have a question: shouldn't it be "more and yet more sprawl" instead of "sprawl and yet more sprawl"?


texts:
Suppose I have a doctor’s appointment and I want to give it to my sister. I want to ask my doctor if it is OK. Is using “instead of me” correct?

  I have an appointment on Friday. Can my sister come instead of me?

Are there any better alternatives to that?


texts:
I would like to say

  Having done some googling and searching, we understand it is a British firm- more precisely “It is the largest airline of the United Kingdom, measured by number of passengers carried, operating domestic and international scheduled services on over 600 routes in 32 countries”

Which is better to say "with some searching", "by some searching", "having done some not deep searches"? I like it to me academic and formal?


texts: Gerund vs infinitive dilemma : "an innate passion to { light / lighting } a fire"

texts:
I have to start a sentence where I cannot figure out exactly if gerund or infinitive is to be used:

  They say humans have an innate passion to light a fire.

Does that sound correct, or it would be more appropriate:

  They say humans have an innate passion to lighting a fire.


texts: Is there any other structure that can replace "on one hand,..., on the other hand"?

texts:
"on one hand,..., on the other hand" can be used to describe two aspects of something. But I am wondering if there is other structure can be used for this purpose. For example,

  On one hand, the backgrounds need not be re-computed when new data arrives, rather, they are updated with much less computational cost; on the other hand, it helps capture the potential unusual in a timely manner, and ask the doctors, drug laboratories or insurance companies to pay prompt attention.

The structures I can think of include "not only, ..., but also", for example,

  This is not only because the backgrounds need not be re-computed when new data arrives, but aslo it helps capture the potential unusual in a timely manner, and ask the doctors, drug laboratories or insurance companies to pay prompt attention.

Are there any other structures can be used for the same purpose of describing two aspects of one thing? Thanks!


texts: Construction of Sentence by non-native speaker

texts:
The main aim to use a certain language is to communicate with each other.
I'd like to know if the sentence is grammatically and naturally correct.


texts:
For example,

  My Question: Why are you not taking any leaves nowadays.
  My colleague's reply: I am in notice period know.

Is it OK to use "Know" at the end of the sentence? Is it acceptable?


texts: What is the meaning of the sentence: Do you want to weigh in on this?

texts:
I work in a project team. This was a question I was asked:

  Do you want to weigh in on this?

What does this mean?

How should I answer correctly?


texts: "Something that is used to ..." - Is it a correct noun phrase?

texts:
I have a technical document where I want to give a section a name "Parentheses to make operator precedence explicit". But I am not sure whether it is grammatically correct.
I don't like the second version because it's somewhat wordy, but in the same time I'm not sure whether the first one is correct.

Parentheses to make operator precedence explicit
It is better to not omit them.
(2 * 3) - 1   // Do

2 * 3 - 1     // Don't

Parentheses that are used to make operator precedence explicit
...


texts:
Let's say you are the eldest in a family of 5. You, sister and brother. Your sister has a child now, and you are describing how you are related to your nephew to one of your guests. You say:

  This is my nephew, carl. The son of my sister next to me.

Is this the correct phrase to explain what I am trying to say?


texts:
I was wondering about the usage of 'as' and 'will'.

  'As she will go to the cinema, I will go too.'
  'As the waiter will wipe the table clean, I will sit at it.'

I know about the rule that applies to 'if' and 'will', is the same true for 'as' and 'will'? I tried looking it up in books, but couldn't find the rule.


texts: What is the opposite of "crowded" ("uncrowded" is simply "not full of people" not "very few people")?

texts:
crowded: having a lot of people or too many people

  We made our way through the crowded streets.

  a crowded bar

  The main beach can get really crowded in summer.

  London was very crowded.

  crowded with somebody In the spring the place is crowded with skiers.

  uncrowded: not full of people

  The beach was pleasantly uncrowded.

I don't think "uncrowded" is a complete opposite of "crowded". "Uncrowded" is simply "not full of people", it does not mean "very few people".

The opposite of "crowded" is "very few people"

What is the opposite of "crowded" ?


texts: Can "Could" or "Would" be used after comma?

texts:
"I need to go to the restroom in just a moment, could you please take care of my kid?"

Does this sentence sound right?

Thanks.


texts:
I know a friend that always says:

Besides for that.

I don't think this is grammatically correct. However, because of the nature of the sentence, I can't find anything which explains either way.
Is:

Besides for that.

Grammatically correct?
or is:

Other than that.

Correct?


texts:
It ain't nuthin' till I call it.

The source: Tsatsouline, P.: The Naked Warrior.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0938045555/?tag=stackoverfl08-20#reader_0938045555

How do you understand the above proclamation? Given the fact that the quotation comes from a book concerning fitness and bodybuilding I intuitively suspect that the author wants to say that he overcomes any kind of the challange but what is the exact meaning?


texts: "there's No time to lose" vs "there is Not a moment to lose"

texts:
I would like to know why there is difference in the following two sentences:

"there's no time to lose" vs "there is not a moment to lose".

Namely in the first sentence on writes "no" in the second "not". Duolingo claims that one can not use "NO" in the second sentence instead of "NOT" and I would like to know why.

I.e. why can't I write "there is no a moment to lose"?


texts: Difference between the phrases "annoy someone" and "bum someone out"

texts:
What is the difference between the phrases "annoy someone" and "bum someone out"?

I have searched the meaning of both the phrases but I am still a little confused.
I think "to annoy someone" means to irritate someone and "bum someone out" means to irritate someone, bore someone and a kind of ruin someone's fun (means rain on someones parade).

And I also feel that "bum someone out" is of higher degree and quite more effective or kind of more offensive.

Please let me know if my information is correct or not.


texts: The meaning of the phrase "should they prove correct"

texts:
Some of the strangest and, should they prove correct, most revealing insights of modern physics...

Would you please explain what the phrase "should they prove correct" means in here? I even doubt it's grammatically acceptable, as it sounds like a question.


texts:
I found this word in an article

juggling childcare

but I don’t understand its meaning. Is there any difference from just saying

childcare

I tried to find it out by looking in a dictionary but I did not find an answer there


texts: Which is the correct construct - "Is ... there" or "Is there ..."?

texts:
I try construct a question. Which variant is correct?

Is any task there?
Is there any task?

What I must use in answer - one or ones to avoid unnecessary repetition in this context?


texts: A better way to rephrase a relatively long sentence

texts:
Manuscripts submitted should not exceed the limit of 7500 words or 12 pages. Also, authors are encouraged to arrange their manuscript in a manner that the number of the pages is even.

Is it possible to avoid the use of "in a manner that ...." in this sentence? I'm looking for better/shorter alternatives to this sentence.


texts: Is it proper to wish 'Halloween', 'Good Friday' and the like (if any)?

texts:
We generally wish people on festival putting a simple-yet-convincing word happy. Surprisingly, in India, anything can be wished putting 'happy' before any word that brings a holiday in your office ;)

The question came to my mind when today I heard Happy Good Friday by a non-native speaker. I am more shocked than surprised. I'm pretty sure happy does not go with any such day/celebration(?)/event.

Though I read Wikipedia for both those days I'm not sure whether it's a celebration or showing our condolence to those respected personalities. Also, though there's good (adj) in Good Friday (noun phrase) it was the day of grief, wasn't it? I cannot say Happy [Good Friday].

Is it proper to wish Halloween or Good Friday? If yes, I'm not sure using happy there. And yes, my dear native speakers are most welcomed. :)


texts:
I wonder if we can say "two to the three" to indicate 2 to the 3rd power.

Here are my attempts to search on Google for it:

And "two to the third" seems also OK:

Which one do you usually use?


texts:
The man ran down the aisle, got to the emergency exit door and tried to yank it open.

Is "yank" natural here?

Is "yank" interchangeable with "pull"?

The man really wants to get off. Which one of "yank" and "pull" sounds more forceful and desperate?


texts:
In my book you can see:

  In a free society it is intrinsic that individuals and groups have the inherent right to propagate ideas and try to win converts.

I can understand or guess that the author wants to point out that in a free society people can change their religions readily. But, I am not sure about the exact meaning or technical definition of the phrase.


texts: What is the meaning of "for" in the context below?

texts:
Everyone laughed when Albert went to work in his baggy pants. Everyone but Albert. He punched one of his workmates in the eye.
  And that is when the joke really fell flat. For the incident led to a strike which crippled production at carpet factory.

I think here "for" means "because of", but I doubt it because the whole sentence is unclear to me.

I am very thankful for your help.