texts:
I queried the use of the phrase:

"This is the other thing people coming from that sector tend not to understand: in this sector there is no such thing as promotions or bonuses."

It looked completely wrong to me and I suggested instead 'there are no promotions or bonuses' or 'there are no such things as promotions or bonuses' or 'there are no promotions, there are no bonuses' or 'there is no promotion available or bonus to win'.

Two or three native speakers said "the phrasing is correct because 'is' refers to the 'thing' that’s not understood, not to the two elements that compose it"

I am simply not sure whether that makes any sense or not - I understand the point being made but still am not convinced it's correct, and now I'm questioning myself. My native English is Australian, theirs is American. Is this a dragged/drug thing?


texts:
You have a right to protect yourself, but it didn’t start out physical. If hands are not on you, it’s best to avoid getting physical. Just get away from them.

I can't find what it means either in dictionaries or on the web. My best guess is hands don't hit you, but I am not sure if I get it right. What does "hands are not on you" truly mean?

Here is the full source.


texts:
I know that it is OK to say.

1) I don't understand what is written here.

but it seems to me that

2) I don't understand what IT is written here. is also OK?
 Is my guess correct? If yes, how would you explain the possibility of using IT in the sentence? What difference does it bring into the sentence?


texts:
There's no other way in handling terrorism.
There's no other way to handle terrorism.
There's no other way of handling terrorism.

I think all of them sounds good except the second one. The second one sounds incorrect. Am I correct?


texts:
It is possible to use do as an auxiliary verb to denote emphasis:

  I do like ice cream

Is it also possible to use it when do is the main verb as well? E.g.:

  I did do (it).

  He does do (it).

  I do do (it).

Are the sentences above acceptable? Do they sound unnatural?


texts: When should we use "Got it?" and "Get it?"

texts:
I started learning english.

Often we hear "Got it?" sentence.

So I'm confusing following two sentences. When should we use one over the other?

  1) Got it?

  2) Get it?

Thank you.


texts:
can you call a meeting of world leaders that took place in 1947 a historical event?

Thanks


texts:
Which Preposition is correct, from or in?
1- The majority of the people from our village migrate for work.
2- The majority of the people in our village migrate for work.
3- Some people in India works for Facebook.
4- Some people from India works for Facebook.


texts: Can I use the present simple and not continuous to speak of a non professional singer (as it is not a her job)

texts:
I would like to know if I can use the present simple and not continuous to speak of a female singer who sings in a band, but as a hobby not as a professional, it is not her job. It is a typical way of singing for her, it is characteristic of her singing.

she sings in a  very fast way

or

she is singing in a very fast way


texts:
In the Orient Long Man's dictionary Word Master I have found the different uses of  ' to' - as a preposition, to infinitive and an adverb

The example is given for its use as an adverb

He was unconscious for some time, but now he has come to = return to a conscious state.

Native speakers can understand its meaning but non native speakers of English can not understand What  "come to" means

What is "come to " here? Is it an idiom or something else?

I would like to know how "to" can be used as an adverb in different contexts?


texts: "If I had not rented a car" or "If I didn't rent a car"

texts:
Assume it is raining now. I want to tell my friend, fortunately I rented a car yesterday so we can go to the party today even though it is raining now.

Which statement is correct?

  If I hadn't rented a car, how we would go to the party in this rain?

or

  If I didn't rent a car, how we would go into the party in this rain?


texts:
Friend: It has been a month now.

Me:
A: Time has been going fast.
B: Time is going fast.

Would the first sentence (A) mean that the time has been fast for 1 month and the other that it was fast before 1 month and is still now (meaning currently) or vice versa?


texts: The use of the construction "there is"/ there are without adverbials of place

texts:
Is it natural to omit adverbials of place with the construction there is/there are. For example:

  Person 1: How many people are there in the office?

  Person2: There are 20 people (in the office).


texts: Is "except for not today we didn’t" correct?

texts:
Me and that Grace sit together on the school bus. Except for not today we didn't. Because today Grampa Miller drove me.
  (Junie B.Jones)

In 2010, when I asked the meaning of the highlighted sentence in a Korean forum, a man replied it’s a wrong sentence. And I got a new one yesterday that says it’s a double negative, and meaning “Except for today we did.” Which one is right? If the second one is right, would you parse the original sentence for better understanding?


texts:
I guess the usage of "be" in the passage below is grammatically correct even though the whole narration is in the past tense. Can you, please, explain to me why it is correct and why it is not "was" instead?

  I liked working at the lab and doing all those experiments with acids
  and alkalines. At first, my interest was so great that I simply
  ignored Jack's suggestion to use that device. However, the more I
  continued, the more I was upset about spilling acid on the floor
  almost every time I experimented on it. One day - almost by accident -
  I showed up in the nearby lab where the parallel class students were
  experimenting. What struck me a lot was the fact that they never
  spilled any liquids that they were "playing with" - not only acids.
  Another thing that also struck me a lot was that they all were using
  exactly that device that Jack had suggested that I would do a few days
  earlier. I quickly went back to my lab and started studying that
  device. It took me a while to figure out how to use it.  Finally, I
  realized that that was quite a handy device that I could always use in my
  experiments and never be afraid of spilling acid on the floor again.


texts: So when I come to London my English will be better vs so when I'll come to London my English will be better

texts:
"So when I come to London my English will be better" vs

  "So when I'll come to London my English will be better"

Can anyone help me with these phrases?

Thanks


texts: What's the difference in meaning between “challenge” + infinitives(to V.) vs. gerund(V. ing)

texts:
I have a problem in comparing these two sentences.

  DDP challenges protecting inventor's ideas.

  DDP challenges to protect inventor's ideas.

Translation in my book says (1) means DDP opposes protecting of ideas, but (2) means DDP strives to protects.

Firstly, I don't know this translation is right or not.

Secondly, if it is right, why does this difference occur? just from the difference in using ~ing or to behind the verb 'challenge'?


texts: Is there a pun in "as absolutely inhuman as bees"?

texts:
The whole paragraph goes like

The lower animals do not have this splendid freedom. They are limited most of them, to absolute infallibility. Cats, for all their good side, never make mistakes. I have never seen a maladroit, clumsy, or blundering cat. Dogs are sometimes fallible, occasionally able to make charming minor mistakes, but they get this way by trying to mimic their masters. Fish are flawless in everything they do. Individual cells in a tissue are mindless machines, perfect in their performance, as absolutely inhuman as bees.
--- http://www.lagcc.cuny.edu/cpe/sample1b.html

Can anyone please tell me if there is a pun in the last sentence for me?


texts: Is there a word for a gel turning into liquid?

texts:
We have a word called evaporation for liquid turning into vapour. Is there a word for something turning from gel to liquid?

The thing is that I have a plant "Aloe Vera" and it has a gel substance in it. But if you pluck it and let it rest for few days, the gel turns into liquid.

Is there a word for it?


texts:
I read this in some novel. It goes like

"There was an artists' lounge backstage. Not that anybody called it it that - only Roxana"

What does it mean here?


texts:
Do I have to use time of times in the following sentence?

'This mood is created by the fragments of which the setting is a place in times/time of war'


texts: Meaning of "By which one may see through deceit"

texts:
What is the meaning of the following sentence?

Understanding history gives clarity of vision
By which one may see through deceit.

My understanding:
Having the understanding of history(or knowing history) gives/aids/helps to take nice decisions/steps and it also helps to discern/avoid deceive and correct/truth.


texts: Should "crossed" really be there as an equivalent of this definition?

texts:
I read a definition of the word "squint" in Merriam Webster Dictionaries which was:

  of the eyes : not having the visual axes parallel : CROSSED

"Crossed" (or cross-eyed) is in fact a type of a pathological condition relating to eye known as Strabismus or squint-eyed. So I don't think it should really be there as the equivalent of the definition because it is a type of the squint-eyed disease which is broader term and the type is specific.


texts: In these sentences can I use "Being" or "to be"?

texts: Which is better for a woman.... "She loves to be herself instead to show off" or "She loves being herself instead to show off" or "She loves being and not appearing"


texts:
What is the difference between had been and went to?

When can I use—

  I had been to that temple.

And when can I use—

  I went to that temple.


texts: Do you feel any difference in meaning between these?

texts:
I am wondering if there could be any difference in meaning between these?

A. I can get it from the tap and save you pumping.

B. I can get it from the tap and save you from pumping.

C. I can get it from the tap and save you to pump.

Do you really make a distinguish between A and B? or is there any situation which make you distinguish one over the other? I cannot yet get the explanations.

Many thanks


texts: Can "of all strands" mean of "of all sorts"?

texts:
Can I use the word "strand" to mean a "sort" of a "kind" of something,
as in:

  Multiple books of all strands have been written on the issue?

If not, what would be a good alternative?


texts: I found this sentence way too complicated…is it grammatically correct?

texts:
Prince Andrew, looking again at that genealogical tree, shook his head, laughing as a man laughs who looks at a portrait so characteristic of the original as to be amusing

I got four problems in this complicated sentence:

Does "looking again at that genealogical tree" equal "who was looking again at that genealogical tree"?
Does "laughing as a man laughs…" equal "while he was laughing…"
Why is there a noun "laughs" after the man? and the "who" after the "laughs"? You know, the word "laughs" is not a person, so the "who" should be changed into "that", shouldn't it? Or maybe the word "laughs" function as a verb here rather than a noun?
Is "characteristic" here an adjective or noun? And I found a word "so" placed before it. So I guess the "characteristic" is an adjective, but there is no any prepositions before it… or maybe it is the structure of "so + adj + as to be"?


texts: Is it correct to say “ I have been working out lately”?

texts:
I want to know if is correct to say:

  I have been working out my body lately.

If the answer is yes, I want to know can I put the adverb “lately” at the beginning of the sentence or remove it directly ?


texts: Globally, blindness and visual impairment are major health problem

texts:
Here, should I write 'is' instead of 'are' in auxiliary verb?
can i use 'a major health problem'
Or Just ' major public health problem or problems

Please help me


texts:
I don't like people hurting or killing others.

Does it mean "I don't like people who are hurting or killing others."? Or  "people hurting or killing others." is about actions rather than a Relative Clause? I'm confused.


texts:
In Braveheart (1995), Robert meets Leper, who isolated in his disfiguration:

Robert: A rebellion has begun.
Leper: Under whom?
Robert: A commoner named William Wallace.
Leper: You will embrace this rebellion. Support it from our lands in
the north.  I will gain English favor by condemning it and ordering it
opposed from our  lands in the south.

What does "it" in "ordering it" refer to?


texts: Thank you for your continued support or continuous support?

texts:
When you want to thank someone for the support they give you always. Which one should I use?

Thank you for your continued support?
Thank you for your continuous support?


texts:
I'm reading an article about magic tricks and it goes:

One of the most popular tricks was to make an object appear to leap with the aid of a hidden string. “This feat is the stranger if it be done by night,” suggested the English magician William Vincent, “a candle placed between the lookers on & the juggler for by that means their eyesight is hindered from discerning the conceit.”

I'm confused about the meaning of "stranger" here. As I know, a stranger refers to someone you don't know. But this definition doesn't seem to make sense here. What does "stranger" in this context mean?


texts: A word for swings, slides, seats, seesaws, etc

texts: I'm looking for a word for the things at a place where children play on Swings, Slides, Seesaws, Climbing Frames, etc. Is there a common word in English for these in general? Like in Indian languages, we say, "jhoolay झूले (plural)". After googling for a while, I could only get the phrase "outdoor toys". I don't think it's that suitable word which I'm looking for or it may be. The word referring to those things in general should be able to be used in such sentences: Our children are playing on/at/with the _____ (plural noun). There are ____ (plural noun) in that park.


texts: English word for "repetitive, boring work"?

texts: Is there an English word for "work which is repetitive (and often boring), but which must be done"?


texts: English's imperfect tense and its imperfection

texts:
It just occurred to me that in English, when we use what Spanish would refer to as the "imperfect tense", we are actually adding a mode of termination to the action.  Whereas in Spanish, there is no termination of time.

For example

  I used to eat pennies

When you hear this phrase, most people interpret it as, ... you don't still eat pennies.  Sure, someone might be inclined to ask them, "Do you still eat pennies?"  But, the speaker used the "imperfect" tense for a reason, and that was to indicate that they don't still eat pennies.

In Spanish, it would read

  Yo comía centavos

This has three interpretations.

  I used to eat pennies

  I was eating pennies

  I ate pennies

But, the spanish sentence is not complete without context.  Without another action or state, no one reading that sentence would know when, where, why, who, etc...

In order to have the sentence make sense, you would need to add this missing context

  Yo comía centavos cuando era joven

  I used to eat pennies when I was young

A better example of this anomaly being demonstrated is in a quote by Mitch Hedburg.

  I used to do drugs; I still do, but I used to too.

He extends and negates the "termination" of doing drugs into the present, simply by saying "I still do".

What I'm getting at is that, in English, we can get away without adding context, and when that context is absent, it implies termination.

Examples:

  I used to run in the park

  He used to pick his nose

  They used to beat me

  You used to swim naked

These all imply that the action is not happening anymore.  It's almost as if the English version of the imperfect tense is... ditransitive?

I believe this question has been addressed before, but I feel as though I needed to gather more insight to what is going on.  Why is our imperfect so... non-existent?

English translation of Spanish imperfect tenses


texts: The use of the verb "cause" in the sentence

texts:
In serious cases of viral encephalitis, they can cause headaches, high fevers, lethargy, convulsions, delirium, coma, and even death.

I'd like to know whether the use of the verb "cause" in the sentence is grammatically correct. Thanks a million.


texts:
a. It was a few yards too many away.
b. It was a few too many yards away.
Are both sentences grammatically correct?
Are they both natural?


texts:
Can you explain to me why:

1 He offered me a book to read. - correct grammar
2 He offered me a spanner to fix the pipe. - correct grammar
3 He offered me a book to buy. - wrong grammar (the meaning intended
is - He suggested that I buy a book.)

They have the same structure. What's the matter?


texts:
I performed along musicians from Italy, Japan, America.

I saw the above and was wondering if it was an error, because it should be "along with" and not "along". What do you think? Is this allowed?


texts: Which tense is proper? present simple vs. past simple

texts:
After reading an article, when I want to mention the writer's opinion, which tense is proper?

For example,

  The writer claims that human right should be protected in the article above. I agree with this idea...
  The writer claimed that human right should be protected in the article above. I agree with this idea...


texts: Known as/to be, reveal as/to be, see as/to be

texts:
I am having a hard time differentiating "as" and "to be" when they are used with some verbs. What is the difference between them? I have posted some examples to understand the issue better:

  1- They soon reveal themselves to be a persistent threat to his
  life. (Original one) (https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/dec/21/y-the-last-man-by-brian-k-vaughan-and-pia-guerra-a-dystopia-built-by-women)

  2- They soon reveal themselves as a persistent threat to his
  life.

  3- We know her to be an honest person. (She is an honest person.)

  4- We know her as an honest person.

  5- Some women see him to be the last chance for future
  generations of humanity; others see him as the last memory of the
  patriarchy.

  6- Some women see him as the last chance for future generations
  of humanity; others see him as the last memory of the patriarchy.
  (Original one)


texts: Is it "be silent about" or "be silent on"?

texts: So I wonder if it is more natural, for US speakers, to say "The writing is silent about this possibility" or to say "The writing is silent on this possibility"?


texts:
I am trying to understand the metaphor "wet my beak" from the famous American movie "The Godfather: Part II".

In the film a local mafia boss in New York City tells the protagonist (an Italian immigrant who has just begun to experiment in crime):

  Young man, I hear that you and your friends are stealing goods...
  You should let me wet my beak a little.

Wikitionary says:

  wet one's beak

  (idiomatic) To drink a beverage.  [quotations ▼]

  (idiomatic, gangster
  slang) To take one's share from the financial proceeds of illicit
  activity

So, I understand that the mafia boss is saying that one wants to take his share from the financial proceeds of illicit activity. However, I an still unclear on the idea behind this metaphor.

Why is the mafia boss likening himself and the protagonist to birds? Why not some other animal, like dogs, wolves, bears, etc?

If they are birds and the water is their financial proceeds of illicit activity, then is the protagonist taking a bird bath?


texts:
You want to improve employee alignment, engagement and effectiveness as you grow your business.

I know it means:

  arrangement in a straight line, or in correct or appropriate relative positions.
  a position of agreement or alliance.

but here I don't get its meaning about employee.


texts:
Consider the following castes:

Ali has a  house in Tehran. John has a house in Paris.
Ali has two houses in Tehran. John has two houses in Paris.
Ali and John share a house in Paris.
Ali and John share two houses in Paris.

Which of the following sentences could follow each of above sentences:

Their house is big.
Their houses are big.

Similarly, what does this sentence implies: "Their cars are clean":
Each one has one or more cars or there are some cars that belonged to all.


texts: That would require that he imagine(s?) something

texts:
Which one is correct? And why?

"That would require that he imagine something."
"That would require that he imagines something."


texts:
"Wish McGonagall favored us," said Harry. Professor McGonagall was
  head of Gryffindor House, but it hadn't stopped her from giving them a
  huge pile of homework the day before.

  –– Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

The day before last is two days ago. Is the day before the same expression with the said, or is it yesterday?


texts: Is it ok to say "when sad, I often eat a lot of cakes"?

texts:
I am pretty sure we can say "You can do it when ready." but I am not sure if we can say

When sad, I often eat a lot of cakes

Of course, we can say I often eat a lot of cakes when I am sad or I often eat a lot of cakes when being sad


texts: About Asian ancestor worship, do we say "he is praying for his grandpa" or "he is worshipping his grandpa"?

texts:
Ancestor worship is very popular in Asia.

Asian people take great care in preserving the memories of their ancestors and honoring them with regular prayers and offerings. Ancestor worship is such an integral part of Asian culture that many would not even recognize it as a religion—it’s just a part of life.

Ok, that is the background.

For example, look at this picture. First the person will touch his 2 palms together like in the picture & look at the altar.

Then he will slowly bow down like in this picture

He, then, may repeat that movement 2 or more times to pray or worship.

Sometimes, he may do the same but with some burned sticks of incense between their 2 palms like in this picture

  worship [transitive] worship somebody/something to show respect for God or a god, especially by saying prayers, singing, etc.
  with other people in a religious building

  The Mayans built jungle pyramids to worship their gods.

  pray [intransitive, transitive] to speak to God, especially to give thanks or ask for help

  They knelt down and prayed.

  pray for somebody/something I'll pray for you.

  to pray for peace

  pray to somebody (for somebody/something) She prayed to God for an end
  to her sufferings.

  pray (that)… We prayed (that) she would recover from her illness.

  pray to do something He prayed to be forgiven.

  speech ‘Please God don't let it happen,’ she prayed.

do we say "he is praying for his grandpa" or "he is worshipping his grandpa"?


texts: Why is the word order in "To what tense I can refer this sentence?" wrong?

texts:
Why are the word orders of the questions wrong and in what way I can ask the same question (rephrase)?

To what tense I can refer this sentence?
To whom I can give an apple?

Thanks.


texts:
In the song "I want to Break Free" by Queen Freddie Mercury sings

  I've fallen in love for the first time
  and this time I know it's for real

Is this sentence correct, because it confuses me a little bit, that he says "first time" and "this time". "This time" implies that it happened more than one time yet, but "first time" means, that it never happened before.

Is there a way this can be correct?


texts:
Dystopias and You: What Could Happen if We’re Not Careful. (http://pezperry.uncadighist.org/dystopias-and-you-what-could-happen-if-were-not-careful/)

Can I replace the "if" with "when/whenever" without changing the sentence's meaning?

Dystopias and You: What Could Happen when (=whenever) We’re Not Careful.

Is the following sentence correct?
Dystopias and You: What Can Happen when (=whenever) We’re Not Careful.


texts: Does "As far as character goes, she is a really interesting person." mean that regarding character, this person is an interesting person?

texts: What about, "As far as interests go, I love gardening and sewing." and "As far as looks go, she is very cute." ? Does 'as far as something goes/go' mean 'regarding that thing'?


texts:
Here are my sentence:

  The discipline of my dissertation is potions under the _____ of PhD Severus Snape.

What should I put in the blank? I think it should be advisorship, but somebody tells me it should be advisorment, another one thinks it should simply be advice. Dictionaries don't define advisorship or advisorment, but I think there are a situation that these words are required.


texts: Are the suffixes -al and -ar the same adjective suffixes? if not why?

texts: This picture is about specific examples of these two suffixes.


texts: How to understand this reference to "after 30 days"?

texts:
Answer here contains this sentence.

  The system will automatically delete unlocked, unanswered questions
  that have negative score after 30 days.

My question: What happens to an unanswered question that just got downvoted on the 32nd day?

Actually the unanswered question which I am talking about has zero votes, but on the 32nd day of the posting got downvoted by some user.


texts: Is it natural to say "being happy for you"?

texts:
It's surely natural to say "I’m happy for you" and Ngram Viewer justifies it.
How about "I’m being happy for you"?  Is it natural to say that? If yes, in what situations?


texts: Placing of "be" vis-a-vis a "...ly" adverb in a sentence

texts:
I have seen many English writers in India preferring to place "...ly" adverb before "be" in a sentence . They abhor placing "...ly" adverb immediately after "be".

For example, they prefer to write:

  ... this could slowly be done.

rather than writing:

  ... this could be slowly done.

Is there a grammatical basis to support such preference? Is the other one wrong?


texts:
What does "basic" in the dialogue below mean?

  A: "Some version of the Golden Rule can be found in every culture in the world. It's universal."
  B: "I guess it really is that basic."


texts: A relative clause with a {subject, object} pronoun

texts:
This grammatical case has been bothering me for quite a while already.
On a forum, there is a post.

  Alright, now I get it. The leader can be assigned when you reach a required rank and upgrade a unit to the commander.
  After that, there is clear indication who is the captain during the selection for a mission.

The part that bothers me is who is the captain.
I am not sure if it's correct for who to be a subject because who is the captain sounds like a question to me.

I understand that the sentence can be rephrased like there's clear indication who the captain is, so who becomes an object.
However instead, I want to be finished with the stated question, and the question is:

Is the second sentence of the quote grammatically correct?


texts: Is "to be (couple of pages) in" formal or informal?

texts:
For example:

  I lost interest after I had been a couple of pages in.

Can we use this sentence in formal situations?


texts: Another phrase for "difficult task is set for somebody"

texts:
All I can formulate is the phrase "difficult task is set for somebody". I feel it sounds clumsy. What is a natural phrase to convey the following meaning?

  A difficult task is set for the government in the near future, on the one hand - to keep the budget, on the other hand - to ensure support for businesses in entrepreneurial and investment activities.


texts: What does "distilled" mean when used in a book title?

texts:
As the title says, what does it mean?

I was looking for a "domain driven design" books but there is a book called, "Domain-Driven Design Distilled".

Does it mean it's abridged? What does "Distilled" mean in the context of book title?


texts: I can ride that bike; Robbing a bank/banks can/could get him into trouble

texts:
Anyone/he/I can ride a bike. (we are talking about any bike in general)

Person A: Can you solve this problem?

Person B: Well it looks tough to me, but I can. (the speaker thinks they can solve it)
Person A: Then please solve it.

Anyone/he/I can ride that bike/your bike/the new bike in the market. (we are talking about a specific bike)

Robbing a bank/banks can/could get anyone into trouble.  (we are talking about any bank in general)

Robbing a bank/banks can/could get him into trouble. (we are talking about any bank in general)

Robbing the bank can/could get him into trouble. (we are talking about a specific bank)

Robbing the bank can/could get anyone into trouble. (we are talking about a specific bank)

What time frame does a sentence with "can" or "could" refer to? Do all of the above sentences refer to the present or to the future or are they just timeless statements?
Note: "could" is used here in the hypothetical/tentative/indirect sense, not the past of "can".


texts: What does "to have something built" mean?

texts:
This case is waiting to have pages built

It's a UI sentence, and what does "to have pages built"? Does it mean that "this case is waiting for the pages to be built"?


texts: What is the meaning of "literally spruced up" in this sentence?

texts:
I read this in Word by Word by Kory Stamper:

  Nowhere else is our institutional introversion borne out than at the Merriam- Webster holiday parties. The parties are usually held in the afternoon, in the basement of the building, which in some years is literally spruced up for the occasion.

I want to ask why the writer is emphasising "spruced up" with "literally". I mean what would "spruced up" metaphorically imply.


texts: "Two types one is [type 1] and one is [type 2]" vs "Two types one is [type 1] and other is [type 2]"

texts:
Which one of the following is grammatically correct?

Two types, one is [type 1] and one is [type 2]

OR

Two types, one is [type 1] and other is [type 2]

To me the second one sounds correct but I am not sure about the first one.
Example :

There are two types of relationships. One is needs based and other is love based.
There are two types of caches. One is Write-through cache and one is Write-back cache.


texts:
He sat on the ground and ants crawled up and bit him.

I discovered it and quickly removed them.

"Is there any ants on you?" I asked him as I am not sure I have removed all of them.

Does it sound grammatically correct?


texts: When articulating this sentence, where do you have a pause?

texts:
I could organize it that someone could win a round-trip air ticket.
Paul put it that he was going to have to make a choice.

In my case, as a second language learner, I put the pause between it and that.
How about for the native speakers??


texts: meaning of "Who do Dirk and Jake expect to see them in dreams?"

texts:
This is an example sentence from the linguistic course "The Ling Space". They've used this sentence to explain that a subject can shift when we change the sentence.

Just like them in the sentence

  Dirk and Jake expect to see them in dreams

can be transformed into this them

  "Who do Dirk and Jake expect to see them in dreams?"

But what does it mean?


texts:
Let's say you didn't say what you have to say in a meeting, which took place in the past.(the idiom I decided to use is 'chicken out')

Then, your friend had told you this:

  I thought you needed to say something, but it seemed you had chickened out

Is the past perfect verb tense usage + chicken out grammatical?


texts: What do you call a person who checks emails too frequently?

texts:
I'm searching for the term (and trust me, I had read it somewhere) that refers to a person who checks emails too frequently.

It's a sort of obsessive compulsive disorder. I want this term because I come across such people too frequently these days. After all, mails are now available on smartphones.


texts: Can "in front of" be followed by an abstract concept?

texts:
Above, the square in front of the entrance to the bank's headquarters in Siena.

Reading several occurrences of "in front of" in The New York Times, I observed that this phrase is always followed by a material object: "the entrance", like in the case above; but there are other words like "a subway train", "a cafe", "him" and so on.

I did not observe, on the contrary, occurrences of "in front of" followed by an abstract object or entity. As I'm Italian, I consider this circumstance notable because we often use "in front of" followed by abstract entities: "in front of a miracle I would be shocked" and  "in front of such arrogance I recede" are only two examples illustrating how "in front of" works in Italian.

So, question is: Can we use "in front of" followed by an abstract thing? If not, what phrase should we use to express a similar concept?


texts: "On the double", is it old-fashioned?(american English)

texts:
Under an explation of "on the double" by the Free Dictionary about "on the double", is it used in day-to-day conversations:

  Rapidly; faster than one normally goes.

    Can you please drive on the double?

    Yes, we'll be there on the double!

    Get over here right now—on the double!

    She wants to see you in her office on the double.

(Actually they've written that it's primarily heard in the UK and Australia,  but I heard it on an American show.....)

https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/on+the+double


texts:
When I talk about somebody's features, if I want to use his or her name, should I use "the" before his/her name with possession? please take notice of the fallowing sentences and let me know which one is correct.

1- Punctuality is one of John's features.

2- Punctuality is one of the John's features.


texts:
I don't understand what an author wants to say. A distinction between what and what? Between "counter-culture publications, risque niche programming, art house movies" and "cable television"? Or between network and cable? I'm confused.

  The Simpsons openly rebelled against the staid world of television and
  remorselessly mocked American society. Even in the 1980s, neither of
  those were novel concepts. But unlike counter-culture publications,
  risque niche programming, and art house movies that trafficked in the
  same sentiment, The Simpsons was beamed directly into the vast
  majority of American homes. Marge and Homer were just as available in
  Kansas as they were in New York.

  That is a distinction that has become less important in the days of
  satellite television, DVDs, broadband internet, and smart phones, but
  it was vital at the time. The influence the three television networks
  exerted over American culture is hard to comprehend today. Americans
  see only a handful of movies per year and read even fewer books. But
  that same mythically average American watches hours of television
  every day. For the overwhelming majority of people, the chattering
  cyclops was their cultural keystone, and it was dominated by just
  three organizations.

  source


texts:
I was frying a fish in the kitchen.

He was standing close to the stove.

  "Move back. You will burn yourself."

  "Move back. You will spill yourself."

  "Move back. You will get spilled."

When an oil spills on hand, can I use "burn"?


texts: Wondering what the word "geopolitical" refer to in the context

texts:
Parliamentary approval of the pact would pave the way for greater economic integration between the two former geopolitical foes, by opening 80 of China's service sectors to Taiwan and 64 Taiwan sectors to China.

From REUTERS

Based on my perception it has to do with "people of a country being enemy to the people of another country". I think when we say "two geopolitical foes" we do not mean that the two governments are enemies.  It means that this hostility has to with cultural differences.


texts:
Q: Is it ethical to send email to everyone who visits my Web site, or all of my customers?
  A: Funny you should ask... seriously, though, it is often tempting for people to send
  “bulk email” to large groups of people in order to pique their interest in a new feature
  on their site, or let them know about a great deal they’re offering. You should
  resist this temptation. You should never send bulk email to people who haven’t
  given you permission to include them on your mailing list. Regardless of whether
  such a practice is ethical, doing so will make you extremely unpopular with a significant
  number of people.

How do you understand the part in bold?


texts: How should I use the word, “mean” in a question when regarding about the past?

texts:
I’m writing an essay about how I thought I was as a kid and I’m starting off with a particular question, but I’m stuck in what tense the word, “mean” should be in.

Should the sentence be...
“Did I know what the word, ‘love’ mean?”,
“Did I know what the word, ‘love’ means?”,
or “Did I know what the word, ‘love’ meant?”


texts:
Being given a task to unite different sentences into one by using conjunctions, I faced a little question to be answered.

  The man didn't leave. He didn't receive a definite answer. (till)

My variant was:

  The man hadn't left till he received a definite answer.

The key says:

  The man didn't leave till he had received a definite answer.

I don't know why, but I think the second variant is better. I have run out of good ideas why, though. I can assume that it is a time clause (as we we said about future: "don't say nothing until you've done it"), may be that is the only one matter. He didn't leave - is previous, later one (receiving) happened after it.


texts: What does "extended audiotape" means? I found the meaning for "extended" and found out that it means "prolonged". Then does "extended audiotape" mean a tape that plays for long time?


texts:
I saw the parenthesized material in a verbal book.

VANGUARD (VAN-gahrd)
ADEPT (uh-DEPT)
SATURATED (SACH-uh-RAY-tid)

I guess the material belongs to a type of marking for pronunciation. Can anyone tell me how to understand this type of marking? Thank you.


texts: Meaning - I am no atheist, in fact further from that

texts:
I wrote this sentence -

  I am no atheist, in fact further from that.

When you read this sentence what meaning you get? I wanted to mean that "I am no atheist. In fact I am quite opposite. Though I have not exclusively said that I am opposite of atheist. But yet I just gave a hint".

Am I right?


texts: I often find the following phrase (as a task title, for example): "verify if the new version of the library solves the following issues list". Isn't the "if" redundant in that context (so the phrase should be "verify the new version ...")?


texts:
a. That is a beautiful, if quaint, dress.
Would you say that sentence corresponds to:

That is a beautiful, although quaint, dress.

or to

a. That is a beautiful, although maybe quaint, dress.

Does (a) say it is quaint or does it say it might be considered quaint?
Interestingly the American Heritage Dictionary has both possibilities:
https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=if
Meaning 2 is the one I have in mind.


texts: Go across the street Vs Cross the street

texts:
If you need to get into the pharmacy...

  ...go across the street, you will get into the pharmacy located there.

vs:

  ...cross the street, you will get into the pharmacy located there.


texts: What is the meaning of staying on station in an aerospace context?

texts:
The RQ-180 is smaller than that concept, and it is not clear whether it will
  conduct strike missions. It is similar
  in size and endurance to the Global
  Hawk, which weighs 32,250 lb. and can
  stay on station for 24 hr. 1,200 nm from
  its base. The much smaller RQ-170 is
  limited to 5-6 hr. of operation.

What is the meaning of on station in the above paragraph? and I also don't understand the nm part in 24hr.1,200 nm.


texts:
I want to know how to reply when I want to check it would be proper and right  in a polite manner. I'd like to ask whether I understood well.

For example,

  Do I need to hold the figure in both policies?

  Do I have to hold the figure in both policies?

Otherwise, could you advise me if there is better sentence?

For example, I mean if I receive email at work as including "please reserve USD 10,000" and there is 2 policies: A policy and B policy. I think the figure need to be applied both policies. In that case, I want to know I want to make sure it is correct what I think in polite and tender way.


texts: What's the meaning of "institute" in this context?

texts:
The following is a passage from an article on The Hollywood Walk of Fame:

  However, receiving a star on the famed walk isn't all, well, receiving. It turns out it actually costs you money. Or at least it costs the person or entity nominating you.

  This fee was instituted in 1980 at $2,500 to fund the walk's upkeep and minimize taxpayer burden. As of 2012, this fee had reached $30,000.

I've looked up the word on Dictionary.com and it seems there are several definitions(def.1-4) that could fit the context, but is there a specific one that's most appropriate? The definitions of institute from Dictionary.com are:

  verb (used with object)
  1. to set up; establish; organize: to institute a government.
  2. to inaugurate; initiate; start: to institute a new course in American literature.
  3. to set in operation: to institute a lawsuit.
  4. to bring into use or practice: to institute laws.
  5. to establish in an office or position.
  6. Ecclesiastical . to assign to or invest with a spiritual charge, as of a parish.


texts: launch or launching , how their uses are different?

texts:
Right before the launch,  engineers expressed concerns about mechanical malfunctions and advised that the launching be postponed.

In this sentence,  which is better and how are they different?

I wonder when there is no following object of gerund, what determines whether I use noun or gerund?


texts:
Followings are the excerpt from an almanac, explaining the state of Vermont, U.S. Should the expression "were so opposed" read "so opposed"?

  Vermont is particularly known for the independent nature of its
  people. They were so opposed to slavery that the Georgia
  legislature once voted humorously that “…the whole state should be
  made into an island and towed out to sea.”


texts: Can we replace "firefighting team" with "it"?

texts:
Does it make sense to replace firefighting team with it if the word firefighting team was never mentioned? I am not a native English speaker, but it sounds odd to say it to refer to firefighting team.

  "I remember getting a call from the fire department commander, telling
  me that they were not sure they were gonna be able to contain the
  fire, and I said, 'We've had such terrible loss of life, maybe the
  smartest thing to do is pull it.' And they made that decision to
  pull and then we watched the building collapse." Larry Silverstein


texts: Were started overboard into... What does it mean?

texts:
I came across this piece while reading The Ghost of Art by Charles Dickens:

It appears to me as if there were too much talk and too much law - as
if some grains of truth were started overboard into a tempestuous sea
of chaff.

I don't understand the grammar. Shouldn't it be "were started to overboard into..." or "were starting overboarding into"?


texts:
Someone was trying to make a ponytail.  So by mistake that person made it off to one side,(off-center i.e.
 not in the middle of the head) ,will it be natural to say:

  I did my ponytail a little bit on the side.(the person who made it, said that)

  Your  ponytail is on the side a bit. (The other person comments on it).

Or should it be:

  I: "I did my ponytail a little bit off to one side."

  The other person: "Your ponytail is a little bit off to one side".

????


texts:
From a grammar book I've learned that with phrasal verbs there are two possible word orders (except using a pronoun for the object):

I need to fill out this form. / Turn off the TV!
I need to fill this form out. / Turn the TV off!

But I am wondering if these two possibilites are really completely equal in meaning and feeling. Are they?

Furthermore, there are phrasal verbs with objects introduced by prepositions like "to come up with sth". Are the two possibilities still valid for them?

She came up with a good idea.
She came with a good idea up.

The last one doesn't sound right to me. Am I wrong?


texts:
There were huge machines at his plant.
There were large machines at his plant.

Which one sounds better? Are they both grammatical? Could you please explain any differences between the two as they are both very confusing for me.


texts: First "numbers" count nouns is plural or singular?

texts:
So I have this line of sentence:

  This only applies to the first 100 people signing up.

When I see the word "applies", I am confused, is "first 100" plural, or singular? Or it should've been "apply"?


texts:
Would it be correct to use an apostrophe in this sentence:

  High variations in dogs' diet may induce health issues.


texts: Is there any difference between 'because' and 'because of that'?

texts:
1.The reason she’s so irritable is because she’s tired.

  2.The reason she’s so irritable is because of that she’s tired.

Is there any difference in meaning between 'because' and 'because of that'?

Would anybody like to tell me the difference?


texts:
Would it be correct "he makes an impression of an honest politician" meaning he seems to be an honest politician?

I'm sorry if my question duplicates any of the previous questions. Thanks!


texts: When we use singular form of Property when we refer to multiple properties?

texts:
In some advertisement websites (such as Gumtree, Zoopla or Friday AD) they use Property to indicate the category name (as a group).

However they use plural forms for any other categories such as Cars, Jobs, Services, etc.

So why exactly and when we use singular form for Property word if we refer to multiple Properties (as category)?

Is usage of Properties word instead as category name is wrong in this case?


texts:
What does "the bitter one" mean in these lyrics?

She's taking her time making up the reasons
To justify all the hurt inside
Guess she knows from the smile and the look in their eyes
Everyone's got a theory about the bitter one
They're saying, "Mamma never loved  her much"
And, "Daddy never keeps in touch
That's why she shies away from  human affection
But somewhere in a private place
She packs her bags for outer space
And now she's waiting for the right kind of pilot to come.

from "To the Moon and back" by Savage Garden


texts:
In the science article, I found this sentence.

  In order to perform these distinct functions, proteins rely on the
  precise 3D arrangement of functional groups — referred to as the
  protein fold.

I think something should be after 'to' as an object.
But why it is like that? and what does it mean?


texts:
I would like somebody to explain this colloquial structure to me:

  Contrastive focus reduplication (also lexical cloning, the double construction) is a type of syntactic reduplication found in some languages that indicates the prototypical meaning of the repeated word or phrase, a form of retronymy. The term word word was coined by U.S. writer Paul Dickson in 1982 to describe this.

  The first part of the reduplicant bears contrastive intonational stress.

The authors of the original article note that a number of examples was collected in a "reduplication corpus" they have gathered:

  SALAD-salad (refers to the original meaning of green salad.)
  AUCKLAND-Auckland (refers to the New Zealand city, of all cities with this name.)
  "I’m up, I’m just not UP–up" — (Language Log noticed that this example from the "Contrastive focus reduplication" paper was pinched by Zits.)


texts: can we write 'I know the name what is his.' as complex of 'I know his name' instead of 'I know his name'

texts: Can we write 'I know the name what is his' as complex of 'I know his name' instead of 'I know what his name is'?


texts: foods vs food, which one should we choose?

texts:
The first sentence:

The sad truth is that most of us have been brought up to eat certain foods and we stick to them all our lives.

The second sentence:

There are countless people who, ever since their early years, have learned to associate snails with food.

When should we use food and foods?


texts: "I regret that Mary said that John had bought {something / anything} in that shop"

texts:
In the following sentences, would you, native English speakers, use the "any" form or the "some" form?

Thank you very much!

a) I regret that Mary said that John had bought {something / anything} in that shop.

b) I regret that it happened that everyone bought {something / anything} in those terrible shops.
        [please imagine that "everyone" refers to a group of tourists]

c) He regrets that Mary believed that John had invited {someone / anyone} to her party.

d) He regrets that Mary knew that {someone / anyone} was saying bad things about her.

e) She regrets that {someone / anyone} has read this book.

(This last one is a little bit different in its structure.)


texts: Why "would you rather..." not "will you rather..."?

texts:
I was writing a paragraph where I had to include two questions. They are (not exactly):

  Will you reject the offer? Or would you rather embrace it knowing it is to your advantage?

It is for sure "would" in the second question, but since I have stated the first question with "will", I thought it would be more grammatical for both questions to be in the same tense, so it would be either "would" or "will".

However, the first question doesn't sound very properly with "would", and I think the reason is that it has some determination in it, and because it refers to a doing that may be taken in the near future.

I have searched for a question with "will + rather", but it seems that they can't be combined together; why?

According to the Oxford Dictionary, would rather is used to indicate one's preference in a particular matter.

And rather means to a certain or significant extent or degree.

Which doesn't indicate a low possibility as to attach it with "would".


texts: "Restrictive clause with indefinite article vs definite article"

texts:
1) A person who is poor  has to face a lot of problems in daily life.

2) The person who is poor has to face a lot of problems in daily life.

As far as rules are concerned, we use "definite article " creating restrictive clause . What's the problem with "Indefinite article ". It's always incorrect to use indefinite article? Sentence number (1) incorrect? Please explain.


texts: Should I use "except one" or "except for one" in the following sentence?

texts:
All the articles were all about murder cases. Well, except (for) one:
  an article about ...

Do I need the "for"? Why or why not?


texts:
their efficacy against all symptomatic cases of the disease found in trials has been lower, ranging between 66% and 95%. Some of that range is down to intrinsic differences between the vaccines.

Source: The Economist
What does the bold text mean?
It clearly makes no sense if I understand "intrinsic differences between the vaccines" as the number of range.


texts:
There is a short word meaning responding to someone in a indifferent or perfunctory way. It just escapes me
It is a very short word, maybe three or four letters. It may be a verb. When someone is talking to you, but you are not interested and don't care about what they say, so you want to brush them off or just say one or two words (such as OK, all right) to phone it in.
Can someone help me conjure this word up?


texts: What is the expression for "take a bite"?

texts:
Suppose I want to say

  After ELL was launched it took a bite in the traffic of ELU's traffic.

Here by took a bite I want to convey that ELL has snatched some of the traffic of ELU. So what is the common ideal expression to convey the same meaning?


texts: Smarter vs Smartest when referring to twins?

texts:
In the case of "Spencer was the smartest of the twins" is it appropriate to write smartest or would it be better to use smarter instead as there are only two.

Thanks in advance!


texts: Do you use expressions like "I have two (or three, four.....) valuables in my suitcase."?

texts:
A grammar book I'm reading now explains, "the word valuables is a plural noun, but unlike many others, phrases like three valuables is possible although a/one valuable is impossible".
Googling such phrases, however, I can find no similar ones. If the book's explanation is correct, that means expressions like "I have about six or seven valuables in my suitcase." are just okay.
Does that way of expression sound natural to you?


texts: What is the difference between "fold back" and "fold up"?

texts:
I am trying to describe how to form the shape shown in the above picture. The following is my example:

  Fold back/up a strip of paper several times such that the folds are
  stacked.

According to my dictionaries, what I want to say corresponds to "fold back" or "fold up". Which of the two is better for the shape in the picture?


texts: he ran to the school meaning ? does it mean he started running towards or he reached the spot by running

texts:
I want to know exact meaning because I am writing stories but I have some doubts regarding usage.
I know.

  "he ran from home" means left home and started running.

and

  " he ran a mile " means he completed running a mile.

also

  "he ran up to the school" means he ran until he reach the school/a park.

but what does

  "he ran from home to the school/a park"

mean? Does it mean he started running from home toward the school or does it mean he reached the school by running.

and what does

  "he ran to the school/a park "

mean. Does it mean he ran towards the school or does it mean he reached the school by running.

Please explain different usages and its meanings of the verb ran (in the question i am talking about the verb. not difference between school or the school .in the above examples. i have used the school to indicate the destination like a park. a forest etc.)


texts: What is the difference between /tr/ & /tʃ/?

texts:
I'm very confused!

A youtube video explained /tr/ should be pronounced like /tʃr/. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNHI1biK0-4.

Another youtube video explained /tr/ should be pronounced like /t/ & /r/ and try to make a quick link between 2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMAv3B5xMZc.

So which one is correct?

/TR/ is the most difficult sound I have ever known. In other words, how can I distinguish between "cheese" & "trees"; "choose" & "true"?


texts: Using another word instead of "in other words" in a sentence

texts:
Is there any other form to use instead of in other words in this sentence?

  this toy provides children to learn how to use their ability in other words, children can learn new things from the toy.


texts: "Despite ill, Lisa went on stage" or "Despite being ill, Lisa went on stage"?

texts:
I am not sure if this sentence "Despite ill, Lisa went on stage" sounds ok?

In this book, it said "Despite being ill, Lisa went on stage".

But, I think "Despite ill, Lisa went on stage" and "Despite being ill, Lisa went on stage" are the same.


texts: verb agreement with "and not" in subject

texts:
Which of the following two sentences is correct?

The teacher, and not the students, is speaking.
The teacher, and not the students, are speaking.


texts: question about different between two sentence

texts:
Yesterday  I couldn't find my wallet anywhere but this morning I found it.

Yesterday I could not have found my wallet anywhere but this morning I found it.

What's the difference between them?


texts:
Should dates be written like this: "the 26th of April"?
This is how students of English write dates in local schools. (In Russia) .


texts: Please get up quickly, "so"/"or" you'll be late for school

texts:
Please get up quickly, so you'll be late for school.

Please get up quickly, or you'll be late for school.

Which is the correct one? So or or?


texts: Should I write "commence working AT any level" or "commence working FROM any level"?

texts:
Is this sentence natural? If not, how can I correct it more natural?

  Although I have previous experience, I am also considering to commence working at any level to gain understanding of the field.

Does this sentence sound natural? I think it should be commence working from any level. Or if there is another expression, could somebody let me know?


texts: I had myself sit in the driver's seat. : Is this possible?

texts:
I said (1)'I had myself sit in the driver's seat' by mistake in the sense that (2)he let me sit in the driver's seat. How about (3)'He gave me a ride in the driver's seat' ?

Are these (1) (2) (3) too too strange? Or, can we use any one if I want to?


texts:
Is the first example correct and natural? Is it strictly necessary to state "more than that" in this context?

  How much did your shoes cost? ₤60? – No, more.

  How much did your shoes cost? ₤60? – No, more than that.

TIA


texts:
Is "I posted this inspiring excerpt share with everyone" correct in grammar?  Should it be "I posted this inspiring excerpt to share with everyone"?

Sam Harris retweeted:  I recently read Lee Smolin's "Einstein's Unfinished Revolution" in preparation for my conversation with him for my audio series. I was so moved by the epilogue, I posted this inspiring excerpt share with everyone. Enjoy!


texts: The movie THAT I want to see is called ... or... the movie I want to see is called

texts:
The movie that I want to see is called...

or

  The movie I want to see is called....

From reading up on it I understand that both are grammatically correct, but why is the one without that used more? (more matches in Google)

Thanks


texts: "Who is speaking with each other?" Is this correct?

texts:
When who and what are used to ask for the subject of a clause, they most often have singular verbs, even if the question expects a plural answer.

Practical English Usage, Michael Swan, Third edition, Page 525

So we say:

  A: Who is speaking?
  Q: John and David are speaking.

How about this one? Is it correct to ask:

  A: Who is speaking with each other?

For this answer:

  Q: John and David are speaking with each other.


texts:
I’ve been searching about the usage of prepositional phrase as a pseudo-noun, and I’ve found that when it’s used as a subject, the frequency of the usage is like locational meaning > temporal meaning > the others(so rare). However, I can’t really see the coherence in other usage, as an object to verbs or prepositions.
I think the usage as an object to verbs is just like that as subjects, and that as an object to prepositions is more complicated and collocational problem. Can you enlighten me...?


texts: What is an alternative for "until now" in this context?

texts:
Actually the title is not exactly what I mean, but I cannot find a better way to describe this question.

Consider this sentence:

  That's the only response I've got for my question ____.

If I put "until now" in there, I think it means:

  Even though there was only one answer, now there are two (or more).

However, what I really want to say is:

  Even now, there's still only one answer.

Is there a word or phrase to put in the blank for the intended meaning?


texts: Present or past tense after “he told me that…”?

texts:
My wife's textbook says that these two are the same:

He said to me, "I want you to join the game."
He told me (that) he wanted me to join the game.

I'm not a native English speaker, but in this situation I would say "He told me (that) he wants me to join the game."

Maybe I'm wrong, but to me wanted in the second sentence indicates that while he previously did want, he didn't want it anymore when he spoke to me.

In which situations do you use the past tense (e.g. wanted) when you report on what someone told you? In which situations do you use the present tense (e.g. wants)? I would appreciate some example sentences as well.


texts:
I read a sentence

  And so my early OOP experiments were riddled with surprising behaviors and odd bugs.

Riddle means to make a lot of holes in something

In Etymology Dictionary says:

  "perforate with many holes," 1817 (implied in riddled), earlier "sift" (early 13c.), from Middle English ridelle "coarse sieve," from late Old English hriddel "sieve," altered by dissimilation from Old English hridder "sieve" (see riddle (n.2)).

The problem is that riddle has no shared part with hole and sieve.

I try to imagine double d has two holes but a bit naive.

How to analyze 'riddle' literally.


texts: question form of the modal verbs in different structures

texts:
Can I use such kind of question forms in the Past perfect form?

Had I had to be sent there?-Passive Voice

Had I had to have my car washed?-Passive Causative

Had I had to have guns?-the main meaning of verb "To have"


texts: Why can "core" be a plural form of "core"?

texts:
According to WordHippo:

  The noun core can be countable or uncountable.

  In more general, commonly used, contexts, the plural form will also be
  core.

  However, in more specific contexts, the plural form can also be cores
  e.g. in reference to various types of cores or a collection of cores.

But doesn't it seem that in the general case the word actually is uncountable? Merriam-Webster or Oxford dictionaries don't say anything about its plural form.

Another point: Google Ngram shows that "to their core" is used more than "to their cores" 38 times. Does this mean that "core" in this case is not specific? But the word "their" indicates that the context is specific.


texts:
What should your position be , relative to your friend in a row ?

For example , teacher or commander told us to form a line . But I don't know where I will stand either behind my friend or in front of my friend? In this case I asked to my teacher what I should ask? He said me the sentence above . I asked him If I can say sentence below . He said yes . But I couldn’t understand what comma means here .Is it relative clause which modife the word ''position'' . I mean shouldn’t “relative to your friend “ be after “position”? I mean would it means same if I say;

  What should your position that is relative to your friend be in a row ?


texts:
If I had lots of money (A)/I would give some to anybody (B)/ who asked for it (C)/No Error (D)

If the above sentence correct ? Generally the structure /construction is to use would have with had e.g. If he had seen you he would have stopped the car. But I guess had here in above given sentence is acting as main verb so it fine to use would without have in part B of sentence, but what about part C, is that correct ? Perhaps since its a wish of present its better to use asks instead of asked, Am I correct ?


texts: "It is in this house that he was born" vs "where"

texts:
I strongly believe that "It is in this house that he was born." is correct but I am struggling to explain why we cannot use "... where he was born." Here is my explanation below. Is my reasoning correct?

Because of “in.”  Where were you born?  “I was born in London.” = “London is where I was born.” = “It is London where I was born.” = “It is in London that I was born.”


texts: tense agreement (the simple past tense and the past perfect tense)

texts:
I found this sentence below in a test passage:

  He had only become a dog-lover in later life when Jofi was given to him by his daughter Anna.

Why is "Jofi was" used when the tense of the main clause is the past perfect tense?


texts:
I have two questions.
1. Should I use article 'the' before 'use of'?
2. Is this sentence fragment grammatically correct?

  Project is aiming to present a method with use of [name] algorithm to ensure ...


texts:
Are all these sentences below correct and interchangeable?

  1) It has more to do with that I am lazy than that I am tired.

  2) It has more to do with the fact that I am lazy than that I am tired.

  3) It has more to do with the fact that I am lazy than the fact that I am tired.

  4) It has more to do with that I am lazy rather than that I am tired.

  5) It has more to do with the fact that I am lazy rather than that I am tired.

  6) It has more to do with the fact that I am lazy rather than the fact that I am tired.

(4. 5. and the 6. sentences are the same as the first three sentences except that I changed "than" to "rather than")

One more question: Are these sentences correct and interchangeable?

  7) It has to do with the fact that I am lazy rather than that I am tired.

  8) It has to do with that I am lazy rather than that I am tired.

My opinion on these eight sentences: I guess I have to use the phrase "the fact that" after the word "with", but I think I can use the word "that" after "than", and I guess it is better to use "that" after "than" or "rather than" instead of using "the fact that". Also I think "rather than" and "than" are interchangeable in the first six sentences I gave.  What do you think?


texts:
Why does second of -which is at immediate before comma- use in the sentence below?

What does it specify? (which subject, object or etc.)

  In Spain, as in the rest of world that I know of, the VAT tax (value
  added) is included in the price.

This is one of the questions that makes me confused.

Thank you very much in advance.


texts: Why is it incorrect to say: 'I am surprised that how much money they want to pay him'?

texts:
I was looking at prepositions with my student, and they asked why the sentence:

'I am surprised that how much money they want to pay him.'

is incorrect.
As a native speaker I know that it would be better to say:

'I am surprised by how much money they want to pay him.'

but I am not sure why 'surprised that' can't be followed by 'how much'. If anyone could shed some light on the rules about when 'surprised that' can and can't be used, it would be very helpful.


texts: Would "You were welcome" imply that this isn't anymore the case?

texts:
Someone told me he was thankful for being invited to my party.
I guess saying "I was thankful" is used because the party is now over, so the feeling of being thankful faded away.

Would I answer "You are welcome"?

Or would I have to answer "You were welcome"?

Im a little bit unsure, since "You were welcome" could imply in my understanding that I'm not welcoming it anymore.

Is that right?


texts: What does it mean? Will I have to draw the circle first and then cover its boundaries with rope or make the circle out of the rope

texts:
I am reading a wicca practice book but I can't understand one page because the language is not clear.

You will be casting a circle within which to work your magic. Begin by taking the long rope, which will form the boundary of your circle. Lay the rope down clockwise (deosil) in a circle around the area in which you will be practicing magic.

Does this mean I have to draw a circle first and then lay the rope on it or does it mean that I have to make a circle from the rope?

What confuses me is the last step that is closing the circle

You may now remove the candles and rope from the circle counter-clockwise (widdershins) and clean and tidy the space.

It says you may now remove the candles and rope from the circle.?

I would interpret it as I have to draw the circle first
and then cover its boundaries with rope


texts: How many "reps" of each exercise do you do?

texts:
What does "reps" mean in this sentence?

  "How many reps of each exercise do you do?"


texts: What does "scratching the proverbial itch" mean?

texts:
I have encounter this phrase in a few occasions but I couldn't fully understand the meaning of it.

In order to try and make this question more complete I searched the web for examples of this phrase:

From: HuffPost Politics

  ...his rhetoric is scratching the proverbial itch of Americans...

From: Working at Booking.com

  Some of our most useful hacks inside the company have come from
  someone scratching the proverbial itch.

From: Detailgal Blog

  My husband quit a solid job in the name of scratching the proverbial
  itch that hasn't gone away in over 10 years.

From these examples I figured that it should mean something around the lines of "solving something that bothers you", but I would like to confirm whether this is true and to what extent.


texts: What is the grammatical function of "from across"?

texts:
In the following sentence what is the function of "from across"?

Professionals from across the country are coming to London.

I think it functions as a preposition but I'm not sure.


texts:
I was trying to create a sentence about a mistake and Iwas trying to be thorough using the word precisely.

The sentence was:

  My mistake was precisely in that part of the text...

When I used the Google Translate to get a similar sentence from Portuguese to English, I had a suggestion to use the word lay instead of was.

The suggested sentece was:

  My mistake lay precisely in that part of the text...

Since I not found any tips in the dictionary, my question is: can I uselay instead of was in any situation? if not, how can I know when use this substitution?


texts: Is 'such' a pronoun in "Such were the extremes of emotion that Mr. Ramsay excited in his children’s breasts"?

texts:
I have a question about the passage.  Is the word "such" a pronoun and what does it refer to?

  Had there been an axe handy, a poker, or any weapon that would have gashed a hole in his father’s breast and killed him, there and then, James would have seized it. Such were the extremes of emotion that Mr. Ramsay excited in his children’s breasts by his mere presence; standing, as now, lean as a knife, narrow as the blade of one, grinning sarcastically, not only with the pleasure of disillusioning his son and casting ridicule upon his wife, who was ten thousand times better in every way than he was (James thought), but also with some secret conceit at his own accuracy of judgement.

from the part 1 of the novel "To the Lighthouse" by Virginia Woolf.

https://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/w/woolf/virginia/w91t/part1.html


texts: What is a word that describes the area between centre and edge?

texts:
I am looking for a proper word that define a location or an area between centre point and edge point of a plain/ place.

Centre of the forest ............ (What?) of the forest .............. Perimeter/ edge of the forest.

I had come to a dictionary but still I can not get the definition.
(https://www.macmillandictionary.com/thesaurus-category/british/the-outer-parts-of-objects-or-spaces)

Would you suggest some words for that?


texts:
I have seen a company description as follows:
We [company name] is a specialized manufacturer of…
Is the verb agreement correct here?


texts:
Here's a bit of an old Washington Post's article on Emmanuel Macron:

  In three months in power, the new head of state has been reluctant to grant interviews, preferring to deliver lengthy orations in the halls of Versailles, France's historic seat of absolute monarchy, and such regal optics have not played well with the media and the public.

The meaning of the bold part can be easily inferred, something along the lines of acting like a monarch. But when I look up optics, I cannot see the image the phrase is trying to create in readers' minds. How does optics relate to the context here?


texts: "How was your travel ?" why 'travel' is recognised to be wrong here while 'trip' isn't?

texts:
I want to figure out the reason as to why we can't say How was your travel?  Some say that's because travel as a noun is rarely used and when it's used it should be in plural so does that mean we could ask -  How were your travels ? instead? Then here comes another question - How is it possible for uncountable noun to be used in plural form? If the sole "travel"(n) is considered to have a general meaning then would it be right to form the same question by using the compound form - How was your business travel? or where did you go on your business travel?

As you've noticed, I'm going over one type of question because I want to dive more in a sense than sort of grammar trivials. My aim is to know the key thing - the connotation travel owns itself as a noun which makes it unable to be used interchangeably with trip in this perspective. In my opinion there has to be a reasonable explanation about why travel doesn't fit in with the above question. Hope I could get it across what I'm trying to say and get decent answers with a logical approach.


texts: What does "past exam papers were not made available for the multiple choice examination" mean? Does it mean the past exam paper will not be on this exam and it is not worth looking at it? Or the past exam result will not be taken into account for this coming exam?


texts: Die or Dice when talking about several at the same time, but individually

texts:
I am aware that "Die" is the singular and "Dice" is the plural. What I'm trying to figure out is how you refer to one when talking about a groups individual parts.

IE: When talking about a group of people, you use "people". But if talking about the individuals, it's acceptable to use "persons" when talking about each one as an individual. "“Eight persons shared a single room” http://www.worldwidewords.org/articles/people.htm

I'm curious as to whether it would be correct to say something like "All die landed with a 6 on top." or "All die showed a different number".


texts:
1.A Cut the onion in small pieces.
1.B Cut the onion into small pieces.
2.A I broke it in two pieces.
2.B I broke it into two pieces.
3.A I broke it in half.
3.B I broke it into half.

Is it obligatory to use "into" in all of the sentences above?


texts: Confusion of comparative adjective and/or adverb in a sentence

texts:
An adjective is that which tells something about a noun or a pronoun. And an adverb is that which describes a verb. However, I find sentences where an adjective is used to describe a verb as follows:

He writes slower than me.
He writes slower than I do.

Are the above sentences correct?


texts: Is the sentence “He wanted that she woke him up at 8 o'clock” correctly constructed?

texts:
I am really confused about this sentence construction. I wanted to know which is better. I could think about these structures, but I don't know which of them are correct.

He wanted that she woke him up at 8 o'clock.
He wanted her to woke him up at 8 o'clock.
He wanted her to wake him up at 8 o'clock.
He wanted to be awaken by her at 8 o'clock.

I did a little research and I found that a sentence constructed as 3 (He wanted her to wake him up at 8 o'clock) would be better than 1 (He wanted that she woke him up at 8 o'clock), but I didn't understand why. Is 1 wrong? Do 1 and 3 have the same meaning?


texts: What words I can use for constant in this context?

texts:
I want to use a word which means constant in this context, which is kind of in negative sense

  Opportunities/prospects, in the beginning, in this company are massive,  but after a few years growth will be constant.

Basically what I am trying to imply is that after sometime things will be very boring with no new opportunities just the same thing over and over again. Synonyms of constant like steady, stable don't really work for me as they have, in my opinion, positive connotation while I want words with negative connotation?


texts:
"Write like a monkey". Meaning and why monkey?

Harvey was arguing with his opponent's counselor for a merger deal. The counselor happened to be his old classmates in HLS.

S01E07

  Harvey: Is that a joke? Am I laughing? Look, I may not have been awake during our M&A clinic.

  Dana: Except for when you were copying my notes.

  Harvey: Which was no walk in the park. You write like a monkey. But in any case, due diligence is a requirement.

I couldn't find the usage from most dictionaries, but I guess it meant Dana could write very quickly. If I were right, why monkey? I couldn't find the etymology either.

"Burning bush" meaning

Mike found himself hard to follow Louis' and Harvey's orders at the same time. He didn't know who he had to listen to.

S01E08

  Mike: I'm still working on Harvey's case.

  Louis: Jerome Jensen can go screw himself for all I care.

  Mike: But Harvey explicitly told me

  Louis: I don't care if a burning bush told you, Mike.
  The only commandments you need to focus on right now come from me.

For this one, I found that it can be a bushes with bright, red, autumn leaves or it can be some kind of sexual innuendo. Neither of the two fit. I think burning bush here means something imperative.

"Paddle his bottom" meaning

Jessica, Harvey, and Louis were in some hotel's open bar, possibly meeting up with some potential clients. Harvey and Louis were arguing with each other over some trifles.

S01E10

  Jessica: Okay, boys. You don't want me to give you a time out, now do you?

  Harvey: I'd be willing to stand in a corner, if you agree to paddle his bottom.

  Louis: Oh, that's hilarious.

Why use the verb "paddle"? Does "paddle his bottom" here mean for Jessica to give Louis a lesson or to reassure Louis. Since I found in Merriam Webster that "paddle" can mean "caress".


texts: My little sister bought a dog yesterday. But since keeping pets is not my thing (I'm too scared of them), I havent been even able to bring myself  to touch or pat it. So what should I say? That I'm not a pet person?


texts: What is the difference between 'at first sight' and 'on first sight'?

texts:
When I read my text book in my major, I read two idioms. One was 'At first sight' and another was 'On first sight', so I searched in the internet; however, I was not able to find the exact difference.

I want to know the difference between 'At first sight' and 'On first sight'.


texts: How do I say thank for forgiveness for my mistake?

texts: I would like to thank for someone's tolerance because of forgiveness for my mistake. is it possible to say "Thank you for your tolerance"?


texts: How to understand "what she had to say" in this context?

texts:
Some people, like Neville, had paid up just to stop Hermione from glowering at them. A few seemed mildly interested in what she had to say, but were reluctant to take a more active role in campaigning. Many regarded the whole thing as a joke.

The clause might be parsed either "[what she had] [to say]" or "what she [had to] say" in my opinion. If we take "had to" together for comprehending, I think it might have a different meaning other than 'must'. I found this dictionary definition might fit for this context:

  have to: used to suggest that an annoying event happens in order to annoy you, or that sb does sth in order to annoy you.

Is it what it's supposed to mean in this context? How should we understand it?


texts:
I've stumbled on this phrase in Terry Pratchett's Lords and Ladies:

  “This is the Moon,” Diamanda repeated, “for those who weren’t paying attention.” She held up the card. “And what do we see here—you, Muscara?”

  “Um…it’s got a picture of the moon on it?” said Muscara (née Susan) in a hopeful voice.

  “Of course it’s not the moon. It’s a nonmimetic convention, not tied to a conventional referencing system, actually,” said Diamanda.

I know what mimetic and convention mean, but I'm not sure what nonmimetic convention means in this context. Any help? Thanks.


texts: " beautiful sunrises" is an idiom in this context?

texts:
Looking for a partner to share everything with. My ideal mate would have similar family-oriented values. I think communication, trust and respect are the most important aspects of any relationship. I love long romantic walks, delicious  dinners, beautiful sunrises. I love to go out and have fun but I am also a homebody. I think first kisses are extra special because they indicate right off the bat if there is chemistry.

My first concern has to do with beautiful sunrises . By saying beautiful sunrises does she just literally mean sunrise? Or is it an idim or a slang word? May be she has an ulterior purpose to say this. Does she want to say that she want to sleep at night in her mate house and in the morning so she could see the sunrise?weird? :) I mean by saying *beautiful sunrises** is it implicit that she wants to have sex at night and sleep during the night at her date house?


texts: why are "feet" common and "chemistry" abstract nouns?

texts:
why are feet common and chemistry abstract nouns?

Why feet is considered as common noun?

why chemistry is considered as abstract noun?


texts: Can you simplify or paraphrase the highlighted part of the following text please?

texts:
When it says “most cursory reading of his life”

BY MISS HELEN KELLER

  The philosophy of Bahá'u'lláh deserves the best thought we can give it. I am returning the book so that other blind people who have more leisure than myself may be "shown a ray of Divinity" and their hearts be "bathed in an inundation of eternal love."

  I take this opportunity to thank you for your kind thought of me, and for the inspiration which even the most cursory reading of Bahá'u'lláh's life cannot fail to impart  . What nobler theme than the "good of the world and the happiness of the nations" can occupy our lives? The message of universal peace will surely prevail. It is useless to combine or conspire against an idea which has in it potency to create a new earth and a new heaven and to quicken human beings with a holy passion of service. (In a personal letter written to an American Bahá'í after having read something from the Braille edition of "Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era.")

From Appreciations of the Bahá'í Faith page 15
published in Bahá'í World, Vol. 8 (1938-1940), pages 595-628
Wilmette, IL: Baha'i Publishing Committee, 194


texts: "as much as" or "as many as" forty degrees?

texts:
"the temperature can vary by as much as forty degrees"

this sentence confused me, following as much as, there is plural word (forty degrees) but it was used with "as much as". Because there is a plural word, isn't it necessary that we use "as many as"?

English is not my mother tongue, excuse my poor English.


texts: "unlimited admission for..." in advertising

texts:
Is the following sentence natural in advertising?

  Happy Pass:  Unlimited admission for two adults and up to six children under age
               12 for 12 months - $120 - includes a free ice cream per guest on each
               visit.

Do you think the subject of the above sentence is too long? Also, is it natural for the price to be inserted where it is?

Having looked at the above sentence. do you find the following version more natural?

  Happy Pass:  $120. Unlimited admission for two adults and up to six children
                     under age 12 for 12 months!
                     Including a free ice cream per guest on each visit!

I'd appreciate your help.


texts: What is the real or main difference between English and American speaking?

texts:
I thought that English speaking was about remarking consonants over vowels... but when I watch an american movie I don't notice that fact...

I'd like to speak English in the most understandable way... My native language is all about vowels and I thought I got the trick to speak in a way everybody could understand me.
Now, after watching american series and movies I am not clear at all...

Edit after the warning of too wide the set of possible answers:

It's not difficult for me to speak the word "texts" or the word "endorsements" in the English way, since I can pronounce all the consonants and lower the vowels sound. But it sounds really artificial. On the other hand, I hear the American way more subtle, more softly, with regard to the consonants issue.

So my question is... what are the rules that show the MAIN differences between English and American, so I may try to learn or imitate the speaking of one and the other.
For example:
"You've got to be kidding!" is very different when you speak it in English or American.
Are there some major differences so I can start focusing in them when I watch an American movie or an English serie?

I am just asking for the major, o most noticeable, differences.

Thanks to all for your time.


texts: what with -- what does that actually mean?

texts:
Source: Head First Servlets and JSP, 2nd Edition

Example:

  The large number of acknowledgments is because we’re testing the theory
  that everyone mentioned in a book acknowledgment will buy at least one copy,
  probably more, what with relatives and everything.

How is that part in bold connected to the rest of the sentence and what does it actually say? Specifically, I don't understand the what with part.


texts:
The sentence is the following:

  This is a (apparently) beautiful town.

Should it be 'an' because of the Parentheses?


texts: The A,B, and C building or The A, B, and C buildings

texts:
Which sentence is correct?

  There will be repairs on the A, B, and C building?

or

  There will be repairs on the A, B, and C buildings.

I think it's the latter because the sentence is referring to multiple buildings.


texts: Question about meaning of "coherent whole" in this passage

texts:
Among the believers and the wider society, the bounty of being able to turn to a Local Spiritual Assembly for guidance and for the resolution of difficult situations is being recognized, and in turn, the decisions of the Spiritual Assemblies are increasingly characterized by wisdom and sensitivity. There is much here to indicate that, when the elements of the Plan’s framework for action are combined into a coherent whole, the impact on a population can be profound . And it is against the background of ongoing expansion and consolidation—the thirtieth cycle of the intensive programme of growth has recently concluded—that the friends are actively exploring, with the rest of the island’s inhabitants, what it means for a Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, a “collective centre for men’s souls”, to be raised up in their midst. With the active support of traditional leaders, Tanna islanders have offered no less than a hundred design ideas for the Temple, demonstrating the extent to which the House of Worship has captured imaginations, and opening up enthralling prospects for the influence it is set to exert on the lives lived beneath its shade.

In this part it is difficult to understand what it means in terms of language. I cannot understan the word so I cannot get the gist of the highlighted part.
Could you please define the coherent whole in simple English and if possible paraphrase the highlighted part in simple English. Thank you a million time in advance.


texts:
Are the two points right about the structure and meaning following sentence:
"Many new areas of inquiry gaining momentum in twenty-first-century psychology span traditional subfields and disciplines" (Nolen-Hoeksema, S., Fredrickson, B., Loftus, G. R., & Lutz, C. (2014). Introduction to psychology. Cengage Learning.)

It could be rephrased like "Many new areas of inquiry (which are) gaining momentum...
Span is the verb (meaning bridge)


texts: What is the difference between 'pat him on the back' and 'pat his back'?

texts:
In the TV shows or something, I've come across that kind of sentences. And make me wonder.
why won't say just 'I pat his back'. it's shorter than 'pat him on the back'.
and what situation would people say with the latter sentence 'pat him on the back' and could you give me more examples related to mine?
(I hit him in the eyes.. or I hit his eyes.)


texts: Is it right to say "a meeting is supervised by"?

texts:
Assume that we have a meeting that will be managed by 3 people. We want to make an advertisement to let people know the people who will manage the meeting. What should we say?

  This meeting is supervised by Chico, Harpo, and Groucho.


texts:
Dad says to his son:

Who come / comes to meet you every evening. (When Dad knows for sure that there are more than one person)

I found from somewhere, though not very reliable, that in this case we should use comes.
If it is true then what is the grammar behind this?


texts:
I cannot easily figure out which one is more appropriate to use:

  It's important to me.

  It's important for me.

Are they the same? If not, what's the difference?


texts:
only you could make it better. What's the meaning of this sentence? Since there is "could", does it mean that the "you" is the only person able to do it (make it better) ? and is it in past tense and grammatically correct?
for eg: I told you that only you could make it better.
My intention is to make it in past tense.


texts: What noun do you use for an occasion of below zero temperatures?

texts:
What noun do you use for a period of very cold weather in which temperature drops below zero? Can I use the word frost For example:

  There was a strong frost last night.


texts: Can "above all" trigger subject-auxiliary inversion? (Translation from German, 1788-1860)

texts:
That is why distinguished minds have always shown such an extreme dislike to disturbance in any form, as something that breaks in upon and distracts their
  thoughts. Above all have they been averse to that violent interruption that comes from noise. Ordinary people are not much put out by anything of the sort.

  Source, Original Source by Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860)

Would you tell me if the adverb "above all" could trigger subject-auxiliary inversion?


texts: What kind of object is "people" in "He looks down on people"?

texts:
Is people in he looks down on people a direct object or an object of a preposition?
I'm confused because looks down on is a phrasal verb, which should mean that on isn't a preposition.


texts: Spelling a word with two U's in a row out loud

texts: I would like to know how to spell a word with two consecutive U's out loud—like "vacuum". Do we say vee, ay, see, double U or just U, U, em? I'm wondering because if we say "double U" it might be mistaken for the letter "W". But, in fact, the word "vacuum" is not written with a "W".


texts:
My lexicon says:

Expandable adj  (device: can extend)
Expansible adj  (able to expand)
Scalable   adj  figurative (technology: able to expand)

I want to use one of this terms to say that my software application can be modified at will, add new, remove and/or change existing functionalities, which term is more suitable to use (and why) ?


texts:
1.My watch is by about 12 minutes fast.

  2.My watch is fast by about 12 minutes.

Which position is better for the completement "by about 12 minutes"?


texts: Which one is better? 'not enough' or 'no enough'

texts:
Can I use both of these sentences?

  There's no enough data to show.

  There's not enough data to show.

If I can use both of them, what is difference between them in meaning?


texts: "... that something happen soon or that something happen now", shouldn't the third-person-singular form be used?

texts:
The source is a paper on BBC (the last paragraph but one):
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/radio/specials/1535_questionanswer/page42.shtml

A related question about verb forms:
"is read & note" other than "is to read & (to) note" or "is reading & noting"?


texts: What tense should we use in the relative clause?

texts:
Last year I flew to London  to visit my cousin, who ____ ( live ) there.

The usual answer is "lives", because people consider that the situation is still relevant. But I think "lived" is also possible if he doesn't live there any more or simply referring to that time "last year". Am I right?


texts: What does "over" mean in "in the next row over"?

texts:
What does "over" mean in the following excerpt?

  And I wish I could get a stone closer to them. God love my sister, but she got the stone in the next row over when she heard I was looking around for a plot.

This is an excerpt from a graphic memoir called 'Hey Kiddo'. This is the grandpa of the kiddo standing at the tomb of his grandparents and is referring to the area he plans to have his whole family buried (after they die of course).

Maybe it means in the next row.


texts: older half and younger full. What does it mean?

texts:
What does it mean when someone says?

  I am the middle child, older half and younger full


texts: What is "worried" part of speech in "I'm worried about something"

texts: First, I think the part of speech is"verb",but it is passive.then, I think it is"noun",but the sentence can't use "worried",should use "worry".


texts: What is the meaning of the word "context"?

texts:
"The part of a text or statement that surrounds a particular word or passage and determines its meaning".

The above is the first meaning of the word "context" in the definition of context from The Free Dictionary website.

Could somebody explain me what it means? Because I don't understand what it is saying.

And also the above website quotes the following example sentence

  "it is unfair to quote out of context."

What does it mean?


texts: Which article we can use with word 'Rain'

texts:
I am learning English. I have one confusion about articles. I have gone through one usage of articles in English. What I can use with word 'Rain'
Should it be 'a' or 'The'.


texts:
Two tiny baby dolls of unidentified gender, made of hard, matte plastic, and wrapped in blankets of the same kind of plastic.

Does the tiny baby mean "extremely small newborn"?


texts: Can we say someone is a "tasteful" person?

texts:
He seems like a tasteful person.
Does this sentence mean the person has good taste?
Is it wrong to call a person tasteful? I mean, do we always say he or she has good taste?


texts: Do you add "One question." before asking a question in an e-mail?

texts:
In my culture I was born in, it is better to avoid abrupt sense when we write something new. Asking a question could be abrupt, and we typically add one subordinate clause which mentions like "I am sorry to ask, but..." in my native language. I tend to apply the same rule when I ask something in an e-mail in English. Typically, I add "One question." before writing an question itself in an e-mail. Does this sound unusual in a formal e-mail?

Also, I use "One question." as "I have one question.". Is it better to write out to avoid confusion or misunderstanding which I do not recognize?


texts: Article usage in a noun clause: "Tim Courtney, (a?) (the?) chief investment officer of Exencial Wealth Advisors, said.."

texts:
I am struggling with using articles in noun clauses. I have seen some examples where an articles is omitted when the following noun is not even uncountable. For example:

"Tim Courtney, chief investment officer of Exencial Wealth Advisors, said: 'We're stockpiling commodities and demand is not picking up. It's kind of a depressing market.'"

Would it be correct if I write " Time Courtney, a chief investment officer of Exencial Wealth Advisors,..." with an article. I do not believe the word "officer" is uncountable.

Another example to further explain my problem:
Mr. Smith, a teacher at Lincoln high school, has a phD degree in math.
or
Mr. Smith, teacher at Lincoln high school, has a phD degree in math.

Which one is grammatically correct? Or are both acceptable? or they simply carry different meanings.

Please help. Thank you.


texts: Is this sentence correct and what does 'incremental' describe?

texts:
This study builds on our previous studies by verifying that self-control depletion does predict changes in work behaviors incremental to alternative motivation and attention mechanisms.

I have encounter this sentence in a article, and before reading the sentence I have discover several little pitfalls, I failed to understand the grammar structure and I wonder whether this sentence is complete and correct?

And if correct, what does incremental describe? work behaviors? changes in work behaviors? None of this is satisfying.

"This study builds on our previous studies by verifying that self-control depletion does predict changes in work behaviors", looks like a complete sentence, "incremental to alternative motivation and attention mechanisms" make's me confuse.


texts: to be due something - in the meaning of expecting, owing

texts:
I am desperately trying to understand this concept.

Lets use this sentence:

  The world is due ‘a major cyber attack causing widespread harm’ before
  2025, say experts”.

Dictionaries do not mention usage of due without a preposition in this meaning. When talking about expectations, Oxford mentiones "due for" or "due to do sth".

In the entry "Owed", it does mention "due something" with a note [not before noun]. And the example says "I'm still due 15 days' leave."

I cannot find more about the usage "to be due sth" in terms of to expect something. Could you help me understand which dictionary (Oxfortd online e.g.) is that and how that applies?
THanks


texts:
Hello My fellow ELLians,

I am looking for a noun which describes the antonym of saturation the best.

For instance, this noun can be a word that conveys the state of being fully drained.

Any suggestion or recommendations is highly appreciated.


texts:
I would like to inquire about the meaning of "daily-basis" , "weekly-basis" ...etc.
For example

I would like to meet with you on a weekly basis

Does this sentence means that the meeting will happen every week at the same day and the same time, or just every week anyday/anytime?


texts: Is "An arming soldier" the correct word order in this sentence?

texts:
I wrote the sentence:

  An arming soldier preparing against invasion of the enemy was suddenly killed when a bomb exploded in the trench.

What I want to describe is that a soldier was arming himself.

Can I phrase it as "An arming soldier"?

But in my opinion, it is very ambiguous in that it can be read either a soldier who was arming himself or a soldier who was arming another soldier.

So, I think that it would be better to write this way

  A soldier arming himself to prepare against invasion of the enemy was suddenly killed when a bomb exploded in the trench.

Does this rephrasing more correctly convey what I'm trying to say?


texts:
Here goes the line from the speech made by Charlie Chaplin in the movie "The Great Dictator":

  "The misery that is now upon us is but the passing of greed—the bitterness of men who fear the way of human progress. The hate of man will pass, and dictators die, and the power that they took from the people will return to the people, and so long as men die liberty will never perish."

. My question is what does the  passing of greed refer to? How should the sentence be read?


texts: What is a casual way to say "appointment"?

texts:
I think "appointment" is only used in formal way.
What can I use to refer to it more casually?

"I have an appointment with my friends after the school." sounds me unnatural.

What would you say situation like this?