texts: Is there any difference between 'all despite' , 'despite all' and 'despite all that' in the following sentence?

texts:
S1: The same is true for Barack Obama, the man who worked tirelessly in government before becoming President of the USA, all despite racial discrimination.

S2: The same is true for Barack Obama, the man who worked tirelessly in government before becoming President of the USA, despite all racial discrimination.

S3:The same is true for Barack Obama, the man who worked tirelessly in government before becoming President of the USA. Despite all that, racial discrimination.

Question 1：Are the three sentences above the same in meaning?
Question 2: What does the word 'all' in the first sentence represents?

My conclusion: The first two sentence seems to express the same idea that the racial discrimination can not stop Obama from working tirelessly. But for the 3rd sentence, I can't tell whether it has the same meaning or not as the first two sentences.


texts:
Sentence 1： He wanted to take no risks, however small.

Sentence 2： He wanted to take no risks, however small they are.

Do the above sentences have the same meaning? Why could we omit "they are" ?

Could someone tell me the specific grammatical rule governing this phenomenon?

Thank you very much!


texts:
Which one is more correct:

  It was for a long time a poor neighborhood where the working class lived.

Or:

  It was for a long time a poor neighborhood where the working class live.

Thanks


texts: What does **climbed back into grace** mean?

texts:
His two attempts to break away from his own tradition were signal failures: "Turtle Doves alarmed by Sparrow-hawk" and "Wolves on the Roman Campagna" came back to his studio in the guise of abominable heresies, and Eshley climbed back into grace and the public gaze with "A Shaded Nook where Drowsy Milkers Dream."

quoted from The Stalled Ox

What does climbed back into grace mean?


texts:
I know that the word "despite" goes well with nouns. For example,

Even despite his usual stubbornness, he was still quite loyal this
time.

or

She refused to stay at home, even despite the signs of a coming storm
in the sky.

However, I am not sure how to put this word smoothly with a whole clause. For example,

Jack is an extremely friendly and chummy boy. Even despite his passive
vocabulary is not great and his comprehension is rather low he is
always ready to participate in class in one way or another and provide
any help.

Something doesn't feel right about it.
What would be the natural way to do it here?


texts:
I graduated from school 523.

How should I read the school number?  Should I say

1) school five two three
2) school five twenty-three
3) school five hundred and twenty-three

... or some other way?


texts: Right using 'don't have to' and 'mustn't'

texts:
I don't have to get up early. I have a day-off.

Why is it a mistake if I say: I mustn't get up early?


texts: Do we use "my" or possessive pronouns in such sentences?

texts:
"What the hell?!" He said with surprise when he noticed my coming up the water.

Do we use my or possessive pronouns in such sentences? Or should it be

  … he noticed me coming up the water"?


texts:
I groped for a handkerchief, and not finding one,pulled off my apron
  and handed it to him to wipe his face.

Why does this use "not finding" in a past tense sentence?


texts:
Which one is the right question "You liked it?" or "Did you like it?"
For me both look right, but I am not sure.


texts:
I found the clause "as English verbs go" in one of the answers on ELL:

  In The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language (p.113-4), this is called "motional be", and it's very unusual as English verbs go. In this meaning, be appears only in perfect constructions [...]

It was later edited to say:

  In The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language (p.113-4), this is called "motional be", and it has a requirement that's very unusual.  In this meaning, be appears only in perfect constructions [...]

I tried hard to understand the meaning of the "as English verbs go" clause but failed. Will anyone clear the meaning of this?


texts: "out the window" vs. "out of the window"

texts:
What is the difference between the expression "out the window" and "out of the window"?

I googled it but found conjectures of foreign speakers, only. One of the conjectures was that "out the window" is a shortened form of "out of the window", mainly used in Northern American English. Is that true?

In the Cambridge Dictionary the following example sentence can be found:

  He leaned out the window.

On the other hand, I found this sentence in a book:

  Graham took off his gloves, leaned out of the window, and felt the stone below the sash.


texts: Organization structure or structure of organization

texts:
Between “organization structure” and “structure of organization”, which one is more commonly use and formal?
Thank you


texts: How to use determiners after the coordinating conjunction AND?

texts: I need to say: "Chinatown and Little Italy are the most colourful and liveliest neighbourhoods in New York City". I wonder if I must add the determiner THE before "liveliest".


texts:
I came across a line in a book:

  The indigotin would be dissolved in vats of alkali to make a yellowish dye, indigo white. It was then ready for the dyers to begin work.

Begin work here sounds strange and sounds like headlinese, with work used as a mass noun. I thought begin to work would be more suitable. Is begin work here grammatical and unstilted/natural?

Also are "begin work on" and "begin working on" interchangeable?

To borrow an example from Anne Bogart's book

  Every time I begin work on a new production I feel as though I am out of my league.

Can it be rewritten as

  Every time I begin working on a new production I feel as though I am out of my league.


texts: A noun describing 'planned, intentional' betrayal, not limited to context of war

texts:
Some weeks ago I found an English noun that is describing a kind of betrayal — namely, when Person 1 wants to betray Person 2, but Person 1 already knows he is going to betray Person 2 (he is going to do it at some time when Person 2 trusts him) before even building a relationship with Person 2.

I'm looking for another word for a 'planned betrayal'. A single noun.

Edit: It seems the word is 'perfidy' (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfidy?wprov=sfla1) but only in war context — if it's not used in the context of war, then perfidy is an 'ordinary' betrayal (i.e. without the 'plan').

But is there a word that can also be used not in the context of war (with the 'war' meaning of perfidy)?

Example: Someone gets an animal, gains its trust, but with the intention of killing it.
It could be called 'betrayal' but it's different from ordinary betrayal since there is the 'plan, intention'. However, I can't call this a 'perfidy' since the specific meaning of the word I want to use is used only in war context.


texts: What are the two prepositional phrases' role in their sentences?

texts:
“. . . I’ve wanted to go to see you and Adam but I didn’t think I
  could do any good.”  “Well, you can’t do any harm. I thought he’d
  get over it. But he still walks around like a ghost.”  “It’s over
  a year, isn’t it?” Samuel asked.  “Three months over.”
  “Well, what do you think I can do?”  “I don’t know,” said Lee.
  “Maybe you could shock him out of it. Nothing else has
  worked.” . . . . . . Suddenly he plucked his hard thumbs
  out of his neighbor’s throat. (John Steinbeck, East of Eden)

The second prepositional phrase seems to be adverbial, while the first predicative complement over the object-him. What are the two’s role in their sentences?


texts: "a client and a doctor" vs. "a client and doctor"

texts: I'm conducting a survey related to health care. You can describe yourself using 3 categories: a client, a doctor or "a client and (a) doctor." I'm wondering if I should repeat the second "a" before the noun "doctor" or omit it because I've already used it before the noun "client."


texts: "Deserve" or "Serve someone right" or "ask for it"

texts:
Could anyone please let me know how should I imply that a negative happening has been what someone has deserved it?

Mother: I'm sorry to have to punish you in this way, but...............!
Bill: I didn't mom!

I know the following three options and to me they all sound idiomatic and natural:
a. you deserved it
b. it served you right
c. you asked for it
By making this thread, I was going to discover the semantic prosody of each case and the possibe shades of meaning between these three options.
The only nuance that crosses my mind is that "deserve" is the most formal choice which can cover both positive and negative cases while the other two options seem to be of more negative things.


texts:
In one of the episodes of Rick and Morty, The Ricks Must Be Crazy, Rick says "Greetings" to a crowd. It's not the first time I hear this expression, which seems to be used as a greeting.

What's the exact definition of this expression in this context? When or in which context can we use this term/expression? Is there a reason behind the usage of the plural of "greeting" in this context?


texts: Is there any rule how to pronounce words with endings "-ough"?

texts:
I found two pronunciations for the same ending (ugh), one sounds like F, and the other one sounds like omitting of the ending ugh.

That's what I found and you're happily invited to edit this post and to add more examples or change incorrect examples:

Sounds like f: though, tough, cough.

Sounds like omitting the ending: bough, dough, thorough, slough, through

Sounds like p: hiccough

Anyway, I couldn't find a rule which can explain when it should be pronounced as p, f, or be omitted. Is there such rule?


texts: Is it OK if the understood subject of a purpose infinitive is different from the main subject?

texts:
In the sentence below, the main clause (subject: patients) is followed by an infinitival that I understand to be a purpose infinitive. However, the logical subject of the infinitival seems to be the doctor. Is this conflict justified or what? I consulted A Student's Introduction to English Grammar, but found nothing to indicate its correctness.

  All patients must have a preanesthesia evaluation by an anesthesia clinician to assess the patient's perioperative risk and readiness for the planned procedure.

I appreciate your comments.


texts:
Where is the best place to add "most of you"?

  Since I found out that you, my darling friends, are trying hard to become great doctors, I decided to choose an interesting subject.

Imagine, you're at a medical conference and you are addressing the audience. You say: "Since I found out that you, my darling friends are trying hard to become great doctors..." Stop till here. Well, so far as you say, you suddenly realize that the usage of the word "you" was wrong(= and actually all of the people at the conference are not trying to become doctors, some of them have another plans, for example two out of twenty intend to be attorney ). In such a situation, how do you correct your mistake?

Note: If the addition of "most of you" is impossible, we are allowed to add anything that we want in each part of the text.


texts: I feel as if I have been doing something. Correct?

texts:
I feel as if I were/was unloading a truck.
I feel as if I've been unloading a truck.

Which is more appropriate and correct? It seems they are both good and tell about the present but the former is in the subjunctive mood.


texts: Difference between "why would he go" and "why did he go"

texts:
I want to know the difference between these expressions

  Why would he go
  Why did he go

When "would" is used and "did"?


texts: "question tag after causative verb in the clause"

texts:
She had some repairs done, had she not?

I think that the question tag has been written in the sentence correctly since verb " have " is not used as an auxiliary.
But I still believe it's just another error in one of my grammar books and, certainly, it can't be a typo.


texts: What does "they are looking for nurses to go out to Saudi Arabia.“ mean?

texts:
From Longman dictionary, We know that:

  go out to: (move abroad)   to travel to another country in order to live and work there.
  example:
  They are looking for nurses to go out to Saudi Arabia.

I am not sure about the meaning of the above example. The nurses move to Saudi Arabia, or "They" move to Saudi Arabia and want to get Nurses job.


texts: Confused about reported speech and reporting speech

texts:
Look at the following example:

  David said, “I’m baking a chocolate cake for you.’’

Some says the sentence between the inverted commas is called reporting speech.
and some says it reported speech.

Which is correct? why?


texts: What do you call the act of throwing something continuously?

texts:
I am not sure if there's a good phrase or word for this? I am thinking maybe using the word "threw bits by bits", but I am sure there are better sounding words. I want to sound like a native English speaker, so I would rather not use an awkward sounding phrase.

For example:

  He threw some bit of bread bits by bits so that he could find his way
  back in the forest.


texts:
What's the actual difference between "fire" and "flame"?

Based on Cambridge dictionary:

  Flame is a stream of hot, burning gas from something on fire:

  Fire (material that is in) the state of burning that produces flames
  that send out heat and light, and might produce smoke:

It seems that the "fire" refers to the state while "flame" refers to the result of this state. But in fact, they cannot be used interchangeably? because when I'm thinking about it, I don't necessarily find an difference between them, it's allegedly the same thing, therefore I don't understand why we say "cool flame" rather than "cool fire".


texts: Why 'could' can't be used as the past term?

texts:
I was watching some random stuff on Youtube, and I've seen the video on teaching English.
There's a guy explaning of 'could', and he said the sentence below does not mean anything concerning the past, AT ALL.

I can get up early. (O)
I could get up early. (X)

So, all the dictionaries say 'could' is the past term of 'can', why the guy in the video said like that?

  could: past of can


texts: Do I need "but" in the following sentence?

texts:
She has an ideal life and family. There's only one problem: she wants
  to run away from home. (But) after talking with her friend, she
  postpones the idea and come back to her parents.

A native English speaker told me I don't need the but. But without the but the sentence sounds strange to me. It sounds as if the last part, "...after talking with her friend...", it's unrelated to the previous sentences; it's just an event that follows after.

Maybe I'm wrong?


texts: A sentence with listing items: How to remove the ambiguity?

texts:
There is a store which trades oranges and 3 kinds of apples. And there is a person there to whom I'm giving directions. Which sentence will be the best in such a case?

Put green apples in the first box. Put red and yellow apples and oranges in the second box.
Put green apples in the first box. Put red and yellow apples, and oranges, in the second box.
Put green apples in the first box. Put red and yellow apples, and also oranges, in the second box.
Put green apples in the first box. Put red and yellow apples, as well as oranges, in the second box.

The 1st sentence looks wrong to me. We don't have red or yellow oranges.
The 2nd sentence looks OK to me, but I'm not sure that commas are enough to remove the ambiguity.
The 3rd and 4th sentences look somewhat wordy.
Edit: It is assumed that I cannot place oranges at the first place.


texts: Is it correct this pronoun to replace a subject?

texts:
Taking into consideration the skills of Hassim in these courses, I am sure she made the right decision in choosing the master’s in agriculture. Furthermore, this master is crucial for enhancing his capacity to research and develop projects related to food production, which are required to assist the urgent demand of food for zones with scarcity.

Is it clear that which are is referring to projects in this sentence?

Is it correct to say ....to assist the urgent demand? I don't want to use to supply because I used it previously.


texts:
Meaning of sense on Cambridge Dictionary

  a general feeling or understanding

Meaning of feeling on Cambridge Dictionary

  the fact of feeling something physical

I am teaching my son football juggling.

  Raise your foot. Hold the ball ... just let the ball touch your foot and bounce up by itself the same way it bounces on the ground. practice this repeatedly and you will get the
  sense/feeling of how a ball bounce.

In this particular situation, should I use "sense" or "feeling"?

As per an ELL post, it seems both "sense" and "feeling" are suitable here, is my understanding right?


texts:
sentence check: "my headphones cable got caught on (to) a book?"
Is it right to say ‘my headphones cable got caught on (to) a book?’ im not quite sure i just came up with this... does it sound right?

Below is what i just saw:

But the have this assymetrical headphone cord, and I just cannot figure out how I am supposed to wear these things comfortably. I've tried it with the cord in front of my neck, behind it, over my ears, under my shirt, but it just doesn't seem to work. Either there is too much weight on one ear, or there's too much cord and it keeps getting tangled, or it just gets caught on something. Plus, it looks stupid.


texts:
If I want to order more than one piece.
Do I say "3piece of something" or " 3pieces of something"?
I saw that some people use 'pieces' but some people didn't use it. Just used 'piece' without the plural.
which one is correct ?


texts: What are the different usages of the word "strike"?

texts:
I read this word in many many contexts, but I can't understant the different usages of it. The only usage I really understant is that the follows:

To strike is to attack another country using millitary forces (troops) specially.

My question is, are there other usages? Could you give an example or two for each?


texts: Can the `administered by` be replaced with `depend on` in the bellow scenario?

texts:
From the bellow link:

https://github.com/openstack/docs-specs/blob/master/specs/pike/admin-guide-repos.rst

  The growth of the number of OpenStack projects that are administered by an operator base continues to grow.

Can the administered by be replaced with depend on?


texts:
In the two situations,do my sentences sound natural?

If something is kept on the cupboard/closet, what should I use(if either of them sounds natural)

  Can you take it off/down the closet(cupboard)?

And if I have to put something on the cupboard/closet:

  Put it on the cupboard(closet).

(It doesn't have to be put inside but on it.)


texts: Lying awoke in bed pleasant. Is this sentence grammatically correct?

texts:
I'm working with a book for English composition.
The book suggests "Lying awoke in bed pleasant" as an answer for a question
written in my language.

But I think the sentence is grammatically incorrect.
I think so because there is not a verb in that sentence.
Am I thinking wrong? Or if I write as the following, will it be correct?

  Lying awaken in bed is pleasant.

P.S. The question in the book includes meaning of "lying in bed after waking from sleep"


texts:
I read the sentence below:

  ... Which didn’t but only because I didn’t know what it was

I guess it means I had no feelings about it because ...
But I am not sure. Could you please tell me what the meaning of "I didn’t but only" is?

The fuller text is:

  Charles had designed my course
  schedule. He’d signed me up for two music classes and a course on religion,
  all of which he said would be easy for me. Then he’d enrolled me in two
  more challenging courses—college algebra, which terrified me, and biology,
  which didn’t but only because I didn’t know what it was.


texts:
"A family is "the basic unit in society having as its nucleus two or more adults living together and cooperating in the care and rearing of their own or adopted children."

"having as its nucleus two or more adults."
Could you tell me how to interpret this fragment? I mean, has what as what? and why "nucleus" could proceed "adults" since they are both nouns.


texts:
buffer - to lessen or moderate the impact of something (lexico.com Dictionary)

(ex) The massage helped to buffer the strain. (the dictionary's example)

I have no questions about that example. I have made up the example below.

(1) Scientists have been trying to come up with a way to buffer the spread of the virus in the country.

Am I using the verb correctly?


texts:
The Oxford dict. interprets reciprocate as "experience the same (love, liking, or affection) for someone as that person does for oneself". For example, "her passion for him was not reciprocated."

I don't quite understand "for oneself" in this interpretation. It's easy for me to fall into the illusion that "the person (love, like) himself/herself."

So, what does "for oneself" mean here?


texts: Trying to make out the meaning of "strike"

texts:
I've got the following sentence:

  Have you any idea if the buses are on strike tomorrow?

I've already looked up in the Cambridge dictionary. I have no result, though.
"Strike on" means "to discover something". In this case it means that bus drivers are going on strike? Is it the only one reasonable meaning for this case?


texts: How we use 'child and parent vs parents'?

texts:
Which one is correct?

  The small child does whatever his father does.
  The small child does whatever its father does.
  The small child does whatever its parent does.
  The small child does whatever its parents do.


texts: Shouldn't there be "ends" instead of "end" in this sentence?

texts:
I read a definition of the word "pylon" in Merriam Webster dictionary which was

  A tower for supporting either end of usually a number of wires over a long span

I suspect that "ends" could also be used there counting wires individually. But the author might have used "end" because he thought of wires as a bundle. Am I right?


texts: Is "intermixed" a postpositive adjective in this text?

texts:
The enemy advanced in two lines – the first composed of the mailed horsemen and the archers intermixed, the second of the elephants.
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/16167/16167-h/16167-h.htm


texts: What does "each one of you sort of drag around with you" mean?

texts:
I heard this quoted sentence from the Yale's Death Course at Youtube. How to understand "drag around with you" in boldface?

  I take it the idea of body is a familiar one. It's this lump of fresh and bone and muscle that's sitting here in front of you that each one of you sort of drag around with you.


texts:
A quote from the NYT:

  The Justice Department argues that the merger with American would
  prompt US Airways to shift more travelers to higher-priced flights at
  American’s larger hubs.

Could we use the zero article before merger here, since the word may be used as a mass noun, according to the Oxford Dictionary?

  The Justice Department argues that _ merger with American would
  prompt US Airways to shift more travelers to higher-priced flights at
  American’s larger hubs.


texts: What does "if you don't have one, you don't need the other" mean?

texts:
This is from the TV series House M.D.

  Cameron: He got you to us.

  Marina: He never gave up, no matter what happened. He kept saying to me
  don't worry, we will make it, I will take care of you. He refuses to worry
  or pray, he believes if you don't have one, you don't need the other.

The actual transcript:

  Marina: He never gave up, no matter what happen [sic], he kept saying to me
  don't worry, we will make it, I take [sic] care of you. He refuses to worry
  or pray, he believe [sic] if you don't have one, you don't need the other.


texts:
I waited for an hour before he appeared
I had waited for an hour before he appeared
I had waited for an hour when he appeared

These all are correct ? Further, these all share same meaning ?


texts: decide / conclude / come to the conclusion

texts:
Here's the context.

  The reason I quit my last job wasn't because it was bad or anything. In fact, what I do now is more or less the same. It's actually even harder(more difficult) in some ways and there are plenty of things that I miss about my old job. It's just that I had certain goals in mind and I decided that working there just wasn't in line with what I wanted to do going forward.

.

  I decided that working there just wasn't in line with what I wanted to do going forward.
  I concluded that working there just wasn't in line with what I wanted to do going forward.
  I came to the conclusion that working there just wasn't in line with what I wanted to do going forward.

I feel they are different but I'm not sure what exactly the difference is.

Could you let me know the difference? Thanks in advance.


texts:
Professor: who are you? What's your name?
Student : May I know who is asking?

Is the student part i.e., "May I know who is asking?" polite enough? or if there is some other better way of putting it, please suggest.

Sorry for providing incomplete details

This conversation is happening inside a college. The student knows that the person is a professor but from an entirely different department i.e., professor knows that the person is a student and vice versa but nothing more. For some reason (unknown to the student), the professor is trying to know the student's name.


texts:
I am not sure about the meaning of the phrase "to shuffle somebody through the motions":

  link
  Lynette laughs about these blind dates because she knows most of her single friends are being shuffled through the same motions, but admits that both instances were terribly awkward.

In online dictionaries, I found "to go through the motions", but not "to shuffle somebody through the motions".  Could the example sentence be an error?


texts: Which is suitable to use for this sentence

texts:
which is correct?

Part of me is grateful thay he (didn't / doesn't) has an twitter account.

or should i write this

Part of me is grateful for his non-existence of twitter account.

thank for your help :)


texts:
Venus flytrap grows well in the sunny weather that the Carolinas enjoy most of the year.
I understand Venus flytrap grows well in the sunny weather, but I am a little bit confused about the whole sentence. Does it mean sunny weather is most of the year in Carolinas, and the plant grows well in the sunny weather?


texts: Differences between Quite, Fairly, Rather, and Pretty

texts: I read in a grammar book that Fairly is less strong than the others in meaning, and also the meanings of the rest are the same, I mean each of them is as strong as the others. But, I read in a dictionary that in American English, Quite is much stronger than the others and the rest are the same. I'm a bit confused. I need a comparison between them.


texts:
What is wrong in the following sentence?
"As I am tired so I shall sleep early tonight."

It seems alright to me but apparently it has an error somewhere.


texts: Using "recently" with the past simple tense

texts:
Is it fine to use recently with the past simple tense in the following sentence:

  Did you read any books recently?

Is it grammatically correct?

Or do I have to use:

  Have you read any books recently?


texts: 'In a very long time' vs 'for a very long time'

texts:
I was watching friends lately and on that show Ross said "I haven't had sex in a very long time". I wonder why he didn't said "I haven't had sex for a very long time" although 'in a very long time' sounds more native and correct but why not he used  'for a very long time '.

So, this is my question when do we use 'in a very long time' and when do we use 'for a very long time'.


texts:
What does strut mean?
Where I can apply the word?

I need to know what you call the things in the picture and what strut means. Are those struts in the picture?


texts: Interpretation and meaning of "wooden diamond"

texts:
What are your associations with the phrase "wooden diamonds"? The context:

  They wore wooden diamonds. (It's about three fellows who  wore wooden diamonds and drink from faceted thick-wall glasses).

I mean in the Russian we have phrase "wooden ruble" (meaning that the value of it is far from the value of gold). And I know that there is "wooden nickel" (from "Don't take any wooden nickels"). If I said on the Russian "деревянные бриллианты" (wooden brilliants) I would mean cheap jewelry. Do you see it like that or not?


texts: Does `Present Perfect Continuous` give the feeling of a temporary action?

texts:
Ⅰ.

  Have you drunk whiskey?

I want to know have you ever tried this kind of alcohol in your life.

  Have you been drinking whiskey?

Maybe I smell whiskey and you look drunk. I assume you drank some whiskey not long time ago.

Ⅱ.

  This tree has stood here for 400 years.

I feel a permanent action and too long to use a continuous verb.

  This man has been standing here for 15 minutes.

I feel a temporary action, not for a long time and the object will move soon.


texts: "There is a fog." Is the noun used correctly?

texts:
My kid saw the scene and told me,

  There is a fog.

Do we use "a" before fog?


texts: How to say that one stuff is dedicated to something?

texts: Is it correct to say: "this stuff is dedicated to that task"?


texts: Using Present Perfect and Perfect Gerund in the same sentence

texts:
Is it acceptable to write:

  He has never mentioned having met with you in London.

Or, maybe, it would be better to write:

  He has never mentioned meeting with you in London.

The second variant goes well here as well as the previous one because of the opportunity of using Perfect Gerund instead of Present Gerund. I have the main verb used in the Perfect Form, though. That is the reason of my having posted the question.


texts:
This sentence has been taken from Rudyard Kipling's "Lispeth".

  Whether Christianity improved Lispeth, or whether the gods of her own people would have done as much for her under any circumstances, I do not know; but she grew very lovely.

Another sentence from the same short story is

  Also, she possessed eyes that were wonderful; and, had she not been dressed in the abominable print-cloths affected by Missions, you would, meeting her on the hill side unexpectedly, have thought her the original Diana of the Romans going out to slay.

I would like to know why the punctuation ';' before 'but' in the first sentence and before 'and' in the second sentence is required. What purpose does it serve?


texts:
I'm trying to say:

  I don't like the weather today because it is ____. (rainy / raining)
  I have to carry an umbrella for ____ (rainy / raining) weather.

Should I use rainy or raining?

Also, what is the common rule for using these words?


texts:
Can I start a phrase like this:
"your green eyes are beautiful" or "His/her green eyes are beautiful"
Thanks for reply.


texts: Writing a sentence starting with "To do so" in a semi-formal essay

texts:
Can I start my essay with "To do so"? Does it sound too informal?

These are the sentences: the teacher could give a lecture ... To do so, they should train ...


texts: Should I use "would be" or "would have been" in the following case?

texts:
He apologized for the poor product range. I told him it was okay: that I cared more about quality than quantity. And that if they worked as expected, even one would be/have been enough to meet the needs of my company.

Do I have to use would be or would have been? Why?


texts: Is the tense in "You know I had always wanted to visit that city." correct in this context?

texts:
My situation looks like this:
I have just come home from my first trip to London. My friend asks me about it straight away. I want to start the description of my trip with a sentence like this: "You know I had always wanted to visit that city."

I think that past perfect is the correct choice here since I had wanted to go there before I left for the UK for the 1st time and now I don't because obviously I already have been to the city.

Right or wrong?


texts: Can "ready" come in sentences without being preceded by "get/be"?

texts:
I found "ready" in sentences preceded by either the verb get or be when it functions as an adjective, not a noun, like the following:

She was ready to take the exam.
Get ready for what will happen next.

I want to use it but in a different structure as this one:

  You wrote that while putting the candy between your teeth ready to eat it.

So, is the position of "ready", in the sentence above, correct?


texts: what does the writer mean in this highlighted sentences?

texts:
Source The Manual: What Women Want and How to Give It to Them

  Most people seem to believe that what constitutes feminine and masculine behavior is dynamic and may change over time as the behavior of the majority of a sex changes. Some scholars even list examples from history of such changes, but they mistake expressions of femininity for femininity itself and expressions of masculinity for masculinity itself. The majority of males do not have to adopt a trait for it to become a masculine trait. In fact, many males, perhaps even the majority these days, are more timid than brave, but being timid will never be considered masculine because the majority does not set the standards. Biology does, and to be timid is more a sign of vulnerability than bravery; hence, it is more suitable for females, at least in our natural environment where they were more likely to survive and reproduce if they avoided risks.

I don't understand the expressions "mistake expressions of femininity itself" and "expressions of masculinity for masculinity itself", and "adopt a trait for it to become a masculine trait", so the sentences is hard for me to understand. What does the writer mean in this highlighted sentences?


texts:
How to emphasize the fact that the second event is separated from the first one by a big time span?

For example:

  The arguments that you are presenting are quite ridiculous. Look, you
  delve into the medieval history, find some faults with the rulers of
  those times and accuse them of not observing human rights.

  Don't you realize that that was an absolutely different dispensation?
  Humans' minds were different. The common notions were absolutely different.
  The very common sense was different!

  Just consider the time when
  this whole idea of human rights came about.
  Did it really come about before the Great Schism of 1054 or, rather, long, long after?

This "long, long after" is not idiomatic, is it? So, what would be the idiomatic way of expressing that thought?


texts: What is the difference between "Do you interest" and "...interested in" something?

texts:
I want to ask my friend about interest in engineering a system. How can I ask him?

  Do you interest in the system?

or

  Do you interested in the system?

Which phrase is correctly used?


texts: meaning of the phrase "the why and the how of something"?

texts:
It is from TED talks. It is at 1 minute and 59 second. Here is the context:

  We are begining to glimpse the why and the how of beauty, at least in terms of what it means for the human face and form.

Could you please rephrase the sentece for me?


texts:
I saw a video and in title it was

  Andrew Flintoff the best over ever!

Is it means, the best over by Flintoff or the best over ever which is put-up by the Flintoff.

That 'ever' confuses me if they are talking of 'best over ever bowled by him' or 'the best over bowled by any bowler ever'.


texts: What does the letter X (=times) stand for?

texts:
In many places we meet the letter X as a sign for times. Whether it's in primary school (5x5=25) or when we use lenses of camera or microscope we see the letter X in meaning of times (10X, 1000X etc.).

What does X letter stands for in English, if any?


texts:
Open shaming of anyone who spoke out discouraged responsible dissent.

How does open with shaming work, grammatically and meaningfully?

Is discouraged modifying "responsible dissent?


texts: Problem to use Past Perfect tense (Had met / met)

texts:
Sentence:

  It was the first time I had met/met her.

Which tense form should be used, had met or met?

I have come across this sentence only, not from any specific context.


texts:
Is this form of "take care'n of" correct in the following lyrics?

  She wanna be man cured Ma-ma-ma-MANiCURE She wan' be take care'n of

[MANiCURE by Lady Gaga]


texts:
We can say two sentences:

  1) It's my book

  2) It's the book of mine

I heard the second variant was moer formal, noble, precise whilst the first one is a standard one. Is it true?


texts: Is "… and then" acceptable? Microsoft Word says yes, my grammar instructors say no

texts:
All my grammar instructors have been in agreement. Never use 'and then'. However, my word processor auto-corrects 'then' to 'and then'.

  Perform task 1, task 2, then task3.

works either way when 'then' is an adverb.

But, used as a conjunctive adverb in a compound sentence, the conjunction gets auto-corrected.

  Perform task 1, perform task 2, then perform task 3.

Auto-correct to 'and then perform task 3.'

Who are right? The instructors or the editors of Microsoft Word?


texts: What’s the meaning of the verb ”does” in this sentence?

texts:
I came across the following sentence
”My family does think I’m a little bit addicted to fast food.”
What’s the meaning of the verb ”does” in that sentence? Does it have the same meaning as the sentence below?
”My family thinks I’m a little bit addicted to fast food.”


texts:
Which sentences sound idiomatic to the Americans:

I am a big Elvis fan.

I am a big Elvis admirer.

I am a big Obama fan.

I am a big Obama admirer.


texts:
There are 2 examples.

1) I am visiting a psychologist. (but perhaps I am not visiting a psychologist at the time of speaking)

2) I visit a psychologist.

What is the difference between these 2 examples, if they are correct?

I ask because of this example:

Kate wants to work in Italy, so she’s learning Italian. (but perhaps she isn’t learning Italian at the time of speaking)

I would suggest an example to this sentence, but I guess Kate learns Italian. sounds a little strange. Help pls.


texts: If I use an abbreviation like MMU ("memory management unit" in computers), should I write "A MMU" or "An MMU"? Is it the pronunciation or the letter that decides?


texts:
When I write with a native speaker, she used the phrase "onto the shelf". Are they any differences between these two sentences?
I feel like "onto" is a slang or something... Please explain me this issue.

  I put something onto the shelf.

or

  I put something on the shelf.


texts: Is "ceteris paribus" used in formal American English?

texts: A question for American people (English people are welcomed as well but I guess their use of English is more formal): do you use ceteris paribus in some formal text? If not, what would be the best alternative?


texts: How to use "respective" instead of "respectively"?

texts:
Original example:

  Connectors A and B should be attached to ends C and D of a cable respectively.

I would like to know how to rewrite this example when the ends have no name.  My rewritten example is as follows:

Rewritten example:

  Connectors A and B should be attached to respective ends of a cable.

I am unsure whether the usage of the "respective" is correct.  I think "different", "separate", or "corresponding" may be more suitable than "respective" .


texts: "Would have known" vs. "would know" in the subordinate clause

texts:
'I would have thought that you, of all people, would have known
  that you shouldn't say You-Know-Who's name.' (source)

I suspect that 'would have known' needs to be changed into 'would know' for the same reason as 'shouldn't' doesn't have perfect tense. What tense does the highlighted part belong with?


texts:
Trump Fires John Bolton In Final Break After Months Of Internal Policy Division

  —NPR, September 10, 2019

What does "in Final Break" mean here?


texts:
I read this quote recently from businessman Conrad Black, in a newspaper interview published in the Financial Times. How should it be interpreted?

  “I was a bit insouciant. While my conduct certainly did not stray into illegality, as my – and I don’t doubt it, your – ancestors would say, I was in the boldness of my muse giving hostages to providence and it did cause me great inconvenience.”


texts:
How do we say this in English when our body suddenly shakes for a moment due to change in temperature?
Sometimes, when we go to a place at higher temperature than that of where we were before, we experience a shiver for roughly 2 seconds. I don't know how we say that in English.


texts: "Hatching" or "hatch" to designate "a pattern of fine lines, used for shading"

texts:
I am currently taking a look at some presentations my company made on several features of our software, and I came across several sentences saying that "the software shows a red/blue/whatever color hatch to indicate something", meaning that the software shows a pattern of fine lines.

Simply judging by intuition, this sounded not quite right for me; my impression was that:

the word "hatching" was the most common noun to describe such a pattern;
"hatch" on the other side could be used as an adjective ("hatch pattern"), but was generally not common as a noun that designates such a pattern.

A quick research on merriam-webster shows that "hatching" indeed means "the engraving or drawing of fine lines in close proximity especially to give an effect of shading; also : the pattern so made". But the entry for "hatch" shows, among other definitions, the meaning of "an instance of hatching" or "line; especially : one used to give the effect of shading".

So my question is: is either "hatching" or "hatch" preferable as a designation for "a pattern of fine lines used for shading", or are they completely interchangeable? Is it common to speak of "a hatch" when meaning such a pattern?


texts:
"Her words like the mountain, stood lonely and lofty
With her face like a daydream and her hair like the shawl
Worn by a mourner, who steals away softly
From those that would have him mourn nothing at all"

Does it mean that those who was stolen:
A)Would have nothing to mourn for him? (Probably because he stole them)
B)Would have nothing to mourn? (They just have nothing to mourn)


texts:
I know "I know about him" but don't know "I know of him"

Question is: I know of him. What does this mean or imply?
PS. think of vs know of is a totally different phrase


texts: (have gone, have heard, have felt, have been scared) vs (go, hear, feel, am scared)

texts:
I have made up the similar examples below.
(1) Over the past three days, I have not been able to sleep well. When I have gone to bed late at night, I have heard a spooky sound from the outside. Then, I have felt my bedroom shaking slightly. I have been scared. (You think the strange activity might end today.)
(2) Over the past three days, I have not been able to sleep well. When I go to bed late at night, I hear a spooky sound from the outside. Then, I feel my bedroom shaking slightly. I am scared. (You are expecting the activity to continue repeatedly for a while.)
Most of my friends think both versions are correct depending on how you interpret them. Most of my friends think (1) is grammatically correct. There is no question about it. (2) is also correct when the event seems to be ongoing. In addition, you are expecting it to continue in the foreseeable future. What is your opinion?


texts: When 'past modal+have+past participle' accompanies with past tense in a sentence, can it be before the past or at the past?

texts:
Hermione, however, had more on her mind than the Sorcerer's Stone. She
  had started drawing up study schedules and colorcoding all her notes.
  Harry and Ron wouldn't have minded,[A1] but she kept nagging
  [B1] them to do the same.  "Hermione, the exams are ages
  away." (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

  "So you mean the Stone's only safe as long as Quirrell stands up to
  Snape?" said Hermione in alarm. "It'll be gone by next Tuesday,"
  said [B2’] Ron.  Quirrell, however, must have been braver [A2] than they'd thought.[B2] In the weeks that followed he did
  seem to be getting paler and thinner, but it didn't look as though
  he'd cracked yet.  (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

  She could have wept [A3] It was bad, it was bad, it was infinitely
  bad! She could have done it differently of course; the colour could
  have been thinned and faded; the shapes etherealised; that was
  [B3] how Paunceforte would have seen [A3'] it. But then she did
  not see it like that. She saw the colour burning on a framework of
  steel; the light of a butterfly's wing lying upon the arches of a
  cathedral. Of all that only a few random marks scrawled upon the
  canvas remained. And it would never be seen; never be hung even, and
  there was Mr. Tansley whispering in her ear, "Women can't paint, women
  can't write ..." (Virginia Woolf, To the Lighthouse)

  For Cam grazed the easel by an inch; she would not stop for Mr. Bankes
  and Lily Briscoe; though Mr. Bankes, who would have liked [A4] a
  daughter of his own, held out [B4] his hand; she would not stop
  for her father, whom she grazed also by an inch; nor for her mother,
  who called "Cam! I want you a moment!" (Virginia Woolf, To the
  Lighthouse)

I guess the tenses are like these. Which one needs to be corrected?

A1 : before Speech Time, at B1
A2 : before Speech Time, after B2, at B2’
(A2: at B2; ‘must have been’ generally coincide with the past but in this case with the past perfect?)
A3 : at B3
A3’: before B3
A4 : at B4


texts: "the thing someone did was do something" or "the thing someone did was doing something"?

texts:
Here is what I have found in Crash Course US history at 13 minute and 4 second, and it really confused me.

  Whereas if you are an american arguably the most important thing the leader of this era ever did was raise George W Bush.

The reason I am baffled is that the parts of the sentence don't seem to me to agree. Would it be more grammatical if said:

  ...ever did was raising...

or

  ...ever did was raised...?


texts: We asked him what was his name - reported speech

texts:
Is the following sentence incorrect?

  We asked him what was his name.

Should I put the verb after the subject because I'm using reported speech (ie We asked him what his name was) ?


texts:
Profit before tax surged 286.4% year on year to US$60 million, supported by a 90.2% increase in revenue and doubling of profit margin.

Is the above sentence grammatically correct ? Should the participle phrase "supported......" be put at the beginning of the sentence ?


texts: what does "we can make sisters for life" mean?

texts:
ok, here is the exact saying that appeared in an American movie.

"we can make sisters for life"

I couldn't find the definition of "make sisters" on the internet.

so, I assumed that "make sisters" likes "make friends"

So, make sisters with somebody=become a sister of somebody

"for life" can mean "for the rest of someone's life"

So, we can make sisters for life=we can become sisters of each other for the rest of our life.

could I be right?


texts:
Imagine that, Alice is writing a report for a news website

... With Femtosecond Laser, many kinds of ophthalmic diseases could be cured ...

Michael suggests

"Ophthalmic" sounds too professional for ordinary audience to understand, how about "eye diseases"

where Michael uses "professional" as the opposite of "Plain English", is the use clear and common?


texts:
When we say "The glass was broken" it means when we looked at it, it had been broken before, that is, it shows a state that could be spread over a period of time.
But when we say "it got broken" it shows a happening at a particular point of time.
But that is not true for the verb "bear". When it changes to passive form, it won't be a state, but a happening. When I say "I was born in 1990" it dosn't show a state, but a happening at a point of time. So I wouldn't need to say "I got born in 1990."

What's the difference between these 2 verbs "1.break" and "2. bear"?

These have the same structure above, but different meaning in passive forms using be verbs. One shows a state and the other shows a happening.


texts: 'Sitting' and 'Standing' are participles?

texts:
He is standing there.
He is sitting on the chair.
'Sitting' and 'standing' are present Participles working here as an adjective?
And are they subjective complement?


texts: What's the meaning of "was bled of my bitterness"?

texts:
I checked Oxford Dictionary and "bleed" means:

Lose blood from the body as a result of injury or illness.
Draw blood from (someone), especially as a former method of treatment in medicine.
Allow (fluid or gas) to escape from a closed system through a valve.
print or be printed so that it runs off the page after trimming.

And "bitterness" means:

Sharpness of taste; lack of sweetness
Anger and disappointment at being treated unfairly; resentment.

But I can not understand the meaning of the phrase, and I don't know if it is an idiom or not. Does it mean it reduced my angry?

So, could you please tell me what the meaning of

  was bled of my bitterness

The text is:

  I remember strangely little of the hospital, or of how my brother looked.
  I vaguely recall that his head was wrapped in gauze, and that when I asked
  why, Mother said the doctors had performed a surgery, cutting into his
  skull to relieve some pressure, or stop a bleed, or repair something—
  actually, I can’t remember what she said. Shawn was tossing and turning
  like a child with a fever. I sat with him for an hour. A few times his eyes
  opened, but if he was conscious, he didn’t recognize me.
  When I came the next day, he was awake. I walked into the room and he
  blinked and looked at Mother, as if to check that she was seeing me, too.
  “You came,” he said. “I didn’t think you would.” He took my hand and
  then fell asleep.
  I stared at his face, at the bandages wrapped around his forehead and
  over his ears, and was bled of my bitterness. Then I understood why I
  hadn’t come sooner. I’d been afraid of how I would feel, afraid that if he
  died, I might be glad.

Educated by Tara Westover


texts:
How old are you? or What is your age?

Which is more common or used more and also the correct way of asking?

Original question closed on ELU


texts:
I have a sentence which is "He said false sentence".
Does this sentence Sound NATURAL? How can I create the most natural version of it using the words in the quotation marks?
Ps: It meant to say his sentence was not correct.
Thanks in advance for the answers.


texts:
I have to apologize for this question but I am having some issues with someone saying that you can use the phrase

  Here the bus can come

That sounds really awkward to my ears and I feel like it's wrong. In the past I was a lot better at grammar but I've sadly let those skills slip and I can't explain why this might be incorrect.

Here is the actual sentence being discussed:

The bus comes => Here comes the bus. How can I meet the sentence "the bus can come here"; is it OK to say "Here the bus can come"?


texts: What does "He went up to Mary's at about 8 o'clock." mean?

texts:
I have read a sentence which I have looked up in the dictionary, but I couldn't get the exact meaning.

  He went up to Mary's at about 8 o'clock.

How can I understand the phrase "go up to" in this sentence?

I have two explanations for this sentence:

He start to set off for Mary's at 8 o'clock.
He arrived at Mary's at about 8 o'clock.

Which explanation is more appropriate? And why?


texts:
I'm reading a book and encountering the phrase "insert name is king" a lot. I'm wondering, what's the difference between them? When and why should I use "He is king" instead of "He is a king"?

Examples:

  Tommen is king now
  Yet if neither one is king, still, how could it be Lord Renly?
  And he is a king, and you’re just a spy
  Everyone else is a king or prince these days

Same with other words:

  They elected him president.
  They called him a thief.


texts: What's the difference between "stalk" and "stem"?

texts:
Oxford definitions for them:

  stalk:
   1 The main stem of a herbaceous plant.
  ‘he chewed a stalk of grass’
  1.1 The slender attachment or support of a leaf, flower, or fruit.
  ‘the acorns grow on stalks’

  stem:
  The main body or stalk of a plant or shrub, typically rising above ground but occasionally subterranean.
  1.1 The stalk supporting a fruit, flower, or leaf, and attaching it to a larger branch, twig, or stalk.


texts: Indefinite determiners for introducing an item in plural as new information

texts:
Oftentimes you would use an indefinite determiner (a(n), some, Ø) when introducing an item as new information. And I have been thinking of use of determiners when introducing a new item in plural.

In the following conversations, I feel B could say either some or Ø determiner (Ø article), and sound natural. What do you say?

[1]

  A: Okay, choose something from this box. Does everyone have something
  in your hands?

  B: (1-1) Yes, I have some pens. (1-2) Yes, I have pens.

[2]

  (Showing weirdly-shaped pens to a friend)

  B: (2-1) These are some pens. (2-2) These are pens.


texts:
Yesterday night in a TV show, the Chief Reporter who was talking about our new technocrats government asked mockingly and rhetorically:

  What is the technocrat's antonym? Perhaps "pafarist"...

This is actually not a word in my language, it's an invented one meaning "beyond (out of) everything or good at nothing", but its slang use is very widely spread.

I wonder: Is there an antonym of the word technocrat in English? I'm thinking of "Jack of all trades, master of none", but I'm not sure if it would fit well.


texts:
Must tenses be consistent in a reported speech? For example,

  'Isaac told me that he believed(believes) UFO exist(ed).


texts:
Need your assistance to correct the sentence which I will send it my boss .

  customer was charged by mistake 50 dollar for replacing his card
  please approve to reverse it


texts: What does 'remove' mean in this context?

texts:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQssMVQ3BQs&feature=youtu.be

At 4:14 on the video, she seems to say:

  "After that my dad says no no no, you removed yesterday, it is removed forever.”

What does that mean? Why did he say "no, no, no"? What did she remove?


texts:
Can "refused" used here equivalent for "rejected" ?

I applied for a job as a mechanic in a local garage, but I was rejected.

but i was refused.


texts:
"Your voice glimmers like a flower in the breeze"

What does glimmers mean here? I've searched all the dictionaries and couldn't find an acceptable meaning.

Glimmers means "shining" according to the dictionary, so tell me how can the voice shine?


texts: Is saying " I never did say that" correct, grammatically?

texts: My question here is that can we use never plus did plus the first form of verb?


texts:
In Pulp Fiction (1994), Captain Koons says to Kid:

Captain Koons: See, I was a good friend of your dad's. We were in that
Hanoi pit of hell together...over five years. Hopefully...you'll never
have to experience this yourself, but when two men are in a situation
like me and  your dad were...for as long as we were, you take on
certain responsibilities of the other. If it'd been me who'd--not made
it, Major Coolidge'd be talking right now to my son Jim. But the way
it turned out, I'm talking to you.

What does "of the other" mean?


texts: Which is grammatically correct in English? Don't forget to write one, too. or Don't forget to write one, either?

texts:
A. Let's make a birthday cake for her.
  B. Good idea. I'll write her a card. Don't forget to write one, too/either.
  A. I won't.


texts: Do "The first,....", "The second,....", etc make sense?

texts:
Ok, Let see this paragraph:

  Our transportation system needs to be improved:

  -The first, ...(a sentence)...

  -The second, ...(a sentence)...

Do the sentences "The first,....", "The second,....", etc make any sense?

Or, do we have to change to "First,...." & "Second,..."?


texts:
He is learning English
  I saw him learning  English.
  Learning  is  fun.
  Learning  English  is fun
  Learning  a course in English is useful

In sentence 1, learning is the main verb. some call it  present  participle.

In  sentence 2, learning is  present participle.

In  sentence 3,  learning is a  gerund .

In  sentence 4, learning  English is  the subject  and learning  is modifying  the noun English. So   is  learning an  adjective here?

In sentence 5, “learning  a course in  English” is the  subject.

What  is  learning  here?  Is  it  a gerund?.

Some linguists say it is better to  call them  ingforms to avoid the  confusion.

I may  sound naive  but I hope  I will get  answers to my  question.


texts: According to Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary in the entry “know” and thefreedictionary.com, “How should I know?” means “I don't know and I am not the person you should ask” or “I do not know.; Why should I be expected to know?” respectively. My question is that what is the meaning of “How I know” compared with “How should I know”? Google returns more result for “How I know?” than “How should I know”.


texts:
“What is it?” Henry asks, for all of them.

Does there need to be a comma after "asks"?

The fuller text is:

  The fact that Candice has been murdered—it means that there is
  definitely a killer here, in the hotel [...] “We should search the
  hotel,” David suggests [...]  David says again, “I suggest we search
  the entire hotel, including our own rooms—unless there is anyone here
  who objects?” [...]

  Henry doesn’t know which is worse—the possibility that one of the
  people in their little group might be a murderer, or the possibility
  that there is someone they’re not aware of, moving about the hotel,
  who has already killed two people. As they search Gwen and Riley’s
  room, Henry wonders what it is they’re even looking for. He’s not sure
  why David suggested they search the guests’ rooms, too, not just the
  empty ones, or why they all agreed to it. He doesn’t know what David
  expects to find. It feels like they’re playing at something, some sort
  of parlor game, or murder mystery evening, with the lights out. Only
  no one’s having fun.

  Beverly finds some medication in Riley’s bag and holds it up to the
  light. “What is it?” Henry asks, for all of them. David looks at it.
  “For anxiety,” he says, and Beverly puts it back in Riley’s overnight
  bag.

An Unwanted Guest by shari Lapena


texts: Should I backshift with "If you ever wondered..."?

texts:
Do I use present or past tense after the phrase "If you ever wondered"?

Examples:

  If you ever wondered what hell looks like, ...

  If you ever wondered what hell looked like, ...


texts: "if you're dropping by again, do pop in"

texts: In the movie "Life of Brian" (1979), when the three wise men are leaving, Brian's mother tell them "Well, if you're dropping by again, do pop in." Does it means "the next time you want to come here, there is no need to prior notice" or something like that?


texts: Is it redundant to say "I do that everyday as my mom asks me do that"?

texts:
A friend and I talked about chores at home, I said

I hate doing the dishes though I do that everyday as my mom asks me do that.

I'm pretty sure the part before "though" is idiomatic as Google returns plenty of hits for it.
The question is whether the part after "though" sounds redundant? How do I fix it?


texts:
I was reading a text in an English book and it was stated that between "taller from is the correct use from taller than

I want to know how true this is


texts:
I'm always curisous about the phrase "for someone to" verb which is quite common in English.

However, I noticed sometimes it is not proper.

  1. She is surprised for me to know her mom. - Incorrect

Correct one is "You are suprised that I know her mom."

  Somehow, she is surprised at me to know her mom

is this fine??

  2. A computer is hard for me to deal with.

I think "for me to deal with" is acceptable in the sentence. Is it because the preposition "for" is accetable with adjective "hard"?

Thank you in advance!


texts: subject placeholder - It is reported that, It appears that

texts:
Is "it" a subject placeholder in the sentences below?

  It is reported that one ancient Greek athlete ate dried figs to enhance training.

  It appears unlikely that interest rates will fall.


texts:
As I promised, I will certainly come.

Can I add ‘to come’ after ‘As I promised’?


texts: Meaning of a sentence 'I've got you under my skin'

texts:
I'm watching a series in which it is pronounced in English: I've got you under my skin.
The translation to Spanish subtitles was:

  Te llevo bajo mi piel

The most normal translation of get is 'tener', I looked it up in the dictionary and none of its meanings are translated as

  llevar

So is it a bad translation, a set phrase or something is missing?


texts: Why is there a comma after "growing up" in the sentence?

texts:
He gave the music away for nothing because he believed it should be as freely available as the air you breathed, or as the wild blackberries and raspberries he used to gorge on, growing up, in the woods near Tacoma in Washington state.

It seems that the bold part ("growing up, in...") from an article is a participle phrase, but why did the writer put a comma after "growing up"?


texts: Is this usage of contraction correct and if so is it natural?

texts:
I've wrote the following to a friend.

  A consequence of my brain tumor was that my sense of taste's almost completely gone today.

I can't help feeling that I should have written "...sense of taste is completely gone...". According to what I've been taught, it's correct but perhaps it's not? Or, at least, not naturally clean to a NSE? If so, why?


texts: In my notebook, in the index section, there is a blank for "std."(most probably an abbreviation for "standard") alongside name blank. But, I couldn't find any dictionary defining "standard" to mean "form". So, is it a wrongful misconception of the word? Any help would be appreciated.


texts: Is — where will I have left my keys? — grammatical?

texts:
Where will I have left my keys?

Is this structure grammatical and used?

I'm trying to say something like

  where did I leave my keys?

but using will.


texts: When you lose a button of your shirt/coat/jeans

texts:
Imagine you are walking with your friend waiting for a meeting to get started and suddenly you come to yourself and notice that one of your shirt's / jeans'/ coat's buttons has been lost! You want to express your surprise or annoyance to your friend. What would be the best way to inform someone about it:

  1- My shirt's button fell off.
  2- My shirt's button has fallen off.
  3- My shirt's button is missing.


texts: When should I use fatherland instead of motherland?

texts: Is it politically correct to use either word (fatherland, motherland) to refer to the country of birth? Which one is more appropriate and when?


texts: become or became (or "are", or "have been")

texts:
I've translated a bit of text and is unsure which form to use: become or became.

  Piston-type modular gas boosting stations can be used at sites that have:
  - wells with low output gas pressure,
  - wells exhibiting a sharp drop in production despite a constant reservoir pressure,
  - wells whose bottom hole areas become (became?) mudded-up during drilling or workover.

Is this "become" okay, or should "became" be used, or are both options acceptable? I've just thought that "are" could be used too. That gives three additional options:

  wells whose bottom hole areas are mudded-up during drilling or workover.
  wells whose bottom hole areas became mudded-up during drilling or workover.
  wells whose bottom hole areas have been mudded-up during drilling or workover.

As an aside, I wonder which is better: "can be used at sites.." or "could be used at sites..".


texts: can we use "continuous tenses" with the verb "get" when expressing illness?

texts:
In the dictionary,

  get [transitive, no passive] get something to become infected with an illness; to suffer from a pain, etc.

  I got this cold off (= from) you!

  She gets (= often suffers from) really bad headaches.

  have (also have got) have something (not used in the progressive tenses) to suffer from an illness or a disease

  I've got a headache.

So, we know that if we want to express our current  illness that is happening, we have to use the simple present tense with the verb "have"

So, we say "I have a cold now" but not "I am having a cold" (wrong)

But what about the verb "get"

can we say "I am getting a cold"?

The Ngram showed that people do say

"I have a cold" (a lot of people say this)
"I get a cold" (some people say this)
"I am getting a cold" (few people say this)
"I am having a cold" (no data found, maybe no one says this)

Can we use "continuous tenses" with the verb "get" when expressing illness?

Also, 1 more question, does the rule apply to other physical conditions such as hiccup, etc

For example, which of the following are correct when we want to express that a person is experiencing hiccups (it is happening now):

"I have hiccups"
"I get hiccups"
"I am getting hiccups"
"I am having hiccups"


texts: Phrases to describe advancement of Information Technology

texts:
I would like to describe how fast information is exchanged with the convenience of information technology but can't think of a better way to phrase it with fewer words.

Can anyone help?


texts: What does "projecting" mean in this context?

texts:
I meet this word in a article. After look up dictionary, I am not sure what it means in this context

  “Pfft,” she says, waving a hand. “He’s nervous. Everything he says,
  he’s always projecting. He knows the case that can be made against
  him. That’s why he’s falling apart.”

  But you’re not, I ask?

  “No,” she says, her voice steady. “I’m emboldened.”

Source : https://time.com/5762021/nancy-pelosi-trump-impeachment-gamble/


texts: "What I've been developing so far" or "What I've developed so far"?

texts:
a) Give me 5 minutes so I can show you what I've been developing so far.
  b) Give me 5 minutes so I can show you what I've developed so far.

I am bit confused which one should i use present perfect or perfect continues?


texts: "In some time" vs "at some time" vs "sometimes"

texts:
In some settings, in some time, typing a superscript in a Text style cell will auto generate an inline cell.

Is it right to use "in some time"?


texts: is + past participle vs is + to be +past participle

texts:
When I have to use is + past participle  and is + to be +past participle.

The water is poured.
The water is to be poured.

Please help to differentiate.


texts: Is the sentence, "BrE and AmE are varieties of what" grammatically correct?

texts:
In meaning of "in both varieties" I said

  Does "both varieties" refer to BrE and AmE? If yes, they are varieties of what?

Simply, I could have said

  BrE and AmE are varieties of what?

This seems grammatically incorrect.

How do I make it grammatically correct?


texts: What would be an idiomatic verb with "interest" to mean "decrease"?

texts:
I came across this question that asks "What verb would you recommend with 'interest' to mean “increase”?", but I wonder what would be the opposite of it. The answer to that question recommends spark, boost, amplify, surge, escalate etc. I also searched their antonyms but didn't find an idiomatic one.
So in the sentence

The pandemic [verb to mean "decrease"]ed the people's interest in epidemiology


texts:
the sentence "I persuaded him to go there" can mean just the option 1 or can mean both 1-2

  1- I wanted him to go and he accepted after some talks

  2- I wanted to go and he let me go after some talks


texts:
How can I use "have to" in question tags? Which one is correct? Can I say it both ways?

  He has to come alone, doesn’t he?

or

  He has to come alone, hasn’t he?


texts: Feeling of closeness with something you adore/love so much

texts:
How do I say that I find a person or place so good or you love it so much that you think it gives you feeling of closeness to it? Or what?
E.g I like my friend's mother so much, it's like motherly vibes come out of her.
Or
I like a place so much, it gives me homely/comfy feeling, seems like a second home to me.
What is this feeling called?


texts:
At follow context:

  Selling Leads and Buying Leads

what leads means ?


texts: Do they mean the same "i got one" or "i got it"

texts:
I am wondering to see if they mean the same or different.

  "Did you get one of the papers?" "Yes I got one" or "yes I got it"

  "I missed one event day" or " I missed an event today"

  "Can I have one hamburger, please" or "Can I have a hamburger, please"


texts: Meaning and connotations of "these are my pieces"

texts:
At work, someone came up to me to discuss an internal email I'd sent round the office about some planned changes.

At the end they said to me:

  Well, these are my pieces. I have said them.

...
What?

What was that intended to mean?


texts:
This tree is strange. The lower branches protrude from the trunk more
  than the upper branches (protrude).

I created the above sentence. I want to know if this type of usage of "more than" is correct. Another example is as follows:

  This cover film protects your iphone more than that cover film (protects).

I think "more than" in the first should be "longer than" and "more than" in the second should be "more effectively/reliably than", but want to know whether the original sentences are grammatically correct.


texts:
Two persons are in a scene.A said"why didnot you meet me at the station?"
B said"I was busy in completing my work.I know you would understand.
Then he tell about his work.I don't know why B used would instead of will,although there is no condition here.please hep me out in this .


texts: "Ties with industry" or "Ties with the industry"

texts:
Is it correct to say:

  The school has strong ties with industry.

Should the definite article precede "industry"?

In order to make this question more clear: I think there's a couple of things at issue that I would like to ask about, beyond merely the specificity of industry. I understand that "industry" can be both a count noun and a non-count noun. So to say "ties with industry" means "industry" is used uncountably. But then when is it a count noun when noncount?

Also, if "industry" is preceded by the definite article to refer to a particular industry, does it mean it is countable? Macmillan says so. All this being said, if a business school puts a line in a blurb, should it say:

  The school has strong ties with industry.

or

  The school has strong ties with the industry.

If that was a comment about a research university that has diverse academic disciplines, should it include the definite article?


texts:
Dangling prepositions is confuse me. Why and when use? Isn't "pre" means "before"? If so why we use sometimes at the end of sentence? Can I use instead of "Where he comes from?", "He comes from where?" ? Is these are same mean?
For example:
Which climate you live in?
There is nothing to be scared of.
I have something to talk about.
I wonder who this book was written by.


texts: We were discussing (whether / if) to leave early (or not)

texts:
I have read many articles, but I don't know why often the verb "discuss" is followed by the conjunction "whether," but not "if". Do you confirm that this verb is an exception and after that we have to use always "whether"?
In other words as an example I believe that:

  We were discussing whether to leave early (or not). Correct
  We were discussing if to leave early (or not). Incorrect


texts: What does “soften the noodle” mean in Bad Santa 2?

texts:
What does this expression mean in Bad Santa 2 Movie?

  Sunny Soke: Of course, it's harder for the girl because she's gotta
  get off before the drugs soften the noodle.


texts:
There was still a problem: how to keep the calendar right in the future, year after year.

In this sentence, I have a question of the usage of colon. I found that we need to add a sentence for further detail while using colon.
So I wanted to know whether it needs to rephrase like this.

  There was still a problem: it was how to keep the calendar right in the future, year after year.


texts: Combining two statements: I have no information. They are coming to my flat.

texts:
Management of the building called me and told me that they couldn't manage to visit my flat that day. I didn't know that they were about to visit me. So I just wanted to tell my landlord their planned visit. So I was to write one of these two sentences below. I couldn't decide which one is the best way to describe.

  I have no information that they are coming to my flat

  I have no information about them coming to my flat


texts: Is the expression "cake cutting "suitable when cake is sliced on special occasions?

texts:
In India on the special occasions like on 'birthdays and anniversaries cake is cut and this act is described as below 1)The birthday girl cut the cake
2)The cake was cut
3)Cake cutting ceremony etc. What are the expressions used by native users for the above expressions??


texts: London where he comes from or London from where he comes?

texts:
He comes from London.
  He goes to London.

If we use London as an antecedent in a noun clause.what are the correct noun clauses given below?

  (a) London where he comes from.
    (b) London from where he comes.
    (c) London (that/which) he comes from.
    (d) London from which he comes.
  (a) London where he goes to.
    (b) London to where he goes.
    (c) London (that/which) he goes to.
    (d) London to which he goes.


texts: Question about meaning of "community" and "interior features: 2 story" in a context of renting a house

texts:
Other room

  laundry: community
  rooms: living room

  Interior features

  2 story
  security features: gated community

My first concern has to do with the word "interior" . When it say "interior features 2 story", is it saying that it is a duplex? Two separate rooms in two stories? Could you answer in simple English?
My second concern is about the meaning of the word **community". What does each community mean? First highlighted community and the second highlighted community? Could you answer in simple English, please?


texts: "If someone would answer my question" vs. "If someone answered my question"

texts:
(a) I'd appreciate it if someone would answer my question.
(b) I'd appreciate it if someone answered my question.

Which sentence is grammatically OK? I hesitate because I am not able to decide whether this clause is conditional or not.
P. S. Is it necessary to use "it" there?


texts:
I wrote:

  Figure 4 shows an increase in the total electrostatic potential from the water phase to/toward the IL phase.

Is it "to" or "toward" here? what's the difference?

I think it must be "to", however, I wonder "toward" can be also used because I want to show a direction.


texts:
Source: UNIX System Administration—A Beginner's Guide by Steve Maxwell (2002)

Example:

  Certainly this is the ideal situation, but the world is full of situations that are far from perfection. As a result, many successful administrators don't need to deal with the softer side, but more the technical.

Check my comprehension please:
As a result, many successful administrators don't need to deal with the softer side, but instead they need to deal more with the technical side.


texts: what is the difference between numb, dope, anesthetize, drug?

texts:
could anyone help me to get the difference between numb, dope, anesthetize and drug when we use them as verbs?

explanation with example would be appreciated.


texts: Why is "at" used here instead of "under"?

texts:
Why is "at" used in following sentence :

  The children with their yellow hair hollered at the deep dome of
  Martian sky?

I think "under" would be the better preposition to be used, wouldn't it?


texts: What preposition should be used with "reminder" in this phrase?

texts:
Every time I write this phrase I have the same doubt.

  This is a reminder about/ on the meeting we'll have next Friday.

Which of the prepositions is the correct one?


texts:
Are all these sentences valid and common? Especially in a shop or in work areas? In factories?

How can I help you?
What can I help you with?
Is there anything I can help you with?
Are you needing any help?
Something I can help you with?


texts:
The sentences in question:

  From what I’ve heard from his classmates, he has a knack for explaining the tricky, intricate programming concepts in a very easy-to-understand manner. This skill of his clearly reveals that his own fundamental computer concepts are strong and crystal clear.

There is a green highlight on that bold part, and MS word says "Reflexive Pronoun Use (Consider revising)". However, I don't understand what's wrong at all. Please explain to me what is the mistake here. Thanks you!


texts: Proper tense in "I read the documentation but I didn’t find any information about requirements"

texts:
I read the documentation but I didn’t find any information about requirements.

Is it right to use the simple past here? Or should I say it like this:

  I've read the documentation but I haven’t found any information about requirements.

Or maybe like this:

  I've read the documentation but I didn’t find any information about requirements.

Could you please explain which of the above variants is the right choice and why?


texts: What may be called a big spot on the top of the head of an aged man?

texts:
Here's a photo of an aged man:

And here's another one when he was younger:

What's the English for the spot on the crown of his head? It's too big and quite unusual in shape to be called a mole, isn't it? May it just be  called  a pigmented spot or there's a more exact and interesting word for it? And the man wasn't born with it and he didn't have it when he was a few decades younger than in the photo.

And here, he is yet much younger:


texts: Saxon genitive: When to use the possessive apostrophe correctly

texts:
I know that If both elements are inanimated one can use the preposition of but not necessarily, example: "This is my car door"  or  "This is the door of my car" As far as I know, it would be wrong to say: "This is my car's door"-

Here is my doubt: "Today's work was hard!"  or  "Tomorrow's party is going to be brilliant" I believe these two sentences are correct.

If I can say "This is my car door" why sounds so weird to me to say: "Tomorrow party" or "The party of tomorrow"?


texts: "I see / can see / am seeing an aeroplane / a camel flying"

texts:
These sentences refer to a real situation:

A1. I see an aeroplane flying.
A2. I can see an aeroplane flying.
A3. I am seeing an aeroplane flying.

These, however, refer to a hallucination:

B1. I see a camel flying.
B2. I can see a camel flying.
B3. I am seeing a camel flying.

My dictionary (I Garzantini) says that "to see things" means "avere le allucinazioni" (translation: "to have hallucinations"). Does any of the boldfaced forms mark the difference between a real and a hallucinatory vision, or is any of them better suited to one situation or the other?


texts:
We know that most of the meanings of phrasal verbs can be traced back to the first, most basic meaning.
Knowing that "off" originally conveyed the idea of "separation" (cut off my finger, my dog ran off etc)
Can we assume that "turn OFF my computer" and "switch OFF the light" originally meant taking a device "off the electric circuit" or "disconnect a device from the electric circuit"?
Could you tell me if it's true or if there's different etymology?
Thank you!


texts: "each light deserting her" or "each light was deserting her"?

texts:
Her voice compelled me forward breathlessly as I listened -- then the glow faded, each light deserting her with lingering regret like children leaving a pleasant street at dusk".
   (The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald)

Why we didnt use "each light was deserting her" instead of the real sentence?


texts: How to understand "most likely a usage diagnostic of some sort from awk"?

texts:
"Doing this leads to confusing behavior — most likely a usage diagnostic of some sort from awk."

awk is a software. I can't understand "a usage diagnostic of some sort from awk", I think it should be "a diagnostic usage of some sort from awk", because diagnostic is an adjective.

Besides, what does "some sort from awk" mean? "some kind from awk"? But there is no kind or sort mentioned in the context.

Source: http://www.gnu.org/software/gawk/manual/gawk.pdf page 34


texts:
The farmer found a furrow in the land.
The dog observed a hole in the land.
The dog sniffed a hole in the field.

Not sure if both are ok. To me, both are grammatical, but I am not sure if it's the case and how to tell if it's grammatical or not.


texts: which one of these sentences is correct?

texts:
Only one of the following sentences is grammatically correct. Which one is it?

A. He recommended her to continue her education.

B. He recommended she continues her education.

C. He recommended she continued her education.

D. He recommended she continue her education.

and please explain the reason why.


texts:
Here is the dialog from the Godfather movie:

Johnny Fontane: Oh, Godfather, I don't know what to do. I don't know
what to do.
Don Corleone:You can act like a man! What's the matter
with you? Is this how you turned out? A Hollywood finocchio that cries
like a woman.

What did he ment by the phrase Is this how you turned out?


texts: What is the difference between both by/after

texts:
By+gerund
After+gerund

Provide some examples too.

Sometimes they mean the same I guess or don't they?

Any help will be appreciated. :)

I'm not a native speaker so I'm confused with both.


texts: What does "sleep through an earthquake" mean?

texts:
I heard this phrase recently in a podcast. I am not sure If I heard it right, but I couldn't find its meaning.

Here is the exact sentence I heard,

  She can sleep through an earthquake.

My assumption is that she can sleep even with disturbing noise around.

Please clarify.


texts: Which preposition should I choose for "lunch"?

texts:
I'm reading kids' textbook.

The question is "Which preposition should you choose?"

  We drank the milk ___ lunch.

Is the blank at,  to,  in,  or on?

The book provides those four options.


texts: "I would be available to attend an interview"

texts:
I would be available to attend an interview on any day at your earliest convenience.

This is the last paragraph of a letter of application. Could you explain to me why is "would" used instead of "will" that normally indicates the future.


texts:
When I'm 25 years, I will have graduated from university and ....... for a job.
a) will look     b) be looking     c) will have looked      d) am going to look
(1) I think the sentence will be OK and understood without (FROM UNIVERSITY )
(2) It seems to me that both a & d are correct.
What do you think.


texts:
I don't know the difference between these words.

When is it correct to use “maybe” and when is it correct to use “perhaps”?


texts: Clarification on confusing news headline: Trump says spoke 'sarcastically' about injecting disinfectants

texts:
I encountered this headline in a news website just now:

"Trump says spoke 'sarcastically' about injecting disinfectants"

English is not my first language but I know there is something wrong with the phrase. It got me reading the headline many times to figure it out, and the most logical 'fix' I could think of is to add 'he' before the word spoke.

With that, is it really valid to omit the 'he' in this example, considering how much it resulted confusion?


texts:
Fireman: Both of them happened at night. So, when your smoke alarm goes off, you wake up and yell fire as loud as you can, so everyone else in your house wakes up, and then you should get low to the ground, because smoke rises, and then you crawl out of your house as fast as you can, and go to a meeting spot with the rest of your family and then someone should call the fire department.

What does "you should get low to the ground" mean?


texts: How to call documentation which exists but is very limited?

texts:
If I use deepl to translate from my native language to english,
I get this: "the documentation is thin".

But I am unsure if thin is the matching term.

How to call documentation which covers only 20% and 80% are missing?


texts: The man I want to go there. <- Is this grammatical?

texts:
One of my friend who's leaning English as I am, kept insisting me that that above sentence is grammatical and has same meaning with "I want the man to go there".

I googled it, but none did I find for any reference. Do natives really take that natural sentence?


texts:
I saw the following in CNN news:

  Announcing details of the itinerary on Friday, the UK government disclosed that Trump will attend a black-tie dinner hosted by Prime Minister Theresa May at Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of the UK's celebrated wartime leader.

Is it grammatically incorrect to say Trump "will" attend? Shouldn't we use Trump "would" attend, since "disclosed" is a past tense? Is there any difference between these two usages?


texts: "Going to" VS "having gone to" in this context

texts:
Going to the stadium, I saw Tendulkar was batting.

  Having gone to the stadium, I saw Tendulkar was batting.

As a learner I know that the former is present participle and the latter is perfect participle.

But people often interchange with each other

Are they interchangeable?

Thank you.


texts:
Do any of these sentences sound natural for you?

You're the only one I need to love me.
You're the only one I need to have love me.
You're the only one I need to make love me.
You're the only one I need to get to love me.
You're the only one I need to be loved by.

In the sentences one to four, did you understand that I need you in order to love myself or that I need to be loved by you?


texts:
I can't understand the what does followings it mean. What is the role of "get" there? Why we don't use "to"?
get started - to start
get confident - to be confident
get married - to be marry


texts:
Here's a example and I'd like to know the difference between 'in the same way' and 'the same way'.

  I'm wondeting if the 'when' clause can be used as the object of 'be afraid' the same way as 'that' clause can.

Here, which one is proper between 'In the same way' and 'the same way'?


texts: Can the verb acknowledge be used in this form "acknowledge to sb"?

texts:
I came across this sentence when reading a book:

  They acknowledge as much directly to the students reading one of their textbooks when they write, "...".

Is this correct?
Does this mean that "They admit to the students that..."?


texts: What's the subtle difference in meaning between "of", " 's" and compound nouns?

texts:
A lot of grammar books say that with living things (a cat, a man), one can only use an -'s  , for or double genitive  so the only correct ways to say that a boy owns a hat are:

  A boy's hat   (apostrophe s)

  A hat for a boy   (for)

  A hat of a boy's  (double genitive)

And most books say also that "of" can be only used with inanimate objects, ex : the door of the house, the map of the garden...etc. So I came to understand that a clause like that is completely incorrect :

  the computer of the family ❌❌❌

But like that it's correct:

  the family's computer ✔✔✔✔

Then I discovered that "of" can also be used with animate objects, not just inanimate things, and that I can also use compound nouns.

So these two turned out to be correct:

  the computer of the family ✔✔✔

  the family computer ✔✔✔

But I'm wondering what are the differences in meaning between all of those ways to indicate possession, and whether all of them truly grammatically correct. If so, why do a lot of grammar books say that of is incorrect with living things like people or animals?

More importantly, are there any other ways to indicate possession other than the ones listed above?


texts: One of the pirate stories that [ was / were ] written

texts:
Treasure island is one of the best pirate stories that was/were ever written.

If I use was then will this sentence become wrong? The subject treasure island is singular, I think we should use was only.

Also, one of takes a plural noun after it, so I think we should use a singular helping verb.


texts: Should both "affect" and "effect" be correct to fill in this sentence?

texts:
So I was playing this quiz on Oxford Dict where the fourth question asks you to fill in the blank with either affect or effect:

  Will being around a puppy _____ your allergies?

And I was very skeptical because it looks to me as if both words would suit perfectly.

If I want to say that being around a puppy has an effect or like make something change about my allergic problem, then I would use affect.

And if I want to say that being around a puppy merely causes my allergies to happen, then I would use effect, as defined by Oxford in this embedded link.

It totally depends on what I want to say to choose which one to fill, or am I wrong?

The solution to the quiz, according to Oxford, is affect, by the way.


texts: What role does this past-participle take?

texts:
Someone standing outside the Great Hall might well have thought some
  sort of explosion had taken place, so loud was the noise that erupted
  from the Gryffindor table. Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood up to yell
  and cheer as Neville, white with shock, disappeared under a pile of
  people hugging him. He had never won so much as a point for Gryffindor
  before. Harry, still cheering, nudged Ron in the ribs and pointed at
  Malfoy,who couldn’t have looked more stunned and horrified if he’d
  just had the Body-Bind Curse put on him. (Harry Potter and the
  Sorcerer's Stone)

I don’t find the same syntactic example as the highlighted case in OALD. Is it a certain type of have-structure that I don’t find yet. Or does the phrase, put on him, modify the previous noun phrase, the Body-Bind Curse?


texts: What does "blush the collar right off of you" mean?

texts:
I've come across it in the 8th episode of the 9th season of the Walking Dead. Here is the context:

Negan: Screw it. My mind never "empties," anyway.
Generally goes straight to that place
that would blush the collar right off of you.
Although, now that you and Rosita are a thing,
maybe I'm wrong.


texts: Is “I believe to” in this sentence correct?

texts:
I know the sentences:

  He is believed to be dead.

  I believe (that) she is the right person.

  He is the man believed to deserve that title.

But when I want to say “the man I believe”, I don’t know whether it’s right or not:

  He is the man I believe to deserve that title.

Is the above sentence correct?


texts: “Far hamlets to the east will know his antics”

texts:
He will pass beyond it through those desolate plains, and over the
  hills beyond them, beyond Bapaume. Far hamlets to the east will know
  his antics.

  And one day surely, in old familiar garb, without court dress, without
  removing his hat, armed with that flexible cane, he will walk over the
  faces of the Prussian Guard and, picking up the Kaiser by the collar,
  with infinite nonchalance in finger and thumb, will place him neatly
  in a prone position and solemnly sit on his chest.

This is from the novel Tales of War by Lord Dunsany

Far hamlets to the east will know his antics. I do not understand the meaning. It might mean that he (Charlie Chaplin in the film) will go to Kaiser Wilhelm.

I am glad if somebody might give me some advice.


texts: " In your letter(,) you've asked me about my relationship with music." -- do I need a comma?

texts:
Do I need a comma in the phrase "In your letter you've asked me about my relationship with music."? Grammarly (a Chrome add-on that checks spelling and punctuation) corrects it, inserting a comma after the word "letter", but it's not an introductory word/phrase, so either I misunderstand something, or Grammarly is wrong.

What's the case?


texts: How is the rank for "exceptional" for this situation?

texts:
His English is exceptional.

If it is applied to non-native speaker:

What rank of English when someone is considered being "exceptional"?

Does his knowledge of English is similar with native speaker?

Does he perform English in a different way compared to the other English learners?

What things can be classified as being exceptional in this context?


texts:
I know after 'instead of' verb-ing is used.
But I have found a sentence :

  "My father wants me to be bold instead of be cautious".

Is it correct?

Can we use 'instead of being cautious' in the above sentence?
Please clarify it.


texts: on point a hundred yards out on/from the perimeter

texts:
You took your turn on point a hundred yards out (on) the perimeter as an outpost so the other guys could get some sleep...

If I replace the 'on' with 'from', does the meaning change?


texts:
In Korea. because many companies are having labor disputes, they are not able to work properly.

Is this sentence correct? If I say - "In Korea many companies have labour disputes, they are not able to work properly", what differences in meaning of sentences will arise?

Why in given example "are having" has been used?


texts: "Assume something be" or "Assume something is"?

texts:
I am writing a scientific paper.

I am not sure about the usage of "assume."

Should I say "Let us assume x is real," or should I say "Let us assume x be real"?


texts:
I read many examples in English about using the word briefly. However, I found that all the examples, that I read, used verb + briefly. My question is can I use it as briefly + verb. For example,

  This paragraph briefly describes the idea of .....

or

I must use it like this:

  This paragraph describes, briefly, the idea of ....


texts: he thought to be working for the Russian government

texts:
I have a doubt in "to be working". And can I use "to be worked" instead of "to be working"?
I'd like to know the exact difference in meaning between them?
Please help me...

Here's the example sentence:

  Hackers thought to be working for the Russian government recently penetrated the White House’s unclassified computer networks.


texts: This is the university where I graduated. this is correct?

texts:
I want to know if this sentence is grammatically correct.

"This is the school where I graduated."

(I think the sentence is right because "graduate" the verb is being used intransitively. It can be used without "from")
I hope there is the explanation  in the dictionary.


texts: Commas in 'reliable, secure, translation company'

texts:
Suppose we have a sentence at the main page of a translation company's website:

  Moscow Translations is a well-known, reliable, secure, translation company,
  employing skilled specialist translators.

Would the comma after secure be in its rightful place?
In the Russian language, it would be an error to put it there.


texts:
Next day we got on to more intimate subjects and I began to learn
  something of his life. He was now nearer fifty than forty years of
  age, though I should have thought him younger.
  I had been surprised on the evening of our first meeting to discover
  the nature of his work. He was engaged in selling sewing machines on
  commission to Indian storekeepers up and down the East African coast.
  It was clearly not the job for which his age and education
  should have fitted him. Later I learned the explanation.

  Source: Too Much Tolerance, by Evelyn Waugh

I guess in the first example should have thought  should be equivalent to would have thought, but I was wondering if "thought" or "had thought" could be used instead without changing the intended meaning.

As for the second example, I would think "should fit" should be used instead because obviously he was still engaged in his sales job at the narrative time. Does this should have done construction here imply an unfulfilled expectation?

If I cast this example into the present, will it be "It is clearly not the job for which his age and education should fit him."?


texts: The best way to enjoy a fine wine is slowly - Help parse the sentence

texts:
Can you please help me parse this sentence:

  The best way to enjoy a fine wine is slowly.

Please explain the structure of the sentence. I am mostly having trouble with slowly after is.


texts: Describing an act of "deep" bowing in English

texts:
Is there any way in English (noun or a verb or a phrase) to describe an act of "deep" bowing, when the "bower" brings his head down below his lumbar region but doesn't kneel down?

I am especially interested in the case of imperative, like:

  Please, (give a) _________________ to the king!


texts: What does the phrase "nods to the lore" mean here?

texts:
What does the phrase "nods to the lore" mean in the following sentence:

  Seems very well thought out & has lots of cool nods to the lore of
  starwars [sic].

This text is from a response to a discussion on the EA Battlefront forums.


texts:
It's a good thing you did, when you taught me how to play guitar. I learned a lot.

  It's a good thing you did teaching me how to play guitar. I learned a lot.

  It's a good thing you did, teaching me how to play guitar. I learned a lot.

Do all the above sentences mean the same thing?
Are all of them correct?


texts: What is the difference between sing for / sing to me?

texts:
Currently i am reading a book called 'Lick' by Kylie Scott

I came across the above phrases on pg 89 - 90 where the lead character asks this question or uses expression in the following ways - that are

Will you sing for me ?
Did you sing to me that night ?
Please sing me a song ?

I was wondering what's the difference in those.


texts: Can a sentence contain two passive constructions?

texts:
We had no sooner started the work than he closed the door.

The following two sentences are passive construction of the above example. Please have a look:

The work had no sooner been started than the door was closed.
The work had no sooner been started than he closed the door.

In the first passive construction, both parts of the example given above are in passive voice. In the second, only the first part is in passive. Are both applicable? Are both right?


texts: alternative for the phrase redress your complaints

texts:
Is there any other phrase for - redress your complaints.. like this sounds too formal..
can you give a lesser formal sentence for the following one.
Don't worry I will "redress all your complaints and regrets".
Can we use the word remove.. I can REMOVE ALL YOUR COMPLAINTS AND REGRETS..
Please suggest a better alternative..