texts: Pronunciation of the second /k/ in "excuse"?

texts: The "p" in "application" is unaspirated and the "p" in "apply" is aspirated since it is the first letter in the stressed syllable, am I right? When an unvoiced stop is the first letter of a stressed syllable, it should always be aspirated, correct? But for example in the word "excuse" since the second "k" is the second letter but not the first letter of the stressed syllable, I should pronounce it as an unaspirated sound, shouldn't I? I mean in the word "excuse" the first "k" should be aspirated and the second "k" should be unaspirated, right?


texts: A confusion about meaning of "in 4" in this sentence

texts:
What's the meaning of "in 4" in the below sentence?

  We drove home, and made it to the suburbs of Philadelphia which
  normally takes about 20 minutes in 4. We timed it.


texts: According to Grammarly, this sentence is incorrect. But is it really?

texts:
I was given two movie tickets by my mother

I was using Grammarly and it says "by" should be replaced by "from".

Please find a link to the Grammarly checker here.


texts:
Is the needed in the following sentences? What does the sentences with and without the mean?

(The) people who stand by you in your tough times are the best friends of yours.
This notice is for (the) people who want to donate blood in the camp near the university ground.
(The) students who used to read at this school are very successful now.
Nikolas Maduro betrayed (the) people who voted for him.

Another question, please tell me is it necessary to use the ?

John: What do you think about nikolas maduro getting elected as president regularly after so much anarchism in Venezuela? Me:- I think the people have no choice other than him to vote for.

I think 'the' is necessary. what do you think?


texts: page 10 second paragraph from the bottom / page 10 second paragraph below?

texts:
Which one is correct?

see page 10, second paragraph from the bottom
see page 10, second paragraph below

Thank you in advance!


texts: What does "be all X this and X that" mean?

texts:
"don't expect me to be all dear diary this and dear diary that"

would you explain the meaning of that sentence and change the sentence in other word or form?

particularly, I have wondered the meaning of ~ "this" and ~ "that" and "be all"


texts: The corect use of the verb "leave" in context

texts:
Tell me please if I used the verb leave correctly in this context.

  Person 1: How many sets of squats do you have left to do?

  Person 2: I have 2 sets left.

If the sentences don't sound natural, tell me please how to say it correctly.


texts:
These papers are in high quality .

Would it be correct if I use “in” instead of “of”? If it is wrong can you please explain why?


texts: Different expression for “in front of the computer“

texts:
A friend of mine asked me to read through his keywords for a presentation. He wanted to express that he sometimes eats in front of the computer. His sentence was:

  “I eat at the computer.“

Can we use at in this case? It sounds a bit strange to me, but we also eat at the table, right? Does it convey the same meaning? Is there a different way to express “I eat in front of the computer“?


texts: Question about a sentence construction (has/have)

texts:
Who have we got in the next round?
  Who have you arranged to meet later on?
  Who have they coming over for dinner?

i know that after who we put has like this example

  who has the car?

but in those 3 sentences thay put have could you tell me why please ?


texts:
I know that she will not come today.
  I knew that she will not come today.

Which of the above is more accurate if I want to say I knew that she won't come long time ago?


texts: Meaning of the sentence: "They must known his own place"

texts:
They must known his own place.

Does this sentence grammatically correct and make sense in any context?

It was given to me for translation as part of my studying English but I can't see any sense without changing known into have known/know/knew. And even then I'm not sure how to interpret to know one's own place. Is it a variant of the idiom to know one's place or just about apartments?


texts: Are these predicative complements or adverbials?

texts:
As Harry helped himself to a treacle tart, the talk turned to their
families.
"I'm half-and-half," said Seamus. "Me dad's a Muggle. Mom didn't tell
him she was a witch 'til after they were married. Bit of a nasty shock
for him."
The others laughed.
"What about you, Neville?" said Ron.
"Well, my gran brought me up and she's a witch," said Neville, "but
the family thought I was all-Muggle for ages. My Great Uncle Algie
kept trying to catch me off my guard [i] and force some magic
out of me [ii] -- he pushed me off the end of Blackpool pier [iii] once, I nearly drowned -- but nothing happened until I was
eight. Great Uncle Algie came round for dinner, and he was hanging me
out of an upstairs window [iv] by the ankles when my Great Auntie Enid offered him a meringue and he accidentally let go. But I bounced
-- all the way down the garden and into the road. They were all really pleased, Gran was crying, she was so happy. And you should have seen
their faces when I got in here -- they thought I might not be magic
enough to come, you see. Great Uncle Algie was so pleased he bought me
my toad."
--- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

[i] can be called a depictive. I guess [iii] could be a resultative. For [ii] and [iii], it’s not that easy. At a glance, they are like resultatives, and yet they seem to be like adverbials with locative or directional meaning. May I be helped understood better?


texts:
is the below usage of ''of'' correct?

  Of all the components which lead a person to happiness, money plays the most pivotal role.


texts: Which is correct?Present perfect or past simple?

texts:
What would you say to someone that just told you she is pregnant from the grammatical point of view?

  "Really? But we have always been so careful and taken every precaution"

or

  "Really? But we were always careful and took every precaution."

?

They seem both correct to me. It's useless for them to take any other precaution since she is pregnant already and that's why past simple seems correct. But at the same time present perfect seems correct too because they are still sleeping together so there'll be other times. What do you think?


texts: Is the meaning "taken in" the same thing as received?

texts:
I was taken in by this kind man into his home.

It's a made up sentence, but I was wondering if it was grammatical. I always thought that "taken in" meant the same thing as receiving someone in or let someone walk in. Is this the case?
Can it also mean taken in into something else than a home?

The man was taken in into a cave by the storm.


texts: If potato chips come in contact with humid air, they become what?

texts:
In my mother-tongue, there's a word for it. I'm wondering what the English word is.

  If potato chips come in contact with humid air (as in rainy days), they lose their crispiness, and become _____________.

Fill in the blank. Note that the chips are eatable and won't cause food poisoning. But neither are they wet because of contact with liquid water. They are just not crispy. In other words, if you take a potato chip and break it, it won't produce any sound of 'cracking'. It'd rather bend :)

I'm not looking for something like 'uncrispy' because it'll serve an all different purpose in this context.

To avoid confusion of chips or fries, this is the picture of what I mean chips here.


texts:
I wrote the following question in another StackExchange website:

  If I want to save and retrieve an object, should I create another class to handle it, or it would be better to do that in the class itself?

Is it better to say it as:

  If I want to save and retrieve an object, should I create another class to handle it, or I'd better to do that within the class itself?

I thought the second is better because it is in accord with the first sentence of the OR conjunction (both begin with "I").

In general, are they equivalent? I mean "it would be better.." and "I'd better..."? Which is more common?


texts: "RATHER THAN forgive AND forget" what does it mean?

texts:
I sometimes try to get even rather than forgive and forget.

I know "rather than" but this one put on an "and". I'm confused with the sentence.


texts:
I go to work every day that my earnings may be helpful to caring for my ill mother.

Is it acceptable?

What I want to describe is that 'I go to work every day for it that my earnings may be helpful to caring for my ill mother'.


texts: Subject verb agreement and usage of "where"

texts:
I'm having trouble deciding which one is correct here. I know that if it just was:

"In this modern era where everyone is busy", Would be correct subject-verb agreement. I'm not sure about the other two below:

"In this modern era, where everyone, adults and children, is busy.."

"In this modern era, where everyone, adults and children,  are busy.."

I also have a small question of the usage of "where" here, Should it be where or when?


texts: Word to describe something that is not the "last" one

texts:
Suppose you have a series of objects (first-second-third-fourth). Here the fourth object is the last object and the first object is the first object. But what is a word to call first, second and third objects?

First objects? non-last objects?.... Please note that the number of objects can be arbitrary.

Update As some asked where I needed this I should say I needed this word when I wanted to teach Persian to someone, I said

  In a conjunction of multiple sentences with passive verb tenses, you can use contracted form for .... verbs and the full form for the last verb.

I meant for all the verbs but the last.


texts: a peach, orange, or apple Or a peach, an orange, or an apple

texts:
What is the difference between these two phrases:

  a peach, orange, or apple
  a peach, an orange, or an apple

Can we distribute articles when "or" is used as a conjunction?


texts:
I often come across sentences like this: The children came running into the room.
I know that the following sentences mean the same thing, but I wonder which of the following the original one is grammatically equivalent to.

The children came, running into the room.
The children came into the room, running.


texts:
Since elementary school, I loved deciphering puzzles, logical and otherwise.

Would this word choice be correct? What are synonyms you might use for solve?


texts: What does the verb "curdle" mean in this context?

texts:
I read a sentence in "the Hindu" which was:

At that time, a strange melange of emotions - feelings of grief, despair, shame, nostalgia curdled up.

I couldn't find any satisfying meaning of curdle in this context in most of the dictionaries.


texts:
For instance:

  Had I continued to advance in the field of science, especially in my linguistic knowledge and computer skills, I would have become an unrivaled pioneer in that field.

Hi again

I know the sentence above is a conditional sentence.

I am wondering which kind of conditional sentences or in which situation can be inverted such above.

I would appreciate it very much if you could elaborate your explanations or give me some source about this case.

Many thanks


texts:
But it seems that only the more eccentric or popular artists are viewed as true artists when working with items normally discarded in the trash pile. Why can’t average people be considered artists when they pull the same items out and mold them into some form of personal art of their own creating? Maybe it’s because we all have our own pre-set ideas of what art is and isn’t, or who artists are or should be.

I am wondering what pull out means here.


texts: Difference Between "Doesn't" and "Doesn't do"

texts:
Is there any difference meaning between the below sentences?

According to me both the sentences give the idea of something that the system can't change automatically.

The system doesn't change this automatically.

&

The system doesn't do this change automatically.


texts:
What is the difference between following sentence constructions?

  It has been developed
  vs.
  It is being developed

  It has been held
  vs.
  It is being held

is being: what is the grammar used here and when is it used?


texts: Can anybody explain this paragraph for me, please?

texts:
Does it mean "Because millions of baby boomers are the main buyers of these old cars, and now they have financial problems leading to there will be fewer buyers for these ones"? OR "Because millions of baby boomers WERE the main buyers of these old cars, and now they have financial problems leading to most of them want to sell these ones, making the price go down"?

  But there are headwinds to the amount these cars fetch at auction.
  Millions of baby boomers, the natural buyers for many of these
  nostalgic throwbacks, are now bracing for retirement and face an
  uncertain health insurance landscape as the current administration
  revamps the existing health care law.

SOURCE: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/this-car-from-your-childhood-has-increased-in-value-by-58000-2017-03-22


texts: The use of the verb "go" in the sense of getting to places without mentioning the places

texts:
Tell me please if the followig sentence sounds natural.

  I like going by bus.

What I am trying to say is that I like to go to some places, such as libraries, stores, post offices etc, using the bus. Would a native English speaker ever say something like that?


texts:
I have refer to the dictionary. It has the meaning of "take the responsibility of .."
The background is:
the scientist has invented an kind of technique. He can translating the painting into virtual world just like creating the Second Life Avatar. By doing this he can analyse whether the light in the painting is natural or created by the studio. I think this sentence means he begin to analyse the paint<> using this kind of technology.
and in this sentence ， “the scientist has taken on "Las Meninas"by Velazquez, possibly the greatest picture ever made”, I think it can be translated to"decide to do "better. Because if the work is not assigned by others ,it should not be equals as"undertake".

what do you think of it? "take the responsibility "or "decide to do"?


texts: What does the phrase "stay closer to home" mean here?

texts:
Here is a sentence from a game advertisement text:

  Whether you’re looking to escape on holiday or are staying closer to
  home, these fun games will certainly send you on a long adventure
  ride.

I am not sure if staying means to be at home or be near home here. Any suggestions?


texts: What is the difference between ape and monkey?

texts:
To be more specific, what's the point of joke in first episode in 8th season of Doctor Who:

  "People are apes, men are monkeys."

As I can understand, 'ape' is more scientific term, and monkey is more casual and more vulgar. Am I right?


texts:
Mark stood next to Tracy, feeling helplessly nervous.

I have a question about this sentence.

If context is added, according to context, can the sentence mean either 1 or 2 below?

Mark stood next to Tracy, and Tracy felt helplessly nervous.
Mark stood next to Tracy, and Mark felt helplessly nervous.

I mean without context, the sentence can mean both 1 and 2.

I think so, but I'm not sure whether I'm right.


texts: “I have been doing this job” vs “since I am doing this job”?

texts:
I am really confused about these two sentences:

  1:- I have been doing this job for 10 years.

  2:-  It has been 10 years since I am doing this job.

Whether or not these sentences are same, if not then provide me with some help. And one thing more even if I say that I have been waiting for you since 6 hours  is similar to this sentence that it has been six hours since I am waiting for you?

  3:- Ten years has passed to this event.

Is this sentence correct or wrong?


texts:
"An opportunity for a complete positive transformation of your child for which you have always aspired for".

The above sentence appears on the board of a private primary school. I think the writer has made a redundancy in use of preposition. The sentence should correctly read as follows:

  "An opportunity for a complete positive transformation of your child which you have always aspired for."

or:

  "An opportunity for a complete positive transformation of your child for which you have always aspired."


texts:
Don't change a character that Gene intentionally created as straight.

This is the sentence I saw on the internet. Can “as” be used  to modifie adjectives . I mean Can I say ;

  You must raise our children as respectful to other people.


texts:
I read an article about Nicki Minaj's song, Roman's Revenge.

It said that

  "Roman's Revenge" is a song by Trinidadian rapper Nicki Minaj, featuring American rapper Eminem, from Minaj's debut studio album Pink Friday.

In the page of Nicki Minaj itsefl also said

  Onika Tanya Maraj (born December 8, 1982), professionally known by her stage name Nicki Minaj, is a Trinidadian-born American rapper, singer and songwriter.

What the meaning Trinidadian is? Is it name of place or what?


texts: What's the difference between "don’t you dare" and "you don't dare"?

texts: What is the grammar in "don’t you dare"?


texts: "Burning house" is an active adjective. But i cant figure out how is that -ing form in burning house make the word as an active adj. How can we differ burning house and burnt house..


texts: here, the other / the one / a person which one is right, sticking to 'more of'?

texts:
Here's a question I'd like to ask someone.

Are you more of a person spending time alone or the other spending time with others.

Are you more of a person spending time alone or the one spending time with others.

Are you more of a person spending time alone or a person spending time with others.

I think 1 could be right because 'more of' implies two thing and one choice and also 'the one' could not be right because 'one' is a specified one not a definite one. and I think 3 is also possible without any worries.
I'd like to know which one is the right one.


texts:
He tried to open the door.

  He tried to get the door open.

As a basic learner I use the second sentence only in the sense of causative verbs. Can it be used in some other sense?

Thank you.


texts: Can I use “listen up” in a non-commanding context?

texts:
I asked my native english speaking friends and they all said I’m not using “listen up” the right way. Here’s the lyric:

  Jane won’t talk about it
  But every night  she feels like crying
  And there’s no one at home to listen up

I went to online dictionaries and they all point that “listen up” is generally used in a command context. But they’re keen to admit that only the “usual” use case.

Anybody has used it the way I’m using it? To mean when somebody listens with attention.


texts: Which is correct, the late 80s or late 80s without the?

texts:
I was listening to the best 80s music CDs and it made me feel like moving to the US. In my diary, I have written this sentence, but I am not sure whether I should omit the article "the" before "late 80s":

  Some of my best friends moved to the US in the late 80s.


texts: How to use 'would have been' properly (in this case)

texts:
recently I faced up this kinda sentence and I wonder which one is grammatically correct? (I'm not a native English speaker)

  I never thought someone would have written this article.

or

  I never would have thought someone would have written this article.

or, if none of them are proper sentences, can you write the correct one similar to these?


texts: Can someone have more than one mother tongue?

texts:
Katy was born in London, and she speaks English ever since before she started to learn other Languages, for example Japanese, Thai, and she can speak Japanese and Thai fluently and well. She speaks these three languages in her daily life.
Now, when she wants to tell people about her mother tongue, can she say,
"My mother tongues are English, Japanese and Thai"?
Or "My mother tongue is English and my second langangues are Japanese and Thai"?


texts: How do you say when something must be done, against any trouble?

texts:
How do you say when someone needs to do something against any trouble? It doesn't care if you feel tired, or your computer is slow, or the weather is cold, or it was done with high/low quality. It must be done.

For example:

- I saw you working yesterday, late at night. Did you finish the reports?
- Yes. My computer was slow and I was so tired, but I did it _______. I finished
  this morning.

Other example:

- Could you repair the computer?
- Yes. I did it ______. I used an old video card, but I could do it.


texts:
It is correct to use "to be keenly interested in", but "to be keen on sth" means "to be interested in sth", and so, isn't it essentially saying "interestedly interested," that is, repeating the same word twice but as different parts of speech? I recognise, however, that "keenly" means "deeply" in this case, but is it the only reason why it's used this way? Are there any other examples like this, or does this one just happen to be an idiomatic one?
Couldn't I, for instance, say something like "to drowsily go to sleep" instead of "to drowse/to go to sleep"?


texts: Where lies true happiness? - is this correct?

texts:
The context is

... money does not really hold the key to a happy life. So where lies
true happiness?

Do I need an auxiliary verb here, or is there a rule that would explain the non-usage of auxiliary?


texts: I was teaching a student the other day when we began talking about women's sports/female sports. She then asked can we say is that a "female" handbag or a women's handbag. I suppose a "female" handbag kind of makes grammatical sense but we'd just never say it. Is there a rule about this?


texts: Wide space from aisle to aisle/wide space of aisles?

texts:
Lets say you are describing a hypermarket wide space of aisle. And you say:

  "My hometown's hypermarket is convenient when you go in to buy their goods. One of the examples is the wide space from aisle to aisle, which gives people easier access amongst products."

  Or ''wide space of aisles''

Is there something wrong about these bold letters?


texts: Difference between in size and the size and of the size

texts:
The shirts are the size XXL

  The shirts are of the  size  XXL

  The shirts are in size XXL.

Is there any difference between three sentences? If there are differences I couldn’t understand what are those?


texts: Is it that the pebbles are moving due to the rain -of the rain?

texts:
In Mary Oliver's poem wild geese, is it that the pebbles are moving due to the rain

  You do not have to be good.
  You do not have to walk on your knees
  For a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
  You only have to let the soft animal of your body
  love what it loves.

  Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.

  Meanwhile the world goes on.

  Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain

  are moving across the landscapes,

  over the prairies and the deep trees,

  the mountains and the rivers.

  Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,

  are heading home again.

  Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,

  the world offers itself to your imagination,

  calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting —

  over and over announcing your place

  in the family of things.


texts: What does this sentence with past perfect continuous mean?

texts:
I have stumbled upon this sentence:

When I met Jane she had been dating Tom for six months.

Does it mean that she was still doing that after our meeting or she had stopped before that?


texts: “I don't believe you” VS “I don't believe that you did that”

texts: For examples, if A washed the dishes and came to B to tell him that, but B didn't believe it. Should B say " I don't believe that you washed the dishes" Or just "I don't believe you" Is there a difference between them? Do both sentences have the same degree of indelicacy?


texts:
Which of the preposition is most suitable to use;

I) I will have finished my thesis by March.

II) I will have finished my thesis until March.


texts: Is "right of presence" the correct phrase in this context?

texts:
I'm looking for the correct term in English for the right that for instance an alternate board member may have to attend a board meeting even if they haven't been summoned to that particular meeting. I found the phrase "right of presence", but I'm uncertain as to whether this is the correct term. If it isn't, what is? I realise that I can always rephrase, but I need the actual "technical" term for it.
Thank you!


texts:
During the course of construction, temporary formwork erected by him collapsed.
During course of construction, the temporary formwork...
During the construction, the temporary formwork...

I have played with "the" for the same sentence. Has the meaning been changed? I believe some of them are actually wrong with "the", can you tell me why "the" shouldn't be used?


texts:
How do you describe this situation: "My mom entered for a prize drawing, won it, and got a bag."?

Which is more natural as an expression in spoken English?

"She won a bag as a prize"
"She won a bag by a prize"

Or some other way?


texts: "A week having passed without hearing back from her"

texts:
I am writing a sentence:

  A week passed without hearing back from her, Michael started calling her friends.

This, of course, is a run-on sentence. To fix it, I tried this:

  A week on (later) without hearing back from her, Michael started calling her friends.

This sounds better. But I wonder how I can make the sentence work while retaining the verb "pass". To make it a non-finite verb, I tried:

  A week having passed without hearing back from her, Michael started calling her friends.

This sounds really stilted to me, but I guess it is grammatical. Are there better ways to make it work without having to add a conjunction?


texts:
I came across this sentence: "People often think they need to find that one thing they're passionate about, but that framework is a trap in itself." (source)
I'm wondering why it's not "a trap itself," but "a trap in itself." Could anybody tell me what it means and how I use it in the future.


texts: What do you call the soldiers who had the job to whip people's backs for their crimes?

texts: I was watching passion of Christ and there's a scene when Jesus is whipped very badly before being crucified. I was wondering what you'd call one of those big brawny guys with the whip. Maybe punishers? Whippers? They can't be executioners can they?


texts: "I would live in New York" or "I used to live in New York"?

texts:
Ok, This site says

  We use would to refer to typical habitual actions and events in the
  past. This is usually a formal use and it often occurs in stories
  (narratives):

  I had a friend from Albany, which is about 36 miles away, and we would
  meet every Thursday morning and she would help us.

  Then he would wash; then he would eat his toast; then he would read
  his paper by the bright burning fire of electric coals.

However, it also says:

  We can’t use would in this way to talk about states. In these cases,
  we say used to instead of would:

  I used to live in Melbourne when I was a kid.

  Not: I would live in Melbourne when I was a kid.

So, what does "to talk about states" mean?


texts: help you do (or) to do something - difference

texts:
I know that generally native speakers say it usually like this (without the to):

  These exercises will help you get better at math.
  Can you help me move these boxes outside?

But sometimes, though very rarely, I see it used with the to. Like in this example:

  This is just so that you won’t forget that you shouldn’t change these values after you first create them. It’s purely optional, but in the pages ahead you’ll see how useful all-capped constants can be to help you to better read and understand your programs.

I still don't really understand the deference between the two usages and don't know when we should use one over the other. Could you please help me get this straight once and for all?


texts: is this sentence is grammatically right?- a lot of bucks is shelled out.

texts: A lot of bucks is shelled out. ... Is this sentence is grammatically right? I have a doubt in 'is' either here singular 'is' come or pural 'are' aftr 'bucks'..


texts: What's a polite way to tell the salesman I only wanted to try the item on, not buy it?

texts:
I was wondering what expression should I use when I only want to try the shoes/clothes on, but not buy them.

Sometimes, I answer 'they are fine, but could you put them back for me?' That doesn't make too much sense, right? Due to my vague answer, the salesperson may ask 'do you want me to wrap this for you?' or 'do you want to pay?'

What should I answer in this situation? Doesn't a straight 'no' sound too harsh? What is the native expression?


texts: Why did natives use 'a' over 'the' in the 2 following cases?

texts:
Recently I asked a question about articles. Since I did not understand that case clearly I continued on this topic and have a couple of another questions why authors (native English speakers) used 'a' over 'the'.

A person says:

  Next summer, I'll be on a island, with your girlfriend, and a pocket full of numbers.

Why did he say 'a pocket' if it's obvious he was talking about his pocket?

Another person says:

  I'm riding with a friend that is high as me

Why did he say 'a friend' if the situation occurred in the car in which there were nobody except them 2.

P.S. Actually, the words 'girlfriend' and 'friend' were replaced over strong language.


texts:
I encountered (probably) a multilingual Japanese saying

Yes, that's what I was saying here. The XXXXX is itself a type of imperative, but the XXXXX doesn't factor into that sense.

The situation is, I was asking Japanese grammar. And XXXXX is Japanese so it is hidden.
Simply saying, does "factor in" mean "to (be) include/included to something"?
This is the best context I can give. I am sorry.


texts: How to explain about difference of the one figure in the paper with other figures

texts:
We have three Figures, Fig. 1, Fig. 2, Fig. 3

I intend to imply :

In Fig. 2, we have more details and it has better resolution which let us judge about the content more accurately; this judgment is a roughly hard task if we use Fig.1 or Fig. 3.

I have written down:

  Fig. 2 provide close observations that we cannot have in Fig. 1 and Fig. 3.

Q1 : Is my sentence correct ?

Q2: Is there any better substitution ?


texts: present perfect simple or continuous in these sentences

texts:
Since we have been here, it has always been raining at nights, daylights have been sunny and I expect it will continue like that.

This sentence means that up to now only the nights have been rainy but imagine that before saying this sentence, I heard the weather broadcast announcing that the weather was going to change : "the rain will fall both at nights and daylights tomorrow"said the weather man, could I change my sentence and say:

"It has only rained at nights for 3 days but the weather is going to change tomorrow, it will be raining all day."

Can I, in that case used ppsimple as the action of raining at nights has been completed.


texts:
Here are sentences that I want to transform using participle phrases.

Rain was falling down. We were standing next to each other at a bar without saying anything, as we ran out of the things to talk about, and seeing rain dropping through the window.

Rain falling, standing next to each other at a bar without saying anything, we were seeing rain dropping, running out of things to talk about.

Is it okay grammatically? Is this a proper way to make a participle phrase out of a full sentence? If it isn't, can you please explain why/which rules were broken in my example?


texts:
Is the usage of "instead to" instead of "instead of" is correct?

For example:

  I ran to the university instead to the park.

instead of:

  I ran to the university instead of the park.


texts: I am writing my personal statement for graduate school. But I saw the word was sometimes "Earth sciences" and sometimes "earth sciences". which one is the formal world if I refer to the certain research field?


texts:
I`ve been taught for years that the verb recommend is one of those verbs of advice that cannot be followed by the more usual pattern of object + infinitive but has to be followed by a that-clause with should + infinitive or with past, present or subjunctive form verbs. Recently, however, I found an entry in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary which states that the object + infinitive pattern is indeed possible with the recommend verb. Am I missing something here?

Below I enclose the link to the entry:

Oxford Learner's Dictionary: recommend


texts:
I am confused about how "accounting for" is used.
Here is my sentence:

"As needed, we compute few performance metrics to the proposed
approach accounting for quantifying its performance."

Is this sentence correct both grammatically and in meaning?


texts:
She has no one else to look after her but me.
  She has no one to look after her but me.

Which is correct? What is the difference between these two sentences?


texts:
A: Seawater is water from a sea or an ocean.
B: seawater is water of sea or ocean
C: the water of sea or ocean.

Although I know C is not a sentence, in fact I am wondering if the concept of A and B  semantically or technically mean the same thing together with C!


texts: What {do / does} this and that have in common?" -- which?

texts:
Example:

  What does beer and wine have in common?

or

  What do beer and wine have in common?

I've seen them both being used, the first form being more frequent, but I think the second form sounds more correct, although I can't be sure.


texts: which phrase is right ,"perform type" or "perform analysis"?

texts:
When reading a book about Algorithms, I meet one sentence:

  We will demonstrate how to perform this type of running-time analysis to recursive algorithms.

Here is my question:

this type should be the object of verb perform according to position relationship. But I think perform analysis is more reasonable according to the meaning. So which comprehension is right ?


texts: It's important to learn / learning a language when you're young.


texts:
In this sentence, is oil allowed (mass noun) or should it be oils?

Hurry and get your hands on any of our premium Shell engine oil/oils and get a free cleaner at a great price!

(This sentence would accompany a picture showing the engine oils.)


texts:
The following example is adapted from another ELL post

  in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted that it be received

where a "that clause" is used, insist that. The question is the part immediately after that, namely, "it be received".

To me, it is easier to understand if that could have stated

  ... some of its noisiest authorities insisted that it should/could/would be received

On the other hand, I found lots of people using the expression. Therefor, that would be a commonly used expression that I don't understand.

So, what does "that it be" mean?


texts:
How do you analyze the following phrase? What kind of movement or other operation is involved?

  Fool that I am!

I'd appreciate your help.


texts:
Source

  Vito earns the respect of the neighborhood and begins to intercede in
  local disputes, operating out of the storefront of his Genco Pura
  Olive Oil Company (named after his friend Genco Abbandando) which he
  manages as well as give out "favors" to others in the community such
  as a local young woman threatened with eviction

Actually such as a local young woman. is enough to end the sentence but extra words are added.

Why the words "threatened with eviction" are added to this sentence?


texts: I found usages of both "beliefs" and "believes" and am confused while using a plural of 'belief'. So, I want to know which is the correct plural of 'belief'? Is it believes or beliefs?


texts:
Just because people don't talk doesn't mean they don't think.

Some people(non-native speakers) say this is grammatically incorrect.
It is acceptable in casual conversation, but it should not be used in business or formal speech.  They say, grammatically speaking, "Just because people don't talk" cannot be the subject of the sentence.

Is this true? I often use this type of sentences.


texts: twice [as hard] as others; twice [as hard as others]

texts:
He works twice as hard as others. (naver.com)
  There are twice as many bikes as there are cars in the country. (daum.net)

The quantifier, twice, is somewhat ambiguous to me. Does it modify [as hard] or [as hard as others]? In the second example, does it apply together?


texts: Should I add the word “will”before “turns”?.How about “could”?Eg:Jasper hopes she turns the car owner and their cars into stones.


texts: "meaning" instated of "in meaning of" is correct?

texts:
I would like to know if it's correct to use "meaning" instead of "in meaning of".
For example in the following sentences:

  1) "The word mater is from Latin, meaning mother." vs "The word mater is from Latin, in meaning of mother."

  2) "The word pulmon is from Spanish meaning lung." vs "The word pulmon is from Spanish in meaning of lung".

Or it's better to say "it means mother" or "it means lung".


texts: meaning of the phrase "sound about right"?

texts:
I have heard it in this video. It is at 2 minute and 19 second. Here is the context:

  [Gill] So, David, you have been here for a while now, haven't you?

  [David] Yes.

  [Gill] I remember the place gradually being decorated and open.

  [David] Yeah, well, we met I would imagine sometime around about May 2015 and we opened in July 2015.

  [Gill] Right, That sounds about right.

Does Gill mean that she is not completely sure if the date was right for opening?


texts: "Agreed {with / to} the {offer / proposal}"

texts:
Which one of the following prepositions is incorrect?

  The government agreed with the offer
  The government agreed to the offer

.

  They finally agreed with the proposal
  They finally agreed to the proposal


texts: Is unapply a word used in the english language?

texts: Let's say I apply for a job. Then I have a change of mind and don't want to apply any longer. What is the correct word for this? Is it correct to use the word unapply?


texts:
Take the sentence: Update the titles of each document

Should title(s) be plural?

I am unsure because there are multiple titles since we have a collection of documents but only referring to a single one at a time.


texts:
In this picture, what is the usage of the pronoun "you"?
Can we use "subject pronoun" after "adjective",as in the picture "a different you".


texts: The use of the phrase ‘all but’ in this context

texts:
“So far, 686 people have been tested in the U.K., with all but three negative”

In this article, the use of the phrase ‘all but three tested negative’ doesn’t make sense to me. In my head it should be ‘all but 3 tested positive’, since only 3 people in the U.K. have tested positive for the virus. I have spoken to others and some insist it should be positive, the others say the writing in the article is correct.

Could someone please explain the logic behind this phrase and whether or not it’s correct in this?


texts: On the meaning of YgUDuh by E.E. Cummings

texts:
I'm currently trying to understand E.E. Cummings Poem "YgUDuh":

ygUDuh
ydoan
yunnuhstan
ydoan o
yunnuhstand dem
yguduh ged
yunnuhstan dem doidee
yguduh ged riduh
ydoan o nudn
LISN bud LISN
dem
gud
am
lidl yelluh bas
tuds weer goin
duhSIVILEYEzum

Supposedly, the trick lies in listening to the stuff. So I tried to read it out aloud. Suffice to say, as a non-native, this proves to be impossible unless you already seem to know what the poem is about.
I also tried to listen to videos reading this. Pretty much every video I found reading this out is also total gibberish, with some words popping up here and there, but not enough to discern any meaning.
Making this even more complicated is the fact that this seems to be some form of atrocious butchering of the english language dialect.
Attempts to find a translation on the web yields very different interpretations.
So, what does this poem actually mean, and how it is intended to be read out? What rules about english phonemes can a non-native speaker follow to be able to read this out loud without a-priori knowledge of what each word is supposed to mean? I'm mostly interested in the process of how to make sense of this all, with a transcription of the text into intelligible english only as a tangential concern.
For example on the first line, assuming that this actually means something like "You've got to / You gotta / Ya gotta", how do you go from the written "y" to "you" or "ya" when spelling? "y" is spelled out like "Why", how do you go from "U" to "O" for "got" / "gotta" etc. I know that "Duh" is spoken more like "Da", but "gUDuh" for me comes out more like "gudda", not "godda/gotta", and I certainly can't imagine it coming out in two syllables like in "got to".
So yeah. I Think I need some more rules on how english-speaking people go about pronouncing seemingly non-sensical words.
Side note: I'm still recovering from the stroke I got trying to correctly read out The Chaos by Gerard Nolst Trenité. I had thought after reading that that there are no rules to pronunciation, that you just have to learn how each word is pronounced. Since english speakers supposedly can read Cummings work without a-priori knowledge of the pronunciation, some rules must obviously exist how to pronounce stuff not seen before..


texts: What would be the equivalent of "Grundlagen" from German in a scientific paper?

texts:
I am required to make the first chapter of my scientific paper be called "Einleitung" in German, that would be "Introduction" in English, but the second one should be "Grundlagen", which I can't find a good translation for.

There are a couple of translations on dict.cc (http://www.dict.cc/?s=grundlagen), but none really fits in my opinion.

While the introduction contains meta-information about the paper itself (aims, procedures, structure, etc.), the chapter with the title that I am looking for is the first real chapter of the paper, containing the basics about the topic, with definitions of words and a general start into the topic.

While I used "basics" in the paragraph above, which actually describes what I am looking for quite well, I find that word to sound too casual and non-scientific. The other suggestions by dict.cc, for example principles don't fit nicely, since the chapter contains more than just that.

But I am sure an English paper contains chapters like these with standard titles that are used as a standard. What would be the name of the chapter I am describing?


texts: Is and It / is and that. which is correct in the sentence?

texts:
Question

Is this correct of usages of (is it) or (is that)

The latest data you have input is it a duplicate entry, because reflects the same poundage's?


texts:
Which one is correct?

  There is a washbasin under mirror
  There is a washbasin under the mirror


texts:
I am wondering what tense should be used before "That was until" in the following:

  Even though the spice is popular in Asia, it has remained largely unknown in the West. That was until a merchant brought it to England in 1868.

Is the present perfect correct in the example?


texts: Is "come down" or "fall down" some steps transitive?

texts:
Who can tell me why "came down some steps" looks to me as it acts like a transitive verb?

And is "some steps" an object of the verb come down?

Examples:

I came down some steps into the corridor.
He fell down some stairs while he was...

Syntactically, what "some steps" does function in these sentences?


texts:
I have a problem with the following sentence:

  She usually works at home on a Thursday.

Does it mean she works from home one Thursday every month?


texts: In my office, my colleague makes phone calls to clients. However, the client may not answer at that time. After some time, the client makes a call back to my office. Suppose I answer that call, and they simply say, "I got a missed call from this number?" How can I respond to that?


texts: On the use of "on" within "he goaded her on to more daring revelations"

texts:
According to the ODE, to goad means:

  provoke or annoy (someone) so as to stimulate an action or reaction.

Yet, I find it quite difficult to understand its meaning within:

  He goaded her on to more daring revelations.

Does this sentence mean:

  He provoked (goaded) her with more daring revelations.

? if so, is the "on" above unnecessary?


texts: Can you use specific time with past perfect?

texts:
I'm sure that I can say:

I had eaten an apple before I went to school.

But as the question says, Can I use a specific time?

For example:

I had eaten an apple in yesterday morning before I went to school.

Is this correct?

Edit:

Okay, reading from the comments, that word 'when' must have been a typo in my examples.

So, I would like to learn:

Is the past perfect sentence usually formed using a "compound sentence"?
And shall I take it that you cannot use specific time to form any past perfect sentence?


texts: Don't offer me any explanation(explanations?)

texts:
Don't offer me any explanation now, I'm not going to accept it today.

I don't have the link but I remember reading in an answer on SE that if the noun is countable it will be in plural form after any so going by that is it incorrect to use explanation in the above sentence or there is any exception here ?


texts:
I wrote:

  Figure 1 shows a single piece pallet car.

Suppose there is a train of pallet cars called traveling grate [you may refer to this question], but I want to point an isolated one which is not in the train to show its structure...

Can I use piece this way? or it is just for uncountable words like information, equipment...

My question is actually two parts, one about the usage of "piece" and one about a word for a piece of equipment detached from a bigger structure consisting of several of them.


texts:
Mr. Sanders _______ on a business trip to Tokyo until the end of this week, so he will not be able to complete the sales report as scheduled.
A. would have been
B. will be
C. will have been
D. was being

The answer is B. But I wonder,

Why is C wrong?
Why can't until be used with future perfect tense?
What is the difference between the following:

He will be on a business trip.

and

He will have been on a business trip


texts: Am I pronouncing "button" correctly, in an American accent?

texts:
I recorded my voice saying "button" in American English.

Could you please tell me if I am saying it correctly?

http://www.filedropper.com/untitled_77


texts:
Something went wrong with you.
Something went wrong to you.
Which is the correct answer?
What is the difference between them?


texts: What is the correct preposition here in this expression?

texts:
Let's say I am talking about an accident that occurred during an F1 race

  Rather than overtaking through/in/from left, the driver(B) did the opposite and caused an accident as the driver ahead(A) did not expect B to come through/in right.

So what is the right preposition to use in this expression?


texts:
From Cambridge Dictionary, the word "comfortable" is pronounced /ˈkʌm.fɚ.t̬ə.bəl/, while some native speakers would pronounce it /ˈkʌm.ft̬ə.bəl/, which means "for" in the word is pronounced /f/ rather than /fɚ/.
However, Merriam-Webster gives /ˈkʌmftɚbəl/, which is exactly the common pronunciation.
Does it imply, this feature is more common in AmE while BrE tends to pronounce full sounds.
Is my understanding correct?


texts: If (someone) were to become vs. if (someone) became... + COULD

texts:
Let's say there is a married couple, Sandra and Jake. Sandra wanted to go to her ailing mother, whereas, Jake wanted to go on a holiday next week. If they didn't go to her mother:

  if Sandra's mother were to become seriously ill, Sandra could not forgive here husband.

To

  if Sandra's mother became seriously ill, Sandra could not forgive here husband.

This is a 2nd conditional modal verbs usage, and I know how to construct #2 sentence. But why is that were to become was used instead of the other?

If an ESL would like to use both of them, are they grammatical to use?

P.S.: There is a correct answer below, but, I have just edited this to clarify what I am really trying to ask.


texts:
I was looking at the definition of definite article and it reads like this - "The definite article is used before singular and plural nouns when the noun is specific or particular".

Since this definition is generally true so can we say that the definition can also be like this with no change in meaning-

  1) The definite article is used before 'the' singular and plural nouns when the noun is specific or particular.

  2) The definite article is used before singular and plural nouns when 'a' noun is specific or particular.

  3) The definite article is used before singular and plural nouns when the nouns are specific or particular.


texts:
Do you even know how bad that show was
  Did you even know how bad that show was?

Which sentence is the correct one ?

If both are correct, can you give me some contexts for these to be applicable.
 Thanks.


texts: In the context of 'matches' stored in a database, may I say "We do predictions using **this** matches data"?

texts:
I have problem of using articles, and don`t know or correct is use this pronoun in sentence below:

  Here you can found all matches  stored in company database. We do predictions using this matches data.

Matches is plural of word  match.

Based on some comments, I have revised my sentence:

  Here you can find all matches stored in a company database. We do predictions using this collected data.


texts:
I wanted to tell my friend he had not picked up my phone because he was passing through some tunnel.

May I say...

  "I had called you but you didn't picked my phone. I thought you would be passing through tunnel" OR   "I had called you but you didn't picked my phone. I thought you were passing through tunnel"


texts: "Tax-free" Vs "Tax-exempt" Vs "Duty-free"

texts:
What is the difference between the adjectives "duty-free", "tax-free" and "tax exempt"?

As usual no dictionary could help me distinguish between them. Please have a look on e.g. Cambridge's definitions:

Duty-free

  Duty-free goods are goods bought in special shops in airports, on ships, etc. on which you do not pay government tax.

Tax-free

  If something is tax-free, you do not pay tax on it.

Tax-exempt

  Used to describe a product, service, or financial arrangement on which no taxes have to be paid.

Now, I wonder:

What shall I call a product that its sale does not include tax.
What do you call a person/company which is not compelled to pay any tax.

To me, "tax-free" and "tax-exempt" are pretty much interchangeable and can be swapped freely for both cases #1/2 without any specific change in the meaning, whereas the term "duty-free" is only belongs to the products free of tax within airports/ships.


texts: An expression or idiom to describe "magnifying" a news or an occurance

texts:
How would you call the action of someone who hears a news, magnifies it and then transmits it to someone else which would resault in an untrue story about (somebody / an event) comparing the original one in the manner that the final telling bears only a scant resemblance to the original and  occasionally even no similarity?

Please consider this act sometimes, can be done just to draw the listener's attention or even habitually!

PS. I'm looking for a an expression / an idiom or even a saying or proverb to describe this action.


texts:
I have questions in this passage.

  "What I have noticed is that once you premiere a new piece that people
  will always want the tried and true staples: Tchaikovsky, Brooke,
  Brahms, Mendelssohn. It takes a little more encouragement for them to
  try a new piece."

Do the names of the composers is referred to 'a new piece'?
If it is right, why did writer use the colon at the end of the sentence?
Does the word 'them' refer to those composers listed? or any players who play pieces from those composers?


texts:
What does this sentence/phrase mean?

  As they grow older, many children turn aside from books without pictures, and it is a situation made more serious as our culture becomes more visual.

Does this mean:

many children turn to books without pictures?

Or

many children turn to books with pictures?


texts: laser-crisp picture -- what does "laser-crisp" mean?

texts:
Source: Running Linux, 5th Edition by Matthias Kalle Dalheimer and Matt Welsh (2006)

Example:

  When one wants Internet access enough, any wire will do. There are intensive experiments to use even the electricity grid to deliver Internet access. So it’s not surprising that companies that built their business plans on delivering laser-crisp pictures of sporting events (the cable TV firms) would realize they could devote one of their channels to a local area network carrying digital data—hence the advent of cable Internet access.

What exactly does "laser-crisp" mean?


texts: Is it incorrect to say "have we got *some* paper for the printer?"

texts: I know it sounds more natural to say "have we got any paper for the printer?", but is it incorrect to use "some" here?


texts: Subject-Verb Agreement: What if someone asked me to find the subject and predicate of sentence1? Getting Tricky- See comments

texts:
"Bartenders" and "are" are what I believe to be the subject-verb agreement in both sentences. Is this correct?

The reason I was ask is because at first I thought the subject was "cognac".

The original question on the exam was how to improve a similar sentence, and the answer was "both A and B" (the two sentences in bold below)

I know  in the second sentence "cognac" doesn't take a verb, but in the first sentence it does. However I know both sentences have to be grammatically correct, which brings me back to my gut feeling where "bartenders" and "are" = Subject-Verb agreement.

Can someone please confirm.
1.
"Bartenders are starting to turn to the timeless and elegant cognac more and more often."
2.
"It is such a timeless and eloquent spirt that bartenders are turning to it more often."


texts:
I contructed the sentence (may contains mistakes):

  Saying this he hurt her and she ran off.

What is saying in the sentence? Is it gerund or participle? I'd also like to clarify if it is correct to say

  He hurt her by saying this and she ran off.


texts: punctuation marks - importance and examples

texts:
I wonder whether there are such cases in English when punctuation marks (commas, semicolons and so on) can change the meaning of the sentence completely?

For example, in Russian it happens very often, and it is so interesting if the English language has the same issues.


texts:
I found this in CNN news today.

  He is an easy man to fall in love with.

Does this mean he is so attractive that every woman will fall in love with him or he becomes smitten with every woman he comes across?


texts: What word to use here? To check the time/clock after short intervals of minutes /seconds?

texts: How to say it that when you look at the clock repeatedly as if you're waiting for something to happen quickly ?


texts:
Usage example with a context:

Example #1:

  Those behind the killing were in Russia and even in government, he said separately in a BBC interview.

Example #2:

  "I believe that the organisers of the murder are in Russia and I believe that they are in the Russian government," he added.

Why do you think in the first example they say in government without the, but in the second example, they have added it back in?


texts: is ‘fine’ in the sense ‘of very good quality’ gradable?

texts:
fine in the sense *of very good quality * seems somewhat an abosulte adjective. Since absolute adjectives are not gradable, I am wondering whether this principle applies to fine in the sense ‘of very good quality’ as well?

p.s. why fine seems an absolute adj. to me:
let’s consider the following etym. info of fine
from old French fin ‘end’, cognate with Eng. finish
These etym. info brings me such a semantic impression as ‘too good to be improved further’ or ‘so good as cannot be better’, whence I feel fine much like an ‘absolute adjective’ such as superior.


texts:
My teachers gave me some feedback and told me that I had a problem with the preposition "to." For example:

  I called to China Wok
  I told to maria.

Those are mistakes that I made. So I need help with them, please.


texts: What does the phrase "There is still some meat to bite" mean?

texts:
I was reading a review on a movie where the author was presenting his views on it. He used this phrase there to contradict himself; he said:

  This movie is about modern relationships and how seriously we take them but there is still some meat to bite on the theme as to how it portrays our solitude and distance from real life through being obsessed with social networking and stuff makes relationships non-functional for us.


texts: Difference in meaning between "She supped up her soup" and "She supped on her soup"?

texts:
What is the difference in meaning between "She supped up her soup" and "She supped on her soup" ?

Does "She supped up her soup" mean "She ate the soup completely"?
Does "She supped on her soup" mean She was eating soup. The soup still remained" ?


texts: If you know a man's name, can you still call him "sir"?

texts: If it's acceptable, is it done out of respect?


texts: send her victorious, happy and glorious -- how do you understand that grammatically? (from "God Save the Queen")

texts:
The entire lyrics to the anthem can be found here. But what I'm having trouble with is in the first verse:

  God save our gracious Queen
  Long live our noble Queen
  God save the Queen
  Send her victorious
  Happy and glorious
  Long to reign over us
  God save the Queen

I'm not sure how one should understand that part of the anthem. First of all, they're asking God to send the Queen what or where? Secondly, how do those three adjectives, victorious, happy and glorious, work there grammatically? I'm sorry, but I can't make sense of it.


texts:
I'm just looking at settling a debate of the correct use of an all manner.

  He looked around and saw an all manner of contraptions nailed to the wall.

  He looked around and saw all manner of contraptions nailed to the wall.

Is an before all manner grammatically correct? Does it make sense as a sentence?


texts: Can anyone give an example that is "non-sequential index? Is (red, green, blue) a "non-sequential index"?

texts:
This post says

  The insurance risk example illustrates how “time” n need not really be
  time, but instead can be a sequential indexing of some kind of events.

which use "sequential" to describe "indexing", which seems to indicate that there exists non-sequential indexing.

the definition/explanation on wiktionary is "Not sequential", which gives no more info to help me understand what is "non-sequential index".

Can anyone give an example that is "non-sequential index", is (red, green, blue) a "non-sequential index"?


texts: grammar, syntax and etc "is" Or "are" an essential foundation?

texts:
I wrote these sentences:

  "I think my work is so relevant to my application because teaching English language gave me a valuable opportunity to study English closely and to have a very solid understanding of its grammar, syntax, semantics , pragmatics, phonetics and etc, which I think is an essential foundation for anyone who wishes to tackle the field of translation and gain professional skills".

The problem is the word "is" ... Is it "is" because "essential foundation" is singular or should I use "are" because I am speaking about grammar, syntax, etc.?

I think "is" is right because I do  speak about grammar, syntax and etc. as one thing or idea which is the "essential foundation".

I am not sure about this.


texts: What's the difference between "I would've never believed that he would win that match" VS "I had/have never believed that he would win that match"


texts:
Is this sentence correct? If it's not, then please explain why.

  "When he arrives it will be a blast"

Let's assume that the context is as following - there are two people waiting for the third. While waiting the first says to the other a sentence which is above. If i've made a mistake writing this, please correct that as well.

Thank you.


texts: What is this action called while you are putting on your shoes?

texts:
How do you describe this step of putting on shoes? Suppose you want to teach a kid how to wear their shoes.

  "...and then ____."

Can I say:

"and then pull up the heels"?

PS:

Some people (specially men) use a special tool for easing this action too (3rd picture).


texts:
Coffee is free.
Coffee is for free.

Which one is grammatical? Do you have some more similar expressions?


texts: If the third time is the charm, then what is the first and second? Is there a fourth?


texts:
The following question is taken from a TV show, so this is spoken, colloquial English, but I've also seen instances of that grammatical construct in writing.

The scene in the TV show is as follows: a prisoner is being escorted to a prison truck, and right before entering the vehicle the prisoner turns to a female police officer present at the scene smiling. In the show this scene is caught by the surveillance cameras of the prison when later someone makes a reference to that very scene and asks,

  "Why would an innocent man smile at the daughter of a man he took the fall for killing?"

The prisoner was convicted for having killed the officer's father. Then someone comes up with the theory that he might be innocent and took the fall for the person who killed that officer's father.

I am interested in the contact clause "he took the fall for killing" and therein especially the verb "to kill" in postposition and progressive form.

Is this just a shortening of "... of a man for whose killing he took the fall"?  What's the grammatical rule here I would have to look up to find more examples of this?


texts:
The Center is located at five sites in Honolulu.

I found this on the Internet. I am confused why this uses singular form "the center is" regardless of "five sites". Is this sentence grammatically correct?


texts:
If I want to describe someone, that at the moment, experiencing a bad internet connection, what should I say?

  He has/having a bad connection.

Something else?


texts:
Please, help!

  I have switched off the light before going out this morning.

or

  I switched off the light before going out this morning.

What sentence is correct in BrE? Could you explain it please?


texts: 'in the first place' instead of 'firstly'

texts:
I wonder that if I start introducing some things at first, Should I start with 'in the first place' rather than 'firstly'?

For example:

  In the first place, I would like to introduce .....

Does this form fit in the sentence?


texts:
I read a sentence in FT (https://www.ft.com/content/de93525a-ee66-11e9-ad1e-4367d8281195). And I have a question:  why"still" put in the end of the sentence? What's the meaning?

The sentence as follow:

Joint research by the Brookings Institution and Financial Times is bleaker still, describing our situation as “synchronised stagnation”.


texts: When to use "does" and when to use "would"?

texts:
I found these two sentences on an online English tutorial, and I'm confused about why one sentence uses "does" and the other uses "would":

  How much does it cost to fly to Europe?
  How much would it cost to go to the movies?

My question is, what's the difference or similarity between these two sentences.


texts:
My question is regarding the use of verb to be and tenses. Sentences like:

  The increasing occurrences of alien sightings are unproved.

  My father is here, now.

  They are nice people

Are all of these sentences in the present simple tense?


texts: Difference between Could in the past and Could P.P

texts:
How do you understand these two examples?

  I could go to Harvard when I graduated from High School.

  I could have gone to Harvard when I graduated from High School.

And what is the difference between these two sentences? The preceding two examples are vague to me, but here I don't see any difference in meaning at all.

  I couldn't go to Harvard when I graduated from High School.

  I couldn't have gone to Harvard when I graduated from High School.

As well as here:

  It was so close, I could touch that.

  It was so close, I could have touched that.

Correct me if I'm wrong:

Could is used to express an ability to do something in the past, present  or future.

Could + P.P. - can be used to say that something would have been possible to accomplish in the past under certain circumstances.

Are they interchangeable? Are there any cases when both mean the same thing?

Thank You!


texts:
Which one is the correct way to write a sentence?

Now, you are ready to play.

or

Now you are ready to play.

This is from a computer game under development which comes after reading the rules. So I don't mean a question but the sentence just means that you can start the game.


texts:
Is this sentence grammatically correct? "I was 5 minutes from finishing watching the movie."

Can i construct similar sentences using "From", like
"He was minutes from calling me when he lost his phone."
Or

"She was minutes from finishing her homework"

Would that be grammatically correct, if i used the sentence i used for examples?


texts:
I am describing a plot (in a figure in a thesis I am currently writing) as follows:

Figure of [names of some mathematical functions]. Function A is covered by Function B for x < 10. (...)

Is this correct?

Basically I want to describe that Function B has the same values for x < 10 compared to Function A. That is why Function B is only plotted for x >= 10.


texts: How to say somebody has a higher probability to catch a disease/get sick?

texts:
I'm looking for a phrase expressing somebody has a higher probability to catch a disease - either in a given time of year or due to his genetic predisposition.

My translator spit out that this type of person would be "more susceptible to diseases". Could I say it like that? What is the most natural way for an English speaker to say it?


texts: The present perfect in a past context in an ESL textbook

texts:
I know it is similar to Present perfect in a past-tense context.

However, I feel my question is valid because it is about grammatical correctness, not a literary choice or twist.

  A: I have visited Thailand this vacation.
  B: How did you get there ?
  A: I took a flight. It took about 14 hours.

I think that it is quite clear that they are talking about something that happened in the past and the vacation is over.
But the textbook points that I use the present perfect to fill in the blanks.

What looks weird to me is the first sentence.
Shouldn't it be

  I visited Thailand this vacation

because you can tell that the vacation is over now from the context ?


texts: Someone please elaborate the grammar rule behind this usage

texts:
'Sato looked again at the capstone, her expression one of disbelief.'

I know the sentence is perfect both grammatically and semantically because it is from a novel written by Dan Brown. However, it seems more complete to me to write:

'Sato looked again at the capstone and her expression was one of disbelief.'

Or

'Sato looked again at the capstone with her expression being one of disbelief."

What is the grammar rule behind this? Why can you just write " ..., her expression one of disbelief." ?


texts: what is the meaning of the sentence " i wondered if + present " together with the sentences in the past?

texts:
I'm reading a book and in it , if you briefly give the context, 2 heroes finally confessed their love (present tense).And then, as I understand it, there are the thoughts of a woman :

i wondered if this is what love felt like? and if it was ,i did not want it to end

I can't understand the meaning of all these sentences. If i wondered if a polite form that is equal to i wonder if but why then love felt like? And so on and if it was the meaning of this is clear ,but why then i did not want it to end.Isn't it more logical to use present in this sentence?
I would be happy to help


texts:
Is this a collocation or an idiom? I found different answers online.

  To the best of my knowledge

If we change one of the words, would it be considered incorrect collocation. For example: "Answer this ON the best of YOUR knowledge."


texts: You and your child are standing in front of the lift waiting for it to open. At that moment it opens, would you say "here we go"?

texts:
here we go

  (informal) said when something is starting to happen

  ‘Here we go,’ thought Fred, ‘she's sure to say something.’

You and your child are standing in front of the lift waiting for it to open so that you can go down.

At that moment the lift opens, would you say "here we go"?


texts:
A sentence from my textbook

  These people are slow to change their mind.

I guess to change their mind is an infinitive clause being a complement of slow.

But I don't quite understand the meaning , does it mean :
These people change their mind slowly?


texts:
I heard in a movie (Kung Fu Panda 3)

  How does it feel? (referring to a battle armor) Do the hinges hinge?

"Hinge"'s definitions on ODO are:

  [WITH OBJECT]
  1. Attach or join with or as if with a hinge.

  1.1 [no object], with adverbial of direction (of a door or part of a structure)
  1.2 hinge on [no object] Depend entirely on.

This does not include the usage in the movie, which is intransitive. What does that line mean?


texts: Which term is the most fitting: threshold, limit, maximum?

texts:
A webpage allows its users to upload a limited number of images.
As a developer who wants to store this constant value, I wonder which term is most fitting.

There's:

threshold, known from some applications that I use,
limit, a very common term, and
maximum, which I find suitable, because it implies that you allow any value below it.

Other suggestions are welcome as well.


texts: Get vs Collect (Package) [for someone else]

texts:
Someone is going out of town for a week. Her package is going to arrive in two days. Thus, she asks here neighbor to get it for her. Is "collect" equally likely to be used in this context?

  Can you collect my package for me?

  Can you get my package for me?

What's more likely to be used?


texts: What does "to add another notch to its aeronautic belt" mean?

texts:
I'm reading this article.

And there's a sentence.

  Houston, already home to the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, is slated to add another notch to its aeronautic belt.

But I can't understand meaning of the sentence.

What does to add another notch to its aeronautic belt mean?

From Russia With Love


texts: Can we use Present perfect+past participle to express finished habit?

texts: It has been 18 months since I worn the ring. (Does she still wear the ring or not? How to express she is still wearing it?)


texts: which meaning of the word 'would ' is used here?

texts:
In which meaning 'would ' is used here in the following sentences :

  Who would have thought her capable of murder? (In which meaning 'would ' is used here ?)
  They were in the same class, so they would have known each other.
  He grew so angry, it seemed he would explode.


texts: "I'm wearing a red PANT." or "I'm wearing a red PANTS."

texts:
Is correct to use "Pant" or is "Pants" better?

Here the phrase below:

  I'm wearing a red pants.


texts: What is the woman trying to say in the following context?

texts:
A woman got pulled over for speeding by a California Highway Patrol motorcycle officer.

When he walked up to her window and opened his ticket book she said, "I bet you're going to sell me tickets to the Highway Patrol Ball."

He replied, "No, Ma'am, highway patrolmen don't have balls."

There followed a moment of silence while she smiled and he realized what he had said. Without saying another word, he closed his book, got back on his motorcycle and left."

Be clear and simple.


texts:
I've come across it in the first episode of the fifth season of the Walking Dead. Here is the context:

Scientist: Even if I told you all,
even if I provided step-by-step instructions
complete with illustrations and a well-composed FAQ
and I went red-ring...
the cure would still die with me.


texts: Which one is correct here 'would be' or 'would have been'?

texts: "I ----- happy to see him, but I didn't have time."  Why I should use would have been: because the very next clause is a past tense so would have been goes with the meaning.  Why I should use would be: because I will still be happy to see him and maybe it is just that in he past I had a chance to see him but could not. Which one is correct or both are correct?


texts: Where can I hyphenate (split at the end of the line; British English) the word porosimetry? Merriam-Webster and dictionary.com do not know the word at all and ushuaia hyphenates only at one position: porosi•metry (GB; for US English: porosime•try). I have seen  poros•imetry printed, which is not in accordance with my pronunciation of the word, but possibly I got that wrong because I am no native speaker but an ELL. (Even for porosity I found different hyphenation patterns in different dictionaries.)


texts: I heard about the word territory in ancient Greece or The New Territories in Hong Kong. Is the word territory the same as a country or a nation? Could I said The USA is a territory or the UK is a territory?


texts: The show must have come back/come back on

texts:
So here, my mom turns to another channel,because the show I was watching went on a break. So I wanted her to turn back to my show again. So what should be used:

  The show must have come back.

Or

  The show must have come back on.

What sounds natural:come back/come back on?

What would you use if none sounds natural,any better alternatives?
Thank you:)


texts:
Is 'to bridge' a correct expression to use here:

  'Elevators are used to bridge big differences in height.'

I can see here that the verb bridge can be used to reduce differences between something, but I wanted to know if it was ok to use it with a difference in height as opposed to vertical distances, which is what a bridge usually does.


texts: Could it be a negative exclamatory sentence?

texts: I learnt about the 4 types of sentences: declarative, interrogative, exclamatory, imperative. I remember that declarative, interrogative and exclamatory can be either positive or negative. But I don't have an idea about exclamatory sentences if they can be also negative or not. Can exclamatory sentences be also negative?


texts:
a. He is growing since he became manager.
b. He is growing since he has become manager.
Are both sentences grammatically correct?
Does 'since' have a temporal meaning in both or could it mean 'because'?
Is there any difference in their meanings?


texts: A sentence from Swan's PEU using plural 'are' and not singular 'is'

texts:
In Swan's PEU (3rd Edition), an entry number 157 of 'discourse markers' reads...

  There are a very large number of these 'discourse markers', and it is impossible to give a complete list in a few pages.

I'm finding it difficult to understand. Why is there a plural verb are and not is? I also note that discourse markers are defined in quotes ('...') which means it's considered as a single entity.

  There are a very large number of 'X' out there does not look better to  There is a very large number of 'X' out there

Let me quote a quote here

  Despite the digital age, there is a very large number of venues and spaces that are looking for plays, and many of them are looking for new plays.

Also, a result from the Google Books

  What makes the fields 'classical' is the fact that there is very large number of sources contributing.

What am I missing?


texts:
My father, Harald Dahl, was a Norwegian who came from a small town near Oslo, called Sarpsborg. His own father, my grandfather, was a fairly prosperous merchant who owned a store in Sarpsborg and traded in just about everything from cheese to chicken-wire.

  I am writing these words in 1984, but this grandfather of mine was born, believe it or not, in 1820, shortly after Wellington had defeated Napoleon at Waterloo. If my grandfather had been alive today he would have been one hundred and sixty-four years old. My father would have been one hundred and twenty-one. Both my father and my grandfather were late starters so far as children were concerned.

Why is there a "this" before grandfather? Does it imply there are 2 and more grandfathers?


texts: Disciplined Vs. amenable in a specific context

texts:
What does more fit to a child listen and do what his parent asks for?
He's a good boy as well as disciplined.
He's a good boy as well as amenable.


texts: What do I call a curve of drug concentration vs. time if the concentration axis is on a log scale?

texts:
I have a number of curves of drug concentration vs. time. The time scale, on the horizontal (x) axis, is normal, while the concentration scale is logarithmic (the equidistant notches say 1000 ng/mL, then 10 000 ng/mL, and then 100 000 ng/mL).

In Russian, the curves are called "logarithmicized curves" (логарифмированные графики индивидуальных концентраций препарата) in my document because of this. What do I call them in English?

Log-scaled curves?

I looked up logarithmic curve - but it's a curve described by a logarithmic equation, while in my document the curves do not look like that at all - they go in zigzags, up and down, not in nice rounded lines in one direction, like logarithmic curves.


texts:
A chemical property is the ability (or inability) of a sample of matter to undergo a change in composition under stated conditions.

What's the mean of 'a sample of' in this sentence? Does it means 'one kind of' or something else?


texts: Rephrase consecutive relative clauses with the relative pronoun 'that'

texts:
Sometimes I tend to use multiple relative clauses (especially with the relative pronoun 'that') after the same antecedent to provide a chain of information. However, I don't know if it sounds natural to a native speaker. For example, please tell me if the sentence below is grammatically sound.

  Earlier in the morning, the first bus that arrived that I catch drove straight past my stop.

Would a native speaker use that kind of phrasing to give more information while keeping the sentence as short as possible? What I wanted to express is that the bus in question wasn't the first bus that arrived, but the first of the bus route I take to arrive.

If it's too jarring, how can I rephrase the sentence without increasing its length too much?

Many thanks.


texts:
When an adjective is placed right after a noun it's modifying without a comma between both, can it be thought to be functioning as a "restrictive modifier" as in "the attorney general", "a lion dormant" , or "the stars visible"?

I think they are practically similar to "the attorney who is general", "a lion that is dormant", "the stars that is visible".

On the other hand, if they are written as "the general attorney, "a dormant lion", "the Jones Emperor", "the visible stars", they seem to be similar to "the attorney, who is general", "a line, which is dormant", "the stars, which is visible".

Is my thinking correct?


texts: “found in the list” or “found on the list”

texts:
I usually have some doubts when I have to use prepositions, and one of my most frequent ones is when I should  use “in” and when I should  use “on”.

For example:

  Returns true if the profile is found in the list, false otherwise.

Is it OK to say “in”, or should I use “on” there? Is there any strict rule about using “in” or “on”?


texts: Is "ending" in "the first sign of something ending" an adjective(participle) or a gerund?

texts:
In Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, the idiom the beginning of the end is defined as below.

  the first sign of something ending

I am not sure whether ending is a participle that functions as an adjective, or a gerund. I think technically either can be possible. I'd like to ask for your helps.


texts: Is there an English word for non-monarchic empire?

texts:
Is there an English word for non-monarchic empire, similar to German word "Reich"?

I have considered the following:

Realm - seems too small for an empire
Domain - again seems too small
Power - could be any state, also easy to confuse with other meanings

A stronger equivalent to "domain" would be great.


texts: What's the difference between "Why are you learning Spanish"? and "Why do you learn Spanish"?

texts:
Is there a difference in meaning in the following two sentences.
"Why are you learning Spanish"? and "Why do you learn Spanish"?


texts: he had the manager check it vs. he had it checked by the manager

texts:
(a) He had it checked by the manager.

(b) He had the manager check it.

Could you please clarify the difference between these sentences, if there is any?


texts: What is the appropriate preposition for this sentence?

texts:
There are the greyish black spots in/on the centre of the colony†.

Which preposition is appropriate? Is it in or on?

†The colony of fungi


texts:
I picked up a fever last weekend.

Is the above sentence used the word  'picked up' correctly?


texts:
She is in a depression
-->She is on a depression

She is on a diet
---> She is in a diet

she is on a vacation
--->she is in a vacation

He went there on business
--->He went there in business

Now Question is, is it ok if I replace on with in.


texts:
1.How long will it last?

  2.How long would it last?

One is present and the other is past?

In what context I can use them?


texts:
a. Have you ever talked to John in a bad mood?

  b. Have you ever talked to him in a bad mood?

Can we tell who is in a bad mood, you or John/him?


texts: ...(up) into the ceiling - Should "up" be included?

texts:
Startled, the gunman fell backwards, firing (up) into the ceiling.

Is the sentence natural and grammatical with or without "up"?


texts: Is this sentence Participial Construction?

texts:
When it comes to social policy, President Trump embraces conservative politics as usual, continuing a nearly four-decades-long effort to make these policies more restrictive. (excerpt from NYT The Welfare Boogeyman (July 23, 2018) by Suzanne Mettler)

I definitely understand the main clause and know what the "continuing ---" sentence means, but I'm confusing whether it is a so-called participial construction. If so, does that mean that "President Trump" has continued a long-standing effort to make social policies restrictive? Or is there other grammatical/semantic subject?


texts: Question about meaning of "cut the corner"

texts:
Left turns–To make a left turn, drive close to the center divider line or into the left turn lane. Begin signaling about 100 feet before the turn. Look over your left shoulder and reduce your speed. Stop behind the limit line. Look left, then right, then left again, and make the turn when it is safe. When you turn left, do not turn too soon and “cut the corner” of the lane belonging to the vehicles coming towards you. Example of a left turn

Could you re write this phrase in simple English?

Thank you.


texts: Difference between "have done" and "had done"

texts: I want to know the difference between "have done" and "had done". When and where it should be used?


texts: Is "I better focus" present or past tense?

texts:
Example sentence (past tense narration):

  I better focus on the external world, especially on the front door waiting for me ahead. What would I find on the other side? Reality,
  probably.

Is "I better focus" present tense (hence out of place in past tense narration). Or can be both present and past tense?

If it's present tense by nature, what's the past tense alternative?


texts: no car/ pens, not a car/ a pen/ any pens

texts:
I was wondering about the combinations of 'not,' 'no,' 'any' and 'car'/'pen' for expressing John has zero cars/pens.

With 'no,' if you thought people normally had one item per person, you would use the singular of the noun, as in 1., and if people normally might have more than one, you would use the plural, as in 3. Am I right?

With 'not,' if you thought people normally had one, you would use 'a + singular noun,' as in 2, and if people normally might have more than one, you would use either 'a + singular noun,' as in 4, or 'any + plural noun,' as in 5. Am I right?

(car)

John has no car. (You wouldn't say 'no cars')
John doesn't have a car. (You wouldn't say 'any car' or 'any cars')

(pen)

John has no pens. (You wouldn't say 'no pen')
John doesn't have a pen.
John doesn't have any pens. (You wouldn't say 'any pen')


texts:
I have a question about the definition in this dictionary for the noun "criticism":

  the act of expressing disapproval of somebody/something and opinions about their faults or bad qualities; a statement showing disapproval

What is the difference between "the act of expressing disapproval" and a "statement showing disapproval"?  Is a "statement" an act?


texts: When you hand over something banned before getting on a plane, what verb should you use?

texts: I feel a bit embarrassed to ask this but when you hand over something banned before getting on a plane, what verb should you use? Like, 'surrender' or 'give up'? And, speaking of it, what do you call those places at airports where your luggage is scanned, you're frisked down, etc.?


texts: “…to prepare the typhoon” vs. “…to prepare for the typhoon”

texts:
What do I need to do to prepare the typhoon?

vs

  What do I need to do to prepare for the typhoon?

Is there any difference between these two sentences?

Can I use “prepare” instead of “prepare for”?


texts:
When people say "feel free to contact me", I don't know how to answer.
How do you reply this?


texts: Is "Are you (or Have you been) informed?" a natural expression even when used without any context or clues?

texts:
The other day, my colleague asked me to proofread a checklist with a check item below.
Have you been informed by the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry?  Yes or No
It was an independent check item with no context given nor connection with any of the previous or the following check items, so I couldn't understand what the question was all about.
My quick Google search for the phrase returned many pages including the short question sentence, but they all seem to come with some sort of context.
Is "Are you (or Have you been) informed?" natural English even without any context or clues regarding what information is being discussed?


texts:
In English, can an adverb modify an article?
If so, I'd like to see an example sentence.

I have come across some claims that an adverb can modify everything but a noun/pronoun. This means that it can modify an article, but I have not seen this in any of the grammar books or dictionaries I have used. The claim did not mention the word article let alone give an example.


texts:
I want to write an email to 2 persons. Shall I say:

  Dear Person1 and Person2,

Or

  Dear Person1, Person2,


texts: What's "Egbert the Egregious" and "Emeric the Evil" in the context

texts:
"Which is that the possessor of the wand must capture it from its previous owner, if he is to be truly master of it," said Xenophilius. "Surely you have heard of the way the wand came to Egbert the Egregious, after his slaughter of Emeric the Evil? ... ..."

  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

I think Egbert and Emeric are persons' names, but I'm not sure of "the Egregious" and "the Evil". Are they their nicknames or something?


texts: Word for describing someone who always gives their best on every job

texts:
I’m looking for a word to describe a professional that is not necessarily talented, but is always giving his best effort on every assignment.
The best I could come up with is diligent.


texts: Why is the word 'skilful' not spelled 'skillfull'

texts: Skilfull seems the sensible spelling to me as this compound word refers to sb or sth that is full of skill. So why isn't it spelled as the word it comes from?


texts:
what is the meaning of "of some luck less Wight"? does "whisk" mean "shake or move rapidly"?

Now a phosphoric light shot from side to side over our heads; the laps
and hands and shoulders of several were simultaneously touched, struck,
or pawed by hands, the guitar meanwhile sailing round the room, now
near the ceiling, and then scuffling on the head and shoulders of some
luck less Wight. The bells whisked here and there, and a light thrumming
was maintained on the violin.


texts:
What is the term for activity when a teacher is account for students presence in his class?

In my native language, this is called "Absency" (absensi). I believe this was a term (incorrectly) absorbed from English. I know that absence doesn't mean the activity where teacher accounts for students presence. So the context of sentence is "Miss Janette [...] of students in her class and she notices Brandon is not present today." Can somebody help?


texts: "I'm teaching at university VS I teach at university"

texts:
What is the difference between "I'm teaching at university" and "I teach at university"?

another example: "I work in the library every day" VS "I am working in the library every day"


texts: What is a better equivalent for "a prejudiced follower"?

texts:
Is there any specific term to describe a person who is a follower inherently because of his/her weak personality and in any discussion, debate or disagreement tries to find a leader or a majority to follow against someone with a different idea?

For example, one of my Persian friends via email described his friend using these words:

  She doesn't follow her own rules and doesn't have any special idea about different matters even her own field study but tries to follow the majority or a leader even if that majority or the leader are wrong according to ideas of just experts who are not in the group and have no benefit to take one side and leave alone the opposite side. She wants to take advantages by this and becomes a popular face of the year in the community because unfortunately no body seems like her even after one year hard attempts in protecting the community! Such a pity!

We have sort of appropriate Persian terms equal to this description, but I couldn't find the best term in English for it. Could you please give me your best suggestions?


texts:
What does this sentence mean? "I'll give you one guess why."

I read it in http://jezykangielski.org/toefl950.pdf


texts: Present perfect vs past simple complex example

texts:
I have come across this question and locked up the internet for the answer but it is so complex to do such thing

The students ______ (go) to America a few years ago. No one of them has completed his studies yet, but we expect them to return in the coming few years.

A- have gone
B- went

My answer was A, I know the time is mentioned but they haven’t returned yet so the action is still continuing to the future


texts: At the time of speaking, should I use "do", "will", or "would"?

texts:
Just before I ask a question to someone, what should I have to say?

  Do you mind if I ask you a  question?

  Will you mind if I ask you a  question?

  Would you mind if I ask you a question?

Which one is correct at the time of speaking?


texts: Passive form of “John is painting his room"

texts: What is the passive form of the statement "John is painting his room."? I do guess the correct form is "His room is being painted by John". But I am unsatisfied with that as it sounds a little absurd. What is the correct passive form of the statement?


texts:
What does 'get yourself together' mean?

  Your sister says that every week You just come home to eat and go to
  sleep And you make plans you never keep Because your mind is always in
  the streets You better get yourself together Look for something better

Song - Sreet boy by Sixto Rodriguez


texts: I 'felt disgust' versus 'I felt disgusted'

texts:
Have you ever felt disgust at 'being more sociable' or 'having right connections' beating the merit?

I wrote the above sentence but the Grammarly is showing this sentence to be wrong. It asks to change 'disgust' to 'disgusted'. According to it , the correct sentence would be ,"Have you ever felt disgusted..."?

In my opinion,"Have you ever felt disgust?" is alright. Since I am using disgust as a noun it seems alright to me. Why to change it to past participle form?
 To me, both are alright! What is your say?


texts: Why is "uses" in "Peter is uses a dictionary" wrong?

texts:
Peter is uses a dictionary.
  Peter is using a dictionary.

Could someone help explain why "uses" is wrong? I know that "using" is the right one and "uses" is wrong but I couldn't find the reason or the supporting grammatical rules that explain why it is wrong.


texts:
How to use "so here it goes?".

I have written this sentence.

  I have made up a short story. Here it goes.
  When I was in ...

I am confused about what is the correct way to write it.

When should I use "here it goes" and "so here it goes"?

Which one of these is correct way to write and speak?

  I have made up a short story. Here it goes.
  I have made up a short story. So here it goes.
  I have made up a short story, here it goes.
  I have made up a short story, so here it goes.
  I have made up a short story, here it goes:
  I have made up a short story, so here it goes:


texts:
I've encountered this sentence in a book but I wasn't able to understand what "throughout their accounts" means. Could anyone help me understand the meaning of this statement, please?

"Throughout their accounts, they present with great perfection the struggles of working in an environment."

Thank you.


texts: Why is there the definitive article in: "on the grass" but not in "smoke cigarettes"?

texts:
Recently I found this sentence in Oscar Wilde's essay "The Decay of Lying":

  Let us go and lie on the grass and smoke cigarettes and enjoy nature.

Why there is a the before the word grass but not a the before cigarettes and nature in this sentence?


texts: Is "any" neccessary in "There aren't any cats in .."?

texts:
In my book there is a chapter with "There is/are".
Is it ok to say: "There aren't cats in..." instead of "There aren't any cats in...".

The second example sounds better but I wonder if the first sentence is also correct.


texts:
What's the right thing to say?
"Best meal I have ever had"
or
"Best meal I ever had"


texts: A sentence with "have been" must have a time period pointed out by 'since' or 'for'?

texts:
Residents have been planting the ornamental trees outside their houses and in lawns to add beauty and give their place a grand look.

Now usually I see sentences like "...have been doing this/that for 5 years..." or  "....have been doing this/that since 1950..." etc. But this sentence does not have any such time span or point of time mentioned. Does that make it
 incorrect? It is clearly understandable this sentence in present perfect continuous tense means that the tree planting has been going on for some time.

I was told the correct form would be Residents have planted the ornamental trees outside their houses and in lawns to add beauty and give their place a grand look. This is correct as a sentence in present perfect tense.

But I'm not sure that the first form of the sentence is indeed incorrect. Or is it wrong for some other reason?


texts:
You are required to take care of my cat after I go out of town tomorrow.

You'll be required to take care of my cat after I go out of town tomorrow.

He was advised that he was required to sometimes work long hours.

He was advised that he would be required to sometimes work long hours.

Q1) Are they all correct? If so, what is the difference between 1) and 2) or 3) and 4)?


texts: Difference bw 'has been my favorite' & 'has easily been my favorite'

texts:
I am confused about use of Has Been specially among these two sentences.
If I say

  It has been my favorite.

and

  It has easily been my favorite.

than the meaning both sentence is changing or not?

According to me

First sentence - Something is my favorite since long time & still favorite.
Second sentence- Something became my favorite easily.

May know the exact meaning of these sentence?

Thank you.


texts:
Dictionary entries for "launch" say that these are okay:

"launch a missile/boat"
"launch a campaign"
"launch a new product"

Would it be standard English to write:

  to launch a new building

?


texts: Is it correct to use name or brand between "the" and "one"?

texts:
If there is a question:

  Which camera do you want? (in this case only the owner's name differentiating them)

Can it be answered: We want the Cindy one?


texts:
"demand" means

  to ask for something forcefully, in a way that shows that you do not expect to be refused

How about "demanded"? Consider this

  Computer training and Internet are highly demanded

  source

Are "demanded" and "needed" interchangeable here?

  Computer training and Internet are highly needed

The results in Google Ngram seem to be a YES. Although I am not sure about that. Could someone please give a hint? Thanks in advance.


texts: What is the difference between 'comprise' and 'comprise of'?

texts:
I am confused between usage of 'comprise' and 'comprise of':

This is what I know:

  X comprises of A,B, and C. (Shows elements)

And

  A, B, C comprise X. (Shows item)

But then, Cambridge Dictionary says:

  The course comprises a class book, a practice book, and a CD.

And

  The accommodation comprises six bedrooms and three living rooms.

My questions are:

1 Can I write comprises 'of' instead of 'comprises' in both the sentences?

And

2 If they are not interchangeble, then when should we write 'comprises of'?


texts:
What is the structure of this sentence?

  First come, first served

"come" and "served" seem to be v3 but "first" means someone. Therefore I couldn't understand why "first come" instead of "first came"


texts: Is the meaning conveyed in the two sentences the same?

texts:
Sentence 1: I didn't think it was possible

Sentence 2: I had no idea it was possible

A friend asked me if Sentence 1 was grammatically correct or not. I advised him to rewrite it as Sentence 2 in case Sentence 1 didn't sound right to him. But he didn't agree to it because he thinks 'did' is used when something has been performed and 'had' is used to refer to something that someone possessed