texts: saying about in which department people work

texts:
I have next statements about people's company's department:

He 's in production. They make the company's products.
She 's in HR. She finds new people to work for the company.

I think that we can say these sentences another way:

He works in production and they make the company's products.
She works in HR and finds new people to work for the company.

But can we say them in one more another way, maybe it's a bit silly question, but I'm completely not sure about it:

He 's in production and they make the company's products.
She 's in HR and finds new people to work for the company.

I ask because I'm not sure that it's correct to join two verbs - 'to be' and 'to do' to one object (he, she)?
And if the last two sentences above are correct do I need 'she' here?

She's in HR and she finds new people to work for the company.


texts:
I struggle to translate through the hours into my mother language.

It comes from a song by Glen Hansard. (My Little Ruin: See the third paragraph.)

I know what it means literally, but I also feel there must be something deeper that I do not quite get.


texts: A controversial GRE reading question(Buell’ study of village sketches...)

texts:
Source

  Buell’s study of village sketches (a type of fiction popular in the United States in the 1830s and 1840s) provides a valuable summary of sketches that portray the community as homogeneous and fixed, but it ignores those by women writers, which typically depicted the diversity that increasingly characterized actual village communities at that time. These women’s geographical mobility was restricted (although women writers of the time were not uniformly circumscribed in this way), and their subject matter reflected this fact. Yet their texts were enriched by what Gilligan, writing in a different context, has called the ability to attend to voices other than one’s own. To varying degrees, the women’s sketches portray differences among community members: all stress differences among men and among women (particularly the latter) as well as differences between
  the sexes, and some also depict cultural diversity. These writers represent community as dynamic,
  as something that must be negotiated and renegotiated because of its members’ divergent
  histories, positions, expectations, and beliefs.

  3.The passage indicates that when Gilligan spoke of “the ability to attend to voices other than one’s own,” she

  A. did not consider that ability to be a desirable psychological characteristic

  B. did not believe that individuals differ greatly with respect to that ability

  C. was implying that that ability enhances a sense of belonging in communities

  D. was assuming that good writers are able to depict diverse characters

  E. was not discussing the women who wrote village sketches

An unofficial answer to the question is E while many people choose D.

The relevant sentence in the passage is:

Yet their texts were enriched by what Gilligan, writing in a different context, has called the ability to attend to voices other than one’s own.

I think the possible reason for D to be incorrect is that the Gilligan didn't explicitly say whether the ability to depict diverse characters is "good". But on the other hand, I don't see why E is correct, who was Gilligan discussing here if not the women who wrote village sketches?


texts: Difference between the what do you study&what are you studying

texts:
I want to know the difference between:

  What do you study?
  What are you studying?

I am a English learner I learn English through apps. Recently I read a question “What do you study?” up to now I know only “What are you studying?"


texts:
It's time we should prepare for our future now.

  It's time we should plan for our future now.

Which one is correct or more commonly used?
For me it seems like we use "plan" when we plan something specifically, so planning for the future includes detailed plans 1,2,3 etc.. am I right?


texts:
It was a mark of how bad the last week had been that the other two
  agreed with him. Anything to get rid of Norbert –– and Malfoy.
      There was a hitch. By the next morning, Ron's bitten hand [by little dragon, Norbert] had swollen to twice its usual size. He didn't
  know whether it was safe to go to Madam Pomfrey [= the school nurse]
  –– would she recognize a dragon bite? By the afternoon, though, he had
  no choice. The cut had turned a nasty shade of green. It looked as if
  Norbert's fangs were poisonous.
      Harry and Hermione rushed up to the hospital wing at the end of the day to find Ron in a terrible state in bed.
      "It's not just my hand," he whispered, "although that feels like it's about to fall off. Malfoy told Madam Pomfrey he wanted to
  borrow one of my books so he could come and have a good laugh at me.
  He kept threatening to tell her what really bit me –– I've told her it
  was a dog, but I don't think she believes me –– I shouldn't have hit
  him at the Quidditch match, that's why he's doing this."  (Harry
  Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

There is a conjunction - although - and so it’s not easy to consider dummy it or cleft construction. However when I see ‘that’ as a pronoun referring to ‘my hand’, there is no direct semantic relation between ‘that’ and ‘feels’. Would you tell me what the first it, the second it, and the ‘that’ mean?


texts:
I am aware that articles are the modifiers, which introduce a noun/noun_phrase in a sentence, and by the rules of English grammar we should use an article before referring to a noun in a sentence.

However, I see that the above rule is not strictly followed. I have seen sentences where though a noun/noun_phrase is used in a sentence but an introductory article is not used.

Eg : Login to desktop and start the paint application [ Desktop is a noun, hence I expect either "Login to a desktop and ...." or "Login to the desktop at the corner and ....."]

So please help me understand, when can an article be omitted ?


texts: Would you help me to understand the form between "get + [verb]" vs. "verb"?

texts:
Would you please tell me which one is correct? And why?
Could you possibly elaborate your explanations freely or readily?

I get bored if I'm at home on my own all day.
I bore if I'm at home on my own all day.


texts: What is the correct word order for a question starting from 'is' and containing an infinitive?

texts:
Some context. In a e-mail conversation, I am trying to understand what I should do next. The question I am trying to ask is:

Is the next step to submit a tech support ticket?

The variant I was tempted to write was:

Is the next step is to submit a tech support ticket?

I wanted to start a sentence with an 'is' so that it is a question. Which way is correct?


texts: has had / had had: What's the difference between these sentences?

texts:
As a non-native speaker this is very difficult for me. I'd like to know how the meaning differs and which ones is/are correct please.
In this scenario, 2 people are talking in the present and speculating about something Andrew may or may not have done in the past.

If Andrew has had lunch at his uncle's house, he would have seen the strange dining table and would be able to tell us the color.

If Andrew has had lunch at his uncle's house, he will have seen the strange dining table and would be able to tell us the color.

If Andrew had had lunch at his uncle's house, he would have seen the strange dining table and would be able to tell us the color.

If Andrew had had lunch at his uncle's house, he will have seen the strange dining table and would be able to tell us the color.


texts: Help understand this sentence "He died as he lived..."

texts:
He died as he lived: working always for the greater good and, to his last hour, as willing to stretch out a hand to a small boy with dragon pox as he was on the day that I met him.

  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

I have a hard time to understand the whole sentence. Can someone help explain it?


texts: There is an expression such as "would might"?

texts:
Despite I use English in my work, I'm not a native English speaker. And I found myself writing the following sentence:

  I thought it would might use an API.

After reading the phrase one more time, it sounded odd. The use of these two modal verbs combined seems wrong (or weird, at least). If that's the case, why is it wrong?


texts: How can I attributively express a place's population?

texts: I guess I can't just say, for example, '4,000,000 Los Angeles', i.e. simply put a numeral as a modifier. There's the word 'strong' that can be used for this purpose but, I believe, for different contexts, for instance 'a 10,000 strong crowd'. What are my options for my case?


texts:
It is the part of the book I was reading:

Mr. Dawes, the friendly young man from the local real estate office, stopped near the front walk and turned around.
"Everything okay?" he asked, staring first at Josh, then at me, with his crinkly blue eyes.

But I don't understand the meaning of "crinkly eyes" . When we say someone's eyes are crinkly?


texts: Difference between ‘study on’ and ‘study into’

texts:
In the sentences

  This is the only study on/into the effect of X in aquatic birds.

  The studies on/into aquatic birds have been carried out on species A and B.

Which word do we use?

Learner’s Dictionary defines ‘on’ as:

  used to indicate the subject of something
  •   a book on [=about] North American birds
  •   a discussion on current events

and ‘into’ as:

  relating to or concerning (something)
  •   an investigation into the causes of the accident

Am I right in thinking that ‘into’ is used in these contexts when the study is about the result of an action (based on Google searching for both usages)?

i.e. ‘study on birds’ and ‘study into the effect of X’. Or can they be used interchangeably?


texts:
Overview

  Aristophanes was the greatest writer of Old Comedy in
  Athens in the fifth century BCE and the only playwright
  from that era with any complete plays surviving. Old
  Comedy was a form of drama that has no parallel in
  subsequent European literature. It was a mixture of fantasy,
  political and personal satire, farce, obscenity, and, in
  the case of Aristophanes at least, delightful lyric poetry.
  Although he used the language brilliantly, Aristophanes
  was above all an inspired creator of bizarre fantasy worlds
  that defy fundamental laws of rationality and logic. He
  paid little attention to consistency of time, place, or
  character and was not very interested in the logical development
  of a dramatic plot. He brought to his art a
  command of every kind of comedy, from slapstick to
  intellectual farce. Parody was one of his specialities, and
  he had a devastating way of deflating pomposity in politics,
  social life, and literature.

I don't get its meaning clearly and I searched on the net but I didn't find an acceptable answer.

Dose it mean: it this kind of comedy he made fun of intellectual way to solve problems?

Sorce: Gale Contextual Encyclopedia Of World Literature


texts: "deer's numbers" or "deer's population" or "deer population"

texts:
Why "deer's numbers" is not correct and I should say "deer numbers" without 's
I have the same question for the phrase "deer population", is it right to say "deer's population"?
Why should I not put the possessive 's in these expressions?


texts: How many pieces of garlic? How much garlic? uncountable noun

texts:
I learned that we should say

  How much gravel do you have now?

since "gravel" is an uncountable noun, but it's also okay to say

  How many pieces of gravel do you have now?

Then, how about garlic, which is another uncountable noun?
I know I can say two cloves of garlic,
but what should I say if it's a whole piece of garlic?

  How much garlic do you want?

  How many pieces of garlic do you want?

Are both okay?


texts: Regret or satisfaction by "couldn't have been better"

texts:
May I use this kind of structure with "could(n't) have been" to express regret or satisfaction?

The cake was too small, it could have been bigger!
The party was great, couldn't have been better!


texts:
Books we pretend we have read.

What if instead of have read, I simply wrote we read ?
Would the meaning of the sentence change?


texts: If one's brother got divorced, the former sister-in-law is still considered to be a relative?

texts:
My brother's wife is my sister-in-law, and so she is considered to be my relative.

But if my brother gets divorced, is my former sister-in-law still considered to be a relative?


texts: does 'I introduce someone as something' mean 'I introduce someone as I am something' or 'I introduce someone as he is something'?


texts: is it correct to use past simple in a moment in the past?

texts:
There is a sentence that makes me confused about using cases of past simple and past continuous.
one of the past continuous definition is that it's used to describe actions happening at a moment in the past.
but in this sentence past simple is used instead of past continuous.

Daniel called you at one o'clock yesterday, but you were here with me.

isn't one o'clock yesterday a moment in the past?

if it's correct how should I distinguish between past simple and past continuous in making sentences.


texts: In this anime, some certain magical doors appear wherever they pleased and let in the people of fantasy world to the restaurant in our side. But the title's bugging me. Why do they have to put 'to' instead of 'in'? If I put 'in' there, would it be awkward? Could you give me some examples that have the same usage of that 'to'?


texts: When there are some words between 'a' and the corresponding noun, do I use 'an'?

texts:
Which sentence is correct?

  I performed a reliability analysis.

or

  I performed an reliability analysis.


texts: Prepositional Phrases used as Noun Phrases？

texts:
The country’s Supreme Court ruled last year that the ban was illegal, and gave the Knesset, or parliament, until March 1st to amend the law to allow gay couples to commission surrogacies domestically. ( The Economist.)

British courts have given the government until the end of July to come up with a new plan to cut air pollution. ( The Economist).

I encountered the first sentence and then found another one.
It seems to me that the writer is treating PP "until March 1st" as an NP, the construction being "give somebody some time".  Because this is the first time I have encountered this usage,  I want to know

Are there any other PPs that can be used this way.  For example, can we say,

I will give you from Monday to Wednesday to finish the job. ( using the time expression "from...to..."  as direct object).

Can we use other  verbs that take PPs as an object,

You will have until  next Monday to finish the job.


texts:
The power of the Doors’ music is that it is so unabashedly arty that it begs to be made fun of, especially by older people or those who went through Doors periods themselves and are now into Steely Dan or Animal Collective or some other less embarrassing musical endeavor.

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/articles/69750/when-youre-strange

Can you explain to me for what the music of The Doors begs. The passage in bold does not make much sense to me. Does it mean that the music of The Doors urges the listener to ridicule it?


texts: What's the meaning of "The shock that followed this declaration found voice in a sustained 'Ah-h-h!'"

texts:
The full sentence is:

  The shock that followed this declaration found voice in a sustained “Ah-h-h!" as the door of the coupe swung slowly open.

It's from Chapter 3 of «The Great Gatsby»

What does "The shock found voice in a sustained 'Ah-h-h'" mean?


texts: What is different between "could" and "would"

texts:
I have lots of doubts about could and would. How can I differentiate these words and explain with examples any body?

could you please?
would you please?

explain briefly


texts: What does ''as'' mean in sentences below?

texts:
A more complex issue is calculating the amount of resources required in light of the stochastic failure rates of hardware resources in the system as coupled with varying user requests for VMs.

These differences between rice and Arabidopsis in their storage reserves for late pollen might explain why genes related to the metabolism of major carbohydrates are enriched in rice divergent genes, as coupled with late pollen development.

I couldn't understand what ''as'' mean in these sentence. Can you please explain what it means.Is it used as an adverb to describe how it happens? Would the meaning change if I didn't use ''as''? Or can I say ''... in the way coupled with...''?


texts:
I’ve seen some uses of “put ‘something’ behind” with a pronoum (not really sure if it’s a pronoum) after “behind” and other without. Here are some examples:

You should put those bad memories behind you and start focusing on the good life you have now.

Let's just put this loss behind us and start preparing for the next game.

Clear skies are ahead so put your troubles behind and be happy.

That way, you'll be able to put your concerns behind and get on with something even more important.

Do they all have the same meaning? Are there cases where the use of you, us, etc is necessary and others don’t?


texts: Is "make a difference" fit to this conditions?

texts:
I want to make a slogan in English. What I want is, my brand slogan is grammatically correct and accordance  to below conditions.

Following brand names, like:

  [BRAND NAME]. [slogan]

Sentence patterns (inspired by "keep calm and ...")

  You sleep, I code. I [slogan]

  You are sleeping, I am working. I [slogan]

Even printed-out independent typography design on a product (like "JUST DO IT")

My current work for my brand slogan is "make a difference". So, if this slogan applies to the conditions above, it's like:

  [BRAND NAME]. Make a difference

  You sleep, I code. I make a difference

  You are sleeping, I am working. I make a difference

  Printed out a "Make a difference" on a Tshirt

Other people say it's right. But in point one, It must use "makes", not "make". That's not what I want, because I just want to create one slogan, for consistency.

Is the "make a difference" grammatically correct to above conditions? or there is a sentence closest to this one? thanks in advance.


texts:
I'm reading (Cambridge Collocation in use) and find this sentence and I don't fully understand it.

  There was good news for motorists today as pump prices were lowered by the major oil companies.

So pump here motor or what?


texts:
Here is a pattern sentence asking a question: "Where did you get that book?"
Another sentence goes: "What made you decide to leave Russia?"

Why not to use "What did make you decide to leave Russia?" as in the first example?

I don't understand the following: both sentences have past tense but only one uses "did" to make the interrogative sentence. Why is did omitted? Perhaps it's just the way it is...


texts:
[Harry said] "You're a lot braver now that you're back on the ground
  and you've got your little friends with you," said Harry coolly. There
  was of course nothing at all little about Crabbe and Goyle, but as the
  High Table was full of teachers, neither of them could do more than
  crack their knuckles and scowl.    "I'd take you on anytime on my
  own," said Malfoy. "Tonight, if you want. Wizard's duel. Wands only -
  no contact. What's the matter? Never heard of a wizard's duel before,
  I suppose?"    "Of course he has," said Ron, wheeling around.
  "I'm his second, who's yours?"    Malfoy looked at Crabbe and
  Goyle, sizing them up.    "Crabbe," he said. "Midnight all right?
  We'll meet you in the trophy room; that's always unlocked."  When
  Malfoy had gone, Ron and Harry looked at each other.  "What is a
  wizard's duel?" said Harry. "And what do you mean, you're my second?"
     "Well, a second's there to take over if you die," said Ron
  casually, getting started at last on his cold pie.  (Harry Potter and
  the Sorcerer's Stone)

What do the highlighted parts respectively mean?


texts:
a. I don't think I can do anything you want.

Can't this sentence mean two things?

a1. I think I can't do anything you want.

a2. I don't think I can't do just anything you want.

b. You're mistaken to think you can do anything I want.

Can't this sentence mean two things?

b1. You're mistaken to think you can do even one of the things I want.

b2. You're mistaken to think you can do just anything I want.


texts: What is the difference between "of X origin" and "X origin"?

texts:
In the following sentences:

  This word is of French origin.

  This word is French origin.

The first sentence is what I found on the web. But now I wonder what is different from the second sentence, which I came up with.

Is the second sentence considered grammatically incorrect? Otherwise, what is the reason to use of in front of French origin?


texts: The meaning of "unweighty trifle" from "The Prince and the Pauper"

texts:
This is an extract taken from chapter VI, of Mark Twain's book "The Prince and the Pauper". I just can't understand the meaning of "unweighty trifle."

  "I am full loth to word the thing that is in my mind, and thou so
  near to him in blood, my lord.  But craving pardon if I do offend,
  seemeth it not strange that madness could so change his port and
  manner?--not but that his port and speech are princely still, but
  that they DIFFER, in one unweighty trifle or another, from what
  his custom was aforetime.  Seemeth it not strange that madness
  should filch from his memory his father's very lineaments; the
  customs and observances that are his due from such as be about
  him; and, leaving him his Latin, strip him of his Greek and
  French?  My lord, be not offended, but ease my mind of its
  disquiet and receive my grateful thanks.  It haunteth me, his
  saying he was not the prince, and so--"


texts:
I came across the following proverb at this site.

  He that is silent, gathers stones.

Can anyone explain its meaning?

Thanks in advance.


texts: Prepositions used when referring to a country's timezone: 7 o'clock at/by Moskow time

texts:
Let's meet at 7 o'clock at Moskow time

Let's meet at 7 o'clock by Moskow time

Is the first or the second one correct? If they are both inaccurate, can you please give a correct version?
And did I miss 'the' before 'Moskow time'?


texts: "I am most interested in X." vs "I am mostly interested in X."

texts:
I wonder which form(s) are correct amongst the following:

"I am most interested in X."
"I am mostly interested in X."


texts: A British teacher said "What do you think are the advantages of online dating?" Right or Wrong sentence?

texts:
Ok, a British native teacher said in his English class "What do you think are the advantages of online dating?".

My question is why he used the word "are".

Why not "What do you think about the advantages of online dating?"


texts: "It is Germanys oldest pub." or "It is Germany's oldest pub."?

texts:
The title says it all: I just want to know which of both are correct:

  (A) It is Germanys oldest pub.

or

  (B) It is Germany's oldest pub.

If you can give the rule, that would be nice. (I know that in some cases 's is only a shorthand for "is", like "it's" for "it is" whereas "its" refers to who something belongs to. But are all other cases without '? Are there differences in American English to British English?)


texts:
I zonked out and I couldn't go to work.

Does this mean he fall down and hurt himself?


texts:
I do not figure out why I should choose one to another. They seem to have the same meaning.

  Although this month's sales shown a improvement on last month's,
  ........................... things are not looking too bright.

a. In the long run

b. In the long term

Definitions are from Oxford Dictionary.


texts:
I am wondering what "we learned" means in the following sentences:

I notice Will and Dad sizing each other up surreptitiously. In Dad’s
company, oddly, Will seems a little diminished, a little less
himself. Looking at him, in his pressed shirt and chinos, I’m
worried that to Dad he might seem privileged and glib, very much the
ex-public schoolboy.
‘I can’t believe this is the first time you’ve met,’ I say. Not for
want of bloody trying. Will and I flew to New York specially a few
months ago. At the last minute, we learned, Dad had been called away
on business in Europe. I imagined our planes crossing somewhere over
the Atlantic. Dad is a Very Busy Man. Too busy, even, to meet his
daughter’s fiancé until the eve of her wedding. Story of my bloody
life.

Lucy Foley, The Guest List, Chapter 14

This is a thriller novel published in 2020 in the United Kingdom. One hundred and fifty guests would be gathering at some remote and deserted fictional islet called Inis an Amplóra off the coast of the island of Ireland to celebrate the wedding between Jules (a self-made woman running an online magazine called The Download) and Will (a celebrity appearing in a TV show program called Survive the Night). The day before the actual wedding day, to attend the rehearsal dinner, Jules' dad comes to the island. So finally, Jules' dad and Will meet each other first time at this moment.
In this part, I am wondering whether it would be all right to understand that "we learned" implies that Jules and Will arrived at Jules' dad's place, but "were told" (by someone present, such as his secretary or  some other person) that he was called away on business in Europe.
Or, could it be that they just "knew/saw" that her father was away, seeing the absence of her father...?


texts: How to distinguish between "so many" and "such many" semantically?

texts:
Would you please show me the difference in meaning between these?

  They have introduced so many cars that…

  They have introduced such many cars that…


texts:
'Do you understand the instructions?'

What is the proper reported speech for the above mentioned sentence?

  The teacher asked us if we understand the instructions.

vs

  The teacher asked us if we understood the instructions.


texts: "Not a single customer comes by." Is it correct?

texts:
Suppose I am bored because there are no customers at my work. Can I write

  Not a single customer comes by.

How can we describe the basic grammar of this sentence? What kind of sentence part is not and why doesn't it need a verb, such as does?


texts:
Can I use "to do with" in the same meaning as "about/concerning a particular subject" ?

For example:

  1- All applications to do with this role  go through my secretary first.

  2- Most of the articles are to do with microbiota's role in the
  colon cancer.

  3- Was the dispute to do with safety regulations?

I made up these examples above.


texts: what mean is “astro, turf” in “Toy Story” movie

texts:
is it mean "astro turf"?
I cannot understand why Woody said

                    WOODY
        Wait a minute!  No Buzz!  This way!
        There's a special ship.  I just saw
        it!

                     BUZZ
        You mean it has hyperdrive?

                     WOODY
        Hyper-active hyperdrive, and
        astro...uh, turf.


texts: Can anyone help me what writer mean when he say *how much is hard to tell* in the following sentence?

texts:
Can anyone help me what writer mean when he say "how much is hard to tell" in the following sentence?

  However, looking ahead one can take the view that in an integrated world economy, the cumulative effect of many relatively minor transaction costs and corruption can diminish the competitiveness of an economy and eat into its potential growth rate. The investment climate story has useful policy content—how much is hard to tell.

I have two clues about it but not sure. First maybe he wants to say that he is reluctant to say the preceding sentence The investment climate story has useful policy content.
Second maybe he wants to say that the policy content of investment climate story is so little that is is hard to think about it.

I am not sure which one is correct. I would be grateful if anyone could help me.

Development Economics through the  Decades : A Critical Look at 30 Years of the World  Development Report (2008), by Shahid Yusuf,p 62.


texts: What is "from" here? how translate "America's second biggest wrestling federation"?

texts:
What is "from" here?

  America's second biggest wrestling federation finally hit consoles with a roster of 25 stars to choose from.


texts:
This is a question from my book:

  Always speak the truth.

  (a). Simple adverb of Number

  (b). Simple adverb of Manner

  (c). Simple adverb of Negation

  (d). Simple adverb of Degree

Book says that the answer is (b).

I don't agree with the answer key. As far as I know Always is the adverb of frequency.

So none of the option is correct in my opinion.

Am I missing something here?


texts: ? Your boss tells you not to bother taking off your coat

texts:
I read about this sentence "Your boss tells you not to bother taking off your coat" in a joke book. But I cannot catch the ethos of this kind of humor. Could someone please unravel it?

The original paragraph:

You can tell it's going to be a bad day when: Your boss tells you not to bother taking off your coat.


texts: Simple vs continuous in the past tense and in the future tense

texts:
Even though I understand the difference between the simple and the continuous aspect of the English tense system, I sometimes struggle to understand what each of these two aspects expresses in some past and future contexts. Let me give you some examples.

First:

  When I was a teenager I sometimes called my father
  When I was a teenager I sometimes was calling my father

Second:

  This is the last time we are seeing each other. I will sometimes call you
  This is the last time we are seeing each other. I will be sometimes calling you

Third:

  In 1994 I worked for two weeks
  In 1994 I was working for two weeks

Fourth:

  Yesterday I worked all night
  Yesterday I was working all night

I get the meaning expressed by the past simple and the future simple in the above example sentences but I`m not feeling the continuous. Could you tell me what meaning does the continuous aspect convey in those?


texts:
Pour the oil into the bottle.
Pour over the oil into the bottle.

As I am not a native speaker, using the word "pour" is difficult to me.

Are these two sentences correct, or should I use something else in this context?

And what can be the possible phrasal verbs with the word "pour".


texts: Meaning of "doesn't go far enough" and "More than confidence."

texts:
Context:

  The problem is that "confidence" doesn't go far enough. More than confidence, for people to invest in the world they have to trust in it — in the systems and people that make it work."

doesn't go far enough
More than confidence

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/lloyd-blankfein-wrong-about-markets-2016-5


texts: the **diameter** of two ropes VS the **diameters** of two ropes

texts:
The experiment is designed to measure the diameter of two ropes
  The experiment is designed to measure the diameters of two ropes

Since there are more than one ropes, I am wondering the form of "diameter", single or plural.

PS: I need to say the ropes can have the same size or not.


texts: nobody Vs anybody Vs. nobody in a specific context

texts:
How to ask from a friend to not tell something / to keep something something in secret?

If I want to choose between these two, which is natural or idiomatic?

  Please, don't tell it to anybody.

  Please, don't tell it to anyone.

  Please, tell it to nobody.


texts:
But factoring into Shaun White's decision must've been how much he has to risk.

I guess the sentence wants to express such a meaning: Shaun White must've factored how much he has to risk into his decision. Right? But I feel the original sentence is a little strange to me. Considering the following sentence:

  I have put him in an apartment.

Can I express the sentence just like:

  Putting him in an apartment is me.

Is that right?


texts: How do I understand "he to whom..." and "coupled though it be ..." in the sentence?

texts:
The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is
  the source of all true art and science. He to whom this emotion is a
  stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is
  as good as dead: his eyes are closed. This insight into the mystery of life, coupled though it be with fear, has also given rise to religion.

This is from Einstein's writing.


texts:
If I want to express "To spend more time travelling to the workplace." Which phrases below can I use here?

To travel in a longer time to the workplace.

To travel for a longer time to the workplace.

Can you please explain me which is correct and why?


texts: What difference does it make when we pluralize certain nouns instead of others?

texts:
For example:

We need to be able to tell the differences between each kind of problem.
We need to be able to tell the differences between each kinds of problem.
We need to be able to tell the differences between each kind of problems.
We need to be able to tell the differences between each kinds of problems.

What rule in English are we dealing with here? (2) and (3) sounds off, but I can't explain the grammatical reasoning behind it.


texts: Does using the word “heavy” after weight sound ok?

texts: I wonder what is the equivalence of saying “7 feet tall” or “1 inch thick” for weight. Is it “55 pounds heavy”?


texts: Which is correct: "will resume" or "will be resumed"?

texts:
Here are the two sentences using will resume and will be resumed.
What is correct here? Also, is it true that will should always be followed by be?

  My office process will be resumed once I complete 2 months in the state.
  My office process will resume once I complete 2 months in the state.


texts:
I want to ask about the meaning of a sentence. What does it mean?

  If it's not the due date, it's not a do date.


texts: "I want you succeeding" vs. "I want your succeeding"

texts:
I am happy seeing you succeed.

I am happy to see you succeed.

I want you to succeed.

I want you succeeding.
I want your succeeding.

Could you please explain the differences between them, and the first and second examples independently of each other?


texts: Adressing : "It is about 200 meters ahead/further"

texts:
Please help me to address a shop in further distance.

A: Hi, Where is the X shop?
B: You are close, It's about 200 meters ahead/further (from here).

Thanks in advance.


texts: Why "multi-band antenna", not "multi-bands antenna"?

texts:
Why do you say "multi-band antenna", not "multi-bands antenna"?

It seems to me there are multiple bands for an antenna.

And, are "multi-band antenna" and "multi-band antennas" different?


texts: Is "there's a myriad of combinations" grammatically acceptable?

texts:
(I don't know if this is the right place to ask this; if it's not please let me know.)

So I'm a PA & I’ve been having an argument with my boss over the following:

I was under the impression that it is perfectly acceptable, although informal, to say: “There's a myriad of possible combinations” but he insists that
“There are a myriad of possible combinations” is the only correct way to say it.

We both are non-native English speakers. Could you help us out?

Thanks in advance:)


texts:
The rain fell and his next appointment wasn't for nine days.

It means his appointment will start after nine days?


texts:
I googled it but couldn't find any results.
In addition, industry insiders suspect that Broadway Across America might want to add some more theaters to its collection. Lauren Reid, the chief operating officer of its parent company, confirmed before the pandemic that the organization would be open to acquiring theaters outside of New York and in the West End, and it now controls the booking rights to more than 45 theaters across the United States.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/marchershberg/2020/09/28/theaters-could-become-acquisition-targets-during-pandemic/#15610b3a2960


texts: Shall i use "saw" or "have seen" in this sentence?

texts:
A: Do you know her

B: I saw/ have seen her a few times but I never spoke to her.


texts:
If she is going to London, then I will also go along with her.

If she is going to London, so I will also go along with her.

I think the second one is incorrect. I was taught that we can’t use ‘so’ there but I don’t know why we can’t.


texts:
Which of these is the correct one, or are both correct?

I moved slowly, to not wake my parents. - Intended meaning
I moved slowly, not to wake


texts:
I searched on Google the meaning of up above. I didn't find the answer (except in heaven, which is not the answer I was looking for). Here is the context: Somewhere up above the stars.

I wouldn't ask you this if I could find the answer. Thanks for giving me the definition.


texts:
*The brown shirt 'wants washing'.

  has to wash
  is in need of a wash
  requires a wash
  no improvement.

This is my exam question. In provisional answer key the answer has given 3.
But what about options no. 2 & 4?

Please explain...


texts: when someone say "yesterday was raining, so I didn't go outside of house" is it “raining” or “rainy”?

texts:
I heard someone said "yesterday was raining, so I didn't go outside of house", which seems to be a misuse.

per this post

To describe what is actually happening right now, you use the verb form:

  It is raining.

To describe the sort of day it is, you use the adjective form:

  Today is a rainy day.

it is the sort of day (rainy) that causes the speaker I didn't go outside of house, so the rainy is more appropriate, right?


texts:
So I want to write the following sentence about a future job that I would like to have but I don't know which preposition should I use.

  I would like to work in/on/at something related to arts.


texts:
The use of the Present Perfect and Simple Past in these sentences has always confused me. Which use is correct? And is there a difference?

Here is what I know. I use the Present Perfect to talk about something that might have happened at any point in my life. **For example,

  In my whole life, I have felt appreciated twice.

I use the Past Simple to talk about something that happened in the past and is finished. For example,

  I felt appreciated yesterday.

Shouldn't the following sentence use the Present Perfect tense?

  I have never felt appreciated in my whole life.

or

  I never felt appreciated in my whole life.**

In making sure that the sentence should be in the Present Perfect tense,  isn't the correct question to these sentence is the Present Prefect one?
Have you ever felt appreciated?


texts:
Is it correct to say "someone's heart is with us"?
I'm trying to translate a piece of text to English and I really don't know whether that is correct or not. The source text is saying that someone is wishing to be with us and do something together, but he didn't succeed. So we are questioning whether he was truly intended to be with us or not? That's the part I need to know if it is correct to say that phrase or not.
I have checked some dictionaries but didn't find the meaning I was looking for.


texts:
Apple Inc. is subject to tax charge according to the law of the state of California.
  Apple Inc. is subject to the tax charge according to the law of the state of California.
  Apple Inc. is subject to the law of the state of California for (the) income tax.
  Apple Inc. is subject to pay (for) the income tax according to the law of the state of California.

Sorry to mind boggle with this,
but as a person who has never acquired the native sense of grammar,
I always get confused whenever I read sentences that are written on books that are written in English, over miscellaneous things like

  When to or when not to add Article (‘the’) and how the meaning of the sentence changes.

And I am left with further questions upon reading those 4 sentences.

What are some key differences between the sentence 1 and 2, and 3 and 4? And which sentence is more natural in modern American English?

No joke intended. I am just not very educated.


texts:
Assume the following: There were problems and Maria and I solved them together.

The most straight forward way of telling someone about what happened would be something like:

  Maria and I solved the problems.

Now, I was wondering whether there's a way of saying this without emphasising or even mentioning myself (with an "I"):

  With Maria we solved the problems.

or

  We, with Maria, solved the problems.

Would this be both grammatically and semantically correct?

Some investigation lead me to this: I am aware that in the case of using something like "together with" or "along with" I'd need to use the singular I as a subject as long as there are only two people involved:

  Together with Maria I solved the problems

See "Together with ... I/we did ..." for an extensive discussion. The main point is that "together with" acts as a prepositional phrase and not a coordinator and therefore cannot modify its subject (nor count). However, I'm thinking that replacing "together with" by just "with" would make it valid to use "we" as a subject. "With" here would be characterising the subject rather than modifying it.

Thanks a lot for any thoughts!


texts:
Source:https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/dec/18/court-challenge-to-hostile-environment-tenancy-scheme-begins

  Court challenge to hostile environment tenancy scheme begins.

Why does the sentence use the simple present form as the action is not something done usually or routinely? I think the present perfect is the correct tense here.

My guess is that because it is a headline and it uses a brief forms in writing. Am I right?

Thanks


texts: "Right smart bird you got there" VS "Right smart bird you've got there"

texts:
I watched a Harry Potter's movie in which they say "Right smart bird you got there, Mr. Potter."
But I think "Right smart bird you've got there, Mr. Potter." is correct, because I think 'have got' indicates Harry's possession of that bird.
What is the answer? And what does 'there' mean? Does it just refer to Potter's house? Or is it meaningless?


texts:
Please look at this example of reported speech:

  A friend told me he made an order 5 months ago.

I think that even though this is reported speech, there's no backshift here because of 5 months ago. The date of the order is clearly stated.

Is my explanation correct?


texts: Why did Oliver Cromwell use the "have + V3" structure in this line? (everywhere where applies)

texts:
I would have been glad to have lived under my woodside, and to have kept a flock of sheep, rather than to have undertaken this government.

Can you actually use the present perfect in a conditional sentence? I think the only possible way to express his message would be: "..glad to live under my wood side and to keep..".

The final thing that got me stumped is the very first words. I guess he said "would have been glad" instead of "would be glad" because he regrets the past.


texts: What part of speech is "garden" in "The garden industry is blooming"?

texts: I have a doubt about parts of speech. I was given this sentence by a teacher, “The garden industry is blooming”, and I was told to identify the part of speech of each word. I don’t know what part of speech “garden” belongs to? Is it an adjective?


texts: Is it correct to say "would you like to play Snow White and 7 Dwarfs?"?

texts:
Say you have just read your child "Snow White and 7 Dwarfs".
Now, you want to perform a play about "Snow White and 7 Dwarfs".
Is it correct to say?
-Would you like to play "Snow White and 7 Dwarfs"?
-You will play the princess and I will pay the stepmom


texts:
Can the verb 'store' be used as in the following sentence?

This drawer can store many objects.

My question is, is it okay to have a storage device as 'this drawer' as the subject of the verb? Or does the subject always have to be a person, as in 'I can store many things in this drawer.'

Thank you.


texts:
She is a more talkative girl than any other girl in the class.

The sentence repeats the word "girl". Is it natural in English? How should I rewrite the sentence? Thanks a lot.


texts: "Did he say goodbye before he left?" OR "Does he say goodbye before he left?"

texts:
Which one is correct in this case:

  Did he say goodbye before he left?

OR

  Does he say goodbye before he left?

I think "Did he say goodbye before he left?" is correct but I'm not sure.


texts:
Is the sentence, "There is nothing common between you and me." wrong grammatically? If yes, why?
Should it be, "There is nothing in common between you and me."?


texts: "an" or the before an attributive clause

texts:
Off-the-road (OTR) pneumatic tires are prone to puncture in the extreme environment where big wheel loaders move everything from scrap metal to construction debris to household waste, and often do so around the clock.
Off-the-road (OTR) pneumatic tires are prone to puncture in an extreme environment where big wheel loaders move everything from scrap metal to construction debris to household waste, and often do so around the clock.

Should we opt for 'an' or 'the' ?


texts:
A certain native American teacher said that "we have to use 'English skills' with 'skills' in its plural form"

He said "It is wrong to say 'English skill'".

However, in dictionary, "skill" could be countable or uncountable noun

  [uncountable] the ability to do something well The job requires skill
  and an eye for detail. skill in/at something/doing something What made
  him remarkable as a photographer was his skill in capturing the
  moment.

  [countable] a particular ability or type of ability We need people
  with practical skills like carpentry. management skills

So, listening skills or listening skill?

When do we have to use "skills" (plural form)?


texts: Should have + past particle = past simple?

texts:
I was reading The Great Gatsby and here's the sentence.

I should have rented a house in one of the strangest communities.

He did rent a house in fact. so I don't think he's expressing regret or hope...I did ask around and they all said that it's past simple, old-fashion, and "have" is infinitive, but no more explanation were made. How could "should have" be past simple, and how could we distinguish an old fashion past simple with the one that expressing regret or hope?


texts: I confused understanding aspect of tenses

texts:
Please explain aspect of perfect tense and perfect progressive tense. What the differences?
I bet they have same meaning but why do they have different structure ?


texts: A book which groups and arranges words by degree?

texts:
I recently started focusing on my English writing skills. For past few weeks, I've been noticing that learning vocabulary by building up the dictionary, as and when we encounter a word, is not an efficient way.

Most of these words can be grouped by the actions or emotions they are describing and more importantly can be ordered by degree or magnitude of that action or emotion. I feel that its the quickest and easiest way to learn, at least in my case.

Is there a book which, unlike dictionary, groups and orders words based on what they are describing?


texts:
I recently stumbled a couple of times upon the expression "posse of pips", and right now, I hardly have a clue of what that may mean. Could it have anything to do with games, or assets? I'm in the dark here, and any piece of enlightenment would be greatly appreciated!
Regards
EDIT : added two quotes:
a) from a British Army-themed forum:

If only some form of referendum was used (not to make decisions but to gauge Corps feeling). Thats what the visits of big-knobs used to be for. To see what the man on the ground thought. Now it seems big-knobs turn up at the end of a weeks worth of pushing brooms and cleaning stuff to have a very stage managed beer in the mess with a posse of pips and crowns giving everyone that "You move off the party line and I'm going to finish your career" look before they're whisked off to the Posh Boys Mess.

b) from an Western-themed interactive fiction:

You bring along some extra help with these Tests and Challenges in the form of your Posse-O’-Pips. The Posse-O’-Pips represent extra six sided dice you can spend in addition to your "free" die, where Lady Luck rides shotgun! You may spend these extra dice at any time you are asked to make a Test or Challenge. You do not have to, of course, you might want to save them for what you consider really important checks. The Posse-O’-Pips represent an edge you have in a particular situation and could take the form of something useful you possess, perhaps you have knowledge or experience in the current circumstances you find yourself in or maybe you just have a burst of adrenalin, confidence or motivation to get you through.


texts: Should I walk or step on your bed to get to other side?

texts:
What English term do you use in this context?

  "When you are getting to the other side of your room, but you got no choice to walk / step on your bed."?


texts:
AAA now appears to have come under pressure from BBB, joining other major corporate figures in China.

How can we make sure that joining is related to AAA, instead of BBB?
Could you please give me an example for the opposite situation?


texts: What is the meaning of "Instead for" in this sentence?

texts:
The objective was to reduce the time and effort needed to obtain access to essential goods and services through an improved rural transport system.
  The underlying assumption was that the time saved would be used instead for activities that would improve the social and economic development of the communities.

Hi

I don't truly understand the second sentence.

Does it mean the time saved is used instead of those activities or does it mean the time saved is used for those activities?

Maybe, the sentence is supposed to be like this:
The underlying assumption was that the time saved would be used , instead,for activities that would improve the social and economic development of the communities.


texts: Using "grow" as a linking verb to imply a gradual process: "I recently grew the feeling that ... "

texts:
I wanted to say I've come to this conclusion that I wasn't good enough. I wrote:

  I grew the feeling that I haven't been good enough.

I want to know if it's fine to use "grow" as the linking verb meaning to gradually reach to a certain conclusion which mostly stems from emotion as opposed to conclusion drawn through intellectual investigations or logical pondering.

According to the dictionary, I think that's correct, but the google result for "grew the feeling that" is not promising or decisive.


texts:
What Kafka actually published himself, in short-lived journals and limited editions of very slim volumes, amount when collected to some 300 pages. Brod Brod took the publication of these as sufficient justification for publishing the rest, the bulk of Kafka’s writing, thereby (it is said) ignoring the advice of a Viennese wag, whom he anxiously consulted about the propriety of such a step, and who said he was sure it would be all right, if only Brod destroyed some unwanted writings—why not his own?
( Source: Anthony Thorbly –  Kafka's Narrative: A Matter of Form, in Bloom, H. (ed.): Kafka, p. 23. )

Could you explain to me the meaning of the word "wag" in the context of the sentence. The possible meanings of this verb does not fit. Is the meaning of the second part of the sentence as follows: Brod ignored and did not destroy Kafka's literary work. In fact he ignored the advice of a "Vienesse wag" (?) who recommended to destroy only minority ("unwanted") of Kafka's work. What is meant by the appendix "why not his work?". Is this related to Brod's literary work?


texts:
Differences between' hated' and ' didn't like'?

For example,

I used to work in an office.
I hated that.

Which one is better to say and what are the grammatical and lexical differences between using each of them?


texts: Past Simple or Past Continuous - "make friends"

texts: "While they were travelling abroad, they were making a lot of friends" or "while they were travelling abroad, they made a lot of friends"


texts: Which pronoun should I use after "lots of paper"? ("it" v "them")

texts:
Does this sentence sound grammatically correct?

He used lots of paper and cut them into different sizes.

Or should I use it instead?


texts: Going into detail after stating the fact of a past experience

texts:
We use the Present Perfect to talk about experiences we've had in our life without specifying the exact time.
It's easy for me to follow this rule when I want just to state that I've done something in my life. However, it becomes confusing if I want to go into detail after stating the fact. If I want to tell a story about something that has happened to me, should I use the Past Simple after the Present Perfect?
A couple of confusing examples I can think of:

I’ve heard other foreigners speak English whose accent was(?) much thicker than mine.
I've met a Japanese man once, we were(?) at a conference together.

Are these correct or not? I will appreciate it if you give me more relevant examples.


texts:
Is it natural to use fix in the following context?

  We are losing money because of poor management, so we had better fix the situation ASAP.

Would it be more natural to use put right the situation or redeem the situation in the context? If neither is natural, what would a native English speaker say?


texts: Can we use Would have in past hapitual actions and states?

texts:
Can we use would have for past habit?

For example: "Romans would have travelled by ship."

What is the difference between:

  I would have expected he would come here.

and

  I expected he would come here.


texts:
I was talking to a person from another company on the phone on the other day.
He asked me something that I could not answer, so I said, "let me go talk to my senior about the issue." Although she seemed to understand what I meant, I was wondering if this usage of the word "senior" is correct instead of using "supervisor" or "boss."


texts: The use of "weighing machine" vs "scale"

texts:
I attended an English class by a Canadian teacher and he told us that nobody uses the word "weighing machine" to describe a machine that weigh the weight of an object. However, after some googling I did find that both Cambridge Dictionary and Collin's Dictionary recorded such word.
Is the usage of "weighing machine" instead of "scale" acceptable? Or such usage is uncommon in Canada?


texts: Does this refer to 'to reward inventors~'?

texts:
Or, does it refer to 'the original rationale for granting patents'?

Patents and copyright laws grant too much credit and reward to
individuals and imply that technology evolves by jerks. Recall that
the original rationale for granting patents was not to reward
inventors with monopoly profits but to encourage them to share their
inventions. A certain amount of intellectual property law is plainly
necessary to achieve this. But it has gone too far. Mostpatents
are now as much about defending monopoly and deterring rivals asabout
sharing ideas. And that discourages innovation.

The Myth of Basic Science- WSJ


texts: What's the meaning of "Can it, will you?"

texts:
I was watching a TV show, and one scene in a movie theatre goes like this:

  Film viewer: We know, sit down.
  Jason: Maggie.
  Maggie: How are theatre owners gonna know how we feel about this garbage if we just sit through it?
  Film viewers: Or stand through it in your case.
  Maggie: Oh, can it, will you?

So Maggie was not satisfied with the movie and she stood up in the theatre, which made others uncomfortable and Maggie said "Can it, will you?"

I don't understand this sentence.
Is the meaning that Maggie was mad or just provoked others？
Was she asking others "will you (stand up too?)" or "will you (be angry with me)"?
Does "Can it" mean "can I do that"?


texts: What does "closely written sheet" (or page) means?

texts:
I am unable to find the meaning of the following phrase: "the closely written letters" (or sheets, or pages).

Within were a number of closely-written sheets of paper and some
letters, most of which were addressed to...


texts: "I was intrigued about the event" Vs. "I was curious about the event"

texts:
Are the words "intrigued" and "curious" are simply synonyms or there are different uses for each one of them?

For example:

  "I was intrigued about the event yesterday morning."

Vs.

  "I was curious about the event yesterday morning."

By the definition of Cambridge dictionary it seems that to be "intrigued" is stronger than "curious". Isn't it?


texts: "Too expensive for me to afford it" why ungrammatical?

texts:
The medicine was too expensive for me to afford it.

My practice question marked that as wrong for I didn't put the It out at the last. It suggested me to use "...too expensive for me to afford". I couldn't grasp the idea why would that matter. I googled them, but people use the equivalent states as they are with it in the last. Besides I'm not sure there's any wrong in the sentence below as well.

  It's too hard to do it alone.

Do I also have to rephrase it into like "It's too hard to do alone"?


texts:
I think this particular phrase creates a lot of concern in English learners. From general conversation to posts here, we see native speaker a common usage when talking about a person who speaks English by birth. So according to this definition, inhabitants of all the countries considered as English speaking countries should be considered as native speakers. But herein lies my confusion. Would we conclude a random inhabitant of these countries to be a native speaker (as there is a chance of them to be a English speaking person)?

Also, I think Native speaker can also be one whose mother tongue is not English but uses English a lot in day-to-day life. For example, I don't speak English by birth, but as India is a country full of diversities, I have to use English daily for at least 5 hours a day in my normal life. So can I consider myself as native because I use it frequently?

UPDATE 1 - From Googling, I could not find any dictionary sites explaining this phrase. The results only include different forum answers. So I thought of asking the question here and perhaps wise users here can help me out with the actual meaning.

UPDATE 2 - Later I thought it is worth adding that Anglo Indian families (and some purely Indian families too) who are born and raised here in India, speak English from birth and their first language is English and English is their primary means of communication although I cannot admit they fully abide by or understand all English cultural values like a British or an American. So what can I call them? Are they native?


texts: "Content", "Satisfied", "Pleased" or "Happy"

texts:
I have alredy read the similar thread, but unfortunately it didn't include useful information to me!

In my eyes, the nuance between these synonymous words is as below:

Between content and satisfied/pleased:
I think satisfied implies "a greater level of happiness".
Note: "pleased" sounds more formal to me.

Content is more just settling.

"Happy" on the other hand I think implies the highest level of satisfaction and elicits the most emotional nuance between these three words.

So to simplify, in my opinion, these words kind of imply a scale of happiness, and from lowest to highest:

  Content > Satisfied/Pleased > happy

For instance, I think based on all above-mentioned points, I can say:

  I am content with my life. (Happy)
  I am satisfied / pleased with my life. (Happier)
  I am happy with my life. (The happiest)

or

  Be content with what you have. (Happy)
  Be satisfied / pleased with what you have. (Happier)
  Be happy with what you have. (The happiest)

Do you confirm my takeaway or there are some additional points that I have to take into consideration?


texts:
Is the preposition "at" suitable in this sentence:

  Let's spend the whole day at the beach?


texts: "...along with which comes the inner voice..." vs "...along with which the inner voice comes ..."

texts:
“Seek out that particular mental attribute which makes you feel most deeply and vitally alive,

  along with which comes the inner voice which says, 'This is the real me,'

  and when you have found that attitude, follow it.”

This is a quote from William James.

I do not understant what the subject for verb comes is ?

It seems to me that a bit of meaning is about

either the inner voice comes along with that particular mental attitude

or that particular mental attitude comes along with the inner voice

I am not sure which one is correct.

I know some usages of English put a verb before it's subject such as poems.

Also does the second which refer to the inner voice?

Thank you for reading my question.


texts: Word for fear that a book might not be up to our expectation

texts:
Last night I was talking to a friend of mine and came to know that she also gets a creepy feel (a fear, I guess) when she buys a novel and starts reading it. It's just our nature that we don't like to leave the work we started until it's finished, specially when it comes to reading books.

At the beginning of every book that we read, we fear if we start reading the book and don't like the story, we'd have to read it out of compulsion. Not just the two of us but, I believe, many other readers feel the same. I wonder, since this is common among so many people, if there is a word of it already.

I tried looking for it on the internet but couldn't find any.


texts: Using outside at the beginning of a sentence

texts:
I saw the first sentence in a movie. Can I use "outside of" too at the beginning of a sentence?

  Outside being able to see them and hear them, the heptapods leave absolutely no footprint.

  Outside of being able to see them and hear them, the heptapods leave absolutely no footprint.


texts: The position of 'been' and 'he' in the following question.

texts:
When writing a question that has two auxiliaries, which of these is grammatically correct?

Could not he have been  sick that day?
Could not have he been sick that day?

Also in formal/academic writing, would it be 'could not'? Or can I used couldn't in formal writing? The combination of 'could + not + have + been' sounds like such a mouthful to me.


texts:
I've looked it up in several dictionaries and I've got that the meaning is more or less similar to "cheerful", "carefree" etc. What is not clear enough to me is this point: is someone defined "lighthearted" about a certain situation when they are cheerful because they have no reason to be worried or concerned in that respect, or when they just don't care about that situation (regardless of any possible problem) because they are superficial and irresponsible?

I'll provide an example to clarify what I mean. If someone says "I'm not so lighthearted about my marriage", what does they mean?

There is something in their marriage they are worried about.
They take their marriage seriously and don't make light of it.


texts: Could we use the word pop-culture books to describe bestsellers

texts:
I see some of the best-sellers book. Some of them are like pseudo-scientific.
But they are very popular.
How could we describe a book or content like this ?
Is pop-culture book a correct word ? The book/content that I want to describe is like
gives lot of details about something and is very famous/best-seller kind of stuff
But it certainly is not scientific/emperical


texts:
I cannot have decided which I will do.

Do you think that this sentence is correct? If it is wrong, please say why it is wrong. If have can be used after can, what will the form of verb? Can both present participle and past participle be used?


texts:
In 1923, Hesse settled in Switzerland, where he had been living for the past ten years and remained until his death in 1962. There he adopted a stance of detachment from political struggles, which he presented as an example for Europe’s beleaguered intelligentsia. But what was the positive content of his vision, if any? Did it serve any impulse higher than an anxious need for peace and quiet? These are questions Decker does not answer.

When it says “presented as an example for”, what the text referring? Why doesn’t it say example of? Why is it saying example for?


texts:
In Cedric Mount's one-act play 'The Never Never Nest', Aunt Jane asks Jack:

  How can you pay seven pounds eight and eight pence out of six pounds?

I thought seven pounds eight and eight pence meant £ 7.88 pence, because after a decimal point, normally the numbers are spoken separately.
But I am told that my understanding is wrong. It is 7 pounds, 8 shillings and 8 pence.

Which is correct? I hope someone may shed some light on this focusing on shilling and pence details.
Thanks in advance.


texts: What does the phrase "needlenose plier on your seat " means?

texts:
One of my colleagues committed to complete a work by last week. Even after a week he didn't complete his task.

Today when I asked him about the work status, he said he will do it by end of today. After that he asked this question:

  "Do you by any chance have a needle nose pliers by where you sit?"

I didn't understand instantly what he meant. I though he was asking for a needle nose plier device.  I said,

  "I don't think so"

He replied:

  "That's cool Just Wondering"

I am a not a native English speaker. What does he mean when he said "needle nose where you sit"? Am I torturing him to get the work done ? Is that what he said ?
Or was he really asking for the tool?


texts:
What's the meaning of 'snuggle time' in this sentence, this is a coaching/parenting advice from a brochure:

  Spend snuggle time reading with toddlers and preschoolers.

I've searched and found that it is related to cuddling and lying in a comfortable way, but I don't fully grasp the meaning of the sentence. Maybe this is a cultural practice that is not common in my culture. Is this when a parent and a child lie together and do something?


texts: The use of articles after the word "such"

texts:
Tell me please which article I have to use in the following sentence.

  The man told me to turn off the app so that my device works properly, but I didn't have such an/the option on my phone.

I think I have to use the definite article there because it is clear what option -- to turn it off.


texts:
It was a challenging experience, wasn't it?

I want to emphasis the above statement using Must. What should I say?

Is it OK to say it like this?

  It must was a challenging experience, wasn't it?

It doesn't sound good!

I've found a lot of examples where the Present Perfect has been used. So the following sentence seems to be better:

  It must have been a challenging experience, wasn't it (/hasn't it)?

But, doesn't this change the meaning? Has "It was a challenging experience" the different meaning compared to "It has been a challenging experience"?


texts:
When we are trying to indicate the date or order quantity, do we use "on" an order or "of" an order?

Change the date on/of an order
Update the order quantity on/of an order

Since the order quantity belongs to the order, shouldn't we use "of" instead of "on?" I often hear people use "on" over "of."
Can someone explain the difference between "of" and "on" and how each is used?
I know we can also say:

An order of ten items.
Ship date of 3/22

Please critique if any of the above is incorrect.


texts:
Whatever book resides in the pantheon of grand literature defies dictionary-free reading, unlike one of those faddish, modern commercial novels.

This structure is beyond me.
What is the syntax here and is this a valid sentence from a grammatical point of view?
I think the subject-verb strcture is suspicious.


texts:
Source

  She asks if he's done a lot count recently, and rather than answer

What is the meaning of the Marge words?

I specifically didn't understand "lot count" in the sentence.


texts:
I wrote:

  In this view, a region is defined as an HTML fragment that shows information about one or more related items when it is rendered on a web browser.

Should it be:

  From this view, a region is defined as an HTML fragment that shows information about one or more related items when it is rendered on a web browser.

This is the previous text:

  ... These issues have motivated a number of researchers to work on region extractors as a means to relieve information extractors from the burden of analyzing many regions of a web document that do not contain any relevant information.


texts:
1.You have no idea how long we've been searching for you.

2.I have been waiting for this for a long time.

In sentence 1, a guy who said it just found a guy.
Why isn't this past-perfect?
The action search is finished, right?

2, too.
A guy who wanted to kill a girl just found her.
The action wait is finished, right?


texts: Using adjective as adverb in this sentence

texts:
This is a rather technical sentence, including two adjectives which I want to use as adverbs. I would like to know if I used them properly or not - and if not, how can I say it better?

  We simulate the way a human user scans a web page bottom-up or top-down to find his data of interest.


texts: What tense is this? 'Despite their already having paid the money...'

texts:
I was reading a piece of writing recently and I came across a very strangely phrased sentence that took me a while to understand. Can anyone identify the sentence's tense or really just what makes it so strange?

  Despite their already having paid the money, there was an additional tax.


texts:
In The Movie "Coyote Ugly EXTENDED", Gloria say this words to violet about violet's father Bill.

  Gloria: Your old man's a ten, Vi.

  Violet: Eleven, some days a twelve.

Context: Actually Bill came to Gloria's wedding with tie.

But I don't know what does this bold words means?


texts: Is The Present Continuous possible here?

texts:
_______ (visit) your aunt while you are in Paris?

I think the answers can be:

Will you be visiting
Will you visit
Are you going to visit.

What about the present continuous, Are you visiting. Is it possible here? If yes, what does it mean in this case?


texts: "You'll never be too much for someone who can't get enough of you." What does that mean?

texts:
"You'll never be too much for someone who can't get enough of you."

I saw this sentence on Twitter with no more context, or detail. Someone asked me "what does that mean?" We are non-native speakers so I think this sentence is somewhat a lyric or catchphrase.
Therefore I did googling and found that so many Twitter users quoted this sentence.


texts: How do "Friend of P" and "Friend of P's" mean the inverse of each other?

texts:
I abbreviated Peter as P in the title for brevity; feel free to abbreviate thus. Please explain user Ed Staub's answer below, since it only seems to present this stance? To me, both 1 and 2 mean that Joe and Peter are friends with each other. Yet what possible reasons exist to explain the differentiation below?

  To me, "Friend of Peter" and "Friend of Peter's" mean the inverse of each other.

  In "Joe is a friend of Peter", Joe is the active person in the
  friendship - it describes Joe's active relationship to Peter. Peter is
  one of the people Joe expresses friendship toward.

  In "Joe is a friend of Peter's", Peter is the active person in the
  friendship - it describes Joe as being the object of Peter's
  friendship. Joe is one of the people Peter expresses friendship
  toward.


texts: How to describe the walk of a man with an artificial leg? People with artificial legs don't walk in the same way as a normal person. What are non-offensive words that can be used to describe their walk?


texts:
Which one is correct? If both were correct, in what cases they must be used?
-In the doorway
-At the doorway.
 For example: “He lingered in/at the doorway in hopes to cross paths with me”
Which one should I use?


texts: Is it correct to say "except for some exceptions"?

texts:
I've heard people saying sentences like

  The rule applies to all the employees except for some exceptions.

Doesn't the use of word "except" make it obvious, in this case, that they're exceptions? Shouldn't the sentence be

  The rule applies to all the employees except for some.

Is there any word for such sentences where a previously used word makes the latter obvious?


texts:
What is the common English name for that "plastic part on the tip of a shoelace" which helps to easily insert the lace into the shoelace holes? (I'm not sure that's the correct name).

Edit: There are also metal parts of the kind.


texts: What does 'having one type of virus' mean in this context?

texts:
Since there are four types of dengue virus, having one type of virus will only give protection against that type, not the others.

I'd like to know the meaning of this sentence.

What does having mean in this sentence?
Does it mean suffering the virus or defeating the virus?


texts:
Is there a sentence fragment in the following?

  It was like a spring roll. Two scoops with peanut shavings and cilantro wrapped up like a burrito.

If there is a fragment, is it acceptable in a school essay?

I'd appreciate your help.


texts:
Do we use the before community names when they are referred to in a general sense? Would it be the Bhils or simply Bhils, the Eskimos or just Eskimos?
What are the general rules about the use of articles in this context?


texts: What is the difference between "I am from China" and " I come from China"?

texts:
I am from China.
I come from China.

What is the nuance between them?
likewise:

Where are you from?
Where do you come from?

Are there any nuance between them?


texts:
In restaurant , we ate four pizzas . But later I realized that we were charged for three pizzas. What should I say for this situation ? Would the sentences below be correct?

  You charged one pizza less.

  You charged us for one pizza less than we ate.


texts:
Is "till" in the following sentence valid?

  You must write in formal style till the end of this exercise.

I don't think it's correct, but I can't really say why. I read a question on ELU about this, https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/6989/what-is-the-difference-between-till-and-until , but none of those answers would say you can't use "till" here.


texts:
If something is fit/okay for consumption, we use these words. While I find edible most commonly on the labels of anything eatable/edible, this raises the doubt whether eatable is understood by all.

My homework: I went through some forums. I liked an example of a fish. Fish is edible but I don't like fish so it's not eatable for me. This means anything that is fit to consume is edible but anything not eatable is a personal choice.

The doubt further perplexes me as I find this (note my examples in the brackets) -

  eatable - fit to be consumed as food (a smartphone is not eatable).   eatable - good enough to be eaten (stale food is not eatable but if I ignore the health hazards, it's edible right because it's not a smartphone?)


texts: Why not 'safely' ? 'It would make it almost impossible for promisors to order their affairs safe in the knowledge'

texts:
O'Sullivan & Hilliard's The Law of Contract (2018 8 ed). p 122.

  5.99 There are three plausible alternative candidates. First, a requirement of form might
  be introduced, so that, for example, only promises made in writing were enforceable.
  But this would be unworkable in modern society, where many thousands of oral
  transactions are made every day. Second, more emphasis could be given to the requirement
  that the promisor intended to create legal relations. This is a much more realistic
  alternative, reflecting the position in many civilian jurisdictions that even a gratuitous
  promise is enforceable if it was made seriously with the intention of attracting legal
  effect. It has the advantage of flexibility, allowing a court to explore whether a particular
  promise was seriously made and whether on the facts it should or should not be enforced.
  But with flexibility comes uncertainty: the parties could not be certain until the
  matter was litigated whether or not their particular promise was enforceable. Of course,
  rules might grow up to encourage certainty, whereby a promisor might be deemed to
  have intended to create legal relations in certain circumstances—but the chances are
  those rules would not be so very different from the rules of consideration. A third
  possibility is to choose reliance as the relevant filter and to allow any promise to be
  enforced, but only once it has been relied on by the promisee. For all its apparent fairness,
  this approach has significant disadvantages. It would make it almost impossible
  for promisors to order their affairs safe in the knowledge that their promise either was
  or was not enforceable, since enforceability would not ‘kick in’ until some time after
  the promise was made, when the other party relied on it for the first time. Promisors
  would be obliged to keep track of the actions of the other party—not a very attractive

p 123.

  prospect commercially. Furthermore, ‘reliance’ is a slippery concept (as we have seen
  in our discussion of estoppel): it is hard to imagine first instance courts reaching and
  applying a consistent, generally acceptable definition of reliance.


texts:
For example, I want to tell a person that I have started waking up at 5 AM from few days.  Can I say

  I am getting up at 5 am.

I read from English grammar book that I have to use a simple present like the statement below.

  I get up at 5 am.

But I started to get up at 5 am only from past few days. What is the exact phrase I should use?


texts:
I found the text below in a comedy series episode:
No matters how big you are, in Cleveland everybody
seems to think they can pull off wearing shorts.
What's the meaning of pull off in this context?


texts: Meaning of "How much you had? Woah, must be gone. You must have since lunchtime"

texts:
The text is from Over There by Mark Ravenhill. What is this part referring to: "How much you had? Woah, must be gone. You must have since lunchtime."

Franz: Brilliant that’s brilliant. It’s a mirror. Ha ha.
That is fucking great. I love that. I fucking love that,
it’s a mirror.
Karl: You want a beer, a steak and a shag. And so do I
a beer, a steak and a shag. So let’s
Franz: Keep
Karl: The
Franz: Suits
Karl: On
Franz: And
Karl: Get
Franz: A
Karl: Beer
Franz: A
Karl: Steak
Franz: And
Karl: A
Franz: Shag.
Karl / Franz: How much you had? Woah, must be
gone. You must have since lunchtime. Two? I don’t
think. Two? In your dreams. In your fucking. What so
there’s another? I don’t see. There’s only me. There’s
only special unique wonderful you better believe it.
. . .
Reckon you could take it twice? Hungry enough? Big
enough? You wide? You wet? Double the? In your
fucking.
. . .
Open wide the twins are coming inside.


texts: Meaning of "He has taken out a half-page advertisement in his local paper to put his point across."

texts:
What is the meaning of He has taken out a half-page advertisement in his local paper to put his point across.
I understood like this
"He has taken half page in newspaper for advertisement".


texts: Has been studying or Have been studying?

texts:
When using both the perfect aspect and also the progressive aspect for my verb “to have been studying”, should I use the present tense has or the past tense had here?

She has been studying there for eight years then she moved to another school.
She had been studying there for eight years then she moved to another school.


texts: What's the construction of "have each furnished by..."?

texts:
I have heard some of my townsmen say, "I should like to have them order me out to help put down an insurrection of the slaves, or to march to Mexico, - see if I would go"; these very men have each, directly by their allegiance, and so
  indirectly, at least, by their money, furnished a substitute.

What's the construction of this sentence? Does it use the phrase "furnish sb/sth with sth" or "furnish sth to"?
Does "so" here means "also? What's the meaning of the sentence?


texts:
He needed to have not gone there.

Above is a vague way of saying He needed not to go there., and I think that would be very inappropriate too. I am more interested in knowing whether that would be any ways acceptable in formal or informal conversations? Is the sentence grammatical?

P.S. I believe there must be a difference in context too between both the sentences.


texts:
What's the difference between the two? Do they have the same meaning or different meanings?

Example sentence:

  He was (the) victim of one of the biggest ironies that could befall someone.


texts: Is there anything special about words such as "Tutti Frutti" or "holy moly"?

texts:
I have noticed a series of words that are similar in some way as I've been learning English. For example:

Tutti Frutti
holy moly
nitty gritty
teeny weeny
walkie talkie

I'm sure I've seen other similar words but I can't remember them. As you can see, these are all made by combining two sounding similar words. Could you help to give more examples? Why does English have so many of these kinds of words? Is there any special about them?


texts:
I have read a sentence

  The woman was drugged, and drunk, and, in consequence of these things, malicious to a turn.

I know "malicious" from Collins Dictionary

I can understand that the woman was drugged by someone, but after that she turned to malicious? Am I right? If that so, why not use "turned to malicious" ?


texts: Quality of being unsafe to anyone who doesn't know what they are doing and rewarding to anyone who does

texts:
I am looking for a word (an adjective) that describes something that is likely to cause bad consequences if gone after/considered/executed. Basically one is likely to regret if they mess with it. Or, another way to put it, one has to realize all ins-and-outs before committing/choosing to go this way, otherwise they are likely to regret it.

I tend to think that the meaning of 'risky' is close to what I am looking for, but I don't think it hits the spot 100% because taking a risk implies relying on luck: if one is lucky enough everything will be all right, if not then, well, bad luck. But what I am asking about doesn't have anything to do with being lucky, it's rather being smart and understanding what you are doing.

So the idea is to come up with a right word that clearly says to the random people to keep out, so they don't hurt themselves.


texts:
I used this link but couldn't understand it: vocabulary.com State of Grace

The context:

  Descriptions, prescriptions, and theories about improving teamwork often miss the deeper secrets and mysteries of how groups and teams reach the elusive state of grace and peak performance. Former Visa CEO Dee Hock captured the heart of the issue: “In the field of group endeavor, you will see incredible events in which the group performs far beyond the sum of its individual talents. It happens in the symphony, in the ballet, in the theater, in sports, and equally in business. It is easy to recognize and impossible to define. It is a mystique. It cannot be achieved without immense effort, training, and cooperation, but effort, training, and cooperation alone rarely create it” (quoted in Schlesinger, Eccles, and Gabarro, 1983, p. 173).

Source:Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice, and Leadership, p. 266 (Google Books link)


texts: What is the difference between these sentences?

texts:
I'm writing a formal email to my senior and I'm confused which one should I use.

  I demonstrated you about the working of XYZ.

  I demonstrated about the working of XYZ to you.

  I demonstrated XYZ and it's working to you.

Do each of these 3 sentences give a different meaning?


texts: Why do we match the tenses in the first example and not in the second one

texts:
Could you explain me why it is better to say

  I did not know you had a brother.

even it is a present situation. Your brother is still alive. It is better to match the tenses and why can you use present perfect in this case

  I did not know you have been ill.

and not past simple as in the first example. In both cases it may be a present situation (you still have a brother and you are still ill) but the tenses chosen are different. I thought it was better to match the tenses in both cases.

Will it be better to say

  I did not know you were ill.

to use past simple and match the tenses as in the first example even if it is a present situation


texts:
I read this sentence :

  The three individuals are so different that their tastes vary from one another's.

In this their tastes are compared so apostrophe is used with another

But in this sentence

  She was not a good singer but she danced better than any of us.

Why did or something like that has not been used ? Like previous sentence in which their tastes is compared here their dance is being compared.


texts:
In order for me to be scared of your threats, I got to believe in those 15 extra gang members.

Is 'got to' here nothing but 'had to'? If not, could you show me any other example sentences that has "got to" with the same meaning in them?


texts:
I have this sentence:

  For example, “page navigation bar” at the end of the “results” section is a suitable element for this purpose.

To make it more general, could I use "case" instead of "element"? Specially with regard to the collocations of suitable.

  For example, “page navigation bar” at the end of the “results” section is a suitable case for this purpose.

The following sentence also seems to be an option:

  For example, “page navigation bar” at the end of the “results” section is a candidate for this purpose.

"things", "objects", "items" are things we use to call objects in abstract.

What is the usage of "cases"? Could it be used in the same category above?

by "page navigation bar" I mean this


texts: Is there something like "feel+past participle" in english?

texts:
"I felt impelled to go on speaking".

In such a case does "impelled" function as an adjective here? So it could be "feel + adj" form ,am I right?


texts:
I am trying to translate Osamu Dazai's essay 如是我聞(Thus I heard from the Buddha) into English.

The original text belongs to the public domain: http://www.aozora.gr.jp/cards/000035/files/1084_15078.html

You can read about the author here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osamu_Dazai

You can read parts of my translation here: http://lang-8.com/1483508

Here is a part of my translation:

http://lang-8.com/1483508/journals/9913466692196417769822852313093409740

  To tell the truth, I lied to him.
  I had a girlfriend at that time.
  I didn't want to leave her. That's why I declined the proposal with a fake reason.
  I had big troubles with this girl later, but I don't regret my decision.
  I even think that having troubles together with a poor stupid girl is more difficult and nobler an enterprise than going abroad.

My question is about the following sentences in the above.

  I had a girlfriend at that time.
  I didn't want to leave her.

Someone told me that these should be rewritten as follows.

  At that time, I had a girlfriend, whom I didn't want to leave.

I wonder which is better.

Remark
The previous paragraph of the above is as follows.
http://lang-8.com/1483508/journals/215960620314216056838140082359796270126


texts: What’s the difference between abide by law and abide by the law? What does the article the’ before the word law represent?

texts: Is the phrase abide by law is correct? How to use articles after prepositions like by and in ?


texts:
Which one is correct?

  Rice and beef are not on the menu

  Rice and beef is not on the menu

Explain why


texts: additional services ... or the additional services

texts:
I have written down two similar sentences below.

(1) According to our store policy, customers have to pay more for additional services they may need to upgrade their computers.

(2) According to our store policy, customers have to pay more for the additional services they may need to their computer.

I am not sure if I need the definite article "the".


texts:
I checked my essay and had to stop while reading this sentence:

The pamphlet reports about the case of Madame Compton and mentions that her behavior has caused damage to the infants but it is not as dramatized as much as Cook´s case.

I asked myself if that is actually possible to do? The second "as" is actually connected to the "much" as far as I am concerned. Maybe it is ok then?!


texts: What does this usage of "other" imply here?

texts:
The setting is an unnamed though obviously New Yorkish high-rise city, the time less convincingly future than deliciously other, as it combines 21st-century engineering feats with 19th-century pork-barrel politics and smoky working-class pubs. Source

What does this "other" mean here?

What does this whole section mean, and what does this sort of writing suggest?


texts:
The definition of the insist on phrasal verb told us that it means to keep doing something, even if it annoys other people, or people think it is not good for you.

In contrast the definition of the just insist verb is to say firmly or demand forcefully, especially when others disagree with or oppose what you say.

I'd like to clarify the difference between them. As far as I understood insist on assumes that we're already doing something, but just insist told us that we're just saing firmly about our intention to do something. So, in the sentences with insist:

  I don't know why you insist on talking about it.

The listener is already talking about that "it".

  I don't know why you insist to talk about it.

The listener's just saying firmly to talk about it, but not talking yet.

Is it correct?


texts: She is pregnant, Is it correct to ask , how old is your unborn baby?

texts:
My friend told me on the phone that she got pregnant.
I was so happy to hear that. Then I wanted to know how many months old was her baby in her abdomen, but I was thinking how to ask it correctly (I did not ask her that question).
Is it correct to ask,

  How old is your unborn baby?


texts: Difference between "in time" and "over time"

texts:
When I was reading The American Pageant by Thomas A. Bailey, I came across this sentence:

  These common convictions deeply shaped the infant colony’s life. Soon
  after the colonists’ arrival, the franchise was extended to all
  “freemen”—adult males who belonged to the Puritan congregations, which
  in time came to be called collectively the Congregational Church.

I usually see "over time" and here the writer is using "in time". Then I start doing research on "in time".

According to this thread,(https://www.quora.com/What-s-the-difference-between-in-time-with-time-and-over-time)

  I’ll just add that there are occasions when “in time,” although indeed
  often implying a deadline, can also be used synonymously to “with
  time” and “over time” to allude to a gradual process:

  “In time, you will learn to appreciate the benefits of hard work.”

  “In time, you will come to understand why we made that decision.”

So, "in time" and "over time" seem to be synonyms.

Then I have checked COCA.

"In time came to" gets 3 hits.

  a town that in time came to include seven churches, an equal number of
  saloons

  Yet each action reshaped the debate and in time came to be seen
  emphasis miner as necessary if not inevitable

  catering to a glamorous clientele that in time came to include the
  Duke and Duchess of Windsor.

"Over time came to" gets 4 hits.

  whose party over time came to adopt similar reforms --

  the dispersed letters over time came to form a shield,

  in the Democratic party had the opposite effect on its rival, which
  over time came to be seen as more hospitable to religious
  traditionalists

  urban bourgeoisie within the hegemonic party indicates that political
  choices by this party over time came to serve the interests and
  ideologies

What is the difference between "in time" and "over time"?  Is there a particular reason the writer of The American Pageant prefers "in time" here?


texts:
Which sounds natural?

"How much is this/that?"
"How much is it?"

Is "this" or "that" correct only if I am pointing at the object or holding it in my hand?
Do native speakers use"that" even if they are pointing at  an object near them? I once came across an example in which a native speaker used "that" to refer to an object near him. It was a conversation between two women and one of them asked the other one "what's that?" She pointed at her ring. She was standing next to her.


texts: "Till" vs "untill". Which one is better to use and why?

texts:
Why is "till" worse than "untill"?
I'm not a native English speaker can someone explaine to me why so many native speaker recommnded me to replace "till" with "until" in the sentence below:

"...he employed 5% of the population from 2009 till his death".

Is this sentence correct? Or is it incorrect to use "till". Because for me it looks like there's more likely a problem with "from" part than with "till". What would be the best way to write this sentence?


texts:
In this, "Freddy is stiff from yesterday's long football practice." and

Before class, Josh begged his friends for a pencil.", from, here, a comma seems to get utilized in that latter, not that former.

Why may it not go like this, "Freddy is stiff, from yesterday's long football practice".

It seems, you may place a comma, after a dependent clause", not an, "independent clause"?

May you get to place a comma after a "dependent clause"?

I guess, maybe, where, how, may you select to utilize a comma, why?


texts: You will never be getting it back vs. you will never be able to get it back

texts:
Let's say you left your watch at your friend's house in England, and then you came back home in Ireland. 2 days after, your friend phoned you to tell you that you forgot your watch, while laughing at you at the same time, like this:

  Friend:hey dude you forgot your watch here at my house! Bwahahaha!

  You: oh my!

  Friend: haha you will never be getting it back

Vs.

  Friend: haha you will never be able to get it back

What is the difference between these two in context?


texts:
I don't really understand why we say

I have a daughter

using the "a" article. It's not a random person in the street, it's not one of my 78 daughters, this is the only daughter I have. I have no other family members, for example. Why would I still have to say "a daughter"? Is there any secret rule?:)

As I understand "a" can mean two things:

1) One

2) Some-thing\-body unknown, indefinite, some

There can be two situations when I have a daughter.

1) Me and my daughter are the closest people for each other. I don't have any other children. I help her with her work, she visits me twice a week, I know all of her secrets, her boyfriend, by the way, he is the coolest guy I've ever met, her plans for the future and so on. I know my daughter as nobody else. So, yeah, I have a(=one) daughter.

2) The last time I saw my daughter 20 years ago. Now I have no idea what she does, shere she lives, whether she has any kids even whether she is alive. I've not been having any contact with her for all these years. So, yeah, I have a(=some, unknown, indefinite) daughter somewhere.

And I am stuck with which variant people will understand if I say "I have a daughter".


texts: How to use "without" from Microeconomics

texts:
When studying basic Microeconomics, I saw a sentence:

  it is not possible to make someone better off without making someone else worse off.

Does it mean that it is no way to make you feel happy if not making others feel sad?


texts: What's the opposite of localized w.r.t. language

texts:
This is a programming-related question. In many programming languages there's a locale, which is the thing holding the information about number and date/time formatting, and similar stuff.

I have two functions: getLocalizedThingy and getNonlocalizedThingy. The latter name is terrible and I don't want to replace it with getEnglishThingy as it's not exactly that (it's meant to produce text which can be easily read by a machine, there's no thousand separator, etc.).

My search lead to no suitable antonym of localized in this sense.


texts: "I'm in transports" - Is it a correct way to say that I'm in PUBLIC transports?

texts:
If I'm in a bus or a train and I'm on the phone, would it be correct to say my interlocutor that "I'm in transports" with the meaning that "I'm in a public transport".

In French, saying "Je suis dans les transports" (direct translation of I'm in transports) would be understood as "in public transports" by everyone, but I'm really unsure it's the same in English.

Google didn't help much on that, results for "I'm in transports" are not convincing.

And if it's not correct, how could I say that the proper way ?


texts: Implication in Structures like"What money he gave me"

texts:
I understand that there is usually such implication as:

  I took what money he gave me.
  =I took what little money he gave me.

But I also read the following sentence :

  What money he could lay his hands on he spent like an Indian rajah.

source

I doubt that it has such implication , because an indian rajah is very rich.So I want to make sure if this structure necessarily means "there being only a little."


texts: How to understand "I suppose it varies, just like with wizards?" in this context

texts:
‘Yeah, well, the more the better,’ said Moody darkly. ‘We're your guard, Potter.’

  ‘We're just waiting for the signal to tell us it's safe to set off,’
  said Lupin, glancing out of the kitchen window. ‘We've got about
  fifteen minutes.’

  ‘Very clean, aren't they, these Muggles?’ said the witch called Tonks, who was looking around the kitchen with great interest. ‘My dad's Muggle-born and he's a right old slob. I suppose it varies, just like with wizards?’

  ‘Er—yeah,’ said Harry. ‘Look'—he turned back to Lupin—'what's going on, I haven't heard anything from anyone, what's Vol—?’

  Several of the witches and wizards made odd hissing noises; Dedalus
  Diggle dropped his hat again, and Moody growled, ‘Shut up!’

  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

"it" in "I suppose it varies" probably refers to "kitchen" in this context. But I don't understand "just like with wizards". Any thoughts?


texts: Difference between ''for years'' and ''for many years''

texts:
I want to know clearly the usage of ''for years'' and ''for many years''.How do they differ?
E.g. I've known him for years.
       I've known him for many years.
Which one is correct and why?


texts: what does “blinking” mean in this sentence？

texts:
Lucy found herself blinking in the light of a wood fire as soon as she got in.

Does “blinking” mean to look with half-shut eyes or to shine intermittently？