texts: What do you call people who are not patients?

texts:
What do you call people who are not patients when you compare some data between patients who have a certain disease and people who don't have a certain disease.I want to describe the difference of dietary habit between diabetes patients and people who don't have diabetes. How do I name the people who don't have diabetes?
I did some researches, the following options are the result of research
Healthy people, normal people,and fitted people However, these several terms do not actually make any sense, and they are not accurate.


texts: be demanded + to infinitive or that clause

texts:
He was demanded “to confess” to the robbery.
He was demanded “that he should” confess to the roberry.
I wonder whether these two sentences are correct. When we use “demand” as in a passive voice, can we use “to infinitive” or “that clause”?


texts:
A sentence in Cambridge Dictionary:

  Last year the company's turnover was $240 billion, up 3% on previous year.

As a basic learner I can't determine whether "up" here is a preposition or an adverb.

Please Explain.

Thank you.


texts: Ascending to humanity / descending from humanity

texts:
How can I say the following sentence in other words?

  "Ascending from humanity is difficult descending from humanity is so easy."

I mean we are close to the death of humanity. I could say we as human beings are no more social animals because we are becoming more and more selfish. We sometimes behave worse than animals. If this is continued, there will be end of humanity soon. As a conclusion, I wanted to say while it is easy to descend from our human essence and become inferior to animals and act like other people, it is really difficult to stay "human" and not get affected to a certain extent.


texts: Some swans (lived / were living) on the lake in the town last winter. "lived" vs "were living"

texts:
Some swans (lived / were living) on the lake in the town last winter.
Recommended answer is "lived," but I think "were living" is better because the state of some swans living was very short. What do you think?


texts: What is the correct usage of the term "snafu"?

texts: If I want to convey that "this update has caused a lot of confusion", then what should I say? I understand that this term is a bit informal, nonetheless I would like to use it in my sentence.


texts: What do you call the wearer of a powered exoskeleton? I am wondering if "pilot" is the word used. I have seen some people refer to Tony Stark as the pilot of the Iron Man suit, but I haven't seen it often enough to prompt me to think this is the correct word to refer to the wearer? Do we just say wearer, or is there a more specific term?


texts: In "led them", does 'them' include the leader himself?

texts:
But the others wouldn't let Professor Quirrell keep Harry to himself. It took almost ten minutes to get away from them all. At last, Hagrid managed to make himself heard over the babble.

  "Must get on -- lots ter buy. Come on, Harry."

  Doris Crockford shook Harry's hand one last time, and Hagrid led them
  through the bar and out into a small, walled courtyard, where there
  was nothing but a trash can and a few weeds.

I think 'them' in this context only includes Hagrid and Harry because no others have been mentioned in later context, but I might be wrong. If this is the case, why didn't it put: "led him"(Harry) instead.  Or is it idiomatic to include the leader himself in such contexts?


texts:
"Shun them not only in reality, but even in appearance, if you would be well received in good company; for people will always be shy of receiving a man who comes from a place where the plague rages, let him look ever so healthy."

From LETTERS TO HIS SON By the EARL OF CHESTERFIELD on the Fine Art of becoming a MAN OF THE WORLD and a GENTLEMAN

Semantically, the highlighted part looks like a verb phrase with the subject being plague, I guess, but in that case, the verb let seems to be missing -s and a coordinator.

Please elaborate me about the status of the part.


texts: Is it easier to understand to modify this expression "as commonly we want to" as "as we commonly want to"?

texts:
This post says

  In this lecture, we introduce and formalize methods for building classifiers, and provide intuitive guidelines
  for the selection of priors. The classification problem is ubiquitous in the sciences, as commonly we want to
  infer scientifically meaningful labels based on easily obtainable features of the data.

at the first looking, "as commonly" makes me think there is another part, with which the whole thing could be "as commonly ... as".

is it my bad intuition?

or

this expression could be reasonably modified to "as we commonly want to"?


texts: Request a context for a hypothetical use of "could"

texts:
As Leech, Geoffrey N. suggests in Meaning and the English Verb §186, could can have the following usage:

  #1. Hypothetical equivalent of can (= ‘possibility’)

  The house is one of the most beautiful that could be imagined.

  #2. Hypothetical equivalent of can (= ‘ability’)

  Do you know anyone who could repair this clock for me?

I didn't understand how the hypothetical use was involved in these two examples until I found an explanation from here:

  Part 1 If someone is messing around with your clock - but they haven't broken
  it yet - you can say:

  "Do you know anyone who could repair this clock for me?"

  It means: "If you break my clock, who do you think is going to mend
  it?"

  That's a hypothetical question and you have stated it correctly.

  Part 2 Some sentences are definitely hypothetical - because that is their
  grammatical structure; others can be hypothetical because of the way
  they are used..

  If you wanted to, you could go to a baseball game with me
  You think I could mend your clock

  The first is definitely hypothetical because it has "if" and "could"

  The second does not seem to have a hypothetical structure but very
  often it will mean..

  If for one moment you were to think I could mend your clock then you'd be very much mistaken!

  ..in which case there is a hypothetical use

  I think your textbook (Meaning and the English Verb) is saying that, on the one hand you need to see
  how the words: if, were, could, would and so on are used to form
  hypotheses; but on the other hand, you need to know that, in English,
  hypothesis is sometimes implied with only a hint of those words.

So what kind of context would be apt for #1 so that could could be regarded as a hypothetical equivalent of can (= ‘possibility’) rather than a mere representation of 'real' possibility?

Can you please contrive a hypothetical scenario for Leech's explanation of #1?


texts: When to use conjunctive adverb: "otherwise"?

texts:
The correct answer to the #50 is J. I was to ask what does the phrase "far from heavenly" mean? To me, it seems that the narrator disagrees with Frank Sinatra; therefore, I consider that H could also be a possible answer.

How can this issue be solved?

Note that the answer to #49 is D


texts: "needn't be answered" and "not needed to be answered"

texts:
Is there a difference or a grammatical mistake in this two sentences?

  All the questions needn't be answered
  All the questions are not needed to be answered


texts: Announcing pregnancy to a friend as aunt or uncle

texts:
In Spanish (at least in Colombia) I have heard that when announcing a pregnancy to a close friend, sometimes it can be said to "you will be aunt/uncle" due to the close relationship between the friends and the couple, or one of the parents.
I read that in English, there are other idioms and slangs like the "bun in the oven", "up the pole", "up the duff" or "knocked up" (am I right here?).
So I wonder if the aunt/uncle is used or could be used in English? or will it be totally understandable and weird for native English speakers?


texts: "Have Tom join me when he's available." -- shouldn't there be "joined" used instead?

texts:
I just came across the following sentence;

  Have Tom join me when he's available. (meaning?)

So far, I have not been familiar to the structure, however, it sounds to be correct.

Is that correct or should it be corrected as "Have Tom joined me when he's available."?


texts: What does "so" mean here? : 'We don't have enough money.' 'I don't suppose so.'

texts:
It is an exchange between two people. What does the second person mean exactly?

  I don't suppose that we have.
  I don't suppose that we don't have.

Or both are possible and it depends on the context?


texts: How to say that a movement is not linear

texts:
We know that growth is not linear. We won't reach the target in a straight-forward path. We move phase-by-phase.

Now I'm looking for a word to describe it.
The growth is not linear, it's... (What)?


texts: “bounded from above” vs. “bounded above”

texts:
For unary functions f,g:X→Y, where X is any set and (Y,≤) is a poset, when you rephrase ∀ x∈X: f(x) ≤ g(x) in prose, do you write

"f is bounded above by g" or
"f is bounded from above by g" or
"f is majorized by g"?

Why?


texts:
I was watching "The Big Bang theory" S7 E9. And I couldn't understand the meaning of "tip a cow". Please also explain the remaining conversation too. I am an Asian and not good at English. Here is the full conversation:

Leonard: The math is all there. It's not real.
Penny: Yes, it is.
Sheldon: Yeah... uh, look. It is scientifically impossible for a person to tip a cow. Even you, with your stocky build and lumberjack shoulders, you couldn't do it.
Raj: It's horrible. Why would you push a cow over? They're sacred.
Penny: Oh, stop it. I've seen you eat, like, a million hamburgers.
Raj: Hey, an animal can be both sacred and delicious.
Penny: Look, I'm telling you I've done it, okay? I clearly remember the cow standing up and then the cow on its side.
Leonard: Were you drunk?
Penny: I was 16 in Nebraska. What do you think?
Leonard: I think you're the one who fell over.
Penny: That would explain why the sky was also on its side.


texts: How can I understand what the speaker is saying in his Aussie accent?

texts:
Source

The Aussie says, "Now..." at 0:45 in the video.  Then again at 1:53, what is he saying?

Which movies should do the job for understanding the Aussie accent clearly?


texts: Grammatical mood of "loved" in the following sentence

texts:
in the following sentence second clause has conditional mood. but what about first clause (subjunctive or indicative?).

  If you loved me you would support me.


texts: Difference between "morals" and "morality "

texts:
Morals [plural] :

  proper ideas and beliefs about how to behave in a way that is
  considered right and good by most people

  http://www.learnersdictionary.com/definition/moral

  Morality:

  beliefs about what is right behavior and what is wrong behavior

  http://www.learnersdictionary.com/definition/morality

What is the difference between “morals” and “morality”?  Are they interchangeable in the following 3 examples from the dictionary?

No one questions her morals.
Socrates was accused of corrupting the morals of the youth of Athens.
He has no morals.

I have done research and found dozens of articles explaining the difference between “morals/morality” and “ethics”.  Few shed light on the difference between “morals” and “morality”. Could you help?


texts: How to use 'does' with sentences containing 'and' , 'or'?

texts:
Are the following sentences correct?

My mother or father doesn't like coffee. (i.e. either one of them doesn't like)
My mother and father don't like coffee. (both don't like)

What is the reason for using 'Does' only with "he, she, it" and why not with 'I' and 'you' since they sound singular too?


texts:
I've found in a Facebook post:

  Feeling proud with NNN at someplace

I'm not sure about this "feeling proud with" and what it could mean?

I tried asking at English Language & Usage but it was closed as off-topic.


texts: Does adding 'don't' make the sentence more intense in 'don't dare'?

texts:
If I say...

  I don't dare call her a muttonhead Vs.   I daren't call her a muttonhead.

Does putting 'don't' emphasize more on my daring (of calling her that) as compared to a simple version 'daren't?'


texts:
Definition from Oxford language

Bi-Monthly: done, produced, or occurring twice a month or every two months.

How can I ensure it is correctly interpreted as every two months instead of twice a month? I am thinking of a single word instead of a phrase.

EDITED:
Thanks everyone who weighs in. As a non-native English speaker and a new learner, I find it strange that bi-monthly can mean once every two months and twice per month.
Let's say if someone says you will be billed bi-monthly or you have to make a payment bi-monthly How will it be interpreted if no context is given?
I am writing a list like below

Monthly
Bi-Monthly
Quarterly
Bi-Annually
Annually

If no context is provided, I believe it is understandable that bi-monthly means once every two months.
However, if I were to rearrange the list like this

Bi-Monthly
Monthly
Quarterly
Bi-Annually
Annually

It will be interpreted as twice per month although what I want to mean is actually once every two months.


texts: The Earth's climate has changed compared to the past/from what it used to be(synonyms)

texts:
I was watching an English video when a native english speaker compared the PAST to the PRESENT. I usually use ''in the past/to the past'' to compare but the native chose ''it used to be'' instead, and then it popped into my head that it may be a good alternative to not sound repetitive.
Can I use this interchangeably:

  The Earth's climate has changed compared to the past.

And

  The Earth's climate has changed from what it used to be.

Are they the same? I think it is but I'm not 100% sure, and I might be misterpreted if I use it incorrectly in my future conversation.


texts: Evade vs Avoid vs Refrain from vs Abstain from, etc

texts:
Sometimes, when I look up synonyms for a word as a non-native English speaker, I can miss the subtle differences between the different options and won't know when the option is appropriate to use.

Is there a type of dictionary that explains the subtle differences between the words and provides clues on when to use them?


texts: "give someone a workout" or "give someone a training"?

texts:
Let us say a new gym member wants a gym coach to train for the first. So what would be correct:

  The coach agreed to give the client a workout.

  The coach agreed to give the client a training.

Tell me please what is the natural way say that!


texts:
Should I say "these are what I do" or "this is what I do"? Specifically, in the context of a self-description, for example: "Cooking, hiking and painting - these are what I do", vs. "... - this is what I do".

Is one of the options better than the other (more grammatical / more common / sounds better)?


texts: Can we say 'she got out of her/the bed’ with a determiner?

texts:
Bed is being used as both the countable and uncountable meaning as in

  Simon lay in bed thinking.
  She got into bed and turned out the light.
  (source: Longman)

I wonder whether this she got out of bed can be the meaning of not just she woke up, but can imply this meaning: ‘(having woken up an hour ago, and stayed in bed or on the bed) she got out of bed’.

I mean, can bed be used as a countable noun without articles as in she got out of bed (question #1)? If it can, can we say she got out of her/the bed with determiners? (question #2).


texts: Understanding the usage of “,” before “which” in a sentence

texts:
I have difficulty in understanding which of the following is correct:

  Team cannot be fully discussed without considering two factors which
  are teams’ makeup and teams’ performance.

or

  Team cannot be fully discussed without considering two factors , which
  are teams’ makeup and teams’ performance.

I was heard some years ago if we already introduce the noun of the sentence we do not need "," or something like that. I do not remember exactly that's why I asked this question.


texts: "would ensure Iranˈs nuclear program will be exclusively peaceful"

texts:
The goal for these negotiations is to reach a mutually-agreed long-term comprehensive solution that would ensure Iranˈs nuclear program will be exclusively peaceful

what does "would" imply here? why not "will"?


texts: I want to know the meaning of “Anyone who chose to could take them away”

texts:
Some 16 years before Esmeralda married
  Gringoire, a child had been left at Notre
  Dame Cathedral. To the left of the great
  church’s front door was a wooden bed sealed
  in the pavement. It was the custom to put
  orphans here. Anyone who chose to could
  take them away. A copper basin for donations
  was placed in front of the bed

Dose it mean: Anyone who wanted could take these children and raise them?


texts:
Please answer me only if you are an expert about grammar.

I read this answer from my another question on another website:

  "The Japanese Weather Service will let the public know when the cherry trees have blossomed.
  = After the cherry trees blossom, the Weather Service will reveal that fact (=the fact that they have blossomed) to the public.”

In this case, the When clause is an adverb right?

I think in that sentence, if the “when clause” is a noun, the meaning should be the weather service will make public the time when the trees blossomed.
If a When clause is a noun, I believe it means the time when.

For example, “could you let me know when we can meet?”
Here, the when clause is a noun and it means let me know the time when we can meet.
Am I correct?


texts: Does "aristocratic" have a derogatory meaning in current usage?

texts: If I wish to describe someone by "aristocratic" and mean simply that the person is elegant and confident, will the person being described get offended by this word? In general, does this word "aristocratic" have any derogatory meaning in current usage?


texts:
On Cambridge Dictionary web site under British English tab, there is examples on "paper" word. on of these examples use "papers" word.

  "paper" in British English: thin, flat material made from crushed wood or cloth, used for writing, printing, or drawing on.

  Example: He rifled through the papers on the desk, but couldn't find the photographs.

Do we use papers (as flat material, not as newspapers) in British English?

When we say: give me the paper. what does this mean in British English? one or more than one?


texts:
Is this phrase correct?

  "Smoke and mirrors keep us waiting ON a miracle"
  ("Let Me Love You" Justin Bieber)

looked up in the browser and found out that

to WAIT ON is to bring a meal for someone. And this meaning isn't suitable actually. I assume in this song "wait on" is used like "wait for a miracle" or "believe in a miracle". What can you tell me about it?

ADD:
Guys, really thank you for your help. Yeah, i agree with SimonH that first of all i need to learn proper English, which i really want to do and try to do. As i understand, "WAIT ON" can exist like "WAIT FOR" but only with my english-spoken friends. And i'd better avoid using it at school, moreover while i'm sitting my exams. THANK YOU AGAIN ;)


texts: "No strings attached": scope, verb to introduce?

texts:
This is about the expression no strings attached from the plural of string:

  strings [plural] : requirements that are connected with something : things that you have to do, give, etc., if you accept something
  (such as a gift or an offer)

  She won't accept the gift if there are strings. [=if she is expected    to do something in return for it]
  They offered her the job with no strings attached. [=with no    conditions]
  He's generous, but there are always strings attached. [=he always    expects something in return for what he gives to people]

  [ Merriam-Webster Learner's Dictionary - string ]

Is using strings without attached just a short form or is there
a difference in the meaning? In the first example could either be used?
Is there a (more?) figurative sense whereby you could apply
this to ideas or can it only be about people owing something, and
control :

  There is idea A, and there is idea B; the latter has no strings
  attached to the former.

Would that mean anything; would you rather use "(not)
connected/there is no connection" instead? Something else?
If someone is not a party to a transaction but is reporting on it,
would that person say of an offer or deal between the parties that
it comes with or has no strings attached? Is it just the focus
on the offer being made vs. its characteristics or is there
something else I'm not getting here?


texts: This was the first time I'd been abroad or this was the first time I was abroad?

texts:
I was reading the following article https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2003/jan/26/naples.italy.observerescapesection

and encountered some usages of the Past Perfect that I didn't quite get why they were used in the way they were used.

For example, the writer says: "I was 14, and this was the first time I'd been abroad". She clearly talks here about the same stretch of time so to say - her first time being abroad. So why is it divided to two actions by using the Past Perfect? shouldn't it be - It was my first time being abroad/It was the first time that I was abroad?

The same goes for this citation: "It was my first, and the most unflattering thing I'd ever seen in my life" - why does she use both tenses for a single event?

Thank you in advance.


texts: One-word expression for 'making a slope gentler'

texts: I cannot come up with a one-word expression for 'making a slope gentler' and the opposite expression also (making a slope steeper). For example, it may be less redundant to express 'Aing a slope', if there is a verb A to indicate making it gentler. Could anyone recommend some expressions?


texts:
Do we ask

  Has he ever been to Germany?

OR

  Has he ever gone to Germany?

OR

  Has he ever been in Germany?

Negative:

  He has never gone to Germany.

OR

  He has never been in Germany.

Thank you


texts: Steve is one out of every 4000 people who

texts:
Someone linked an article that starts with:

  Steve Wynn is one out of every 4000 people who suffer from retinitis pigmentosa, a disease that causes both night blindness as well as weakness of peripheral vision, a condition that is having a gradual effect on his eyesight.

This confused me initially because my brain is dead set on parsing this as something like "there is 1 Steve Wynn per 4000 people with the disease". Perhaps I am unknowingly applying certain grammatical concepts from my native language as universal.

When I think about this, clearly the author wanted to say:

1 in 4000 people suffer from the disease
Steve suffers from the disease

Instinctively, I would make the following "correction":

  Steve Wynn is one of the one out of every 4000 people who suffer from retinitis pigmentosa

But that looks terrible. Am I simply parsing the original sentence incorrectly, and if not, what would a native speaker say?


texts: Truman's use of 'become' in 'it becomes my duty' ? (1951 US)

texts:
[Source:]
  On 11 April 1951, President Truman drafted an order to MacArthur, which was issued under Bradley's signature:

  I deeply regret that it becomes my duty as President and Commander-in-Chief of the United States military forces to replace you as Supreme Commander, Allied Powers; Commander-in-Chief, United Nations Command; Commander-in-Chief, Far East; and Commanding General, U.S. Army, Far East.

  become = 1. [no object, with complement] Begin to be:

I'm not that knowledgeable of US history, but when Truman (or Bradley) wrote this letter, did the US President already hold this duty to replace a General?

If so, then is this use of to become wrong? Such use wrongly means that Truman only began to hold this duty precisely at the moment that he (or Bradley) wrote this


texts: Why do people say "explain to me", not "explain me"?

texts:
Is there any grammatical rule to know which verbs can (or better, must) be sometimes followed by "to"? Some examples are:

Please explain to me why...
She said to me that...

I'm aware I could also say "explain me", but such thing would mean something like "explain what I am" or "give an explanation of myself". However, you could never use "say me". In other cases, it seems both formats are acceptable. An example would be:

"Show me" and "show it to me"

Is there any rule to explain this?


texts: "Hug me as tightly as how much you love me" Is this correct?

texts:
"Hug me as tightly as how much you love me."

  "Hug me as tightly as you love me."

  "Hug me as much tightly as you love me."

Which is correct? Or any other suggestions?


texts: Using could to talk about past possibilty

texts:
Should I use could or could have in the following sentences.

  I was preparing really hard for the presentation because it could affect/could have affected my future significantly.

  At that moment, I knew it could change/could have changed everything.

  I was standing in the hallway thinking what could go wrong/could have gone wrong in an hour.

The reason I'm struggling here is that I think could is used for future possibility, not past possibility. But here I'm talking about future in the past, and I want to convey that it was a crucial point and the result could/could have affected my future, without giving away the result of the situation.


texts: Yard, backyard or something else... (word choice)

texts:
What is the general term native speakers use for a paved area belonging to the house where you can park cars, walk around, play with a dog etc.?

I am translating a sentence, but there is not much context whether the yard is located in front or back of the building. If I knew that, I would use backyard/frontyard.  I just know that there is such a place. It is with a paved surface and there is a large car park, probably no garden or lawn.

"The noise came from the yard..."

Can I use yard? Doesn't it imply that there should also be a garden or at least a strip of lawn...because I guess it is not in my case.

Thank you in advance!


texts: Which is more formal - "bit urgent" or "urgent"?

texts:
When I am writing a formal email, let's say I wanted to let someone know that it is urgent but not extremely urgent. So what is a formal way of telling my boss:

  If you sees this message, please reply, it is a bit urgent.

or

  If you sees this message, please reply, it is urgent.


texts:
Are there any other words or expressions to mean "hard time"?

For example, I'd like to say,
I had a hard time waking up this morning.

Is there any word to mean difficult other than hard time? one word is preferred. It must have been so much better if "hardly" meant the same as "hard time", but it doesn't.


texts:
Which of the followings is correct and more natural?

... the samples of these classes are shown in red and blue respectively.
... the samples of these classes are shown with red and blue respectively.
... the samples of these classes are shown as red and blue respectively.


texts:
I have seen many people on the Internet from America sharing the sign “Stop Asian Hate”.
I know they mean “Stop hate against Asian people”, but  why don't they say “Stop anti-Asian hate”?
I also see people saying “Stop white terrorism”, which means “stop terrorism by  white people”, so why does “Stop Asian hate” has the opposite meaning?
I do not understand the grammar here, but I am not a native speaker.


texts: Why isn't there an article in "separated by empty space"?

texts:
Matter is composed of atoms separated by empty space through which the atoms move...

Why isn't there an article before the words "empty space"?


texts: What does "you abandon you" mean in this context?

texts:
“Every time you’re with another woman, you abandon you,” Vanzant told Maxiell on the episode that aired last week. “And every time you tell another lie, you abandon you. And every time you take a drink to stuff the pain down, you abandon you. This wasn’t about sex. This was about punishment.”

I'm not sure what "you abandon you" means in this context. The close definition in the dictionary for abandon I got is:

  verb
  If you abandon yourself to an emotion, you think about it a lot and feel it strongly, especially when other people might think you are wrong to do so.

But I'm still not clear how it can fit for the context.

What does it truly mean here?

The full source.


texts:
In the following, is it correct to use the plural pronoun they (along with the plural verb) to refer back to Japan?

  Will Japan get back up if they experience another recession?


texts: Are conjunctive adverbs limited or open to addition?

texts:
Are conjunctive adverbs a limited and fixed set or can we make other ones such as the word surprisingly?

Let's say in the following example I don't want to use the word however but rather the word surprisingly.

The steak was slightly undercooked; (_______________), he enjoyed it as he was very hungry.

The example isn't my question though. It is there just to illustrate my point. If it's not good just ignore it please or make a better one.

Edit:
I didn't find 'Surprisingly' on the list of common conjunctive adverbs and transitional phrases.


texts: What does "not open" and "where" mean in this sentence?

texts:
If this application is not open where you run the task, an error
  occurs.

I think sometimes people use "where" instead of "when". Does "where" in this sentence mean "when"? And does "not open" mean "not opened"?


texts:
I read the first sentence on FB (I know, this is not the right place to look for perfect grammar) and would like to know if this is right:

  I can't sleep well since last week

I thought a construction like this needs the present perfect 'have been':

  I haven't been able to sleep well since last week

The person who wrote the first construction is a native speaker of English which is why I'm so confused. Is it slang or just another way of saying it?


texts:
http://www.economist.com/blogs/banyan/2013/11/protests-thailand

The king’s 86th birthday is on December 5th, and both sides of the political divide claim legitimacy bestowed by loyalty to the monarchy.

I don't understand the structure.
Is "claim something done?"

"claim the legitimacy is bestowed by their loyalty to the monarch?"


texts:
Hiking the trail, the birds chirped loudly.

This is the example of the so called Dangling Participle. To improve this sentence it is recommended to transform it in "Hiking the trail, we heard birds chirping loudly". I would like to ask if it would be as well possible just to add the pronoun – Our hiking the trail, the birds chirped loudly.


texts: Asking object - subject questions. "Did" or past form of the verb in Past Simple

texts:
The question is about the rule of asking questions in Past Simple tense.
Please, look at the questions below and tell me if my thinking and naming of questions stated here are correct?

For example affirmative sentence would be:

You broke it!

and the object question would be:

What did I break?

the subject question would be:

Who broke it?

The other example of affirmative question:

They took her home.

Object question:

Where did they take her?

Subject question:

Who they took home?

And the main doubt about the above is: Where should one use "did" form and where past form of a verb alone.
I've read somewhere that "did" should be always used when in affirmative sentence "did" or "do" is used. I also read somewhere that when we form subject question its past form of a verb alone (without operative) should be used.

How would the subject and object questions might look like in Past Simple tense. The main question is about the rule to use "did" or verb alone in the sentence. I am little confused with all above and the next sentence.

Affirmative:

They talked to this guy yesterday.

Object:?

Subject:?

Are there any other possibilities to use "did" in the questions in addition to mentioned above if they are correct?


texts: What is the grammar of the sentence "there are 100 cents to a dollar"?

texts: What is the grammar of the above sentence? Is "to a dollar" a prepositional phrase? Does it function as an adverbial or adjectival phrase?


texts: What does "my name was down for Eton" mean?

texts:
My name was down for Eton, you know, I can't tell you how glad I am I came here instead. Of course, Mother was slightly disappointed, but since I made her read Lockhart's books I think she has begun to see how useful it'll be to have a fully trained wizard in the family.

I don't quite get the meaning of "My name was down for Eton"? What does it mean exactly?

~ From Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets


texts: difference between why should I and why I should

texts:
Why should boys have all the fun?
  Why boys should have all the fun?

Please help me with the difference.


texts: What is the word that describes a word that can mean anything?

texts:
What is a type of word that can mean anything?

For example, there's a cartoon where the characters would say "Smurf" to refer to anything. It seemed to be used as a noun or verb.

There was another cartoon where the characters in the society would use the world "Og" to mean anything. It could be used in place of any word. Somehow, oddly enough, it is sometimes surprisingly easy to infer the meaning.

Bonus example, there have been movies where one guy talks to his friend and exclusively uses the word "dude" in a brief conversation. Somehow, oddly enough, it's also sometimes surprisingly easy to infer the meaning.
:P

Is there a word that describes the type of word that is any word or almost any word? Wildcard word? Super word?

Can we invent the word if it doesn't exist? Why not?


texts:
I had just arrived at the hotel, checked in and gotten into my room.

here, the reason we say "had arrived" is because we want to show the order, the series of actions, right? So arriving at the hotel happened first, and then checking and getting into took place later.

And why we say "just" is because we want to say the actions happened with a little time gap.

Am I right to think this way?


texts: What is the difference in meaning (not grammar) for these sentences?

texts:
How does "have been flying" instead of "have flown" change the meaning of these sentences:

  It should have been flying to another direction. Vs.   It should have flown to another direction. Vs. It should have been flown to another direction.


texts: past simple or present perfect with since

texts:
I have  just finished reading a good book and say:

"It has been a long time since I have read a good book ."
if I want to emphasize the gap in time between the last time I read a good book and now ;

or is it better to write " since I read a good book ". But I think in this case it is not the gap in time between now and the last time I read a good book I emphasize


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

texts:
In the following passage, what does assignment mean in the context of sex assignment surgery? Does it mean assign: to give a particular value, identity, etc., to something?

Germany, the first European country to make such an allowance, reviewed cases of intersex babies and found that many who were subjected to sex assignment surgery at a young age ended up unhappy.
-- www.newser.com: Germany Creates 3rd Gender


texts: What does "you're comin' at my friends" mean?

texts:
Does "you're comin' at my friends" mean:
"you blame my friends"
or
"you're trying to become my friend"
or something else?

Lyrics:

  You are somebody that we don't know
  But you're comin' at my friends like a missile
  Why are you mad?
  When you could be GLAAD?
  You could be GLAAD
  Sunshine on the street at the parade
  But you would rather be in the dark age
  Just makin' that sign must've taken all night


texts: Can "myself" be used as emphasis in the following sentence?

texts:
Can myself be used as emphasis in the following sentence, or is another word preferable (e.g. also, too)?

  I myself found difficult to believe to what she was saying, but then she gave me the proof.

Is there any difference between saying I myself found difficult to believe it, I am the first who found difficult to believe it, and I also found difficult to believe it?


texts: Why are these the correct answers for this fill-in-the-blank question?

texts:
The nearby air rapidly expands and contracts, [1]making the column vibrate like a tubular drumhead [2]and producing a tremendous crack.

The options for the bold words in the above text are:

that makes
and making
making
it makes

And for the second blank

produces
is produced by
and produce
and producing

The original text had blanks in place of the bold words, but this text has the solutions. Anyone could describe in short detail why these words are the correct answer in this test question?


texts: What does it mean to "dine off" something?

texts:
In my English book, I've got an article about traveling, and one sentence in particular caught my eye:

  I've always put these incidents down to experience, and dined off some
  of them for years.

What does dined off mean in this context (because I've only found meanings related to eating, and that doesn't quite suit this sentence)?


texts:
What does this movement refer to? Feminist art or conceptual art?
The paragraph is titled 'Conceptual art, performance art, and feminist art(late 1960s-1970s),' so does it refer to feminist art?

In the late 1960s, the art world was fractured into so many minor movements that tracking them all is difficult. In one of the most radical of these movements, artists believed that they didn’t need to produce any artwork at all (rather like Dada) but simply generate concepts or ideas. In reality, this conceptual art, as it’s known, is often a type of performance or “happening” that can be very spontaneous and audience-driven. Sometimes it’s simply writing on a wall. One early conceptual artist camped out with a coyote for a week in an art gallery to get people thinking about the treatment of Native Americans. Feminist art is linked with conceptual art in that it focuses on the inequalities faced by women and tries to provoke change. The movement has no set style. It might include a painting on canvas or a group of women dressed up in gorilla costumes crashing a public event to pass out pamphlets.

Art History For Dummies


texts: How to frame a question using "At the earliest"?

texts:
Is the following question grammatically correct?

At the earliest, when do we need to provide feedback?


texts: "Judge in so delicate and subtle a matter"

texts:
Source Anna Karenina

... far as anyone can judge in so delicate and subtle a matter, I believe the chances are..

I have some questions about this text.

First, how could a verb (judge) be separated from the direct object (a matter) by adjectives (subtle and delicate)

Second, as i know, after preposition comes a noun or gerund, but i have never seen a preposition followed by adjectives, how do you explain that?

Rather than, i would use the text in this way:

_ ... Judge a matter delicately and subtly.


texts: "looked to the brass eyelet-holes": why "to" and not "at"? What is the meaning?

texts:
From Thomas Hardy's Far From the Madding Crowd:

  He thoroughly cleaned his silver watch-chain with whiting, put new lacing straps to his boots, looked to the brass eyelet-holes, went to the inmost heart of the plantation for a new walking-stick, and trimmed it vigorously on his way back; took a new handkerchief from the bottom of his clothes-box, put on the light waistcoat patterned all over with sprigs of an elegant flower uniting the beauties of both rose and lily without the defects of either, and used all the hair-oil he possessed upon his usually dry, sandy, and inextricably curly hair, till he had deepened it to a splendidly novel colour, between that of guano and Roman cement, making it stick to his head like mace round a nutmeg, or wet seaweed round a boulder after the ebb.

What is the meaning of the "look to" here? Why is the preposition to used?
Does it mean "he looked at them thoroughly to see if they are clean and shiny"?


texts: Meaning of the phrasal verb "get in" in context

texts:
It is from Crash Course US history. It is at around 8 minute and 6 second.

  So it is not going to be Woodrow Wilson because it would be obvious, but I don't the names of any other prominent democrats, so I am going to guess Woodrow Wilson. Yes? Get in!

I have checked all the meanings the phrasal verb has in a dictionary, but still I am struggling to understand what the host means by that.


texts: What is difference between "with only" and "only with"?

texts:
For the following two sentences:

  "He can find out the solution of the problem only with the information about the fundamental theorem of calculus," and

  "He can find out the solution of the problem with only the information about the fundamental theorem of calculus,"

what is different from the language interpretation point of view?


texts: ert -- what does that mean? ("Whatever ERT is, I'm IN it!", from a physics book's chapter on inertia)

texts: This is from a book on physics for kids. What do you think ert means?


texts:
Boy: You don't pay me to work for you.
Woman: No, because what you do here in the workshop isn't a real job.
Boy: It isn't a real job?
Woman: No. I'm training you for a real job later.
Boy: You're training me?
Woman: Yes, I'm training you or teaching you what you need to know later.

Which is correct:
1-what you need to know later.
2- what you'll need to know later.
Thank you


texts:
While reading Gone with the Wind I've come across this sentence:

Aunt Pity was heaving and sighing on her shoulder and, with small ceremony, Scarlett pushed her over into a corner of the carriage and continued her reading.

Cambridge Dictionary says that push sb over means to push someone or something so that they fall to the ground. But I can't match this definition with the sentence above. Did Scarlett push Aunt Pity so that she fell into the corner of the carriage? I can hardly imagine that.


texts: What does "gained little traction" mean?

texts:
Reading this article, there is a phrase,

The fight to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour was launched nearly a decade ago, and some on the left are now saying the proposal is already outdated and the amount needs to be higher. Republicans have offered a lower amount, with GOP Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Mitt Romney of Utah proposing a plan in February that would raise the minimum wage to $10 per hour by 2025, but that gained little traction, with critics noting that it’s lower than what many states — including Arkansas — currently have in place.

There are too many definitions on Merriam so that I would like to refrain from copying and pasting all here.
I assume "gain little traction" means "gain almost no support", am I correct?


texts:
Like his father, Alfred Nobel was imaginative and inventive, but differed from him showing more financial sense. He was quick to see industrial openings for his scientific inventions and invested in over 80 companies in 20 different countries.

Source: Alfred Nobel, a Man of Contrasts

Is this structure correct?


texts: I couldn't figure out "Around: on or to another side of something". What does it mean?

texts:
around (preposition): (especially North American English)(usually British English round) on, to or from the other side of
  somebody/something

  Our house is just around the corner.

  The bus came around the bend.

  There must be a way around the problem.

  Around (preposition) d : on or to another side of (something)

  We were surprised by what we saw when we walked around the corner.

  There's another door around the back of the house.

See this picture:

In this picture, the girl & the man are standing in front of the "front door" of the house

The man: "Where is the back door?"

The girl: "The back door is just around the corner"
/ "The back door is just on the other side of the corner"
/ "The back door is just around the side of the house"

If the girl said "The back door is just around the side of the house", then she might mean "The back door is at the back of the house" as in pic

Which of the sayings of the girl are correct?


texts: Interrogative determiners: Usage of which and what? and in which context?

texts:
I'm reading and understand the idea of determiners. So as per my understanding, we use "which" as a determiner to ask a question about a specific group of people or things

When we are asking a general question we use "what" as a determiner.

So, my question is

What films do you like?
Which film did you watch?

In both the sentences I'm asking question only to one person. Correct me if I'm wrong?


texts: What's of meaning of "gets mixed marks" in the following paragraph?

texts: Ideally money provides a reliable store of value, a stable unit of account and an efficient means of payment. Today’s money gets mixed marks. Uninsured depositors can suffer if banks fail, bitcoin is not widely accepted and credit cards are expensive. Government e-currencies would score highly, since they are state-guaranteed and use a cheap, central payments hub.


texts: "If only you can" or "if only you could"?

texts:
For someone staying in a different country who wants to bring dogs on the plane, should it be phrased:

  If only you can bring dogs over the plane.

or

  If only you could bring dogs over the plane.


texts: Is "for better clarity" a correct expression?

texts:
Consider the following sentence:

  For better clarity, we will now explain in detail how this works.

Is "for better clarity" correct as an expression? Googling for it gives a number of results but none from a "grammatically safe" source.

If grammatically correct, is it commonly used? Does it sound natural?


texts: Whether to use second or third conditional sentence

texts:
I have read about conditional sentences over here, now I have to form a conditional sentence but I am not sure whether it should be in second or third conditional sentence.

Do either of the following correctly express the past conditional?

  If he were a supporter of Modi/Trump/ABC, would you have supported
  him?

  If he had been a supporter of Modi/Trump/ABC, would you have supported
  him?


texts: Should I say "Are you open today?" or "Do you open today?"

texts:
When I can use "are" or "do" to ask a question?
For example if I want to call a restaurant to ask if they open or not during a holiday, which question is right?

  Are you open today?

Or

  Do you open today?


texts: There (is/are) usually a green channel and a red channel at the customs

texts:
Just wondering which of the following sentences are correct and why?

  There is usually a green channel and a red channel at the customs.

  There are usually a green channel and a red channel at the customs.

I saw the first sentence in a book, but not sure why using is is correct.


texts: Can we use "now" with simple past tense as in "I saw it now"?

texts: Can we use "now" with simple past tense? For example, Let's say someone is trying to show me something, but I can't see it. Right after seeing it, can I say, "Ok. I saw it now"?


texts:
After a 1991 attempt to overthrow Mikhail Gorbechav failed, power had shifted to Russian president Boris Yeltsin.

Why is "had shifted" wrong here?


texts:
What does "drink the pain away" or "drinking my pain away" mean?

I've heard it in a song by Nicky Jam & Enrique Iglesias named Forgiveness.
Here is the related part of the original lyrics:

  I'm missing you baby
     Up all night goin' crazy
     Now my angel can't save me
     Oh no!!!
     I'm missing you baby
     Up all night goin' crazy
     Drinking my pain away-ehh-hey


texts: Parsing "the main sources of contention being over the rights"

texts:
There were periodic challenges to the absolute authority of the king: the main sources of contention being over the rights of religious
  minorities (Jansenists and Protestants); and the rights of the
  parlements.

  Source: Marisa Linton: Choosing Terror, p. 27.

I approximately understand the meaning of the sentence: the two main sources which opposed the official ideology of the absolute authority of the king in France in the 18th century stemmed from religious minorities and parlements. But what's meant by "being over the rights" in the clause?


texts: Is "any" used with a plural countable noun in a prepositional phrase of a negative sentence?

texts:
Textbooks tell us that "any" is often used with a plural countable noun in a negative sentence. For example,

(1) I don't have any apples.

(2) I can't come up with any ideas.

Does that apply to a countable noun in a prepositional phrase?

(3) She and I broke up. I can't go to her house for any reasons.

(4) I don't want to upset him. I won't give up on the project for any reasons.


texts: The grammar rules for the sentences with 'is', 'has' , and the switched position of object's adjective

texts:
Regards.., i would like to discuss about the grammar of the sentences below, and whether they are dependent with their meanings.

  The pouring of the garden is a long tradition in the area and can be done to refresh the garden effectively.

  The pouring of the garden is a long tradition in the area and can be done to effectively refresh the garden.

  The pouring of the garden has a long tradition in the area and can be done to refresh the garden effectively.

These 3 sentences looks logical and correct.
..Thanks.


texts: "...like after you have your loved one pass away" - what tense is this?

texts:
I found this sentence in From Memories by Sarah White. Is it correct? I think the tense is a bit strange here.

  She looked sad like after you have your loved one pass away.


texts: What does "from the safety of a shelter" mean in this context?

texts:
Hong Kong is traditionally a sought-after destination for domestic workers because of the relatively high wages offered, a guaranteed rest day once a week and other legal protections not offered in other places. But, says Rohyati, just two weeks into her job as a full-time, live-in maid, her employer's mother slapped her because the elderly woman, who spoke only Cantonese, was frustrated at being unable to communicate. Over the next two months, she says she was slapped, punched and choked by her boss as well. "I don't know why she hit me. At times she seemed to care about my welfare. She would ask if I was comfortable or had enough to eat," said Rohyati. "But she would suddenly turn violent. Maybe she was feeling overworked, or upset about still being single," she recalls from the safety of a shelter run by a charity.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-27184521

She was told to go back to her previous job that they had provided for her? Is
safety of a shelter correct? And why do they say "from"?

What time the does would refer to? A habitual action in the past? That is to say, was it her boss's habit in the past or now to ask if she had been comfortable?

When the girl says her boss that is a single woman and would turn violent, does it mean that there were regular times in the past that her boss had become angry? Or could it mean that her boss still might become angry?

Our assumption is that of course she is still her boss, but when we are talking about past and complete actions in the past, we usually use simple past, as used to or had been. What about the word would?


texts: Which is more appropriate , "was" or "were" and why?

texts:
If I were you and was ...

Or,

  If I were you and were...

Google results show that the former is correct but hypothetical statements use "were". I'm confused between the two sentences.


texts:
It is good for health ________ us to get up early.

a. for
b. of

Someone posted this question in our Q/A board (we are non native). We don't know which answer is correct.
I think the answer is 'of' but others say the answer is 'for'.
What is the answer in this sentence?

It will be easy if the sentences are the following:

  It is good for us to get up early.
  It is good for health to get up early.
  It is good for our health to get up early.

But this sentence has both 'us' and 'health'.

I think 'for health for us (double for)' sounds somewhat awkward to me. So I think the anwer is 'of' (for health of us)
but someone says if you use 'of' the sentence should have 'the' (for the health of us). Is 'the' necessary if I use 'of'?

So what is the answer? (He had originally posted this question and already chose the answer as 'for', but I still wonder if the answer is 'of'. Am I wrong?


texts:
Is the following use of the verb put natural.

  The music is aweful. Can I put mine?

Would the phrasal verb turn on sound better?


texts: What does it mean "One man with conviction is worth a hundred without"?

texts: I new to the English language. I would be grateful if someone will help me to understand this sentences.


texts: "be quiet so that we could start the lesson" – why "could" and not "can"?

texts:
The teacher said

  Stop talking and be quiet so that we could start the lesson.

Could you tell me why did the teacher use could. Any answer will be appreciated.


texts: Can we say "I early came" or "I, early, came" like "I, hardly, know you"?

texts:
I can understand that 'hardly' was put soon after 'I' to give stress on the adverb.

Why does it feel incorrect if someone says, "I early came" or "I, early, came".

It seems some people often use "I, early, came to know about you". This seems correct.

"I, early, came here" - This seems wrong.

I feel like I understand why. But I can not put it into an explanatory form.

It was my colleague who once said "I early came". And he frequently uses poor sentence structure. He is not at all used to English.  So, is there any way I can explain to him how to place adverbs correctly and also how to avoid mistakes like this (if it is, in fact, a mistake)?


texts: Which preposition should I use ahead of "awake"?

texts:
In the following sentence, which preposition should I use before "awake"?

  I spent all last night by (???) awake.

In order to mean: I was awake all the last night.


texts:
I want to give a name to a widget my company has developed. It's a countdown widget. You can set any time (Say coming Christmas, Valentine's day) and it'll start a countdown.

Now, I'm peculiar about choosing the name it will be called by. So, which one is better?

  A countdown clock OR A countdown timer

I lean toward timer because to me, clock is used for measuring the time which is forwarding and timer we use for something when the time is backwarding.

So, in clock time goes from zero to 'x' number and in timer, it's 'x' number to 'zero'.


texts:
When we wear a shoe, we move it upward and downward to make sure that there is no insect in this. We do it to remove the dust particles and small pebbles that can be inside it.
For this movement what should we say?
To shake out the shoes
To dust off the shoes


texts: Which preposition to choose for referring to the means of doing an action (by, with, using, via, over)?

texts:
What is the best option to say that I will send you an update and I will use email in order to do it? What sound more natural?

I will send you an update later via email
I will send you an update later over email
I will send you an update later by email
I will send you an update later with email
I will send you an update later using email

The same question, but to say that a file was compressed, and rar was used to do it

The file should be compressed via rar
The file should be compressed by rar
The file should be compressed with rar
The file should be compressed using rar

Is there any rule?


texts: What is the difference between "the nature of software" and "nature of software"?

texts:
The Nature of Software

Nature of Software

This would be the title of a blog and I do not know what are the slight differences between the two.


texts: Why do we use would + infinitive rather than past? [wish]

texts:
In the sentence:

  We all wish the snow would stay forever.

Why can't we say

  We all wish the snow stayed forever.

What are differences between these sentences?


texts: Meaning of "X is not worth the electrons it was transmitted with"

texts:
I was reading a question (Why is stigmata a plural of stigma?) and came across a phrase that I don't know what to do with or how to google it. I don't know its meaning.
It was used in a comment under "user121863" answer. The score of the comment is 31 and it reads:

I'm not familiar with Grammarist, but if this article is representative, then it's a bad resource and you should stop referencing it. "Stigmata" is usually treated as plural (with singular "stigma"), as any dictionary will confirm; you will sometimes see "a stigmata", in the same way that you'll sometimes see "a bacteria" and "a criteria", but this is not as common as the standard usage, and a page that suggests otherwise is not worth the electrons it was transmitted with.

Can anyone tell me the meaning of the bold phrase please?


texts: Do I need an "of it" in the following case?

texts:
Trust. After her husband's affair, was there any (of it) left?

It sounds okay to me with and without the of it. But maybe I'm wrong because I'm not a native English speaker. Why should I include it or why not?


texts: Is there a more polite way to say "Haven't seen you for a while / for ages / for yonks."

texts:
Suppose a professor in our department went to a conference for several weeks, is there a more polite way to say something like

  Hi professor, haven't seen you for a while / for ages / for yonks.


texts: What is the meaning of "behind" in "the engine behind 5G radio"?

texts:
What is the meaning of "behind" in the following sentences?

  Xilinx is the engine behind 5G radio and mMIMO deployment. Only
  Xilinx provides adaptable 5G communication platforms, with highly
  integrated silicon featuring RF ADC & DACs, accelerated 5G NR, and the
  highest efficiency performance for mMIMO Radios, macro base station,
  and small cell deployments.

(Soruce==> https://www.xilinx.com/applications/wireless-communications/wireless-connectivity.html)

Does "Xilinx is the engine behind 5G radio and mMIMO deployment" mean "Xilinx is the engine in order to work 5G radio and mMIMO deployment" ?

Does "behind" in the sentence mean "in order to work" or "for" ?


texts: I'm writing a narrative essay and I can't figure out the most correct one between "I was chose" and "I was chosen".


texts: Idiomatic English expressions for "dead tired", "soaking drunk", "full packed"

texts:
I have a question about using pairs of adjectives in everyday English speech.

Italian uses pairs of adjectives to emphasize a quality and some idiomatic and colloquial expressions are commonly accepted:

stanco morto, literally "dead tired"
ubriaco fradicio, literally "soaking drunk"
pieno zeppo, literally "full packed"

Are the above expressions idiomatic English? If not, what are the equivalent English expressions for extremely great tiredness, extreme drunkenness, and extremely great fullness (such as after eating a lot)?


texts:
Esmeralda was a very light sleeper. She
  woke as soon as the key turned in the lock.
  Then, just before Frollo blew out the lantern,
  Esmeralda saw his face. “Oh, no!” she cried
  out faintly. “It’s the priest!”.
  “Have pity on me!” Frollo cried out. “My
  love for you is like a terrible fire. It’s like a
  thousand daggers in my heart! Love me! ” He
  held her tightly as she struggled to get away.
  “Help! Help!” she cried, as she tried to
  fight off the priest. But he was too strong for
  her. With her last bit of strength, she reached
  out for Quasimodo’s whistle and blew it as
  hard as she could.
  Seconds later, Frollo felt a powerful arm
  pulling him away from Esmeralda. In the
  darkness, Frollo could not clearly see who it
  was—but he thought it must be Quasimodo.
  Then he saw a gleaming sword being raised
  over his head. “Quasimodo!” he yelled,
  forgetting that the bell-ringer was deaf. Frollo
  was sure that he was about to die!
  Then, suddenly, Quasimodo hesitated.
  “No! No blood upon her!” he cried out. Frollo
  felt himself being pulled away.

Does it mean:

1: Nobody should be killed because of her

or

2: Nobody should be killed in front of her eyes


texts:
To me she looks American. Strangely enough, that corresponds to Gib
  Melson's being American himself.

I'm in doubt in regard to the use of the genitive in the last phrase. Were it a pronoun, it would be possible to use both objective and genitive forms: his being American (formal), him being American (colloquial), right? But I'm not sure whether the following is acceptable: "... to Gib Melson being American himself." Which is correct?


texts: "To save for something" vs "to save up for something"

texts:
Both sentences have the same number of hits on Google:

save for my studies

save up for my studies

So I'm curious, then what's the difference? Or there's no difference at all?

Example sentence:

  She won a scholarship, so the didn't have to save up for her studies.


texts:
I came to know that there is some error in the bold part of following sentence.What could be the reason?

The language used for writing textbooks differs from other forms of writings in its preference on simplicity over style


texts: Can "Is that so" be used without question mark?

texts:
While reading Maruyama Kugane's "Overlord" English translation, I encountered
"Is that so." in dialogues many times. Literally like this, without question mark.
For example:

  -- There are many events in the arena, and sometimes adventurers end up fighting
  monsters. I’ve only met this person a few times, when I captured those monsters and shipped them here.

  -- Is that so. Still, it ended up being quite useful indeed, so I must thank you for your connection. That said, what sort of monsters did you capture around the outskirts of E-Rantel?

So my questions are:
1. I guess that in this case the phrase was used like a rhetorical question. Am I right?
2. Is it allowed to use it like this in literary writing or was it just a non-conventional method of drawing the difference between the real question and the one that doesn't need the answer?


texts:
does "magnetism" refers to "spirit" and "human" or not?

  That they still lived and still loved was the constant message from
  the beyond, accompanied by many material tests, which confirmed the
  wavering faith of the new adherents of the movement. When asked for
  their methods of working and the laws which governed them, the answers
  were from the beginning exactly what they are now: that it was a
  matter concerned with human and spirit magnetism; that some who
  were richly endowed with this physical property were mediums; that
  this endowment was not necessarily allied to morality or intelligence;
  and that the condition of harmony was especially necessary to secure
  good results.

from http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks03/0301051h.html


texts: Is the use of 'the Italian' for people from Italy acceptable?

texts:
As I understand, when we say something about people from some country generally, we use the plural form. For example, "The Italians are people who have made their mark in many parts of the world." Here "the Italians" refers to Italian people in general.
Here are some of the results I found when I searched for "the italians are",

The Italians Are Losing Interest in Wine (title of an article)
The Italians are said to be the most passionate people in Europe.

However, I also found a small number of usage of "the Italian is",

Like the Chinese, the Italian is a born gambler.
"You want to know why the Italian is skinny?"

The first was from the book How the Other Half Lives. Considering that the book was dated back from 1890, and the joke, well, is a joke, is this usage of the singular form for stereotypical people still acceptable in modern English?
(As a side note, I know that I should write the British, the English, the French, and other handful countries without -s or -es, and I must use them as plural.)


texts: Can I say "I Java", or does it have to be "I do Java"?

texts:
Like google is a verb, is java a word? Can I say "I java"?

I am wondering if it works that way, or if I have to say, "I do java."


texts:
The Label Maker:

  JERRY: Why'd you get him a gift anyway?

  ELAINE: Oh, he did some dental work for me and he didn't charge me so I thought I'd get him a Christmas present.

  JERRY: Yeah, well, if you're getting him anything for his birthday, I'm a large.

The context is that  Elaine had given a present to a guy and then that guy "re-gifted" it to Jerry. What does this I'm a large mean?


texts: Is the sentence "I believe that why people choose to enter this competition is an interesting question" correct?

texts:
One of my friends is going to take her language exam next week and since I successfully passed mine, she asked me to say some words about her letter and correct the errors if there's any.

She wrote the sentence

  I believe that why people choose to enter this type of competition is an interesting question.

Is this grammatically correct? I would rather say

  I believe that the question of why people choose...

Which one do you think is better?


texts:
Consider these sentences, please:

Yes, I can imagine a few situations where these words could be used. (in response to the question: "can you imagine a few contexts where...?)

I can imagine going to Canada.

Q: I know sentences 1) and 2) mean it is possible for the speaker to imagine... What if I add "If I want to put the effort into it" to sentences 1) and 2)? Would their meanings change?

If I want to put the effort into it, I can imagine a few situations where these words could be used.

I can imagine going to Canada If I want to.

In other words, does "I can imagine..." depend upon whether the speaker wants to imagine it or not?


texts: Why do we say AWS service and not service of AWS?

texts:
Why do we say in English things like a Facebook post, an AWS service, the Silicon Valley, etc.?
In Portuguese, we would say "A post of Facebook", "a service of AWS", and "the Valey of Silicon". It seems to me that Facebook, AWS, Silicon are kind of adjectives in these cases, but in Portuguese, they seem to have more like a relationship of possession.
Is there any grammatical term for this situation?


texts: Meaning of "I'm just getting to the good part"

texts:
Can someone explain me this joke?

I think, I can't understand phrase - "I'm just getting to the good part".


texts: Isn't that the place which kids under twelve can't enter?

texts:
Should "where" be used instead of "which"? The sentence should be:

  "Isn't that the place where kids under twelve can't enter?"

as "where" is the object pronoun to replace "the place" (where to enter). Using "which" is totally wrong as it is replacing the object for place.


texts:
The basic meaning of the past perfect is "earlier past". We use past perfect to talk about something that happened before another action in the past, which is usually expressed by the past simple :

  "The patient had died before the doctor came."

  "The patient died after the doctor had come."

But I confronted the following sentence :

  "I started my meal before Adam arrived".

I think this sentence should have been like this : "I had started my meal before Adam arrived."

Please explain which is ok and why.


texts: Using 's instead of are with plurals in informal speech

texts:
Which of these questions are used in very informal English?

How's your friends?
There's two guys at the door.
Where's my keys?
What's these cookies made of?
Who's those people over there?
Why's the/those students so bored with this topic?
Which of these's used in informal English?!


texts: What does "that" refer to in this sentence?

texts:
Consider this sentence:

  It seems likely that chunking is taking advantage of cues from prosody, the natural rhythms that occur in speech and that make its meaning clearer by separating into coherent phrases the continuous sequence of sounds that make up the normal speech stream.

Is "that" in "and that make its meaning clearer" viewed as a conjunction or viewed together with "and" as an informal grouping used to describe all sort of natural rhythms?

What does "that" in "that make up the normal speech stream" refer to? Is it "coherent phrases" or "sequence of sounds"?


texts: Missing a determiner before countable noun - Sign

texts:
At the following page of Cambridge dictionary is the sentence:

  There was no sign of life in the building.

Why is this sentence without a determiner before sign since the word is countable?

This is the sentence that I would make:

  There was a no sign of life in the building.

I guess it has something to do with the word no.


texts:
I wanted to stress the importance of being bilingual to a friend, so I said "I wouldn't be able to speak to my parents if I couldn't speak Spanish".

Is this grammatically correct? I've been saying stuff like this for a long time, but it suddenly sounded awkward today. I'm not sure if I should use "would" all the way.


texts:
I am looking for a term that describes a specific category of words, as well as some other examples.

For example, the category homonyms.  Homonyms (also called homophones) are words that sound like one another but have different meanings. Some homonyms are spelled the same, like bark (the sound a dog makes) and bark (the outer layer of a tree trunk).

So the category name I am looking for is for words where their word origin is false.  Two examples of these words are sunrise and sunset.  Sunrise and sunset are used to describe the Sun rising or setting over the horizon.  However, the Sun does neither.  The Sun does not move, as the Earth rotates on its axis and causes the appearance of the Sun moving.

What is this category of word called?  And what would be some other examples?


texts: Is "would" correct in the answer "I would not agree on this matter"?

texts:
If I want to  answer this question:

  Would you agree that subjects like science and maths are more difficult than art and literature?

Can I say "I would not agree on this matter"? Why or why not?


texts:
I know the phrase "leaves a lot to be desired" is used frequently in today's English.

But how should we rephrase it when we want to be a little more conservative?:

  it leaves something to be desired

Or

  it leaves some things to be desired

And are (either of) these a good way to say what I'm hoping to?


texts:
Can I blend Future Perfect and future-in-the-past? For example,

He would have served the remainder of his term and leave office in 1990.

It may be confusing since the "would have" structure is also used in the 3rd type of conditionals so the sentence could be misinterpreted (not that he did serve it completely, but that he could serve it if some conditions were met but didn't, at least if the sentence didn't have the second half). The reason I don't want to simply use future-in-the-past is I want to stress that the action was completed.


texts: Reducing adjective clauses to phrases and putting commas

texts:
What is the best choice?

English enthusiasts, the people dedicating most of their spair time to learning the English language, are very interesting and successful people.
English enthusiasts the people, dedicating most of their spair time to learning the English language, are very interesting and successful people.


texts: "Internally" or "from inside" --what to use?

texts:
In this sentence:

  He may look rude but he is very kind from inside / internally.

As a non-native speaker I am very confused about this.

What, in a native speaker's opinion, is best here?

Can I use it the other way around--- from outside or externally?

Thanks in advance


texts:
God is the savior of all us.
God is the savior of all of us.

Do they mean the same thing? Asking because the second one has two of. Is it okay to use it twice in a sentence?


texts:
Why do we need to use the definite article "the" in front of the adjective "first" if the meaning of this sentence is complete without it right there?

  -When I met her for the first time I couldn´t help but fall in love with her.


texts:
"They forbid people to enter their building."
Do we see 'to enter their building' or 'people to enter their building' as the object? And also, even if someone says that the to-inf. is the object complement, and it's just that there is no 'not' in front of the to-inf because if it were so, than the negative meaning doubles; they are just making a mistake in diagnosing their sensation of the negative meanings doubling, because the reason of the sensation is that '(people) to enter their building' is the object of 'forbid', subconscious?


texts:
Read this context:

  Reading all of your speech from a note may give you confidence and ensure that nothing is forgotten or omitted, however it is the least interesting option for delivering your speech. you will find it more difficult to see your audience, and make it harder for them to get ........ to you.

In this context we want to fill the blank with one of this words:

  a. prevented b. puzzled c. distracted d. involved

In the book in which I found this test, the answer is "d. involved". Isn't the preposition of involved "in/with"? Now, why the answer is involved "to"? I thought it the answer is distracted to but it also has not a  appropriate meaning in this context.


texts: What does "he's had it" mean in this context?

texts:
"Arthur, you know Mad-Eye," said Mr. Diggory's head, rolling its eyes again. "Someone creeping into his yard in the dead of night? More likely there's a very shell-shocked cat wandering around somewhere, covered in potato peelings. But if the Improper Use of Magic lot get their hands on Mad-Eye, he's had it -- think of his record -- we've got to get him off on a minor charge, something in your department -- what are exploding dustbins worth?"

The phrase "have it" has a lot of meanings according to dictionaries, such as:

  To take or use something.
  To know something.
  To understand, comprehend, or grasp something.
  To claim or maintain that something is the case.
  To win a vote.

It might have other meanings too. But I can't figure out what it means exactly in this context. How should we understand it in this context?


texts: What does "breathe in romance of the past" mean?

texts:
I have read this sentence in the booklet of tourist attractions:

  ''Visitor can breathe in romance of the past.''

What does it mean? Please explain it to me.


texts:
The girl, whom I love, passes from in front of my house daily.

Is this sentence grammatical? I want to say that a girl goes to her destination but she passes from in front of house on her way. How should I say it? I know something is wrong with the sentence.


texts:
"Not is he brave who kills a tiger, but rather, the real brave man is
the one who controls his anger."

I read this sentence, and it attracted me a lot because of its unique construction, i.e. Not+state verb+ subject..., but the question is if this is grammatical. Although this seems to give much powerful meaning as compared to the following:

"He is not brave who kills a tiger, but rather, the real brave man is
the one who controls his anger."

The usual construction: Subject + state verb+ not...


texts:
I'm an English learner and I read this news below:

  Concussion? Oh, got a little ding on the head, no, no you can't play for the rest of the season. Our people are tough! Trump said.

What's the meaning of "ding on the head"?


texts: "he did not want Sacco and Vanzetti returned"

texts:
Sacco's grandson Spencer believes that Mussolini told President Coolidge that he did not want Sacco and Vanzetti returned to Italy.

I am not sure what part of the sentence is "returned" in my example. Is it the attribute? Is it possible to rewrite my sentence without a change of the meaning in this way:

  Sacco's grandson Spencer believes that Mussolini told President Coolidge that he did not want Sacco and Vanzetti to return to Italy.


texts:
What is the difference between two phrases "Cars of Grab" and "Grab cars"? I used "Cars of Grab" phrase for the subject of the sentence but a native speaker suggested using "Grab cars" instead.

Note: Grab in the phrase is a company which does business in the transportation service.


texts: How to understand the adverb word `declaratively ` in there?

texts:
When I read the document:

  Airship is a collection of loosely coupled but interoperable open source tools that declaratively automate cloud provisioning.

What's the meaning of declaratively? How to understand it in there?


texts: "All items have weight one" or "All items have weights one"

texts:
I'm a little confused about which of the following sentences are correct:

All items have weight one.
All items have weights one.
All items have the weight one.

Similarly, in these sentences:

The weight of all items is one.
The weights of all items are one.

Finally, are these sentences correct?

All items weights are one.
All items' weight is one.


texts: A French character says "What's news?" - is it idiomatic English or a mistake?

texts: In Ken Follett's TV series "World without end" the French Queen says, "What's news!" Is this conversational question correct or is it French put into English?


texts:
To help my students get ready for RSE in English, I go to the official site of the exam and take some materials from there.

Here's a grammar task that makes my feel at a loss.

The story goes about a seagull that was adopted by a man...

  He slept in a cat’s basket, from which he acquired a taste for Whiskas. Since then, Mr. Pooh has learned the sound of the fridge door
  opening.

  He __________________ (LEAVE) the family home, but he can’t resist returning three times a day for his favourite food, announcing his arrival by tapping on the door.

The answer is Past Simple, that is LEFT, but to me there should be Present Perfect. I think so because the actions in the sentence are related to the present.

Would it be relevant to use Present Perfect to underline that eventually the seagull has left the family, but (now) he can't resist visiting the family and (still) sees them for his favourite food?


texts: "Are you able to" vs "Can you" vs "Could you" vs "Would you"

texts:
I don't know what the differences are between these phrases:

Are you able to ...
Would you be able to ...
Can you ...
Could you ....
Would you ....

I am particularly interested in knowing which phrase is best to use when making a request to a superior person at a work place.
What if a manager wants their employee to do something for them?


texts:
I would like to know if there are any other tenses or grammatical structures to use for speaking about the future apart from will (perfect tense included), going to, simple and continuous present.

I mean not the obvious ones. For example, simple present (I could never have imagined it could be used for the future).

  My mom arrives tomorrow.
  I go to the doctor at 4 o'clock this afternoon.


texts:
I have been told that 'you look good' is the perfect compliment to give. Because 'you are looking good' is not colloquial. How correct is it?

For example, if I have to ask others about myself:

How do I look?
How am I looking? (This would be incorrect I guess)

Having said that, I've come across 'you're looking good / nice' kind of dialogues in English movies.

How to differentiate the uses of both?


texts: Using in general at the end of a sentence

texts:
Consider this sentence:

  In this experiment, we just want to corroborate our previous results.

If we want to emphasize that we want to corroborate the results as a whole (e.g., if one or two instances are rejected among 1000 instances, it is still corroborated), can we change it to this:

  In this experiment, we just want to corroborate our previous results in general.

If not, what else can be used?


texts: "May help explain" or "May help to explain"

texts:
I would like to know which of the following sentences would be preferable in American English academic writing:

  Over the past years unemployment increased, which may help explain the increase in crime rates.
  Over the past years unemployment increased, which may help to explain the increase in crime rates.


texts:
More than one student knows the answer.

  More than a student knows the answer.

What the difference between "more than one" and "more than a"?


texts: What do you call these leather straps with metallic ornament worn over a robe? I am guessing this is something only Roman legionaire wore although I am not sure. Is there a word for it?


texts:
What would you do if you knew you would get the same amount of money whether you worked more or worked less?
What would you do if you knew you will get the same amount of money whether you work more or work less?
Are both my sentence correct?
Do they have different in meaning?
Thanks for answering me


texts: Is it natural to say "Ngram Viewer could verify this"?

texts:
From the Cambridge Dictionary

verify: to prove that something exists or is true, or to make certain that something is correct

I guess I understand the meaning of it.  I would just like to make sure I use it correctly.
"scenario of the usage" vs "scenario for the usage" presents a point of view and then says

Ngram Viewer could verify this, especially the examples in those links.

Is it natural to use it that way?


texts: Use of “the” in “the chess of which he was so fond”

texts:
Those were his last games of the chess of which he was so
  fond.  source

I think it should be, "Those were his last games of chess. He was fond
of it."

What I find so strange is this "the" because chess is the name of a table game.


texts:
Most problem children neither like school nor do they feel comfortable there.

  Most problem children neither like school nor feel comfortable there.

Would you please tell me which one is correct?


texts: Something said or done that is meant for you to overhear or notice, but isn't directed toward you

texts:
Say you were bullied by someone as a kid, and they see you years later and say or do something in front of you in a way to remind you of the past, without directly doing or saying it to you. (But they know you will overhear it.)

How do we say this?

  They did it in a __________ way


texts:
1 He said, "When I saw them they were cooking food".

A. He said that when he had seen them, they had been cooking food. (my answer)

B. He said that when he saw them they were cooking food. (Answer sheet's answer)

I read a rule saying, we change past indefinite and past continuous into past perfect and past perfect continuous respectively. So why answer A is incorrect?

2 She said to me, " I was thinking of helping her but changed my mind later on".

A. She told me that she had been thinking of helping him but changed her mind later on.

This is given in book. Here, "was" changed to "had been", but "changed" was not in "had changed". Why so?

3 "He also wanted to know what kind of cigarettes we smoked", said Joe.
A. Joe said that he had also wanted to know what kind of cigarettes we had smoked. (My answer)
B. Joe said that he had also wanted to know what kind of cigarettes we smoked.(Answer sheet's answer)

Indirect speech construction of past tense always confuse me. I have seen sometimes it changes tense, but sometimes its not. So I lose marks in my examination. Can you please help with some example in which cases we change the tense or not.


texts:
In her old age she wanted to buy an annuity, with just enough beyond that so that she could afford to die at home.

I can't understand what is the meaning of "with just enough beyond that" in this sentence. what does that mean?


texts: Grammar for come out in the meaning of expose an opinion publicly

texts:
There's a meaning of come out meaning that someone says whether they agree/disagree with something publicly. There're a couple of examples:

  He came out against the plan.
  In her speech, the senator came out in favour of a change in the law.

My question is whether we can use the phrasal when we're talking about ourselves. For instance, I'm at the meeting where we discussing some techincal topics and I want to disagree with a way my colleague proposed publicly. Can I say something like

  I would come out against it.

Is that grammatically correct?


texts:
I came across a Canadian address, part of which is not familiar to me. What does the bold part mean?

  513 St Clair Ave W, Toronto, ON M6C 1A1


texts: Why can not a verb of "To gulp the glass of water with such thirst" be seen?

texts:
I can not see a verb of "To gulp the glass of water with such thirst"
in the following sentence (Source: http://www.chompchomp.com/terms/phrase.pdf). What does the sentence mean?

  To gulp the glass of water with such thirst that streams of liquid ran down his chin and wet the front of his already sweat soaked shirt.

How is the sentence reconstructed to have a subject and a verb?

Does it mean "Somebody gulp the glass of water with such thirst that streams of liquid ran down his chin and wet the front of his already sweat soaked shirt" ?

What grammars do I need to learn in order to learn how to express sentences like this without the verbs?


texts: "stiffly pop the chain-link net". Does this 'pop' mean 'put or thrust suddenly and forcefully'?

texts:
She turned from the basket and began heading the
other way. “Um-mah,” I cried at her, my irritation
already bubbling over, “the basket’s over here!” After a
few steps she turned around, and from where the
professional three-point line must be now, she
effortlessly flipped the ball up in the air, its flight truer
and higher than I’d witnessed from any boy or man.
The ball curved cleanly into the basket, stiffly popping
the chain-link net. All afternoon, she rained in shot after
shot, as my father and I ran after her.

'pop' has many meanings.
Does this 'pop' mean 'put or thrust suddenly and forcefully'? or Just making a popping sound? or 'hit or strike'? or 'cause to burst with a loud, explosive sound' ? or 'cause to make a sharp explosive sound'?


texts: Is it correct English to write "John he is my husband," or, "Mary she went to the store?"

texts:
Is it correct English to write “John he is my husband,” or, “Mary she went to the store?”

I hear this construction  frequently from TV and Radio Journalists. Is there a name for this construction?


texts: "Up" is adjective or adverb in this context

texts:
Sentences:

  Further up the hill there was a small house.
  Further up in the hill  there was a small house.
  He is up the tree.
  He is up  in the tree.

In example 2 and 4,  up seems to be an adjective, is it so?

Thank you.


texts: please explain "back" in the "to hear back"

texts:
Can you explain to me what grammatical work "back" is doing in the following text:

  I sat in the hall thinking. Could Matt's parents be running an illegal cat farm? What is an illegal cat farm? One that kills cats and sells the meat to bad restaurants? (We'd heard back when we lived in Chicago that one restaurant near a veterinarian stole sick cats and used the meat. It wasn't true, of course, but it grossed out a lot of people. The restaurant finally closed).


texts: When you ask about some photos : "Did you take these?"/"Did you take them?"

texts:
If I ask about some photos that my friend has,
I could ask "Did you take these photos?". But I wonder if these two forms could be used too or only one of them is correct to use.

"Did you take these?"/"Did you take them?"

I edited the 'took' to 'take' :-) Thanks!


texts: Help to understand "her Las Vegas Piece of Me residency billboards"

texts:
I don't quite understand "her Las Vegas Piece of Me residency billboards" in the sentence below.

  The looks are often so showstopping that clients tend to save them for stage performances and fashion shows — Gathercole even designed Britney Spears’s ensembles for all her Las Vegas Piece of Me residency billboards.

Source: Mel B's totally see-through jumpsuit will make you do a double take

"Piece of Me" should be the title of something. In fact, the part I don't get is "residency billboards".


texts:
My mother tongue, Korean, has no sounds for /ӕ/ and /ɑ/; ㅐ and ㅏ are a bit similar to each of them respectively. So it’s very hard to catch those sounds. Would you let me know what sound does the audio make for valuable?

/vӕljuəbl/
/vɑljuəbl/


texts: My speech continues vs my speech is continuing

texts:
When I was watching a film festival program on television, Mr. Sharuk Khan (Indian actor) was giving a speech in Bengali (local language) not fluently and in English fluently.  First, he starts speaking Bengali little with difficulty then changes to English rest of the time.  While speaking English.  He pauses and says "My Bengali speech continues, has not stopped yet".  Saying this, he goes on speaking Bengali and English.  This is the context.
Now my question is:

Why does he use "My Bengali speech continues" in present simple tense and not "My Bengali speech is continuing" in present progressive tense?  Also, I see these types of sentences in news headlines such as "Fight over demonetisation continues in parliament" so in this case why is simple present used and why is not continuous "Fight over demonetisation is continuing in parliament" not used?


texts: Adjective ‘Half’ & past participle ‘halved’

texts: When is adjective or determiner Half used and, when is past participle modifier halved used attributively?


texts: Is this a correct phrase in terms of sequence of tenses?

texts:
Is this sentence correct in terms of sequence of tenses?

While he is working I decided to make supper for him.

As I understand it, we can use the past tense when speaking about the current time in terms of immediate action. So this means that "Right now I decided to make supper for him while he is working".
Do both sentences need to be in the past only? What if we are speaking about the present?
I just imagine a situation where a young lady is making supper for her husband when her friend comes up to her and asks, "What are you doing?" and she answers, "I decided to make supper for my husband while he is busy working".


texts: how to distinguish between "of which" and "which"?

texts:
A. One can produce fluent speech of which it is difficult to make sound.
B. One can produce fluent speech  which is difficult to make sound.

I wonder if there is any difference in meaning  between these. I am wondering what the word "it" refers to.
I would like to say:

Fluent speech is difficult to comprehend by listening to it.

. . . .

“The type of language disorder that results in difficulties in auditory comprehension is sometimes called "sensory aphasia," but is more commonly known as Wernicke's aphasia. Someone suffering from this disorder can actually produce very fluent speech which is, however, often difficult to make sense of. Very general terms are used, even in response to specific requests for information, as in this sample: I can't talk all of the things I do, and part of the part I can go alright, but I can't tell from the other people.”

Excerpt From: George Yule. “The Study Of Language.” iBooks.


texts: Is it clear and natural to use "has to do with" to mean "related"?

texts:
I'm aware of the meaning of "be/have something to do with sth", which is

to be related to something or a cause of something but not in a way that you know about or understand exactly

A tutorial uses a similar phrase

this is all the data
that has to do with this particular bubble.

I understand it means

this is all the data
that is related to this particular bubble.

The question is whether it's clear and natural to say "has to do with" in this context?


texts: In what situation ‘that’s fine’ is an appropriate answer to the question?

texts: I often get confused with the reply ‘ that’s fine’.I exactly don’t know the situations that the answer is applicable.


texts:
I think I can say

  An HTML web page, in contrast with a plain text, is commonly referred to as a semi-structured data source.

Now if the apposition is too long can I say

  An HTML web page is commonly referred to as a semi-structured data source, in contrast with a plain text which is considered an unstructured data source.


texts: I am working in company name or at company name?

texts:
Please help me figure out this one.

  "I am working in [company name]"

  "I am working at [company name]"

Which one is correct? In or at?


texts: Meaning of "show up on the scale" in context

texts:
It is from this video. It is at around 2 minute and 7 second.

  So, exercise is the single best thing you can do for yourself, but if you think it is going to show up on the scale, think again.

I am aware of what the phrasal verb show up means, I cannot get what the speaker means by that whole piece.


texts: Need clarification on grammar and correct use of the shop word

texts:
I'm trying to fill the meta tag description. The difficulty is that Google sets a limit on the maximum number of characters or keywords which allowed.

  Buy Marshall Mode EQ headphones online from a gadget store in bulk and wholesale with PayPal at low prices in USA and Europe. Marshall Mode EQ description, characteristics, reviews.

Is it allowed to use the words "shop" or "store" in relation to online sales? Does this word imply that the store should be located physically?


texts: what is the difference between 'approve' and 'approbate'?

texts:
Could you explain difference between them such as usage?
In my dictionary, both have almost the same meaning.
I cannot understand exactly.


texts: Which propositions should follow the noun "cost" in different context?

texts:
Recently I find myself struggling with choosing the appropriate proposition in a certain context. One of my worst nightmares is the propositions followed by "cost" and how they differ in meanings. The following are specific questions:

I know that 'college costs' and 'school costs' mean the money one spends on going to school or going to college, which may involve tuition fees, cost of food and cost of living, etc. However, does "the cost of school" means the money a student or a parent spends on the school or does it mean the money that the school spends on something else to keep it running, such as teachers' and administrators' salaries. Or perhaps to express the latter, we should say " the cost of the school"? Perhaps in the former case, "school/college" represents the act of going to school, while in the latter case, it literally means a school? I feel like my brain is kind of in a knot already. What about "the school's cost"? What does this refer to?
I saw these two sentences today in an IELTS writing practise book. They go like this:

  Teachers' salaries constitute the largest costs to the school.

  The spending on insurance saw a notable upward trend while the costs
  on books decreased slightly.

(I think there's something off with these two sentences, so I prefer to change the first sentence into: Teachers’ salaries constitute the biggest expenses for the school.
and the second into: ...while the costs of books decreased slightly.)

Anyway, that leads me to my second puzzle. I looked up the word "cost" in Longman dictionary (https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/cost), and none of its example sentences match this word with any propositions other than "of", except for in a few rare examples such as "A company hired to do telemarketing ups the cost to as much as 40 percent."

So, does that mean the two sentences in the practice books are wrong? If that is so, what are some more idiomatic ways to express them?


texts: "I work" vs "I am working" / "I live" vs "I am living"?

texts:
I just watched two IELTS speaking videos. The first one's result is 8.5-9.0 and the second one's result is 9.0.

IELTS speaking Band Score 8.5-9.0: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzzOowpCryw

IELTS speaking Band Score 9.0: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjrlnyFKVKU

In the first video, there is this simple question:

A: ...Do you work or study?
B: I am still studying in my final year

In the second video, there is more or less the same kind of question:

A: ...Where do you live in your country?
B: I live in Hyderabad....

I asked my two British native friends. One said it should be "I am working" or "I am living", but the other one said both of those are fine.

So my question is which one is better to answer such question?

"I work" vs "I am working" ?
"I live" vs "I am living" ?


texts: What does "with a balcony same size as the room" mean?

texts:
I didn't like the tiny size of the room we were given with a balcony
  same size as the room.

What does this sentence mean? Does it mean:

  I didn't like the tiny size of the room that we had. The room's size was the same as that of a balcony.

or

  I didn't like the tiny size of the room we had. The room had a balcony, and the balcony's size was the same as that of the room.

I think the latter one is correct, but I want to be sure.

I read this somewhere from a review website. It's not clear where I read it because it's been a while. I didn't understand it clearly then, so I wrote it down and I'm asking about its meaning now.


texts:
I have downloaded a lots of youtube music song in my computer.

I played them to my son.

It's going to be bed soon and I was telling him that was the last one.

He refused and wanted to watch more.

  "You have been watching too much music song/monitor?"

Would it sound awkward for using these word?


texts:
E.g.

  If you thought that we only notice women who grace the covers of
  prestigious fashion magazines, you’ve been mistaken.

or

  If you thought we only notice women who grace the covers of
  prestigious fashion magazines, you’ve been mistaken.

How do I know when "that" is OK to use and when not? Can anybody explain that? Are there any "tricks" how can I be sure that "that" is needed or not?


texts: Do I have to translate “closest companion” to “wife” in this passage?

texts:
Writing to the woman who would become his third wife, Hermann Hesse complained: “Life for me now holds almost no pleasures any more, in fact I am living in Hell.” The event that had reduced Hesse to this state of near-despair was that his wife-to-be Ninon Dolbin had moved some of his books without his permission. For him this was an intolerable disruption of the orderly existence he believed essential to a writer who had detached himself from the world. His independence required that he hold all of humankind, and even his closest companion  , at a rigorously policed distance. Accordingly, although the two of them lived under the same roof, he communicated with Ninon mainly in writing. As his latest biographer, Gunnar Decker, relates: ...........

Does “closest companion” has to be translated to “wife” during translation to a different language? Or even if not, does it still have to be conveying or implying the word “wife” ??