texts: What does "in a nut shell" mean in this context?

texts:
I know what a nut shell is:

But what is its meaning in this sentence:

  In a nut shell I'm trapped mentally and physically.

In this a common expression? Does it mean that he's closed in himself?


texts:
Oscar Wilde —  Bigamy is having one wife too many. Monogamy is the same.

I would like to ask if I can paraphrase the first part of the aphorism  without a change of the meaning into: Bigamy is having one wife in addition to that. The phrase "having one wife too many" seems to me a little bit unusual. Is it Wilde's licence or is it standard English?


texts:
Could someone explain to me the meaning of this phrase in English language?

  This, of course, applies in spades to a complete Pattern Language

I especially refer to that applies in spades thing. Of course, I understand what each word means separately, but I do not understand what all that together means.

I found that sentence here.


texts:
Hitler’s confidant Albert Speer certainly believed the prejudice was a remnant from his Austro-Hungarian days which Hitler should have out-grown.Source: Hitler: Study of a Revolutionary?
   By Martyn Housden

How do you understand this sentence? To which noun is "which" connected? I think it’s connected to "prejudice". Can we conclude from the sentence that Speer thinks that Hitler should have gotten rid of the prejudice?


texts: Does she have or has she got? Which one is correct?

texts:
I'm not sure which one is correct. I had read that "does have" is more likely used in American English and "has got" in British English. But which one of these is correct?

  What kind of hobbies does Jessica have?

  What kind of hobbies has Jessica got?


texts: If it has a common name, what's a big water bottle called?

texts:
The question is clear. If it has a proper common name, what's a big water bottle exactly like those in the picture bellow called?

You can say that there is no common proper word for that, as you can't force one to exist if it doesn't. You can then just state how's it referred to. Note that I'm asking for a word that people would normally use, not some obscure term. The answer is therefore pretty much straightforward, except, say if there's a dialect issue.

The Portuguese word (from Portugal, not Brazil) "garrafão" might just have no equivalent in English. The word "demijohn" certainly must not be it, since an image search for that word reveals far different results from the object in question and shows how all the dictionaries that translate it as such may be wrong in that sense. "Carboy" doesn't seem to fit either. These are just common water bottles from the supermarket, typically of 5 liters.


texts: "The" before a superlative adjective: why there is no definite article in "Your woodwork was worst of all"

texts:
I'd like to know, if you could tell me this :D
So, there's this sentence:

  Your woodwork was worst of all.

And there's the other one:

  The 4th of July was (the?) hottest day this summer.

I wonder why there is no "the" in the first one? And why in the second one there is?

English is not my native language, so can someone explain it to me in the most simple way? :D Thank you


texts:
They use job descriptions and person specifications.

What this sentence means and whether it's logical is beyond the point.

My question is the following: What happens to the stress in the word 'specifications'? Does it move back to the front of the word?

I can't find the rule for the 'noun + longer noun' pattern i.e. for words with a main and secondary stress.

  'PErson(noun) 'specifiˌcations (longer noun)

OR

  'PErson(noun) ˌspecifi'cations (longer noun)

OR

  'person(noun) 'SPEcifiˌcations (longer noun)

I'm talking about the phrase 'person specifications' employed in a coherent sentence where I'm providing new information to the speaker without any emphasis on any specific words. Which one is the correct version? I wouldn't mind some link or screenshot to back up your claims, but if it can't be provided, then by all means tell me what's your take on this.


texts:
As you know, a tutor as a noun means:

  "someone who gives private lessons to one pupil or a very small group of pupils."

1) Here I need to know whether omitting the adjective "private" or adding it to a noun, would change the meaning? In other words are the phrases: private tutor and tutor mean the same for a person who teaches privately both in AmE and BrE?

2) A tutor only teaches a "pupil" or a university student can get a private tutor too?

Tutor as a verb means:

  "to teach by working with one student or a small group, esp. one which needs special help."

3) the third question is that whether if I work as a private tutor (as my business for make a living) just saying:

  I tutor in advanced math.

Would normally indicate that I teach them as a private tutor or I have to say something like:

  I tutor privately in advanced math.


texts:
I'm not native English speaker and I'm confused about the two following options:

Should I use the possessive apostrophe or not?

Option no.1:  They help in carrying oxygen to the body's cells.
Option no.2:  They help In carrying oxygen to the body cells.


texts:
Amy Lee is outstanding because she fronts an otherwise male rock group (Evanescence).

I don't understand properly the whole phrase and what does "an otherwise male rock group" especially the word "an otherwise" here precisely mean?


texts:
I have been reading "The Plague" by Camus. In here,  there is a sentence

"When they forgot the lives which until now it had been given them to lead. "

I think "given to them" should come as it makes more sense or I am wrong and the translator of the book is right. Need help


texts:
From the Big Lebowski movie: "Your wheel! At fifteen em-pee-aitch I roll out! I double back, grab one of 'em and beat it out of him! The uzi!".

I assume that's some kind of military slang?


texts: The use of adjective + noun between as and as

texts:
I woul like to ask whether the following sentence is correct:
“Tourism plays as an important role as export in determing economic growth”
Is it possible to use adjective + noun between as and as

Thank you in advance


texts: What does "does anything penetrate that thick skull of yours" mean?

texts:
'Orange. Tell me, boy, does anything penetrate that thick skull of yours? Didn't you hear me say, quite clearly, that only one rat spleen was needed? ...'

As I know, "thick skull" means "slow to learn; stupid". But what does "does anything penetrate that thick skull of yours" imply? Does it mean he had learnt something wrong or something got into one's thick skull and made him crazy/abnormal or something? What does it mean exactly?

-- From Harry Potter.


texts: "An A" or "The A"? Questions about articles with grades

texts:
If a teacher said a score of A is only for one student, should I say "I got an A" or "I got the A"?

If a teacher said he can give me pencils up to 3, although I have one pencil, I can get 3 pencils or 2? And if I mean 2 pencils, what is the sentence to be?


texts:
Please tell me the difference, even if a little, between the following sentences. I have looked at previous threads on this issue, but they don't address all the three prepositions at once. So please help me.

It has rained in the last five days.
It has rained over the last five days.
It has rained during the last five days.


texts: Can I use "I don't see it" to mean "I don't agree" here?

texts:
Guy 1: She don't think we should see each other anymore.

Guy 2: Well, maybe it's for the best.

Guy 1: I don't see it.

Is "I don't see it." natural here to mean "I don't agree."?


texts: C. T. Onions' Five Forms of the Predicates

texts:
3rd Form: The predicate consists of (1) a verb and (2) an object, which denotes the person or thing which the action of the verb ‘passes over.’
–– C. T. Onions

What does ‘passes over’ mean?


texts:
  "Is he always that nervous?"        "Oh,
  yeah. Poor bloke. Brilliant mind. He was fine while he was studyin'
  outta books but then he took a year off ter get some firsthand
  experience. . . . They say he met vampires in the Black Forest, and
  there was a nasty bit o' trouble with a hag –– never been the same
  since. Scared of the students, scared of his own subject now, where's
  me umbrella?"  (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

‘Nasty’ has the meaning of ‘very serious’, ‘bit’ ‘a small amount’ or ‘a large amount’. Then what does ‘a nasty bit of’ mean?


texts:
Is there any difference between the following sentences?

The ladder is metal.
The ladder is metallic.
The ladder is made of metal.

I have read the construction "to be [material]" for the first time today and it sounded odd to me. It does not make sense literally, but I assume that it must be idiomatic.


texts: What does 'agreed' modify in the sentence?

texts:
De Soto argues that, within many of the extralegal markets of the developing world, mutually agreed upon rules for distributing assets and recognizing property rights already exist.

I don't understand what 'agreed' modifies in the sentence, and what is the verb in the 'that' clause, which is the object of the verb 'argues'.


texts: Superstitious - How to use with a person's name?

texts:
Below mentioned is an excerpts from Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.

What is the meaning of the bolded phrase below? I know what superstitious means, but I don't understand how it can be used with a person.

  She had a large connection, because she was very honest and always stuck to her price: there was no higgling to be done with her. She was a woman of few words and very shy and reserved. But Raskolnikoff was very superstitious, and traces of this remained in him long after.


texts: Is it idiomatic to say "are you faking eating something?"?

texts:
fake

  1 [transitive] fake something to make something false appear to be real, especially in order to cheat somebody

  She faked her mother's signature on the document.

  He arranged the accident in order to fake his own death.

  2[transitive, intransitive] fake (something) to pretend to
  have a particular feeling, illness, etc.

  She's not really sick—she's just faking it.

  He faked a yawn.

Your child is pretending to eat something.

Is it idiomatic to say "are you faking eating something?" because your child may not understand the formal verb "pretend" ?


texts: Noun meaning "location of incident" or "location of attack"

texts:
Is there a noun that means or is synonymous with "location of incident" or "location of attack"? Preferably a countable noun, for talking about multiple of these locations. For example:

  You need to gather evidence from (these locations).


texts: What do I do now? Punt! -- what exactly is meant by "punt" here?

texts:
This a dialogue from the movie The Secret of My Success (1987)

Short background story: a young guy from Kansas moves to New York City in high hopes that he will build a more interesting and financially better life. He's already got a job there and the following is what happens to him on his first day of work as he shows up at the office.

  — Hi, I'm Brantley Foster from Kansas. You hired me. I start work here today.
  — You're fired, kid. Sorry. We all saw it coming, but we looked for some kind of miracle. Miracle never happened.
  — What did happen?
  — Hostile takeover. Ninety percent of the people in this building are out on the street. You are one of those ninety percent. Tough break.
  — Mr. Forbush, I was counting on this job. What do I do now?
  — Punt! (and he leaves)

I don't seem to be able to figure out what exactly Mr. Forbush, the boss of the company that just went out of business, means by that.


texts: answering "Yes" or "No" for a question "She doesn't hate me, right?"

texts:
I am not a native English speaker. It is very confusing how to answering "Yes." or "No." for a negative question with "right?" added at the end.

  Tom: She doesn't hate me, right?

  Tom's Friend: 1. Yes. 2. No.

Let's say, Tom's friend said "yes". If the "yes" is for the part of the question before "right", it means she hates Tom. But if the "yes" is interpreted as an answer for "right?" part, it sounds like she doesn't hate Tom.

Which is right?
A lot of thanks to you for the help.


texts: In this sentence, is the use of the word "enter" correct?

texts:
"Vitamins don't enter in the structure of tissues"
I've never come across a native that uses the word enter in this context, so I want to make sure it's correct.


texts:
"There must be some kind of story or legend behind it[=entrance
  stone]. Maybe it's famous and on display at a shrine or
  someplace." "It could be, I suppose." "Or maybe it's just in
  some house, and people use it as a weight when they make pickles."
  "No, that's not possible." "Why not?" "Because nobody can
  move the stone." "Nobody except you, you mean." "Yes, I
  think Nakata probably can." "After you move it, then what?"
  Nakata did an uncharacteristic thing––he pondered this for a good long
  time. At least he looked like he was, briskly rubbing his short,
  salt-and-pepper hair. "I don't really know about that," he
  finally said. "All I know is it's about time somebody moved
  it." Hoshino did some pondering himself. "And that somebody's
  you, right? At least for now." (Kafka on the Shore, tr. by Philip
  Gabriel)

Why is moved a past form; is it a kind of subjunctive?


texts: How to describe such a brick wall, tiny cracks in it and the other side of the wall cannot be seen throgh the cracks?

texts:
I am trying to describe a brick wall in which there are some tiny cracks and they are not broken apart. In other words, the other side of the wall cannot be seen throgh the cracks.

I googled "cracked brick" and got lots of images, this one (img_1) almost meets my need

which suggests that "crack" might be suitable.

I also googled "crumbled brick" and got something like this (img_2)

which indicates "crumbled" is far away to describe my need.

How to describe such a brick wall?


texts: Position of "with the same name" in sentence

texts:
I wrote:

  Unlike global variables, if there is already a local variable in the list, with the same name of as a new variable, the old variable isn’t replaced.

I thought maybe the distance between "with the same name..." is long. So, I wrote:

  Unlike global variables, if a local variable with the same name of as a new variable already exists in the list, the old variable isn’t replaced.

Are both sentences equivalent? Which is more fluent?


texts: "decision being made" What piece of grammar is it?

texts:
Here is a few examples of sentences with "decision being made":

www.bbc.co.uk: PESTEC factors could have an impact on the decision being made, for example ...
www.co-intelligence.org: When I first saw a decision being made without any decision-making I was trapped ...

What piece of grammar is used here?


texts:
what is the meaning of "so broken of my rest" in this context?

  On Friday night, March 31st, 1848, we concluded to go to bed early and
  not permit ourselves to be disturbed by the noises, but try and get a
  night's rest. My husband was here on all these occasions, heard the
  noises, and helped search. It was very early when we went to bed on
  this night – hardly dark. I had been so broken of my rest I was
  almost sick. My husband had not gone to bed when we first heard the
  noise on this evening. I had just lain down. It commenced as usual. I
  knew it from all other noises I had ever heard before. The children,
  who slept in the other bed in the room, heard the rapping, and tried
  to make similar sounds by snapping their fingers.


texts: Selling of properties has or have increased

texts:
The selling of properties in the country have increased rapidly.

Shoud I use have increased or has increased?


texts: 'Get STH over with' and 'get over with STH'

texts:
Now I understood why I need to use 'with' when I use this phrasal verb as a meaning of 'to finish STH which is mostly the speaker does not want to do'

But I'm still confused by this thing

Why I have to put STH between the verb and particle?
Is it kind of just a rule I have to follow?

I have learned that if DO is not a pronoun I can put the DO both of between the phrasal verb or end of.


texts: Is "I left the pub with my friend, Simon and Terry." ambiguous?

texts:
I left the pub with my friend, Simon and Terry.

I think this sentence can be understood from two ways:

I left the pub with two people (My friend Simon and Terry).
I left the pub with three people (my unnamed friend, Simon and Terry).

Is this sentence ambiguous? If it is, how to improve it to make it clear? If not, what does it mean?


texts:
"Instead, he smiled ingratiatingly and confided: 'My master, he say: invite the young lady to go riding.'"

This is a quotation from Angela Carter's The Tiger's Bride.
Reading this book, I could not understand why "say" does not have a third person singular s. And also it does not use the past tense.

Could someone explain to me?


texts: "My heart beat wildly" or "My heart beat strongly"?

texts: Are there any differences between "My heart beat wildly" and "My heart beat strongly"?


texts: one who says whatever men does is right / men can do this but not women

texts: Similar to Male chauvinist (one who thinks men is superior), what is the word for a person who says, "Men can do this but not women" or "whatever a male does is correct"


texts: Can "n years old" describe things, or only people?

texts:
My company started 3 years ago.

My company was founded 3 years ago.

but what about
My company is 3 years old., or My company is 3 years.?
Probably both are wrong.
But is there any other way of saying the age of a company or an object (ex: this table is two years old' also sounds awkward) in the same fashion of a person's age?


texts:
Is the mighty "shall", which in my opinion is much stronger in obligation than "must", still in use?

I would like to start using it in daily speech and in writing.


texts:
I just arrived to New York city with a bag full of tank tops and shorts ... Amanda Cerny

Can we use to with arrive verb? or we should use at?

  I just arrived at New York city ...


texts: I study in Honolulu. A few days ago, a tourist asked me "Do you live here?", so I answered "Yes." Then she said "What a life!" On hearing that, I thought it meant "what a great life!" because, you know, many think Hawaii is a great place to live, which is true. But the dictionary says it has the opposite meaning. What did she mean by saying that?


texts: Is it natural to say "feel embarrassed"?

texts:
Guy 1: So how are you? It's been a long time.
Guy 2: I'm okay. Yeah, I just feel a little embarrassed about everything that happened last time. I hope you can forgive me.
Is the use of "feel" natural here? Or would it be much more natural if the sentence was "Yeah, I'm just a little embarrassed about everything that happened last time."?


texts:
What does ‘by’ mean in the following context. I took the following extract from answer.yahoo.com, on an attempt of defining the meaning of “time-sensitive”. One user defined it as following;

“It means that there is a given amount of time to have it in by.”

But I have trouble to understand the part which is labeled in bold.


texts:
I wrote:

  Multiple conditions of either ContextMatching or NodeMatching type can be combined using logical operators (and, or) to form a single condition for each rule.

I want to say both types are possible to be combined in a rule. Does it mean what I expect? because I thought "either" could be exclusive.


texts: What do they mean when they say “ by the domain”

texts: I am a foreigner and I am not sure that I understand the meaning of “ Hotels North Austin by the Domain” Does this mean that hotels in this area are under some form of control of the government/state ?


texts: The meaning of the context: passive to active voice

texts:
Our study suggests that those factors in mission statements that are most associated with financial performance can be viewed as indicators of a socially responsible company.

(The above sentence is from a journal)

I have a hard time trying to understand the meaning of the sentence,

that are most associated with financial performance modifies "factors" instead of the preceding noun "mission statements" , is that right?

Can the sentence be viewed in active voice?:

  We can view those factors in mission statements that are most associated with financial performance as indicators of a socially responsible company.


texts: Present tense to emphasize the fact that it would not change

texts:
I know that the eternal truth has to be written in the present tense. For example,

Lulu explained that the sun is very hot.

Could I say something like this?:

I told you that he doesn't like the coke.

The fact that he likes coke is not the eternal truth as he might change his mind someday. However, to emphasize the fact that it is very unlikely for him to change his opinion, could I express it as the present tense?


texts:
They are shorter than me and lean
They are shorter than me and are lean
They are shorter than me and they are lean

Which one of this grammatically correct?


texts: Is there a verb opposite to "slow down?"

texts:
I'm searching for a word that means "accelerate" but should be made of the word "fast" and would be opposite of "slow down." Something like "fast up."

Example:

Insulin slows down the breakdown of glycogen.

Insulin fasts up the synthesis of glycogen.

If the word "fast" cannot be used, what would be the most appropriate other word, except accelerate, in the above example? "Speed up?"


texts: Who's the subject of this predicate in this letter? (1575 Late April, UK)

texts:
Source: p 101, Lives and letters of the Devereux, earls of Essex, by Walter Bourchier Devereux

  [p 100 states that this letter was undated, but the penultimate sentence on p99 (ie the last sentence of the previous letter) contains 1575, so I think that this was the year.] No XVIII.’
  The Queen to Essex.

  Right trusty and well beloved Cousin, greeting. Having
  seen certain offers and requests made by you unto our Deputy
  in your letter of the 15th of this present directed to our Council, by the which you do not only shew yourself providently
  careful to avoid the inconvenience that might have ensued by
  the sudden giving over of the enterprize for the reformation
  of Ulster, but also, for the preventing of such mischiefs as
  were likely to ensue thereby, was content to spoil yourself of
  that reputation that birth and desert hath cast upon you,
  offering to serve under our Deputy there in place not answerable to your state and calling; ...

How do you determine/deduce the subject of the predicate starting with was? It can't be the greyed you, bcecauseyou requires a plural verb. Yet I still believe that the Queen is referring to Earl, because she is discussing how the Earl wills to forgo his reputation to 'serve under our Deputy' in a place beneath his noble 'state and calling'?


texts:
I want to know the meaning in this sentence :

  " Sorry isn't gonna cut the cheese this time "

the meaning of this slang doesn't make sense
in this example . I know cut the cheese means  release intestinal gas

Does it have another meaning ?


texts:
I just read an article and found below sentence. I'm little bit confused about this sentence .

"It is not uncommon to have slides like that," she said.

Instead of using not uncommon author can use common ?


texts: Difference between "why" and "what for"?

texts: What is the difference between "why" and "what for"? Can they be used interchangeably?


texts: When to use plural form of nouns(pause/increase)?

texts:
Even the ruling party has been calling for pauses in the increases. The minimum wage went up 16.4 percent last year and another 10.9 percent this year to reach 8,350 won under the government's promise to boost the hourly minimum wage to 10,000 won.

It's an excerpt from a news article, and I'm not sure about when to use singular/plural.
Here, it says "pauses" and "increases" but would it be incorrect to write "pause" and "increase"?

Is the usage of singular/plural different from word to word and there's no specific rule applied to all kinds of nouns? Cause I'm always confused when should or shouldn't I use singular/plural nouns in a sentence.


texts:
The original question is here but it's still unclear to me.

  We have branches in select cities.
   We have branches in selected cities.

My homework: I asked this to a person who's master in English. He suggested this -

  Use 'select' when things are really outstanding and very very unique. The metro rail in India is available in select cities. Rest for everything, it's 'selected' especially discounted items and/or outlets of any brand in cities and towns.

By placing *'branches' in select cities the brand did nothing to the cities and there's no city with very unique quality in this matter. It'll be 'selected cities'. Had it been the Olympic Committee's matter, we would have said, "They organize the event in select countries."

Clarification with references and examples please.


texts:
Your personal data is governed by any privacy policy which may be in
  effect on the Site from time-to-time, as may be amended from
  time-to-time.

I read this from a terms of use. What does "as may be" mean? Does this mean:

  ... is governed by the privacy policy which may be in effect on the
  Site from time-to-time. This privacy policy may be amended from
  time-to-time.

Or

  ... is governed by the privacy policy which may be in effect on the
  Site from time-to-time when this privacy policy is amended from
  time-to-time.


texts: Can I connect two verbs with 'as well as'?

texts:
I want to make a sentence like this:

  He has an important role in the system in that he 'verb phrase 1', as well as 'verb phrase 2'.

Is the usage of 'as well as' right here?

I think I've seen the use of it just to parallel two nouns or sentences. Here, I want to concentrate on 'verb phrase 1' more than 'verb phrase 2'.

Thank you for your help :)


texts: What does "same same but different" mean?

texts:
A friend of mine asked what "same same but different" meant. The context was in an essay called Same-same, but different on the Japan Times website:

  One Indochinese term we all learned was the saying "Same-same, but
  different." It might just look like four words that contradict each
  other, but this one phrase perfectly described our experiences. Each
  of the countries we visited would use the same herbs in different
  ways, or have ways of bargaining that were similar, yet different.
  Even among our group, we all spoke English, but in many different
  ways.

  After my tour, I carried on to Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan on my own.
  The idea of "same-same, but different" continued. Each of these Asian
  countries had similar foods, languages and writing, but all had put
  their own unique twist on it.

Is it derived from Tinglish, a broken form of English from Thailand?

  same same but different (seems similar but different in some ways)


texts: Does "without" pronounce like "with 'out" or "wi 'thout"?

texts:
I don't know which version is correct.

"Without"'s phonetic symbol is /wɪð'aʊt/. Should I pronounce it like "with 'out" because the stree mark 'is before aʊ instead before ð, or should I pronounce it like "wi thout" because I should pronounce it continuously?


texts: How to use the construction 'most unfortunately' properly ?

texts:
Example: 'Most unfortunately, I haven't found anything.' - the adverb is used as an introductory phrase and has the meaning of an empathy and sorrow.  - is it correct?

I know that it can be used like: 'the most unfortunately named places'
'the most unfortunately placed ads'
to describe all the awkwardness of the way something was done.

Can you please explain if the first example of usage is correct?


texts: Using the verb "inundate" in everyday speech in transitive and intransitive forms

texts:
We know that the verb inundate (a mostly formal verb,) means:

To overwhelm someone with things or people to be dealt with. For instance:

We've been inundated with complaints from listeners.
I'm inundated with lots of phone calls today.

But the question is that whether it would sound natural in a not formal case such as everyday normal speeches to say i.e:

  (InT) I am inundated with lots of tasks.

or

  (T) -- Yesterday, my boss inundated me with tons of tasks.

Do they sound normal and idiomatic in everyday speech? If not, please let me know that what shall I use instead?

Meanwhile, I doubt if the verb can be used in an active form and according to the definitions it seems that you usually use it in a passive form. Do you confirm it?


texts: "Believe in an afterlife" or "believe in the afterlife"?

texts:
Could you tell which article I use after afterlife: an or the? For example:

Do you believe in an afterlife?
Do you believe in the afterlife?

I have seen both used before afterlife, but I can't figure out the logic of using one but not the other. Is it just a matter of style?


texts: Is there an adjective that means that something is part of the lore? The word "lore-friendly" means something isn't in contradiction with the lore, but it doesn't necessarily mean something was mentioned in the book. Is there a word that's specifically tailored to mean the latter? I can't think of a single word that means that, but I swear there's a word for it.


texts: Can the word Spill be used with a subject?

texts: When you use the word spill to convey how someone spilled coffee or something. There's always a subject. If someone said "Don't put the cup there. The coffee could spill.", instead of "Don't put the cup there, you could spill it.", would it be grammatically incorrect?


texts: What does this phrase "hit home" stand for in the context mentioned below?

texts:
I looked up the phrase "hit home" in the Oxford, Cambridge dictionary, and Webster online dictionaries but I didn't find anything that can help me to understand what this phrase "hit home" means in this context. Could you please help me?

  This is a LONG answer — the question hits home on a classic example
  of the English language’s tendency for exceptions. It causes lots of
  confusion even for native speakers.

Here is the link to Quora where this phrase comes from

Also, What does the writer mean by e "a classic example of the English language’s tendency for exceptions"?


texts: Is there any term to define a 'fake smile' in font of media/camera?

texts:
This is quite common with celebrities or page-3 personalities. They often smile falsely when in front of media (so as to come happy and photogenic!).

Is there any particular term for the 'smile for media'?

Note: I know the phrase 'reluctant smile' but then it refers to unwillingness and this smile is immediately caught by the opposite person. On the other hand 'media smile' is difficult to catch as it comes so natural (maybe, they are, after all, actors!).

I can say, No matter what has happened in her personal life, in her last photo, she had a media smile (not a reluctant smile, it does not fit or convey the message) on her face with no difficulty.


texts: "I should not be alive, if it wasn't for a reason"- Is the "was" appropriate here?

texts:
I should not be alive, if it wasn't for a reason.

I think, this "was" should be "is" as the speaker is still quite alive and speaking the sentence. Am I incorrect in this interpretation?


texts:
In the dictionary,

  naked [more naked; most naked] : not wearing any clothes : not
  covered by clothing

  a naked [=nude] man

  the naked human body

  her naked [=(more commonly) bare] shoulders

  He was naked from the waist up.

  The prisoners were stripped naked. [=all of their clothes were taken
  off]

  She was half naked [=partly dressed] when the doorbell rang.

  He's stark naked. [=he's completely naked]

So, if a girl has no clothes whatsoever on, we can say "she is naked"

What if she has no clothes from her waist all the way up to her neck but still has clothes from the waist down to the feet? How to express in that situation?

or she has no clothes from her waist all the way down to the feet but still has clothes from the waist up to her neck?

or she is wearing a dress or skirt but wearing no pants or underwear?

She can say "she is half-naked" but that is not so clear.

How to express "naked" in different situations?


texts: What does "For all the talk about change" mean?

texts:
Does it mean "He just talks, he doesn't do anything"?

"I sometimes call Trump the 'placebo president,'" Cowen says. "For all the talk about change, so far he's shown he can't get anything done."

Source: http://money.cnn.com/2017/04/12/news/economy/us-economy-big-problem-tyler-cowen/index.html?iid=SF_LN


texts:
Recently I have noticed that, in a casual conversation, I tend to end a lot of alternative type questions with ‘or’ followed by a short pause, during which I would wait the other people to response with an answer. Probably because I don’t know what to say for the other alternatives and expect the other person to fill the gap. To clarify with two examples:

  A: Are you conducting these surveys for your doctorate degree? Or ...
  B: Oh no, it’s just a pastime.

  A: Now that we are here, which one do you want to try first? The slide, roller coaster or...
  B: Let’s go on the Ferris wheel.

Do native speakers do this? Or do I need something after ‘or’, like ‘what/something’ for example?


texts: First of all, I know "going to home" is grammatically incorrect, but what about this sentence: " I'm on a plane to home" meaning I'm currently on a plane and heading home. If I not use "to" that sentence looks just bad, maybe because there is no verb in it?


texts: Can I say "there are three pockets (for) this bag" ? Or should I say (to or in or on)?

texts:
I've been teaching English for 2 months now, and there is this exercise that asks:

  There are two pockets ____ the bag.

The answer in the Answer Key notes is ON.

My students are adults so they tend to argue and I want to give them a correct answer and we have had a debate on that.


texts: What is the difference between influence peddling and lobbying?

texts:
In my country influence peddling is called traffic of influence, it is considered a crime, and punished accordingly.

As regards lobbying, there's no such a thing as this in my language, let alone a law that would define it. However, lest you judge me too harshly, let me offer a pertinent fact: the concept is barely understood even by many experienced people. Here I'm talking about Lobbying in the United States:

  It is highly a controversial phenomenon, often seen in a negative light by journalists and the American public, and frequently misunderstood.

I read this article, as well as consulted the online dictionaries and noticed that the main difference consists in the following:

Lobbying is defined as an attempt to influence, seek to influence, try to influence, to apply pressure or influence whereas influence peddling is defined as involvement in, that is, improperly influencing or is the illegal practice of using one's influence in government or connections with persons in authority to obtain favours or preferential treatment for another, usually in return for payment.

So, what would be the difference between the two concepts, when can we say that lobbying crossed the line?

Please let me know your thoughts on this in terms of language.


texts:
Wikipedia says, behavioural design pattern is

  In software engineering, behavioral design patterns are design
  patterns that identify common communication patterns between objects
  and realize these patterns.

Meaning of behaviour is

  the way in which one acts or conducts oneself, especially towards
  others.

Hope there is difference in conduct and communication. Any idea why they named so?


texts: Help to understand some phrases in the sentence

texts:
I don't quite understand some phrases in this sentence.

  President Donald Trump has responded to provocations from the reclusive nation with bombastic rhetoric, at one point threatening North Korea with "fire and fury."

At one point threatening North Korea with "fire and fury" -- Is it an adverbial phrase as a whole? If yes, what's it modifying?
Does 'at one point' here mean 'at one hand'?
'fire and fury' I got an explanation for this phrase from a website as below. But still not quite get it. Can someone give a brief or more easier way to understand it?

  “Fire and Fury” is the 2017 administration’s rendition of “Shock and Awe”. It is a pithy way of conveying that you intend to use considerable overwhelming military force to accomplish a given objective. The advantage of a phrase like this is that it is not very definitive. So, there is plenty of wiggle room as to what constitutes ‘fire and fury’, in the event of hostilities. It sounds sooooo much more elegant than “we’ll shoot back” or “we’re gonna bomb you”. Plus, it’s fodder for CNN commentators. They can scratch their chins and opine as to just exactly what constitutes the Trump administrations F&F policy. It makes for great entertainment all around!

By the way, what's the meaning of "scratch their chins" in the above quote?


texts: What's the American version of "fellow member"?

texts:
Fellow member means:

  Someone who is a member of the same organization or society as you.

Collins Dictionary

The dictionary states that it means that in British, so what is its exact synonym in American English?

Also, I have found this paragraph outside the site Vocabulary:

  A male person who is a fellow member (of a fraternity or religion or other group) cabalist. a member of a cabal. charter member. one of the original members when an organization was founded.

Is that considered as another meaning of fellow member? Since I didn't find it inside the site when I clicked on it, I'm asking about its validity and existence.


texts:
The admiral begins his expedition, searching for an entrance to a
hidden world.  The purpose is the discovery and the release to the
world of the unknown treasures  of Antarctica in the interests of all
mankind.

What does "the discovery" refer to?
Source: Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)


texts: present perfect combined with simple present and present continuous

texts:
Suppose that you are talking to your friends about some of the customer reviews regarding their online shopping experiences. This is what you would say to them.

(ex) I have just read some customer reviews regarding their online shopping experiences with ABC Store. They are complaining about a high import duty they need to pay when they receive their orders.

Some of my non-native English speaking friends think my use of the mixed present tenses is okay because it carries a sense that the customers' complaints are ongoing. However, others think I should use the past tense.

I think I can use different present tenses in this context. Please give me your opinion.


texts: If you are the author of a book and want to say in an informal setting that a the book is a best seller, can you say "I'm the author of a book that has done terrific"? if not, what could be a more commonly used sentence to express the same idea?


texts: Word for an imagined effect due to an observed event

texts:
Is there a term that is similar to "placebo" but doesn't imply a medication, simply an imagined effect due to an observed phenomenon?

For example, say I hear someone in my office say they got bedbugs over the weekend and they're covered in bites; it might make my skin crawl and make me itch my own skin. Or if I eat a meal and feel fine but someone who eats the same food feels sick and tells me after the meal, then I may feel sick as well since I'm imagining something was wrong with the food when it actually sat perfectly fine in my stomach.

Is there a word for this?


texts: What is the difference between "had engaged", "had been engaged", and "were engaged" in this context?

texts:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi disclosed on Saturday that the registration of over 1 lakh companies which had allegedly engaged in suspicious transactions post demonetisation had been scrapped as he sought to cast the goods and services tax (GST) as his second strike against black money and corruption.

Source:
48 hrs before GST, 1 lakh cos lost registration for post-DeMon `lapses' The Times of India (Mumbai)

Is this sentence construction is correct in above news?
Why Past perfect is used here?

  "companies which had allegedly engaged in suspicious transactions"

Or it can be

  "companies which had allegedly been engaged in suspicious transactions"

Or it can be

  "companies which were allegedly engaged in suspicious transactions"


texts:
Let's say I am a project manager and I would like to state the goals/outputs of my project. I defined 3 project outputs 1), 2) and 3).

How can I say that?

I had the idea to do it like that, is it correct?

The pursued outputs of the project are: 1)..., 2)..., 3)...

or

The essential project outputs are: 1)..., 2)..., 3)...

Is that grammatically correct? I do not really feel comfortable when structuring those sentences. Can anyone help me?

Best!


texts:
In these sentences below, can I pronounce the "are"s as /ər/ instead of /ɑr/? I am talking about American English.

Sentences:

1) "Problems of most people are not big."

2) "People who smoke cigarettes are gross."

3) "People who smoke are gross."
(Note: Even though I don't like cigarettes, this is not my thought.)

4) "People who hate me are deluded."

For the people who don't know about phonetics: /ər/ is the sound you make when you pronounce the second syllable in "better", and /ɑr/ is the sound you make when you say the words like "car" and "far".


texts: 'learning the ropes' should be followed by which prepositions?

texts:
I am trying to use the idiom "learn the ropes" in a sentence as below:

  I am learning the ropes of my new job.

Somehow, this doesn't "feel" right, and I think it should be:

  I am learning the ropes on my new job.

Which usage is correct/better?

An elementary internet search for usage of this idiom gives the following examples. None of them are using the idiom in the manner I described above.

You'd better find someone to show you the ropes if you're going to fix the car yourself.
Work slowly and cautiously until you have learned the ropes.
Ruth will teach you what to do, and it shouldn't take you too long to learn the ropes.
It can take quite a while for a new lawyer to learn the ropes in a
big legal firm.
Fabulous, now that I've learned the ropes I can take on more demanding tasks!
I want you to learn the ropes before you start doing anything more sophisticated!


texts:
When I am reading some articles related to engineering or mathematics, I see many times the usage of "where" and "with" interchangeably. For example,

f is the utility function mapping from S to R, with S=blahblahblah.
f is the utility function mapping from S to R, where S=blahblahblah.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~, where i != j.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~, with i != j.

Are both correct?


texts:
Is this a correct sentence grammatically:

I have to go, My friend is rushing me

The context is - Suppose I am talking to someone over phone and my roommate is asking me
again and again to go out, So I inform the person on phone that "I have to go, My friend is rushing me"
Is there any alternate or better way to do it ?


texts:
Rain drops dripping/coming down/falling/dropping.

Which one is appropriate to describe rain coming down?

And how about these: icecream: ice cream dripping/dropping?
Water dropping/dripping?


texts:
What is the meaning of the expression break out of the bubble? I found this phrase in newspaper. Below is paragraph where it being used.

  Keyword searches on the web might be a better way to break out of the
  bubble and find the wider range of podcasts, particularly if one is
  looking for a non-fiction programming.

Thank you


texts: What is the type of movement of hot-air balloons called in English?

texts:
The question about hot-air balloons* got me thinking: What do you call their type of movement in English? In German it is not "fliegen" (flying) but "fahren" (shipping, possibly driving). What is it in English?

*: Balloons which are unpowered, without engines or propellers; they can only move up and down due to buoyancy changes (lifted by helium/hydrogen/hot air) and are otherwise at the mercy of the wind.


texts:
I have read one sentence, below

  Abusing programming instead of drugs. Recently slipped on a
  banana-peel and ended up working with a legacy laundromat system. And
  I don't do chat.

Is that joke or reality that person saying, slipped on banana peel & stopped working? Is slipped on a banana-peel a saying in English?


texts: Usage of 'hadn't had' and meaning of this sentence

texts:
I read a novel(or maybe it's a short story since it is very short) by Alan Titchmarsh called 'Rosie'. It was going well until I stuck at Chapter 4. It writes

  How she had managed to be up and out of the house before him was a mystery. Nick knew she hadn't had that much to drink, but it had affected her.

The question is, is him was a mystery gramatically correct?

And how do we use hadn't had correctly and its meaning in this context?


texts: I am using British English. While addressing a gathering or talking to a new person, how do you introduce yourself? Is it "I am Phani" or "This is Phani"?


texts:
"Machine Learning: A Probabilistic Perspective by Kevin Patrick Murphy" in page 31 says

  iff there exist function g and h such that

  p(x, y|z) = g(x, z)h(y, z) ...

I guess exist here should be exists, is it?


texts: What is the "mood" you are in when you shake your head called?

texts: You see that somebody just cannot figure out how to open a new tab (something you find easy) and you shake your head. What is this mood or feeling called?


texts: meaning of the phrase "last man standing" in context

texts:
I have come across in Crash Course World History. It is at around 43 second. Here is the context:

  When we think of ancient civilizations, we think of Egypt. There a few reasons of this, like the fact that the pyramids are the last man standing among the seven ancient wonders of the world.


texts:
There's this pizza place right next the supermarket. Me and a few friends hang out there every Friday after school. You should drop/come by sometime.

What is the difference between these in this context? Are they equally natural here?
Is there an even more natural choice than my suggestions?


texts:
I am not sure which of the following sentences is correct

  What problems do we need to address?

or

  Which problems do we need to address?

They both sound strange to me.


texts:
This book is to read.
This book is to be read.

Which one is ok?
"This book' is not the doer, but the receiver of the action. This is the object of the action if the voice is kept active, thus if is made the subject of the action, the sentence should be in passive voice.
Is this right?


texts:
Is at used for a small town while in is used for a big city/country? Take the following examples:

  I'm at home

  I'm at Houston.

  I'm in Texas

  I'm in Ghana


texts:
When someone asks you on chat/face-to-face Hey yourname, how's it going
what's the standard reply ? Is Doing good appropriate ?
And should one ask back How are you doing ?
As these types of questions are not intended to have an answer but a normal way of
greeting someone. It's probably common in US this way.


texts:
The sentence is below (standalone sentence, no context)

  Bears often hide themselves in places ____ hunters can't find.

My teacher said the answer was "that/which". I feel totally OK with that, but am confused about why which is also applicable here.

IMHO, which leads a non-restrictive clause while that leads a restrictive clause. Since hunters can't find isn't an additional description of the noun places, which is not suitable here. And because it restricts places to those that hunters can't find, that should be OK here. Am I right?


texts: Is this ad at a barber shop worded correctly?

texts:
Recently I saw an sign at a barber shop on which I read on bold letters:

"Men's only"

Is this a correct writing?
I think that it has to be "Men only" to make clear that it is a barber shop for men only.
Or am I wrong and this spelling is correct and means something I don't know?


texts: article before "clause" in "..make the purchaser aware of the provisions of clause 9 of the standard contract"

texts:
The purchaser's solicitor has a duty to make the purchaser aware of the provisions of clause 9 of the standard contract.

This is an extract from a book.

Shouldn't there be an article "the" before the word "clause 9"? The clause 9 is identified in the sentence as the clause of the standard contract.

However, if I add "the" before clause 9 there are too many "the" in the sentence, and it does not sound right:

  make the purchaser aware of the provisions of the clause 9 of the standard contract.

What would be the correct usage?


texts:
I was enjoying the game and found this note:

  3~4 times a charm! 3~4 taps at your friends' café everyday.

I don't know what it means.


texts: When use "For instance" and "For example"?

texts:
What is difference between "For instance" and "For example"?
Can I use both to exemplify a situation ?


texts:
I have problem understanding this phrase.
It is from my conversation with one man.
I said "I guess, you really don't like me" ( I know he did before, not sure about it now) and he replied "You know better than that..."
What could he possibly mean by that? What does it mean in other words?

And my second question is when do we usually use this phrase ( you know me better than that)


texts: Double consonant: when should I use them?

texts:
I would like to know a clear rule about when should I use double consonant.

For example: intelligent (yes), little (yes), collapse (yes), elegant (no).

Not just about double l, but in general, is there any rule for double consonants?


texts: The meaning of "invent the spitting crack of a “screw-cannon."

texts:
The very improbability of billiards in a dâk-bungalow proved the reality of the thing. No man—drunk or sober—could imagine a game at billiards, or invent the spitting crack of a “screw-cannon. ”A severe course of dâk-bungalows has this disadvantage—it breeds infinite credulity.
This is from 'MY OWN TRUE GHOST STORY' by Rudyard Kipling.
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2806/2806-h/2806-h.htm#link2H_4_0002
I can not understand the meaning of the sentence.
invent the spitting crack of a “screw-cannon.


texts: What is correct sentence for not to or to not

texts:
Which one is correct sentence?

The most dangerous thing in the world is: Not To Try
The most dangerous thing in the world is: To Not Try


texts: Is it right to say "Laws regarding estate property " or "laws relating to estate property"? Is there any diferense between this two phrases and which one is more official?


texts:
I'm a person who doesn't like to do something new. And even when it comes to foods, I don't like to eat something that I haven't eaten before.

I'd like to know if I used 'when it comes to~' right here.


texts:
I am new in a new city and I am not familiar with this city. Sometimes I want to ask a friend or just a stranger for the correct direction. Usually I would ask "where does this road lead to" when I was wondering the destination of a road or what is another road connect with this road.
So is "Where does this road lead to?" a right way to ask?


texts: the museum will be open vs the museum opens

texts:
Could you describe the difference if both sentences are correct.
I don't see any difference in meaning (but tenses are different).

  Can you tell me what time the museum will be open?

vs

  Can you tell me what time the museum opens?

TIA


texts:
Imperative: She said to him "Buy milk"

Infinitive: She told him to buy milk.

Couldn't it have been,
She said to him to buy milk

Although said to him doesn't sound ungrammatical, it doesn't sound natural either.

But why?

Why don't I get that strong feeling of command in said to him like I would in direct imperative speech i.e, "Buy Milk"


texts:
Is the sentence below a correct use of "theirs"?

  They were trying to save one of theirs dog.

The original sentence is:

  Tom, Mike, Sally and Jane were trying to save Mike's dog.

How can I remove all names and only use possessive adjectives?


texts: Does the "ass" in “smart-ass”, “lard ass” etc. mean "smart donkey" or "smart butt"?

texts:
What's the literal meaning of ‘ass’ in expressions like ‘lard-ass’, ‘hard-ass’, ‘smart-ass’,… etc.?

Does ass here in such expressions mean donkey or butt?


texts: Using the comma separator before 'such that'

texts:
I am wondering should I always use a comma before using 'such that' or not?

sentence 1 , such that sentence 2.

More clearly, I just wrote the following sentences in order to lighten the point, whereas I normally want to know the general idea of it.

Please leave the kitchen door open [,] such that they can come in from the garden.
It certainly is possible to adapt these new concepts [,] such that they can also handle more complex tasks.

Additionally, I leave out the comma in such sentences.


texts: "by passenger volume" VS "in passenger volume"

texts:
The busiest port by passenger volume is the Port of Miami in the U.S.
  The busiest port in passenger volume is the Port of Miami in the U.S.
  The busiest port in terms of passenger volume is the Port of Miami in the U.S.

About the choice of prepositions in the case, I don't know why by is correct. I tend to choose in, meaning in terms of.

Is there a general rule here?


texts:
Some websites have varying answers regarding the placement of also(adverb) whether it should precede before the auxillary 'have' or after. Such as:

  Whoever was in your shoes, they would also have done that.

Or

  Whoever was in your shoes, they would have also done that.

Moreover, I believe that this website can help me clarify this up, because from other websites they are just opinion, weak-based answers. What is your answer to this?


texts: Alternative (polite)phrases to "it's a shame..." to avoid possible offending

texts:
In English, the "shame"has the following meaning

  a condition of humiliating disgrace or disrepute

However, it's common to hear people say something like

  (1) It's a shame we can't take them home with us.

  (2) It's a shame that you haven't read this book.

In such situations, speakers definitely don't mean "a condition of humiliating disgrace or disrepute" by "shame". But for many non-native English speakers, it still sounds rude and offensive to listeners. For instance, I never dare to say to my professors that

  (3) It's a shame you haven't return our midterm exam papers.

I feel like, though I am not sure, that I should always try to avoid saying "it's a shame..." to anybody that I should show respect to(am I right?).

So I wonder if we can replace "it's a shame" in (1)(2)(3) by other phrases(as polite as possible) in order to avoid the possible offending.


texts: I can`t sleep because I have been watching a scary movie (shortly before, I am not watching it anymore). Does this sentence sound okay? Or do I have to use present perfect simple?


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

  Ron continued to giggle, still hanging off the front of Harry's robes.

Ahead of this sentence, the context is that Ron grabed front of Harry's robes.

I learned "off" mean sort of away or detached, but in this sentence the word "still" make me confused. "Still" means it is as it was, so I think this sentence would mean Ron was still grabbing it.

Am I right? If I am, I want to know the meaning of "off" in this sentence.


texts:
As educational psychologist Ruth Coppard suggests, "Some so-called
child prodigies are little more than the product of highly ambitious
parents. If you've had as much tutoring and practice in a subject at
the age of seven as most 19-year-olds have, then there's at least a
chance that you'll function in that subject area similarly to a
19-year-old."
Jo Counsell, an educational consultant for NAGC (the National Association of Gifted Children), concedes that such
parents exist. "But because we are a support organisation, they don't
tend to approach us. Most of our parents are quite the opposite -
embarrassed to be calling us at all." In fact, she says, there may be
many "undiscovered" gifted children in the UK because of such
embarrassment - or simply a lack of recognition. "Teachers may fail to
pick up on gifted children, perhaps because they feel their duty lies
with the least able youngsters in the class," she adds.
Gift rap

I got a little confused. The writer says "they don't tend to approach us" and the opposite is "they feel embarrassed to be calling us at all". It seems to me they don't conflict with each other. They are just the same!
Why use the progressive to "call"?
Besides, what is the usage and meaning of "at all" here? It's not used in a negative sentence or a licensed negative sentence as usual.


texts:
I created a collage of my daughter's birthdays cakes (several birthdays) where I wrote :

  Happy birthdays my dear...  May there be many happier more

But I feel like the last sentence is not grammatically correct, yet I can't find the correct way to say that.

Is the last sentence grammatically false?
If so, what is the right way to say

'may there be many more happier birthdays'

Without repeating the happy birthdays part ?


texts:
Backshifting of tenses: We have discussed the deictic shifting of adverbial and PrepP time expressions in S,E,R terms.  Can the same now be applied to the backshifting of verb tenses, too?  Evidently, people prefer to shift as follows when speaking 'precisely':
Original sentence:  "Jane left".

Report:   either     Mary says that Jane left.

   or           Mary said that Jane had left.

   (where, in precise speech, both are preferred to Mary said that Jane left.)

Original sentence:  "I will do it."

Report:  either     He says (that) he'll do it.

                      or           He said (that) he'd do it.

                      (where, in precise speech, both are preferred to He said (that) he'll do it.)

Can this preference be modeled according to a general principle of shifting within S,E,R?  That is, what is happening when we backshift?  Why would we disprefer a report that does not utilize backshifting?  Can we apply Fillmore here (or the somewhat more precise formulation of  Reichenbach)?


texts:
What looked like the oldest boy marched toward platforms nine and ten. (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

In this case, ‘what’ seems to be the subject, and no doubt a person. So I’m wondering if ‘what’ can designate a person. (We can say, I think, ‘he is not what he was,’ but it’s not an example of this case.)


texts: What does the idiom "come together" mean here?

texts:
Here is a sentence from a schedule planner app:

  This app lets you see how a plan comes together.

I am not sure how the lexical meanings of the idiom "come together" fit here.


texts:
From The Wizard of Oz Vocabulary Builder:

  Together they frittered away many an afternoon, frolicking among haystacks in perpetual delight, far beneath the pellucid Kansas skies.

Why is it "many an afternoon"? I think "many+plural noun" is more appropriate.


texts:
This question is similar to this one, but it does not help me, so I am asking it by myself.

I want to know which one is appropriate:

  The number of coins in bottle A and bottle B is compared.

  The numbers of coins in bottle A and bottle B are compared.

Here what I want to say is "The number of coins in bottle A and the number of coins in bottle B are compared."

I want to know the general rule for this kind of situations (this specific example is not important). In case, the example is strange, I give another one.

  The weight of bottle A and bottle B is compared.

  The weights bottle A and bottle B are compared.


texts: "Sorting May not bring the end I fear" meaning

texts:
I sort you into houses

  Because that is what I'm for,

  But this year I'll go further,

  Listen closely to my song:

  Though condemned I am to split you

  Still I worry that it's wrong,

  Though I must fulfil my duty

  And must quarter every year

  Still I wonder whether Sorting

  May not bring the end I fear.

  Oh, know the perils, read the signs,

  The warning history shows,

  For our Hogwarts is in danger

  From external, deadly foes

  And we must unite inside her

... ...

  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

I don't understand the part in bold above. What end does Sorting (he fears) bring?


texts: "I ask too many difficult questions as a sign of respect" what does it mean?

texts:
*She is one of the Brotherhood which settled in Hidden Valley

  Q: Are you well respected among other members of the Brotherhood?

  A: If you take trying to keep me as far away from Hidden Valley as possible because I ask too many difficult questions as a sign of respect, oh yeah. That's not to say I don't get along with them. I just think they don't know what to do with me sometimes.

First, sorry for the mismatching title, but I really couldn't come up with the short version of what I was curious about.  The thing is I don't get it why she assumes he would keep her away from it just because she asks many questions, and what sort of Respect thing has got something to do with asking many questions?


texts:
what is the meaning of "heating the tar" here? is it a proverb?

  Those humble folk who watched over the new birth—Capron, of Auburn,
  who first lectured upon it in public; Jervis, the gallant Methodist
  minister, who cried, "I know it is true, and I will face the frowning
  world!"; George Willetts, the Quaker; Isaac Post, who called the first
  spiritual meeting; the gallant band who testified upon the Rochester
  platform while the rowdies were heating the tar—all of them are
  destined to live in history.

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


texts: subject uses simple present tense but clause uses present perfect

texts:
But that’s a minority view. Most China analysts believe Chinese
  president Xi Jinping feels increasingly confident of his ability to
  withstand economic pressure from the U.S. and predict the Chinese
  leader will do almost anything to avoid domestic perceptions that he
  has surrendered to American bullying.

Why does the subject uses simple present tense when the clause uses present perfect?


texts: Is it natural to say "hold the ball under your chin" or "hold the ball in your neck"?

texts:
My hands are full and I can not hold my tennis ball, so I decided to hold the ball by pinching it between my chin and neck as shown in the picture.
Is it natural to say "I held the ball under my chin" or "I held the ball in my neck"?


texts:
1.The purpose of the first paragraph is to provide details necessary to understanding the story.

I don't understand "necessary to understanding the story", it should be "necessary to understand the story", shouldn't it?

Thanks for helping


texts: in the context of binary classification, is the output a class or a classification?

texts:
The lecturer is saying

  you can think of machine learning, deep learning in
  general as modeling a function   that takes an input that can be an
  image, a speech, a natural language or a CSV file, give it to a box and
  get an output that can be classification

here is the procedure of how a computer program solve the binary classification problem.

you give the computer program an image.

if there is a cat on this image, the program outputs 1.
if there is no cat on this image, the program outputs 0.

in this context, what the program outputs is a class or a classification?


texts: The word that describes the things you do as a person

texts:
I know that there is a term for the things someone does.
Little things, like the way you fold your arms or the filler words you use in your sentences.

I would like to know what the word is if anyone knows what I mean.


texts: Definite article singular vs plural noun

texts:
Consider these:

  A. The deer eats the berry of the mistletoe.
  B. Deer eat berries of mistletoes.
  C. (The) deer eat(s) (the) berry(es) of (the) mistletoe(s).

B is the way I would usually write a sentence of the given meaning. The use of the, the definite article, to refer all the things which the noun concerns, is not familiar with me - the reason I am having trouble with A and C.

Questions:

In C, how would you choose the articles? The most common way and, if any, the most formal way.
What if there is chance of misleading because there is already something to which the + singular may refer?


texts:
I see some people use "in respectively" instead of "respectively". For instance when I googled it with quotes, I saw the following example.

  ...Physicians overestimated the risk in respectively 42.7%, 54.1% and
  21.3%. However, very high risk was underestimated in respectively 38.1%,
  22.0% and...

"In" is used because "respectively" is used before the data given ?

How about my sentence ? Are both okay to use?

  The chart shows students' answers to a survey in which they were asked
  their favorite subject. It can be seen that over  a quarter of the
  students prefer computer science which is followed by English and
  Spanish. Student who study English, Spanish and Chinese comprise about
  half of whole students, studying the subjects % 18, %15 and % 15
  in respectively.


texts: Past Perfect Tense of Can in "If-clause" Type 3

texts:
Which one is correct and why?

We would have been pleased if you could have come.
We would have been pleased if you had been able to come.


texts: Adverbs "yet", "still", and "even" used with comparisons

texts:
The three adverbs:
a) share the common meaning "to a greater degree or extent;
b) when used in comparing two or more things, may be either preceded or followed by the article,
e.g. "a (an) yet/still/even bigger fool (than)..." and "yet/still/even a bigger fool (than)..."
The question I'm in search of the answer to is this:
Whether they all are interchangeable in any context.
To me, it would be easier to solve the problem I face by reading vivid examples of the usage.
As for the examples on the Google Books Ngram Viewer, try as I may, I cannot get the problem solved, if there is a problem.
So, I'd be extremely grateful to those who could suggest a couple of example sentences where one of the adverbs is more preferable than the others, or where one (or two) is/are the only possible option(s). Brief explanations of "why this and not that one" are most welcome.


texts: Tense of "won't know something until do something"

texts:
I read this,

  We won’t know if it’s a true antidote until they’ve had a chance to
  study it.

But I find other examples are more tend to present tense,

  You won't know until you try.

Why?


texts: Request for a word that means a "one single element not separate from each other"

texts:
In the following sentence, what can be used instead of "as one element"? I'm looking for a more academic word. I tend to say that human life and wildlife are not separate and they should be thought as a single unity.

A more accurate view of wildlife and human life is to see them
as one element with many interconnected and mutually beneficial links
between them.

Please suggest me a word!


texts: Whats the meaning of "It is not trivial to ..."?

texts:
I came a cross in a book with: "HATEOAS is not trivial to implement, but ...".
I know that "trivial" means unimportant and not serious. But I don't understand above sentence(...is not trivial...)!!!


texts: Using the definite article with company and company group names

texts:
Suppose we have a news report starting with a sentence of this kind:

  Part of (the) Yamal Group and the developer of the Zerkalnaya mine, (the) North-Eastern Copper Company (NECC) has been unable to pay interest on its development loans.

Would it be wrong to use the definite articles (in bold) before the name of the group and the name of the company?

Both are proper names and both do not have THE as part of their name, but still I feel an urge to put the definite articles there, because the words preceding the Group and the Company feel like adjectives when I pronounce the sentence.


texts: So I still haven't quite understood slop. So I was wondering if this mushroom soup is slop even though tastes good.


texts: What is the difference between a compound noun and a collocation?

texts: Compound nouns are usually two or more words put together to create a new noun.examples sunflower, blackboard etc. Where as collocations are words or phrases which are commonly used together. examples heavy rainfall, deep sleep, to make bed etc.Could you update me a little more about the same?


texts: Is this a participle phrase? Hints on what to look at to grammatically discern phrases

texts:
“The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.”
  ― W.B. Yeats

I think the words marked in bold are a participle phrase. The adverb patiently modifies the present participle[?] waiting. Is this all correct?

Do you have any hints to figure out the grammatical status of a phrase more rapidly and consistently?


texts: Correct usage of “having” + past participle

texts:
One of my friends invited me in the past. I couldn't make it, so what should I say?

  I am sorry for not having come.
  I am sorry for not coming.


texts: Phrase meaning "to justify themselves, even when they know that they're wrong"

texts:
What is the phrase that can be used to describe the situation when someone tries to justify himself, even when he knows that he's wrong.

The situation is when the person didn't complete his duty, and tries to explain that he did nothing wrong, by using lame excuses. So, my question is about doing something incorrect rather than doing something morally wrong.

It is not about internal reasoning, it is about someone trying to deflect blame being placed (rightly) on him by others.


texts: Looking for the right words/phrases to refer an 'earlier'/'later' line in text

texts: In a paragraph, I know I can refer to text by phrases like 'as said earlier', 'as mentioned above', etc. However I am wondering what would be the right word if I want to say 'This is not the first time this word is used in this text. The first use is in a _ line.' What are the right words? Above/below? Earlier/later?


texts: You should make your bed after you wake up / after you woke up / after you have woken up? Which one to choose?

texts:
Ok, I should say:

You should make your bed after you wake up.

or

You should make your bed after you woke up.

or

You should make your bed after you have woken up.

In case 1, the waking-up action happened before "make the bed", but English doesn't have "past in the future" tense though we do have "future in the past" tense (was going to do....)

In case 2, you broke the universe because the "waking up" action did not exist at the time of saying.

In case 3, but we do have future perfect tense in English. However, we are not allowed to use future perfect after time clause but present perfect tense. So we cannot say "you should make your bed after you will have woken up", but we can say  "you should make your bed after you have woken up".

So, which one to use?


texts:
In heist comedy movie Logan Lucky (2017), Jimmy wants to steal money:

Jimmy: I even know the when to do it. June 4th, the Grocery Castle
Auto Show. It's graduation weekend. It'll be the smallest turnout  of
the summer. And gonna be bare bones staff and security.

Why the article before "when"?


texts: What does "texting reporters possible guesses" mean?

texts:
Trump slams damning New York Times op-ed as 'gutless'

  Trump administration officials, struggling to mount a defense to Bob
  Woodward’s tell-all book, were stunned when the editorial was
  published Wednesday afternoon, left guessing and quietly pointing
  fingers at other officials as they tried to figure out who wrote the
  op-ed, even texting reporters possible guesses.

I don't understand "texting reporters possible guesses".
It maybe means

  ... officials sending text message to reporters ask them about who is the
  possible suspects

or

  ... officials sending text message to reporters give them the possbile
  suspects.


texts:
Consider this statement:

  Unfortunately, the 2nd business; agent who did the lease of the premise AND the shopping center lied about their plans (said there is a plan development which would put my health club in the forefront of the center instead of at the back) and now, I am watching my finances go to ruins.. I am not able to take legal actions as they were very careful not to have anything in writing, mainly verbals and meetings showing me their maps etc.

What's the meaning of go to ruins?


texts:
Can word Position be used to describe my location in the map/directory?

I often saw "You are here", "Here", and "Your Current location" signs, but haven't seen "Your Current Position" or "Present Position".

Will that still make sense and natural if I say "Your Current Position" or "Present Position"?


texts: Maybe Vocative Comma? Maybe Vocative Phrase?

texts:
Obedient daily dress,

  You cannot always keep

  That untamable young surface.

Do you  call this a vocative comma? — and a vocative phrase? Is it like: “John, will you run?”


texts:
It's Australian dollar and not Australian Dollar, It's Indian rupee and not Indian Rupee, it's Japanese yen and not Japanese Yen and so on.

I know that...

  Proper nouns are capitalized.

Aren't they all proper nouns since we are specifically using that name of currency for that country only?

If you say that it's not capitalized as 'dollar' is used for many other countries' currencies and so 'rupee', what about the currency name 'cedi' which only the country of Ghana has for its currency?

In that special case where cedi should mean the currency of Ghana and only Ghana, it's still not Ghana Cedi.


texts: How should these type of sentences be punctuated

texts:
Not before long he opened the event,two days before the arrival of the mayor.***

How should this sentence be punctuated with the adverbial clause. Perhaps a conjunction or em dash? These types of clauses can't hold together with a comma, right?


texts:
I'll see you a few days later.

The above sentence is supposed to be wrong. The correct alternative is "I'll see you in a few days". What's wrong with the exemplary sentence?


texts:
I've seen sentences like:

  The electrons emitted from the photoelectric surface have a kinetic energy.

I think this is synonym to :

  The emitted electrons from the photoelectric surface have a kinetic energy.

But I believe that the first sentence should be like:

  The electrons that are emitted from the photoelectric surface have a kinetic energy.

Isn't this adverb phrase necessary?


texts:
If an object complement can be an adjective, noun, or pronoun, what is then "working at the desk" in this sentence?

  I found Jack working at the desk

Why isn't it adverbial of place?


texts: When you have to chose one out of two ways

texts:
I am looking for an idiom / expression that can be used when you are at a point where you have to chose between two ways and have no idea which one is in your best interest!

I know two idioms:

a. I'm at a crossroads.

The problem with this idiom is that a crossroad as a countable noun, refers to a place where two roads meet and cross each other. So, while you have reached to the crossroad from one of these four ways, there are three ways routes that you can take. Whereas, I am looking for an expression / idiom which indicates just two ways ahead.

b. I'm in a dilemma.

I think since the word "dilemma" refers to a situation in which a difficult choice has to be made between specifically two different things this is the correct answer.
I was wondering whether my understanding in them is correct. If not, please kindly let me know about it.
Also, I am wide open to other suggestions if they exist.


texts: What does being three of the best refering to?

texts:
Is being three of the best referring to Himalayan Pink Salt? and two salts which are harvested in land refering to Celtic sea salt and Redmonds salt

  Those who follow my teachings on health and nutrition are aware of the importance I place upon the consumption of "superfoods" as part of our daily practices. They not only give us far greater types and amounts of nutrients, they also bring much higher prana (life force energy) into our bodies—the primary (i.e. higher) function of eating in the first place, since it is prana that sustains our life. Food, as I have said before, is merely one of the major vehicles which deliver prana into our bodies. It is for this reason that eating superfoods (as well as raw foods) helps us to reduce our overall food intake. Unrefined sea salt is one such superfood (Celtic, Redmonds, and Himalayan pink salt—all are sea salts, even though two are harvested on land—being three of the best and richest in the world). While salt is often labeled by nutritionists as unhealthy and even dangerous for the body, it is refined (a.k.a. table) salt which has earned this acclaimed title. Refined salt not only does not provide us with the many minerals we need, it actually leaches minerals from the body! In other words, it is more than unhealthy; it is toxic to the body. On the other hand, unrefined sea salt is a necessary food, the balanced consumption of which has many positive effects on the body. The following article by Dr. Brownstein does a very good job of presenting the facts about refined and unrefined salt. Enjoy…


texts:
"She might have been waiting for us"
‘Have been waiting’ forms the present perfect progressive tense
‘might’ is a modal verb
The verb that follows modal verbs is suppose to be a bare infinitive but how can that be here?
To form a verb tense you need helping verbs so the words ‘have been’ are suppose to be helping verbs
So which is it?
Is ‘have’ a helping verb or a bare infinitive?


texts: go on package holidays (Present Perfect Simple vs. Progressive)

texts:
Swan in his book, Practical English Usage, in 459.2, p.447 under the heading temporary or permanent says:
"We use progressive forms mostly for shorter, temporary actions and situations. When we talk about longer-lasting or permanent situations we often prefer the simple present perfect"

Below you have to fill out the blanks by putting the verbs in the Present Perfect Simple or Present Perfect Progressive, and choose the latter where possible:

  I ____ (go) on package holidays for years and I've never had any
  problems.

There is no more context to the sentence. The correct answer is using the present perfect progressive only (have been going).

My question is why the simple, and why not both?
Does not "for years" and maybe the experience of many holidays, qualify the sentence for present perfect simple?

Another question is about a quote from a traveler who has been exploring the world since he left the university. Currently he is in Africa. He hasn't been feeling well for the last week. He said:

  I've [tried/been trying] a lot of different foods on my travels and
  I've never had any problems before. But everyone has been looking after me very well.

At the end of the story, he said:

  I have been exploring the world for over 15 years, but I've got a long
  way to go

The correct answer is the simple only (have tried) not the progressive. I have no problem with using the simple here but the question is why cannot the progressive be used?
The traveler hasn't stopped exploring the world. He still has a long way to go, and probably try more foods.

The last question is about the form of the verb: explore (simple vs progressive). What is the [slight] difference between:

  I've explored the world for over 15 years,

and

  I've been exploring the world for over 15 years.

Swan in 459.2 p.447 says: "Progressive and simple tenses are sometimes both possible, with a slight difference of emphasis." He gave two examples but didn't male clear what the difference is.
As an example, he gave: "Harry has been working / has worked in the same job for thirty years"


texts: How to express " haven't you slept yet?"

texts:
I am a Chinese and I want to express the following concept:

It is midnight, someone   is still awake and  I am surprised.

How can I say in  American English?

  "oh! you haven't sleep?" or "you don't go to bed?"


texts: Future continuous Vs future perfect continuous

texts:
It is about the future tense in English.
What is the difference between the future continuous and the future perfect continuous?
Examples:

He will be tired because he will be exercising so hard.

He will be tired because he will have been exercising so hard.


texts: How are transliterated words pronounced: as they are in the origin language or according to the recipient language's rules? Say, we have a Soviet multiple rocket launcher "Buk". In Russian, the second letter is pronounced as [u], but if it was an English word, it would be pronounced as [ʌ] or [ə].


texts: They think he learns fast or they think he is learning fast?

texts:
They think he learns fast or
They think he is learning fast?

What is correct?


texts:
I am trying to translate something from a show in my native language. In this sentence,  what sounds the best:

  You just have to walk on this.

  You just have to walk across this.

A person was asked to walk the carpet (not "the red carpet"), it was something magical and the person who walked it might get really lucky.

Or will it just be:

  Just walk this.


texts:
Then, in the West, a noonday crisis occurred as Christianity clashed with modernity, with secularization and a popular belief in “the death of God” characteristic of this ongoing phase.

http://halik.cz/cs/tvorba/clanky-eseje/clanek/220/

Does a native speaker find the above sentence OK? I have the problems with the passage in bold. I would use (a) … belief in “the death of God”, so characteristic of this ongoing phase; (b)  … belief in “the death of God”, which is characteristic of this ongoing phase. I found the sentence unclear.  Or am I wrong and everything is all right?


texts: Do "my cold is not over yet" and "I am not over my cold yet" mean roughly the same?

texts:
It seems that dictionaries suggest using this structure: "somebody + to be / get + over + an illness".
For example, "I am not over my cold yet".
Can we say "my cold is not over yet", and is it correct to say so?


texts: Can I say “the” with a “d” sound in speaking?

texts:
The is the most used word in English. However, it is pronounced with voiced th, which requires the tongue to be out. For me it is difficult to stick tongue out to say the and in to say other words. So I often keep my tongue in and it sounds like a d. But I think there’s no noticeable difference when the word is not stressed.

Is it ok to do that in speaking?

Or is there an easier way to pronounce “th” in “the”?


texts: Is it 'Have ever read' or 'ever have read?'

texts:
Take the following two sentence structures as examples:

This is the best book I have ever read.
This is the best book I ever have read.

Although the first one is more frequently used, I want to know if there is anything grammatically wrong if we use the second.


texts: This place has a big potential to become (or to becomes?) to prestigious

texts:
Which of these two following is correct? (if they are)

This place has a big potential to become to prestigious
This place has a big potential to becomes to prestigious


texts:
It may seem a rather strange question, however, not all foreign learners can understand and interpret the phrase (or part of it) "How do you know?" correctly.

I mean, when we ask "How big is it?" - we mean "to what extent". When "How is it done?" - we mean "in what way". It usually always has a straight interpretation in a straight context. Nevertheless, the phrase "How do you know that? " for instance, can often mean different things even in one context. As far as I understand, however, it should always mean "How come have you obtained knowledge about that?".

If that is so, then does it matter whether it is "Who told you that?", "Where did you find out about that?", "How did you find out about that?" or pure expression of unbelievabilty "Why on earth do you know about that?"


texts: Is the word 'crony' common for native speakers?

texts:
According to this source the word 'crony' is Cambridge university slang;  Maybe is too geeky to call someone this way instead of a guy, fellow?

synonym: guy, fellow, bro etc.

My question:

Can I use this word instead of the words as 'GUY', 'FELLOW', 'PAL' etc?


texts: recreation time as a synonym for leisure time

texts:
Is it natural to use "recreation time" as a synonym for leisure time.

Do you have a lot of leisure\recreation time?


texts: What do you call someone who likes to pick fights?

texts:
What do you call someone who's always looking for a fight? The only adjective I'm familiar with is "shit-stirrer" (I apologize for the inappropriate language).

Are there any other terms I could use that would be less slangy?


texts: "for" versus "to", indicating who/what the recipient is

texts:
Consider:

  The European Union is working on Solvency II which assigns capital for a wider set
  of risks than Solvency I.

  One approach to overcoming this problem is for regulators themselves to provide the scenarios. This creates a lot of additional work for regulators, but it is obviously attractive for them to use the same set of scenarios for all banks.

  If regulators see many banks taking positions with similar risks, they could insist that all banks consider a particular set of scenarios that gave rise to adverse results for the positions.

  The problem for both senior management and the risk management group is that they have two separate reports on their desks concerning what could go wrong.

I think these "for" here fits the 1st definition (used to show who is intended to have or use something or where something is intended to be put) in OALD. I am not sure if it is the same usage as in "get/buy/bring sth for sb", which indicates sb is the recipient of sth.

However, I wonder why sometimes to is used instead as in "give/sing/explain sth to sb". Here to also indicates sb is the recipient of sth. Here to introduces an indirect object.

If I replaced "for" with "to" in my examples above, would it bring any difference?


texts: Did you see your kids/Have you seen your kids/Have you been seeing your kids

texts:
If I had a friend who is divorced from his ex-wife, who he has two kids with. He sees the kids once in a while as they are living with the ex-wife. If I hadn't seen him for two weeks and then met with him, what would be natural to ask to know if he's been seeing his kids lately without adding the "lately"? (I hope you understand)

Are any of these natural in the context:

Have you seen your kids?

Have you been seeing your kids?

Did you see your kids?

What would you say? Thank you.


texts: Is "very much" correct in these sentences?

texts:
This is very much a lady.
  This is very much a car.

  This is very much a story of a story.

  He is very much a grind
  He is very much of a grind.

Is there any major difference in these usages? Should I use too much or very much?


texts: Does "floor" mean "right to speak, time to speak"?

texts:
Does "floor" mean right to speak, time to speak?

I looked at the definition of floor:

  The right to address an assembly, as granted under parliamentary
  procedure.

This seemed to fit what I saw in certain legal texts. I am wondering if it can be used to mean "time during which a person is allowed to talk" and not just "the right to do so". Also, I have been wondering if assembly also included G20 meetings, or a diplomatic meetings.

I am not sure if I understand how to use the word correctly. Here's an example I thought out:

  The representative of Italy monopolized the floor and tried to talk
  for 2 hours, which forced the representative of the U.S. to protest.


texts: Is there a correct way to use the idiom " from then on " + future ? Example : From then on, they'll be friends for life

texts: Meaning: " From a particular day / event ( still to come ), they'll be(come) friends for life. " I've read here that the idiom " from then on " is only used to describe an event already happened, from the past. If so, what can I say to replace " from then on " in the sense of my example ? " These two boys do not stop arguing. In my opinion, they would need a good little fight. From then on ( Google suggests from there ), they will be the best friends in the world. An idiom / expression in 3 syllables needed, just like "from then on".


texts: Should one put the definite article before a date?

texts:
In the following examples, should the definite article "the" be present?

This article will discuss all journal articles on the subject written between [the] 3rd December 2010 and [the] 20 January 2011.
On [the] 6th May 2013, three men were selected for a special mission.


texts:
At work I've got to interpret the following clause:

Liquid crystal devices consisting of a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between two sheets or plates of glass or plastics, whether or not fitted with electrical connections, presented in the piece or cut to special shapes and not constituting articles described more specifically in other headings of the Nomenclature.

What I don't understand is the bold part and was wondering if you could help. What is being presented? What does 'the piece' refer to? Or maybe 'presented in the piece' is idiomatic for something?


texts: "I must tell that.." vs. "I must say that"

texts:
Just a reality check:

  I must say that car mechanics I come across are mostly rogues.

and

  I must tell that car mechanics I come across are mostly rogues.

Would the second sentence sound unnatural to a native speaker? Would it be different in meaning or tone?

I know that we usually use an object ("tell you") with tell but still, would it be passable as a stand-in for say in this case?

If it would indeed sound strange, would this introduction of an object suffice:

  I must tell you that car mechanics I come across are mostly rogues.

Would this be fully analogous to sentence 1?


texts: Which one is correct: FAQ page OR the page FAQ

texts:
In situations that you want to talk/write about a noun that is the name of a specific instance (like FAQ) of a common noun (like page) which one is correct:

common noun + specific noun like the page FAQ
specific noun + common noun like the FAQ page

I have seen both of the above. I know that FAQ page (grammatically called noun adjunct) is more common but I want to know if both are grammatically correct. What is the first one grammatically called? There are a lot of similar cases like:

the site Stackoverflow vs. Stackoverflow site
the library Struts vs. Struts library
the column Modify Date vs. Modify Date column
the button Cancel vs. Cancel button

To clear my gray area, it's worth mentioning that the specific noun is not always a proper noun like the following examples:

the word stack vs. stack word (stack is not a proper noun)
the compound noun "chicken soup" vs. "chicken soup" compound noun ("chicken soup" here is not considered the name of a food but just a sample of a compound noun so it is a proper noun)


texts: What does "could be made that without it" mean in this context?

texts:
I have been trying to translate an article about wearable smart watches. But there is a sentence which is unclear to me. I don't know what does "could be made that without it" mean in the following context?

  I know I can’t be the only one that finds nightly recharging an
  irritation. I know we do the same thing with our smartphones, but that
  is a whole different appliance. My smartphone is my nerve center of
  mobile communications. The argument could be made that without it, any
  high-tech wearable is useless in carrying out its task, so in exchange
  for pretty much managing my entire digital identity (more on that
  later), I am willing to keep the battery juiced.

P.S: In the above context, author is reviewing wearable smart watches and a bit comparing it to smartphones.


texts: " ... go to the gym almost every day" -- May I put "almost" before the verb?

texts:
I almost go to a local gym everyday.

  I go to a local gym almost everyday.

To me, sentence #2 is correct.  I just want to know if it is correct to put the word 'almost' before the verb 'go'.


texts: Difference between "a" and "any": “Can a/any bulletproof vest stop a bullet...?”

texts:
What is the difference between a and any in the following sentence?

Can a bulletproof vest stop a bullet fired from an AK-47?
Can any bulletproof vest stop a bullet fired from an AK-47?

Does the second one using any mean to say "Does there exist a single bulletproof vest that can stop a bullet fired from an Ak-47"?


texts: In phonetic classification, Is the '/r/' sound 'alveolar' or 'palatal' or 'retroflex'?


texts: What's the meaning of called in "called X a slur"?

texts:
Looked at the definitions of called, but there are a lot of them. The one that seemed to make the most sense was the following definition:

  To designate; label: Nobody calls me a liar.

For example:

  The stranger called him a slur in the street for no reason.

I thought that called in that context meant "shout out and designate someone as X", but maybe I was wrong.


texts: "if it weren't for you" meaning in context

texts:
Lucy: My parents don't let me go to the movies on my own, and they
don't want to go with me either. What should I do?
Austin: Have you asked your older brother to go with you?
Lucy: Hm, thanks... okay. I'll ask Steven.
Next Day
Steven: Mr. Austin, thanks for your advice! I wouldn't have got to
watch that cartoon if it weren't for you. It was awesome!

In above dialogues, I'm confused with what Steven says to Austin.

if it weren't for you

What is Steven trying to say here?


texts: Should I use `coated papers` or `Coated Paper`, or either way is fine?

texts:
Our company mainly sells printing materials and printing papers, coated papers, offset papers, book papers, light-weight papers, as well as white kraft paper bags, sticky labels, cash register papers, and notebooks.

Should I use coated papers or Coated Paper, or either way is fine?


texts:
https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/89892/clause-vs-phrase-vs-sentence

A phrase cannot be used as a stand-alone utterance, e.g. "reading a book" is a phrase. However, with proper intonation etc., it can become a sentence, ("What are you doing"?) "Reading a book."

If the phrase is clear in context can it stand alone and stand as a sentence?

Any exceptions/examples?

Such as:

*a gift for doing all the work.

a story with great power.

a final conclusion to the trial.*

She was writing a story. A story with great power.

He took the money. A gift for doing all the work.

The case was closed: a final conclusion to the trial.


texts:
Could I say:

a thousand ten (1010),
a thousand a hundred eleven(1111)

or in these cases I must use one thousand instead of a thousand? Would using "a" be grammatically incorrect?


texts:
I found this sentence while I was looking up the word "perish":

  What? Me help him out? Perish the thought.

Shouldn't it be the following?

  What? I help him out? Perish the thought.


texts: "I determined to beat him, even if it means getting to his story first."

texts:
I determined to beat him, even if it means getting to his story first.

In this context, what's  the meaning of getting to?


texts:
The latch of a door of an abandoned house can be moved but not easily because the door has been closed for years. Maybe, the latch is rusty.
Is it correct to say "The latch is in friction. I can't move it easily"?
Do we have a word to express we can not move something easily because of its friction?


texts: "source to" and "source from" have the same meaning?

texts:
Trump slams damning New York Times op-ed as 'gutless' - CNNPolitics

  But the op-ed, compounded by Woodward’s book sourced to numerous
  current and former White House officials, has left Trumpworld feeling
  under siege.


texts: Why does Ira Glass adds "of course" when explaining the nature of the show This American Life?

texts:
I've listened to dozens of episodes of the This American Life podcast so far and I wonder why its host almost always adds "of course" when he describes the show at the beginning of each episode.
Here's an example -

  Each week on our program, of course, we choose some theme and bring
  you documentaries, monologues, overheard conversations, found tape,
  found text, anything we can think of on that theme.


texts: What is the logic in "more than one + singular noun/verb"?

texts:
More than one game was lost.

The singular form confused me.

Does "more than one" here indicate plural or "more than" itself emphasis some quality?

How should I parse this sentence to make sense?


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

texts:
Amy and Brad struggle as they face her birthday.

Does this mean "Amy and Brad struggle with each other" or "Amy experiences difficulty. Brad experiences difficulty"?

I know the meaning of "struggle", but it's not clearly stated whether struggle could mean "struggle with each other" when used in "A and B struggle" form.


texts: Adding a new accomplishment without sounding pretentious

texts:
In an informal interview where the host and the audience already know about the new accomplishment, the interviewee brags like in the following sentences.

  Can you imagine! I am a journalist, a photographer and a traveler, but
  I think I'll have to add to the list "author of a children's book that
  has sold well."

Take into account that it's being said in a playful and lighthearted way, so everybody knows that she is trying to be funny.

How can those sentences be put in a way that english native speakers that don't see the interviewee, but that are reading the interview transcription, don't see the interviewee as pretentious or pompous?


texts: Is "from simple to complex" grammatically correct

texts:
I often read the phrase "from simple to complex" and wonder if it is grammatically correct. The reason for the doubt is that "simple" and "complex" are adjectives and I am not sure if they can follow prepositions such as "from" and "to".
Examples:

The Montessori principle of simple to complex says that when presenting an activity or a task to someone with Alzheimer's or dementia start simple and increase challenge gradually as the person becomes successful at the task. (https://tinyurl.com/y5h9axha)

"From Simple to Complex" (title of article: https://www.the-scientist.com/features/from-simple-to-complex-42874)