texts: that covers 30% of the whole tuition fees

texts:
I also got an annual merit scholarship from X University, that covers
  30% of the tuition fees.

Is the use of "that" correct in the above? I think we have to use "which" for a non-defining adjective clause.
Could you please help me to clarify this?

Source: it was written by a teacher.


texts: What is the verb or correct word to describe 'losing some part of a cloth'?

texts:
Let's say I have a backpack. It is a typical bag like this  but say it is made of inferior quality. One time I wash it and since than I have been observing that the black body of the bag has been disintegrating. I see small black pieces lying on the floor which came from the bag's outer black layer.

My question is what is the right word( or in this case verb) to describe this phenomenon. I think the word I am looking for would also apply for a old pullover with some design or print on it; and since it is old and worn out, that material is starting to fall off.

I want to used the word in this sense

  The bag or the cloth is so old/ worn out/ inferior that it is starting to (the word I am looking for).

However I am fine with other constructs also in same sense.


texts: "What kind of person are you not?" vs "What kind of person aren't you?"

texts:
When I want ask somebody what kind of person he (or she) isn't, which one between these is correct? Or are they interchangeable? I guess they are interchangeable.

  A: "What kind of person are you not?"

  B: "What kind of person aren't you?"

If you think we can't use either of them, please explain why we can't while we can say "What kind of person are you?". Also, if you think only one of them is correct please explain why we can use it while we can't use the other one.


texts:
Is there any synonym of the word
To make disappear

For example:
The magician made her disappear from the stage


texts: Which preposition is to be used with the word "evidence"?

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

  Whiile Mr Modi said that Congress is trying to erase evidence on the attack.....

My personal preference would be to use "of" instead of "on" after the word "evidence".


texts: How does 'all' work in "Are these two agreements all right?"

texts:
The title of an earlier question is:

  Are these two agreements all right?

I'm not sure whether that title means (1) or (2) below.

"Are both these two agreements right?"
"Are these two agreements entirely right?"

Stated otherwise, how does "all" work in that title?


texts: Can the verb LEARN be followed by a gerund?

texts:
I've done brief research and found out that usually "learn" is not followed by gerunds but sometimes it is. For example:
I am learning boxing.
Is it true? What other gerunds can be used with TO LEARN?


texts:
“Get on your hands and knees.” –– learningyoga.com

I’m wondering if get above is a linking verb (OLAD #11) or an intransitive verb (# 18) that takes locative adverb. I guess if the prepositional phrase, on your hands and knees, denotes a predicative complement, it would be #11; denoting the direction of verb get, it would be OALD #18. Which one do I have to take? Is there any other view that I’ve missed?


texts: Is there a difference between "formalism" and "formulation"?

texts:
I was wondering if there is a difference between "formalism" and "formulation" when we say things like:

  this is the mathematical formalism of quantum mechanics.

and we have also

  Mathematical formulation of quantum mechanics.

or

  All the same, Gleason’s approach assumes some key aspects of the mathematical formalism needed to connect quantum states to specific measurement outcomes.

or

  this is a mathematical formulation of hamiltonian mechanics.

or

  the Lagrangian formalism of mechanics.

I know the philosophical type of "formalism" but I dont think it would apply here.

I don't know if this question fits here in this forum or not so if not, let me know.


texts: Is there any available explanation for why 'crooked' is pronounced as 'krʊk/ɪd/' not 'krʊk/d/?

texts:
Why is 'crooked' pronounced /'krʊk.ɪd/ and not /krʊk/d/?
Is there any available explanation for why 'crooked' is pronounced as /'krʊk.ɪd/' not /krʊk/d/?
Or is it just one of the exceptions for '-ed' ending words and it is what it is?


texts: How to talk about someone's age in a photo?

texts:
I want to talk about someone's age in two photos, one taken long before now, and one this year.

I think the older one should be like "He was 27 years old in this photo." But I can't figure out what to use with the newer one.

So what do you say when talking about someone's age in a photo that he or she is still at that age?


texts:
Can I use "grand grand grand father" to indicate my father's father's grand father?

If it is eligible, is it grammatically correct? I mean there are three consecutive adjective without comma to separate. Or it's ungrammatical but still usable?


texts:
I have read this ELL question and this ELU question but I still don't understand how to use this one:

  Does anyone has a dog in their home?

Should I use their or something else?


texts: ...like you would a person -- missing "with", grammar question

texts:
Usage example with a context:

  Clauses combine to form the entire SQL statement, which combines keywords with data to form a database query. Since you cannot have an actual conversation with the database like you would a person, keywords, statements, and clauses help you convey what you need to accomplish.

I asked an English native speaker and he said that you don't really need with between you and a person because it's kind of implied from the earlier with and we have to assume that it's there. Although that all makes sense, I still have a real hard time reading that sentence without saying with in my mind. It just doesn't sound right to my ears. What do you think?


texts:
Why is "several two hours' meetings" wrong? Any insight will be greatly appreciated.
It is from an ECPE practice exam grammar section question.

  The boss won't be able to see you today as he has got several______meetings.

  a) two hours
  b) two-hour
  c) two hours'
  d) two hour's


texts:
PR and Communications services to stakeholders on subway operations

Does it mean:

"Provide (...) services to (stakeholders of subway operations)

or

"Provide (...) services to (stakeholders) about subway operations

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


texts: What does the word "a**holes" mean in this context?

texts:
I was reading a conversation on Facebook where some one said that "many girls like assholes". I tried to google it, but I couldn't get the exact meaning of the word. Who are assholes in this sentence? and does the word have other meanings?

Is it a slang?


texts:
I encountered this sentence in nature.com

  Obama cited a planet in parole among the leading challenges that his presidency is going to face.

What does "planet in parole" mean?

The context:

  Adam Rutherford: Okay, so you have mentioned climate change, what are the other big issues for scientists that the democrats will try and push through?

  Mark Peplow: Well, energy and environment is a huge issue and you know in his acceptance speech last night, Obama cited a planet in parole among the leading challenges that his presidency is going to face and he did promise a 150 billion dollar push in new energy research and that's something which is obviously going to have a massive impact on science and if that actually goes through as promised.


texts:
Which one is correct and why ?:

"I came this way when I heard an alarm go off."

"I came this way when I heard an alarm goes off."


texts: what is the right way to use having in a participle clause? Is "I went out having eaten lunch" okay?

texts:
Having eaten lunch, I went out.

Is it correct and grammatical to say

  I went out having eaten lunch.


texts:
I'm reading some papers and there is some gramatical construction in the heads I'm not completely sure about the meaning. For example:

SpaceX To Try Launch Tower Catch For Super Heavy

U.S. to declare Houthis a terrorist group, sparking fears it will worsen Yemen crisis

I can guess in the first there is the meaning:

SpaceX is Trying To Launch Tower Catch For Super Heavy

Or

SpaceX Has To Try Launch Tower Catch For Super Heavy.

but I'm not aware why this gramatical construction is using on heads of articles.
Can you explain to me?


texts: polite answers and questions as to failure to meet deadlines

texts:
Suggest please how to ask a colleague at work (or a contractor) about progress of his work if you suspect that he or she is "slow" in doing work. In particular, you want to know if he or she is going to miss deadlines. Or you have noticed that he or she is messing about at the workplace.

I am curious about polite answers to such a question too.

Examples:

  A: How are you making out with the deadline (unidiomatic in my opinion)?

  A: Do you think you will do it in time? (colloquial, imho)

  B: I have to admit I am coming short of the (established) deadline. Sorry. or

  B: I am doing my best but I will come short of completing work on time.

  B: I feel I won't do it at the appointed time.


texts: We often use "at" for the mentioning of a precise location like; He is present at school. But why not say he is imprisoned at a jail instead use he is in a jail.


texts: A comparison between the verbs (come in / by), (drop in / by), (check in / by) (step in / by) and come over

texts:
Suppose a lonely mother who has a son who does not give his mother a call for a long time (he doesn't go to his mother home to make sure what is going on and how is his mother's conditions from each viewpoint); then once when son for a reason goes to her home, mother wants to ask (kindly and with a smile on her lips) why you do not visit me at all for a long time; in this scenario do the following sentences mean the same? Which one doesn't sound natural and why? If no what is the difference between them?

  Why don’t you come in?
  Why don’t you drop in?
  Why don’t you check in?
  Why don’t you step in?
  Why don’t you come by?
  Why don’t you drop by?
  Why don’t you check by?
  Why don’t you step by?
  Why don’t you come over?


texts: "Does it change anything" or "Is it changes anything"?

texts:
Which sentence is correct?

  Does it change anything?

or

  Is it changes anything?

How would native speaker say something like this?


texts: The feeling of pissed off combined with enviousness

texts: I would like to know whether there is a word in English that can express the feeling of being pissed off combined with enviousness. I have searched in dictionaries for synonyms of both, but I couldn’t find any satisfactory answer.


texts: Is "The top gets higher, the more that I climb" correct?

texts:
The top gets higher, the more that I climb.

It's from a song.

Shouldn't it be "the higher the top gets, the more I climb"?


texts: go+doing with some verbs which don't describe an activity

texts:
I know that "go+doing" is mostly used to convey an activity, like in:

I go dancing/fishing/skiing etc. But it is not used with verbs which don't convey an idea of an activity.

So, "I go cooking" doesn't work.

However, I wonder whether it can be used in a different scenario. For example, it is OK to say

1) Don't go arguing with your mom all the time.

Can it be OK to use "go cooking" in the same vein?

2) Don't go cooking for him every time he pays us a visit.

Another question is about this sentence

3) Bob is going to go dancing.

I think it may mean two things

a) Bob is somewhere else and will go to the party soon, where he will dance.
b) Bob is going to start attending a dancing class.

Do you agree or not?


texts:
What is the the difference between the verbs dwindle, dissipate and ebb in terms meaning?

to dwindle means:

  Diminish gradually in size, amount, or strength

  Though she was many miles away, he felt her aura gradually dim and
  dwindle until it faded completely away…

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/dwindle

to dissipate means:

  to gradually disappear by becoming less strong, or to make something
  do this

  (With reference to a feeling or emotion) disappear or cause to
  disappear

  The concern she’d felt for him had wholly dissipated

  He wanted to dissipate his anger

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/dissipate

http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/dissipate

to ebb means:

  (Of an emotion or quality) gradually decrease

  He sighed, a bit of the anger ebbing away from his countenance

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/ebb


texts:
I have two sentences to comprehend correctly.

Do you say

Today is an opportunity to finish off my goal.
Today is my opportunity to finish off my goal.


texts: Is is grammatically correct to say bride to be of Grady Clark or bride to be to Grady Clark? Need it on an invitation for a bridal shower.


texts:
“Ready, are you?”

  It was Uncle Vernon, still purple-faced, still mustached, still looking furious at the nerve of Harry, carrying an owl in a cage in a station full of ordinary people. Behind him stood Aunt Petunia and Dudley, looking terrified at the very sight of Harry.

  “You must be Harry’s family!” said Mrs. Weasley.

  “In a manner of speaking,” said Uncle Vernon. “Hurry up, boy, we haven’t got all day.” He walked away.

  Harry hung back for a last word with Ron and Hermione.

  “See you over the summer, then.”

  “Hope you have — er — a good holiday,” said Hermione, looking uncertainly after Uncle Vernon, shocked that anyone could be so unpleasant.

  -- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

What does "look after" in the context mean? Is she looking at the back of Uncle Vernon?


texts:
No answer is given.
It is given as an example.
All items are provided.
It is given as follows.
It is stolen property.
Why is present simple used in these sentence?

It is present simple passive but it does not function as present simple passive. It sounds like it has been done, past simple.
Is it different than

b) No answer was given.
b) It was given as an example.
b) All items were provided.
b) It was given as follows.
b) It was stolen property.
b) Why was Present Simple used in these sentence?


texts: Meaning of the phrase "have something on" in context

texts:
Here is the sentence I am puzzled with:

  "If you have an ugly handwriting read on, there might be more to your scrawl than meets the eye."

Does it mean when you have to read something? What does "on" mean there?


texts: Omission of the definite article before a noun in a defining adjective clause

texts:
Tell me please why the was dropped in the following sentence.

  Powdered garlic is made from (the) fresh garlic that has been sliced and dried. It does not contain allicin, but is said to have allicin potential.

I cannot get why the article was omitted. I so often hear natives use the in defining adjective clauses that when I first read that, in my mind I read it with the. Was it the author's mistake? If not, then what would putting the article change in meaning there. The excerpt is from this article.


texts: What does "it always picks up" mean here?

texts:
What does "it" refer to here? RECOVERY FROM RECESSIONS
“In economic booms, it always picks up, but it never picks up as far as the previous peak,” Deaton said. “You get this endless downward ratchet. That’s something we really need to turn around, and it’s going to be hard.”
https://fortune.com/2021/04/12/taxing-wealthy-pay-for-covid-recovery-bad-idea-nobel-prize-winning-economist/


texts: Does "£11.99 one-off" express one-time payment in BrE?

texts:
We're in the process of translating a website from Dutch to other languages, including English. The texts were translated by a professional translator, but I'm not sure one of the words has been translated correctly, maybe caused by  lack of sufficient context.

The word in Dutch ("eenmalig") is used to explain there is no monthly fee for a product, there is only a one time payment, after which the coverage lasts for years. This in contrast with other products having a monthly fee.

There are for example two options, displayed as follows:

  '4 years: Premium £  9.99 one-off'
  '5 years: Premium £ 11.99 one-off'

I came up with 'one time only' or 'once' as alternatives, but I'm not 100% sure.


texts: What is a word that would describe some who is strong yet is not afraid of showing his/her emotions to others?

texts: I'm trying to describe someone who is mentally and physically strong, but who is also able to show his/her tender side and emotions.


texts: Meaning of zero article in headlines: "Man has serious injuries after being rescued"

texts:
Man has serious injuries after being rescued from a "deep hole".

This is a headline in a newspaper and I am wondering why there is no article before "Man".

Why it is not  "A man"  as the sentence speaks about one and a specific man (although he is unknown to us yet) and not about "man" in general.

The sentence seems to me that it speaks about man in general or mankind because there is no article.

Thank you


texts: How does the specificity of a sentence change?

texts:
Source

  Joe plays the piano really well.

  Joe plays piano really well.

The former means Joe can play any piano while the latter one means Joe can play only this piano?

Source

  Paris is the capital of France.

  The capital, London, on the River Thames, is home of Parliament and the 11th-century Tower of London, but is also a multicultural, 21st-century hub for the arts and business in "The City."

The capital is correct while the home not.Why?


texts:
A recent question on Meta discussed advantages and disadvantages of using more advanced words in ELL. As example, this answer was used:

  'A Japanese' infers the Japanese person is a thing, and not a person.
  This is what deems it offensive.

  'A Japanese Person' infers the Japanese person is just that - a
  person, and is therefore considered fine for use.

While the conclusion of the discussion is not related to this question, one comment disturbed me:

  Unhappily, both words are misused there! – StoneyB 18 hours ago

Not to bundle two unrelated words and two different errors, let's focus on infers here. What is the misuse in the example? How should that word be used here correctly?


texts:
Father has good reasons on his side, since few people  can go through life listening to the birds sing, and the sooner the boy starts his “education” the better. Maybe he will be an ornithologist when he grows up. A few people, however, can still see and hear in the old way. But most of the members of the human race have lost the capacity to be painters, poets, or musicians, and are not left the option of seeing and hearing directly even if they can
afford to; they must get it secondhand.

What is missing after afford to?
"see and hear directly" or "be painters, poets, or musicians"


texts: what is the true meaning of "the nature of an expiation and atonement" at this context?

texts:
what is the true meaning of "the nature of an expiation and atonement"?

One may well ask why should these North American aborigines play so
large a part not only in the inception, but in the continuance of this
movement? There are few physical mediums in this country, as well as
in America, who have not a Red Indian guide, whose photograph has
not infrequently been obtained by psychic means, still retaining his
scalp-locks and his robes. It is one of the many mysteries which we have
still to solve. We can only say for certain, from our own experience, that
such spirits are powerful in producing physical phenomena, but that
they never present the higher teaching which comes to us either from
European or from Oriental spirits. The physical phenomena are still,
however, of very great importance, as calling the attention of sceptics to
the matter, and therefore the part assigned to the Indians is a very vital
one. Men of the rude open-air type seem in spirit life to be especially
associated with the crude manifestations of spirit activity, and it has
been repeatedly asserted, though it is hard to say how it could be
proved, that their chief organizer was an adventurer who in life was
known as Henry Morgan, and died as Governor of Jamaica, a post to
which he had been appointed in the time of Charles II. Such unproved
assertions are, it must be admitted, of no value in our present state of
knowledge, but they should be put on record as further information
may in time shed some new light upon them. John King, which is the
spirit name of the alleged Henry Morgan, is a very real being, and there
are few Spiritualists of experience who have not seen his heavilybearded
face and heard his masterful voice. As to the Indians who are
his colleagues or his subordinates, one can but hazard the conjecture
that they are children of Nature who are nearer perhaps to the primitive
secrets than other more complex races. It may be that their special work
is of the nature of an expiation and atonement—an explanation which
the author has heard from their lips.


texts:
"Technically every time you go back into the bottle, that's a coped."

This is from a video of a nail artist. She is applying nail polish and says this.
I think 'the bottle' is a manicure bottle. I know what 'cope' means, it's like 'deal with'. Right?
But I can't understand what is meant by 'that's a coped'.
Does it mean 'too much'?


texts: How do you identify the grammatical construction of these sentences?

texts:
Robby is so perplexed not being told about the accident.

Maudy always gets nervous when talking to strangers.

Both sentences have a predicative adjective as a subject complement. My confusion is about those two phrases after the adjectives. As far as i could tell, you can't put a gerund phrase after an adjective because it acts as a noun. It can be a subject, an object, an object of preposition, or a complement but not an adverb.


texts: "In the rest" or "at the rest" when talking about the heart rate?

texts:
When talking about the normal heart rate, what is the right sentence?

  The normal heart rate in the rest is 60-100 BPM
  The normal heart rate at the rest is 60-100 BPM


texts: Can studying older material help an advanced learner to understand and use contemporary English better?

texts:
One of my favorite methods of expanding my knowledge of a language is to pick up a book and analyse the hell out of it, by glossing and making notes and trying my best to understand and absorb everything, and listening to each chapter from the audiobook (if available) several times before going on to the next, repeating after the narrator and trying to exactly copy the pronunciation and accent.

As a self-educating learner of English, I have carried out the above on a couple contemporary works of English literature, and have benefited a great deal from it. But unfortunately, my time is very limited and I have to be careful about which books to choose to work on.

My question here is if I should stick with contemporary works. What happens if I do this with, say, a play by Shakespeare? (It shouldn't be a very difficult task with all these annotated editions and online help at hand.) Would it improve my understanding of the foundations of the language? I really enjoy reading classic literature, but I'm afraid that it'll do more harm than good.

My first aim is to master contemporary English as best I can, and I find that paying attention to historical and etymological aspects can sometimes speed up and deepen my learning. But I don't want to pick up too much archaic words and obsolete constructions involuntarily and make myself sound plain bizarre.

Please know that I'm not at all asking for suggestions about particular works I could study. I'm looking for more general answers, especially from experienced teachers and other knowledgeable users.


texts:
If we want to find something or understand something from the Past, what's correct to say?

Do we look to the Past, in the Past, at the Past or into the Past?

What is the difference between the four:

I would look into the past to see if there happened any situations of the kind.
If you journey to the past you may find very interesting sources of information.
You might want to search for the answer in your past.
If we have a look at the past we can see the changes to our civilization over the years.


texts: What kind/kinds of car/cars are you interested in?

texts:
What kind of car are you interested in?
What kind of cars are you interested in?
What kinds of cars are you interested in?

Is there any one that can’t be allowed to be said?

I would think that #1 could be possible, when the speakers, intending to buy a car, are in a shop which sells cars. And in #2, when it’s not the case as 1, plural cars are more reasonable, in my eye. In 3, for ‘cars’ is plural, it seems that plural ‘kinds’ can be used - but sounds somewhat strange. Can all three be said or not?


texts: Difference between "gesture" and "sign language"

texts:
I'm trying to explain the distinction between "gesture" and "sign language" to a person whose first language is Chinese. As I understand it, "gesture" is a general term for communication using body movements, while "sign language" refers to a specific system of communication using gestures, but this distinction is lost on the person I'm explaining it to, and dictionary definitions do not make it clear.

Can someone clarify this in a more readily-understood manner?


texts: What does the 'would' mean in this sentence?

texts:
My dad let the bike go without telling me.
My dad would let the bike go without telling me.

What is difference between two sentences? Why 'would' is inserted in this sentence? what 'would' mean in this sentence?
'would' is somewhat difficult word to me(non-native) That is past form of 'will' but is used in future tense and present tense and of course past tense. very confusing.
Additionally 'would' is used as 'modal verb' and in 'subjunctive mood'. OMG~! What are you 'would'?


texts:
I'm a healthcare provider and I, myself, have used this phrase zillions of times. However, grammatically, I want some clarification on this.

  The pain was all over the body - is absolutely fine and accepted. It means the patient suffers from pain everywhere in their body.

But why we use over here? Over makes better sense in this sentence

  She was painted all over her body (in case of body painting).   She has rashes all over her body - this makes utter sense to me; she has rashes, on her skin, all over the body. It talks about the surface again!

Should I use this to sound grammatically correct? Just as we use over more for the surface (all over the place) and not something inside (body).

  The pain was everywhere in the body OVER The pain was all over the body


texts: The following sentence is correct in terms of grammar?

texts:
What I'm trying to say - [I'm not studying or working at the moment]
The sentence that I like to use - I'm not studying nor am I working at the moment.


texts: It is 11:30 in the morning and someone visited me from 10:00 to 11:00 the same morning. Can I say : she has visited me this morning, even though the visit has finished, but it is still morning, or should I say she visited me this morning, or is this only possible when the morning has finished=after 12:00 o'clock? Or are both possible?


texts: "The entire stock" or "the whole stock"?

texts:
She bought the entire stock of household goods in that store and left nothing.
  She bought the whole stock of household goods in that store and left nothing.

Which one is more appropriate?

Can I use both?


texts: What is the meaning of the poem line given below by Seamus Heaney ? I tried understanding it but could not. Please help

texts:
History says,
Don’t hope on this side of the grave,
But then, once in a lifetime
The longed-for tidal wave
Of justice can rise up,
And hope and history rhyme.


texts: What do "blacks" and "missions" refer to in this context about Australia?

texts:
From the movie Tracks:

  Robyn: Would you mind not taking pictures?

  Rick: A man has to do his job.

  Robyn: That's exactly the reason blacks were dumped in missions... men just doing their job.

It seems coming out of nowhere. The film is set in the Australian Outback, so I am not sure what missions and what blacks she is talking about.


texts: What does "much" add to the meaning of "How 'much' common were these crimes?"

texts:
The dictionary I consulted says that how much is used for asking or saying what the amount of something is:

(1) How much common were these crimes?
(2) How common were these crimes?

But, after reading (1) and (2) I don't still understand:

How are they different?

What is "the amount of something" to which how much refers in case (1)?


texts:
We will join you in an hour. We will be joining you in an hour.
What is the difference between them?
I am bit confused about these sentences?
What kind of meanings do these sentences give?


texts:
Some manual jobs would disappear in an era of AI.
Some manual jobs would disappear in the era of AI.
Some manual jobs would disappear in a new era of AI.

If I want to express a common truth that people will be replaced by robots, which one above should I choose.


texts: Verbs for describing the action of defecating

texts:
Is there any verb for describing the action of making shit?

I think making shit could be a possible option, but I have never seen it used.

I would like to confirm my assumption and to know other options. As a foreign learner, it is not likely I'll learn these kinds of expressions from textbooks. I know poo is similar, but poo should be a verb without an object. For example, pooing a shit may be incorrect because I have never seen it being used this way.

I know there is also another word beginning with d, but it is a formal and medical one while I seek a colloquial expression.


texts:
Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/ukraine-complains-russia-savchenko-detention/25458269.html

  Savchenko has already been ordered held pending trial until at least August 30. Her case is similar to that of Ukrainian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov, who was arrested in Crimea in May and transferred to a Russian prison and will remain in pretrial detention through at least October 11.


texts: I hope it will be there, when I manage to buy it

texts:
So I went to Blala market, and I saw a nice blue Ford, and I hope that
  it won't be already sold, when I manage to afford its price after few
  months from now.

1)
I feel that I can't say "when I'll manage to". But I need someone to explain it to me.

2)
Also I don't know when I should put comma before "when". I guess it is related to whether the first clause can be understood without the second one. Correct?


texts: Are sofa and divan are just simple synonym and used equally in the UK and USA or one of these words more common in one of these states?


texts: Is there a better preposition for this sentence?

texts:
This is one of my favorite quotes:

  "The finest workers in stone are not copper or steel tools, but the gentle touches of air and water working at their leisure with a liberal allowance of time." -Henry David Thoreau

The only thing I don't like is the preposition in! ;)

Paraphrasing the idiom results in ...

  The gentle touches are the tools and finest workers in stone.

Is that word fine there? Can we have anything else that looks more natural? Maybe "...of stone..." or "...on stone..."

If the perplexity is due to its idiomatic or poetic use, let's change it.

  The Chinese are the finest workers in parasols.

Don't you think "...on/for parasols. looks better?

Had it been some art/act (or for that sake any verb) itself, I wouldn't have any problem:

  The Chinese are the best in paragliding.


texts: Is this sentence using "Writing" and "Advertising" correct?

texts:
My intention is to explain that all writing (as an activity) is advertising (as an activity). Same goes for the second sentence.

Does this sentence convey an explanation mentioned above?

  All writing is advertising. Not all writing is a good advertising.

If I understand it correctly, both "Writing" and "Advertising" can be used either as a noun or a verb.

Noun

  My writing on health was a huge success.

  I saw a cool advertising on health.

... Is this a gerund? A verb that functions as a noun?

Verb

  I am writing

  Stop advertising yourself.


texts: Too silly to consider VS too silly to be considered

texts:
The strikers’ demands are too silly to consider.
The strikers’ demands are too silly to be considered.

What is the difference between these two sentences?


texts:
I've noticed that native speakers sometimes make nouns they've already made possessive, possessive again. If this is syntactically sound, I don't understand it.

For example, "her relative was mean" could alternatively be written as: "a relative of hers was mean."

Why isn't it "a relative of her was mean"?


texts: Words represents sounds - stick hitting road & noise in a radio station

texts:
There are some sounds that is represented by words. Like -

  The door creaked open.
  The tick tick of the wall clock.

Tick tick and creak represent the sound. I am looking for such words which represent sounds like these -

An old man while walking hitting his walking stick against the hard pitch road - Looking for a word which represents the sound of the stick hitting the hard road.
A word which represents the sound of noise in a radio station.


texts:
Does it mean "consumer spending"?
Services make up a huge part of the American economy. While the consumer accounts for about two-thirds of gross domestic product, services account for about 61% of all that spending. However, the level of services expenditures was off about 17% in the third quarter from the same period a year ago.
Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/08/economic-growth-will-be-better-than-expected-thanks-to-the-resilient-services-sector-goldman-says.html


texts: Picking strawberries v. The picking of strawberries v. Strawberry-picking

texts:
Consider:

Picking strawberries can be fun.
The picking of strawberries requires patience.
Strawberry-picking is a strenuous job.

Which is more common in use than the others? Do they mean essentially the same thing in different context? Are these gerund formations always interchangeable?


texts:
You are not the person I want to talk.
You are not the person I want to talk with.

A : Do you want to quit?
B : No, I don't want to. / I don't want.

I heard native speakers who sometimes end their sentences with a preposition.  Is it grammatically correct? If so, when and how to apply that? Are my examples without a preposition also correct?


texts: HELP: Which version is correct: "It wasn't they who had changed the rules" or "It wasn't them who had changed the rules"?


texts: The meaning of "turning his point for a stone" in the context

texts:
In Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, Chapter 11, where he describes the man who understands and loves the land he is cultivating, there is a sentence:

  The man who is more than his chemistry, walking on the earth, turning his point for a stone, dropping his hands to slide over an outcropping, kneeling in the earth to eat his lunch; that man who is more than his elements knows the land that is more than its analysis.

What does the "bold" part of the sentence mean? As a city dweller, I totally lack the cultural background of the early 20th century farming. Does the "point" refer to some tapered part of an agricultural instrument? Does the man just draw his attention to a stone that, if unnoticed, may get in the way of a plough or something?


texts:
The bluetooth remote control is quite cosy in the hand.

I have a few English people with me. I just said that the bluetooth remote control that I got is quite cosy. However, they started laughing and asking, do you really mean "cosy"? Is this an incorrect use of the word "cosy"? I really find that the remote control is quite friendly and comfortable compared to IR remotes. Would "cosy" work for this in an informal context? (I am feeling embarrassed because a VP of my company was there when I said this.)


texts:
Take up a sport gives an example

  I need to take up a sport to get fit.

I am aware of the meaning. The question is about the usage of "take up".

Ngram Viewer shows "take up a sport" is common whereas "not found" for "take up a sport to"

Does native speaker say it that way? "take up a sport to do"

Is it a little bit redundant? Because the meanings of "sport" and "get fit" overlaps a lot.


texts: What are the ways to say "goodbye" to people in the chat?

texts:
What are the ways to say "goodbye" to people in a chat room?

I know some:

  I see you late.
  Bye.

But, I don't know which them are appropriate or choose.


texts: meaning of the phrase "come a-knocking"?

texts:
It is from Crash Coursd A&P. The phrase was at 3 minute and 33 second. Here is context:

  When puberty comes a-knocking, the hypothalamus starts realeasing gonadotropin-releasing hormone, or GnRH.

If a in the phrase was used for and, then would it not be grammatically correct to say when puberty comes a-knock?


texts: You'll be okay. Vs. You're gonna be okay

texts:
I heard you use Will for the facts and something that you believe as true, and Be going to to show simple prediction or something about to happen. Then which is the strong sentence between those on the title? And how?

Let say there's two situations.

  A: Will I be all right?

  B: Well, you're gonna be okay.

and

  A: Am I gonna be all right?

  B: Well, you will be okay.

Then what's the differences between those?


texts: "Dark as her sister was fair" meaning in this context?

texts:
Snape gestured Narcissa to the sofa. She threw off her cloak, cast it aside and sat down, staring at her white and trembling hands clasped in her lap. Bellatrix lowered her hood more slowly. Dark as her sister was fair, with heavily lidded eyes and a strong jaw, she did not take her gaze from Snape as she moved to stand behind Narcissa.

  Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

I don't understand the part "Dark as her sister was fair". What does it really mean?


texts: What does "a final step for a period to be agreed upon" mean?

texts:
Ran into this:

  This comprehensive solution would build on these initial measures and result in a final step for a period to be agreed upon and the resolution of concerns.

I think the above equals this:

  This comprehensive solution would build on these initial measures and would result in a final step for a period which is to be agreed upon and would result in the resolution of concerns.

I have a question about the noun phrase a final step for a period to be agreed upon. What does it mean? Could somebody rephrase it? What does for a period mean here?
Could someone kindly say what the text is saying?


texts:
What is the difference between the following sentences?
(1) You/I need to do it
(2) You/I would need to do it
Do we use the second one for distancing from reality and being more polite?


texts: If both gold and golden refer to "made of gold", how do I choose?

texts:
I always thought that if something is made of gold, it is a gold thing, if it looks like gold but might not be, it is golden. But looking in the dictionary, I can see I was wrong.

In the Cambridge dictionary, for both gold and golden it reads:

  made of gold, or the colour of gold

For "golden" it reads in also:

  made of gold

Example sentences for gold:

  She always does her presents up beautifully in gold and silver
  paper. She was wearing a gold Lurex top with a pink mini skirt.
  There are a couple of fish with blue markings, and a few more with
  gold stripes down the side.

I understand in those examples "gold" refers to the color but why it is not golden?
How would the meaning change if I put "golden" there?
How to tell which one should I use?


texts: Should I use "on" or "in" or "over" or "at" or "within" or other preposition in the expresion "I installed it on Windows"?

texts:
Many times I use this expresion and I would like to know which is the correct way to say this. I do not know what preposition I should use in this expresions:

I installed it on Windows
Is that running in Windows?
Is it loaded over Windows?
How to get used to Chrome within Windows?

Can I use all of them? Is there a general rule?


texts:
Englishtown

  We're generally finished by 12.30..

I guess the above context means:

  We're generally finished with our work by 12.30

am I right?

I know I can say, "I am finished with my work by 11." But is it grammatical if I say "I am finished by 11."?


texts:
Bonaparte was a master of what we would now call spin, ...

The context can be found here.


texts:
Check this scenario -

"There's a bug in software your company built."
"Oh, I'm so sorry. You may meet the project in-charge (say he's Jack) for that."

The question now:

What if there are many people in-charge. Say, Jack, Jill, Johny and Michael?
"There's a bug in software your company built."
"Oh, I'm so sorry. You may meet the project in-charges for that." - is certainly incorrect.

If anyone answers that in-charge is always one person, the question's solved!
Note: project in-charge is a noun in this case.


texts:
As there was no demand for the medicine, however, and no necessity for
  the messages, he usually occupied his unemployed hours—averaging
  fourteen a day—in abstracting peppermint drops, taking animal
  nourishment, and going to sleep.

What is "animal nourishment"?
source THE BLACK VEIL


texts:
New York Times

  A lawyer by training, he said he was shocked that the person who gave him the Conyers documents declined his offer to pay

I didn’t understand what this prepositional phrase implies.

I looked this phrase up but I didn’t see anything related to.


texts: what is the difference between nude/naked?

texts:
What is the difference between nude/naked?

As for me both has same meaning

  Naked - (of a person or part of the body) without clothes.

  Nude - wearing no clothes; naked.

How to use these words separately?


texts: What is this thing that you put a sword in called?

texts: I have played Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask and I am always asking: "What is this thing on Link's back?" It's for putting the sword, I know that, but what it's called? I have searched for "sword quiver" and it only showed quivers. So, what is it called?


texts:
I'd like to know whether that sentence is grammatically correct.

To my way of thinking, that doesn't sound quite correct. If I were the writer who wrote that sentence, I would say as "Collecting stamps is one of his hobbies"

But If we could think of "a hobby" as modifying the whole sentence "he collects stamps", I'd think that that sentence could be grammatically acceptable.

I'd like to know your opinions on my thinking.


texts:
In Japanese, referring to people as "it" considered rude. Instead of "it", We say "that person" or information of the person (ex. a person who wares a blue shirt).

In English, Is referring to people as "it" considered rude?


texts:
I'm reading an English story written by an Italian student, and there's a line which says

  Mark carried a gun in his briefcase for safety reasons

Now, when talking to him earlier I understood what he meant. The hero of his story placed the gun in his briefcase, in case he needed to use it. The gun was for his own personal safety.

I suppose self defence could have been used, but it suggests that the hero knew what was lying in store for him.

I suggested,

  Mark carried a gun on the off chance that he needed to use it.

But Cambridge Dictionary says

  off chance noun
  hoping that something may be possible, although it is not likely:

Which changes the story somewhat, and besides which, the phrase becomes  too clumsy sounding.

Does ‘precaution measures’ sound better?

  Mark carried a gun for precaution measures

CD defines it as

  precaution noun
  an action that is done to prevent something unpleasant or dangerous happening

Is there a pithier, an easier expression or phrase that people use when they fear they might face danger?

Context: Mark placed the gun with the $100,000 cash that was in his briefcase. In the end, the "hero" never needed to use the gun.


texts: meaning of "in some future state alone it can be quenched"

texts:
I’m reading The Greedy Queen by Annie Gray. The author mentions that various royal princes came to visit Queen Victoria  as potential marriage partners when she turned seventeen. And Victoria expressed her upset  in her letters to her uncle Leopold:

  Whenever she had visitors, on their departure she was utterly bereft.
  A typical response from Uncle Leopold showed off his sensitive side in
  reply to one of her over-wrought letters: ‘this, unfortunately, is the
  picture of life; all transitory except the thirst for happiness and
  bliss, which seems to indicate that in some future state alone it can
  be quenched’. Victoria was, perhaps, rather overdoing it, but she had
  a vested interest in making sure that her future partner was at least
  someone she could vaguely fancy.

I’m confused about Uncle Leopold’s response. I suppose he was saying that “everything changes, but our thirst for happiness will never change”, which means this thirst can never be quenched. If my understanding is correct, then why would he say this thirst can be quenched in some future state? Does “in some future state alone” simply means “one day in the future”? I don’t understand the later part of his response. Can anybody explain his idea for me?


texts: meaning of the phrase "by actual count"?

texts:
It is from this video. It is at around 8 minute and 34 second. Here is the context:

  The paper even cites a case from the 1691 where a pregnant woman consumed, by actual count, 1,400 salted herrings during her pregnancy.

I feel it means it was actually counted, if I am right, then why did the host omit the article a before the phrase actual count?


texts:
There is a point in the "choose the correct answer" question that goes like "
"The old man ....... to cross the crowded street."
1- has seen
2- has been seen
3- sees
4 - is being seen.

My teacher says that "has been seen" is the correct answer not "is being seen" because "seen" can't come in the present continuous, however, that's on account that "seen" here means "watch". But if "seen" means "helped" or "shown the way" can't it come in the present continuous?

Plus that if "seen" in "has been seen" means watched, then there will be no "to" and the verb "cross" will be instead crossing. But if it also means "helped" or "shown the way" then both of them are right.

So which one is right and why?


texts: What does 'Gothic' mean for universities?

texts:
Para 2: But if William Deresiewicz’s withering and dyspeptic description of the education provided by elite American universities applied to Oxford, these teenage “winners” should be pitied, not congratulated. He paints a Gothic picture of Harvard, Yale, the rest of the Ivy league, and many other reputable colleges in the US, where horrible academic neglect, rampant materialism and insufferable smugness combine to leave their students in an educational and moral wasteland. Deresiewicz would have us believe that these world-famous universities churn out spiritually impoverished automatons whose principal task is to proceed to remunerative careers that will in turn secure future donations to perpetuate the institutions they have only just about survived.

I tried Wikipedia's page on Gothic fiction, because the aforesaid work isn't fiction so this doesn't apply?

  ODO's Definition 3 = (also pseudo-archaic Gothick) Belonging to or redolent of the Dark Ages; portentously gloomy or horrifying:

Is this the right meaning? The 'horrifying' definition coheres with the quoted context, but a reference fromt the Dark Ages seems far outdated?


texts:
Which form is correct:

  My hair grow slowly

or

  My hair grows slowly


texts: Does each tense have 4 forms? (indefinite, continuous, perfect, perfect continuous)

texts:
I came across this slide, which says that:
Each tense has 4 forms

  indefinite, continuous, perfect, perfect continuous.

I don't find it wrong, but however I didn't see it before and since the reference isn't authorized or reliable therefore I'm afraid that something here is wrong (as many posts or slides which spread on the internet). Is it considered a good way to learn tenses or it can be a problem somehow?


texts:
Which of the following sentence is grammatically correct?

  Revenue declined due to lesser units of property being sold in 2013.

or

  Revenue declined due to lesser units of property were sold in 2013.


texts:
What's the meaning of the expression "in the open" in the phrase below:

  This is partly because fear is uncommon and short-lived in the open.

The page where I found this sentence is: dictionary.cambridge.org/pt/dicionario/ingles/short-lived. Before posting this question I did a Google search trying to find the full text or article so I could try to understand it by myself but I got nothing,

Does it have any figurative meaning in this case?


texts:
He was silent for a few moments evidently thinking of what he could do
  for Srebnitz.  Then he said "Tell your mother and father to change
  their minds while there is still time. Now I will go and send round
  my kit."

This is from "Guerrilla" by Lord Dunsany.

He is a German major billeted in a house in a neighbor country. And he is satisfied with the hospitality  of the family.

I do not understand the meaning of "send round my kit."


texts:
I have encountered a question related to wish clauses. According to the answer key, the answer must be like this

  I wish you had not bought a camera already as my cousin works in a camera shop and can get up to twenty-five percent staff discount.

But if it is used this way, there is no regret. Do you think that the following sentence more accurate than the above?

  I wish you had not bought a camera. As working in a camera shop, my cousin could have got up to twenty-five percent staff discount.


texts:
I am thinking to express the meaning of "My perspective on the issue A is similar to Alexia's perspective on issue B" in other different ways. I have a few questions.

I wanted to use a structure like: "I have a similar perspective on issue A to Alexia's on issue B". How can I make this sentence grammatically correct?

Can I simplify my original sentence to "My perspective on issue A is similar to Alexia's one on issue B" or  "My perspective on issue A is similar to Alexia's on issue B".

If Alexia = me, meaning, I wanted to just say "My perspective on issue A is similar to my perspective on issue B". Can I use some kind of conjunction reduction here? For example, would "My perspective on issue A is similar to on issue B" correct? Would "My perspective on issue A is similar to issue B" be correct?

(EDITED) Along the same line, can I simplify the sentence "The perspective of the university is similar to the perspective of the government" in some way? Can I say "The perspective of the university is similar to the government" or "The perspective of the university is similar to that of the government"

I am generally confused about the use of the word similar and the resulting issues about whether I can delete any part for simplicity.


texts: "I don't think we should go to the movie tomorrow" - what does it mean actually?

texts:
I don't think we should go to the movie tomorrow.

Does it actually mean: We shouldn't go to the movie tomorrow?


texts:
I am reading a newspaper, and I've encountered the sentence that I can't understand.

That is "would go back".

I think " I would go back" means "If I return to the past". But the sentence in below is hard to understand. Just in case, I attach whole context.

  “Name any country in Africa, and I could have found a world-class firm there a decade ago,” says John Page of the Brookings Institution, a think tank, the co-author of a forthcoming book on African manufacturing. “The problem is, two years later, I’d go back and still find just the one firm. In Cambodia or Vietnam, I would go back and find 50 new ones.”

How could I understand the meaning of " would go back "?

Is there anything word instead of " would go back" ?


texts:
But to follow this will it is necessary to know it, and above all to distinguish it from the particular will, beginning with one's self.

my problem is that I can not understand what BEGINNING WITH means here.
 Would you please tell me, if am I correctly explain  this part of sentence BEGINNING WITH
 SOMETHING?

To begin with some thing, in this sentence, means at the start of a process, event, or situation

And, what about this sentence? has  that part(begin with something) the same meaning with the following?

The recommendation from all authorities is to begin with diet.


texts:
How can I call a person who has a long forelock? I've tried to add suffix but I'm not sure about it.

"Forelock" in Russian is "chelka" and a person with long forelock we can call "chelkastyy". Is there analogue in English?

Here is an example:


texts:
Is it proper to say,

  not yet showing

in a database?  Or should the sentence be

  not shown yet

in a database?  Please advise, thank you.


texts:
Does the word whither mean to where?
Does that mean you can use it this way:

This is the sea whither we were sailing.

This is the city whither the ship was sailing.

This is the island whither the crew was sailing.


texts:
Yesterday I came across an utterance that has been bugging me ever since.

  I've been listening to ArtistX before he collabed with the GroupX, and I've listened to the GroupX before I listened to ArtistX.

I wouldn't give it any though if it hadn't been written by a native, and most apparently it was. But I doubt its grammatical correctness. I understand what the author wanted to convey, but he did that in a fashion that strikes me as wrong for some reason. As for me, he should have used the past perfect tense, as in:

  I'd been listening to ArtistX before he collabed with the GroupX.

But I've done my research and came out with the results that surprised me. There are quite a few examples of similar sentences.

  I've been listening to K-Pop before it became mainsteam.

And while in this sentence I get the need for use of the present perfect, as it's directly connected to the present, the former example seems somewhat different. Still, even if both are correct, I'd use "since before..." in them for the sake of making them more clear - would that be necessary though?

EDIT: The longer I think about it the less I consider the original sentence to be wrong. I can see it's connection to the present fact; the author STILL listenes to them, and has been doing it since before their collaboration. I guess what originally made this utterance weird for me was the lack of "since" and its second part:

  and I've listened to the GroupX before I listened to ArtistX

I feel like something's not right about tenses in there. But I'm still curious to see your take on the entire case; perhaps my prior doubts were valid?


texts: "Curt with someone" or "curt to someone"?

texts:
Which preposituon do I use with the adjective curt when I want to say that someone was briefly rude to someone? For example:

  The boss was curt with/to me this morning.

I checked a few dictionaries, but I couldn't find examples neither with with nor with to. I also checked Ngram Viewer, but it interprets curt as a name. Is it even correct to use curt with with or to in the first place.


texts: What does "furnish" mean in the sentence?

texts:
You furnish the Girl, we furnish the home! The Goat (1921 film)

What does first "furnish" mean in the sentence? And what is meaning of the sentence generally?
Is it an amphibology?: You provide the girl, instead of make a gift for her, we provide your home furniture. I think in that way because in the last scene of movie Buster Keaton puts the girl on his shoulder (like a property of exchange) and goes through store.


texts: Can adjectives decorate other adjectives?

texts:
They would lead to greater naturalness in the graphic depiction of
anatomy, clothingn likeness, expression, and landscape.

It seems
'of anatomy, clothing, likeness, expression, and landscape'
decorates
'graphic depiction'
But isn't it an adjective? Which decorates 'naturalness'
Adjectives can decorate other adjectives?
Or 'of ~' decorates 'naturalness' ?


texts: Does "call" mean "invitation" or something? I've looked it up in several dictionaries to no avail.


texts: What does "If it were not for the fact that I never speak ill of my colleague" mean?

texts:
"I see," said Professor McGonagall, fixing Harry with her beady eyes. "Then you should know, Potter, that Sybill Trelawney has predicted the death of one student a year since she arrived at this school. None of them has died  yet. Seeing death omens is her favorite way of greeting a new class. If it were not for the fact that I never speak ill of my colleague --

  Professor McGonagall broke  off, ...

I don't quite understand the sentence above in bold. What does it try to convey? Particularly the part: If it were not for the fact

-- From Harry Potter.


texts:
Is this a formal or informal expression?

  He doesn't stand a chance.

If it's informal, what are some formal alternatives?


texts: How to say that something is intuitively right?

texts:
Here the 'something' means a theory or a principle.

My sentence is

  While this principle can only be appropriately understood  in terms of
  rigorous theorems (see below for some), it is in agreement with the
  intuition that to fit a jump or a cusp we need fast oscillating terms.

But I am not so satisfied with the phrasing.


texts: The use of prepositions "in" and "within" - "I will graduate in/within the next year"

texts:
I am curious if these sentences make any sense to you:

I will graduate next year
I will graduate in the next year
I will graduate within the next year

If those sentences do make sense, could you please elaborate more on the differences between the three?


texts: I'm confused with the use of the participle phrase

texts:
The first REM period may begin only a half hour after falling asleep.

In the sentence, I'm confused with the use of the phrase after falling asleep.
Please explain it to me.


texts: What does 'including but not limited to' and 'to post calls' mean in context?

texts:
what does including but not limited to mean here? And what means to post calls for artists?

  This space collects any kinds of open-call opportunities for artists
  and arts professionals, including but not limited to residency
  programs, workshops, exhibition/ festival projects. Please feel free
  to post calls.


texts:
I wrote the following question:

  Does anyone know any examples that use this function or can write a simple example oneself?

This question uses "does" and "can" to ask about knowing or ability (to write such an example). I'm not sure about the correct way to use "does" and "can" in a single question. Could you please tell me whether my question is correct or not?

By the way, I'm also not sure about oneself - maybe it must be themselves?


texts:
I saw some questions just as this and would like to ask you whether this question is possible and grammatically correct in English?

  I am extremely afraid of snakes.

  How extremely are you afraid of snakes?

Edit:
There is an adverb type called "ADVERBS OF DEGREE" and the adverb "extremely" is one of them.

We can't use these adverbs without any adjective or something that they can refer to.

"Extremely", "very", "quite", "almost" are some examples that can't function alone and need different things.


texts: confusion in tags on Parts-of-speech.Info

texts:
I am using the site Parts-of-speech.Info for the self study but I don't understand what these tags mean.
Below are three screenshots that show the site's part-of-speech tagging for the sentence "Failure must not have permanent affect on a person because only the tough survives". In the first picture, "have" has been tagged as "verb, VB", while "survives" (see the second picture) is tagged as "verb, VBZ":


texts: I do not know how to correctly write this kind of sentence

texts:
A man is selling fruits and there are 3 kinds: apple, banana and melon.

In the above sentence ":" is used, but if I do not want to use ":", how should I write a sentence?

I am thinking of

  A man is selling fruits and there are 3 kinds of apple, banana and melon.

However, I am not sure replacing ":" with "of" is correct.


texts: Is "suggest" used correctly in "I strongly suggest your reading that book"?

texts:
The question is basically about the use of the verb "suggest" and the grammatical structure that accompanies it. I know that I can say "I suggest that you read that book" or
"I suggest reading that book", but I want to know if the expression "I suggest your reading that book" is correct.


texts: meaning of "residents of Hare’s Breath, Nebraska"

texts:
I'm reading Step by Step : A Pedestrian Memoir by Lawrence Block and the following paragraph mentions a place in Nebraska called "Hare’s Breath":

  The business of walking substantial distances in competition with
  others has been with us for a long time, and in the nineteenth
  century, much as it may strain credulity, the six–day walking race was
  a spectator sport.  There were races held from one city to another,
  and occasional races that spanned the entire country, and I can
  understand why residents of Hare’s Breath, Nebraska, might gather at
  the stop sign to see a walker passing through, but a more typical
  event was held in a stadium, with walkers circling a quarter–mile
  cinder track for 144 hours.

Since I can't find a place called Hare's Breath in Nebraska, I'm very confused if this is some kind of joke or is there really such a place. If it's a joke, what is he joking about and why Nebraska? Can anybody explain the idea for me?


texts:
What are other similar phrases or vocabulary to express "take risks/chances"? In the following context:

Some people believe that success in life comes from taking risks or chances.


texts:
Is it correct to say:

"In the following, we outline how this can be done".

My main question is that: Is "In the following" at a right place?


texts: When should I use simple past and when I should use simple past progressive?

texts:
When I do homework about tenses especially in simple past and simple past progressive, I got a problem to different the use of each tenses>

Example question :

  It was beautiful day yesterday when we went for a walk in the park. The sun ..... . a cool breeze .... . the birds ....

Based on that question, I feel confused which should use simple past and which should use simple past progressive.

Can anyone explain when I have to use simple past and simple past progressive?


texts: When to use "When" & "Where" as conjunctions? Are they interchangeable in some cases?

texts:
I reached a level where I can speak English like a native speaker.

  We got to a point where we can agree.

In the previous sentences, the level and the point of view are not real places nor real time but the word "Where" is used. I think I got used to it because it's more common. I feel like when it comes to real time, the word where can also be used:

  I was there at the time (Where - When) the plane took off.

  I can't wait for the day (Where - When) my children graduate.

  You should have paid on the day (Where - When) the bill was
  issued.

  The camera was recording at the moment (Where - When) the
  expulsion happened.


texts:
What is the meaning of "won't have" in the following sentence (Source:When Randolph turned rotten by Charise Mericle Harper),

  Randolph was very pleased with what he had done. IVY won't have any
  fun!

  ?

There is an exclamation mark in the sentence. What kind of nuance does "won't have" have in the sentence with this exclamation mark(!)?

Does "IVY won't have any fun!" mean "Randolph wish that IVY dose not have a good time" Or "Randolph think that IVY dose not have a good time"?

Looking at the dictionary, "won't have" means:

Dictinary: ==>
someone won’t have something - definition and synonyms
used for saying that someone does not allow something.

if so, does "IVY won't have any fun!" mean "IVY does not allow any fun"?


texts:
The code of conduct would be aimed at avoiding accidents.

The code of conduct would aim to   avoid accidents.

The code of conduct would aim at avoiding accidents.


texts:
I wrote:

  As another example, suppose we want to create a pattern for the region of each product. We first identify two anchors within a product item, for example, the price and the shipping information.

Is the sentence uses "for example" correctly?

How can I relate the sentence and example in better ways?


texts: What is the difference between hallmark and trademark?

texts: The word 'trademarks' has been used in relation to characteristics of an agile business model and I do not think it is a reasonable usage of the word


texts: How can you paraphrase this- 'She may have been being interviewed for a job'?

texts:
I got this rarely used sentence from the below link-

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/about-verbs/verb-phrases

  She may have been being interviewed for a job.

What are the other ways by which you can express this idea, but still with the same meaning?


texts:
With time her [Flor’s] reputation grew, people came to ask her for recipes, took her to the homes of rich people to teach the fine details and seasoning of this or that exacting dish. Dona Detinha Falcal, Dona Ligia Oliva, Dona Laurita Tavares, Dona Ivany Silveira, other “outstanding” ladies on whose friendship Dona Rozilda [Flor’s mother] so prided herself, recommended her to their acquaintances. Flor had twice as much work as she could do. It was one of those rich ladies who gave her the idea of a school, for, having asked for recipes and practical demonstrations, [a] she had insisted on paying [b] her for [c] her work, to make clear that [d] she was remunerating the excellent teacher and good friend, and not giving a cook a gratuity. Delicate subtleties of Dona Luisa Silveira, a great lady from Sergipe full of guile and very proud.
  (Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands, translated by Alfred A. Knopf)

There exist mingled anaphors above, it’s not easy to discern who is who. This is my understanding. Which is wrong?

[a] Silveira
[b] Flor
[c] Flor
[d] Silveira

Is it, to establish a cooking school, Silveira’s guile to save her tuition for cooking lesson? And is to pay Flor, a teacher, more proud, than to pay a cook? Is this what the words mean?


texts: “Continuous”, “consecutive”, and “straight“

texts:
When I want to say that I worked for three hours without stopping, do all of the following sentences mean the same?

I worked for three continuous hours.
I worked for three consecutive hours.
I worked for three straight hours.


texts:
1) I was learning to play a song on a piano app.

2) I was learning to play a song in a piano app.

Which one correct is correct  and why?


texts:
What is this kind of lamp called?
To call it simply a "lamp" doesn't makes sense to me, nor to call it a "chandelier", since I've noticed that "chandelier" refers to an impressive group of lamps which hang from a ceiling. I would like to know what this usual kind of lamp facility is called?

NB honestly I don't know what to call it even in my native language.


texts:
I would like some clarification on the pronunciation of "s" in "is he/is her/is his"
In the question "Where is he?" you pronounce s as "s" (not
"z" sound) and h is silent.
So is it pronounced "wherisi?" ?
Does the same go for "Where is her sister" or "Who is his friend"?
Or does it depend on the regional English?
EDIT:
My doubt started after listening to this bbc podcast:
Man flu
At second 30 a british woman says "whereisi".  "s sound not z"


texts: What's the difference between "guarantee" and "ensure"?

texts:
We guarantee to deliver your goods within a week.
  We ensure to deliver your goods within a week.
  We guarantee that we deliver your goods within a week.
  We ensure that we deliver your goods within a week.

Are these sentences all possible in grammar?
If not, could you explain the reason?

And what's the difference between "ensure" and "guarantee"?

Thanks for your help in advance.


texts:
She denied to have seen him yesterday.

She denied seeing him yesterday.

She denied having seen him yesterday.

Are these sentences grammatically correct? Do they mean the same?


texts: Which articles are correct in "He is both ___ singer and ___ dancer" ?

texts:
What will be the articles in the gaps?

  He is both __ singer and __ dancer.

MY ASSUMPTION: a, ×.

I chose to write × for the second gap because, it indicates the same person.


texts:
This theory has yet to be proven.
This theory is yet to be proven.
This is yet to be done.
This has yet to be done.
I have yet to spend summer in the mountains.
I am yet to spend summer in the mountains.

Are they all correct? How are "have yet to do" and "be yet to do" different?
Thank you!


texts: What article to choose referring to any on a list?

texts:
I am perplexed if I should use the indefinite or definite article when meaning any from the list.

Here are some examples:

1) "There are books on the table. When you take a book, check its cover."

2) "There are books on the table. When you take the book, check its cover."

3) "You can encounter (unspecific) problems with any device. How will you deal with a problem?"

4) "You can encounter (unspecific) problems  with any device. How will you deal with the problem?"

Q:

If I say "a book" and "a problem" in 1 and 3 - can it refer only to the books/problems introduced, not any book as a class?
If I say "the book" and "the problem" in 2 and 4 - can it mean "any from the list introduced"?

Please, help. Thank you.


texts:
When speaking of something done by somebody, can I say "She just did that." to mean "She only did that." (i.e. she didn't do anything else)?

I am asking because in Italian I can use the same word where English uses only and just. What would change is the position of the word. (Compare lo ha appena fatto with ha fatto appena quello.)


texts: Where can I find the list of nouns that are used with zero-article?

texts:
Where can I find a list of nouns that are used with a zero-article—that is, words which do not need an article.
For example

Milk is good.
They spoke about corruption.

Is there some list of these words so I can memorize them?


texts: When someone has not changed facially and you run into them suddenly

texts:
How to tell someone we haven't seen for a long time (say a couple of years) that they have not aged at all and look exactly the same as they looked back then.
I have heard the following sentence:

You haven't even aged a day.

Does it work properly here?
I am well aware there are many ways in English to indicate the same thing, but the expression in my question should indicate exactly the message within my explanations.
Please kindly let me know about it.


texts:
Eat penguin shit you ass spelunker.

First of all I apologize for a little bit inappropriate question given its obscene content. In the movie South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999) we can hear the above sentence. I would like to ask whether it has the literal meaning and thus it has really to do with eating animal excrement or it is some sort of the figurative language. Our official translator interpreted this sentence as "fuck the pinguin to the ear, you fug" which I find to be funnier, more absurd and black-humored than its literal (scatological) meaning.


texts: So, "How do..look" is for positive expressions & "What do..look like" for neutral & negative ones, right?

texts:
This site says:

  Here the How…? form is sometimes associated more with positive
  features and the What...like? form more with neutral or negative
  features:

  How does she look? ~ Fantastic! That outfit really suits her.

  What does she look like? ~ As if she hasn't bought any new clothes in
  the last twenty years.

Would you think there is a distinction between "How do..look" & "What do..look like"?


texts: How would "Do you know what happened?" be understood?

texts:
In Italian, I could say Lo sai cosa è successo? ("Do you know what happened?") for introducing a new topic. I would not generally expect an answer, as it is just a way to let the other person know I am changing topic; in the case I see the other person is not paying attention, maybe because he is thinking to something else, or something else is distracting him, I would not continue until he doesn't reply back with Cosa? ("What?") or a similar phrase. If the person to whom I am speaking would be paying attention, and he notices I am not saying anything, he would ask Cosa?

Would "Do you know what happened?" be understood in the same way from English native speakers?  What would happen if I say "Do you know what happened?" and I don't say anything else?
I am speaking about a face-to-face communication.


texts: What does it mean: "The dance and the simple video are everything"?

texts:
Here is the full phrase "But honestly the dance and the simple video are everything", and i took it from comments (on youtube) to this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=au8QGTiPhEw

Could someone explain me the meaning? Thx


texts: Can you clear my this confusion between "no" and "not"?

texts:
I have seen sentences like:

  They ask for money no less than Rs 2,000.

  He was looking weird? No weirder than usual.

I wonder should "not" had been in place of "no". Are they interchangeable?


texts:
Two people are sitting in a bar. One of them says to the other:

  If you're looking for a place to eat, you should try the cafe just down the street.

What does "just down" mean/imply here?


texts:
It is more probable for the experts to makes contribution than is for the beginners in a field.

It seems not OK, please help me.


texts: Should I use 'infintive' or 'gerund' after pronouns?

texts:
Her father opposed to her marrying a foreigner

In the above sentence it's used a gerund 'marrying' after the pronoun 'her'. What if I use a infinitive verb instead of using a 'gerund' as;

  Her father opposed to her to marry a foreigner

Is there any exceptions not to use infinitives after pronouns in such sentences or are these sentences having different meaning?


texts: He came here on a fine morning/in a fine morning

texts:
I know that the preposition 'on' and 'in'  are used in the following contexts

1. He came in the morning.

2. He came here on Sunday morning.

3. He came here on 2nd october.

4. He came here on october 2nd, 2018.

I know that in the sentence1 the preposition 'in' is used since morning is rather a long period.

In the sentences 2,3 and 4 'on' is used because it is followed by day or date. Even the third sentence refers to date though it is followed by the month December.

I would like to know why we say:

  He came here on a fine morning

and not:

  He came here in a fine morning.

Here morning does not refer to any day or date and refers to a period of time.

Is it because of the article a or something else?

It is not a duplicate of "in the morning vs on the morning".


texts: Does the position of "only" give a different meaning to the sentence?

texts:
I've only been there once. (OALD)

Does this mean ‘I’ve just been there not doing particular activities like studying or staying for particular something else, and I have once? (Because ‘only’ is put between verbs, it is different from ‘I’ve been there only once’.)

  He has only seen her once. (The Cambridge Grammar of the English
  Language)

Likewise, does this mean ‘he has just seen her not talking to each other et cetera, and he has once’?


texts: What does "Despite being born in India, Chinese-origin people stateless" mean?

texts:
This is a headline in today's newspaper:

  Despite being born in India, Chinese-origin people stateless

What does this mean, especially Despite and Chinese-Origin?


texts: What does "paid certificate program" mean in this context?

texts:
I have recently received an email from my university. I'm referring to the third paragraph.

I received this because I attended a employability soft-skills improvement event.

  Dear Student,

  Thank you for participating for this workshop and showing interest in developing your professional skill-set. We hope you had an interesting time and gained valuable knowledge.

  Please take a moment to fill out the attached feedback form to be sent to (censored). They are very much interested in having your opinion to further develop their program.

  P.S. Please confirm along with the filled form whether you are willing to participate in a paid certificate program by (censored) during your semester break at (censored).

Does this mean that I have to pay them or Is it like a paid internship where we get paid.

My guess is we need to pay them, I need some clarification.


texts: Turn it on from here/there; it has been turned off from here/there

texts:
If we have to talk about turning off the switch by using the place (main switch; like something is connected to a secondary power socket, which is in turn connected to the main socket)

So something has been connected to this socket and this is connected to the main socket

Someone is trying turn on something by turning on the switch here but the main switch has been turned off. My question is whether the following uses of "from here" and "from there" are natural. Are they?

  It has been turned off from there. (while pointing there)

  It has been turned off from the main socket.

And what about:

  It has been turned off from here. (you are standing there and telling this to the other person)

  You can turn it on from here.

  You can turn it on from there.


texts: I'm an English learner. While I was reading a novel, one question that I never tried to resolved appeared and then I decided that time for a resolution was indispensable. Which phrase is correct: "They are the officers you need to respect" or "They are the officers you need to respect to"? I don't remember where but I read that is non-standard to place a preposition at the end.


texts: You are subscribed or you have subscribed

texts:
Which one is correct ?

  you have already subscribed to our newsletter.

or

  you are already subscribed to our newsletter.

I would tend to use "have" for present perfect - I have seen, you have subscribed... - but a Google search brought examples of both...

See this stack overflow link for example: https://civicrm.stackexchange.com/questions/12258/you-are-already-subscribed-to-our-newsletter-message


texts: 'She insisted me to post this one.' or 'She insisted on posting this one.'

texts:
I am not sure whether to use 'insisted on' or 'insisted to' in the above sentence.
Which one is grammatically correct?

  She insisted me to post this one.

or

  She insisted on posting this one.


texts:
A line from the movie Killers grates.

  You just pulled a robot voice. All right, don't worry. There's a certain segment of the population that goes over big for that sort of thing. (for more context check out YouTube)

To say "something goes over well" is to say "something is being received well". The line at issue seems to be a misuse of this phrase and should be "goes for" in stead of "goes over for". But could this be a regional thing? Does anybody use "go over" the same way as this quoted line in the movie?


texts: Should "I don't know / I have no idea" be used carefully?

texts:
Sometimes I have seen native English speakers' uneasiness when they heard "I don't know / I have no idea." They seem to use the phrases carefully, avoiding to say it as much as they can. If they have to say "no idea," they will try to be more polite and followed some words like my friend, mate, buddy.

Is there some hidden meaning or implication with these phrases? Perhaps a colloquial meaning that implies rudeness or unkindness?

The words themselves don't seem inherently rude or unkind, yet native speakers seem to treat them as such. Am I missing something?


texts:
This is a sentence from Wikipedia:

  The Chevrolet Corvette , known colloquially as the Vette or Chevy Corvette , is a sports car manufactured by Chevrolet.

Is the placement of comma before known and is correct?

When we have to give additional info about a noun, we place commas to enclose the phrase, e.g. "Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge, is..."

But somehow, here, its usage seems wrong to me; especially the one before is. What's the rule to be followed for such cases?


texts:
Can someone help me understand how I should ask someone how long from now something happens? These below structures are the ones that come to my mind although I'm not sure if they sound natural to native speakers. Please let me know if you use a different way to inquire about this information. What's your preferred structure?

A - How long from now will you need (be needing?) the book?

B - How long will you need the book from now?

C - How many hours will you need the book in? (This one sounds weird to myself.)

D - In how many hours (In how long) will you need the book?

E - How long till you will need the book?

F - How long will you need the book till?


texts:
I've read this expression at many places, mostly in the book that I'm reading.

  The last thing he wanted was to be shot by one of those Launchers.

Though the context (and common sense as well) reveals he doesn't really want to be shot by the Launcher (It's a weapon, denominated in the book), I was wondering why do we use this phrase, I mean, does this phrase show irony? As a whole, I want you to explain me the meaning of the phrase.

Thank you.


texts: Is the sentence 'the nearest past' or 'I finished the thing and I have nothing to do.'?

texts:
I learned the sentence like

"I have finished the work."
But I can not understand the exact meaning of the sentence.

'The nearest past (I finished it just few minute ago)' or 'I finished the thing and I have nothing to do.'?

What is the right meaning of the sentence? no.1 or no.2 (in picture)


texts:
I am a bit confused about the below sentences:

  He invited me to dinner at 9 pm.
  Or
  He invited me for dinner at 9 pm.

Which one is correct?


texts: What is the meaning of the "toward which the only honest stance is one of natural piety."?

texts:
When I am reading Philosophy and Simulation, I encounter bizarre sentence that is shown below

  But    their    position    toward    explanation    gave    their    views                       an  inevitable   mystical   tone: emergent   properties,   they  said,  must  be           accepted   with   an   attitude   of   intellectual   resignation,   that   is,   they   must                         be   treated   as      brute   facts   toward   which   the   only   honest   stance   is   one                             of natural piety.

I could not understand this phrase:

  they   must                         be   treated   as      brute   facts   toward   which   the   only   honest   stance   is   one                             of natural piety.

Especially,

  brute   facts   toward   which   the   only   honest   stance   is   one                             of natural piety.


texts:
I came across this collocation just a few minutes ago, then as I was looking up to it online, I can't find the meaning of it. Only intervention or staging, which means not as a combined words.

  Staging an intervention to reverse the effect of global warming is a brilliant idea.

What do you mean by this? Is it:

planning a method step by step
or staging=introducing

Since this has not been asked yet, I believe the site and learners would benefit from this. Please help to clarify this.


texts: Are "can't see the difference" "don't see the difference" interchangeable?

texts:
In one of my posts (Are "passive participle" and " Passive voice" the same in Modern English?), I said

  I can't see the difference between ex_1 and ex_2.

Actually, I am not sure whether I used the right preposition. Another option could be "I don't"

  I don't see the difference between ex_1 and ex_2.

Both "can't see the difference" and "don't see the difference" have some hits on ELL. I guess both of them are interchangeable in any situations.

Google Ngram also verifies this.

Is my understanding right?


texts: What is the term for years 2005,2010,2015,1990 in general?

texts:
I am wondering if there is any term to call years which are the multipliers of 5 or 10 like 1990, 2000,2005,2015,... in English.
We informally call them "round years" in Finance but I hope to know the commonly-used word for this.
In a specific context "Your doctor tells you to have a test the following year, and thereafter, every round year." So, can I ask what does round years here mean? Does it mean 2025,2030,2035 ?


texts: (Behind), (behind them), (behind their back)

texts:
I wonder which choice works naturally and idiomatically in my scenario?

  When those genocidal and bloodthirsty warlords attacked, they burned everywhere, killed many innocent people and ruined many cities. They left nothing ...........

1) behind
2) behind them
3) behind their back


texts:
I'm a little confused about which of the following sentence is correct. If both of them are correct, then when to use each of these?

  From where have you done your Bachelors?
  Where have you done your Bachelors from?


texts:
The dictionary says that the meaning of append is to attach something to the end of a document:

  append
    [uh-pend]
  1. to add as a supplement, accessory, or appendix; subjoin: to append a note to a letter.
  2. to attach or suspend as a pendant.
  3. to sign a document with; affix: to append one's signature to a will.

I'm asking in the prefix, suffix sense here, i.e. append to a word, not a document.

Also here it says that "append" is not restricted to end or beginning, it just means "to attach":

  Append simply means "add to" or "attach to"; it's not restricted to adding something to the end of or after something else. An antonym for "append" would therefore be words such as "remove" or " detach, or any word that means "take away from".

So what would be the antonym(or converse, inverse, whichever fits best) for append in this case?
Also what will be the reverse of append, in terms of operation(like prefix is for suffix, which is just joining in the front instead of back)? I thought it would be prepend, but that had a different meaning.


texts: Which one of these sentences is more correct?

texts:
If I'm explaining a specific rule to someone. I would like to say that the rule has exceptions. How to choose the correct proposition?

This rule is not valid in all cases.
This rule is not valid for all cases.

Are these sentences commonly used among native speakers? or Is there more powerful sentence?

Edit:
I'm teaching Arabic to someone. I need to tell him if he sees a specific character at the end of a word. This word is categorized under "feminine words". But it is not a general rule. It has some exceptions. There are some irregular words.


texts: Which is correct, since or from in the given context?

texts:
Context:
1: I have been working "since" July.
2: I have been working "from" July.
If not from, then why ?


texts: What does ”they were an insult to the fabric of space/time itself” mean?

texts:
The last part of following paragraph is they were an insult to the fabric of space/time itself.
what the writer want to say?

  Elliot’s work performance suffered. Tasks that were once a breeze to him now required mountains of concentration and effort. Simple decisions, such as whether to use a blue pen or a black pen, would consume him for hours. He would make basic errors and leave them unfixed for weeks. He became a scheduling black hole, missing meetings and deadlines as if they were an insult to the fabric of space/time itself.


texts: How to parse verb + participle structure

texts:
I would like to ask how to parse the following sentence.

  I cook listening to music.

"I" is subject.
"cook" is the main verb

Is "listening to music" is participle phrase?
( to music is also preposition phrase)

Does " listening" modify "I" so is it adjective or does it modify "cook" ?


texts:
In the following sentence, is it correct to use a comma to link the two clauses, i.e., "They are British" and "so am I"?

  They are British, so am I.


texts: "the tag for an XML node" or "the tag of an XML node" - can both be correct?

texts:
I wrote :

  The label is used as the tag for/of? an Xml node containing this data in the output structure.

I am not sure to use "of" or "for" here. Can both be correct? And in general, when "for" can replace an "of"?


texts: "that's a very good one to know" vs. "that's good to know"

texts:
In one of my posts (Is it grammatical to say "I didn't ... for a long time"?) a contributor says

  that's a very good one to know.

I understand that conveys the appreciation for getting to know a new use/meaning.

However, in that context I could have said

  that's good to know.

I guess both are idiomatic.

I just want to know whether the latter shows less appreciation/respect. Could someone please give a hint? Thanks in advance.


texts: A markup link points or leads to something/somewhere?

texts:
Based on the wikipedia's definition for the hyperlink

  A hyperlink points to a whole document or to a specific element within a document.

and some lines later:

  Internal wikilinks or intrawiki links lead to pages within the same wiki website.

if are both correct does that mean that the choice for the correct verb depends on the context of the sentence?

At the first sentence the link points to something (without taking any action) and at the second sentence the link leads (on click) from one place to another?


texts: Can the "in"s be omitted in "one danger to be aware of in using meaning in this way"?

texts:
one danger to be aware of in using meaning in this way to decide countability is the existence of exceptions

Can I omit both bolded "in"s? It seems unfamiliar to me that some preposition directly follows the other. I've been seeing "this way" used by itself not with "in". So I think:

one danger to be aware of using meaning this way to decide countability is the existence of exceptions

Even though these 2 versions have slightly different meaning this version is also grammatically correct. Is that right?


texts:
There is something I don't understand with the future simple.

My book says we can use it in this sentence:

  "In June we will bring out two new models"

Instead I  would say:

  "In June we are bringing out two new models"

(present continuous) because this is planned!

According to the book we should use the future simple because this is a future fact! Is it true? If yes can you give me (better) examples of future facts.


texts: What's the idiomatic way of saying "hide your lips"? I thought "bite your lips", but you're not biting your lips, your putting your lips inside your mouth. So what's the proper way to say it? I added a pic of someone doing it.


texts: Is there a verb for slowly descending? For example, when a snowflake is slowly descending from the sky, is there a verb we can use instead?


texts: When we want to add an example just to be clearer, what kinds of sentences should we use?

texts:
This is the original text:

  Each cardiac muscle fiber contains a single nucleus and is striated, or striped, because it appears to have light and dark bands when seen through a microscope.

Suppose, just to be clear I want to give an example before saying this, these are my examples:

  'a black and white striped shirt'
  'the black and yellow banding of bees and wasps'

I want something like this:

  Just to be clear let me give you an example: consider a black & white striped shirt. Well, cardiac muscle tissue has got a structure just like this.

  Each cardiac muscle fiber contains a single nucleus and is striated, or striped, because it appears to have light and dark bands when seen through a microscope.

● Are there any better ways to connect the above-mentioned examples with the original context?


texts: I wouldn't be worried about... or I wouldn't worried about...?

texts:
Which form is more correct?

  I wouldn't be worried about...

or

  I wouldn't worried about...

?


texts:
Let's say you and your family are going on holiday(you, wife, a child). Then, a moment occured where you have to teach your child how to handle money well. After that, your child was amazed at what you did.

  Then you said:''This is the reason why your mother fell head over heels on/to me''(lol)

My question is, as for that example given, which is the correct preposition?


texts: Use relative clause or adverbial clause?

texts:
Garbage cans would be picked up from the narrow alleys____ ran behind the rows of houses.  (From an ACT English test)

Regarding the blank, which answer is more acceptable? 1. that; 2. since they?
Though the answer is " that, " which I can understand why; but why "since they" is not ok? I comprehend it as a cause adverbial clause and "they" refers to garbage cans.


texts: Why "to" is used and not "with" in the below context?

texts:
CONTEXT:

Nothing compares, nothing compares "to" you.

The above context has been taken from a song lyrics. In this why "with" has not been used after compares. Which is correct "with" or "to" grammatically?
Many times, I have come across "with" after compare but this is confusing me.


texts: "I just got 60 on the quiz" or " I just scored 60 on the quiz" or " I just got 60 in the quiz", are they all good? What's the different?

texts:
I just finished an English quiz. It's very hard but I still got 60.

What is the best way to express this?

I just got 60 on the quiz.
I just scored 60 on the quiz.
I just scored 60 in the quiz.

Are they all correct?

Do they have any differences?

Thanks


texts: Little do we know how much its main actors charge for the role. what does 'do we know' signifies here?

texts:
1) Little do we know how much its main actors charge for the role.

2) We know Little about how much its main actors charge for the role.

My question here is, how does "DO WE KNOW"  effect the overall meaning of the 1st sentence so that it makes a difference as compared to 2nd one? The confusion here for me is mainly because usually we use "do we know" while making questions.  Here the same form is conveying some information.


texts: Using the Past Simple with the "in the last" expression

texts:
Almost half  of the people who bought a vinyl record in the
  last 12 months did so after hearing on a streaming  site

Since the expression "in the last 12 months" includes the current moment of time, could I use the Pesent Perfect for "to buy" and "to do"?

  Almost half of the people who have bought a vinyl record in the
  last 12 months have done so after hearing on a streaming  site or
  after they have heard it

or

  Almost half of the people who have bought a vinyl record in the
  last 12 months have done so after they have heard it on a streaming  site


texts: Specific word to describe someone who is so good that isn't even considered in say a classification

texts:
When someone says "He's the best", or "he is definitely first".
But there is someone else who is better and when some other subject considers him/her and asks "what about -name-?", is replied with something like "Yeah dude he/she is a god, it doesn't even count.".
I mean when people start counting after that person because they're so good..

Example: Michael Phelps, he says Rio was his last Olympics right? Next Olympics, when someone says "CompetitorName is the best" as in he'll win, someone else might say "Phelps is still better", and be replied with "yeah he doesn't count", not as in "he isn't here, hence he can't win" but as "he is so damn good he doesn't even count".

Is there an actual word to describe this? Excellent means good, etc.. The closest thing I can think of is is the expression "out of the spectrum".
Hope you can understand what I'm asking.

Thank you.


texts: The usage of "in" in reference to the past

texts:
The thing which confuses me is the usage of “in” and “for” in the following examples.

I think the following description of the meaning of these sentences is correct.

  1) It has rained for the last week. (”for” represents a continuing action)
  2) It has rained in the last week. (”in” represents a once-off action)

For = conveys an action lasting the whole period of time.
In = indicates that something happens within this period of time but the action doesn’t last the whole period.

My first question is:

Does “in” imply only one instance (occasion) of a certain action or more? That is, does the sentence “It has rained in the last week” say that there was only one instance when it rained or can it mean that there was more than one instance when it was raining? (I suspect that it conveys only one instance of some action, but I am not sure)

Now, the difficult part begins.
I have noticed that with some verbs “in” carries the meaning of completeness. For example,

  3) I have learnt English in the last 3 years. (It means that I have completed my English studies and now I know English.)

The main question:

It makes me wonder why 3) can’t be understood as “I have been involved (maybe only once) in the process of learning English in the last three years. But I haven’t mastered it.” In other words, why can’t 3) be understood as 2)? (I hope you don’t think that I mean the lexical meanings of “to rain” and “to learn”. I mean why can’t 3) mean that I learnt English only once during that period?)

I hope I managed to make my issue clear to you.


texts:
He is very very brave as a lion.
  He is as very brave as a lion.
  He is as brave as a lion.

Can we use the structure "as very + adj + as"? Thanks a lot.


texts: "illuminate the issues at stake" meaning

texts:
One of the examples used for the meaning of the word "illuminate" in Cambridge dictionary is:

  to explain and show more clearly something that is difficult to understand:
  an article which illuminates the issues at stake

I looked up the phrase 'at stake' online and I know it means at risk, but I still can not understand the meaning of the whole phrase 'issues at stake'.

EDIT:

Following explanation is added in order to prevent confusion about the answer I chose.

I had looked up the meaning of 'at stake' and 'stake' in at least three different dictionaries (Cambridge, Vocabulary.com, Oxford). What confused me was that I couldn't understand what does it mean for an issue to be at risk. That made me think maybe 'at stake' is not describing 'issues' but is related to how or where illumination is done. I couldn't find the connection between the meaning of 'issues at risk' and where the phrase 'at risk' comes from.