texts:
Please explain me the difference between these two conversations:

  What will you do first?
  I will send you that Report.

and

  What you do first?
  I send you that Report.

I took a look at the original question of the OP. I'm thinking that the OP might want to express his thought in one single sentence. The following is what the OP wrote, reformatted only minimally.

Please explain me the meaning of below sentence.

  What will i do first, i will send you that Report.

and

  What i do first, i send you that Report.

I mean to say i am going to send you Report in few minutes.

Does it any mean difference?


texts: Should hypothetical sentences be past tense all throughout?

texts:
Should it be past tense all throughout when writing hypothetical sentences?

If I were to imitate someone who was currently famous, it would be Hugh Laurie.

If I were to imitate someone who is currently famous, it would be Hugh Laurie.


texts:
The sisters considered him, united in disapproval, both holding on to one of the swing poles as though it was the safe place in tag.

  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

I don't understand the phrase "in tag" in this context, which is undefined in any dictionaries I've looked up. What does it mean?

Edit: Here, the sisters are Lily and Petunia. And "him" is Snape.


texts: "You've got to be strong" and "You should be strong" are the same?

texts:
Are there some differences in sentences

  You've got to be strong.

and

  You should be strong.

Are they the same?


texts:
What's the meaning of this line "Let's face it, Frontend web development can be a minefield with all the different moving parts involved "
I know what "Let's face it" is.
I know what "minefield" is.
I just can't figure out the meaning in the above sentence.
Source of the information is https://youtu.be/Qms4k6y7OgI?list=PL4cUxeGkcC9hw1g77I35ZivVLe8k2nvjB&t=51


texts: Questions encountered while practice English listening

texts:
Recently I'm preparing for the TOEFL test. I think I have a great difficulty in English listening. I'm listening to different materials everyday, but I have some questions confusing me.

What to do if I can't clearly hear some words? Do I have to look at the transcription?
Do I need to hear exactly every word in the material?
Is it better everyday to listen as many as I can or listen to one material many times until I understand it completely?
What is the appropriate length of one listening material? Five minutes or twenty minutes?

Thank you!


texts: Is there any difference in meaning and usage between the phrase "who knows" and "who is to know"?

texts:
Is there any difference in meaning and usage between the phrase who knows and who is to know? For example:

  Maybe in ten years people will settle on Mars. Who knows?

  Maybe in ten years people will settle on Mars. Who is to know?


texts:
How should verb goes with "let" be in past tenses?

Present tense: let's go; let me see
Past tense: let's went? let me saw?

I'm unable to search for any information about this. It seems like let will never be used in a past tense sentence


texts: Should I write "Notes from the Microsoft immersion session" or "Notes from Microsoft immersion session"? In general we always say,"Notes from the immersion session". Does having Microsoft (with capital M) in front of immersion session (common noun) make it a proper noun?


texts: "Xs have to do Y" does it mean all X or just some X or is it inconclusive?

texts:
Recently I wrote the sentence

  "Even journals operated by scientific communities have to charge publication fees."

and what I wanted to convey was that there are some such journals that have to charge publication fees. That would not imply that every journal would have to do that.

However, I got rather strong opposition stating that the sentence means that all such journals must charge fees, which would be a significantly different meaning.

What is the right interpretation or is it inconclusive (could mean either of the two)?

Adding and "all" before journals would have made it clear that all journals are meant and adding a "sometimes" before have to charge would have made it clear that only some journals are meant. However, that was not the case, the sentence was as above.

The sentence has since been changed. The purpose of this question is just a better understanding. To make it a bit more formal. If I write

  Even Xs have to do Y.

does this mean "All Xs have to do Y" or does it mean that "At least some X have to do Y" or could it mean one or the other? (X is something that has a plural).


texts:
The teacher gave a test.
The teacher administered a test.

What is the difference between #1 and #2?

  Administer : to give officially or as part of a ritual (From Merriam
  Webster)

I think #2 implies that this is a standardized test which involves official procedures. #1 could be any test.   Am I correct?


texts: How do I complete the sentence, "If you don't mind, ____"?

texts:
I'm trying to learn the sentence structure and I had a few thoughts about the possible structural continuations of the sentence. I'd appreciate it if you could introduce any new possible continuations of the sentence to me.

  If you don't mind, I'd like you to stay with us.

  If you don't mind, I'd appreciate it if you stayed with us.

  If you don't mind, I'd appreciate you staying with us.

I'm not sure if such sentence would be grammatically correct, but is it at all possible to have any phrase other than "I would" or in more general terms "(a pronoun) would" after the word "mind," while maintaining the starting phrase of the sentence?

(I'm always looking to improve on my English; so, I'd greatly appreciate it if you would point out any grammatical mistakes I've made in describing my question)


texts:
Let's look at a few examples:

The history of the Titanic is marvelous.
The Titanic's history is marvelous.

And a few more:

The hull of this airplane is made of steel.
This airplane's hull is made of steel.

Which is preferable and most correct with objects, and which is with names?


texts: How so I say that a table is in contact with the wall? Should I say that the table is on the wall?


texts: How do you ask the host of a party if all of the invitees arrived colloquially?

texts:
Image I am at a party and I go up to the host to ask if all of the people he/she invited are here/ have arrived.

I am trying to think of a way to ask this colloquially. Can you guys give me some suggestions?


texts:
I wrote a letter to have our scheduled meeting be moved"

is "to have our scheduled meeting be moved" infinitive clause? what is meaning of "to have"?

why use "be moved"? is it passive voice?

thank you very much


texts: Why we say I need help not I need a help?

texts:
I know that we must use articles before nouns. Sometimes we don't as in the following examples

  I need help.
  Help is coming.

Why is that?


texts: Does "involved in" means the same as "known as/for"?

texts:
This sentence was on our test recently:

  IBM was _____ the world's largest supplier of computer chips and software, but now Intel and Microsoft have taken its place.

The options were:

  A. bound for
   B. involved in
   C. engaged in
   D. engaged to

I think the answer is B, involved in, because the other three options seem wrong, but I just can't see anyone using "involved in" in that kind of way.
So I want to ask if there's a usage of "involved in" that I just haven't heard of.

Thank you


texts:
She looks above; the bird is coming straight towards her.

Is the use of semicolon valid here?


texts:
A colleague of mine wrote something along the lines of:

  One of our more popular employees

It seems wrong to me, shouldn't we say:

  One of our most popular employees

I think we should use most and not more, as these employees are not compared to something else (more popular, than who?)


texts: The definite article in "the previously studied samples 3 and 4"

texts:
The currently studied samples 13 and 14 are morphologically similar to the previously studied samples 3 and 4 - i.e. their particles are mostly oblong in shape and show no signs of lamellar structure.

Should I use the definite articles here, or should they be dropped, because we don't use an article before a numbered noun ("Which way is room 213?")

  Currently studied samples 13 and 14 are morphologically similar to previously studied samples 3 and 4 - i.e. their particles are mostly oblong in shape and show no signs of lamellar structure.

I'm trying to apply the article to my "room" example:

  Which way is the (?) currently renovated room 213?


texts: That we’re a kind of Venn diagram come to life?

texts:
Is this sentence - " that we’re a kind of Venn diagram come to life"- correct?

As I know, this is an object clause, and at here "we" is the subject and "a kind of Venn diagram" is the predicative. So the clause can be basically narrowed down to "we’re a kind of Venn diagram". Since "come" is a transitive verb and can't be regarded as a past participle here,  taking into account that "come to life" describes "Venn diagram", if it is more accurate to reframe the clause to "that we’re a kind of Venn diagram coming to life"?

  I think it’s time we move beyond the historical quest to find a single
  theory of individuality to explain how the biological world is divided
  up. What you are trying to grasp – be it development, physiology or
  evolution – determines the interactions that will be important for
  figuring out the boundaries of a creature. There isn’t one single
  answer to the question of where to draw the limits of my body. We are
  in constant interaction with the organisms living in and upon us – a
  locus of biotic relations and overlapping borders. If you relax and
  try to imagine every facet at once, you’ll see that we’re a kind of
  Venn diagram come to life. I’m looking forward to the day I get to
  share this with my daughter – perhaps the next time we go to the
  aquarium to look at the coral, and she points and asks: ‘What’s that?’

source: AEON - Life is not easily bounded


texts: "Dream of" and "dream about". Is there a difference?

texts: Are "dream of" and "dream about" interchangeable or is there a difference between them in meaning and usage.


texts: which one is correct well exploit or exploit well

texts:
I'm confused about which one is correct : well exploit or exploit well and what is the rule ?
I wanted to use it in the following sentence:

  the people didn't exploit well the resources

thank you in advance :)


texts:
I think politeness is talking indirectly, softly or without being forceful or rude. So, I've mentioned some questions below which I think impolite way to ask. That's why, what are the polite way to ask them:

What is your name?
(I ask when I meet or chat with someone unknown for the first time)
Who are you?
(when I ask to an unknown person or when I received a call from unknown or when I received a friend request in fb from someone who I don't know exactly)
Where are you from?
(when I ask someone where they live, or chatting or calling from)
What do you do (work)?
(when I ask someone who I'm talking with first time and want to know what he does work)


texts: distinguishing between an adjective and adverb

texts:
Given the following, which is taken from here:

Here is my specific question:

I am wondering if the red parts in any context would be considered incorrect.

What is more are the following versions correct?

Bill likes Sarah's singing jazz ballads beautifully.
Bill likes Sarah's singing beautifully.


texts:
I would like to know when to use each one of them. I mean, how is the right way to use in and on.

Example:

  The gift is in or on the box

And in and on are similar, but at is different. Anyway i read some uses of at, where it sounds like in or on. What makes it different from others? What are the rules to use each one?


texts:
"I’d been driving home late that night."
What hides under "I'd"? If it is "I had", then it seems Past Perfect Continuous tense suits best here, but Past Perfect Continuous supposed to have two actions, isn't it? So, I'm confused, please help me with clarification


texts: Who we are going to meet vs. who are we going to meet

texts:
I have a dilemma regarding construction of this sentence:
Uploading a picture of your dog lets us know who are we going to meet.
Should it be: Uploading a picture of your dog lets us know who we are going to meet?
Or something completely different?


texts:
Let’s imagine two constructions:

It is worth trying, and
It deserves a try

Checking on google Ngram Viewer I found out that both are valid English.
In my language, there are no the exact equivalents to the words worth or to deserve, we translate them using most frequently the word merit which has a similar meaning.
Now, starting from the definition of merit as verb = to deserve or be worthy and its synonyms deserve, be worth I wonder if the above constructions convey a similar meaning and can be used interchangeable.


texts:
I have a question about the correct preposition to use with "isolationism" and "isolation".  On the web, I found examples along the lines of:

  The country retreated into isolation.
  The country retreated into isolationism.

Isolation is the state of being alone.  Isolationism is the idea or policy of a country not having relations with other countries.

The phrase "retreat into isolation" seems normal to me, because a country could be "in isolation", and so it could definitely "retreat into isolation."  But, "retreat into isolationism" seems off to me, because a country could not be "in isolationism".

What do native speaker think?  Is "retreat into isolationism" in sentence 2 wrong?


texts: What's wrong with "university students would have to choose study over work, especially if they are undertaking a degree in theoretical subjects."?

texts:
The following is a question in a Japanese University's entrance exam.

  There is an error in the following sentence. Correct the sentence by locating the wrong word from (1)-(4) and replacing it with the word in the bracket following it.

  Nonetheless, university students (1)would(will) have to choose study over work,
  especially (2)if(when) they (3)are undertaking(undertake) a degree in (4)theoretical subjects(a theoretical subject).

To me, both (1) and (3) seems to be the answer.
Could you help me?


texts:
Just look at this sentence:

Numerous studies have been done of what a subject can extract from a brief visual presentation.

I am not sure how I should understand 'of'. I know it's a preposition but, if it is used before 'what', how should I understand it?
Can I use 'about' instead of 'of':

"Numerous studies have been done about what a subject can extract from a brief visual presentation?


texts: Treat small arms as one singular concept?

texts:
Reading about covering fire, I encountered the term small arms and according to Wiktionary, it can only be used in its plural form. Now, should I treat this (small arms) as one singular concept or as many separate objects? I know this seems obvious, but let me give you an example to illustrate my confusion:
Small arms are a type of firearm one man can use and carry by himself
or
Small arms is a type of firearm one man can use and carry by himself.


texts:
I've encountered this question today, what I actually said was

  I'm confused with these two questions.

Then I thought, "Should I say confused with?"

Dictionary says about should follow confused.

Can anyone tell me whether both of them are right?


texts: What word describes the feeling of "shocked by some great things and humbled"?

texts:
What word describes the feeling of  "shocked by some great things and humbled and overwhelming" ?
I vaguely remember a word which sounds like "contaminated" .
For example, one can say " I am "contaminated" by the great mother nature."


texts: Meaning of the word 'content' in particular context

texts:
In the video course on algorithms lecturer quoting following lines from the book 'The Design and Analysis of Computer Algorithms':

  Perhaps the most
  important principle of all, for the good
  algorithm designer is to refuse to be
  content

What does the word 'content' means in that context? Does it means 'satisfied'?


texts: Please, help me understand what they say in video

texts:
There's a dialog in this promo clip (The Vampire Diaries) starting on 00:15 where Stefan says something but because of the song on the background I can't really hear it:

  ... rather ... clean up two corpses today?

or something like that. And then Enzo replies to him:

  I'm brutish.

But I'm not sure either, maybe he says:

  I'm British.

Please, help me figure this out.

Many thanks. :)


texts: Passive voice and adjective in "the city was burned"

texts:
I am an EFL learner from Thailand. I have some questions about passive voice and adjective as I need your help on.

I am looking for adjectives in literature (as I need to conduct a small research on adjectives in literary works). But I am so confused between passive voice and adjective.

The given sentence is

'the city is burned' (someone burns the city)

I think it is a passive voice. but when I compare with

'I am interested' (something interests me.)

their structure, to me, look the same.

My question are: Do you consider the 'burned' in the first example an adjective? and How can we differentiate between passive voice structure and adjective?

Thank you in advance,

PETE


texts: Question about root of the name of the cartoon " Wet Blanket Policy"

texts: I know that is the name of a famous cartoon. I have not ever seen this motion picture, I was wondering if anybody, not necessarily have seen it, could help me out, determining whether it is an idiom. Could it perhaps mean " a tendency to be a wet blanket " ?


texts: What is the difference between: "I have eaten a banana" and "I have eaten banana"?

texts: I can't understand if "banana" or "a banana" has the same meaning. I can understand that "the" and "a" are for definite and indefinite nouns. But what about those which aren't preceded by either of them?


texts:
What does the "more" mean in the following sentence:

  HTTP is used to transport more the HTML, HTML from the browser to render the view.

The picture source:


texts: Success ain't all it's cracked up to be,

texts:
Explain, please. What does it mean. Meanings of 'ain't', 'cracked up', whole meaning and the sentence structure.

  Of course, success ain't all it's cracked up to be, now.


texts: About expressions such as on a walk, on a hike, on a ride

texts:
I have a question about such idiomatic prepositional expressions where on is used as on a walk, on a hike, on a stroll, on a climb, on a ride, on vacation, on leave, on offer, on show, on display, on a mission, on an expedition, on stock, on reserve, on a picnic, on sale... etc.

As far as I research, I presume they tend to have something to do with a figurative situation.
I mean such expressions I wrote down seem to be deeply related with the state which requires a subject to stand on a surface.
I am not insisting all expressions with on can be explained by the reason, but at least those above.

To explain,

On as in on a walk is used for expressing the situation where a subject is walking on a street.

On as in on a hike is used for expressing the situation where a subject is hiking on a mountain path.

On as in on vacation is used for expressing the situation where a subject is doing activities standing on the state of vacation.

On as in on reserve is used for expressing the situation where a subject is reserved on a place.

On as in on sale is used for expressing the situation where a subject is put on a special place for selling the subject at a discount.

What do you think of my presuming?
Is it plausible at all?


texts:
In an article, someone conveys their view of a country and mentions a property called claustrophobic insularity. I googled those word getting nothing useful.
I get that claustrophobic has to do with fear of enclosed spaces and insularity is preference for introversion of cultural focus. However, that specific combination tells me little and I definitely can't connect it by context to the properties of the considered country.


texts:
A number of reactivations were performed over last week.
A number of reactivations were performed last week.

What is the difference when putting "over" before "last week"?


texts:
He moved across town to stay with his father.

Why don't we use "a" or "the" in these situations. As:

  He moved across the town to stay with his father.


texts: Is it possible to drop "do" to make the sentence parallel

texts:
Can I remove "do" from the below sentence? Does the meaning change?

  Original: In a recent survey, Physical Fitness Weekly found that people exercising daily consider themselves no healthier than do people exercising three to five times a week.

EDIT: Can I delete "do" and rephrase the sentence as the following.

  Corrected: In a recent survey, Physical Fitness Weekly found that people exercising daily consider themselves no healthier than people exercising three to five times a week.


texts: Does "Jump the Shark" mean a bad attempt when it looked successful?

texts:
I don't quite get what it means by Jumping the Shark.
From the YouTube video, it looked like it was successful and nothing is wrong about it.


texts: Is there a rule that prohibits us from using 2 possessives in a row?

texts: An English teacher made a comment on my usage of the phrase, "Our last week's meeting", saying that it should be, "last week's meeting", is there a rule for this?


texts: Potatoes, carrots, eggs or potato, carrot and egg

texts:
When writing recipes is it true that native speakers use singular and plural forms when they list ingredients but when talking  about them being cooked cut fried etc only the singular form is used?
For example
Ingredients
1 potato or 2 potatoes.
1 egg
1 carrot
3 carrots depends on how many of them are needed.
1 sausage
1 cucumber
But when chopped, fried, etc only the singular as in "These salad is made with potato, egg, carrot, sausage, cucumber and mayonnaise. Not "potatoes, eggs, and carrots and sausages, and cucumbers.


texts:
I read somewhere that we have to use article "the" for general type nouns in general concepts for example:

We don't know the effects of such chemicals on the body.

here body is a general type.

which one of these sentences are correct and why?

Computers play a very important role in education nowadays.
Computers play a very important role in the education nowadays.


texts: A low class (restaurant / bar / hotel) in AE

texts:
As you know, Americans call a high class restaurant, bar, hotel or other places a "posh restaurant..."
How do the Americans call a low class one?


texts:
I had seen them walking on/along the road past my window several times before.

Which should I use: along or on?

Can I use one in place of other without changing meaning and sense?


texts:
This game is tired me.

What I want to say is that I am tired of the game.

I thought this sentence would be correct because 'I am finished reading' is used.

I want to learn about 'be + past participle' constructions when they don't mean passive.


texts: I know some meanings of this word but I want to know what it means in detail. Can anyone tell me?


texts: Help with flu symptoms vs. help against flu symptoms

texts:
Would you please explain which is better when talking about medicinal problems?

Eg. in the sentence:

  Vitamin C helps with flu symptoms.

  or

  Vitamin C helps against flu symptoms.

Our teacher asked us to translate a similar sentence (Vitamin C helps against/with the following problems - my translation) and I tried to google both terms but was not able to tell the difference.

Thank you.


texts: proper -- can this postpositive adjective be substituted for "in and of itself"?

texts:
Example:

  In computer programming, a directive pragma (from "pragmatic") is a language construct that specifies how a compiler (or assembler or interpreter) should process its input. Directives are not part of the language proper – they are not part of the grammar, and may vary from compiler to compiler – but instead function either as an in-band form of a command-line option, specifying compiler behavior, or are processed by a preprocessor.

Is it alright to understand the word proper when used as a postpositive adjective as the expression in and of itself?


texts:
In the following sentence, I'm confused with the use of the phrase 'the way the earth is'. What is the grammatical function of the phrase? Let me know how it can be paraphrased.

  The moon is not a magnet the way the earth is.


texts: get? have? take? Any difference in term of buying?

texts:
I'll get this shoe.
  I'll have this shoe.
  I'll take this shoe.

What's the difference in my examples when using these three verbs?

EDIT:

More context about to have,below is a passage from my English textbook, how do you explain to have within this passage? Especially the one in the last wentence.

  　　Just then, a man hurried to the ticket office.

  　　'Can I return these two tickets?' he asked.

  　　'Certainly,' the girl said.

  　　I went back to the ticket office at once.

  　　'Could I have those two tickets please?' I asked.

  　　'Certainly,' the girl said, 'but they're for next Wednesday's performance. Do you still want them?'

  　　'I might as well have them,' I said sadly.


texts: Does 'Next' hold the sense of 'Year' in itself in following syntax

texts:
In a tutorial, I came across following syntax in which I had to identify a grammatical mistake in one of the four sections-

 By April next year / I will have been / working in this office / for twenty years.

The hints says that error is in first section and there is no need to use Year as next holds the sense of year in itself.

So, my question is
* Is there indeed a mistake in first section
* If so can anyone explain why this is a mistake as I have seen many syntax like By the time next year ...

Thanks


texts:
I'm looking for a resource in which I can look up for a verb, noun, adjective or adverb and get its corresponding verb, noun, adjective or adverb.

Something like this, only much larger — this table only has 127 entries.

I have consulted the meta question Resources for learning English and it doesn't seem to include anything similar.

Online dictionaries are often insufficient in fulfilling this need. For instance, just now I wanted to find the verb corresponding to the word contagious and since one doesn't exist, I had to research to reach this conclusion. On the other hand, the absence of the word in the dictionary doesn't guarantee that there isn't a corresponding word.


texts: ...where he sang in the boy/boy's/boys/boys' choir

texts:
He went to a catholic boarding school where he sang the
boy/boy's/boys/boys' choir.

Hi. Which of these is correct?


texts: scope of work or scope of works, which one is right and appropriate

texts:
Which one is the correct usage:

Scope of work to be completed

or

Scope of works to be completed.


texts:
While reading this blog, I could not find the meaning of 'summary execution'.

When I tried to find the meaning of this phrase, I got the phrases like 'summary judgement', and 'summary proceeding'.

My questions are: What is a meaning of 'summary execution'? Is it a legal jargon or an idiomatic phrase as it is written with an inverted comma?


texts: What is a word for the phrase "it is necessary" in analogy with the relation between "suffices" and "it is sufficient"?

texts:
I am aware that "it suffices that" can be used in place with "it is sufficient that"; for instance, one may use "To stay alive, it suffices that we keep breathing." (taken as merely formal) to mean "To stay alive, it is sufficient that we keep breathing.".

I wonder if there is a similar choice for the phrase "it is necessary that", in the sense that what "suffice" is to "be sufficient", this choice is to "be necessary".


texts:
I am trying to write a document in which the author describes the scenario in which
he asks a question to the audience, and he says the obvious answer could be one of the below sentences.
Which one seems correct?

Most of the users would likely to say "Yes".

Most of the users would likely say a “Yes.”


texts: Is "I lost it" clear without adding more to it?

texts:
I lost my temper and started yelling at them. It was unforgiveable. I lost it and I shouldn't have.
Is the phrase "I lost it" clear without adding more to it? Is it perfectly natural to use in contexts like this?


texts: Is it strange/uncommon to use next when then should be used? (For example, when only two actions are occurring?)

texts:
Usually, you would write: first ... next ... then ... finally.

When there are only two actions, you'd usually use "then":

  She inspected me with her eyes. Then, she brought a tiny hand to her chin and said, "I think I know you."

What if you use "next" in these type of situations? Is it strange/uncommon?

  She inspected me with her eyes. Next, she brought a tiny hand to her chin and said, "I think I know you."


texts: As he came within 20 feet of an officer - meaning, understanding

texts:
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/gunman-kills-3-wounds-16-fort-hood-army-030737677.html

The shooter apparently walked into a building and began firing a .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol. He then got into a vehicle and continued firing before entering another building.
He was eventually confronted by military police in a parking lot. As he came within 20 feet of an officer, the gunman put his hands up but then reached under his jacket and pulled out his gun. The officer drew her own weapon, and the suspect put his gun to his head and pulled the trigger a final time, according to Lt. Gen. Mark A. Milley, senior officer on the base.

How do you understand the line that's in bold? Specifically, I'm interested in understanding it grammatically, plus visualization of the process. For instance, how do you imagine the idea of coming within a certain number of units of someone or something?
Thank you.


texts:
Which word/expression should I use, "backward" or "the other way around", to express something must be done or placed in an opposite way than it's being done or placed at the moment.

For example:

  The phrase pen red is incorrect. You should place the words the other way around/ backward.
  Your sign is backwards/ the other way around. Turn it.

Please I would ask you also to correct any minor mistake I have made and if it's necessary tell  me if there is a better way to say what I try to convey.


texts: "Since he came from extreme poverty, a stable 9 to 5 job was the the biggest ambition that he ever had."

texts:
So I was writing an article, for practice. But somehow, I feel the below phrase does not sound right.

Since he came from extreme poverty, a stable 9 to 5 job was the the biggest ambition that he ever had.

I feel "biggest ambition" ambition is not the right way of defining, to what extent is someone's "ambition".


texts: "No more someone doing something" meaning

texts:
By the phrase no more we mean Someone doesn't want something anymore.
Eg:

  Son: Mom, I am going to play cricket.

Mom: No more cricket! Your exams are very close.

The same way, can I say:

  No more doing something: No more playing cricket.

  No more someone doing something: No more students playing cricket.

In the last sentence only "students" are being prohibited to play cricket.

Are all the the three forms correct?


texts: How can I distinguish when 'would' is modal verb or Future in the Past?

texts:
In some scientific article I saw this sentence.

  For example, using the vanilla Damerau-Levenshtein edit distance (defined as the minimum number of point changes required to transform a string into another, where a point change is one of the following operations: insertion of a letter, deletion of a letter, and substitution of one letter with another letter) and a threshold δ = 1 , the correction donadl duck → donald duck would not be possible.

Is 'would be' in this sentence modal verb 'would for conditionals' or 'would for the future in past'? If 'would' is modal verb in this sentence, this sentence is in Present Simple Tense?


texts:
I gave him a paper to read.

I am really uneasy about this sentence.

The thing which makes me upset, is "a paper" in this sentence.

I had read in Wren & Martin long ago. A paper is wrong. A piece or sheet of paper is right, I think here the word "paper" is differently used. Maybe that's another thing. Well, we have also read in our previous classes that we cannot use indefinite articles with "uncountable nouns". Therefore, this thing does confuse me.


texts: "an average of 1,500 lives have (or "has"?) been claimed every year": singular or plural subject?

texts:
Should I write:

an average of 1,500 lives has been claimed every year
an average of 1,500 lives have been claimed every year

The subject of the sentence is an average (singular), not 1,500 lives, so I would have intuitively used proposition 1. However, my academic advisor, who is American, told me to use proposition 2. Which one is correct?


texts:
Please suppose USA includes majority English speaking U.S.
  territories.

If I used the expression 'majority English speaking' out of the blue, would you instantly understand it meant US territories where a majority of the residents always speak English?

I've referred to this sentence used in a document of the Home Office of the UK:

  Nationals of the countries listed below are considered to be from a majority English speaking country and automatically meet the English language requirement.


texts:
So I heard it from a character in a movie, and looked it up.

If it's correct, why add '-s' to say when the subject is "you"?


texts:
Do we need "to be"(or a form of 'to be') before adjectives? For example:

I want my hair black.

I want my hair to be black.

This is ready to publish.

This is ready to be published.

I would like this short.

I would like this to be short.

Would you tell me which of each pair is correct and explain the syntax behind it, please.


texts:
Something about the place makes time feel expansive and I become
  acutely aware of the smallest details. I notice a woman sitting on a
  bar stool, her legs perpendicular, resting on a nearby banister so
  that they form a little drawbridge, which she raises and lowers as
  people pass by.

(The Geography of Bliss  by Eric Weiner)

Am I right to understand she sits on a bar stool with her legs like the ones in the picture below?


texts:
My native language is Malay and I use the word "handphone" the whole time. Even when speaking in Malay, the Malay equivalent "telefon bimbit" sounds stiff.
This word is found in Lexico and marked South East Asian:

Handphone
South East Asian
A mobile phone

As far as I know, BrE and AmE speakers use "mobile phone" and "cell phone", respectively. So I'd like to know what native speakers feel about this word "handphone".
Here's an example from Lexico:

The idea is to prove to the big boys that it can be done, and that consumers can live with a handphone and mobile Internet.

Here are a few questions I'd like to ask:

Is this idiomatic to BrE and AmE speakers?
Can I use it in my thesis or term paper?
Is it best avoided?


texts:
Sentences:

  Sound of her voice

  Crumbs of its bread

Question:

  1) What definitions can I refer to the meaning 'complementizer'?

  2) Can I refer words as 'her', 'its' to the meaning 'complementizer'

Additional information:

  I know for sure that it can be 'that' word (like in its sentence) but I found nothing more


texts: how to use two negative verbs in a sentence

texts:
I wanna know how we can use two negative verbs in a sentence. I am not talking about double negative sentences like there is not no money and etc. let me express my mind by examples:

  I want to go (going)
  I don't want to go (not going)
  I want not to go (not going)

now what about

  I don't want not to go? (same meaning as I want to go)

for example u want to say

  I don't want not to go but I have to not go there.


texts:
At my school (in the Physics lab), there's a built in cabinet to store things like lenses, sheets of paper, screw gauge, vernier callipers, stopwatch etc. A teacher was looking for something. That cabinet has many doors; compartments (kind of like small, separate cabinets). The other teacher opens the wrong door and my teacher says:

  No it's in the lower cabinet.

Will it be called a "cabinet"?  Or is it just a "compartment" and is the use of "lower" natural?


texts: why "happen" is not given an "s" in this sentence? "I have seen it happen to friends."

texts:
I saw this sentence in a book, and the verb "happen" has no "s":

  I have seen it happen to friends.

May the sentence be wrong? and if it is correct in what cases we can not give "s" to a verb?


texts:
Listening to Shop Around by the Miracles, they say:

  Before you ask some girl for her hand now

Well, I completely get the idea that ask hand, as in almost all the languages, means somehow be in love relationship, but my question is if it means say i love you or it means would you marry me?


texts:
Bacon has warned us that selfishness should be checked, in the context of a prince-servant relationship.

Of course he is dead but here "has" is used.

Why? He warned us right? He warned us in the past many many years ago. Not recently.


texts: An absolute phrase or just omitting "While...be...)

texts:
"While most politicians are downplaying the dire economic situations the people are facing, this candidate stresses that improving the lives of the citizens is a matter of import."

My mind somehow tells me it is okay to omit "while" and "are" and turn it into an absolute phrase shown as follows.

  "Most politicians downplaying the dire economic situations the people are facing, this candidate stresses that improving the lives of the citizens is a matter of import."

Is this okay?


texts:
I want to know what will be the direct speech of this sentence. Also what are travelling and willing? are they continuous form or gerund?

  She asked if anyone travelling to India would be willing to carry the bag along.


texts:
What does this mean:

a force 10 disaster area

it is taken from Mr. Bean Facebook page
?
In particular what means the number "10" there ?


texts: "I built a giant house of playing cards an hour ago"

texts:
I built a giant house of playing cards an hour ago.

Given that building it took many hours (say, three), does the sentence mean that:

  I finished building a giant house of playing cards an hour ago.

or

  I started building a giant house of playing cards an hour ago.

or something else?


texts: Sentence improvement : The second pigeon flew just as the first pigeon had flown

texts:
SOURCE (Indian civil service exam; one of dozens)

  The second pigeon flew just as the first pigeon had flown.

A) No improvement
B) one had done
C) one had flown away
D) had done

Which part, among the parts given above, is appropriate for the bold part in the above given sentence ?

I tried to find answer on google but got contradictory answers, somewhere its B as answer somewhere C. To my ears options B sounds best among all options. Perhaps it would have been better with one had flown but that's not in any of the given alternative.


texts:
I was studying the use of "used to" and "would" when I came across this sentence, which has been nagging me:

  1a Family values used to be quite different in those days.

  1b Family values would be quite different in those days.

  2a It used to be quite normal for cousins to marry.

  2b It would be quite normal for cousins to marry.

  3a Generally speaking, these marriages used to succeed as well as any others.

  3b Generally speaking, these marriages would succeed as well as any others.

  Which "b" sentences are grammatically wrong?

According to what the book* said, "used to" - not "would" - can only go along with the so-called past state. With that being said, I was easily able to make out that

1b is wrong, obviously (if we're not dealing with deduction here);

3b is, of course, right, for it's telling a repetition.

But, moreover, 2b is not wrong, which is kind of weird, although I do feel it right somehow. Can somebody explain this to me?

Thank you!

*Grammar and Vocabulary for Cambridge Advanced and Proficiency by Richard Side and Guy Wellman"


texts:
2 times 'that' in sentence confuses me to understand the meaning.
Could you also explain how to divide grammatical parts?

  But they cannot get to that deep stomach fat that abdominal etching
  removes.

VOA article - Forget Exercising: Surgeons Can Make the Stomach Look Muscular


texts: What does "The grass is greener on the other side" mean?

texts:
The grass is greener on the other side.

Can you guys explain this sentence?


texts:
İn reported speech for example we change may to might and might or should stay the same like :

 She said "I should do my homework this night.".
 She said that she should do her homework last night.

 He said "I  may go abroad this year."
 He said that he might go abroad last year.

But i learned that the past forms of modal verbs are "may have past participle", "might have pp", "should have pp". Why do we use " may do", "might do", "should do" to refer to the past for prevent confusions in meaning, or are there different reasons ?

["One problem with English modals is that they have very few forms and constructions to express very many possible situations, so each form or construction has to cover many possibilities. Your examples take us into territory where there are more distinctions to be drawn than the language has tools for; consequently, much of what is meant must be inferred from context rather than from the actual words."] "Should do" or " might do" don't refer to past, but we use them in reported speech as past form, because modal verbs don't have much forms but they have to express many situation. İf we use "should have" or "might have" in every reported speech to refer to someones speechs occured in the past,they can express different meanings which we don't want to imply.Am i right ? İ want your help i cannot understand this issue help me and give me some examples to clarify.


texts: (Whose) Who's bright idea was it to leave the refrigerator open?

texts:
Have a look at the following dictionary entry, line 5:

  Who's bright idea was it to leave the refrigerator open?

Source:  Merriam-Webster’s Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary under the entry: bright

Is that an error in the dictionary? Shouldn't the example be as it is on the online dictionary:

  Whose bright idea was it to leave the refrigerator open?

I'm guessing the example shows how people confuse whose bright idea for who's bright idea, but the dictionary does not mention that.


texts: What makes you think so? Why without does?

texts:
I don't understand why in the sentence " what makes you think so" we don't use "do" like "what does  make you think so?" It's present simple. It is a question.
What do I miss here?
I would be grateful for another examples!


texts:
Can I say "innocent truth" in the following sentence and isn't it better to use "our" before "lifetime" instead of the article.

"He was not faithful. It was not  innocent truth he was going to share. He wanted to confess at the death bed and tell his wife about his affair. Such confessions should be made during ?the lifetime, I think."


texts: Difference between "abolish" and "rescind"

texts:
I have attempted an English test, where a question was given as

  Following the students’ ______, the authorities have finally_______ the rule of having CCTV’s in the classroom.

And the options were given as

  Protests, abolished

  Agitations, rescind

  Agitations, abolish

  Agitations, rescinded

I thought both the first and fourth options can be right here but the test claims fourth option as an answer but first option as wrong answer.

Aren't they mean same? Or is there any difference between those two verbs?

I've looked up dictionary and these two words are given as synonyms to each other. So, either of the two options can fit here.

But the explanation is given as "we choose rescinded because it means to cancel a law or rule and thus fits the context. Abolish means to formally put an end to a system or institution or practice. So, it doesn't fit here"

Please explain to me if there is any difference and tell me whether the explanation given by the test is right or not.


texts: The answer to "What nationality is she? or What is her nationality?"

texts: Grammatically speaking, we can answer "She is Chinese" to the question "What nationality is she? or What is her nationality?". But can we also answer "She is a Chinese (girl)" to the question?


texts: What is the meaning of "I empty the bag on a table"?

texts:
What is the meaning of "I empty the bag on a table" in the following sentence (Source: https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/which-witch-is-which.3070455/ )

  Me: I have three apples in this bag - a Fuji, a Macintosh, and a Red
  Delicious. (I empty the bag on a table. The apples roll around
  randomly then stop.)

  You: Which apple is which?

  Me: The one on the right is the Macintosh, the one in the middle is
  the Red Delicious, and the one on the left is the Fuji.

?

Does it mean "I empty the bag which is on a table"? or does it mean "I empty the bag. Then, I put the bag on the table" ?


texts:
The nurse takes some blood sample from his hand with a syringe, and then put it in a small glass tube.
The nurse takes some blood sample from his hand with a syringe, and then pours it in a small glass tube.

Which one this is correct? For me, both look something wrong.


texts: What can be a possible reason for phonological changes in English?

texts:
I was reading this Wikipedia article. It is describing the major phonological changes in English over a period of time but no reason is given for any changes.
Kindly correct me if I am wrong, the changes occurred because majority of people started to use some other phonetics and due to this the phonological changes had occurred.
Kindly shed some light on other possible reasons for phonological changes. Also, what are the factors on which dictionaries adopt new words and new phonetics.


texts:
When our family moved to a new house, we got familiar with our neighbors Mr. and Mrs. Watson. They invited us for dinner that night and wanted us to be their guests. My parents agreed and we were together all that night. After the dinner, a couple who were their relatives came to them. They had a little daughter in my age. We couldn't get familiar with each other, because we were short of time and we had to leave.

That's unsurprising that after that night, we never meet each other. My middle school ended and I went to a higher class in high school. When I entered to the area of the school, suddenly met someone whose face rang a bell. I focused on her face and...

That was the girl that I met that night!

I remember first meeting her in high school. We approached each other and after greetings sat close to each other and started talking to each other.

We both had an interest in the arts and theatre. We actually had a class together, even though she is a year older than me. This was totally a God-oriented placing because otherwise, we never may have met or been as close!

Regarding the type of the friendship mentioned in the made-up story above, we have a sentence in our language. We say:

  Our friendship was quite accidental.

Or

  We made friends quite accidentally.

Do the above sentences make sense in English?
If not, please let me know how would you imply this message in natural English?

Thank you.


texts: What do you call a close interaction with someone, but not intimate?

texts:
The man had a * with the locals.

Is there a word that means "close interaction with someone"? I am not thinking about intimate or sexual interactions, but close interactions in general, which include intimate interactions. I can think of the adjective "warm", but it's not specific enough, and I don't want to necessarily imply that all interactions are positive like the adjective warm does. A word or an adjective that basically corresponds to the idea.


texts:
The sentence is from the book Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. I can probably get the meaning of the sentence, but the grammar really confuses me, especially the usage of the word as. I could understand if the sentence was written as: It's they that should be sorry! More context:

  "Sorry?" barked Hagrid, turning to stare at the Dursleys, who shrank back into the shadows. "It's them as should be sorry! ... ...

Can someone help to explain that sentence structure and grammar point? Thanks!


texts:
A bad guy with a gun is hiding behind a table flipped on its side while several police officers are shooting at him from a distance.
Suddenly the bad guy rises/stands/stands up/gets up and strides toward the officers while shooting at them.
I know they are similar in meaning, but which one would a native speaker find the more natural choice in this context? And is there one or more of them which would not seem natural here? Thank you.


texts: Why use the indefinite article in "donated a set"

texts:
Why there is the indefinite article in the following sentence:

  Paramount Studios has donated a set from Bluebeards’s Eighth Wife.

I wonder if there is a question to know why we used 'a' and not 'the', because in 'One night I was sitting on the bed in my hotel room on Bunker Hill' we can answer the question 'Which bed' this is the bed in the hotel room of Bunker Hill! Is there a question to justify 'a'?


texts:
A: As often on Internet forums, at the question "why stars are not
  visible at daytime" posted by an amateur it is not enough to answer
  "because the sun shines, ---“ (from google)

Would it be really OK to use "at daytime" as meaning "during the day"?


texts:
Which one is correct for a formal paper?

  A question which arises, is whether people should watch Tv or not?

or

  A question which is raised, is whether people should watch Tv or not?

Thank you.


texts: The verb tense for a picture taken in the past

texts:
Which can I use for the verb tense for a picture taken in the past in an article

  In fact, the images shown in Figure 1 and 2 were/are/have been taken from the bottom view of the grates.


texts:
The slogan of a German radio provider (they offer stations from all over the world) is:

  Radio your way

I think they mean it like the Burger King slogan

  Have it your way

which means customize it to suit your needs.

But, if they really mean it that way isn't there a comma missing?

  Radio, your way

Because without a comma I understand it like: I am on my way and I am constantly transmitting something (for example where I am going).

to radio sth. = to broadcast sth. on the radio

Please tell me if my thinking is completely off.


texts:
Another time, Aunt Petunia had been trying to force him into a revolting old sweater of Dudley's (brown with orange puff balls).

I can't find puff balls in my dictionary, instead I found puffball meaning:

  a type of round white fungus that bursts to send out its seeds

I am not sure if this is really relevant. What's the puff balls truly meaning here?


texts: Error Spotting : The whole of India / The whole India

texts:
What's the error in the  following csentence ?

  The whole India (A) mourned the sad and sudden  (b) demise of Mahatma Gandhi. (C) No error. (D)

Someone told me that part A is wrong, in his opinion the correct form is The whole of India
He told that the general structure is

The whole + common noun

The whole of + proper noun

since India is proper noun so of will come here. Is it true ?


texts: Meaning of a sentence in an example - literature

texts:
The final paragraphs of Bierce's story “Haita The Shepherd” read as follows (the maiden referred to in the text is, in fact, Happiness itself, and the guy met her thrice only to lose her immediately) and I cannot figure out what the very last part means, what this "two" is referring to.

She cometh only when unsought, and will not be questioned. One manifestation of curiosity, one sign of doubt, one expression of misgiving, and she is away! How long didst thou have her at any time before she fled?
Only a single instant, answered Haita, blushing with shame at the confession. Each time I drove her away in one moment.
Unfortunate youth! said the holy hermit, but for thine indiscretion thou mightst have had her for two.


texts:
I've found out an interesting fact. We could also use the adverbial modifier "already" not only in Perfect Aspect. We can do it, if we are amazed by something haven't been expected before? Like in the next sentence:

"When I came back home they were already sleeeping".


texts: Present Perfect or Present Perfect Continuous

texts:
If the Present Perfect is used focusing on the completed action and on the result, why do we say:
"I have been cycling (Present Perfect Continuous) all day and my legs are really tired now"
The action of cycling has completely finished.
Many thanks.


texts: Should I use "the" in before nouns that we want to add more descriptions about them using "that" after them? Like: I know "the apps that have many options" or "apps that have many options"?


texts:
The crewmen fell into the sea as the ship was rocked by a sunken rock.

The crewmen fell in the sea as the ship was rocked by a sunken rock.

The crewmen fell to the sea as the ship was rocked by a sunken rock.

I usually use "fall into", because it sounds better, but I am wondering if these alternative sentences have a similar meaning and are grammatical? What are the differences in meaning though?


texts:
What's the meaning of "instead with"?

I found it in this sentence:

  I had thought instead with M. Reimer that the printing of the map (the corrections of which are at the moment on lithography stones) should be deferred for a short term.

Source: Understanding Life in the Borderlands: Boundaries in Depth and in Motion, edited by I. William Zartman.


texts: Is the pronoun “it” in the correct position?

texts:
The book that your father got from USA yesterday I want it for few days to read.

The pronoun used “it” which refer to book - is it in correct position?


texts: Are there any intonation rules in declarative sentences?

texts: I found it's not totally right to use only falling intonation at the end of a declarative sentences.It seems that there're some other words in the sentence use high or low or falling-rising intonation.therefore ,i am so confused about the intonation in declarative sentences.are there any rules. please notice that I just talk about declarative sentences rather than yes or no sentences or special questions.


texts: How many verb moods in English? 3,4,5 or more?

texts: Can you explain to me about verb moods? In some sources mentions that the English language has only 3 main verb moods: indicative, imperative, and subjunctive. Other sources mention 4 moods: indicative, imperative, subjunctive, and infinitive. Also, few sites mention 5 moods: indicative, imperative, subjunctive, interrogative, and conditional. Where I can find the right information about verb moods? Thanks.


texts: Can a village or city be considered a landform?

texts:
I read a sentenence in a Wisegeek newsletter which was:

  The reforestation work is expected to create employment
  opportunities, provide carbon offsets, and ensure storm barriers for the
  villages that dot Myanmar's landscape.

Landscape means topographical features of a region such as hills, plains, etc. But can a village be pertinent?


texts: what is the difference of meaning between these two sentences

texts:
What is the difference between...

You have done everything you could do.

... and...

You have done everything you can do.

.. in terms of meaning?
Does "could" refer to the past or to something less sure?
Maybe the first one is incorrect because "could" refers to the past and have done up to now.


texts: If you notice something you will see vs If you see something you will notice

texts:
When you are reading and you want to pay attention to a special word (for example colour_number), do you see the special word and notice how it is formed?

or

  …you notice the special word and see how it is formed.

I am writing a how to and the reader should pay attention to a word to then pay attention to how to do something. I do not know if somebody see and then notice, if somebody firstly notice and then see, or if this is a dumb question.

If prefer to see and then to notice because firstly you have to see the word and then realize about that, but the other one sounds good to me.


texts:
What is "to head up to higher altitudes" if we speak about beef cattle? Here is the context:

  Animals are thought to use internal magnets - made of crystals of magnetite - to find their way around. Homing pigeons, for instance, have a tiny blob of these crystals in their beaks. Dr Sabine Begall and colleagues from the University of Duisburg-Essen used Google Earth to find images of cattle in worldwide locations including Britain, Ireland, India and the U.S. They also directly observed almost 3,000 deer in the Czech Republic. Their researches suggested that cattle were behaving in the same way as their close relatives, the deer. Because the direction of the wind and sunlight varied hugely in the different locations, the scientists were able to rule out weather and the position of the sun as an explanation. "We conclude that the magnetic field is the only common and most likely factor responsible for the observed alignment," the researchers wrote in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Gywn Jones, who has kept dairy cattle for 25 years in West Sussex, confirmed: "They know what weather to expect in advance. Beef cattle will head up to higher altitudes if the weather is going to good." My dairy cattle have their favourite fields where they go if it is going to be sunny.


texts:
Till now I used to say "Tell", but after reading this article I am not very sure about "Tell" since there are other possibilities too.

When child says "Mama", should I say "Say", "Speak", or "Tell"?


texts: not getting up vs haven't got up isn’t apologising vs hasn’t apologised

texts:
Are all sentences are correct? Is it possible to use these actions with Present Continuous?

  I am not getting up yet.

  I haven't got up yet.

  He isn’t apologising yet.

  He hasn’t apologised yet.

TIA


texts:
In this paragraph, what does already distant time mean?

This film takes place in an already distant time.
The story it tells could not happen today.
Discipline is no longer as severe in colleges, and the education
methods are very different.
But what will never change, what remains eternal, are
the emotions which test the threshold of adolescence

What are we talking about? future or past?


texts: Should I use "neither ... nor" with or without "a" or "any"? -- "Neither [ | a | any ] letter nor ..."

texts:
Given sentence: No letter was sent to me. No postcard was sent to me.

  (1) Neither letter nor postcard was sent to me.
  (2) Neither a letter nor a postcard was sent to me.
  (3) Neither any letter nor any postcard was sent to me.

I'd like to know whether these three sentences are the same in meaning with the original one or not. Thanks a lot.


texts: Is there a verb that means causing an image in your head?

texts:
I am not sure if there's a word for that, but I am pretty sure there's something, maybe not a word, but a sort of expression that means that or something similar. It doesn't have to fit a certain context, and I will just provide some examples to clarify what I mean.

For example:

  The humorist used a joke that made the crowd ___, which made them
  laugh for a long minute or so.

  The vivid description made me ___.


texts:
He is a bit on the flabby side.

Is it clear that this is about weight?

Is flabby commonly used this way?

Would "flabby" be seen as a comedic way to describe that someone is overweight?

If the sentence was: He is a bit on the heavy side. Would that sound like the person was more overweight than if flabby was used?

Does "flabby" also tell that the person is weak? If not, is there another similar word that also means that?


texts:
Fletcher says to Ray about Michael Pearson:

  He's clear and objective about ambition  and he can surf the echelons
  of our complicated culture.  He knew how to take advantage of his
  advantage.

What does it mean, "surf the echelons "?

I find this line in The Gentlemen 2019


texts:
Enter, stranger, but take heed
      Of what awaits the sin of greed,
      For those who take, but do not earn,
      Must pay most dearly in their turn.
      So if you seek beneath our floors
      A treasure that was never yours,
      Thief, you have been warned, beware
      Of finding more than treasure there.

  (from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

I guess ‘take’ and ‘earn’ both take implicit common object (a treasure or something). And ‘earn’ means ‘to deserve or get (something)’–– If there were intransitive examples in dictionaries for ‘take’, I might have thought ‘earn’ is ‘to get money for work that you do’.  Are my guesses all right?


texts:
Does the phrase "won’t get a Covid-19 vaccine" mean "will not (want to) get a Covid-19 vaccine"?
Why this thread? "Won't get" or "will not get" appears to have a meaning that you fail or are able to get one you need rather than showing your unwillingness to accept the vaccine into your arm."  I am not sure.

New England Journal of Medicine tweeted:

About 27% of Americans say they definitely or probably won’t get a Covid-19 vaccine, even if it’s free and deemed safe by scientists. The behavioral obstacles to widespread vaccination are thus as important to understand as the scientific and logistic hurdles.


texts:
I saw the sentence "People with diabetes are prone to infections".

I've checked in the dictionaries (see attached picture) and it's written there that the meaning of "prone to" is "having a tendency to...".

I'd like to know if it's possible to put a verb after the preposition "to" of "prone to" (as happens with "tend to do..." )or it's possible to put noun only as in the sentence above ("to infections")


texts:
The Bye Bye Man is so bad, in fact, that it retroactively improves the half-assed Hollywood horror that it’d be lucky to better resemble.

http://www.avclub.com/review/no-you-seriously-shouldnt-think-about-bye-bye-mano-248316

I am not able to understand the passage in bold from the film review. Can you explain to me why the mentioned horror movie is according to the author so bad.


texts:
How to pronounce ‘linked to’?
I assume ed+t should be linked? Or is it ok to be pronounced separately. How about ‘linked them’? I can tell there is some difference between ‘link to’ and ‘linked to’ but very hard to tell.
Also, when you say a word ‘maths’, do you fully pronounce ‘th’ or just put the tongue in a position (th) and then move on to ‘s’?
These have been bugging me for years, not only the words mentioned but those with -ed+ t/th linking and th+s/es (e.g clothes) sound. Hope I’ll get a clear idea this time.. thank you.


texts:
In a text about fluorine, a sentence reads:

  It is stored as a super-cooled liquid (below –200°C/–392°F) in nickel or copper containers, which do not react strongly with fluorine.

While there is a sentence in the Wikipedia page about fluorine that reads:

  Fluorine can be stored in steel cylinders that have passivated interiors, at temperatures below 200 °C (392 °F); otherwise nickel can be used.

I was not sure which one is right, so I checked the dictionary. Under the entry "below", one of the definitions is:

  under zero on the temperature scale

I also search the Internet a bit, and all examples seem to support the Wikipedia sentence.

However, the Chinese version of the Wiki page clearly states that it means "less than 200°C/392°F".

From all I've searched, I'm quite sure that the English Wiki page is the correct usage, while the Chinese version and the other text are wrong. After all, Wiki pages are not translated by professionals. Also, I know fluorine has to be stored in a very low temperature, which means "less than 200°C/392°F" is just not cold enough.

But I still want to be absolutely sure. So please confirm if I reasoned it right or not. Thank you!

P.S. Also, can I place "below" after the number? For example, is "below 200°C" = "200 below"?


texts:
The phrase "after their discharge home" made me do a double take. Do you think home below is an adverb modifying the verb follow up?

  This study followed up a cohort of 386 patients aged 65+ for six
  months after their discharge home.

Source:  Cambridge Advanced Learners Dictionary

Might be stripped down to:

  After their discharge home, this study followed up them for six months.

 Even more to:

  This study followed up them home.


texts: An idiom/expression to imply "rebuilding and beautifying a destroyed area"

texts:
Please imagine a large destroyed area which has become ruined due to a war or an earthquake or simply because it was uninhabited for a long time or even from the outset.

I wonder what idiom/verb or expression best carries the meaning of rebuilding or recovering and beautifying it in order to make that area habitable, beautiful and lively?

I know only one single word "reclaim" that I doubt if it fits well here.

Reclaim:

  to make land, such as desert or areas covered by water, suitable for farming or building.

I wonder what would you use in English to indicate this meaning.

Added: in Turkish we call it:

Adjectives: Bayındır - Imar - Abat
Infinitives: Abat etmek - Imar etmek

In Arabic we call it:
Adjective: عامِر
Verb: إعمار

In Russian:
благоустройство мелиорация Облагораживат OR
Реконструкция


texts: How to understand the grammar of "the many lamps" in this context?

texts:
Everything was lit with a dim, crimson light; the curtains at the windows were all closed, and the many lamps were draped with dark red scarves.

-- From Harry Potter

As I know, when 'many' precedes a noun word, we can not add the definite article 'the'. For example, I've seen "many people", but not "the many people". So, "the many lamps" here looks odd to me. How should we interpret it in this case? Or my understanding for this part of the grammar is plain wrong?


texts:
Which of the following is correct?

  It has been two hours since I have left LA.
  It has been two hours since I left LA.

I know everyone will pick 2 but why one is 1 is not correct as we use present perfect for past events which are relevant to present moment.


texts: Is there a difference between "feedstock" and "raw material"?

texts:
Say, we have a vitamin mix, which we produce in large volumes and sell to animal fodder producers. Would we call our product "raw material" or "feedstock", should we desire to write a specification for it?

Should we name our specification

  Specification of Raw Material by CompanyName

or

  Specification of Feedstock by CompanyName

It's a translation question. In Russian, there's only one word, "сырье", for this particular meaning slot, so I'm a bit curious.


texts: What is the words for the one you are talking to or writing for?

texts:
Sometimes, here, when I want to describe the situation of my sentence, I need to mention a word for the one who the sentence is for

What is the words for him?

I guess some

Reader
Listener?
Audience?
Target person?
you name ...


texts: Sentence construction using Had + ed + ing

texts:
a) He had started visiting a church when he was cured of injuries he had suffered in an accident.

b) People had started talking about my retirement as I was in my 30s.

Is the Past Perfect constructions of the above sentences are correct? Can we replace it with Simple past tense? i.e.

a) He Started Visiting a church....

b) People started talking about my .......

I Feel use of Past Perfect is incorrect here because visiting and talking are not completed action at the time talking about past. Also there is no any other past which we can assume happen after that.

e.g.

a) People had already started visiting church before I Reached.

b) People had already started talking before the show began.


texts: What do you call the "ceiling" of a table?

texts: In other words, what would you call this?


texts:
Is this a normal sentence in english?

  The authors would thank XY for his support ....

For me as a nonnative speaker it sounds like there needs to follow a negative part

  .. if XY hadn't screwed up something else.

Personally I think this is correct, 25,000,000 to 100,000 google hits seem to confirm it:

  We would like to thank XY for ...

Is the first sentence correct too? What kind of sentence/time is it?


texts: "You can hit several at a time by lining up enemies on a single arc with Piercing strikes."

texts:
I came across the following sentence in a game app's description:

You can hit several at a time by lining up enemies on a single arc with Piercing strikes.

I am confused about the meaning of the sentence because of the ambiguity of the phrase "with Piercing strikes."
Does the sentence mean that the Piercing strikes are instrumental in the lining up of enemies? Is there a problem with the quoted sentence?


texts: a better understanding of this structure

texts:
Parents have a better understanding for\of their children than
  schools.

  Fathers and mothers have a better knowledge about their children than
  schools.

Why “a” is used here although “understanding” and ”knowledge” are uncountable? especially that we don't say

  Education creates a better children.


texts: "Enhances the durability", "Enhanced durability"

texts:
High quality stitching enhanced durability.

I read an article about sewing and saw the above sentence. The context is about SPI (stitches per inch).
Is it necessary to add an article, "the"? Does it change the sentence's meaning if an article is used?

1a. High quality stitching enhanced durability.
1b. High quality stitching enhanced the durability.

Is appropriate to use "stitches" instead of "stitching"?

2a. High quality stitches enhanced durability.
2b. High quality stitches enhanced the durability

I'm still learning about tenses and wonder if it is correct to use present tense instead of past tense since it is conveying something factual? If it is in present tense, is it better to add an article?

3a. High quality stitching enhances durability.
3b. High quality stitching enhances the durability.


texts: "things are going great with something" or "things are going great in something"?

texts:
Tell me please which sentence is correct.

  Things are going great with the company, so the workers are going to have a pay rise.

  Things are going great in the company, so the workers are going to have a pay rise.


texts: Is there word which is better than the word Among for joining two sentences

texts:
Some research suggested that we should sleep seven hours per night.
https://www.helpguide.org/articles/sleep/sleep-needs-get-the-sleep-you-need.htm

I have written some sentences in response to the above topic:

  Sentence 1: I usually spend 12 hours at home.
  Sentence 2: I sleep 7 hours, spend 1 hour on eating and bathing, and the housework and homework occupy the remaining 4 hours.

But I couldn't think of a better word to join the sentences together. I tried to join the two sentences together using among:

  I usually spend 12 hours at home.  Among the 12 hours, I sleep 7 hours, spend 1 hours on eating and bathing, and the housework and homework occupy the
  remaining 4 hours.


texts: Definite article: "use ‘the’ with names" vs "use ‘the’ with the names"

texts:
Can someone explain why the author used the before noun names in these cases

Use the with the names of hotels & restaurants, unless these are named after a person
Use the with the names of famous buildings, works of art, museums, or monuments.
Do not use the with the names of meals
Do not use the with the names of languages
Do not use the with the names of individual mountains, lakes, and islands

but not in these...

Use the with names of geographical areas, rivers, mountain ranges, groups of islands, canals, and oceans.
Do not use the with names of countries (except for the special cases above).
Do not use the with names of shops
Do not use the with people's names.

(https://www.ef.com/english-resources/english-grammar/definite-article/)


texts:
1. I will do the work by 5 o’clock.

It means that we will be able to say "I'm doing the work." at some moment before 5 o'clock inclusive. That is we don't mean the work will already be done/finished by that time.

2. I will have done the work by 5 o’clock.

It means that we will be able to say "I have done the work." at some moment before 5 o'clock inclusive. That is we mean the work will already be done/finished by that time.

Thus I look at 1. and 2. as at the absolutely different sentences. But as  far as I'm concerned, for the native speakers they are identical and both mean the work will already be done/finished by 5 o'clock. Hence my considerations are wrong.

So, could you explain to me please why my logic is not correct?

Thanks!


texts:
If I wish to eat some of the chocolate my friend is eating. Can I say:

Give me a bite.

Share me a bite.

Let me take a bite.

Can you share a bite?

Important: Does it have any taboos meaning too?


texts: "I have submitted the application" is it a right sentence?

texts: I want to respond my counterpart in another location that I submitted required application or form and request him to review the application and let me know in case of any additional information.  My doubt is "I have" or "I had" to begin sentence with.


texts: 'recently' with present perfect and past

texts:
When do we use recently with past tenses?
I've come across some sentences in which I don't understand the use of recently.

I recently wrote to my grandmother.

They were working in Canada recently.

From Headway upper intermediate Teacher's Book p.7.
I thought we had to use the present perfect with it.


texts:
Do these words have a similar meaning in this context?

You need to recover/retrieve his sword from the cave.
You need to recover/retrieve his body from the grave.


texts:
Because methodology is fully exposed, genuine defects may be revealed, or more frustratingly, discussion sidetracked away from implications.

I wonder if the modal verb "may be" which is following "genuine defects" is omitted between discussion and sidetracked for the writer's convenience.
Thank you.


texts: Is it correct to say "Luke can't swim today, he is having a cold"?

texts:
Is the continuous form of "have" ok in the sentence "he's having a cold"? Or is it ONLY correct and possible to say "He has a cold"?
I can't figure out if in this case "have a cold" is a state verb or not. If it were, it couldn't have the continuous form.


texts: How can agentive language influence human behavior?

texts: The effectiveness of agentive language on the perception of blame and punishment


texts:
What is the difference between:

"I promise not to misbehave."
"I promise to not misbehave."

as in something a kid would say to convince its parents that it will behave well?


texts: Ambiguity - 'offence to which the defendant has a complete defence'

texts:
Source: p 57, Criminal Law: The Basics, 1 ed (2009), by Herring

  As already explained, to convict the defendant of constructive
  manslaughter it must be shown that the defendant committed an
  unlawful and dangerous act. By ‘unlawful’ the courts mean that the
  act must be a criminal offence. A breach of contract or a tort will not be enough. Further, a criminal offence to which the defendant
  has a complete defence cannot be used as the basis for a constructive
  manslaughter charge. It does not have to be a serious
  offence: theft or battery would do. However, it must require a mens
  rea of more than negligence. So an offence of careless driving, for
  example, could not form the basis of a constructive manslaughter
  charge. Nor, it seems, can a crime of omission.

What does the bold, NON-italicised relative clause mean? A criminal offence against which the defendant has successfully defended? Or one for which a defendant has a possible defense, but might still be guilty?

The italicised worsens my confusion, because it implies that constructive manslaughter requires a criminal offence. But then the bold, NON-italicised relative clause states the opposite?


texts: The plane was hit by turbulence/Turbulence hit the plane

texts:
She woke up when the plane was hit by turbulence.

She woke up when turbulence hit the plane.

Do the two sentences mean the same? Are they equally natural?


texts:
I'm aware that "cooking" can be used as a noun meaning "cooked food."
When I Google for phrases like "bring my cooking to," though, most sentences are as follows (which isn't the usage I want):

... bring my cooking to the next level.

There are almost no instances like this one:

... bring my cooking here.

Maybe the second usage is unusual? If so, what's a more common alternative?


texts:
public Customer FindLuckyCustomer(IEnumerable<Customer> customers)
{
   foreach (Customer customer in customers)
       if (IsLucky(customer))
           return customer;

   return null;
}

public Customer FindLuckyCustomer(IEnumerable<Customer> customers)
{
   Customer result = null;

   foreach (Customer customer in customers)
       if (IsLucky(customer))
       {
           result = customer;
           break;
       }

   return result;
}

[The second] version has more lines of code, more state and more complex flow control. To me it’s more complex than the version with multiple returns. We have removed one complexity, and introduced a different one which turns out to be worse.
https://www.anthonysteele.co.uk/TheSingleReturnLaw.html

What is the reason to use "state" in a singular form, not "states"? Is it a typo or the word is used as an adjective? And in case it is used as an adjective, what exactly the author mean?


texts: Counter-factual: Always subjunctive or sometimes indicative?

texts:
I’m not sure whether to always use the subjunctive in all counter-factual or, at least, believed-to-be counter-factual clauses in sentences. I have no problem with constructions like:

  If I were a prince, I would ...
  (Fact: I’m not a prince.)

  The room is so untidy, as if it had been hit by a tornado.
  (The room wasn’t hit by a tornado.)

However, choosing the right mood becomes difficult for me when I’m faced with sentences such as the following:

  When my mother is here, you need to act as if you care/cared for me (or love/loved me).
  (Fact: You don’t care for [or love] me.)

  Pocoyo is pretending that the broom is/were a guitar.
  (Fact: The broom is not a guitar.)

Since the clauses in question are counter-factual, does that mean the subjunctive is the right choice?


texts:
I read such a sentence from SICP

  Allowing quotation in a language wreaks havoc with the ability to
  reason about the language in simple terms, because it destroys the
  notion that equals can be substituted for equals. For example, three
  is one plus two, but the word “three” is not the phrase “one plus
  two.” Quotation is powerful because it gives us a way to build
  expressions that manipulate other expressions (as we will see when we
  write an interpreter in [[Chapter 4]]). But allowing statements in a
  language that talk about other statements in that language makes it
  very difficult to maintain any coherent principle of what “equals can
  be substituted for equals” should mean. For example, if we know that
  the evening star is the morning star, then from the statement “the
  evening star is Venus” we can deduce “the morning star is Venus.”
  However, given that “John knows that the evening star is Venus” we
  cannot infer that “John knows that the morning star is Venus.”

The part of the common practice:

  The common practice in natural languages is to use quotation marks to
  indicate that a word or a sentence is to be treated literally as a
  string of characters. For instance, the first letter of “John” is
  clearly “J.” If we tell somebody “say your name aloud,” we expect to
  hear that person's name. However, if we tell somebody “say ‘your name'
  aloud,” we expect to hear the words “your name.” Note that we are
  forced to nest quotation marks to describe what somebody else might
  say.

I do not get the idea very clearly, the quotation:

 "John knows that the evening star is Venus”

"John" is not counted in "we" of "if we know that the evening star is the morning star"?


texts: How is this sentence inverted or changed when the adverbal phrase **through every window** is moved at the beggining of the sentence?

texts:
I am a non-native English speaker and sometimes it is very hard to understand the way how inversion happens in sentences.

What inversion does happen with the first sentence below when through every window is moved to the beginning of the sentence?
And is the inversion a matter of a must or choice?

  Light is coming in through every window. I don't think I can sleep here.

  Through every window ???. I don't think I can sleep here.

Couple of my guesses are below.

Through every window is light  coming. I don't think I can sleep here.

Through every window is coming light. I don't think I can sleep here.

Any explanations will be appreciated.
Thank you.


texts: Where was shutting up implicated, in Curran's reply to a hostile Lord Chancellor?

texts:
Source: p 56, The Art of the Advocate (1993) by Richard Du Cann QC (called to the Bar of England and Wales).

    It is these hidden qualities which, by their existence or their
  absence, make or mar the advocate. Some he must have, the
  possession of others, pleasing adjuncts to these essentials, permits
  him to stand above his fellows. He must have a good command of
  language. Words are his tools, and without them he will be lost.
  They must always be to hand. While in the middle of a long and
  involved review of political corruption in Ireland, Curran was
  unnecessarily interrupted by the hostile Lord Chancellor [hereafter LC] he was
  addressing. [John Philpot] Curran replied:

    I am aware My Lord, that truth is to be sought only by a slow and
    painful process. I also know that error is, in its nature, flippant and
    compendious. It hops with airy and fastidious levity over proofs and
    arguments, and perches on assertion, which it calls conclusion.

  The Lord Chancellor did not interrupt again.

The author's comments imply not only efficacy but also disguised asperity in Curran's reply that succeeded in shutting up the LC. But what have I neglected, because to me Curran's reply appears too diplomatic and polite especially to a hostile LC?


texts:
I encountered the following sentence, the meaning of which I couldn't get even after looking up in dictionaries and googling.

  Still, it might seem costless to bluff – until the hand was called. (Source)


texts: Comma between 'fellow' and organization's name

texts:
I'm translating an article from English to my native language, and there are authors of article:
"Sinno Jialin Pan and Qiang Yang Fellow, IEEE"
IEEE is name of organisation, I assume that one of them is member of IEEE, but this comma bothers me, why is it there? Is it normal way to write this? Or does it change its meaning?


texts: How do you describe polls based on their representativeness?

texts: Some surveys have representational samples (they survey people of different ages, sexes, etc., and the subgroups are proportional) and those that do not (non-professional online polls, for instance). What do you call the former and the latter? 'Representational' and 'non-representational'? Maybe, 'sampled'/'non-sampled' or something like that?


texts: When talking about `apply for` certain operators, `apply to` is more appropriate, is my understanding right?

texts:
this doc says

  Some additional rules apply for certain operators (e.g., a string as a left argument to the ‘%’ operator). Extensions must define their own conversion behavior.

per cambridge, when expressing have a connection, apply to should be used. For example, "That part of the form is for UK citizens - it doesn't apply to you."

apply for is used to express the meaning of "to request something". For example, "applied for a new job".

So, the description in the doc should be apply to rather than apply for.

Is my understanding right?


texts: Is there "in which" and "where" both suitable?

texts:
When somebody still use your help but they never are for you, it’s
automatically becomes a unequal setup in which there’s no partnership.

When somebody still use your help but they never are for you, it’s
automatically becomes a unequal setup where there’s no partnership.

Are both versions are good? If no, why?


texts: "an exciting checkmate of Ron's" meaning

texts:
... and she sat down to watch their chess match, which culminated in an exciting checkmate of Ron's, involving a couple of recklessly brave pawns and a very violent bishop.

'Checkmate' means:

  In chess, checkmate is a situation in which you cannot stop your king being captured and so you lose the game.

I'm wondering who really wins the game by "an exciting checkmate of Ron's", Ron or Harry? Is it also ok to put: "Ron's exciting checkmate"?


texts:
As stated above, when do I use "do" in sentences? Examples:

  You bring your laptop tomorrow.
  You do bring your laptop tomorrow.

  You walk for two hundred meters, then you turn left.
  You walk for two hundred meters, then you do turn left.


texts: Wikipedia explains that "a slider (maybe it will be better to make it plural?) is a form of footwear. They are backless and open-toed, essentially an open-toed mule. Slides can be high-heeled, flat-heeled or somewhere in between, and may cover nearly the entire foot from ankle to toe, or may have only one or two narrow straps (but I don't see straps in the picture ...)." My question here is: Are "sliders" and "slides" 2 interchangeable terms? Thank you !


texts: Is it correct to say " a physical equation" when I'm talking about "a physics equation"?

texts: If I would describe "2x+3=0", that's an algebraic equation. Is it okay to describe "E=mc^2" by saying its a "physical equation"?


texts: What is the possessive form of “Daniel's” if “Daniel’s” is the name of a company?

texts:
If a company's name is Daniel's what is the correct possessive form?
Like in the sentence:

I used to work at Daniel's {' / 's} Human Resources Department.


texts: "How long was it displaced" vs. "how far was it displaced"

texts:
How to ask a question using "displaced" when an article is displaced some distance?

Is it "how long was it displaced?" or "how far was it displaced?"


texts: "You're done doing that" vs "you've done that"

texts:
Give me a call when you're done doing that.

Give me a call when you've done that.

What's difference between the two meaning wise?
Are they both grammatically correct?
Do they both imply "Call me after you've finished doing that"?


texts: Should we use "Where" to mention the place of birth or should not?

texts:
This is the question:

  Tell me about the town ----- you grew up.

That
Where
(none of the above)


texts: Does "medium appearance residential buildings" express that the buildings are somewhat aged and worn out?

texts:
Is "medium appearance residential buildings" correct? Am I not sure it's correct or not?

Is it the representative of "aged and worn out residential buildings"?
How else might I express this? I want a phrase that combines semi-aged and semi-worn out in one.

I am writing a scientific paper. I categorized buildings by their qualitative state in three classes. I simply want a good name for those classes. those classes were good appearance buildings, medium appearance buildings, and decayed buildings. (In the case of repair, quality of material and how rusty they are - just physical appearance.) But I think this combination is not good for repeated usage in my text.


texts: "I loved you to be happy." "I owed you to do it."

texts:
I loved you to be happy.

What does it mean:

I loved you because I wanted to be happy
I loved you because I wanted you to be happy
I loved you because you were happy.

Another one:

I owed you to do it.

I owed you because I wanted you to do it
I owed you because I wanted to do it

Which one is correct?


texts: 'It makes no sense trying sth' Would this be correct, too?

texts: Can I say 'It makes no sense trying sth'? Actually it should be 'There is no sense/point/use (in) trying sth., I think.


texts: had in result clause of second conditional

texts:
I read this sentence today:

If I were five years old again, I would sleep in every Saturday while I still had the chance!

I am confused why is had used in the last part. When the first part is referring to a hypothetical present/future then how can the last part be in past tense.


texts: What is the difference between "foe" and "enemy"

texts:
I saw the word foe in a book and the word enemy in a comic-book.
Is there a difference between these two words?
Maybe foe is more similar that adversary, opponent, rival.


texts: Can we start a paragraph with the word "being", and is this sentence correct?

texts:
Being provided with job opportunities or a stable career will help me financially and help support my family in the future.

Can we start a paragraph with the word "being" and is this sentence correct?


texts: Turning a subjunctive dependent content clause into a past tense

texts:
Here is one sentence with the dependent content clause:

  I wish him only one thing, that he find what he wants from his life
  when he reaches adulthood and has become independent.

I used this sentence in another recent question of mine posted here. There I was told that a speaker of AmE would choose the subjunctive construction "that he find", while a speaker of BrE would choose the simple present construction "that he finds" in the same sentence. So, right now, as can be seen from the quotation above, I am dealing with the American construction, that is, "that he find".

So my question is this: if I wanted to turn this whole sentence into a past tense, would I need to do anything with that "that he find" or could I just leave it as it is?

In other words, should it be like this:

  I wished him only one thing, that he found what he wanted from
  his life when he reached adulthood and had become independent.

or it can be just like this:

  I wished him only one thing, that he find what he wanted from
  his life when he reached adulthood and had become independent.

?


texts:
Is “A hole for peeping in” grammatical?

I am wondering if the phrase is grammatical, because I found it as a definition for "peep hole" in a Hindi dictionary, but I am not sure if this is something a native person would say. Shouldn't it be "a hole for peeping through" instead?


texts: why is it incorrect to say I felt/ was feeling the discomfort?

texts: If I can say 'You cannot feel my pain' why can't I say 'He felt the discomfort in the party'?


texts:
(1) I called out to the student who was turning around to see me.

(2) I called out to the student, who was turning around to see me

I understand the comma before who makes a difference in the meanings of the two sentences.  I also understand that the relative pronoun who can be replaced with the relative pronoun "that"  in sentence (1).

But what about the relative pronoun who with a comma?  Can it be replaced with the relative pronoun that?   I think it cannot be replaced.

Could you help me clarify it?  Thank you always.


texts:
A: Jennifer, Lauren and Mike don't have a car
B: Yes and no, Jennifer and Lauren don't have a car, but Mike has a car.
Is 'Yes and no' used correctly?


texts:
Could anyone explain the meaning of the phrase "in my lifetime" to me? I don't really understand why it needs Future Simple exclusively.

People won't live on the Moon in my lifetime.

Is it possible to use Present Simple with "in one's lifetime" if the one is still alive and relates to the present.

Thanks in advance.


texts: "The Latin Verb," but "Latin Conjugation"

texts:
Why is the former preceded by the definite article, the, while the latter isn't?

My only explanation is, trying to make sense of the semantically convoluted and highly irregular English system of grammatical articles, that the former is less abstract than the latter, hence the definite article whose only function seems to me to be that of somehow putting more stress on the concreteness of the Latin verb as a grammatical class of its own.

Does my explanation make any sense to you at all; and is it in accordance with what English grammar says about it?


texts:
The following is an excerpt from an NYT article:

In 1996, Mr. Lee was convicted of bribing the country’s president,
then pardoned. More than a decade later, he was found guilty of tax
evasion but given another reprieve, this time so he could resume
lobbying to bring the Winter Olympics to the mountain town of
Pyeongchang in 2018.

Can anyone please explain the usage of "this time so" here? "So" must be a conjunction since there's no conjunction linking two clauses. What about "this time" then?


texts: Incorrect sentence in the "Oxford Street" wiki article, isn't it?

texts:
From the "Oxford Street" wiki article:

  The first department stores in Britain opened on Oxford Street in the early 20th century, including Selfridges, John Lewis and HMV.

This is a passive voice sentence, isn't it?

Is it more correct to insert "were"?

  The first department stores in Britain were opened on Oxford Street in the early 20th century, including Selfridges, John Lewis and HMV.

If original sentence is correct, then what grammar rule is used here?


texts: "the reported by someone problem" vs "the problem that was reported by someone"

texts:
Could anyone please advise if the following sentence is grammatically correct.

  Sam addressed the reported by Tom problem.

Someone told me that it does not obey the English grammar and that it would be better to phrase it as

  Sam addressed the problem that was reported by Tom.


texts: The present perfect: appropriate/grammatical?

texts:
In a sentence like the one below, is the present perfect acceptable?

  This past week I have learned all sorts of things.

Would it make more sense to say:

  The past week I learned all sorts of things

if it's implied by "past" that my learning of all sorts of things was completed last week? However, the "this" before "past week," to me, makes it seem like the week is still ongoing?

Some additional questions: Is there a difference between these sentences in meaning? Does either sound better than the other?


texts:
The city of Rome has passed a new law to prevent cruelty to animals.
  "The civilization of a city can be measured by this. It's good to do whatever we can for our animals who in exchange for a little love fill our existence with their attention," said Monica Cirinna, the councilor behind the new law.

Could someone please paraphrase the phrase "fill our existence with their attention"?


texts: "if at all" repeats main-clause subject and verb?

texts:
Is "if at all" of the following understood as "(even) if the new law helps new immigrants at all"?

  The new law will fail to help new immigrants significantly, if at all.

I'd appreciate your help.


texts: Can "Others may have a point of view..." be understood in two ways?

texts:
In a book, I found the following sentence:

  Good fiction teaches us about ourselves and about our relationships
  with other people; it shows us too that others may have a point of
  view which is as valid as ours and should be respected.

I cannot be sure about the parallel structure made by "and" in the last
part. I think there are two possible ways of understanding:

1) ... a point of view which [is as valid as ours] and [should be respected]

2) others [may have a point of view...] and [should be respected].

Are there any reasons to judge either of these is not acceptable? If there are,
please let me know.


texts: Why is "of" dropped in 'as X (of) a something'?

texts:
Can anyone explain why the preposition "of" is deleted in the second sentence below?  Please provide relevant examples to understand. If there is a certain rule, then what is the name of that rule?

Incorrect: Most people think that women have achieved equality with men, but sociologists know that statistics for both post-graduate education and median income indicate as drastic of a gap as there was 10 years ago.

Correct: Most people think that women have achieved equality with men, but sociologists know that statistics for both post-graduate education and median income indicate as drastic a gap as there was 10 years ago.

If possible, what is the difference between the two sentences below?

He is as melodramatic of a man as any I have seen.

He is as melodramatic a man as any I have seen.

Why can't I use:

He is as  melodramatic man as any I have seen.


texts: "he doesn't have money" vs. "he doesn't have any money"

texts:
I've seen 4 similar expressions a lot of times, though I don't really understand the difference among them.

"he has no money", "he doesn't have money", "he doesn't have any money", "doesn't have enough money"

I googled part of it and got some low quality hits. And then I search it on Google Ngram

Which means is much more commonly used than others. When to use which, Could someone please give a hint? Thanks in advance.