texts: "Get the idea of" and "come to the idea of"

texts:
Imagine you are going to ask someone about the source of an idea to do something. Which one of the following sentences does not have a correct structure or construction?

  Where did you get the idea of your book?
  How did you come to the idea of writing this book?

When I google the bold verbs above, I receive some hits, but I doubt if they are used in normal English! (Although, they are exactly the way we say in our language.)

Bringing up this question, I need to know whether these verbs are natural and idiomatic or not?


texts: What is the proper use of punctuations inside a “quote”?

texts:
Which of these sentences are using the proper usage of punctuation?

  Nicolo said, "I'll let you know if anything changes."

  Nicolo said, "I'll let you know if anything changes".

  Nicolo said, "I'll let you know if anything changes.".

Or is there a certain rule when all of the sentence is correct especially when writing novels or stories.


texts:
See this cartoon at 0:10.
A bulldog was asleep.
While cat Tom walked on tiptoe by the bulldog, the bulldog happened to grab cat Tom by the leg by accident "in unconsciousness".
I don't know which word should I use, "in unconsciousness" or "in his dream" or "on instinctive reaction" or something.
How do we express someone does something unconsciously while he/she is asleep?


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

texts:
I don't understand the meaning of the word pullout in this sentence:

  There was a pullout on the road leading up to the vehicle parking lot where buses had to turn around because the rest of the climb was too steep. She turned into one of the few parking spaces by a public restroom.

The woman here is driving in the Death Valley National Park, headed for Dante's View.


texts: Is it grammatical to say, "If it isn't X, then what is?"

texts:
I can't wrap my head about the difference between the two phrases below. A friend of mine, an U.K. national, told me that both are grammatical, but being not a linguist, she can't explain why.

A context is when someone is telling about having fun last holiday, concluding their speech with a phrase (1). To my understanding, only phrase (2) is correct, while (1) sounds like an awkward contraction.

  If it is not a great holiday, then what is?
  If it is not a great holiday, then what is it?


texts:
I'm reading this article: https://qr.ae/TWFMUj

  We must also take steps to reverse the damage we’ve done to our
  environment through planting trees and re-seeding oceans.

What does "re-seeding oceans" mean?
Does this mean, you put sea weed seeds in oceans?


texts: Need the right term about a roll of toilet paper

texts:
Help is needed for obtaining the right term in the following description (in quote):-

A roll of toilet paper is in the form of continued sheets. These sheets are connected (or separated) by “pre-cut/pre-punched/pre-slotted dotted cutting lines”.


texts:
What is the Word classes (or parts of speech) of the following words? and what is the clause elements of them?

  Thank you for coming here ...
  Thanks you for coming here ...

I think both of thank and thanks are verbs and the subject is omitted.

  (I) Thank you for coming here ...
  (John: the name of the person I'm talking with) Thanks you for coming here ...

I'm not sure about it. but If I'm right regards the above, so we cant't use thanks with plurals, Is it correct?

  (guys) thanks thank you coming here ...


texts:
Properly trained safety diver(s) shall be available as determined by
  the manager.

Sometimes "as" means "when". For example, "as necessary" means "when it is necessary". Then, for the example above, does it "as determined" mean "when it is determined by the manager"? or does it mean "whenever it is needed based on the manager's decision"?


texts:
Grammatically speaking, opinion goes before size, i.e. opinion, size, age, shape, color, origin, material, purpose. However, I saw this example in Practical English Usage, third edition, page 12:

  a big beautiful garden

Or you have probably heard the known expression Big Beautiful Woman (BBW).
What am I missing?


texts:
Side one of the original LP is occupied by the 21-minute title epic track, beating both Genesis' "Supper's Ready" and Yes' "Close to the Edge" by a year.

Source: http://www.allmusic.com/album/tarkus-mw0000652026

I am not sure what exactly "beating … by a year" means in the context. Does it mean that "the title epic track" is better than the two mentioned  LPs that were released one year later after Tarkus.


texts:
What's the difference between using or omitting ''out'' in these sentences?

Examples:

  My Computer is glitching.
  My Computer is glitching out.

  The word is being censored.
  The word is being censored out.

  The game is lagging.
  The game is lagging out.

What's the difference?


texts: Singular or plural of nouns in describing general situation

texts:
source https://www.uptodate.com/contents/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19?source=history_widget

  1) For people without respiratory symptoms, wearing a medical mask in the community is not recommended

Since people is plural, why use 'a medical mask' not 'medical masks'?

  2) For patients whose spine has been stabilized with surgery, close consultation with the operating surgeon is recommended before prone positioning is instituted.

Patients are plural, why does the relative clause use singular nouns?

  3) In a small study of 10 children in China, 8 had fever, 6 had cough, 4 had sore throat.

I have found another sentence in another article "98% of COVID-19 patients have a fever". So when to use 'a fever' when to use 'fever'?


texts: Is the sentence "If he don't come, ring and shout!" correct?

texts: While reading Tolkien's The Fellowship of The Ring, I noticed one character saying "If he don't come, ring and shout!". Is this sentence really correct, or did the author purposely wrote it wrong? If it is right, what rule explains the use of "don't" instead of "doesn't"?


texts: What is the difference between "sparkle" and "spark" as nouns?

texts:
Is my following understanding accurate?
As nouns, spark connotes a small flash of light, whereas sparkle connotes a series of flashes of light, shining brightly.
1,The performance lacked sparkle.
This means the performance lacked the quality of being lively and original.
2,The performance lacked spark.
This means the performance lacked the quality of energy, intelligence or enthusiasm.
3,The writer lacked creative spark.
This means the writer didn’t have even a small amount of creativity.
4,The writer lacked creative sparkle.
This means the writer didn’t have a large amount of creativity.

My new analysis:
Spark is the more common and natural word choice in the above two cases, because
(a)spark is more often used metaphorically and conveys a clearer meaning there, whereas sparkle is more often used literally
(b)spark is a more common word, giving readers a feeling of familiarity


texts: What does "spike on" mean in these sentences?

texts:
During a review of the records made by an ex-employee of the company where I'm working now, I found many records starting with "Spike on", such as:

Spike on how to detect new blobs in an Azure Storage account
Spike on how to trigger a job after a new blob is uploaded using Azure
Spike on replacing the DASH player with the Azure Media Player

The literal translation makes no sense or very vague in Spanish. I think that it means "research", or something similar.

What does it really mean?
Is it a common expression?


texts: I don't get invited to many parties. what is the tense?

texts:
What is the tense of the following sentence?

  I don't get invited to  the party many parties.

Update:

Note: I heard the above statement from British native speaker.

As examples of same form structure:

  “None of those things happened. So I don’t get caught up in that. We don’t like talking about expectation. From our end I think all the excitement is coming from the outside.” The Daily Telegraph

  "I don’t get looked at as much as I used to because I was putting it out there with the cropped tops, cleavage everywhere and the peacock walk ..." Mirror

Why do they use don't with past form?

Shouldn't they say?

  I didn't get invite to  the party many parties.


texts: Which of these sentences with the adverb "ever" are correct?

texts:
We always say:

I have never been to London.

But is it possible to say:

I haven't ever been to London.

Or

I haven't been to London.

The task was:

Find a mistake in the following sentence: "She hasn't never been to London."

So, here "not" is unnecessary. But I have a question regarding this construction. Can I use the word "ever" in this kind of sentences? Can I say "I haven't ever been to London."?  I've found the information that ever is rather used in the interrogative sentences ("Have you ever been to London?" or "Haven't you ever been to London?") than in the affirmative ones.


texts:
(answering machine): "Hey. Aron here. Leave a message."
   Aron's mother: Aron, it's Mom. I was hoping to catch you.
   .....Are you there? ......Hello? .......Okay. Nothing urgent. Call me, okay? Lots of love.

She said, "I was hoping to catch you".

What does "catch you" in this mean?
Could you paraphrase it for me to exactly understand?

And I wonder if this is really natural.


texts:
Which relative clause is correct

  The technology of electronic devices, which among them the most important is computer, plays an important role in people's lives.

  The technology of electronic devices, among which the most important is computer, plays an important role in people's lives.

  The technology of electronic devices, among which the computers are the most important ones, plays an important role in people's lives.

For sentence #1, I don't know if which among them is correct or not because it repeats them, which is considered to be the same which.

For sentence #1 and #2, I don't know if there is a noun required after most important or not like the most important one.

For sentence #2 and #3, I don't know which is the natural word-order.


texts: Is the usage of auxiliary verb "is" correct in the following sentence?

texts:
Agency is a system integrator of innovation processes in the region,
  manages infrastructure projects of innovation development, coordinates
  the implementation of NTI roadmaps (National technology initiative),
  acts as the Representative Office of the Fund (Federal) for Assistance
  to Small Innovative Enterprises, acts as a specialized organization
  for the management of territorial innovation clusters.

I came across this sentence, and it seems to me that the usage of the auxiliary verb "is" in the first part is incorrect in combination with the other verbs presented. Is it ok, if only one of the several verbs that describe the subject is auxiliary? Thank you!


texts: how do you express habits by using past tenses?

texts:
what's the difference between these two sentences:

1- I played football for 3 years
2- I was playing football for 3 years


texts: Is this use of "more and more" before and gerund after the expression "drowning himself into" acceptable?

texts:
He has been more and more drowning himself into drinking.

Does this phrase make any sense?


texts:
To me, these feel correct:

They were replaced in-place.
The dancers twirl in-place.
Protections are in place.
It shows squares in place of symbols.

But trying to look for information on its hyphenation, I only find examples of the word combination without a hyphen. (It's hard to find because most search engines, including Stackexchange's, ignores the hyphen and matches cases with a space.)

Are there cases where the hyphenated form is not correct (such as the unhyphenated examples above, where I felt a hyphen would be wrong)? Must some cases be hyphenated, or is it always correct (if potentially less clear?) to write it without hyphen?


texts:
I am confused which term is correct. I was going to say to my friend

  See the topmost-left opened tab (as in browser).

Then I realized why not say top-leftmost. Can I also say leftmost-top or left-topmost?
Which is the right phrase to use?


texts: Meaning of "being socially more prestigious"

texts:
I could not understand the meaning of the phrase in a sentence in shawn loewen's book Key concepts in second language acquisition:

  Hypercorrection:

  A phenomenon in which language speakers overuse language rules in contexts where they do not apply. Often, the linguistic form being overused is seen as being socially more prestigious.

I guess a meaning is that being famous in social, but it's very strange and make no sense when put it in the whole context, because I can't understand how can the hypercorrection which is a wrong use of rules is prestigious.


texts: I think, I suppose, I guess, and I reckon: is there any difference?

texts: What are the differences between 'I think', 'I suppose', 'I guess', and 'I reckon'? In which case is one more preferred than the others?


texts:
"My friend insisted me on reading your notes."

Is this sentence correct? I have been debating between the aforementioned and:

  "My friend insisted me to read your notes."

Would the first one be grammatically acceptable?

Edit:

I recently texted that line to someone. Here's what I'm trying to say: "My friend suggested/ asked me to read your notes."


texts: Are there any differences among suffixes 'er', 'or', 'ee', 'eer', and 'ist'?

texts:
I guess they are all 'agent markers'. As people obviously don't say 'actists' for actors so I guess they are not interchangeable. But where are the differences?

e.g.

-er:
painter

-or:
creator

-ee:
trainee

-eer:
volunteer

-ist:
cyclist


texts: What does "move past people" mean in this context?

texts:
It can be a very sensual spot to touch lightly as a form of flirting, or just to move past people.

I came across this sentence from here. "Move past" seems to be a slang, and I haven't managed to find it in dictionaries. What's it supposed to mean here?


texts: How to use the past perfect construction correctly?

texts:
Do the following sentences make sense in terms of tenses?
(Or how do I make the tenses right?)

When the man was hit by a truck, it took two hours before he was successfully resuscitated.

When the man had been hit by a truck, it took two hours before he was successfully resuscitated.

When the man was hit by a truck, it took two hours before he had been successfully resuscitated.

When the man was hit by a truck, it had taken two hours before he was successfully resuscitated.


texts:
How do we say this correctly:
"you can't do that without doing this first"
OR
"you can't do that without first doing this"?

Similary

"I want you to do always your homework timely"
"I want you to always do your homework timely"
"I want you to do your homework always timely"
"I want you to do your homework timely always"

Is there a rule of thumb or every case is unique?


texts:
In my country,our teachers teach us that we should use comma "," in many situations. Such as,the situation we mention at least three words in the same part of speech in a sentence.
Like the sentence typed below:

  My favorite food is hamburger","French fries,and fried chicken.

However,I usually see sentences like the one mentioned below.

  The tranquil lack is surrounded by lofty","snow-capped mountains.

The sentence doesn't include at least the three words in the same part of speech,but it have comma before the adjective "snow-capped".
So,is the comma used above grammatically correct?


texts:
She does her homework.

  Does she do her homework?

Why the questioning sentence is using "do"?


texts: Can Present Perfect be used when I'm talking about "Actions that have been repeated many times up to now"

texts:
I'm repeating Present Perfect and trying to dig into it a bit more. I've been reading a blog about this tense, which says that one of the reason to use Present Perfect is when I'm talking about actions that have been repeated many times up to now and it also provides this example:

I’ve called you three times, where have you been?

Is it correct to use Present Perfect in this case? The reason why I doubt about it is that I can't find this case of using of Present Perfect in any other resource I've been looking through.


texts:
The word 'would' has many usages, among which, I could not understand a few of them.
Source : Grammerly

  Presumption or probable past state: They were in the same class, so they would have known each other.
  Necessity: He grew so angry, it seemed he would explode.
  Uncertainty: So it would seem. So I would think.

Could you please explain to me how 'would' is used in these sentences?


texts:
I was wondering how you could use talk about with friend to show

disappointment
contentment

in a friend.

For example, to be critical you could say: Some friend he is!

And to be flattering you maybe ... not sure... might say: Quite a friend he is

I would like to see an example for each case using talk about friend. I noticed that talk about could be used with adjectives as well as nouns.

  2 informal - used to emphasize the size, amount, or extent of something

  Talk about rain! I've never seen it rain like this in my entire life!
  Talk about having a bad day. I had the worst day ever!
  Talk about short. She's only four feet tall!

Merriam Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Edit:

A positive articulation:Talk about best friends! Dylan has never failed me. He's always been there
A negative articulation:Talk about friends! Jerry told Dad I was smoking again; such a fink.


texts: "if A, B" and "B, if A" have difference nuance?

texts:
Several years ago, I heard that "if A, B" and "B, if A" have difference nuance from Radio English. but not sure I understood correctly and even if understood correctly I can't remember what's the diffrence.

For example, I've written 3 expressions. Which is correct? Are both correct? (if then, which is used commonly in English)

"You get an error if you click this button" v.s "If you click this button, you gen an error"
"You can download mp3 files if you subscribe" v.s "If you subscribe, You can download mp3 files"
"I'll be there if you come" v.s "If you come, I'll be there"

Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance.


texts:
Is there a dictionary which denotes if its words are concrete or abstract nouns?

I found already a dictionary which denotes if the words are countable or uncountable (Merriam Webster learner's) but I didn't find what I'm looking for.


texts: Can "divisive" mean "intended to disrupt"?

texts:
What is the meaning of "divisive" in this sentence:

  This makes it part of the tension and a participating force in divisive, military interventions in war zones.

Can it mean that both that:

a) The interventions are controversial?

b) The interventions aim to disrupt the political establishment in the country?


texts: "What are you going to get him?" and " What are you going to give him?"

texts:
Is it correct to say that What are you going to get him? means What are you going to give him?

Can get be used to mean give?

  What are you going to get him?


texts: What exactly is the meaning of "fine wine"?

texts:
I read an article which was titled as:

Ageing like fine wine

I'm sill pondering over what does it mean? And, where does it trace it's origin from?

For context, the article talks about a person's achievement?


texts:
"Let us suppose, therefore, that the government is entirely at one with the people, and never thinks of exerting any power of coercion unless in agreement with what it conceives to be their voice."
(source: On Liberty: Chapter 2 Of the Liberty of Thought and Discussion By John Stuart Mill)

What does the phrase "Let us suppose" exactly mean here?    Does it mean
(1) We had better think or believe   OR
(2) We regard or We literally suppose or imagine?

Which of the two fits the context better?
Could you help me clarify it?  Thank you always.


texts: What's better in this context? "one more line" or "another line"?

texts:
In order to draw something two dimensional, we are doing two steps: 1)  drawing one line. 2) We add another line to this line.

B.t.w. if you think that I need to improve another thing in this paragraph, kindly let me now of that.


texts:
a)Would you mind telling me which tv series it was?
b)Would you mind telling me which tv series was it?

which usage is correct?  This is a complex sentence with 'which' as a linker and the tone is interrogative (the main clause is also). so, it should be verb+subject?


texts: I always wonder what is the reason for pronunciation of certain (group of) letters to change when used in a word. For example, the letter 'o' changes it's pronunciation to 'ʌ' rather than 'oʊ' when used in "oven" or "onion". Similarly, when we pronounce "put", we use 'ʊ' for 'u'; but when we pronounce "cut" or "but" the 'u' changes to 'ʌ'. Same is the case for "chord" and "chore", why is the "ch" in "chord" pronounced as 'k' where as it is pronounced as 'tʃ' in "chore"?


texts: The meaning of “with + noun + participle” phrase

texts:
With technology advancing rapidly since the advent of the computer, today's video games are preferable to those that were produced two decades ago.

What is the meaning of “with + noun + participle” phrase? I have seen these sometimes and interpreted these as “when ~” because I have seen in texts that these phrases mean circumstances. In the above sentence, however, I don’t understand with-phrase since it is followed by since-phrase. So my question is the meaning of “with + noun + participle” phrase, especially in the sentence above.


texts: "the way in which" VS "the manner in which" including some others

texts:
I’m from Korea. It is the way we teach and study relative pronouns “who/whom/which/whose”

We study this through this process. I think that it is right to use number 1 and 2. But I want to know if number 3 and 4 are correct or not.
If you find some mistakes or something you want me to know from number 1 or 2, please let me know. And please check the process of number 1 and 2 in order to understand my point about number 3 and 4.

He is the man. / I borrowed the book form him.

He is the man from whom I borrowed the book.   (very formal)
He is the man whom I borrowed the book from.   (formal)
He is the man who I borrowed the book from.    (Informal)
He is the man that I borrowed the book from.   (Informal)
He is the man I borrowed the book from.        (Informal)-Best!

This is the thing. I played with that thing.

This is the thing with which I played.         (formal)
This is the thing which I played with.         (Informal)
This is the thing that I played with.          (Informal)
This is the thing I played with.               (Informal)-Best!

I need you to focus on this from here.
I have found a lot of differences to teach relative adverbs between in America and in Korea.
This is the Korea version to understand the use of ‘how’.
We understand how is the one of the relative adverbs including “where,when,why”
We usually understand something through the process like this.

I like the way. you talk to me in the way.
[in the way? is it right to use?]

I like the way in which you talk to me.     (formal)
I like the way which you talk to me in.     (informal)
[Is it the way you guys say in spoken English?]
I like the way that you talk to me in.       (Informal)
[do you sometimes use 'that'? or never use?]
I like the way you talk to me.               (Informal)-Best?
I like how you talk to me.                   (Informal)-Best?
[which one is the best to use in spoken English?]

This is the version from the teacher from America.
They usually don’t mention ‘how’ when they teach relative adverbs dislike when,where,why
Even some of them don’t say the word of relative adverbs.
They just teach “who/which/whose/where/why…”
As relative pronouns.
They say that ‘what’ and ‘how’ are
Not relative pronouns because they cannot come after a noun.

How = the manner in which.
I still remember how we met.

Two sentences are all of things to explains ‘how’
So… I want to know why they teach the same things in different ways?
Which one is correct? To be honest, I’ve never seen anyone teaching ‘how = the manner in which” in Korea. If number 4 is right, I really want to know the process like number 1,2,3.


texts: Describing the contents of a column containing chronological numbers in the table

texts:
A teacher has a table of students in his class:

#  Name
1  Jenny
2  Henry
3  George
4  William
5  Billy

Some new students are still being added to his class, so he appends some new names to his table almost every lesson.

I know how to describe the second row of the table - simply "Column 2: Students' names"

However, I am not quite sure how to describe the first column.

Here is my try:

  Column 1: Chronological numbers of students, according to the sequence
  of how they were met by the teacher.

Sounds very broken. How would a native English speaker describe the first column?


texts:
First sentence doesn't have "make" or "get". Still is it causative? What is the differences between these sentences and which one is truer?

He tried to scare them.
He tried to make them scared.


texts:
Two years later, three men went to
  Montfaucon to dig up the corpse of Louis XI’s
  barber. The new king had recently granted
  the barber a pardon. His family was now
  allowed to bury him in his own grave in
  their parish church cemetery.

  -- From The Hunchback of Notre Dame, as adapted by Emily Hutchinson

Does "parish church cemetery" mean: in the cemetery that belongs to their church.


texts: What is the meaning of *sides* in this conversation?

texts:
Customer went to restaurant.

  Bartender : What d'you want, baby?

  Customer: Give me a basket, please.

  Bartender: Sides?

  Customer: l don't know yet. Still thinking about it. Trying to watch
  my figure.

What is the meaning of sides in this conversation?


texts: What part of speech is veteran in 'He had obtained and provisioned a veteran ship...'?

texts:
He had obtained and provisioned a veteran ship called the Discovery and had recruited a crew of twenty-one, the largest he had ever commanded.

What part of speech is veteran in above sentence?

Is it adjective because its describing a ship or is it noun taking veteran ship together?


texts:
From The Godfather:

  He left the club an caught a cab to his furnished room on Tenth
  Avenue. He boarded with an Italian family to which he was distantly
  related. His two room was separated from the rest of their railroad
  flat by a special door.

So, I'm confused by the "railroad flat" phrase. Is railroad the same as railway here?


texts: Is "I want to look inside (of something)" equal to "I want to know what it looks like on the inside"?

texts:
Is "I want to look inside (of something)" equal to
"I want to know what it looks on the inside" ? /
Or does "look on the inside" mean you have a perspective from the inside of something?

+edit) Okay, so, I would better ask this way..
Is the sentence below correct when I want to say that I want to have a perspective from the inside of something?
"I want to know what it looks on the inside"


texts:
Which form of the word "election" should I use?
"The  political ads before the election/the elections/elections/ election are annoying."


texts: What does "graphic" mean in "a graphic video"? Is it an official term?

texts:
Googling "graphic video" revelas that it is something like "video with violence", yet I can't find "graphic video" in a dictionary.

Description of "graphic" sometimes give a hint:

  depicted in a realistic or vivid manner:
    Example: graphic sex and violence.

, but the definition doesn't not imply any violence, only the example.

Is it appropriate to use the term "graphic video" just for a realistic or picturesque video? Isn't "graphic video" a tautology (video implies relating to graphics, like audio to sound)? Is it some euphemism?


texts: Can a noun be an individualizing modifier?

texts: There are some sliders on the web page. One of them is on the top. If I will put the "top" before the "slider", will the "top" become an individualizing modifier?


texts: can see someone is doing or can see someone doing? Are both the same?

texts:
is it the same to put "I can see he is jumping on his bed" and "I can see him jumping on his bed"? I need to use the first one in a picture description. Can I use it? Would that not sound strange to an native speaker?
Thanks in advance.


texts:
I can't understand the meaning of «bracket» in this sentence. A mechanic is fixing a car whose filter is broken. Here is the complete text (it's an american novel):

  She unscrewed the cap of the relief fitting and put a shop towel over it to catch the gas that leaked out when she pressed the valve. When the lines were bled, she stuffed the towel into her back pocket and went to her toolbox to grab the 16mm and 19mm wrenches and the quick- disconnect tool. Then, with an athletic jump, she disappeared into the yellow-framed pit so she could work from underneath. She removed the bracket, released the snaplock fitting, and pulled the rubber hose off the outlet side of the filter first to keep the fuel from dripping in her eyes.


texts:
invoke vs. evoke vs. inquire

Which one of the followings is the best English?

(1) We have invoked three questions in this article and have addressed them with certain depths.

(2) We have evoked three questions in this article and have addressed them with certain depths.

(3) We have inquired three questions in this article and have addressed them with certain depths.

Or, how to modify it to be the best English? Many thanks! :)


texts: Roads vs The roads, At these times vs In these times

texts:
Here's a sentence written in my textbook.

  The problem isn't just confined to roads, but also the subway systems that are packed with commuters in the morning or evening peak hours. It is next to impossible to move in the subway cars at these times.

In this sentence, roads is simply referring to unspecific roads. But, if I rephrase it as 'the roads', it is more likely to refer to the class of objects called road. So, no matter which one I use, there's no big difference. I'd like to know the difference between 'roads' and 'the roads'.
I know that depending on what I want to use, I can choose the word between 'at' and 'in' to tell time phrases. At the end of the sentence, if I want to use 'in' not 'at', how can I rephrase it? 'In these times' is just okay?
I'd like to know the difference between 'at' and 'in'.


texts:
"A doubt had raised in the mind of passenger because of some sound, before he ask to stop the bus"

Is above sentence construction is correct?
Is it correct to use a doubt was raised in above sentence?


texts: fastly error -- what does "fastly error" mean?

texts:
This is the error I sometimes get when I try to go a website using an IP address instead of its proper domain name:

  Fastly error: unknown domain: 151.101.84.81. Please check that this domain has been added to a service.

I've been wondering as to what the expression fastly error really means? I've heard that fastly is not even a word in the English language, nevertheless it is obviously used by people who speak English as evident from my example. So, what are your thoughts?


texts: Do the questions "Is something something?" sound natural?

texts:
For example, let's suppose we want to know what does Scrum Master (a role in a software development methodology called Scrum) do. Whether they are a manager (of a software project)? Or whether the Product Owner is a business analyst in Scrum.

Is Scrum Master a manager?
Is a product manager a business requirements analyst in Scrum?

Do such questions (Is smth smth?) sound natural, common? If not, than what is the most common, usual way to ask such questions in English?


texts:
Which one of the following sentences is more correct? And why?
Is one of them completely wrong or just less used?

  Not all gets it.

  Not everyone gets it.


texts: What's a word/phrase for "a place what's so dark you can't see anything in it"?

texts:
Example sentence:

  He didn't know why he killed the victim. Maybe the reason was hidden
  in a __ corner within himself.

I checked dark on Thesaurus, but the synonyms only refers to light, not to the fact that you can't see.

Any suggestions?


texts: Modals.Are their job is only to add possibility or hypothetical?

texts:
The children 'must have been playing' in the park since we gone shopping please find them out it's getting dark.
  Just look at that car ! His father 'must have bought' it for him because he has been sad since her mother died.

My question is do modals have the ability to change the tense of the sentences?
Like 1 is in present perfect continuous and 2 is in present perfect.

They say we use modal+have+been for past events. We use present perfect also for past events but it has relevance at the time of speaking. I need in depth answer please if anyone can provide it.


texts: Should we say one swims in the sea or on the sea? Also, the birds live in the tree or on the tree?

texts:
I have these questions about prepostions.
1. One is swimming in or on the sea?
2. The birds live in or on the tree.


texts: Meaning: 'hierarchical individualist' (2015 US)

texts:
Source: Why Do Many Reasonable People Doubt Science?, 2015 March, by Joel Achenbach

  In the U.S., climate change somehow has become a litmus test that identifies you as belonging to one or the other of these two antagonistic tribes. When we argue about it, Kahan says, we’re actually arguing about who we are, what our crowd is. We’re thinking, People like us believe this. People like that do not believe this. For a hierarchical individualist, Kahan says, it’s not irrational to reject established climate science: Accepting it wouldn’t change the world, but it might get him thrown out of his tribe.

  hierarchy = 1.3. An arrangement or classification of things according to relative importance or inclusiveness  (I picked definition 1.3 for 'hierarchy' because it's more general than definition 1.)

  Etymology of individualist = 1840, from individual + -ist. Related: Individualistic.
  (I heed the Etymological Fallacy, but I present this instead of the definition, which is self-revelatory from the root individual)

How does it make sense for an individualist to be hierarchical then? What does this mean?

Footnote: The author has a BA in Politics, if this undergraduate background underlies his diction.


texts:
"There is low." my son pointed it and told me.

  "Yes, it because the ground is one high and one low."

I said.

How do I say a ground is not the same level?


texts:
It is possible, as we all know, to say those sentences below.

  It was given to me by a kind woman.

  I walked on the top of the building with my friend under a moon light.

One common point between those sentences is that the prepositional phrases are not connected by a conjunction.

It feels and sounds natural to me to hear and write those sentences, but when I apply my logic to it, it always feels that there should be a conjunction between those prepositional phrases as below.

  It was given to me (and) by a kind woman. = It was given to me and
  given by a kind woman.

  I walked on the top of the building (and) with my friend (and) under a
  moon light. = I walked on the top of the building and walked with my
  friend and walked under a moon light.

It seems that all those connected prepositional phrases are the product of coordinate ellipsis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coordination_(linguistics)

So why isn't the conjunction used? Is certain grammar rule applied to it?


texts:
This article about machine learning says:

  Generalizing correctly becomes exponentially harder as the dimensionality (number of features) of the examples grows, because a fixed-size training set covers a dwindling fraction of the input space. Even with a moderate dimension of 100 and a huge training set of a trillion examples, the latter covers only a fraction of about 10-18 of the input space. This is what makes machine learning both necessary and hard.

Is the latter referring to "a huge training set of a trillion examples"?


texts: Should I use "or" or "nor" in the following sentence?

texts:
Being a photographer, I wasn't my duty to give Sumire these photos
  personally. But she still didn't know her co-workers well. Or/Nor
  the other way around.

Should it be "or" or "nor"? Why?


texts: Am I right in interpreting the part in bold?

texts:
Everard Gault had been missing in 1915; and waiting, not knowing, had
been the loneliest time of Heloise’s life, her two-year-old baby her greatest
comfort. Then a telegram had come, and soon afterwards she had closed
her eyes in selfish relief when there was the news that her husband had
been invalided out of the army. As long as they lived, she vowed to herself,
she would never again be parted from him, her resolve an expression of
her gratitude for this kind misfortune.

Is "close your eye to something" the same as "close your eye in something"?
And does the part in bold mean: when there was the news that her husband had been invalided out of the army she was not proud and selfish of this relief and vowed to herself that as long as they lived she would never again be parted from him and in this kind of misfortune she decided to show her gratitude because of that time and not to be parted from her husband?
Source: The Story Of Lucy Gault by William trevor


texts: 'Waterlogged' and 'Waterlogging' confusion in the context of rains

texts:
In InE, you'll find a lot of headlines/sentences using 'waterlogging'. Say--

  Waterlogging at the Central Railway Station caused traffic jam in the peak hours

Now, as I refer various dictionaries online, this seems to be an incorrect use. Because 'waterlog' is a verb

  waterlog - to fill with water....

In the context of heavy rain, the 'adjective' waterlogged seems to be more appropriate as in...

  Waterlogged Central Railway Station caused a traffic jam in the peak hours

Now, 'waterlogging' as a gerund the way Indian media uses for a rain-filled area seems to be wrong. Because, waterlogging means something different. It is more agricultural.

So, which one is proper? 1 or 2?

I'm interested what native speakers say when they want to refer to 'waterlogging' like this --

Note: 'waterlogging' search on Google images brings in actual result of fields and crops. So, this supports my question that 'waterlogging' referring to water-filled roads in rain is improper.


texts: What does 'fandom community with a veracious output of fanfiction' mean?

texts:
Could you please help me understand what does this part (bold type) of the sentence mean? Would you please make this sentence more clear? And do I correctly understand the word 'inspired' in this case as a 'created'?

  The book and film franchise of Harry Potter has inspired a monumental
  fandom community with a veracious output of fanfiction and general
  musings on the text and the vivid universe contained therein.


texts: What is the proper grammatical way, say, to name a table column: hit count or hits count? I have a hard time choosing.


texts: Which of the sentences sound natural to native English speakers?

texts:
I am going to make up a few similar sentences below.

(1) The lowest price of the recently released Mac computer is $1000.

(2) The recently released Mac computer costs as low as $1000.

(3) The recently released Mac computer at the lowest price costs $1000.

Which of my sentences sound natural to native English speakers? Please give me your feedback. Thanks.


texts: Can relative adverbs occur in fused relative clauses?

texts:
In one of my more recent posts, I enquired about forming fused/free relative clauses with 'what' and 'who' (relative pronouns). According to the answers I received, 'who' wouldn't normally occur in such constructions, but 'what' on the other hand can be readily used.

Typing in with that, I would like to seek how this would apply to relative adverbs, in particular 'where'. Below is a hypothetical conversation I came up with:

  Driver: I think we are approaching a severe traffic jam.

  Passanger: Then how about you let me get off (at?) WHERE you will be forced to stop. I rather walk to work than arrive late.

Basically, I am interested in knowing whether it is grammatically sound/natural to use 'where' in the context above to convey that I wanted to be dropped off at the particular position at which the driver will be caught in traffic." Also, is the use of 'at' before 'where' correct?

Furthermore, does the same apply to 'when'? Is it appropriate or not to use 'when' as a relative adverb in a fused relative clause?

Many thanks in advance.


texts: 'Reading, ..., is not language, but technology.'

texts:
[Source:] Reading, on the other hand, is not language, but technology. There is no human adaptation to literacy as there is to spoken (i.e, real) language, and in fact some humans never manage to master literacy in their native language, while others find it very simple.

Which definition of technology fits here? I don't understand its use; is it figurative?

PS: p 295, Linguistics For Dummies (1 ed, 2012; by Déchaine, Burton, Vatikiotis-Bateson) aided to resolve my confusion:

  Writing is a technology: It has a design and a purpose. The design: using
  symbols to represent spoken language. The purpose: keeping records and
  communicating over long-distances. But the world wasn’t always this way. [...] Surprisingly, humans had
  these skills for all of 40 millennia — making symbolic pictures and using
  language — without ever thinking of using their symbolic pictures to represent
  specifically the sounds or words in any language.


texts: Why is the repetition of "is" in these type of sentences?

texts:
The cool thing is is that ...

Link: @5:11 of this video.

I hear many native English speakers repeat the word "is" when they say sentences like that. I don't think it's related to the grammar. I feel like it's a more of a filler word and it's not really needed. At the same time, it's not a stuttering because many native English speakers do it. Why do they repeat it? Is it related to a specific accent?


texts:
I noticed that when there is a possesive before the noun preceding "of" then we cam omit "of" but not in the case when there's no possesive before the noun:

I give you all (of) my love. (Correct)
I give you all love. (Incorrect) - should be "I give you all of love"

Am I right?

I mean to say when something belongs to someone of can either be omitted or not but with no possesive case can we omit of?

Which is correct when we speak about something in general:

I showed him all love.
I showed him all of love.


texts:
could have vs would have

I know could means indicating a possibility or ability, and would means the past of will or something about that is uncertain.

Which of the following is correct?

  If you had told me, I would have used the other route.
  If you had told me, I could have used the other route.

Both of the above sound correct and similar to me.

Are these also possible?

  If you had told me, I would use the other route.
  If you tell me, I would use the other route.

Please clear my confusion.


texts: How to wish a good feeling for a person who had a flu?

texts: A person has messaged me after a week and he had a flue. How should I respond to the message? Do we have a common sentence for that?


texts:
Is it correct to use "reschedule" as a noun?

  We apologize for the reschedule.

No dictionary defines the word as a noun. Yet, the sentence above is from a test writing assignment...


texts: I don't really get the meaning of the sentence

texts:
I saw these sentences in the novel "Where You Belong" written by Barbara Taylor Bradford. I don't really get the meaning of the last sentence. Please explain it to me.

  "You're absurd. And ungrateful, very ungrateful, and after all I did
  for you. Really', Valentine!"

  "Don't really me in that tone or use the word ungrateful."


texts: Wrong Tense or Verb Form. Why is it? (-ing vs -to verb form)

texts:
1.Burnett,L., 2001, 15 frequently occuring grammatical mistakes, The Learning Centre, UNSW, Sydney

My questions:

Compare these sentences:

  1.They were required filling out a long form before enrolling in the course.

  2.They were required to fill out a long form before enrolling in the course.

  3.They required to fill out a long form before enrolling in the course.

The correct one according to the supervisor is the 3rd one.

  Is this correct? Why is it? To my ear the 2nd sounds better than the 3rd form....Can someone break down the
  sentence, parsing it into "understandable" and "logical" one?

  What is the name of this structure? What is the name of the terms in linguistics, if any?

  This 'required' in 3rd sentence seems in 'transitive' and 'active sense' so it "requires" an 'object', but in this
  construction it doesn't seem to need it, why is it?

  What is the difference between:

  They were required to fill out a long form before enrolling in the course.

and

  They required to fill out a long form before enrolling in the course.

and

  They were required filling out a long form before enrolling in the course.

and

  They required filling out a long form before enrolling in the course.

Context: Academic, formal English

Source:

Burnett,L., 2001, 15 frequently occuring grammatical mistakes, The Learning Centre, UNSW, Sydney


texts: Is the word 'harsh' equal to the word 'harshly' in "the sky [was] a harsh blue"?

texts:
https://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/o/orwell/george/o79n/chapter1.1.html

The paragraph is below.

  Outside, even through the shut window-pane, the world looked cold. Down in the street little eddies of wind were whirling dust and torn paper into spirals, and though the sun was shining and the sky a harsh blue, there seemed to be no colour in anything, except the posters that were plastered everywhere. The black-moustachio’d face gazed down from every commanding corner. There was one on the house-front immediately opposite. BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU, the caption said, while the dark eyes looked deep into Winston’s own.

I encountered questions in the sentence " Down in the street little eddies of wind were whirling dust and torn paper into spirals, and though the sun was shining and the sky a harsh blue, there seemed to be no colour in anything, except the posters that were plastered everywhere ".

Does the word "tear" mean "to pull something so that it separates into pieces" in the sentence "Down in the street little eddies of wind were whirling dust and torn paper into spirals"?

Does the word "spiral" mean "a circular curving line that goes around a central point while getting closer to or farther away from it" in the sentence "Down in the street little eddies of wind were whirling dust and torn paper into spirals"?

Is the word "harsh" equal to the word "harshly" in the sentence "the sky a harsh blue"?


texts: Which article to use in "I demand [a/the/] video of this birthday"

texts:
I want to ask a friend for a video of her daughter's birthday, so what should I put after demand below?

  I demand the video of this birthday.
  I demand video of this birthday.
  I demand a video of this birthday.

Which of these versions is correct?

I am using demand in a joking manner.


texts: Difference between "last" and "for the last time"

texts:
What is the difference between *'last'*and 'for the last time'?

  I don't remember when I went to the cinema ...?

A) last
B) for the last time
C) last time
D) at last


texts: What does this sentence mean: "Keep right behind me"

texts: While I was reading a book I saw "Keep right behind me" sentence. And I don't know what it means. A man was saying this sentence to a woman. Could you explain this sentence in basic English for an English learner.


texts: "You found" vs. "You've found" in context

texts:
Imagine that, I was confusing concept A with concept B. I searched and found their definitions but was still confused. So I raised a question, and then someone replied

  You found the definition of concept A, so why would you think it involves concept B?

I guess they were trying to emphasize the fact I have got the definition of concept A and I would not be confused them.

To express that indication, is it more appropriate to use "you've found" here?

Above is the simplified version, here is what actually happened.

I was confused cornea with retina. So, I put forward a question in a post

  ... is astigmatism a type of retinopathy?

A contributor replied me in this way

  You observed that astigmatism is caused by a misshaped cornea, so why would you think it involves the retina?

I guess "you observed" is more appropriate to convey the fact that I've already found that definition.

Is my understanding right? Could someone please give a hint? Thanks in advance.


texts:
Tell me please if I can replace the word conversely with the word whereas.

  Kate likes cats, converesely(whereas) John likes dogs.

It seems those words are synonymous, but the Meriam Webster and Oxford dictionaries do not say that they are, so I am confused.


texts: Is there the expression about toilet talk?

texts:
About toilet talk in English, is there the expression like the following?

  Would you like to go upstairs?


texts:
I wonder what he is. (Random House Dictionary's #2, not from the linked online-version but from its paper version)

I suppose the sentence would mean ‘I wonder what sort [type] of person he is’ as Mister StoneyB says.  But the Korean translating version of the dictionary interprets it as: ‘I wonder what job he does’ or ‘I wonder from where he comes’. Could the translating version’s interpretation be proper?


texts: What does "Right little ray of sunshine" mean?

texts:
There's no way any of the other tasks are going to be that dangerous, how could they be?” Ron went on as he carried Pigwidgeon to the window. “You know what? I reckon you could win this tournament, Harry, I'm serious.”

  Harry knew that Ron was only saying this to make up for his behavior
  of the last few weeks, but he appreciated it all the same. Hermione,
  however, leaned against the Owlery wall, folded her arms, and frowned
  at Ron.

  “Harry's got a long way to go before he finishes this tournament,” she
  said seriously. “If that was the first task, I hate to think what's
  coming next.”

  “Right little ray of sunshine, aren't you?” said Ron. “You and
  Professor Trelawney should get together sometime.”

I don't fully understand the phrase "Right little ray of sunshine" here. From dictionaries, I can get the meaning of "a ray of sunshine" (a person or thing that makes somebody’s life happier), but I don't quite get "right little". Does it mean "just small" or something? What does the whole phrase mean exactly?


texts:
Do I need to use 'in' or 'with' in the following sentence?

'Some images, like the ones of the wounded civilian, have been shot up close, making you feel more involved in/with what they show.'

Thanks


texts: My friend just told me lunch in a bit, I think that means have lunch for little bit, and I googled the meaning of "lunch in" and "in a bit", but couldn't find the answer, anyone could answer this question? Thanks so much!


texts:
"The Money":

  ELAINE: Tell her after sex, you just want her outta there?

  KRAMER: Well, I'd say it nicely.

  ELAINE: I don't think so.

  KRAMER: Well, you know, I really like this girl and I, you know, I
  think if I could just work out this one thing...

  ELAINE: (interrupting) Yeah. I gotta be honest with you Kramer. You
  might be more than just a coupla tweaks away from a healthy
  relationship.

  KRAMER: Well you're not exactly zeroing in yourself, lady.

  ELAINE: (pointing to the door, angry) Alright, get out.

What did Kramer mean? He meant that Elaine did not pay enough attention to his problem, or that what she said was not accurate enough (she needs to zero her articulation)?

And whatever he meant by this, which particular moment of the conversation caused him to conclude it?


texts: Which is correct “no one does” or “no one do”?

texts:
If I said that I don't like bad people and someone replies, should he say

no one does
or
no one do ?

If both are correct then which one is better or more frequently said?


texts: Need help understanding a sentence structure

texts:
Now the realization of his cowardice gains the upper hand, now
  defiance and pride.

It is from Carl Jung's "The Theory of Psychoanalysis"

  [The neurotic] draws back [from his life tasks] not because of any
  real impossibility but because of an artificial barrier invented by
  himself…From this moment on he suffers from an internal conflict. Now
  the realization of his cowardice gains the upper hand, now defiance
  and pride. In either case his [energy] is engaged in a useless civil
  war, and the man becomes incapable of any new enterprise…His
  efficiency is reduced, he is not fully adapted, he has become – in a
  word – neurotic.

Although I vaguely understand that it means something along the lines of "once he realizes he is a coward, he then becomes defiant and proud," I'm kind of perplexed why the second "now" and what happens to "defiance and pride." It seems to me something is left out there.

So, what is the exact way to understand this sentence? Thanks for your answer.


texts: Which is correct? "Sa'ei Park" or "Park Sa'ei"?

texts: Sa'ei is the name of a park. Like Everest, which is referred to as Mount Everest, can we say also "Park Sa'ei" or should we say "Sa'ei Park"? This has become confusing to me as I see both usages of similar combinations in different contexts and wonder which is correct or preferable. Another examples are library and street names, etc.


texts: How to determine subject of verb in a complicated sentence?

texts:
For the following sentence:

The rise in recent criminal attack incidents in the world indicate the impotency of law.

There are many nouns in the sentence before the verb indicate such as:

rise
attack
incidents
world

How do I determine which noun the verb agrees with? So, if it agrees wih rise then it should be indicates because rise is singular.

For simple sentences I had no problems but here I feel confused.

Is there a way to identify so that I can confidently put indicates there instead of indicate?


texts: Sentence meaning "gone and conditioned myself"

texts:
I am reading fanfic in English and I don't understand what is selected sentence?

  I’ve developed a problem. Jerking off in silence is depressing so I’ve
  been keeping the music on a bit. This means that almost every session
  has a soundtrack of Disco because the Beatles is just sacrilege.
  Yesterday when I was in the rover and put some tunes on, instant
  hardon. I’ve only fucking gone and conditioned myself. It’s now a
  classic Pavlovian response - Disco equals erection. I am going to have
  to break this cycle or I’m going to be a complete disgrace at
  weddings.

What does it mean?


texts:
Is the use of "approximately only" in the following sentences correct grammatically and conceptually? If it is not , kindly suggest ways to make it clearer.

  In other words, both tip leakage flow and endwall boundary layer flow
  have a high effect on the total pressure drop across the turbine at
  high flow coefficients while the turbine torque approximately only is
  dependent on the tip leakage flow at high flow coefficients.

explanation:

"only"= more/increased emphasis
"approximately"= The tip leakage flow and endwall boundary layer flow reduce the turbine torque. But the effect of tip leakge flow is much higher than that of endwall boundary layer flow on the torque at high flow coefficients.


texts: Which form and when? "counterclockwise" vs "anticlockwise"

texts: Which term is more used in everyday English and which in formal/professional environment?


texts:
I can't find the if these two expressions have the same meaning. I would like to know if "sore loser" and "bad loser" have the same meaning.

Note: Originally asked about "sore player" or "bad player".


texts: many more complex problems vs. much more complex problems

texts:
I think much in much more complex problems is grammatically correct because it modifies more complex though it convey a different meaning from many more complex problems. Do you think my assumption to be right?

  (A)They are capable of solving many more complex problems
  compared to other birds, such as chickens.

  (B)They are capable of solving much more complex problems
  compared to other birds, such as chickens.


texts:
I will give all the boxes I have with me

Is this grammatically correct to use "I have with me"?


texts: What part of speech is "no" - negative pronoun, adverb or something else?

texts:
Is "no" - a negative pronoun, adverb or something else?

  There was no reply.
  The song was no strain on her voice.

What do you think about this?

  Negative sentences with introductory "there" are formed in the usual way for the verbs which are their predicates, that is, by means of
  appropriate auxiliaries for all the verbs but to be. In the latter
  case two negative constructions are possible:

  a) either with the negative pronoun no, as in:

  There was no sign of him in the hall.

  There is no knowing when he will
  come...(http://doclecture.net/1-7538.html)


texts: Mary's house is near to/next to the hair salon.

texts:
Mary's house is _____ the hair salon. Do you think you can find it?

  a. Near to
  b. Next to

When I was filling out this question, my answer was "near to" but is wrong according to the page. So now I have that doubt about whether there are any rule about these two combination.


texts:
Source

What is the meaning of "the night was out"?
Context sentence:

  He knew that authorities would be after him like baying hounds before the night was out.


texts: Is the word "other" an adjective that modifies the word "choice" in this question

texts: Is the word "other" an adjective that modifies the word "choice" in the question: "What other choice do we have?"


texts:
To state or demonstrate something of particular importance.

Above phrase, As a Non-native speaker, I'm not sure what is the relations between 'something' and 'particular importance'. Maybe it's because I simply understand that 'A of B' means B possesses A or A belongs to B or A is a part of B.
By any chance... My guess is 'something of particular importance' means that 'One of the properties something has is particular importance.', right? So I mean, Not only can 'A of B' mean A ⊂ B, Can It also means B ⊂ A sometimes?
So I mean, Is 'something of particular importance' equal to 'something is particular important'?
Sorry for my terrible English.


texts:
It was a hard time for private enterprises to expand business as we relied mostly on imports of core parts that not always match our machinery.
  It was a hard time for private enterprises to expand business as we relied mostly on imports of core parts that not always match with our machinery.
  It was a hard time for private enterprises to expand business as we relied mostly on imports of core parts that not always fit with our machinery.
  It was a hard time for private enterprises to expand business as we relied mostly on imports of core parts that not always fit our machinery.

Among the above four lines, which one is the most suitable?


texts: The correct way of using the nouns that are both countable and uncountable

texts:
Which one is correct and why?

  1)I like sausage.

  2)I like sausages.

As far as I know sausage is both a countable and uncountable noun,in my point of view when we are talking about sausage in general we shouldn't use (s),so sentence (1) seems better to me but I've heard sentence (2) alot,as well.

I'd be thankful if someone explains when I should use sausage as a countable noun and when as an uncountable one.


texts: Meaning: Reference time is not expressed in remote interpretation?

texts:
Hereafter, TO = time of orientation (reference time).

[i] He said I could win if I really tried.   [open conditional interpretation]
[ii] He knew he would be in trouble if they were to check his alibi. [remote interpretation]

(The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language, p198)
In [i], the preterite in could indicates that TO is in the past,
whereas in [ii] the preterite indicates modal remoteness and the location of TO is not expressed, says the book. Does [ii] say either Speech Time is not seen or there might be some Event Time in context apart from ST, for Reference Time?
CGEL,p.148) remote conditional; open conditional
remote) If he was here, he'd be upstairs.
If you went tomorrow, you'd see Ed.
open) If he is here, he'll be upstairs.
If you go tomorrow, you'll see Ed.


texts:
According to the source " we can use an adverbial participle clause to express reason or cause as an alternative to a because/since/as clause. Using a participle clause in this way is more characteristic of written English or a literary style, rather than spoken colloquial English. Compare the following:

  Being French, he is passionate about wine and cheese.

Instead of :

  Because he is French, he is passionate about wine and cheese.

  Being a friend of Tony Blair, I'm often invited to No 10.

Rather than:

  As I am a friend of Tony Blair, I'm often invited to No 10.

  Being quite slim, I was able to squeeze through the hole in the
  railings.

Instead of:

  Since I am quite slim I was able to squeeze through the hole in the
  railings.

  Being rather over weight, Geoffrey was unable to squeeze through.

Rather than:

  Because he's rather over weight, Geoffrey was unable to squeeze
  through."

So my question is that non-being sentences are too informal to use in a formal essay?


texts:
I was wondering what is the right form to say between these two options:
I thought I did VS. I thought I have

In this example:

Person A: You know me, right?

Person B: I thought I did / I thought I have.


texts: What is a simple word/phrase to refer to the act of 'Toppling something over'?

texts:
As a non native English speaker, I am sometimes in an interesting situation when communicating with my 4 year old in English.
Recently he has been 'knocking over' the Christmas tree, and I am at loss for words how to tell him not to. He is playing with the tree's ornaments and pulling on the branches to deliberately bring it down. Not bumping into to (which is what, in my mind, 'knocking over' suggests)
The first things came to my mind were:

Don't push the tree
Don't fall the tree (I realize this is grammatically wrong)
Don't bring the tree down

After brief Googling, I think 'Knock Over' and 'Topple' are more appropriate, but they still feel like overkill to use as simple everyday language.
What is the best way to say, in simple words, not to knock the Christmas tree over to the floor?


texts: Is it natural to use the verb "shift" in the sense of changing a date?

texts:
Is it natural to use the verb in the following sentence?

  The party is on July the 1st, but I would like to shift it to July the 2nd.

If it is perfectly natural than is the preposition to fine after shift or for would be better?


texts:
I wrote:

  Therefore, if a variable needs to be set by this value, a post-assignment is used.

The auto grammar detection of Office word suggested me

  Therefore, if a variable need to be set by this value, a post-assignment is used.

As I checked google, I found similar constructions like:

  If a section or a folder need to be set as private ...

What is the structure here, it seems the need doesn't refer to variable.


texts: When should these helping verbs be used after the word 'bodyguard'?

texts:
The royal bodyguard has/have deserted en route.
In the sentence, which helping verb, has or have, should be used.


texts:
There is a question in my book where I have to fill the correct form of a verb

I think I ________ reluctant to do anything at this very difficult time for global free trade, to cancel another trade deal.

Options are

would be

am

I think both are correct. I am not able to distinguish between their usage.


texts: What does "to be around for something" mean?

texts:
In this sentence :

  I wasn't around for all of that.

Does "around" mean "aware" ?


texts:
I have sentence

  They left the house without being seen by anybody

in this sentence why being seen is used can you tell me the grammar


texts:
I'd like to ask if "to put something down" in sense 1 is accepted as a phrasal verb. Because the preposition down does not add any special meaning, it only shows where the motion toward..

  1.[transitive] to put someone or something onto a surface, especially the floor

  Emma put her bag down and went upstairs.

http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/put-down_1

Another example could be:

  Stretch your arm straight up toward the ceiling.


texts: past perfect or past simple in this context

texts:
Is it good english

I thought you were going to take care of what I said?

Or shall I use past perfect

I thought you were going to take care of what I had said .

I think past perfect is not necessary here because it is obvious that what came first was the speech I made (but I am not sure)


texts: harder than "anyone" in his class or harder than "any other student" in his class?

texts:
A multiple choice question:

He works harder than ____  in his class.

Why would filling “anyone” there be wrong? And why would using "any other student" be right? I think it should be "any other students."


texts: what is the sentence in bold meaning in this paragraph?

texts:
So they set up, you know, a standard classic laboratory psychology paradigm, which does not necessarily translate to the real world. So let’s keep that in mind. And they set up two paradigms. One of them was a coin flip paradigm, and one of them was a die roll paradigm.
And basically, they said, you know, if you roll heads, you get money. If you roll tails, you get no money. Or if you flip heads, if you flip tails, and then on the die paradigm, they went into levels. So they said, you know, if you roll a one, you get $1, a two, you get $2, a three $3. But if you roll a six, that’s unlucky, so you get no dollars. So those are basically the two experiments that they ran.

summary : the speaker is explaining two paradigms of a psychological experiment

I can't figure out the meaning of the emboldened part....


texts:
Someone who lacks literacy is illiterate or barely literate; is there a similar noun or phrase to describe someone who can barely type?
"Barely able to type" doesn't roll off the tongue very well.


texts: "waterway ... flowed sombre" - Should Joseph Conrad have used an adverb, not an adjective?

texts:
SPOILER ALERT: This question asks about the last line of Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. If you are reading the novel, you may want to skip this question.

  The offing was barred by a black bank of clouds, and the tranquil waterway leading to the uttermost ends of the earth flowed sombre under an overcast sky – seemed to lead into the heart of an immense darkness.

Should an adverb (i.e. sombrely) have been used to describe 'flowed'?
Are there any formal terms describing this issue? I question my doubt given Conrad's renown.

Obiter dictum: I lighted upon this  while reading The Guardian's 'The 10 best… closing lines of books'.


texts: Independent clauses in conditional sentence

texts:
The decision to carry out a mission shall be disclosed after the decision has been taken, and the mission is complete.

In the above sentence, the two independent clauses after the word "after", sepearated by comma and the conjunction "and", are the two conditions for disclosure. I want to know whether the disclosure shall be made only once (ie., after both conditions are met) or twice (ie., after each condition is met).


texts: "We are giving away 5 pens each to 5 winners" - Each winner will receive how many pens?

texts:
English is not my native language. I saw a question on an English learning material and it is confusing to me.
It says

We are giving away 5 pens each to 5 winners.

In the above sentence, how many pens each winner will receive? 5 pens or 1 pen? Logically, I assume it means each winner will receive 1 pen and there are 5 winners?
Does adding the punctuation mark change the meaning of the sentence?

We are giving away 5 pens. Each to 5 winners.

Assume I want to give every winner one pen and there are 5 winners. I took a while to think of how to rewrite the sentence but I couldn't do any better.

We are giving away 1 pen each to 5 winners.

We are giving away 5 pens to 5 winners.

How should the sentence be structured grammatically correct?


texts: Is omitting articles in parentheses allowed?

texts:
My question concerns the omission of articles when a word/phrase is followed by additional facts in parentheses or brackets (the noun phrases in the brackets are related to the noun before the parentheses or the brackets). This is not about general article (a/an/the) usage rules.

Here is an example text (Firm-A is a stand-in for a real company's name):

  a) I am submitting this job prospecting letter in the hope of starting a career with Firm-A (London office, entry level IT specialist position).

  b) I am submitting this job prospecting letter in the hope of starting a career with Firm-A (a London office, an entry level IT specialist position).

  c) I am submitting this job prospecting letter in the hope of starting a career with Firm-A (the London office, the entry level IT specialist position).

Here is another example text:

  d) I am particularly attracted to working at Firm-A because of the firm’s <1st fact, 2nd fact, ...>, and solid prospects for extensive development (cooperation with Firm-B, alleged acquisition of Firm-B shares)

  e) I am particularly attracted to working at Firm-A because of the firm’s <1st fact, 2nd fact, ...>, and solid prospects for extensive development (a cooperation with Firm-B, an alleged acquisition of Firm-B shares).

  f) I am particularly attracted to working at Firm-A because of the firm’s <1st fact, 2nd fact, ...>, and solid prospects for extensive development (the cooperation with Firm-B, the alleged acquisition of Firm-B shares).

Or should the wordings in the parentheses be paraphrased? (for example, "by the means of a cooperation with", "due to (an/the) alleged acquisition")

Should articles be used or could they be omitted?

Thank you in advance.


texts: Using "in" vs "to" when related to movement

texts:
When do we use in instead of to ?

For example, a common error I see is:

  I am going in Miami

which is wrong and should be

  I am going to Miami

My understanding is "to" is used when referring to movement and "in" is used when emphasizing events that occurred in a place.

Another confusing example is:

  Go to (OR) in the sitting room.

Can you clarify which would be correct in this case?


texts:
His reputation largely rests on his role as a founder and guiding spirit of EPW, the series of essays and monographs launched in 1882  that took up the critique of the modern state.

What does "That" refer to? the antecedent 1882 or the series? please explain the structure of the sentence?


texts: Comma problem in a long sentence (not only ~ but also)

texts:
Thousands of visitors from around the world travel to Siena during the summer; not only to witness the exciting race but also to attend the after-parties were thrown by the locals.

A. NO CHANGE
B. summer. Not
C. summer not
D. summer, not

I picked C, because there was no comma before "but also" part. But the book chose D, saying that:

  The second half of the sentence is an incomplete idea and must be linked to the complete thought, eliminating choices (A), (B), and (C).

I don't think the explanation from the answer is right for this one. Why is the answer (D), instead of (C)?


texts: Is present continuous justified in this case

texts:
I was trying to buy something on  internet ,  I had to check out to finish .I tried to check out and it did not work. So I decided to email the seller and wrote:
"Once you have pressed the check out button , this is appearing " our site is not set up to accept internet payment;"

Is present continuous justified here  because  when the site is fixed we won't see this message.


texts:
And so, having put fear in the hearts of his Brighton Beach supplicants, Evsei Agron adopted the life of a Mafia don, holding court in local restaurants, making collection rounds in his chauffeured limousine, and pausing on street corners to dispense favors.

I don't understand the phrase "making collection rounds" in the sentence. What does it truly mean?


texts: Can I use 'whatever' in this sentence? Why is 'what' here?

texts:
The rising power of the consumer and their new-found ability to get what they want, whenever they want, from whomever they want.

1."to get what they want"
Can I use 'whatever' instead?
2.What' s the grammar functions of 'whenever' clause and 'whomever' clause here?


texts:
I just want say like following.

It will be the system. And anyone can make it work.

And I'd like to joint the two sentences.

It will be the system that anyone can make work.

As omitting it here, it sounds a bit odd to me to guess the abbreviation. Is it still good to say like that? Is it okay to put it in the second sentence?


texts: Is it correct to use the word "amputate" instead of "remove", in this sentence?

texts:
I have read some news that some patient who suffered from some kind of cancer have to undergo some surgery. Usually, the doctor would remove the infected organ from the patient's body.

Is it correct if I replaced the word in sentence 1, remove with amputate this way (sentence 2)?

The patient's infected organ was removed.
The patient's infected organ was amputated.


texts: Present Perfect Vs. Simple Past in my sentence

texts:
Which one should I use?

  I've read The Little Prince, Chapter XVIV. It has been pretty good - It has been about [...]

Or

  I've read the Little Prince, chapter XVIV. It was pretty good - It was about [...]

I know that we use Present perfect when the is not specific. But at least for me, it sounds strange saying "it has been" as opposed to "it was". Is it right?

For me, the past Simple sentence is "better" (even though it's not "grammatically" correct)


texts: Find the elements and how (they are / are they) constructed

texts:
to find the key elements of these algorithms and how are they constructed.
  to find the key elements of these algorithms and how they are constructed.

Which of the two sentence above is correct?


texts: How to record a emphasized sentence where pause after each word?

texts:
I saw the title of an article, which is “Stop. Using. Periods. Period.”
In literature, does the writer use period to record a emphasized sentence where pause after each word?
e.g. “You. Are. In. Big. Trouble,” she said.


texts: "Please return the equipment to its original place after being used."

texts:
Are the following sentences accurate?

  Please return the equipment to its original place after being used
  Please return the equipment to its original place after use
  Please return the equipment to its original place after using
  Please return the equipment to its original place after it has been used

I feel like "after being used" is ambiguous here. Which construction would be correct and preferable among these??


texts: What's "pressure strip" in this context?

texts:
"I'm not going to make a speech，" the Major said, sweeping them with the blank lenses that covered his eyes. "I give my congratulations to the winner among your number, and my acknowledgments of valor to the losers."
He turned to the back of the jeep. There was a living silence. Garraty breathed deep of the spring air. It would be warm. A good day to walk.
The Major turned back to them. He was holding a clipboard. "When I call your name, please step forward and take your number. Then go back to your place until it is time to begin. Do this smartly, please."
"You're in the army now," Olson whispered with a grin, but Garraty ignored it. You couldn't help admiring the Major. Garraty's father, before the Squads took him away, had been fond of calling the Major the rarest and most dangerous monster any nation can produce, a society-supported sociopath. But he had never seen the Major in person.
"Aaronson."
A short, chunky farmboy with a sunburned neck gangled forward, obviously awed by  the Major's presence, and took his large plastic 1. He fixed it to his shirt by the pressure strip and the Major clapped him on the back.
The Long Walk

I googled pressure strip. It doesn't look like something that is used to fix a badge or alike to one's shirt. So I'm rather confused. What's the pressure strip referring to in this context?


texts:
Can "sick of" mean ambiguous in this following example without further context?

  My mom has been sick of lung cancer for three years.

I think this sentence can mean either

My mom has been mentally ill because of lung cancer for three years = My mom has been
frustrated with/angered by/annoyed by lung cancer for three years.

or

My mom has been physically ill because of lung cancer for three years.

In modern English, "sick of" seems to be mainly more used to mean "mentally ill" than "phsically ill" like in this example,

  I'm so sick of my life.

So, if we really want to make the sentence mean 2, it seems to be much better to change "of" to "with" as in

  My mom has been sick with lung cancer for three years.

I want to know whether my thinking is correct.


texts: How does one find the subject in a sentence with more than one verb?

texts: For example, in the sentence “Let me help you” there are two verbs, let and help. Me is an objective pronoun, so that would sound as though it can’t be the subject. But you doesn’t seem to be the subject either because it’s receiving the help. Typically, one finds the subject by asking “Who’s doing the verb (action).” But when you have two verbs, how do you find the subject?


texts:
This is what is different  between A and B
This is the difference between A and B

Two sentences above are all correct and have same meaning?


texts:
I found a following sentence in my TOEIC training book.

  For most of our investing clients, stable stocks from renowned companies are usually ideal.

My question is, Can I use "of" in this case?
I mean, can "of" replace "from"?


texts: Preposition at: This invoice was issued at March 21, 2018

texts:
This invoice was issued at March 21, 2018

Does the previous sentence make any sense?

I am trying to differentiated three information about invoices:

issued at: When the invoice was issued (The legal date that must be
provided in a printed invoice).
registered at: When the invoice was
registered in a given software.
updated at: When the invoice was
updated in a given software.


texts:
Let's say John is in the jungle at night without a clock. He stops to think of all the things he did since he last knew the time and comes to the conclusion that it's approximately 3:00 o' clock a.m.

Are the following phrases correct? (I could find almost no hits on google)

  He estimated the time to be 3:00.

  He reckoned the time at 3:00.

  He guessed the time was 3:00.

If not, how would you write it correctly?


texts:
I was recently talking with someone on internet. I wrote to him:

　 1. I myself am searching for this.
　 2. "I" in English when used to express myself is capitalized always".

I think my statement would appear weird to native English speakers. The correct sense seem to be:

　 3. I am searching for this myself.
　 4. "I" in English is always capitalized when used to express myself.

Please do not explain very technically. I want to know how native English speaker would understand my sentences. How the sentence should be written so that it become fine.


texts:
What does "tab him" mean in the animated TV series Dastardly and Muttley?

Mutley, you snickering, floppy eared hound.
When courage is needed, you're never around.
Those medals you wear on your moth-eaten chest
Should be there for bungling at which you are best.

So, stop that pigeon
Stop that pigeon
Stop that pigeon
Stop that pigeon
Stop that pigeon
Stop that pigeon
Stop that pigeon
Howwww!

Nab him
Jab him
Tab him
Grab him
Stop that pigeon now.

Source: Soundtrack Artists - Dastardly & Mutley In Their Flying Machine Lyrics | MetroLyrics

-- My answer that I have deleted --

I think I knew the answer!
Even though I am not given to posting answers, I am forced to post one after taking sometime to prepare the question.

It sounds as if Dastardly doesn't mind that pigeon gets hit and stuck to a wall for example.

From Oxford Dictionaries Site

verb (tabs, tabbing, tabbed) [with object]

Mark or identify with a projecting piece of material:

  he opened the book at a page tabbed by a cloth bookmark

  His copy of The Diviners was meticulously tabbed and flagged and he
  had a thick file of all of the emails that the two men had exchanged
  with each other before this evening.


texts: 'If my beads are parted, come right in.'

texts:
What does "If my beads are parted, come right in." mean? This sentence is said by a professor to Marge.

Prof.  : Marge, I hope I'll be seeing you tomorrow during office hours.
Marge  : Uh, 3:00 to 5:00, right ?
Prof. : If my beads are parted, come right in.
Marge : I will !

The Simpsons Episode 11,season 19


texts: What does this phrase mean? "Good at the moment, bad in the long run"?

texts:
What does the following mean and how could it be used?

  Good at the moment, bad in the long run?


texts: need help for paraphrasing "It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so"

texts:
It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.

I have been having a problem in interpreting "it... that...". the first sentence is relatively easier to understand but the second one comes hard to me. does it mean:

It's that you undoubtedly believe or think something is so, although that is not true
?


texts:
... On the way, Harry filled Ron in on everything Sirius had told him about Karkaroff. Though shocked at first to hear that Karkaroff had been a Death Eater, by the time they entered the Owlery Ron was saying that they ought to have suspected it all along.

  “Fits, doesn't it?” he said. “Remember what Malfoy said on the train,
  about his dad being friends with Karkaroff? Now we know where they
  knew each other. They were probably running around in masks together
  at the World Cup.…

I figure "fits" here means something like: "it fits for the situation" or "that makes sense". But I don't know if my understanding is correct? Is it short for something?


texts: What should I address while there are two women teachers?

texts: I have to write a note to my course teachers and both of them are women. So, how should I address them? Dear Ma'ams or Dear Madames or anything else?


texts: Would be vs would have been in an ACT question

texts:
A recent ACT test has the following passage:

  In December 2009, the
  research arm of the U.S. Department of Defense, known as DARPA,
  sponsored a high-tech scavenger hunt.  For this challenge, ten
  eight-foot-wide red weather balloons were delivered to nine states
  across the country, tethered to the ground in a public place, and sent
  one hundred feet into the air.  The winner would be the team to
  identify the latitude and longitude of all ten balloons first.

Possible answers for the bold words:

  F. No Change
  G. would have been
  H. has been
  J. will be

Since the passage refers to 2009, I answered "would have been"; however, the answer booklet received after the test indicates the correct answer is "No change".  I am struggling to see why this is so.

Thank you


texts:
I am preapring for an exam and having tests. One of the questions in one of the tests was like that:

  The air hostess ... the passengers to fasten their seat belts until after the plane ... off.

The right answer is "asked" - "had taken" but I am not sure why. It seems like when the hostess asks plane did not take off yet and she wants the passengers to be fastened even after the plane take off. Why it is not "is asking" and "will take off"? I might be in the same plane and telling to my grandparent who hardly hears.


texts: "Will you close the door" vs "Could you close the door"

texts:
I enter in a small bookstore, the owner tells me:

  "Will you close the door please?!"

I enter in a small bookstore, I ask the owner:

  "Shall I close the door?"

The two phrases above in brackets should be correct.

Is it still correct/common in English to say:

  "Could you close the door, please?!"

  "Should I close the door?"

If yes, what's the difference between the two? (If there is any difference).


texts:
I have a question about the term taught modules.What does it mean?I have found it in an academic site of university and especially school of physics and astronomy.

Can we say module tutor assistant professor Earl smith or it is more common module tutor Earl Smith assistant professor?


texts: "Lifted her under her arms" or "lifted her from under her arms"?

texts:
Which is the correct version and why? Example sentence:

  I immediately lifted her (from) under her arms and pillowed her head on my lap

Note: I found both versions on Google.


texts: "What if I come back" vs "what if I came back"

texts:
What is more grammatically correct? and what are their differences?

  What if I come back for you?

  Or

  What if I came back for you?

Same goes here:

  What if I told you...?

  Or

  What if I tell you...?


texts: Can infinitive marker, to, be categorized into two meanings?

texts:
I get the strong feeling that infinitive marker ‘to’ has two ways of meaning in dictionaries, though it has variety of meaning on them. One is ‘toward something’, the other ‘(just) have passed something.’

For OALD’s cases, #2,3,6 show having changed from a scene to other one. #1,4,5,7 show facing, heading some targets.

Is it too simplified?


texts:
If we talk about some actions which were happening in the past and don't happen anymore, we can use "used to":

I used to smoke

We can say the same without "used to" but with "before":

I smoked before

But can we use "earlier" instead of "before" here?

I smoked earlier

Or it will mean something different, for example, that "smoking" was earlier than "eating", "sleeping" etc. not like some action which doesn't exist anymore?


texts:
I saw the following example sentence in a dictionary, and am wondering whether "work out" means "find the answers to" or "prepare." And if it does not mean "find the answers to" here, could it have that meaning in some other context?

  I work out my questions in advance, just in case I get brain fade.


texts: Shouldn't there be "us" instead of "our" in this sentence?

texts:
I read a sentence in Word by Word by Kory Stamper which was:

  And of course we understand that "irregardless" is generally thought to be incorrect; that's why the lengthy usage paragraph suggests -- in spite of our being liberal commie descriptivists -- that people use "regardless" instead of "irregardless".

I think there should be "us" instead of "our" in the sentence. Shouldn't it be so?


texts: Should I use plates or plate when I say "both plate and bowl are dishes"?

texts:
This post gives a excellent explanation about the difference between dish and plate

  A plate is a specific type of dish... The other common type of dish is a bowl.

to make a conclusion, should I use plates or plate when I say "both plate and bowl are dishes"?


texts:
I think it is representing instead of represents.

Can Anyone explain to me?

  You can see sample-project represents whichever name you want to give to it. In the book, and I don’t mean
  to be funny, we are going call it sample-project. However, it would be wise if you pick your own name. You
  will need a unique name later in the book when we create our Facebook login via Socialite.


texts:
I'm in the process of book-writing (mainly for fun; I don't think it's one I will ever publish, but who knows), and a good friend of mine is proof-reading it for me. It's more like me making her do it because I feel like I need the feedback, both about the story and the sentence structure (grammar and punctuation are taken care of by Grammarly and Word).

Long story short, she had pointed out something she thinks is a mistake, but when we got chatting about it both her and I have become confused. We simply couldn't make out whether it was correct or not, or whether there is even a mistake.

The question:

A child is getting ready to go out and his mother asks him to put on nice trousers for the event, and she says, "Put on a normal shirt. And a pair of decent trousers while you are at it, will you?"

My friend said that in her opinion it should be "would you?", but I just feel like there is no difference between the two. It's the way people talk; some people say the first, and some say the second. But here is my question to you fellow ELLs. Is there a difference, really? Is the first more demanding and the second more polite, or the other way around? Is one of these correct and the other incorrect? I'm really looking forward to receiving an answer, we both have been befuddled since the conversation regarding that phrase.

Thanks a bunch!


texts: Is this your friend? Isn't it or Isn't he?

texts:
I look at a picture of my friend and seeing another guy next to him. Then should I ask :

Is this your friend? isn't it.

or

Is this your friend? isn't he.

Please help me to correct it.


texts: In Letter 102, what does Tolkien mean by 'Babel-builders' ?

texts:
Source: p 133 of 493, Letter to Christopher Tolkien 9 August 1945, #102, The Letters of JRR Tolkien

  The news today about 'Atomic bombs' is so horrifying one is stunned. The utter folly of these
  lunatic physicists to consent to do such work for war-purposes: calmly plotting the destruction of
  the world! Such explosives in men's hands, while their moral and intellectual
  status is declining, is
  about as useful as giving out firearms to all inmates of a gaol
  and then saying that you hope 'this
  will ensure peace'. But one good thing may arise
  out of it, I suppose, if the write-ups are not
  overheated: Japan ought to cave in. Well we're
  in God's hands. But He does not look kindly on
  Babel-builders.

I leafed through the Tower of Babel, and Genesis 11:4.6 says:

  6 And the Lord said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them.

So I'm guessing that Tolkien opines the main goal of these Manhattan Project scientists as building as deadly a weapon as possible, to prove their superiority as the best physicists worldwide? Then accordant with Genesis 11:4.6, these scientists would hold too much power which God prevented?

I seem to be inferring that Tolkien deems this the true motive, dominating the humanitarian one of just building something to deter Japan?

Obiter dictum: I was reading JRR Tolkien's Wikipedia entry when I lighted upon this opinion of his.


texts: "Who am glad? " or "Who is glad? " question select?

texts:
I am glad.

What question of mentioned above to this sentence is correct? I want to ask about subject.


texts:
My friend had written:

  Send me whichever observations you have.

Shouldn't it have been:

  Send me whatever observation you have.

P.S. Observations: Readings for different experiments.

Thank you:)


texts:
can you please help if I need +"ing" after "opt to"
My sentence is as below:

  User can also opt to not providing shear reinforcement

was that correct? or the below is correct

  User can also opt to not provide shear reinforcement

Thank you.


texts: About the usage of "about the same" in this context

texts:
Jim, Jack, Raul, Kim, Beti are the members of this group. Jim spent
  100 euros, but Jack spent 10 euros. About the same difference is
  between Jim and each of the other members.

The last sentence is meant to say that Raul and Kim and Beti each spent around 10 euros. So, is "about the same difference" used correctly in that sentence? Or I should say some other way?


texts: What does Ann Margret say, "Oh, dream maker" or "Old dream maker" in the song "Moon River"?

texts:
The song "Moon River" has been sung by many singers.

I particularly like Ann Margret's version.
There are several videos on YouTube with this version; one of them is at this link.
You can easily find other videos of it by searching with the key words "Ann Margret" and "Moon River".

The question is: which does she sing in the song: "Oh, dream maker" or "Old dream maker"?

Please note that I am not asking about other singers' versions, but about hers.
There are some lyrics of this song on the internet.
Some says "Oh, dream maker" and some say "Old dream maker".
So they don't help.

Best regards,


texts: How can I give two reasons in two sentences?

texts:
I would like to give reasons for a choice I made in two sentences. I want to have two sentences, because in my case the reasons are quite complicated to explain and it does not make sense to explain them in one sentence. Is "One the one hand ... . On the other hand ... ." a proper way to do this? Are there alternatives?

I think "One the one hand ... . On the other hand ... ." sounds as if those two would give something that contradicts.

Example

I went to the party for two reasons. On the one hand, I wanted to find new friends. On the other hand I did not want to stay at home.


texts: That sky going to hold? Could you explain this sentence for me?

texts:
I was watching the movie called ‘Flight.’
In the movie scene, the fight attendant said to a pilot as soon as the pilot land on the plain, and said like ‘that sky gonna hold?’
I had searched on google and I don’t know the meaning.
Could you explain for me this sentence?


texts: What is the difference between the two sentences including the work, revenge?

texts:
He took revenge on the trouble she made.
He revenged the trouble she made.

What is the difference between two sentences in meaning?
And why do I have to use verb phrase like 'take revenge on' instead of the word, 'revenge' though the two (take revenge on and revenge) has the same meaning?


texts: using possessive apostrophe with country names

texts:
Why is it so that it is more correct to say

  In India, Independence Day is not on August 14th.

instead of

  India's Independence Day is not on August 14th.

?

Is it because the usage of possessive apostrophe with country names is more suitable for some physical objects (India's capital, India's forests, India's population, etc.) rather than some concepts (customs, events, time periods, etc.) ?


texts: Five ways to say a sentence for giving emphasize

texts:
I walk five miles to bloody school every day.
I walk five miles to damn school every day.
I go on Shank's pony five miles to school every day.
I trudge five miles to school every day.
I slog five miles to school every day.

Do the sentences stated above make any sense? Do you think that the sentences stated above are right? Please tell the differences in meaning of them.


texts: How would you translate the "ehhhhhh" interjection from Spanish to English?

texts: For some reason, spanish speaking people (or at least argentines) when we hesitate before speaking we say "ehhhhh" (you can hear an example of the use here: ehhh) which is something that might be said involuntarily . How would you translate this interjection to English? (I'm not even sure if it qualifies as an interjection or it's another kind of word).


texts:
If I want to admit I have lied, I can say "I have lied". But can I also say "I have stolen" or "I have smoked" by itself or do I need to add what I have stolen or smoked?
I have also found that it is possible to ask "Have you ever smoked?" but not "Have you ever stolen?". Why is that?


texts: The pronunciation of /t/ in British and American English

texts:
I am a non-native learner of English. This is the "yod-dropping" issue, when it comes to pronouncing words with letter ''T'', is it ok to pronounce some words British style and others American? Like:

  I wanted(''wah-ned'', American) a better(''be-tza'', British) solution.

It is a little bit mixed up now because some videos I watch are made by Americans, whereas others are by Britons. As a learner, its confusing.


texts: what does “to correct for the fact that” mean? Is the verb “correct” intransitive in here and does it mean “to be aware of?

texts:
For instance in this context:

  Third, one needs to correct for the fact that vehicles use different types of fuels


texts:
Then a great deal of time passed as I stood in front of a pipe shop and looked, and the whole world faded except that window and I stood and smoked them all, and saw myself a great author with that natty Italian briar, and a cane, stepping out of a big black car, and she was there too, proud as hell of me, the lady in the silver fox fur.

Source: John Fante: Ask the dust.

Could you tell me please to which noun the pronoun "them" is related in the clause above. There is no plural noun preceding "them".


texts: Is there an insinuation after 'had better'?

texts:
You’d better bloody well tell them you’ll need to discuss it with me first.
  (The Casual Vacancy, by J. K. Rowling)

Whenever I saw a bare-infinitive follow close behind ‘had better,’ I thought ‘had better’-plus-verb is a loaf of meaning bread. But as you see, there’s a ‘bloody well’ intervention. This gives me this impression that the construction might be a combination of a matrix and a conditional clause - I mean two meaning-sub-breads. That is, ‘You had (in here, there might be an insinuation of ‘a treat, a situation, etc.’) better bloody well, (if you would) tell them you’ll need to discuss it with me first. As a to-infinitve can deliver a conditional meaning as in: People might take you for a girl, to hear you sing.
It’s hard to believe there could be any account for this in any grammar books. But do you perchance read the way I said?


texts:
Which one is correct:

Would you mind let me finish, please?

Would you mind letting me finish, please?

In this short video below, a native speaker says "Would you mind let me finish, please?" I'm just wondering about whether or not "Would you mind let" can be used in Common core English, while "Would you mind letting" is formal?
http://www.tubechop.com/watch/1294497


texts:
How to say "To do someone's work"?

For example, if I'm doing my sister's homework, because she's not feeling well. How do I say it?