texts:
In English, do we say to do or to conduct the digital marketing?

The original text is as follows:

  With the popularity of digital life, at this time, not only big advertisers but also millions of small and medium enterprises in China cannot ignore the importance of digital marketing; however, they are facing a shortage of talents, who can help enterprises to do the digital marketing. David, one of the leading sales marketing dealers in China, said, “ The talents we need the most at this moment are digital marketing consolers who have practical experience and are able to communicate with the enterprises.”


texts:
He happened to glance over the passage before class, the only portion of last night’s assigned reading that he’d actually looked at.

Should this sentence be "He had happened to glance over" or "He happened to have glanced over"? Are both of those correct? Does it even need to be changed at all?


texts: Both men turned round as they heard the screen door crashing behind them. A duffel-coated figure, cursing fluently, fought to shut the heavy door against the pitching of the Ulysses, finally succeeded in heaving the clips home.


texts:
Which one is correct?

"It is 50 square meters" or "It is 50 meters square"?

Google "50 square meters"-->600k

Google "50 meters square" --> 6k


texts: "I can see this being useful." Why not “be”?

texts: I assume this is a correct sentence. I don't think "*I can see this be useful" works, though. Why is that? I thought verbs of perception worked with both the infinitive and the continuous (-ing form): “I see him play” / “I see him playing”.


texts: Can a preposition be put before a noun phrase that expresses a period of time?

texts:
He's worked hard all year.

When I speak the sentence in Korean, ‘all year’ can select a postposition or be used alone. For English, is this sentence, ‘He’s worked hard for[during] all year,’ proper?


texts: Expression- hope you'll recover from financial problem

texts:
I would like to express sorry for the financial problem a company is facing and wish and hope for success.

Basically, the former company where I used to work has sent me a letter stating that "since the company is going through financial problems they are unable to release my salary for the last month of my with with them. So I would like to ask for my salary and at the end of letter would like to say that I am sorry for the financial problems they are facing.

How do I do that? What is a good way to say it?


texts: What are these lines depicting movement in a cartoon called?

texts: Is there a name for these curved lines that represent head motion?


texts: Went really far, went to/through to the final

texts:
If a person makes it through to the finals,  is it okay to say:

  She went to the finals.

Or

  She went through to the finals.

And what about:

  She went really far.  (in the competition)

The last sentence isn't really about finals but about the overall journey (most probably used when the person lost..)


texts:
Could I ask you about 'Passive voice of perception verb'?

There is a sentence, here.

  "'I saw him cross the street.".

This sentence is elliptical "to-infinitive".
Which passive construction  would be correct in this sentence?

  "He was seen cross the street"

or

  "He was seen to cross the street" ?

As the grammar book says, "He was seen to cross the street" is correct.

But Americans  say that "He was seen crossing the street" is commonly used.

Could anyone explain me, do "He was seen to cross the street" and "He was seen crossing the street." mean the same?

There is a link of the forum. Could you watch this one?

http://forum.wordreference.com/threads/he-was-seen-to-cross-crossing-the-street.475171

I 'm confusing, now. Please give me a correct answer.


texts:
I was reading an article and it said:

  The village will pursue the provision of community facilities to enhance the social fabric of the community.

What does social fabric in the sentence mean?


texts: Is it 'by' or some other preposition in- 'The internet is also a platform by which online tutoring is made possible'

texts:
Is it 'by' or 'for' or 'through' or 'on' the preposition in the following-

  'The internet is also a platform by which online tutoring is made possible'


texts: Use of comma before coordinating conjunction that starts a dependent clause

texts:
I have two suits, but I like neither.

  They were busy, but we weren't.

  One of his sons is married, and the other isn't.

I was taught that a comma only precedes a coordinating conjunction if an independent clause follows. I can't tell if these are independent clauses. I feel like an additional word is required.


texts: Is the most primary relationship between an employee and its employer understood as the most basic one, referring to a new work relationship? I do not want it to be understood as the most important or relevant one, just the most basic one.


texts: Is it grammatical to say "What would that be"?

texts:
I understand the basic rules to convert a statement to a question, for instance,

  That is a cat.

  What is that?

the grammar pattern is what + be + pronoun.

In one of my posts (Is "the first time" a type of signposting language or something like that?) I said

  "distinct episodes (times)" from what? some other kind of episodes (times)? What would that be?

A complete form of that would be

  What kind of episodes would that be?

I see lots of people use this kind of expression. Is it grammatical? If yes what is the grammar pattern?

Could someone please give a hint? Thanks in advance.


texts: "I play tennis everyday" or "I play tennis every day"?

texts:
It seems that "everyday" is adjective.

But I saw a lot of people wrote "I play tennis everyday".

Is "I play tennis every day" the right way?


texts:
Why do you need the word "to" after the verb "subscribe"? I'm trying to understand why you need "subscribe to [object]", whereas if the verb was "follow", you would only need "follow [object]" — without the "to".

Follow and subscribe are both verbs, but in what way are they different? Obviously, "subscribe" would not sound right without the "to" afterwards, but I'm trying to understand why.


texts: should we use "that" or any other conjunction after "if"?

texts:
Nick is happy to be home. But I don't know if he's happy I'm with him.

I feel narrator should have used "that" or "because" after happy in above sentence. Am I correct?


texts:
The road was heavy with mud. It was labour to move along it. The old, wide way, forsaken and grown over with grass, used not to be so bad.

I am not sure how to understand the passage in bold. I think that it is connected to the noun "way". Does "used not to be" mean that the road was in the past quite good (the phrase used + to "verb")?


texts:
Riley Andersen in Inside Out Animation play hockey and say :

  Andersen makes her move. She's closing in!

1)What does it mean " makes her move"???

2) What does it mean "closing in" , can we change it with "She's getting closer" ???


texts: If I learn British English, should I stop talking with Americans?

texts:
I had the opportunity to speak with several native speakers, It's fun, and they learn my native language, the problem is that several of my language partners speak with an American accent and the others in a British accent.
It gets complicated for me; I mix spellings and pronunciation. I do not like this, I read in a site that I must choose an accent. So, if I choose a British accent, do I have to stop talking to all the Americans I've met?


texts: `at`, `in`, or `on`, which one paired "the top right hand corner" is more appropriate?

texts:
I asked a question just now.

  Right clicking the 3 vertical dots (Kebab) button at the top right hand corner, would launch this menu ...

I am not quite sure if it is appropriate I used at here.

before I post the question, I've googled. and I got this

I also searched on dictionary.cambridge and find nothing.

at, in, or on, which one paired "the top right hand corner" is more appropriate?


texts: "when he is not playing/ when he doesn't play"

texts:
He will probably win (once or twice more/again) the fans favourite when he is not playing/ when he doesn't play.

Is it possible to use both "when he is not playing"/"when he doesn't play"? Most importantly could you tell me the difference between these two sentences?


texts: I’m Mad As Hell Speech From Network (1976)

texts:
In the movie Network (1976) the infamous speech contains the words

  I'm as mad as hell...

Shouldn't it be

  I'm mad as hell...

I don't know why, but it really bothers me hearing an extra 'as'.
Which from is grammatically correct?


texts: Is the part in the bracket ( a or b ) OR (a, or b, c, d, and e)?

texts:
"Such uses express (physical superiority, or superiority of position, skill, technical ability, and command of tools,) mechanical or fiscal." (Source: Democracy and Education by John Dewey)
Is the part in the parenthesis (A or B)   OR
(A or B, C, D and E) structure?  Which one is correct, the former or the latter?   Could you help me clarify it?  Thank you.


texts:
I have looked up in the dictionary :

upregulated (medical:the process of increasing the response to a stimulus)
by way of (You use by way of when you are explaining the purpose of something that you have said or are about to say. For example, if you say something by way of an introduction, you say it as an introduction.).

But I can't combine those meaning in to this sentence to understand what the speaker want to talk about.

  Now those genes that were switched off by a lack of sleep were genes
  associated with your immune system, so once again, you can see that
  immune deficiency. In contrast, those genes that were actually
  upregulated or increased by way of a lack of sleep, were genes
  associated with the promotion of tumors, genes associated with
  long-term chronic inflammation within the body, and genes associated
  with stress, and, as a consequence, cardiovascular disease.

Source : https://www.ted.com/talks/matt_walker_sleep_is_your_superpower/transcript#t-44349 (13:08)


texts: Word order with hear obj participle in passive voice

texts:
I could hear the men at the campfire singing.

If I change this sentence into passive ,

The men at the campfire could be heard singing.
The men could be heard singing at the campfire.
The men could be heard at the campfire singing.

Which is more natural ?


texts: why is an ing-verb used in the sentences below?

texts:
why is ing-verb used in the sentences below?

1- President x said on Tuesday that there is an abundant opportunity for investment in the energy sector, noting we can fulfill a part of Europe’s energy needs.

2- He announced his decision on Saturday in a letter to senior members of his Cambodia National Rescue Party that was published on social media, saying he was standing aside "for the sake of the party".

Can we write says and notes instead of saying and noting? Or can we write "by noting and by saying ?


texts: "I will know more after I study than I know now ?" Is it ok to use "more after I study than" in the sentences?

texts: I know adj can come between more and than but I don’t know why the clause can replace in adj position.


texts:
The police are camping (up) on the parking lot outside the mall where the hostage situation is taking place.
Can I use "camping up" here to mean that they are setting up their trailers and more? Or what else could I write?


texts:
okay I give up, original sentence was this from my writing:
"Now that you have read the insights, in order to move on to the future, you would be better off if you now leave them behind. There will be most probably times you will automatically retrieve whatever you acquired from past knowledge to put into practice and make your own meaningful versions of it tailored to your unique experiences. Then you will have to repeat and again leave these behind to keep on living wherever you paused at, each time much lighter and more free and welcome to the ever growing life."

I felt that, repeat without a following "it" or "all this" does not sound fully right to me somehow. also these in "again leave these behind" might not refer to insights anymore because inbetween there is another sentence that might have cut the connection to such reference.

what do you think?

thank you


texts:
How do you pronounce the plural of 'f" (f's)?

Is it /efs/ or /evz/?

Are there any fixed rules?


texts: The difference between "having seen"," having to see", and "having seeing", in the sentences down below?

texts:
The difference between "having seen"," having to see", and "having seeing", in the sentences down below ?

Following is an excerpt from ' A Study in Scarlet'.

1- "from a drop of water,"said the writer,"a logician could infer the possibility of an Atlantic or a Niagara without having seen  or heard of one or the other .

2- "from a drop of water,"said the writer,"a logician could infer the possibility of an Atlantic or a Niagara without having to see or having to hear of one or the other .

3- "from a drop of water,"said the writer,"a logician could infer the possibility of an Atlantic or a Niagara without having seeing  or hearing  of one or the other.

Could you also,please explain-with examples-why the rest are incorrect.


texts:
I was very impressed when my teacher told me what "beautiful" word pronounced like beauRiful and not beauTiful.

I looking on the internet and everyone pronounced like beauTiful.

Where I can actually listen to the pronunciation of that word?


texts:
I asked a professor if I can collect data by method X and he replied : "I am sorry - we do not render such judgments in advance".
What does that mean?


texts:
"Why were you so mean to him?"
What is the meaning of this sentence & How to improve my English to understand these kind of sentences?


texts:
Can someone please explain to me the role and function of the word do in this sentence?

  But advertisements do not only give information, they also try to influence our emotions.


texts: "Negotiate with someone for something" or "negotiate with someone to get something"?

texts:
Could you tell me which of the following sentences sounds the most natural?

  We will negotiate with the company as hard as we can to get a better deal.

  We will negotiate with the company as hard as we can for a better deal.

If both sentences sound off, then what would a native English speaker say to communicate the idea


texts:
Can anybody explain what "consensus call" means in this sentence for me -
To be sure, a recession is not the consensus call on Wall Street, with projections in recent days showing increased optimism?
Thanks a lot.


texts: When you want to encourage a specific quality of someone

texts:
Imagine you want to encourage someone because of their "seriousness" in performing their actions and because of their persistence. What comes to my mind is just a direct translation from my language:

We would say:

  Your seriousness is admirable.

Does it make any sense to you? If not how a native speaker would convey the same thing?


texts: Is there a word or phrase that means something along the line of "guaranteed to be reliable"?

texts:
The product is guaranteed to be reliable by 10 years of use by the
  military.

I can't think of a word or phrase we can use and that means something along the line of "guaranteed to be reliable". Even in the example above, the phrase makes little grammatical sense, because of the "by", but I swear there's a word or phrase you can use to fill in the blank.

  The product is ____ by 10 years of use by the
  military.


texts: Which one is correct: Make/Write sentences on/of your own

texts:
Which of the following sentence is correct?

Make sentences on your own.
Make sentences of your own.
Write sentences on your own.
Write sentences of your own.

Thank you.


texts:
Harding was unable to _____the results of the survey; although entirely unexpected, the figures were obtained by a market research firm with an impeccable reputation.

It is from the SAT exam. When I first read it I thought that unexpected refers to the research firm with an impeccable reputation: it was unexpected that the firm would turn out to have impeccable reputation.

But the book says that unexpected refers to the figures, the figures were unexpected.

Am I a tad right?


texts: Is it okay to start a letter with "Dear " followed by "Hi, "?

texts:
I'd like to know whether it is okay to start a letter like this:

  Dear Bob,

  Hi, Bob...

I've been doing this but not sure it is totally acceptable. Isn't "Hi, Bob" somewhat redundant as there is already "Dear Bob"? Sure, there are many ways to start a letter but what I'd like to know is if it is appropriate.


texts:
Similar to regularizing, I want to use irregularizing however some dictionaries have no such word. Is that a correct suggestion?

Example:

  We have found that regularizing the patterns in 'A' is possible by minimizing 'B' while minimizing 'C' can irregularize the patterns in 'A'.


texts: However constitutionally powerful the French president (is),

texts:
I have a question about grammar in this Economist article:

  In the coming days, Mr Macron will begin to take in the full measure of what he has achieved, but also of the burden of the task ahead. He will appoint a provisional government but then needs to secure, or stitch together, a governing majority in parliament after two-round elections in June. However constitutionally powerful the French president, he cannot enact reforms without the political backing of parliament.

How does the last sentence differ from the following version:

  ...However constitutionally powerful the French president is, he cannot enact reforms without the political backing of parliament.

, with "is" inserted after "the French president"?

The example in the Economist article inspired a similar question about the difference between the following pair of sentences:

  1a: Whatever the problem, getting into a fist fight is not the solution.
  1b: Whatever the problem is, getting into a fist fight is not the solution.

Is that "is" required?


texts: What is the active voice of this sentence?

texts:
Context:
"If I got locked away"
And we lost it all today.

What is the active voice of "If I got locked away"?


texts:
"Do you know of any English coaching centers nearby?"
Is that sentence correct?

I added "any" unintentionally while I was talking, and I wonder if that is grammatically right.

"Do you know any English coaching centers near by?" is perhaps the right one. Isn't it?


texts: You do not use 'for' with past simple? Really?

texts:
This book (made by a Korean) says you have to use 'since' or 'for' with present perfect, so you can't use 'for' with past simple. Seriously?  ಠ‸ಠ (I'm confused)

  He [worked / has worked] at the same company for 10 years.

The answer is 'has worked' and that means he worked 10 years ago and he is working now.

In this sentence, is the past simple [worked] wrong grammatically?

How about this situation:

He worked at the same company but does not work now. In this case, is

  He worked at the same company for 10 years

still wrong?
If so, how can I say that?


texts: Is there a subjunctive tense in English?

texts:
The following sentence come from The American Journal of the Medical Sciences by J.B. Lippincott:

  Unless there be some lesion of the stomach, there is no blood, either
  microscopic or occult.

Is "there be" commonly used in English. It sounds like the subjunctive present tense, but I thought that there were no subjunctive tense in the English language? Am I wrong?


texts: Plurality of verb depending on plurality of list elements

texts:
This question is also open on EL&U:
“There Is”/“There are” depends on plurality of the first list element or not?

Considering the amount of controversy it aroused, I believe it's past "Learners'" level.

An edit was suggested to my sentence.

  There was were an orange, some grapes, two apples and a small pile of cherries on the plate.

In my native language plurality of the verb always follows plurality of the first element on the list. There were an orange,... sounds awkward to me, no matter what follows up. My simple solution was reordering:

  There were some grapes, an orange, two apples and a small pile of cherries on the plate.

But that's not the first time I faced this situation and I'd like to know what the rules of grammar say about that — was my editor overzealous or am I trying to copy rules of my language that don't apply in English?


texts: How to properly use 'would like to' in a sentence

texts:
How to properly say this sentence?

  Open the terminal to the folder you would like to use.

Should I say you would like to use? or you want to use?

I learned in one of the comments of this question that "would like" is use to make the sentence sound more politely. But in my case the sentence that I made doesn't need to be sound politely. But "would like" to use sounds fine to me than "want to"


texts: What sort of relative clauses can follow "who knows" (as a rhetorical question) when it's not used as a separate sentence?

texts:
I think I've seen someone used "who knows" not in a separate sentence. Let me first explain what I'm not looking for:

  Someday our little Donald might become our president. Who knows?

This is a typical example I find in those "English for learners" websites.  Here "who knows" is used in a separate sentence. But I wonder if there are ways to use it in a part of a single sentence, such as "Who knows somebody does something."  And if that is allowed, what sort of relative clauses can follow "who knows"?

If such usages are common, it would be great if you could point me to a few examples online.  I've found this but not many others:

  It's never an easy decision: Should I interview someone who wants to talk in public, but who knows that a word out of line could mean arrest and imprisonment?

Incidentally, does the BBC writer imply a word can likely to lead to arrest and imprisonment here?


texts: Switching the gerunds place changes the meaning?

texts:
I'm always place Gerunds after the things what I want to imply. But, when I occasionally look back at my sentence, it seems odd to me; I can't explain the difference in meaning. My question is: must a Gerund be placed before or after?

  There must be something going wrong.
   There must be something wrong going

How does each usage change the meaning?


texts:
I know there is this idiomatic phrase "at a loss for words", but how do you use is for something other than "words"?

  "I was at a loss for what to do."

or

  "I was at a loss of what to do."

I'm not sure if even either one is correct, though. Can you use "at a loss..." for something other than words?

Also, what is the difference between the sentences below?

  "I'm lost at what to do."

and

  "I'm lost on what to do."


texts:
I know that "at first sight" is a set-phrase. But I wonder whether "at first sight" can be interchangeable with "at the first sight" in some contexts?

1) They fled at the first sight of the mobs.
2) They fled at first sight of the mobs.

If "at first sight" is not virtually "at the first sight" then how would you rephrase it?


texts:
I heard someone say I'm at a very good doctor. at doctor's office.
I think they mean the doctor is very well-known and good at thier job.
I want to know if the expression 'be at a good doctor' is commonly used because when I looked it up, I didn't see any result.
Thank you in advance!


texts:
I use this application with / by the name of X, but my real name is something else.

Which is more appropriate?

Thank you.


texts: The use of the Future Perfect Continuous Passive in 'The apples will have been being eaten by him'

texts:
The apples will have been being eaten by him.

This sentence above was offered in my English class as an example of the future perfect continuous tense. This seems to me too awkward to be correct. Сould you explain the meaning of this sentence, if in fact, it is correct?


texts: Meaning and usage of "don", "master", and "brigadier"

texts:
I'm reading The Versions of Us by Laura Barnett. The story is based at Cambridge University and the ideas of "don", "master", and "brigadier" in the following paragraph puzzles me:

  Vivian prefers to eat in college, but the last time Jim took her to the buttery, she had approached the dons’ table and engaged the startled master in conversation. It had taken him - a distinguished brigadier - almost half an hour to extricate himself.

The dictionary says "don" is "a teacher in a college or university; especially a teacher at Oxford or Cambridge University" and "master" is "a male teacher". Does that mean they are the same idea as "professor" except that "master" can only be used to refer to a male one? And what puzzles me most is brigadier. The dictionary defines "brigadier" as "a British army officer". But in this context, shouldn't this person be of a teaching position instead of a military one? Is "brigadier" also a title or rank of professorship?


texts: Subject verb agreement when a plural becomes a singular

texts:
I always get a little confused when it comes to a plural that becomes a singular, as the example below. Which is correct?

The health risks associated with smoking as an intake method, however, are still a subject up for debate

Or

The health risks associated with smoking as an intake method, however, is still a subject up for debate

What is the general rule so that I will have a better idea in the future?


texts: The meaning of stick a finger in the earth?

texts:
What is the meaning of the "stick a finger in the earth"?

  In a way, it harkens back to the beginnings of art itself, when some
  unknown artist must have stuck a finger in the earth to draw an image
  or maybe he picked up a stone and made a drawing on the wall of a
  cave.


texts:
My masculinity is of the interest of women and my sexuality of men

What I'm trying to say is that; as a girl, my masculinity is something that women find interesting and that, in contrast, my sexuality is something that men find also interesting. But I'm trying to find a way to write that in a much shorter sentence, like what I have written in the quote box above. But I doubt that sounds right or that it's even grammatically correct. Can someone please help me to get it right?


texts: Is “the thousand ..." equal to "thousands of ..."?

texts:
I found it confusing about the meaning between "the thousand ..." and "thousands of", are they of the same meaning?

For example, in this expression I've just read:

  the thousand shifts and devices of which Hannibal was a master

Does "the thousand shifts" mean "one thousand of shifts" or "thousands of shifts"?

I prefer the latter to the former. Am I right?


texts: Is this the right way to ask someone: "Did you go to school or you stayed at home?"

texts:
I have a little doubt if this structure is actually correct or not. I think the more standard alternative is to say:

Did you go to school or stay at home?

However, they do not feel quite the same to me. I cannot exactly pinpoint the difference, but to me, it feels like the second one suggests a more inconsequential choice between going to school or staying at home. On the contrary, the first one sounds like the default option is to go to school but it is also possible for people to stay home for reasons such as being sick.
Can someone give me some perspective on the grammatical correctness of these two structures and any difference in their meanings?


texts: "when I’m 100% confirm what to study" or "when I'm 100% confirmed what to study"

texts:
I’ll tell you when I’m 100% confirm what to study

Or:

  I’ll tell you when I'm 100% confirmed what to study

Which one is correct?


texts:
Please explain the difference

1) I Hadn't been doing the Task since 29th April
2) I haven't been doing the task since 29th April

As I understand an exact time cannot be used with Present Perfect?


texts: How can we express the most eye-catching TV show or program in a single word or phrase?

texts: There are some programs or TV shows that catches a lot of viewers attention. What we can tell such programs or shows in a single word? Can I use compelling programs/shows in such case?


texts: Is the answer optional (Past Simple vs Past Continious)?

texts:
I have the sentence.

  But she needn't have worried because on the day of the wedding (look) very nice indeed.

"Looked" shows a finished period in the past and the result has no connection with the current situation. As long as we pay our attention to the fact that the wedding was arrnged on the specific peculiar day, we should use Past Simple.

We are able to use "was looking" as well as "looked" and would be, certainly, correct when we consider exactly the moment of throwing a wedding party, though.


texts:
I saw this sentence "Should you eat fish oil pills with meals or on an empty stomach? Which is better?" from this website.

What does it mean by saying "to eat fish oil pills with meals"?

does it mean, say, "we eat fish oil pills within a meal as if they are a part of our meal, like you eat some bread & then eat a fish oil pill & then eat some more bread before eating another fish oil pill... until we finish our meal"?

or

does it mean "we eat fish oil pills right after we finish our meal"?


texts:
I want to explain about my duties in my previous job that I left 3 months ago. Which verb tense would be better to use? I should note that these duties were being done every day so I think past progressive tense should be fine.

  Everyday once I was arriving I was opening the program and printing orders list.

  Everyday once I was arriving I have been opening the program and printing orders list.

  Everyday once I was arriving I had been opening the program and printing orders list.


texts: Should I use "that" or "which" in the following example? Or I can use both?

texts:
When I arrived home, the door was locked. That meant no one was
inside.
When I arrived home, the door was locked, which meant no one was
inside.

Is "that" or "which" the right choice? Are the interchangeable here? Why or why not?


texts:
This sentence is from the book Dreams Do Come True by Jim Bishop.

  When I asked about the diamond earrings, she smiled and cried at the
  same time. 'Your father had to pawn them. But he will get them back.'

What does the phrase "smiled and cried at the same time" mean concerning with this sentence?


texts:
What exactly are "noun compounds"?
Is it possible to use any words to construct a noun compound?
How we can distinguish between a noun compound and an adjective compound?


texts:
Is this question ambiguous in what it is asking? i.e. is it asking

what is your reason for making noise (without considering about other people)?

or

what is the reason it is you, not another person, who's making the noise?


texts: I know how to use 'would have had', but I’m really unsure about the tense. Is it past or present tense? Is it conditional?


texts:
I read a sentence: They walked heel to toe and selected the first stone that was encountered.

I knew every word here, but I just didn't understand what does "walked heel to toe" mean? Is it just walk?


texts:
He has locked himself in his room for the last day .

does this mean that he's been in his room all day long ?

i could understand it if someone said they have been doing something for the last two days / the last week / the last 10 years , but i have never heard (for the last day) before. is it because it's not that commonly used ?

thanks in advance


texts: How to decide if a phrase like this is subordinate or infinitive?

texts:
In this sentence:

  Ann uses gloves to grab the trash.

Is to grab the trash an infinitive phrase or a subordinate phrase? Or maybe both?

How to decide if to is a infinitive marker or a subordinator in such sentences in general?

Would there be a different meanings between these two options?


texts: How to address people who are interested in my course?

texts:
I have prepared a document with information for those who are interested in the course that I teach (science) for diploma.

My question is how should I address them when I open this document?

Does "Dear applicant" work (in formal writing) or I should use different words?


texts:
I made up a pretty interesting sentence which confuses me. The context is there are two people who met each other in some town and one of them told the other about a chiildren's play area where no dogs were allowed, then later the guy who was told about it says that he saw this children's play area. How to say it?
I saw the children's play area that you had told me about in that town where no dogs were allowed
I saw the children's play area where no dogs were allowed that you had told me about in that town
The problem is the sentence 1 may inform us that no dogs were allowed in the town where the area was told about, but not in the area itself. At the same time the sentence 2 may tell us that the person told about the dogs but not about the play area.
Also I can suppose that if we want to say that the guy told about the dogs we should say:
I saw the children's play area where no dogs that you had told me about in that town were allowed
So, how should I say it if he saw the childrens' play area where no dogs were allowed and also he mentions that he was told about it by his friend in that town?


texts: Why is the word "animal" not an adjective here?

texts:
We know that when something tells the property of a noun, we call it an adjective. For example

Tommy is beautiful

So, beautiful is an adjective because it is telling the property of Tommy.

Now take another example:

Tommy is an animal

Animal is also telling the property of the noun but why isn't animal an adjective in the second sentence?


texts: A humorous guy who is always looking for funny things to laugh

texts:
Imagine a very humorous guy who is always looking for something to laugh at it. How do you describe such a person?
Does my mentioned sentence sound natural to you:

  He is always looking for something to laugh at it.


texts:
I've never seen "been" been used without have/has/had. But in some songs it appears that they sometime use "been" without have. When I searched on internet the lyrics of some songs, it was actually like "I've been" or "It's been". I always thought that it's not I been, it's I've been but recently I saw the lyrics of the song "Forgot about Dre" in which they use it multiple times as:

...But I been low key...
...Sorry Doc but I been crazy...
...ya'll are the reason Dre ain't been getting no sleep...

The last sentence is quite confusing. ain't been = is not been. Someone told me that we can never use something like is been, e.g "I am been" means that somebody is being me.

Please explain me in simple language, what does I been mean and when is it used. Please do not explain the grammer, that is verb, noun etc; I am learning English without studying formal grammar.


texts:
I have a question about the usage of the patterns "push somebody to do something" and "push somebody into doing something":

  Police pushed him to give a confession.
  Police pushed him into giving a confession.

Do sentences 1 & 2 have different meanings?  I a feeling (probably wrong) that sentence 1 describes the attempt and allows for the possibility that the person did not give a confession;  and that sentence 2 means he did give a confession.


texts: "to rub smth into a surface" vs "to rub a surface with smth"

texts:
I found 2 sentences:

We rubbed some polish into the surface of the wood.
First rub the baking tray well with butter.

Can I rephrase them as "we rubbed the surface of the wood with some polish" and "first rub butter into the baking tray well"?


texts:
Is the writer using second conditional here?

  "Imagine if Holden Caulfield kept his attitudes and opinions to himself and told the story straight. Imagine if Huckleberry Finn did. If that was the case, there wouldn't be a lot of heart and soul left in either of those wonderful first person narrative novels."

Second conditional is about the future (example: If I did hit you what would you do?), But in the paragraph above there's this "If that was the case" that makes it sound like he is talking about the past since it's not "Had kept and had done"


texts: "architecture style" vs. "architectural style"

texts:
In the context of software engineering, when writing American English, which term has to be used and why: "architecture style" or "architectural style"? I'm citing from Chapter 3: Architectural Patterns and Styles on MSDN:

  For example, by using architecture styles, you can talk about client/server versus n-tier. Architectural styles can be organized by their key focus area.

Both are possible according to the English grammar. Of course, there are counts from search engines, which are near. But I wish to know any computer-science-related, perhaps historical arguments for/against each of the two options.

This question is similar to Why is "crime story" more correct than "criminal story"?. Some good thoughts are hidden there and can be reused here, but just some of them. E.g., the other discussion is tainted by the fact that "criminal" can also be a noun ("architectural" cannot be a noun), and that "criminal trial" is widely used. Second, here, we have an additional difficulty: we do not mean architectures in the original sense, but we mean software architectures, actually meaning "software-architecture style" and "software architectural style" (if the latter is correct to write anyway). The term "software" is removed for brevity. Third and finally, here we are speaking about software architectures, not about crimes, and about styles, not about stories.

Feel free to move to cs.stackexchange.com or english.stackexchange.com if you feel that the question would be more appropriate there.


texts: IF you miss to see... you MIGHT lose the match(1st conditional?)

texts:
We often see grammar books with fixed format to be used. When it comes to 1st conditional we see this:

IF+present tense, then WILL...

  IF you don't study well, you WILL fail the exam.

BUT, can I put it this way:

  IF you don't study well, you might fail the exam.

Can I do this?


texts: What is the correct collocation for holding classes as a teacher?

texts:
I'm preparing a work experience letter in which I am expected to include my responsibilities in previous companies. In one of the companies I was holding some classes for other staff. But I'm not sure what is the formal, common and correct way of saying:

"Holding Object Orientation classes as a teacher for the IT staff"

To clarify, I don't know which verb (holding, teaching conducting, etc) could imply that I was the one who held the class and also was the teacher.

Could you please help me with this?


texts: What Is its meaning?  I already looked it up on the internet but couldn't find anything. Also please tell me some good examples.  Thanks


texts:
A low rumbling sound had broken the silence around them. It grew steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some sign of a headlight; it swelled to a roar as they both looked up at the sky - and a huge motorcycle fell out of the air and landed on the road in front of them. (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

Dictionaries have ‘out of thin air,’ but not ‘out of the air.’ Then do I have to read the phrase literally?


texts: Words used to describe the process of redefining words abusively

texts:
What word can be used to describe the process of redefining words abusively, and the words so abusively defined or redefined.

For instance, suppose something quite natural normally occurring as a human condition was defined or redefined as a disease, in order to sell pharmaceutical "cures" that actually did havoc, and this was a marketing strategy of the pharmaceutical companies. People would rush to get the medication, finding themselves amidst problems they never imagined.

What English word can be used to describe this abusive redefining of words?

Thanks.


texts: Grammatical correctness of the following sentence

texts:
I came across the following sentence while I was preparing for IELTS essay. I am having difficulty understanding how the sentence is being constructed grammatically.

  This may not pose an immediate problem but its long-term effect could
  be disastrous with the country needing more and more foodgrains to
  support its growing population.

the part,

  with the country needing more and more...

, which grammatical construct is being used here.


texts:
When using the word "self" like this:

  "My dumb self tripped over the rock,"

would "dumb" and "self" be hyphenated?


texts:
I was writing a comment the other day when I wrote a sentence similar to the one below:

  You can choose one of either (Pizza, Mac and Cheese, or Spaghetti).

Obviously the choices are made-up, but the point is, this sentence should mean the same exact thing as:

  You can choose either Pizza, or Mac n' Cheese, or Spaghetti.

Right?

I've heard that 'either' can be used for more than two choices, so this should be correct, at least, to my knowledge anyway.

But is it? Would you say it differently? How natural does it sound?


texts:
Which one sounds the most natural?

Is this really gonna be the way my life treats me?
Is this really gonna be the way my life will be treating me?
Is this really gonna be how my life will be treating me?
Is this really gonna be how my life treats me?


texts: "There is (a?) (dark) liquid on the floor" - should we use an article, and how would the meaning change?

texts:
How does the meaning of the following sentences change with and without a?
I'd say that the first one sounds better with no article, not quite sure about the second one for some reason.

1.There is (a?) liquid on the floor.
2.There is (a?) dark liquid on the floor.


texts:
"So much preparation had gone into the diplomatic date that a US-India dalliance at the end of it was a foregone conclusion."

Does foregone conclusion mean that a US-India dalliance was not conceivable?

The issue was with the connotation of the word 'dalliance' instead of 'foregone conclusion'. As clarified by David below, dalliance here means a diplomatic 'relationship' as opposed to the word's denotation: The deliberate act of delaying and playing instead of working.

Thanks for the help!


texts:
I've never seen such a structure like Sentence (1) I think it should be like sentence (2) But I found it everywhere on the internet...
if we have just a future tense why thee is "is" before "will" ???

  1) This is will be great for me.

  2) This will be great for me.

Which grammar rule can explain such wired structure? (Wired for me of course)


texts: have to : "used to say that something is very likely"

texts:
[i] He has to be foolish.  [ii] They all have to be Englishmen.
   (From a Korean English-grammar book)

The book says both examples above are wrong, for ‘have to’ cannot be used for guessing something. But the reason itself seems to be not true, because there are its usages as below. Can the two examples above be wrong because of any other reasons? Or can both be accepted?

  This has to be the worst restaurant in town. [epistemic]  (CGEL,
  p.205)

  have to: (also have got to especially in British English) used to say
  that something must be true or must happen.  There has to be a
  reason for his strange behaviour.  This war has got to end soon.
  (Oxford Learner's)

  have to: d — used to say that something is very likely  It has to
  be close to noon.  She has to be the most beautiful woman I've
  ever seen. [=I think she is the most beautiful woman I've ever seen]
   He has to have a lot of money to live the way he does.  The
  bus has to be coming soon.  There has to be some mistake.
  (Merriam-Webster’s Learner’s)


texts:
Take a look at this picture. The slide behind Steve Jobs says:

  300 [pixels per inch] is limit of human retina.

My question: why is there no indefinite article before limit and why is there no definite article before human retina?

The indefinite article before limit seems to be needed because the human retina has many limits, and the definite article before human retina seems to be needed because we are talking about a specific part of the human eye. This question is very similiar the one I posted earlier, but this time OED is silent on limit (either that or I'm just stupid, and I won't be surprised if it's the latter).

Also, it very well may be ellipsis and I'm overthinking.

What do you think?


texts:
What does "dangle off" mean here? Can I use "from" instead of "off"? I have seen most of the example sentences used "dangle from",e.g., A single light bulb dangled from the ceiling, Loose electric wires were dangling from the wall.

Rescuer saves man from floodwater by dangling off the end of a JCB.

If you lie on your back, try to make sure your feet are pointed towards the ceiling. And, if you lie on your front, dangle them off the end of the bed.

She promptly sat down at the end of the pier, her legs dangling off the end as she swung them slightly.


texts:
A quote from Chesterton's essay titled The Telegraph Poles:

  We did not get home before it was dark. For one reason or another we
  had underestimated the swiftness of twilight and the suddenness of
  night, especially in the threading of thick woods.

What is meant here by threading?

A mass of trees resembling multiple threads and obstructing the view of the sky.
That the heroes of the narrative were threading through thick woods.
That the night was stealthily threading through thick woods, in order to catch the heroes unawares.


texts:
Language development is conceived as relative to one's own past
  performance, or relative to that of others.

I do not understand these parts : is conceived as relative and that

I checked the dictionary.

"conceive" has different meanings:
1: to imagine a particular situation or to think about something in a particular way
2: to think of a new idea and develop it in your mind
3: to become pregnant

"Relative" has two meanings.
1: having a particular quality when compared with sth else
2: connected with a particular subject

But I am not exactly sure which meanings are correct in this context.
Unfortunately , there are no other sentences to have an educated guess.
Can somebody please help me out?


texts: (Noticeable / Considerable / Eye-catching) progress

texts:
I am looking for an English fixed collocation for a kind of progress which is so significant and outstanding that is distinct compared to other achievements.
I am well aware that there are so many ways in English to refer to the same thing; some collocations like "tremendous progress", "great progress," etc. But what I need to convey should be directly related to eyes like "eye-catching" (though I have my doubts if the adjective "eye-catching" works in this combination as I could not find any reliable source for it surfing the net).
Please have a look on the example below and let me know if all the choices work there?
If so, is there any difference between them (while more or less, they mean the same to me.)
If not, then why?

Over the past year, Nikodinov had been making ............. under the guidance of her coach, Yelena Tcherkasskaia, a former Bolshoi ballerina.

a. noticeable progress
b. considerable progress
c. eye-catching progress


texts: (jog 10km, swim for five hours and eat five hot dogs) or (jogging 10km, swimming for five hours and eating five hot dogs)

texts:
(1) If I want to, I'll do some things all in one day I have never done before: jog 10km, swim for five hours and eat five hot dogs.
(2) If I want to, I'll do some things all in one day I have never done before: jogging 10km, swimming for five hours and eating five hot dogs.
Which verb form is correct?


texts:
Whenever I think of start doing something, the first thing comes to my mind is "I lack resources"

Is it OK to say "think of start doing something"? Because I can't find any result for that in Google.

All I find is, "think of" followed by object pronouns (Eg. you) or verb+ing form words (Eg. starting, doing). But I can't cite any "think of start doing" example.

This question may look trivial, but please help me.


texts: Is it a special use of "because" in this sentence?

texts:
He hadn't told anyone about the Grim, not even Ron and Hermione, because he knew Ron would panic and Hermione would scoff. The fact remained, however, that it had now appeared twice, and both appearances had been followed by near-fatal accidents; the first time, he had nearly been run over by the Knight Bus; the second, fallen fifty feet from his broomstick. Was he going to spend the rest of his life looking over his shoulder for the beast?

  And then there were the Dementors. Harry felt sick and humiliated
  every time he thought of them. Everyone said the Dementors were
  horrible, but no one else collapsed every time they went near one ...
  no one else heard echoes in their head of their dying parents.

  Because Harry knew who that screaming voice belonged to now. He had heard her words, heard them over and over again during the night hours in the hospital wing while he lay awake, staring at the strips of moonlight on the ceiling. ...

"Because Harry knew who that screaming voice belonged to now." looks like an incomplete sentence, but ended with a full stop instead. I suspect if it's a special use of the word 'because'? Any thoughts?


texts:
I often have confusion between' with' and 'having'
Here are the following sentences:

There are different people having different opinions.
There are different people with different opinions.
Having access to good ideas doesn’t mean that people will “walk naked into the land of uncertainty.” This takes courage.
With the access to good ideas doesn’t mean that people will “walk naked into the land of uncertainty.” This takes courage.

Which one is correct, and why?

There may be some rules about the use of 'with' and 'having' which differs them from each other could you please mention it?


texts: What is the term for the open space on desks that chairs fit into? Is it just called a chair slot? A compartment for chairs?


texts: I recently received a mail, and ever since I have been whacking my head if the sentence is right. "Although, the requirement is Modeling (Using a software) it is not necessarily be limited to it." The part of the sentence in Bold is what has me confused. Can anyone clarify please?


texts:
Is "into the skin" in this sentence correct?

  Make sure you spread the ointment into the skin.

This sentence is from a vocabulary book that I am learning English with.

I thought "onto the skin" or "on the skin" is right instead of "into the skin".
If either is possible to use, then what is the difference between them?


texts: Is "When's the soonest you can come" correct?

texts: I want to ask a friend to come to visit, so is it correct to say "when is the soonest you can come" or "when can you come the soonest" or either of them are correct?


texts:
I have a question about the usage of "led somebody to doing something" and "led somebody into doing something":

  His young age led him to behaving childishly.
  His young age led him into behaving childishly.

Does "led .. to" have different meanings from "led ... into"?


texts:
IN RELAXED pre-9/11 days, your columnist was once permitted to sit in the cockpit for a flight from Delhi to London. The experience left him with mixed feelings about flight safety. On the one hand, the two Canadian pilots who generously included him in their competition to get through the first-class dessert menu were experienced and relaxed. On the other, the plane was on autopilot almost the whole way. And the only time one of them was called upon to intervene—when a coil of wiring suddenly let off sparks—he didn’t seem to know what he was doing. Even the most technically proficient operations can look all too human up close.

What does it mean here? look like a human?


texts:
Look at this picture

a tangerine has many small pieces in it.

Do we call them "a piece or section of a tangerine"?


texts:
I have asked this before on two different forums, but there seems to be different opinions on this, so I'll just ask again. Can you duck through a door? Or can you only duck into a room?

She heard someone in the hallway and ducked through the nearest door.


texts:
Let's say a friend said to his friend that the man which they both saw looks like another one which was next to that one and one of them says that that man looks like him and his friend says that it's not in this manner below.
Then is it grammatically correct to say like this in response?

He's far from being looks like him

or

He's far from being similar to him


texts: Is the midnight in English 12 a.m., or 12 p.m., or both?

texts: I wonder how you denote the midnight in case when you use the system with a.m. and p.m. Would the midnight be 12 a.m., or 12 p.m., or both?


texts:
Sometimes when I read I notice that some authors say "the first time" while others say "for the first time". Of course mostly in different situations but is there a difference? What does the preposition change?

I have done it the first time in my life.
I have done it for the first time in my life.

Or

That's the first time I've heard this song.
For the first time in my life I have heard this song.

Or

It will be the first time when I am going there.
It will be for the first time when I am going there.

Edit: The sentences (examples) aren't from books.


texts: Can I substitute this sentence with this?

texts:
situation 1

A: What is this photo about?
B: This is the situation that he told me something.

situation 2

A: What is this photo about?
B: This is that he told me something.

Can I substitute situation A with situation B?

If I can't, what is the difference between two sentences.


texts: "Could anyone have expected that..." vs. "could anyone expect that..."

texts:
Having spent a couple of weeks in a hopeless attempt to translate the poem (could anyone have expected that it would hide such a subtle subtext?), I gave up.

Can we use "could" instead of "could have"?

  Having spent a couple of weeks in a hopeless attempt to translate the poem (could anyone expect that it would hide such a subtle subtext?), I gave up.

Will this sentence look strange due to this phrase, or are both variants more or less equal in meaning?


texts: Can "to-infinitive phrase" be used non-restrictively modifying its preceding noun?

texts:
for example,

  My father, to die of lung cancer in 1992, was a good husband to my mother.
  My father to die of lung caner in 1992 was a good husband to my mother.

(The situation is that I'm pointing to my father's picture talking with my friend)

Is it better to set off "to die of lung cancer in 1992" with two commas as there was only one father to me?

and, could you bring or make some sentences about this topic as well?

( for those who are weak in English grammar terms to know what's the non-restrictive, if a sentence or phrase is set off by two commas modifying its preceding noun, it's called "non-restrictive sentence or phrase", and "restrictive' doesn't require any commas.)

Could anyone please cite a reliable source in which "to infinitive phrase can be set off by commas to be used non-restrictively" is written?


texts: which one is better/correct: 'Features' or 'Will be featured'

texts:
In the sentence:

  The upcoming festival ( features / will be featured ) a performance by a
  famous singer.

Which one is the correct/better one?


texts: Do I use the Subject right in this sentence [As a research assistant for professor]?

texts:
Hi here is a sentence in my personal statement for grad school, and I am not sure which expression I should choose.

As a research assistant for professor X, my objective was to do...

Or

As a research assistant for professor X, I aimed to do...

Is there anything wrong about the Subject of the first expression?

Thank you very much in advance for your kind help!


texts: Should I say "Quite a long time" or simply just "Quite a long" - in the following context?

texts:
What is the appropriate phrase when saying the following sentence?

1) "Quite a long time I have been waiting for her to back"

2) "Quite a long I have been waiting for her to back"

I'm asking this question, because I know about the question "For how long are you here" that is the correct rather that "For how long time are you here"


texts:
1) I've just read this article http://masteringarticles.com/object-activity-nouns/ and it says that "pub" is not a common activity noun, so when we say I want to go to the pub the word should be instead pluralized, rather than getting a the. However, I heard phrases like Right, let's go to the pub with no precursory reference to the pub. So, what's the right way to say?
2) I heard the phrase "in camp", though it's neither a common activity noun, nor something else. Why do we omit the article here?


texts: "Could you please help me" vs "Could you help me please"

texts:
When asking for something politely which sentence is a better/proper choice?

  Could you please help me?

or

  Could you help me please?


texts:
Here's a subtitle of the TV drama "Sesame Street: Bert and Ernie in a Pyramid".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yiqGtZXCmQ

0:22

  Burt: Yeah, look at the knowledge here.
  This pyramid must be centuries and thousands, even, of years old.
  This is great.

Perhaps Burt wants to say "This pyramid must almost be centuries and thousands, even, of years old."
But it seems to me that he says "is" instead of "must".
What exactly does he say?


texts: Are "topic" "issue" and "subject" interchangeable in a classroom?

texts:
Cambridge Dictionary gives this definition about issue

  a subject or problem that people are thinking and talking about

So, I guess "issue" and "subject" are interchangeable when talking about a specific issue/subject.

Imagine an English teacher starts their lesson with

  Today's topic is simple present tense

  Today's issue is simple present tense

  Today's subject is simple present tense

I guess all of them are grammatical and idiomatic, right?


texts: How to ask someone if they know how they should stay on the water in a swimming pool

texts:
Suppose a swimming trainer wants to know if a learner know how to stay on the water (how to keep themselves on the water). What the trainer would ask the learner:

  Can you hold yourself on the water?
  Can you keep yourself on the water?
  Can you remain on the water?
  Can you stay on the water?


texts:
I have a question about the tense to use for the phrase "carry over".  Suppose we are talking about a new model of some product:

  Some of the features of the new model are/were carried over from the previous model.

Should the past tense or present tense be used?  The past tense seems to be the right one, because the act of taking the features of the old model and putting them into the new model is one-time event during the product-design phase.  But, a google search shows that the present tense is more common than the past tense.  What do native speakers think?


texts:
English has countable nouns and uncountable nouns.
But I sometimes see the use of article with uncountable nouns
in a sentence like 'we have an utmost importance'.

Here is an example.

  I bring up, based on these three observations, a challenge with an utmost importance: we must radically change our fundamental perspective to grasp the world.
  Source: An Ecological Vision of the World: Toward a Christian Ecological Theology for Our Age
  by Hyun-Chul Cho. Gregorian Biblical BookShop, 2004.

How do we know when we use an article with uncountable nouns?


texts: Is a preposition required here? "There’s no doubting the passion of Indian premier Narendra Modi"

texts:
In this blog, I read the following sentence:

  As he completes two years of his term as prime minister, there’s no doubting the passion of Indian premier Narendra Modi.

Check out the bold portion of the sentence. I've checked that 'doubting the passion' is not an idiomatic expression. My question is: Don't we require a preposition before 'the passion'? If we require then which preposition suits better here.


texts: What are the "glass coffins"? What does "there's lights out, then there's lock up" mean here?

texts:
All the rowboats in the paintings
  They keep trying to row away
  And the captains' worried faces
  Stay contorted and staring at the waves
  They'll keep hanging in their gold frames
  For forever, forever and a day
  All the rowboats in the oil paintings
  They keep trying to row away, row away

  Hear them whispering French and German
  Dutch, Italian, and Latin
  When no one's looking I catch a sculpture marble,
  Cold, and soft as satin

  But the most special are the most lonely
  God, I pity the violins
  In glass coffins they keep coughing
  They've forgotten, forgotten how to sing, how to sing.

  First there's lights out, then there's lock up
  Masterpieces serving maximum sentences
  It's their own fault for being timeless
  There's a price you pay and a consequence
  All the galleries, the museums
  Here's your ticket, welcome to the tombs
  They're just public mausoleums
  Here's your ticket, welcome to the tombs
  They're just public mausoleums
  The living dead fill every room

  But the most special are the most lonely
  God, I pity the violins
  In glass coffins they keep coughing
  They've forgotten, forgotten how to sing

  -- Regina Spektor,  All the Rowboats

Why does she say the works of art are serving maximum sentences?

What are the glass coffins?

What does there's lights out, then there's lock up mean?

What is OR Who are the living dead?


texts: What's the meaning of "honour" in this context?

texts:
The following is a passage from an article on The Hollywood Walk of Fame:

  Having a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is a huge honor. Specific requirements are laid out for those actors, musicians, directors, producers and others who earn a spot on the walk.

Does honor in this context mean: an award, official title, etc. given to somebody as a reward for something that they have done?


texts: Difference between 'How long have you learned' and 'How long ago did you learn'?

texts:
I read the following sentence in an English book :

  How long have you learned Maths?

I wonder if the question below

  How long ago did you learn Maths?

has the same meaning with the first sentence. If yes or no , would you mind explaining to me in detail, please.


texts:
I have two questions here:

To which action we can use Stop + gerund?
And to which action we can use Stop + to + infinitive?


texts: "I would have selected you even without a recommendation."

texts:
I would have selected you even without a recommendation.

What would be the question to this sentence?


texts: It seems to me that flirting was being used way more than it is used now like 10 years ago. Of course, my data is solely based on my web searches. But are there any recent alternatives? Does it feel weird when somebody uses the term flirt?


texts: Is it right to say "we were like fasting "?

texts:
I think have heard some instances in colloquial English in which people use "like" along with ing-form verbs, for example, "We were like boiling of the heat".

I have written the following text from another language:

  Rasha had bruised below his eyes, we were like fasting for days [because there was no food].

I mean that we were so short of food reserves as if we were fasting. Is this {like+ing-form} a correct English usage?


texts:
Is par eminence a French term? What does it mean?
Here is a sample sentence from The New York Times"

For more than two centuries there has always been somebody who, like the Duke of Cambridge, has been popularly known among his contemporaries as "the Duke" par eminence, if not invariably par excellence. Immediately after the Restoration, George Monk, Duke of Albemarle, was "the Duke" in common parlance all over the country, and from his death until the death of Charles II, "the Duke" was James, Duke of York, who became King as James II.


texts:
What's the difference between these two sentence?

  He's sure that he'll speak French fluently in a month.

Vs.

  He's sure that he'll speak French fluently by a month.


texts: can we say "Don't run. Be careful, you may trip over the stone slabs"?

texts:
Some gardens often have some large thick flat pieces of stone for decoration or easy walk as shown in the above picture.
In everyday conversation, can we say "Don't run. Be careful, you may trip over the stone slabs" or "Don't run. Be careful, you may trip over the stones"?


texts: Which of the two sentences is grammatically correct? Do they mean the same?

texts:
"What brand is your guitar?"

  "What brand guitar do you play?"

I suppose the first one is grammatically correct, is the second one correct as well?

They mean the same thing, right?


texts: Before I (have) started the University I (had) worked as

texts:
Before I have started the University I worked as waitress in a cafe.

I'm not sure about the tenses here (present perfect/past simple).

Maybe it should be

  Before I started university I had worked as waitress in a cafe.

Anyway I'm still studying so that's why the doubts, it's not a closed action.


texts: Could have past participle used as expressing the future event

texts:
"If I could have seen you by the end of next month, it would have
  made me very glad"

To my way of thinking, there seems to be no grammatical problem in this sentence, because "could have p,p" can refer to the future event according to context, but it seems like a lot of native speakers tend to object to this usage of "could have seen". I know we use "could have done" usually in the past, not the future, but in this combination "could have seen + by the end", can "could have seen" be used to refer to the future event?

What do you think?


texts:
Looking for an idiom that describe such situation that one event entails another. I.e., describing mostly for troublesome/negative events that comes one-after-another. "long-tailed"?

For example,

to explain "Z", then I have to first to explain "Y", which depends on understanding of "X", which builds on top of "W", ...
or, it's like pulling up a huge carrot -- the more you pull, yet the more it seems are still missing.

I.e., once started, problems come one-after-another. Any idiom for this? Thanks


texts: How do I spell the possessive form of children?

texts:
In the sentence below, are the usages of apostrophes correct?

  In research about parent stereotypes, the correlation between parents’ beliefs about their early elementary age children’s’ mathematics abilities and the children’s actual abilities increased as children aged.


texts: old information for appositive structure

texts:
1.Malaysia,one of the Southeast Asia country, is the host country of the 2016 SEA Game.

  2.Malaysia, the host country of the 2016 SEA Game, is one of the Southeast Asia country.

Which sentence is more meaningful.?
I prefer No.1 as we can easily know Malaysia is a Southeast Asia country and it is not new information.


texts: Could we say "invest something in somebody"?

texts:
Ok, now, in the dictionary

  invest [intransitive, transitive] to buy property, shares in a company, etc. in the hope of making a profit

  invest (in something)

  Now is a good time to invest in the property market.

  invest something (in something)

  He invested his life savings in his daughter's business.

Ok, let say we've known a child who has great soccer skills but he is poor & he can not afford to join a well-known training school. Now, we want to pay all the school fee for him & he will pay us a lot of money back in the future when he is famous.

My question is:

Could we say "I want to invest money on him"?

We also have the structure "invest somebody (with something)" in the dictionary

  [transitive] (formal) to give somebody power or authority, especially
  as part of their job

  invest somebody (with something) The new position invested her with a
  good deal of responsibility.

  invest somebody (as something) The interview was broadcast on the same
  day he was invested as President.

But the structure "invest somebody (with something)" does not carry the meaning that we make some profit in the future.


texts:
What is the difference in meaning between the following sentences?

  I heard Mary sing a good song.
  I heard Mary sang a good song.


texts: "it would be nice to make the certificate check/checked"

texts:
I am sometimes confused on using causitive forms..Should I use causitive form in this sentence?

1.I thought it would be nice to make the certificate check in order to make sure it is genuine.
2.I thought it would be nice to make the certificate checked in order to make sure it is genuine.

So I will ask a instutition to check.

Generally the rule I follow is that if there is a object, then I  use causitive form.
For example:

I had my hair cut.
I made my car repaired.

But if there is someone then:

The teacher made the students mob the floor.
My dad makes me do my homework before going to bed every day.

Thank you


texts:
Please tell me, why this sentence is wrong? I know the adverbs same/just/almost is come before verb, not always but in this sentence come before verb and this is wrong!!!

  She just wants to take one class.

  They almost drove six hundred miles.


texts: Is using "Dude" for male unknowns is rude?

texts: I want to know if calling strangers as a dude is rude. What are the possible alternatives?


texts: Is there any subtle difference between the words "truthful","honest" and "veracious"?

texts:
is there any difference between words "truthful","honest" and "veracious"? or do they mean exactly the same?

I checked the dictionaries but want to learn subtlety in their meanings.


texts:
The district seems to have dissolved as a result of the Arab conquest,
  with its subdistricts rejoining the district of Arż Bābel; this,
  however, was short-termed as the district was soon reconstituted under
  ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭāleb. (Source)

What does the bold sentence mean?


texts: Word or phrase for "still going on" in this context

texts:
Talking about university admission:

  Admission is still going on.

Can I say : Admission is still in date?

And, admission is out of date, for showing contrast?

Please explain.

Thank you.


texts: What is the precise meaning of "scenic" and "wild" here?

texts:
The Alatna River is one of the six federally designated wild and scenic rivers partially contained within the boundaries of Gates of the Arctic National Park, Alaska. It is called one of the most beautiful rivers in the United States.

What is the precise meaning of scenic and wild here? (source)


texts:
The sentence I focus on is this：

  As we will see below, there are some cognitivists who do not take a Gricean approach, offering a semantic explanation instead. This is not the most common approach, however.

I do not understand why however is used as the end of this sentence. Could I front however to the head of this sentence in the context above like this:

  However, this is not the most common approach.

Why does this author like to end a sentence with 'however', or even 'instead'?


texts: "Stop talking now!" or "You must stop talking now."

texts:
Which one is more commonly used (in this context) ? Imperative form or must?

  I don't believe you, stop talking now!
  I don't believe you, you must stop talking now.


texts: How to replace the name of the applicant writing a recommendation letter

texts:
I am not a native speaker and I have to write a letter of recommendation for X. Writing the letter, I noticed that I used the personal pronoun 'he' a lot, because I talked about X in every sentence. Then I thought that maybe I could replace 'he' with 'the applicant' in some places. If I wrote a recommendation letter in my native language, that would be exactly what I would do for stylistic reasons, so as not to repeat 'he' or X too often.

However, I checked several recommendation letter samples online, here, here and here, and it turned out that no one uses the word 'the applicant' in a recommendation letter (or at least in those letters).

So, my question is, can one use 'the applicant' in such a letter, and if it is improper, then why?


texts:
In the weekend

or

  On the weekend

I know various books denote it "on the weekend", but I need to know why  "in the weekend" cannot be used even if it shows duration.


texts: What does "I wouldn't let him round the bases" mean?

texts:
What is the meaning of the sentence found in Nebraska movie?

  David Grant: It's hard to imagine you and my mother fighting over the
  same man.
  Peg Nagy: I knew I didn't have a chance, anyway.
  David Grant: Yeah?
  Peg Nagy: I wouldn't let him round the bases.


texts: Term for words that seem like they should rhyme because of the way they are spelled, but don't

texts:
Some words do rhyme like 'mate' and 'hate' or 'boot' and 'shoot'. But there are other words whose spelling suggests that they should rhyme, but they don't. Examples include: 'hull' and 'pull', 'blood' and 'brood', 'but' and 'put' etc.
I have been wondering about these words a lot recently. Is there any specific name for these words?


texts: How do I express three items gracefully?

texts:
If you have two things, you can say:

One thing is A, the other is B.

But is there any word group to describe three things that I have? I can only say with my poor English skills:

There are three things, one is A, one is B, one is C.


texts: "I have no question"--> "Me, too" or "Me, either"?

texts:
Ok, at the end of an English class, the teacher says "Do you have any questions?"

Student A:  I have no question
Student B:  Me, too / Me, either

So, the Student B should say "Me, too" or "Me, either"?
I know that "Me, either" is American English: "Me, either" is American English: Dictionary Link.
EDIT (after comments): So, we can't use "Me, too" in this case?
Note: my question is unique. I know the rule of using "Me, too" or "Me, either". "Me, too" for positive sentence & "Me, either" for negative sentence.

Ex: I have a question. Me, too
Ex2: I don't have a question. Me, either.

So if we say "I have no question" then  which one we should use "Me, too" or "Me, either"?


texts: Usage of *Could have* Fact vs Possibility?

texts:
I read this sentence in a Youtube video that explains the meaning of even if.

  She could have paid more, but she'd got the same service.

with even if:

  Even if she had paid more, she'd have got the same service.

It appears from the example that "could have" indicates a real event that actually took place in the past - not merely a possibility. (the woman had actually paid more).

Yet it is very confusing when "could have" indicates a possibility like in

  "You could have completed it sooner."

So how could we know the real meaning of "could have" in both cases ? For Example:

  Simon could have told her.

Did Simon tell her or not ?

Source: Youtube video
Minute 9:50

Thank you


texts:
Context: For a recurring payments (monthly payment), A customer should pay a small part or fraction of the amount of money for the month of subscription and two months in advance.

Which is correct to use:

  You will (be paying - pay) a part of the payment (plus - and) two months in advance.


texts:
The cookies will not be used to determine your identity, save as
  expressly stated otherwise herein.

Does "save as" mean "unless" in this context?


texts: "I do X if Y, and Z otherwise" vs. "I do X if Y, or Z otherwise"

texts:
Which one(s) amongst the following sentences are correct, and which one sounds the best?

"I do X if Y, and Z otherwise"
"I do X if Y, or Z otherwise"


texts: Is "clasp it there" correctly used here?

texts:
I am not sure if I am using the sentence correctly. I want to use the word clasp to mean fasten, and it there to mean it's fastened in a particular location.

Here's the sentence I am trying to write:

  He put a bottle of beer under his arm pit and clasped it there with
  his arm.

It sounds odd, but I believe the sentence is correct. Is it?


texts: What does the phrase “the price of pauses” mean?

texts:
I came across this sentence:

  Accepting questions and listening. Letting others reply, even at the price of pauses, but persevering until those agree with your perspective.

What does the price of pauses actually mean?


texts: "patients studied" or "studied patients"

texts:
what is the correct word order in the example below;

  Among 425  'studied workers', the mean age was 32.

or

  Among 425 'workers studied', the mean age was 32.

Moreover, isn't it better saying it like this;
The mean age of 'workers studied' was 32.


texts: Do we have to use ''where(as a relative)'' right after the place we are defining?

texts:
This is the sentence

  I want to design a building for children with cancer where they could
  have fun and receives treatment as well.

I want to know that if it's right to use ''where'' in this position because I've seen many examples that use ''where'' after ''building''.

If it's wrong, Is there any way that I can say this sentence?


texts:
My dad's really strong; when he closes something like a jar or a tap you can't get it open easy. My friend was trying to get a jar open but he couldn't. I cracked a joke then by saying, "I think my dad did it." It came to me what's a good word in English to describe turn and close.

  My dad [turns and closes] jars and taps really hard. You can't get them open easy.

Is there a word to describe this? If not, what's a natural and fluent way to say this?


texts:
I don't understand what do 'for commissions / to commission' mean in contexts from 2 different sorces.

  I am an oil painter who works particularly with portraits and other
  subject matter. I am available for commissions and my other work is
  for sale on here.

  I think I want to commission a few illustrations for our work one of
  which is a variation on the yin yang.


texts:
I had a test and there was a question I'm arguing about its answer with my brother. Question is what comes after "can" (or fill in the blank:D)

Question: I'm sure she'll do whatever she can ...

Possible choices:

to help
help

Which one is the answer? 1st or 2nd?


texts:
I have a question about the meaning of "deep" here:

  We are about to be confronted with the dangers of deep winter.

What does "deep" refer to?  Does it mean the later part of winter?


texts: "D.I. Mendeleyev Institute for Metrology" vs. "D.I. Mendeleyev Institute of Metrology"

texts:
On the official English-language website of the institute, it is called thus:

  D.I. Mendeleyev Institute for Metrology

However, I find this a bit jarring. I would use of:

  D.I. Mendeleyev Institute of Metrology

Is this for acceptable in this case - since I do find some instances of "institute for" online? Or is it better to consider this a minor mistake by the website's creators (who are not native speakers of English) and to change it to of in my translation?

The instances with for that I find seem to carry a sense that is different from my case. There, for seems to convey the sense of "in support of":

  Institute for Diversity
  Institute for Sustainability

The D.I. Mendeleyev Institute must be simply a place "where metrology is being taught and studied", and not a place "where metrology is being supported or promoted", thus I'd pick of.


texts: What is the difference between deficient, scant, scarce, meager? how to use them?

texts:
Concerning the words deficient, scant, scarce, meager: I read somewhere that:

  The four are related and the meanings overlap at times, but they are not quite the same.

Can anyone explain? thanks.


texts:
Today is the first time I have come to face the word "crimp"
The dictionary says (among other things) * to pinch or press together (something, such as the margins of a pie crust) in order to seal*
Dictionary definition
Alright, I get it, a pie crust. How about if I seal a plastic package with a hot press? Is "crimp" there correct? How about a device that does this? A "crimp seal component"? (or maybe "crimping seal component?)


texts: what does *they* refer to here? *measures* or *technological advances*? and does that sentence mean *they are needed to complement other factors*?

texts:
SOURCE

Does they refer to  measures or technological advances? Does that sentence mean they are needed to complement other factors?

  The first WDR [1978 WDR] talked of measures to raise agricultural productivity
  and observed that technological advances, now accelerated by biotechnologies and made more urgent by impending climate change, are a potent
  force. They will need to complement other factors.
  The 1978 WDR briefly touched on institutions, which occupy far more space in the 2008 WDR. The 2008 report embraces the agricultural innovation system, mechanisms for promoting technology transfer, market coordination, and many other issues, including, of course, community-based development.

WDR=World Development Report


texts: Is there a word for wanting something more after losing it?

texts:
Is there a word that somewhat resembles wanting something more after losing [possession of] it?

By something it can be for example:

a person (family relative, close friend, relation partner) that is lost for example by being disowned, dying, departing/leaving;
an object that is lost, taken away, sold;
a university or work position.

Some long phrases could be:

Realize the importance of something after losing it.
Overvalue what we no longer have.
Not knowing what you have until it's gone.
Losing something you want.
Realise someone’s worth only after we’ve lost them.


texts:
I read:

  It may be preceded by the heading INTRODUCTION.

In this example "Introduction" comes immediately after "heading" and "heading" gets "the". Is it a common way to express such constructions?

what about

It may be preceded by the heading of INTRODUCTION.
It may be preceded by heading INTRODUCTION.
It may be preceded by a heading labeled INTRODUCTION.


texts: "I am here" or "Here I am" or "Here am I"

texts:
I believe all the following stetments are quite used and it seems all of them is grammatically correct.

  I have survived. I am here. Confused, screwed up, but here. So, how can I find my way?... ― Laurie Halse Anderson
  Maybe, but I couldn't do it, I had buried too much too deeply inside me. And here I am, instead of there. ― Jonathan Safran Foer
  Here am I, a little animal called a man--a bit of vitalized matter, one hundred and sixty-five pounds ... ― Jack London

My question, When and why do we need to use second (here I am) and third (here am I) options? and what is the grammar form of them?


texts: Which sentence is grammatically or syntactically correct?

texts:
a. He is the specialist in chemistry at the podium.
b. He is the specialist at the podium in chemistry.
a. He is a contender with a shoulder injury for the Best Chef title.
b. He is a contender for the best chef title with a shoulder injury.
a. Which part of a title is he a contender for?
b. Which part of his body is he a contender with?

Although 2. and 3. are both awkward sentences, what are the correct sentences grammatically or syntactically?

I am attending a syntax class. My professor gave me this question.
I am considering this question for two days. Please, let me know.


texts:
I am fairly confident that I have a decent understanding of the differences between 'extra' and 'excess', but there's been one specific context that had me scratching my head as of late. Say I want to express that I brought an ample amount of money (way more that I'd likely need) to spend at a cash-only store, which of the two words would be more appropriate? For example:

  I was just short at the checkout last time, so I brought EXTRA // EXCESS money with me today.

To share my own thoughts, I feel that 'excess' has a retrospective vibe to it, as in you'd only know you have more than you need after the event. But 'extra' doesn't seem to be the perfect fit either, as it conveys that you already know exactly how much you will spent/need and just add an additional amount to that. (e.g. I know the stuff I am going to buy cost $200, but I brought an extra $50 just in case I might want to pick up some other stuff along the way.)

Note that the paragraph above is just my personal view. I would like hear a comprehensive answer that would confirm my understanding as well as correct it. Many thanks in advance.


texts: How to say "on page x and the following pages"?

texts:
I want to refer to a certain page and the pages after that, but without giving the end as a specified number.

Can I use these phrases?

  [...] can be found on page x and the following.

  [...] can be found on page x and the following pages.

  [...] can be found after page x?

I personally don't like the second version. Is the first version correct? Can I use it?


texts: What is the difference in the meaning of these sentences?

texts:
I confuse sometimes.
I get confused sometimes.

I know that the second one is in the passive form but is there any difference in the meaning of these two sentences. Are both grammatically correct?

Similarly,

A door closes.
A door is closed.

In this, I think both are grammatically correct but what is the meaning of the first sentence?
help


texts:
Some expressions that uniquely identify an entity are always used with "the", for example "the untyped lambda calculus" or "the South Pole". Is the article a part of the name? In particular, when I want to write a link to such an expression, should the link include "the" or not? As in

  The Geographic South Pole should not be confused with the South Magnetic Pole.

vs

  The Geographic South Pole should not be confused with the South Magnetic Pole.


texts:
Are these interchangeable:

  I'll love to chat.

  I'd love to chat.

And

  I'll love to do it.

  I'd love to do it.

Is "I'd" preferred over "I'll"? If yes, then why is that? Is there a specific reason for preferring "I'd" over "I'll", or is that just the way it is?


texts:
is this sentence corrrect:
"did you talk to him yet"
based on the english ive learn so far i would say sth like this in situation like this:
"have you talked to him yet"
whats the diffrence thanks in advance


texts: The use of the phrase "be good" in context

texts:
It was in the ninth episode of the sixth season of Friends. It in this video. It's at 1 minute and 31 seconds. Here is the context:

  Monica: Whoa whoa whoa! Where’re you goin’?

  Ross: Oh, oh, we did say we’d stop by this little thing Joey’s
  roommate is having.

  Monica: Oh, Janine, the really hot dancer girl?

  Ross: Some would say she’s attractive, yes.

  Phoebe: And who else is going to be there?

  Joey: Uh, some of her friends, yeah.

  Rachel: Her dancer friends?

  Joey: (frustrated) Yes, all right? All of her hot dancer friends are
  gonna be there and they’re gonna be, be drinkin’ and dancin, and we
  really wanna go!

  Ross: (to Joey) Dude, we were good!

Does Ross mean by that that they almost managed to get out of the dinner?


texts:
I happened to see this expression "California, Here You Come"  in the article below.
But I don't know exactly what it means or under what situation you native English
speakers say it.
whole story:http://www.sunset.com/travel/california/california-here-you-come


texts: All of the queries vs all the queries that you may have

texts:
Let's say you are an appointment setter. Then you said (from your company's script) this line to your potential client.

  "Hello, I'm gonna ask you only 3 questions to verify the information that we have here, then we will connect you to our specialist to answer all OF the queries that you may have."

Vs.

  "Hello, I'm gonna ask you only 3 questions to verify the information that we have here, then we will connect you to our specialist to answer all the queries that you may have."

I don't see any difference here, I need help which should I use?


texts:
Could someone please provide clarification regarding the comma in the sentence below? I thought that participle clauses did not require a comma unless they began the sentence (e.g. "Despite having read the article several times, the student was unable to express the author's main point").

  The student was unable to express the author's main point, despite having read the article several times.


texts: Comparing "more than" and "more than what"

texts:
Google Search shows 765,000,000 results for "more than what". So, assuming that A is "standard" English, I wonder if B is really acceptable, or not.

  A. I love English more than others do.

  B. I love English more than what others do.

If B is acceptable English, are there circumstances in which we must prefer this one to A?


texts: Is "a bottle of wine" outdated to refer to alcoholic drink?

texts:
I asked a friend in UK and got a confirmation the following sentence is an everyday language in UK.

  "buy a bottle of wine"

However, searching for the keywords "a bottle of wine" on Amazon gives me this:

just empty wine bottles.

"buy a bottle of wine" seems better, search results includes some wine bottle openers and bottles of wine:

Simply "wine" gives the most weird, which is Women's Slippers!

Is "a bottle of wine" too old-time to get what I want? If yes, what keywords should I use?


texts: "Whole Wide World" , "Whole World" , "World" Any Difference?

texts:
Traveling the world.

  Traveling the whole world.

  Traveling the whole wide word.

Is there any difference between these or is it just dressing up?


texts: The difference among "type of", "sort of", "kind of" and "style of" when referring to categories

texts:
This video (https://youtu.be/4kuhQzbc2Tw) says "type of", "sort of", "kind of" and "style of" are all the same when referring to categories.

What type of music do you like?
What kind of music do you like?
What sort of music do you like?
What style of music do you like?

All of them is to talk about the favorite category.

I got some other sense about this, "type of" would be used in some more formal cases, such as written English; while "sort of", "kind of" would be used in some less formal cases; all of them mean some categories.

The following sentence sounds normal.

Adverbs are a type of words that describe verbs adjectives other adverbs or clauses.
Adverbs are a sort of words that describe verbs adjectives other adverbs or clauses.
Adverbs are a kind of words that describe verbs adjectives other adverbs or clauses.

While this one
    Adverbs are a style of words that describe verbs adjectives other adverbs or clauses.

seems a little bit strange,

As for "style", this one

jazz is a style of music

is more idiomatic, though this one

jazz is a genre of music

seems better.

Is my understanding above correct?


texts: What's the meaning and usage of "One such proposal is FOR" and "The concept is OF"?

texts:
Could you guys please explain about these sentences?

One such proposal is FOR the vertical farm.
The concept is OF multi-storey buildings

I can't understand about FOR and OF in these sentences.

'Many believe an entirely new approach to indoor farming is required, employing cutting-edge technologies. One such proposal is FOR the ‘Vertical Farm’. The concept is OF multi-storey buildings in which food crops are grown in environmentally controlled conditions.'

Can 'consist of' be used as the same meaning as 'be of' in this context? Are there any other words or terms to replace these words in this instance?


texts: expression for doing something two separate times

texts:
I was making a bottle of coffee, about the size of two cups of coffee,
and someone told me "that's a lot of coffee to drink"

Yes, if I drink all that in one go,
but I was going to drink half first and save the other half for later

I wanted to say something like "I am going to drink it in two separate times"
but the sentence seems quite unnatural to me;

Is there a better way to phrase it?


texts: What is difference between grains and seeds?

texts:
What is the difference between grains and seeds?

  Both diets include lots of vegetables and fruits; whole grains; nuts
  and seeds; and more seafood than meat.


texts: What would you call this weird metallic apparatus that allows you to lift people?

texts: The metallic bar that forms like a sort of inclined v, what would you call it. What's the most specific term you can find for it, and what's the most general term (name not related to its function if it's possible) you can find for it? I would like both, because this is a tricky object to describe.


texts: Can I say "Jack thought him incapable" in English meaning, "Jack thought of him as of an incapable person" or is it completely wrong in English to say that?


texts:
I've got another definition (for a noun) to write, this time for "emergency lever" (again, no defs found in dictionaries).
Is

  A lever to be actuated in case of an emergency situation, for
  example to turn off a machine or stop the movement of a vehicle.

an accurate definition?


texts:
From the Cambridge Dictionary

in accordance with: following or obeying a rule, law, wish, etc.

In a English classroom

Teacher: "Kenneth, make a sentence with 'some', please."

Kenneth: "OK. Measure theory is difficult for someone like me to understand."

Teacher: "Anthony, is the sentence grammatically correct?"

Anthony: "'someone' is usually used to refer to a single person, so does the pronoun 'me', the use is in accordance with the definition, so Kenneth's sentence is grammatically correct."

I understand that the meaning of the idiom, I would just like to make sure my use is correct. Could someone help me on this?


texts: Why should I write "she asked me to not phone" instead of the usual "she asked me not to phone"

texts:
While studying for a grammar exam (I'm a foreigner speaker) one example said
"she asked me to not phone" instead of the usual order "she asked me not to phone".
The only thing that came to my mind is that being "ask to" a phrasal we can't avoid the "to" after the pronoun so we don't write a second "to" to avoid cacophony because in fact we should write "she asked me to not to phone".
Am I right? Can anyone elaborate?
Thank you in advance


texts:
Does anybody find a definition for it? I googled it but I couldn't find one.

"Earlier this year, Melinda Gates told Time Magazine that when raising a feminist son, she often thinks back to how her own parents taught her that she could do anything her brothers could."

Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2017/11/27/Michelle-Obama-warren-Buffett-and-bill-Gates-all-use-this-parenting-lesson-to-empower-their-kids.html


texts: Is this conditional structure right: “If you didn't see him, he would have gone to England.”

texts:
Suppose you tell your friend that he might not meet Alex at the meeting, because Alex is going to another country. So you say:

  If you didn't see him, he would have gone to England.

Here then are my questions:

I want to use something I’ve heard called the “second mixed conditional”. Is it appropriate for this?
Can this structure be used in another interpretation, and if so, which one?
Can it be that the condition (meaning the part after the if) does not lead to a result (meaning the part after the comma)?
How can I express such a situation?


texts: Spelling/pronunciation of "gross" different from "moss","floss", "loss", "toss" etc

texts:
I am puzzled by the spelling of "gross". I always heard it pronounced as a diphthong, and my dictionaries confirm this. Now my English teachers always taught me that while a repeated consonant in spelling can indicate several things (that the preceding vowel is short, or in a preterite form that the stress is on the preceding syllable), the preceding vowel is never a diphthong.

In fact, "gross" is the only exception that I know of to this rule.

Why is "gross" an exception and pronounced unlike "moss", "floss", "loss", "toss", etc.?


texts: Is "sniff in" used correctly in this sentence?

texts:
The drug addict sniffed in a line of powder. His eyes then suddenly
  became red and he became excited and agitated. His eyes became
  blod-shot red and his breathing shallow and labored.

I am not sure if "sniffed in" is correct.


texts: Difference between 'Is came/has came/ came'

texts:
What is the difference in meaning if we use "is" in the sentence below?

a) What is came first egg or chicken?
b) what came first egg or chicken?
c) what has came first egg or chicken?


texts: What's the meaning of "They can be more perfect than is convenient."

texts:
They can be more perfect than is convenient.

I search several dictionaries but can't find any explanation of the phrase of more perfect than is convenient How should I understand this phrase?


texts: Is it common to write "dreams" (in plural) even if it's composed of only one objective/item?

texts:
Let's say, there's this woman, Mary. Her dream is to have a baby. One day, she goes to the doctor and finds out her ovaries are dying very fast.

Should I write dream with and s or without an s?:

  Mary's ovaries will die very soon, together with her dream(s).

Logic tells me that I should use "dream" (singular) since it consists of only one objective/item. However, it could also be "dreams" if you consider the dream as a whole, long-lasting experience(s). But I'm not very sure ...


texts: Can 'You are the man!' be used for a woman?

texts:
'You are the man!' seems to be an idiom. According to the Cambridge, it means:

  used to praise a person who has done something well

But as I understand, it should mean someone is the right person to do something.

Questions:

What does 'You are the man!' truly mean?
Can it also be used for a woman?
Can we say 'She is the man!'


texts:
Suppose the following scenario; which one of the listed answers would work here? '1' or '2' or both sound natural to you as natives?

  Person B) Hey Andy, I finally proposed to her!

  Person A) Really? Cool; and what was her answer?

  Person B)

  1) - She had a positive response.

  2) - His response was positive.


texts:
It is written in an e-mail that You receive this e-mail as you have been assigned to a project.
I could not understand its actual meaning. Does it say you are assigned to a project or if you are assigned to a project...
Thanks!


texts:
The coup was ______ in this country by the United States.

  It was indeed United States that ______ the coup in this country.

  If the problems take a turn to the worse, then the army would ______ a
  coup.

I want a verb for the blanks. In the above contexts, the United States or the army are meant to be the main agency in doing the coup.

I thought about run/ran and set. Are these idiomatic suggestions? Any better suggestions?