texts:
Will you be home over the summer vacation?

  Will you be home during the summer vacation?

  Over a period of ten years he stole a million pounds from the company.

  During a period of ten years he stole a million pounds from the company.

  Wages have fallen by more than twenty percent over the past two months...

  Wages have fallen by more than twenty percent during the past two months...

  Plants need to be looked after and protected over bad weather

  Plants need to be looked after and protected during bad weather

  American business in Britain over the 1950s grew much faster than British business.

  American business in Britain during the 1950s grew much faster than British business.

  Over his lifetime he was relatively unknown

  During his lifetime he was relatively unknown

  Many strikes over the last few years have not ended successfully...

  Many strikes during the last few years have not ended successfully...

These twin packed sentences are used with over and during respectively. Which of them are correct or make more sense than his counterpart? Or in some cases, are they similar and can be used interchangeably. What's more, are there cases in which they both fit into but have different implications.


texts: Is or was, or would either option be correct?

texts:
For this sentence here "

  The Oruanui eruption of the Taupo Volcano was the world's largest known eruption in the past 70,000 years"

is the use of "was" implying that it is no longer the largest known eruption?


texts: Is this sentence grammatically correct ?

texts: It is very clear that the Employer’s fulfilling its obligations is a must for the performance of SAT4 test since it is impossible to carry out SAT4 activities without having IC and freight trains.


texts: Is "or easy" needed in "... cannot determine how hard or easy it is ..."?

texts:
In the following sentence, is it redundant to write "or easy"? Would writing "how hard it is" be enough?

  Based on the regional unemployment rate alone, the program cannot effectively determine how hard or easy it is for a worker to find new employment in a given region.

I am trying to use the word "hard" as a scale here. I was told that just writing "cannot determine how hard it is" could imply that the program CAN determine how easy it is for one to find work, but not how hard it is.

If I can in fact just write "how hard it is", then I could also probably write "how difficult it is".

Here is some context:

Region A: Unemployment rate 7% (it is assumed that it is not hard for workers to find a job in this region; so its easy)
Region B: Unemployment rate 9% (it is assumed that it is hard for workers to find a job in this region)
Region C: Unemployment rate 12% (it is assumed that it is extremely hard for workers to find a job in this region)

Many people object to writing "I am wondering whether or not I should ask her out". They prefer "I am wondering whether I should ask her out".


texts: “Our class’ picnic” or “Our class picnic”

texts:
I have an exercise which requires me to choose the incorrect word or phrase in a sentence and correct it:

  We all looked forward to going on our class's picnic on the last day of the semester.

It is clear that our class's picnic is the wrong part, so I chose it and corrected it to our class' picnic. However, my teacher's correction is our class picnic. I wonder that which correction is true and why the others is wrong.


texts: What does client space mean in this context?

texts:
I am learning programming with Python. Recently i have been reading an article tutoring how to make graphical interface for programs and etc. I came across a sentence which doesn't make sense.

Sentence :

  Here we put the Frame widget, accessed via the self attribute to the Tk root window. It is expanded in both directions. In other words, it takes the whole client space of the root window.

What does client space mean here? I have searched over many dictionaries and the word client either means customer or a PC or Workstation which is using services provided by a server.

I would appreciate so much anyone who could put time and help me. Thanks.


texts: Is it incorrect to say, "You say you will if you could but you can't"?

texts:
Sorry for my bad English.

I was listening the music Seaside Rendezvous from the Queen and in this song Freddie Mercury sings this phrase, but the correct way to write wouldn't be "You say you will if you could but you can't"?


texts: Do I place the cursor 'in a cell' or 'on a cell' when working on a spreadsheet?

texts:
This is about Microsoft Excel: I don't know, if I should say:

  Place the cursor in cell A5 or
  Place the cursor on cell A5

or maybe something completely different?

I'd say "on" simply because Excel won't be in edit mode yet, so the cursor isn't flashing inside the cell. Does that make sense?


texts:
You simply seethe with unlikely emotions.

The line is taken from a play called " Visit to a small planet". Actually I'm preparing for exams and there is a MCQ which I'm having a problem with.

Which of the following options would be the best synonym for "seethe"?

hate
avoid
show
fume


texts:
Does the following sentence sound fine?

  Now, I'm looking for any opportunity that will be able to improve my
  financial shape/condition

I tried to say that I want to have more money than I do now.


texts:
I've found a sentence that sounds weird to me from ted video.

He is talking about why we all need to practice emotional first aid.

and here's a sentence.

  Our minds and our feelings, they're not the trustworthy friends we thought they were.

I think this sentence would sound better, if I rephrase like this.

  Our minds and our feelings, they're not as trustworthy friends as we think they are

I have no idea why he used past tense: thought and were.
Am I right to think this way?


texts: Would this be considered as a proper acronym?

texts:
I know acronyms are like abbreviation of words. For example, LASER would be Light Amplification by Simulated Emission of Radiation and SCUBA would be Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus.

So, I came across an acronym CIBER as in Collaborative Initiative for Bee Research. I do not see where the E in that acronym comes in but I could guess that it came from BEe.

I have been taught that in acronyms, one letter should only represent only one word. Would CIBER be accepted as a proper acronym? If so, is there a rule that I am not aware of?


texts: Meaning - 'the subject can even be predicated of itself'

texts:
Source: Ch 3,
Section 2, Critique of Pure Reason, by Kant, translated by Norman Kemp Smith

I should have hoped to put an end to these idle and fruitless disputations in a direct manner, by an accurate determination of the concept of existence, had I not found that the illusion which is caused by the confusion of a logical with a real predicate (that is, with a predicate which determines a thing) is almost beyond correction. Anything we please can be made to serve as a logical predicate; the subject can even be predicated of itself; for logic abstracts from all content. But a determining predicate is a predicate which is added to the concept of the subject and enlarges it. Consequently, it must not be already contained in the concept.
predicate = [with object] 1. {Grammar & Logic} state, affirm, or assert (something) about the subject of a sentence or an argument of a proposition

I recast user John Lawler's comment: Denote A a human agent, P a predicate; X the argument of P.
A predicates P of X   =   P is predicated by A of X   =    Say( A, P(X) ).
Yet I remain confused. I don't see any human agent here,  How do you determine/deduce the meaning of the bolded? How can a subject predicate itself?
Footnote: This bolded phrase features as the first Example Sentence at ODO.


texts: I would deny that report.(intention vs imaginary condition?)

texts:
There is a sentence, "I would deny that report".
and here is another sentence and explanation.
ex)
I would attend the party.
Means I'm not going to the party, unless something else is happens.
when I refer to the second sentence, I can't know the subject will deny the report or not.
How can I understand?


texts:
In the phrase 'without excessively worrying', is worrying a gerund or a present participle ?

A website where I was reading about prepositional phrases, marked the word as a gerund. What I am wondering is, gerunds being noun forms are not supposed to be modified by adverbs such as 'excessively' in this case.

I need some clarification on this.


texts: Can words "astonishing and astounding" be used in negative way?

texts:
In example sentences in some dictionaries these words are used in positive sense like splendid or hypnotizing..But I'd like to ask if it is possible to use these astonishing/astounding in the following sentence.

  I was astonished/astounded when I saw my boyfriend was kissing my
  sister.

I know some adjective neutral so they can be used in both way..For example, for me stunning and striking depicts more positive images whereas shocking is more negative..

or

  "The news of president's death astonished the world"


texts: Should I use 'dump pocket' or 'dumping pocket' in this situation?

texts: You have a small toy dump truck filled with some stuff, and you are about to dump it out into your pocket. Now you want to call this pocket with extra adjective dump. Should it be "a dump pocket" or "a dumping pocket"?


texts: Is it okay to say "The nurse put a needle into the patient's blood vein" or is there a better way of describing this usual action performed by nurses in hospital?


texts: A parentless child is an orphan, but the parents who lost their child are?

texts:
A parentless child is referred to as orphan but is there any term for the opposite case? The parents who have lost their child.

Childless is NOT I'm looking for -that's without offspring and may mean that the couple is infertile.


texts: What does "washing all traces of the snow away *in clear, icy ribbons down* the side of the walkway" mean?

texts:
I didn't really want to walk to class with Mike as usual — he seemed to be a
popular target for the snowball snipers — but when we went to the door,
everyone besides me groaned in unison. It was raining, washing all traces of the
snow away in clear, icy ribbons down the side of the walkway. I pulled my hood
up, secretly pleased. I would be free to go straight home after Gym.

I kind of get what the part marked in stars means, but don't understand exactly what it means.
So does "in" here indicate the way/fashion/manner the rain melted snow away? And what about the "ribbons"? is it also what the scene looked like when the rain swept away some of the snow? and what's the function of "down"?
As you can tell, I'm totally lost with this sentence and I'd really appreciate it if you could help me with it. Thanks in advance!


texts: Can we 'count' uncountable nouns using 'those'?

texts:
Is this example sentence grammatically correct?

  I like music that emanates life, such as those composed by Beethoven.

Music is an uncountable noun, but isn't "those" the plural of "that"? I'm confused.


texts: A verb to convey "taking no notice to something for awhile"

texts:
I was wondering which verb is usually used instead of the bold verb below:

  During my journey to that country, I hired a bicycle. When I was taking some pictures at the X square, I just took no notice to my bicycle for a few seconds, and as soon as I turned my face it was vanished into thin air; I even didn't realize how they stole it!

In the sentence above, I have no idea what (phrasal)verb normally is used to indicate "usually" a short period of unawreness of something or taking no notice to something or paying no attention to something often because you are distracted or paying attention to something/someone else?

Please help me to find the proper verb for this meaning.


texts:
I have read both but not sure which means what?

  There are many such products available on the market.
  There are many such products available in the market.

Note: I'm pretty clear about using on while describing the product availability on the Internet where in does not sound okay to me.


texts:
hello im having serious trouble identifying the clauses in these sentences.

A healthy diet should be a balanced one with a variety of foods from each of the food groups. Obviously, these should be eaten in the right proportions.
Being the bodys main source of energy, starchy foods such as potatoes, rice and pasta should make up a third of your diet. Try to select the whole grain variety of these essential carbohydrates.

My problem is that all my references and resources always refer to a 3rd party. like
He will
They do
She did
but nowhere is my references does it use the word your.
Any help would be appreciated.


texts: Does "quantitative" have a comparative and a superlative?

texts:
While academic fields can create their own algorithms for
  field-specific problems, they are all joined together by the same
  basic concepts about finding the best and most quantitative ways to
  tie causes to effects.

Just as "most perfect" or "most square" are nonsensical, does "most quantitative" make any sense?


texts: What's the difference between 'people that run' and ' running people'?

texts:
I want to know the difference between 'people that run' and ' running people'in meaning.

I know the people that run.
I know the running people.

What is the difference between two sentences above?


texts:
This sentence meaning question:

  My grandmother is always at home in the evenings.

To

  My grandmother is always at home every evenings.

What's the difference between the two? It seems to me that they are similar in context, BUT I'm not sure.


texts: is past perfect continuous used in this case to emphasize the cause of something

texts:
We did not drink very much at all (one vodka each) but other young people had been drinking heavily all evening. Some of the dancers looked quite drunk.

I don't understand why it is past perfect continous for the second verb. In fact I understand the continuity(all the evening): but why past perfect for the second verb and not for the first one, both action happened roughly at  the same time (all the evening)   I see one reason it is because it is the cause of why the dancers looked drunk

some of the dancers looked drunk because they had been drinking all the evening

Would have been possible to use past perfect simple for the first one

We had not drunk very much at all (one vodka each) but other young people had been drinking heavily all evening. Some of the dancers looked quite drunk.

OR past simple and past simple continuous

We did not drink very much at all (one vodka each) but other young people were drinking heavily all evening. Some of the dancers looked quite drunk.

https://fr.scribd.com/doc/112456062/10-Texts-to-Revise-Mixed-Tenses-With-Key


texts:
I have some question about the possible equivalence of "in", "inside", and "within" in the following sentences:

  There was disagreement in the committee.
  There was disagreement inside the committee.
  There was disagreement within the committee.

Are the three sentences the same, or do "in", "inside" and "within" bring out some differences?


texts: Special term/phrase for the 'perfect' or 'impossible' object or solution?

texts:
In German there is a phrase that describes a fictional animal that can lay eggs and at the same time provide wool, milk and meat. Also this animal manages to finish your tasks yesterday (funny).

This animal is metaphorically describing a solution with only advantages and no losses. You can hear it, for example, in meetings and discussions when nobody wants to give in.
Somebody might say "Oh I see, we need a "Eierlegende Woll-Milch-Sau" here!".

The phrase is:

  "Eierlegende Woll-Milch-Sau(, die seit gestern schon fertig ist.)"
  German article about this.
  English article about this.

Translated each word separately, this would give you:

  Egg laying wool-milk-sow (being done since yesterday).

So is there a common term natives use sometimes to describe the same thing in English?
What I've found so far is a "chief cook and bottle washer", who obviously can't compete with the German animal.

EDIT

Summary of answers (so far):

  We need to find a silver bullet otherwise we will not meet our targets.
  We won't ever finish our project if we keep trying to invent a Holy Grail.
  My boss is asking the impossible!
  I'm not a miracle-worker. He might as well ask me to part the red sea/walk on water/for a unicorn.

It should ironically point out that something is impossible.

  Yes...Sure, I am to invent a holy grail for him. What a @#!"#&*!


texts:
I know that know no bounds actually means “have no bounds”, “exist with no limits”. For example,

  “His self-glorification knew no bounds”

can mean he may have thought that there’s no hero too glorious, no god too mighty to escape the comparison with him.

But, my question is if

  “His self-glorification reached no bounds”

means the very same thing. Or could it mean that he might be a quite modest man, not with too much ego, that he never went beyond the bounds?

PS: I have never met “reach no bounds”, that’s just my guess. Is it odd to be used by a native speaker? Any help would be appreciated.


texts:
I'm not sure if this sort of question has ever been asked, and it's surprisingly difficult to do a productive generic search for this contextual expression (contextual as in involving numbers). I always thought it was grammatical to say "[number other than 1] feet [number]", but I've recently come across this quote from Mia March's Finding Colin Forth which left me confused:

"Bea was five foot ten, and Tommy made her feel kind of dainty for once."

So my questions are: Which is correct? Five foot ten or five feet ten? Why would such a formula as [number other than 1] foot [number] make an exception out of the regular rule [number other than 1] feet?


texts: What is the proper antonym for "Optimum"?

texts:
What is the antonym of "optimal" in the following context:

  The utilization of organic fertilizer with "non-optimal" formula becomes a stimulant for farmers.


texts: Best way to say after calling someone and no answer!

texts:
What is the best formal way to document when you called someone and did not succeed to get hold of him/her?

I am usually documented the case as calling Mr X but no answer, but have the feeling could be much more better than this simple words.


texts: Translation of the sentence from a cover of a book

texts: "THE HISTORICAL ANTIDOTE TO WHAT ISN'T WORKING TODAY" I found this sentence on a cover of a book.I do not think that the sentence is not the same as "the historical antidote which is not working today".It means that the antidote from the past for something which is not working at present.Right?


texts: “I cannot speak French” vs “I do not speak French”

texts:
Which is better English?

  I cannot speak French

Or

  I do not speak French

Oxford Dictionaries tell me that can means: be able to through acquired knowledge or skill and also supply this example, “I can speak Italian.”

Therefore both sentences refer to the ability to speak a language, and either one is an appropriate response to the question, “What languages do you speak?”

Which form is more idiomatic? Is there really a difference in meaning?


texts: Is the "impersonal you" used in the normal nowadays conversation?

texts:
When I took my English classes, I was taught that you can be used as impersonal you, for example when giving instructions to whoever is reading instructions; it is not referring to a specific person, but to whomever read them.

  Be sure you connected the cable to the correct plug-in. If you aren't sure which is the correct plug-in, try connecting to a web site, and see the error you get.

Talking with a friend on mine, who was born in USA, I noticed she was confused from my use of the impersonal you.

Does that mean the impersonal you is not used anymore, or is the confusion raised from something else?


texts: I would like to understand Difference between the use of "I am able to .... " And "I have been able to..." while writing formal/official emails. Do I need to add perfect tense always while writing formal mails?


texts:
I heard this on a radio show.

  Who said this verbatim?
  Well... Obama?
  That would be correct!

Why do you need to weaken your assertiveness by using "would be" instead of "that is correct?"


texts:
Question:

Is it idiomatic to say:

  l'll be speaking English like a native speaker by the time I've been in the US for 30 years.

  I'll be speaking English like a native speaker when I've lived in the US for 30 years.

I don't know why but these sound weird to me, however, I can't think of a different way to put this in a sentence.


texts:
I helped students to write a letter

I helped students to write letters

I met people who had a dream.

I met people who had dreams.

Which is correct?
When the agent is plural,  the corresponding noun should be also plural?


texts: When a child is isolating himself from the other chidren

texts:
Please suppose that a kindergarten teacher notices that a child tends to separate himself from the other children and this behavior is getting more severe as time passes. The teacher decides to inform it to the child's parents. Does the self-made sentence below work here and sound natural? If not, I was wondering if you could tell me how a native speaker would say the same thing:

  Your child seems to be a loner and I have no idea why he keeps isolating himself from the other children.


texts:
How many syllables are there in the words "castle" and "seven"? I realize that my question looks silly, but I can't understand why the words with the mute E, like "castle", have 2 syllables as this website                    states. It isn't normally pronounced as /ˈkɑːsəl/, but  /ˈkɑːsl/.

"The chin method" doesn't seem to work with the word "seven" since it is pronounced as /ˈsevn/, and your chin touches your hand only one time (but there are 2 vowels in the word, and pronunciation of the second one depends on a person's articulation :).


texts:
In my country, there're a lot of street name like "Number 8", "Number 12",...etc

How to write it in English? I usually see something like "8th Street" or "Street No.8", but I don't know the difference.

Can you give me some information about it?
Thank you!


texts: Is "become" both stative and dynamic verb

texts: Since it is OK to say "The house is becoming more expensive", become can be a dynamic verb for dynamic verbs allow the progressive tense. I wonder if become is also considered as a stative verb.


texts:
What are some idiomatic AmE sayings to mean "to change lanes?"

"Get over (to the other lane)" I hear this one from my roommate.
"Cross (to the other lane)?"
"Cross over?"


texts:
My mother tongue is Hindi. I also like to speak, write, read and learn English.

My English is weak, I fear to speak English with my friends, Social media, and with professionals. I've fear about grammar, syntax arrangement, and pronunciations. Because, they point out me, immediately (sometime).

My question is:

Please, can you tell me, how to improve spoken English?


texts:
If we want to compare a company's employees by the number of time they responded to an email:

  Employee A: number of responses = x

  or

  Employee A: number of responds = x

Which is more accurate in this context?


texts:
What's the word for "stationed", but for non-military people? I am thinking about non-military personnel such as ambassadors, and other non-military people working abroad.

For example:

  The U.S. ambassadors are stationed in Ottawa.

  The Canadian government forced the U.S. embassy out of Ottawa and forced them to set up in Toronto so the ambassadors would be stationed closer to the U.S.


texts:
The furniture of the den, a cement-floored room that ran the length of the house, consisted almost entirely of his carpentry (shelves, tables, stools, a ping-pong table) and Nacy's needlework (chintz slip covers that rejunvenated a decrepit couch, curtains, pillows bearing the legends: "Happy?" and "You don't have to be crazy to live here, but it helps").

I found this is the book "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote

What does "You don't have to be crazy to live here, but it helps." mean?


texts: "Although" and "even though" in a single sentence

texts:
Can we use although and even though in a single sentence?

For example:

  Although significant inroads have been made in recent decades, women continue to be underrepresented in fields related to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), even though more women than men now attend college.

If not, how can I make this sentence clear?


texts: Why doesn’t “king” have an article in “The lion is king of the jungle”?

texts:
I am learning articles and trying to understand some edge cases.

Help me to decipher the role (the meaning) of articles in this sentence:

  The lion is king of the jungle.

The lion - is a generic reference to all lions as a class. It can be changed to Lions: Lions are kings of the jungle, the meaning will remain the same.

How did I understand it is the generic reference? Because it is the first occurrence of the word lion in the text, but it is preceded by the The article. It suggests the author wasn't implying a specific instance of lion (his pet, for example), but a species in the family Felidae.
A lion in this case is valid grammatically, but the meaning will change to "any member of the lion species", not the species as whole.
The article about generic nouns.
The definite article with a whole class.

king of the jungle

king - in my opinion this noun should have the the article. Because it is singular and countable, therefore some article is necessary if it is not exception. The a article isn't suitable here, because the king noun is specified by the of the jungle construction: which king? - of the jungle, not any general king. May be the king title  doesn't require an article, like breakfast, basketball, etc? But this rule says no - The definite article with titles and positions.
the jungle - the same meaning as in the The lion case. Generic reference to all jungles as a class, because it is the first occurrence of the jungle word in the text and has the the article. Also interchangeable with jungles.

Result: Lions (species, general) are the kings (title, specific) of jungles (land cover, general).

Two questions:

Is my interpretation correct?
Why doesn't king have the the article?

Note - The  Oxford Dictionary says: "The lion is the king of the jungle."


texts:
For some reason, take a medicine doesn't sound natural to my ears.

Is the phrase take a medicine wrong or unnatural?

I would usually say:

  take a pill

or

  take some medicine

What word would you use to emphasise that the pill is legitimate and medical?

More on the word medicine

Wiktionary and Online Oxford Dictionary seem to say that the word is countable.
I thought I could use the word medicine as a group of things, pills, liquid, that you take to help you recover from an illness. So I thought it was a mass noun.

What does it mean if you say a medicine?
I couldn't find a good example sentence. However, I could find some sentences that use the word in the plural form.

Is it only used in the plural form when it is used as a countable noun?


texts:
https://www.lingq.com/lesson/lesson-27-using-humor-in-a-speech-431422/

COMEDIAN:

The easiest way to find out if your speech is funny is to practice on people before you make it. If it’s not funny, you’ll soon know. But if it is, you’ll get a laugh. Now, if it’s a small laugh, like a Tee hee - a titter - then maybe they’re just being polite. If it’s a proper belly laugh, then you know your joke really is funny.

What does Tee hee mean? There are some definitions on the dictionaries, but none of them are clear. I need some examples. I need to watch and hear a Tee-hee to understand the meaning. Are there any video on the web to watch and hear a Tee hee?


texts: "Foundations" as title of an introductory section

texts:
I'm currently reviewing an academic paper written by a non-native English writer.  The paper has an introductory section titled "Foundations" which contains definitions of later used terminology as well as short summaries of relevant subjects.

Does "Foundations" appropriately describe such a section? I was under the impression that it's mostly used to mean either a part of a building or the "assumed common" knowledge of a whole science branch ("foundations of mathematics" for example).  I've seen such sections being titled for example as "Background". Would that be more appropriate?


texts: How many people/something would you imagine when you hear a phrase "a number of"?

texts:
Definitions of "a number of":

Collins Dictionary at https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/a-number-of

an unspecified number of; several or many

Merriam-Webster at https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/a%20number%20of

more than two but fewer than many : several

Oxford at https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/academic/number1?q=number

several people or things; some

According to Collins Dictionary, the phrase could possibly mean two or many -10 or even more for instance- while Merriam-Webster excludes both two and many.
What number would you imagine from the phrase "a number of"? Would it be somewhere around

two to five,
six to nine, or
more than 10

It would probably depend on the context, but I feel that the phrase is often used in an ambiguous context like the below one.

On November 26th, a number of NSO Group's workers filed a lawsuit
against Facebook, claiming that the social-media giant has unfairly
blocked their private accounts.
https://www.economist.com/business/2019/12/12/offering-software-for-snooping-to-governments-is-a-booming-business

How many workers approximately do you guess filed a lawsuit against Facebook?


texts: Is "which may causes" the correct phrase?

texts: I'm just practicing passage reconstruction. Here I've formed a phrase "Organic former usually use natural pesticides and fertilizers instead using chemical pesticide which may causes economic damage to agricultural productivity." for respective phrase from a passage "Organic farmers use natural pesticides and fertilizers.". I've used "which may causes" to form the phrase. Is this correct?


texts:
I am in search of a term that denotes an elongated, cylindrical (with circular cross-section) strip. One that you'd use to describe the body shape of a hose (but not hollow) or a phone charger cord, and around that thickness but not rigid (rod).

I need it for a short story I am writing. Here's an example sentence I want to use it in

  The weirdly coloured toothpaste came out in a ...

Here is an image of the kind of object I want to describe.


texts: Can we use the adverb only at the start of a sentence and followed by a subject?

texts:
Only I need is

Who knows the reason why grammatically or semantically the phrase above is wrong?


texts: Say I love a someone very much and I spend a lot of time with them. I’d like to know others ways to express knowing them. I have a few words in mind like building up a connection, a bond, intimacy, etc these words are ambiguous to me, and I end up juggling which word fits right in this kind of circumstance.


texts:
This is the definition of choke up from Collins Dictionary:

  (informal) usually passive to overcome (a person) with emotion, esp without due cause

What does due cause in the definition mean? I've looked up the word due, but there isn't a definition that seems appropriate to the context.


texts:
I checked the synonyms for "Instant" and I found a few odd results:

Synonyms (top 3 results) :

  burning
  contemporary
  crying

How are these words connected to the word 'Instant'?
 A synonym is clearly defined as:

  a word (or words) or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word or phrase in the same language.

How do these suggestions mean exactly or nearly what "instant" means ?


texts:
In business, that means staying on top of current events, reading about new developments, being intellectually curious about what’s going to happen next, and responding to a dynamic economy in the best way possible.
  (Become an Elite Mental Athlete    By David Siverstein)

Does the phrase "reading about new developments" mean
(1) reading newly developed news   OR
(2) reading about some new developments such as new drugs, new electronic cars, etc?  Could you help me clarify it?  Thanks.


texts:
How to say don't make a place ugly/untidy?

I have seen "Don't litter" boards in Railway stations; but can we use it in other places like, "Don't litter your room/car (keep it clean)"


texts:
When making money is not a problem for a company, making money is a means, and the  dream is the aim. However, even when making money is a problem, making money itself is the aim.

Can I use even to emphasize the time the company have difficulty in making money?


texts: Why is it "Here you are!" but "Here comes the teacher."?

texts: Why is it "Here you are!" but "Here comes the teacher." ? I'm quite confused. When should I use inversion?


texts: How can I use "in spite of" rather than "although"?

texts:
My health hasn't improved although I take prescribed medicine regularly.

If I rewrite this sentence by using " In spite of ", should the pronoun "I" be put or not? For example:

  In spite of I taking prescribed medicine regularly, my health hasn't improved.


texts:
Let's say I want to arrange a lesson with my coach and I say:

Shall we have a lesson on Monday?

I understand the use of 'shall' in American English is considered to be formal, whereas this is not the case in British English.
I would like to understand the different connotations (is it formal? is it a request for confirmation? is it a suggestion?) that the following questions have:

A. Shall we have a lesson on Monday?
B. Can we have a lesson on Monday?
C. Should we have a lesson on Monday?
D. Could we have a lesson on Monday?
E. Are we having a lesson on Monday?
F. Will we have a lesson on Monday?
G. Are we going to have a lesson on Monday?


texts:
I want to say that the students sketched vertical asymptote instead of horizontal asymptote. Should I double "asymptote" or:

  sketched vertical asymptote instead of horizontal


texts:
Vance uses the psychological term “learned helplessness” to describe the resignation of his peers, many of whom have given up on the idea of upward mobility in a region that they see as permanently left behind. Writing in a higher register, he says that there is something “almost spiritual about the cynicism” in his home town. (source: The New Yorker, The Lives of Poor White People)

What's the meaning of 'higher register' here?


texts: "drinking alcohol" vs "consuming alcohol". What's the difference?

texts:
eg.

  He would will recover from his ailment if he stops consuming/drinking alcohol.


texts:
Can I say the followings:

  Frog walks hopping.

  Snake walks crawling.

Are these sentences correct to use? Or simply crawl, hop, leap?

Thank you.


texts: Are reluctant and hesitant interchangeable?

texts: I kind of have an idea that "reluctant" and "hesitant" both have similar meanings, but I do not know the actual difference in the nuances they have. Could someone please teach me?


texts: What do you call the metallic ornaments on an armor?

texts: By metallic ornaments, I mean the ornaments that's part of the helmet on the far left side of the picture. What do you call them?


texts:
Her expression is demure, but there’s more than a hint of beauty.

What is it intended to convey? Is she beautiful, or not so beautiful?

Any help would be appreciated.


texts: What/Which towns do we go through on the way?

texts:
What is the difference between "what" and "which" here? Which one do we prefer? Do they mean the same?

What towns do we go through on the way?
Which towns do we go through on the way?


texts: Can a snake hide "in" or "into" a car's engine?

texts:
When it comes to prepositions I always have a hard time getting the precise meaning in context, but I also have great expectations from you to puzzle out my confusion.

We all know what a car's engine looks like. It's compact, without any hole and one can hardly imagine a snake entering it.

Let's consider the following:

  It turns out that these creatures have found a simple yet effective way to traverse the island. They hitchhike. "They love how warm car engines are," Robert tells me. "So they climb into them and end up getting driven all over the island."

or:

  A 5ft-long boa constrictor was found hiding in the engine of a Mini Cooper in Oxford, UK

If I were to say it I would have used next to the engine, beside the engine, on the engine, near the engine, etc.

So, taking into account the prepositions' in and into definitions, I quite can't figure out their usage.


texts:
Isn't it wrong to list interesting places as in text A before the Nasca lines in Peru without adding other places?

A: There are so many unusual and beautiful places in the world I can't name the best. One of the famous places is Venice in Italy. It's also beautiful there. The Nasca lines in Peru, Thor's well in the USA, Lake Hillier in Western Australia.

Should it be  "other places" or "the other places"?

B: There are so many unusual and beautiful places in the world I can't name the best. One of the famous places is Venice in Italy. It's also beautiful there. Other places are The Nasca lines in  Peru, Thor's well in The USA, Lake Hillier in Western Australia.


texts: What does "the exercise of vital powers along lines of excellence in a life affording them scope" mean?

texts:
Can anybody help me paraphrase Kennedy's sentence please? I don't understand it.

The problem with both such views, for Aristotle, is that they neglect the importance of fulfilling one’s potential. He cites approvingly the primordial Greek maxim that nobody can be called happy until he is dead: nobody wants to end up believing on his deathbed that he didn’t fulfil his potential. In her book The Top Five Regrets of the Dying (2011), the palliative nurse Bronnie Ware describes exactly the hazards that Aristotle advises us to avoid. Dying people say: ‘I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.’ John F Kennedy summed up Aristotelian happiness thus: ‘the exercise of vital powers along lines of excellence in a life affording them scope’.

Source: https://aeon.co/essays/what-can-aristotle-teach-us-about-the-routes-to-happiness


texts: As far as I know, acne is a pimple on a face. But how is a pimple inside a mouth (on a palate or on the inner wall of a lip or cheek) is called?


texts: "Open for suggestions" VS "Open to suggestions"

texts:
I wonder if it's grammatically correct to write: "We're open for your suggestions."
I know about the idiom: "open to something" but is it possible to use "for" instead of "to"? Or it is a mistake in any case...
Thank you in advance.


texts:
Can sentences end with 'only'? If yes, then in what cases you can or cannot?
For example

P2: I have had some problems but overall XYZ has been great.

P1: No, XYZ is a great product

P2: You misunderstood me. I was saying that only. / I was saying only that.


texts:
In case it isn't obvious: ewe,yew,Jew,U,hew,Hugh,hue,you. Given that English is not Chinese, this must be a record. But note that I'm a German and not familiar with "standard" English pronunciation. (Evidently I could just look up the phonetic transcription in a dictionary, but I'm not convinced, especially considering the multitude of English dialects.)
Thus: Which of these are true homophones, and which aren't (j vs. dj etc.)? And, since this was just a random but blatant example I came up with: Are there fine differences in English pronunciation a native speaker can hear, but aren't accounted by International Phonetic spelling?
(Context: I'm a fan of British comedy, but without subtitles I'm often lost, especially when it comes to puns. I just say "Four Candles"...)


texts: Can anybody explain "snipe" and "by spring" in this context for me, please?

texts:
"I think Elizabeth Warren and Hillary Clinton will be sniping at each other by spring," predicts Valliere.

source

I looked them up here but still couldn't understand them.


texts:
I'd like to know where to put "that is" when giving more precise information:

a. John bought a wolf-like dog, a Siberian husky, that is.

b. John bought a wolf-like dog, that is, a Siberian husky.

Are both positions correct? Can "that is" ever go to the end of a sentence?


texts: The difference in meaning between "There is no student who... " and "There was no student who... "?

texts:
There is no student who did not bring his or her ID cards to the examination hall.
  There was no student who did not bring his or her ID cards to the examination hall.

I'd like to know the difference in meaning of the two sentences.


texts: What languages and techniques "have" this product "been developed by"?

texts:
I am writing to a company to ask about one of its software products.

my question is:

  What programming languages and techniques have product_name been developed by?

am i using the have been and by correctly?


texts: Infant crying causes (the) release of stress hormones in both infants and adults

texts:
Infant crying causes release of stress hormones in both infants and
   adults.

or

  Infant crying causes the release of stress hormones in both infants and
  adults.

I would use the because it is a countable noun and from what I know it should have some determiner.


texts:
I read from several books and grammar websites that we don't use "would/will/shall" in "If clause".

But I was looking up the meaning of a word in Cambridge dictionary and I got stunned to see there "would" used even in "If clause".

The sentence is here:

  "If you would move sideways to the left, I can get everyone in the picture."

In the above sentence the modal future "would" has been used in the "If clause" either.

I'd like to know: why is the word "would" used in that if-clause, although the grammar books say not to do so.


texts: a line GOTO 1100 - why not "the line GOTO 1100"?

texts:
Source: Access 2010 Programmer's Reference

  In the early days of Basic and other procedural languages, lines were numbered, not named. For example, your code might have a line GOTO 1100.

I asked a native English speaker and he said that grammatically the sentences sounded absolutely fine to him. But, I still have qualms about the grammar. GOTO 1100 is basically something like a command (grammatically, a noun here), but what is the word line? To me, it sounds like it's a noun used as an adjective. So, wouldn't THE line GOTO 1100 be the only grammatically correct way to have it written? I just don't understand why it is A line GOTO 1100.

I'm really confused about how I should properly understand that.


texts: Why do we say “on that occasion” and “on your recommendation” but not “in”?

texts:
Why in these sentences is "in" and "on" written?
IN

The child ran down the steps in tears
In my opinion, we need a referendum.
They are happy in their marriage

ON

He was not thinking well on that occasion
We’ll hire him on your recommendation

could it be the other way around in each case?


texts: I know how to talk someone into doing what they don't want to do in AmE

texts:
In eastern massage techniques there are some sensitive points on body (and even some particular veins) that the massage therapist takes them or massages them and in this way the therapist would be able to put someone into sleep easily.

In my mother language there is an idiom which is used when you want to say:

I know someone's sensitive points and I can use them if they disagree to do something and change their opinions (meaning that I will talk to them into doing that specific thing or somehow I can persuade them to do something.)

I've heard three different sentences than it seems they can be used in this sense, but first I have no idea if they are natural and second I don't no they work here or there is a better choice here.

My Scenario [a conversation between a brother and a sister]:

  Dan, I'm sure mom won't buy that for us.
  Don't worry Diana! .......

  a) I have mother’s number when it comes to that.

  b) I know what makes mom tick.

  c) I know mother’s soft spot.


texts:
Why not say"surprise answer"but say"surprising answer"?

I'm an English learner.Can you tell me the reason? THANKS!


texts: Which is correct? “It is me/I who am your teacher”

texts:
Can you help me with this?
Are both sentences correct?

It is me who am your teacher

Or

It is I who am your teacher


texts: While using present continuous tense should I end it with time point?

texts:
While using present continuous tense should I end it with time point (based on the grammar rules)?

For example:

He is studying.

or

He is studying now

?

I was told in the past the when having present continuous tense I should add time point such as: now, right now, at the moment, or at present etc. But practically speaking I don't see that people follow such rule. What is the explanation for that? There are three possible choices: 1) I was told wrong thing 2) people wrong, 3) I didn't understand what I was told.


texts:
Which one should be correct fit for here?

  Tilted house on/ over silt

I think its "on", but need to be sure.


texts:
What are the differences among "bubbles", "suds" and "foam"?
From my understanding,
"bubbles"means the round, individual and see-through ones. "bubbles" can float in the air.
"suds" can not be individual ones. they are mass of bubbles. And they come from the soap or other cleanings. "suds" can not float in the air. they must attach to some surfaces.
"foam" can not be individual ones too. they are mass of bubbles too. they can be caused by chemical things. because of the small tiny bubbles, "foam" can not be see-through. Also, they can not float in the air.
They are my understandings. Am I right?
Could you give me some examples?


texts: Can I say "nurture their pride in their country"?

texts:
Is "nurture their pride in South Korea" a correct way to say? And, it is clear that "their" refers to early children?

The result of this study revealed that most kindergarten teachers acknowledged the need for Korean history education in early childhood, and many said it was necessary to nurture their pride in South Korea.


texts:
Assuming that there are three PCs: PC1, PC2, and PC3. PC1 is most expensive, and PC3 is cheapest.  In this case, does the following sentence make sense?

  I have three PCs: PC1, PC2, and PC3 that are (mentioned) in order of decreasing
  price.

More specifically, I would like to know whether it is possible to omit the verb "mentioned" or the like.


texts: Answering a question with "Me" instead of "I" +

texts:
I heard it from a movie.
Situation 1

Mommy: Who is ready for lunch?
A boy: I am.
A little girl : Me!

Situation 2

Mommy: Who wants to eat some ice cream?
A boy: I do.
A little girl : Me!

I think "me" is an object pronoun used after a verb or preposition.
Why can we use it for answering a question?
Are there any rules about using it?
And can we use "Me!" instead of I do./ I did./ I am. / I was. and so on to answering a question starting with "Who...?" like the example below?

Mommy : Who made a mess?
A little girl : Me!
A boy : Her!  (And can the boy say "Her!" which means a little girl made a mess?)


texts: What can be a specific word that describes something or a particular situation which has been achieved from a person's own hard work?


texts:
In a very formal style, think is sometimes followed by an object and an adjective or noun complement.

    They thought her fascinating.
    We thought him a fool.

  (M. Swan, Practical English Usage, 588.4)

It says 'very formal,' but my old dictionary says the structure, without 'to be,' happens in speech.

How should I understand these? Does this 'formal' mean... I don't know if this is a reasonable word... form-oriented? I mean it's like form for form sake? What is the word for it?


texts: Meaning of "You're on" in this situation

texts:
In the movie, Inception, 2010 film.
EAMES was sitting down, and COBB approached to him. And said,

  "You're on. You've got an hour. Now get us something useful."

I googled it and found this :

https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/36434/why-does-youre-on-mean-i-agree

But, seems it doesn't make sense for this. Right?

I just try to guess and maybe it means "It's your turn." doesn't it?

Could you please give a few examples in order for me to understand quick?

Thank in advance.


texts:
Someone  said:

  The brakes went out on me.

(to mean that the brakes had gone out).

Is the use of "went out on me" natural?


texts: Can you explain what is wrong with this sentence: "Being asked about the experiment, I encourage other people to have a try,"

texts:
Today in class we studied participle clauses. Students were asked to transform with sentence "When I am asked about the experiment, I encourage other people to have a try." The correct textbook answer was "When asked about the experiment, I encourage other people to have a try."

Some students believe that "Being asked about the experiment, I encourage other people to have a try" also has the same meaning. To me, it sounds like "being asked" can't refer to a general situation or a repeated action - to my mind it sounds more similar to "Having been asked"

So, can "Being asked about the experiment, I encourage other people to have a try" actually be correct in the sense of "Whenever I am asked about the experiment, I encourage..."  And if not, could you help me understand why exactly it is incorrect?

Thank you so very much.


texts: In the US, on what occasion do you say "sir" when your listener is obviously younger than you?

texts:
I'm Asian who learned English at school. Our teachers taught us in class to add "sir" to be polite when talking to men. I'd assumed that you say so only when your listener is older than you. But after growing up, when I happened to watch an American TV drama (about everyday life) and was surprised to see that this middle-aged man(ordinary office worker, mild-mannered) spoke to a very young man (passerby, looking mild-mannered too) saying "excuse me, sir but..."
I looked up the dictionary and it says in British English "sir" is used by children at school when speaking to. How about the American usage? I now know that irrespective of age gap you say "sir" to a man, but on what occasion do you say so? In what situation?


texts: left it to us, as a basic exercise, to V

texts:
I'd like to know if the pronoun "it" can be dropped in the following. What'd be the correct analysis?

The teacher left it to us, as a basic exercise, to sort the balls into different colors.

The teacher left it to us to sort the balls into different colors.


texts:
I heard in a movie

  Nobody touches him!

Shouldn't it be in the imperative form, like "Nobody move!"?

Background: from Brubaker

After Redford's character aggravated the members of the prison board, he is headed for the door. Someone says, "Do you want me to bring him back?" Brubaker (Redford)'s friend/ally yells, "Nobody touches him!"


texts:
The key to their success is a warm,kind heart and, most important, self-acceptance.
What is the usage of "most important" in this sentence.
It means "most importantly" or " the most important key".
Next question is :
"The most important key" is only self-acceptance or both "a warm,kind heart and self-acceptance"?


texts:
I am not able to comprehend the meaning of the sentence:

  By what inconceivable art has a
      means been found of making men free by making them subject; of
      using in the service of the State the properties, the persons and
      even the lives of all its members, without constraining and without
      consulting them; of confining their will by their own admission; of
      overcoming their refusal by that consent, and forcing them to punish
      themselves, when they act against their own will?

From: The Social Contract or Principles of Political Right by Jean-Jacques Rousseau


texts: What this sentence mean? "the spell of time"

texts:
The sentence in which I've seen this usage is below.

  Thus, the style quotient of skirts has evolved over the spell of time.


texts: What is the word to be used if some ones confirmation response is requested by reply email?

texts:
Say, I am writing an email to higher level officer of the other department on behalf of my boss about some important matter discussed with my boss and asks for his consent by reply email.

We want his response by reply email that we had discussed and initiating the action based on the discussion.

Should I write "I request your consent by reply email" or " I request your confirmation by reply email"?

here I do not actually want his permission or approval but a response to have in records.


texts: how many snacks is or how many snacks are...?

texts:
On ITV (britist tv channel) I have seen it used like this. Also in the following link I have seen it used that way, too.

http://syvnews.com/lifestyles/columns/how-many-snacks-is-too-many/article_764dd4d0-20a1-59fd-8201-2527ed17c49e.html

How many snacks is normal?

This confuses me, because we learnt at school that "how many+noun" should be followed by "are" if the noun is countable.

And I checked in the dictionaries. The noun "snack" is a countable noun. So, then it should have been "how many snacks are...." not "how many snacks is..?

Am I right?

Thanks


texts: The definite article before certain adjectives

texts:
There are some adjectives that require only the definite article: wrong, perfect, right, etc. So, for example:

That's the wrong answer.

The Bentley is the perfect car for commuting.

He made the right choice.

So replacing all the the's with a's will be ungrammatical. However, in these examples the indefinite article would sound more logical, as the listener doesn't know what particular choice/car/answer the speaker's talking about. So, the question is:
1)What's the rule applied here?
2) Can you list other adjectives that require the definite article irrespectively?


texts: what are the Marked and unmarked forms in measurements?

texts:
For example:

A: The worst thing about the film was its length.
B: The worst thing about the film was its shortness.

Which of the two is grammatically correct?
or
Are both sentences grammatically correct?


texts:
I need a change. I need going/to go away for a while.

Would you please show me which one you use and why?


texts: Use of transitive verbs and present continuous

texts:
I would like to use the transitive verb "implicate". My search on Google lead solely to the result, that it should be followed by a noun (David, downfall, herself, ...). However, can I use this transitive verb with a continuous form of a verb?

To put it simply: I would like to know whether I can use one of these options or both are wrong.

  "This implicates to find a common language."
  "This implicates finding a common language."


texts:
I was told by one supporter that there is a case of comma splice in the following sentence:

  When he was able to crack the Trident code, that was deemed by many as
  his major achievement in his cryptology career.

I've checked the definition of comma splice in the Wikipedia and read there that:

  a comma splice or comma fault is the use of a comma to join two
  independent clauses

However, when I re-checked the sentence, I noticed that the first part of it (the one preceding the comma) is not an independent clause, but rather a dependent one because it starts with when.

Wikipedia gives a similar example of such dependent clause and lists it under the category "adverbial clause":

  When he was in New York, he went to the Guggenheim Museum.

So, this is where I got confused. If the given sentence is consisted of a dependent clause and an independent clause, and a comma splice case is by definition a case of splicing two independent clauses, how can the given sentence then be a case of comma splice?


texts: Why don't these sentences use the same tense?

texts:
It turned out that what happened was different from what I had expected in my mind.

The resultant situation is something that happened later in time than when you made predictions about the same.

I don't really understand why in the first sentence past perfect is used and in the second past simple. For me both actions the expectations (first sentence) the predictions (second one) came first.
May be the explanation lies in the fact that the first one  is past and the second one is  present. What is confusing me is "happened" past simple: the predictions came before the happening. So if happened is past simple what came first should be past perfect. That is why I think had made might be better.
This is really confusing!!!!!


texts:
someone wrote:

  In general I prefer my students change every semester.

I think it must be:

  In general I prefer my students to change every semester.

or

  In general I prefer to have new students every semester.

Do I need "to" before "change"?


texts: Is there anything wrong with this 'Is there anything wrong'?

texts:
Here is a dialog from a post on an English learning blog.

  M: Do we need to get together to plan our seminar?
  W: Is there anything wrong with right now?

Is there anything wrong with the dialog?

Below is what I thought. It's marked as hidden in case you want to answer the question without any influence.

   I think the dialog makes it sound like "get together" implies getting together in the future, but in my opinion, it's not so. (To hint that, M.'d better say, "Do we need to get back together ...?") So, it's strange to ask if there is anything wrong with "right now". Also, I think something like "Let's do it now." is more natural if W. wanted to make plan together with M. right away.


texts:
In programming every datum has some type. For example:

  1, 2, 3, are of int type

  'a', 'b', 'c' are of char type

  '5/17/2019' is of Date type

I often see phrases like this one:

  A variable of type char

Why is there no article before "type"?


texts: what does "predict", "milestone" and "tie into" mean here?

texts:
Some psychologists believe that 'while object permanence alone may not
  predict communicative achievement, object permanence along with several other sensorimotor milestones, plays a critical role in,
  and interacts with, the communicative development of children with
  severe disabilities'. This was observed in 2006, in a study
  recognizing where the full mastery of object permanence is one of the
  milestones that ties into a child's ability to engage in mental
  representation.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Object_permanence#Recent_studies

Thank you very much.


texts:
The government should pay (to) his employees for not letting them leave the country.

Should we use "to" after "pay" or not? Does the verb "pay" require the preposition "to" after itself?


texts:
I was thinking a lot about result in present perfect, but when I reed a book, that character appeared just a moment ago (recently) they still use past simple (for example, "Why did it take you so long?"), but when something happened recently we use present perfect. I think that past simple is used to just show the past action that has finished and has the result but we ignore the result. Maybe I'm wrong but when I see past simple sentence (without ago, 2 minutes ago, etc.)

Or something like "I forgot" - result she doesn't have or did something, but we ignore it and just show the past action.

"I've forgotten" - is more like we have a result, like we don't have something or  did something

What do you think? Is it a good approach to the case?


texts:
In Practical English Usage section 370.7, Michael Swan writes:

extra negative in expressions of doubt
In informal standard spoken English, a negative verb (without a negative meaning) is sometimes used after expressions of doubt or uncertainty.

He gives two examples:

I shouldn't be surprised if they didn't get married soon. (= . . . if they got married soon.)
I wonder whether I oughtn't to go and see a doctor – I'm feeling a bit funny. (= . . . whether I ought to . . .)

In the first example, does the speaker mean she will get married soon or not?


texts: The meaning of the word "engage" in context

texts:
We’ve established that space, time, and energy engage an aberrant behavioral repertoire.

I got the main idea, but I can't say for sure what the word "engage" exactly means in the aforementioned sentence. According to Longman, Oxford, and Webster dictionaries, these are accepted forms of using the verb "engage":

  engage in/on/upon

  engage in doing something

  engage somebody's interest/attention

  engage somebody in conversation

  engage with somebody/something

  engage somebody to do something

  engage somebody as something

Plus one other form which is using "engage" without any prepositions, objects, etc. Just like the way "engage" is used in the first sentence of this question. The problem is that in this form, the description of the word is:

  if you engage part of a machine, or if it engages, it moves so that it
  fits into another part of the machine
  Example: She engaged the clutch and the car moved.

It doesn't make any sense in my sentence.


texts:
Can we say : Steel of the bike is stainless? (I mean without "the" before "steel of the bike")
and what about "Punch lines of the jokes are hilarious."and" Oases of the desert are large."(without "the" in the subjects)
note that  all the three expressions Steel of the bike,Punch lines of the jokes,and Oases of the desert involve the part-whole relation.
I expect  the intuitive judgements from native speakers. Thanks a lot to the answerers !!!

P.S. It's amazing to receive such a long and clear reply from Tᴚoɯɐuo. It's beyond my expectation. But in the sentence"Students of Southern Polytechnic were likewise concerned their school's identity would be lost and reputation hurt in the merger with Kennesaw State", the phrase "Students of Southern Polytechnic"  can be paraphrased as "the students of Southern Polytechnic", namely not unspecified as "some  students of Southern Polytechnic". Besides,if I paraphrase "Steel of the bike's frame is rusting in places" as  "The steel of the bike's frame is rusting in places" , have I kept the meaning of the former sentence? Finally, do you mean that one phrase like "Oases of that desert" is not allowed to mean"The oases of that desert" ?


texts: do we have continuous form for the verb "miss ( to feel sad because you can no longer see somebody or do something that you like)"

texts:
to miss: [transitive] to feel sad because you can no longer see
  somebody or do something that you like

  miss somebody/something

  She will be greatly missed when she leaves.

  What did you miss most when you were in France?

  miss (somebody/something) doing something I don't miss getting up at
  six every morning!

I often hear "Who do you miss? / I miss my wife" not "Who are you missing? / I am missing my wife"

so, my question is:

do we have continuous form for the verb "miss (miss here means to feel sad because you can no longer see somebody or do something that you like)"?


texts:
Equally so if not as potentially costly are headlines where...

I found this sentence on the Internet but was unable to understand it, especially the 'if not as' part. Does it mean 'costly but in a lesser manner' or 'at least as costly as this'? Thanks.


texts: Lyrics to the German national anthem at American wedding

texts:
This might sound at first as an odd question, almost off-topic, but given that I'm looking for lyrics in English I think it still qualifies.

I'm watching episode 12 of the second season (S02E12) of "Pretty Little Liars" and about 27 minutes in, there's a scene where a music is played at Hanna's father's wedding.

At first, I thought it was Pachelbel's "Canon" being played on violins. Then, I realized it's the same tunes as the German national anthem, only slower. Baffled by that realization, I wonder what that song is and what the lyrics are.

Are the lyrics an exact translation of the anthem? Or is the text consisting of something totally different and unrelated?


texts: I just want to know whether these two sentence are correct and are giving the same meaning

texts:
Admission of defeat without doing hard work will make you face many problem.
  Admitting  defeat without doing hard work will make you face many problem.


texts:
Background: I'm a native speaker of English, who is learning French. Often, when I don't know how to translate an English sentence into French, it makes me realize that there is something "special" going on in the English sentence, and then I become curious about it.

  She loved her dog, but she had him put down.
  His manager was so
  angry at him, that she had him fired.
  Her food was improperly
  cooked, so she had it returned back to the kitchen.

All of these sentences uses the word "had" in a way to mean something like "caused [something] to be ____ ".

Questions:

Grammatically, what is happening here? Is there some kind of grammatical name for this, that I can try to research in order to see how this same grammatical feature can be done in French?
"She had [him] [put down]". When using "had" in this way, is it always followed by something or someone (eg, "[him]") followed by a past participle that says what happens to that something or someone (eg, "[put down]")? Or are there other constructions possible when using "had" to mean "caused to become ___"?
Do dictionaries or other references discuss this uses of "had"? For example, the English-to-French wordreference page does not seem to mention it.


texts:
What are your motivations for doing this course? What do you want to achieve? Are you wanting a practical outcome, are you just browsing, or do you want to further develop your understanding of a particular concept?

I'm taking an online course provided by the University of New South Wales. The passage above is taken from one of my assignments.

The use of "want" in the present continuous has got me puzzled. As far as I know, this verb can't be used in the present continuous because it's state. Why is it used in this tense then? Is it for some special emotional colouring? If so, why is "want" used in the present simple in the second part of the same sentence?


texts: What are the differences (if they exist) in meaning between the two questions?


texts: Equivalent to pictures or videos for audio files

texts:
Is there an equivalent to pictures or videos to sound files?

In form of computer files, images can be generally described as pictures and video recordings or movies as videos.

Can this be somehow applied to sound recordings or music? I guess one could say sounds, but that implies pretty much anything that is audible, not just typical audio files.


texts:
They will wait, well disposed, for others to remedy the evil, that
  they may no longer have it to regret. At most, they give only a cheap
  vote, and a feeble countenance and Godspeed, to the right, as it goes
  by them.

What does "go by" mean here?
What is "that" refer to? They are well disposed that ...?
How to paraphrase this two sentences?


texts: Can someone help me with these examples of got and gotten?

texts:
I've got 2 questions.
Is it correct to say: He's got me something / he's got me a present? Or can you just say: He got me something / he got me a present?
My second question: When someone gave you something is it correct to say: I've gotten a present / I've gotten a dog?


texts: What does mean or why we write the letter "o'" with clock?  Is there any letter instead of the apostrophe?


texts:
Mayor Steven Smith attended a charity event.
  Wildlife Liaison Officer, Lorraine Nelson, attended the scene of the incident.

These examples were taken from a newspaper.

How does the appositive, in this case an occupation "Mayor", differ from "Wildlife Liaison Officer" in terms of it taking commas?  They are both similar in that they are both occupations and not specific identifiers?


texts: Meaning of "unchubby" in "If you are gay, why were you so unchubby in the shower?"

texts:
I am watching a movie and this sentence is from the movie.

  If you are gay, why were you so unchubby in the shower?

What does unchubby mean? since I did not find it in the dictionary.


texts: Omitting repeated words like "have", "has" and "his"

texts:
His veins have become distended, muscles tightened, the teeth grown a little like claws, and his face has become rough.

This sentence describes what changes in appearance have happened to a person visually.

In "muscles tightened", I omitted "his" and "have". Instead of saying "his teeth have grown", I wrote "the teeth grown". In the last part, I added "has", I didn't omit it.

The reason wrote like this is to make it simple and easy to read. The reason I omitted in the two middle part is that I felt it okay to omit there, I think it still makes sense. I didn't omit the "has" in the last part because I felt, it didn't sound right to me without "has".

I'm not sure whether this kind writing is valid and acceptable in English.

I could have written the above sentence as below, but I didn't.

  His veins have become distended, his muscles have tightened, his teeth have grown a little like claws, and his face has become rough.


texts:
For example I have sentence:

  Thanks for your help. Now I don't see any errors in ........

I've been taught that with now I should use present continuous, but in this case it seems ok for me to use present simple.


texts: "to pay their respects with messages in letters appearing on the walls" meaning

texts:
Please help me to understand this sentence:

  Today fans [of Freddie Mercury] continue to visit to pay their respects with messages in
  letters appearing on the walls.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freddie_Mercury

What I understand is: Fans of Freddie Mercury continue to visit his house and even after his death, they still write their messages on his home's wall to tribute him.

Is this correct?

PS: Sorry if the thread's title is not understandable.


texts: Using any in affirmative sentences, plural or singular?

texts:
Is the following sentence correct?

Any college student interested in working in the Library this summer should send his details to the Dean as soon as possible.

I am particularly interested in whether I should use their or his (assuming all students are male).
If the correct use is his, do we use their when we change it to "Any college students"?


texts: What this kind of office space called, opposed to another one where each one has their own office?

texts:
This image shows a type of office space, where lots of people could see and touch each other easily.

opposed to which, another one is where each one has their own office with a closed door at most of the time.

What are those two type of office space called?


texts:
Is it right to say he did not get my call?
In the meaning of he did not answer my call.
I tried telling sombody that someone did not answer my call.


texts: Why does this sentence use the word "could" twice?

texts:
I have been reading an article and I came across a sentence:

  South Korean YouTuber Sw Yoon decided to conduct a little experiment around the campus of Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University in Japan. He asked a bunch of students, all from different countries around the world, how could they could recognize Americans.

I'm wondering why the word "could" is used twice in this sentence? I think it would be correct too if it were like this:

how could they recognize Americans.


texts: Is there a word that means "creates a lot of discussion"?

texts:
I think there was a word or expression that meant that, but the ones I remember aren't nearly similar in meaning, I can't only think of phrase like "has been a hot topic", but it's only vaguely similar and cannot be used in the same context. I am looking for a word, an adjective.

For example:

The new policy enacted by the government is ___.


texts:
When you are asked: How much do you think ''blue origin'' is spending at the moment to make space tourism possible?

And you responded:

  I had no idea vs. I have no idea

Do they have any differences?


texts: How to avoid the spelling mistake of Android vs Andorid?

texts:
Most of the time when I'm trying to write the word Android, I get the confusion about it's spelling, like will it be Andorid or Android. So most of the time I was written wrong spelling.

To overcome this issue is there any tips or a way to remember the confusion between placing the And(or/ro)id?

Before posting here, I have confirmed in the meta site


texts: Does there exist an adjective which means "self-doubted"?

texts:
I'm searching Google for self-doubted, which means the situation where someone is doubting himself/herself. I mean I request a word to fill this blank: He is sometimes very _____ . Is self-doubted appropriate?

Does self-doubted make any sense and is it grammatical? If not, could you please recommend to me another word ending in -ed?


texts:
Which one is more common in use in the following context of learning with books?

  To highlight

  To marker

In addition I've tried to turn the verb "marker" into past tens form (markered) but Google Chrome marks it as mistake.


texts: Can a sentence contain both present participle and past participle?

texts:
A poem was written by David to explain the nature of love. And this poem attracted me. Can I write this?

  The poem written by David explaining love attracted me.

Let's imagine a poem has been written on a signboard in a park, and this poem explains the nature of love. Can I write this?

  The poem written on the signboard in this park explaining love attracted me.


texts: differentiating between correlation and a temporal relationship

texts:
Could you please through two simple example show me the difference between these?

a significant correlation between the occurrence of two phenomena (both phenomena generally occur together), or
a temporal relationship between the two (one event occurred after another).


texts:
"Ran out to the balcony"
"Ran out on the balcony"
I did a search on Google and the one with "to" had three times as much hits than the one with "on", which surprised me.
Do they mean the same or is there a difference?


texts: When he sees sisters or When he sees the sisters?

texts:
Which one is correct:

  Brother cannot express the enormous feelings of joy when he sees sisters being happy.
  Brother cannot express the enormous feelings of joy when he sees the sisters being happy.

These are just an examples. I'm more concerned to know which is more used "when he sees the sisters", or "when he sees sisters". It can be any example.
In my native language both are translated same but when trying to translate from my native language to english they sometimes came different . Sometimes "sees the sisters" sometimes only "sees sisters".


texts: "it is the lattice enthalpy which has fallen most" - shouldn't it be "has fallen the most"?

texts:
From Chemguide:

  Chlorine to iodine

  Considering the halogens from chlorine to iodine, it is the lattice enthalpy which has fallen most. It falls by 87 kJ mol-1. By contrast, the heat needed to remove the electron has only fallen by 54 kJ mol-1.

Shouldn't it be "has fallen the most"?

There are several characteristics, and one has fallen by the highest amount compared with the others.


texts:
I'm interested in applying for an internship on a specific role and I'm trying to figure out the correct for of the following phrases:

there are some open roles for? "job title"

I want to apply for an internship in/for/at/on? this role


texts: When and How to use Linking verb (Is/Was/Were) In the sentence?

texts:
Which one of the below sentence is correct? Is there any rule to include linking verb?

a) Three person were killed when boat capsized due to overload.

b) Three person killed when boat was capsized due to overload.

c) Three person were killed when boat was capsized due to overload.


texts: "Can you tell me how can I use this tool?"

texts:
Please, what is not acceptable about this sentence:

Can you tell me how can I use this tool?


texts: What does it means by "should have throwed me over for Abby" ?

texts:
Context: Mary & Abby are college mates met each other after long time, Actually Abby is pregnant with a baby. Jason is husband for Abby. Jason is also from same college.

  Mary: You was in the same shape last time I saw you.

  Abby: I know.

  Mary: Jason, don't you know what keeps causing this?

  Abby: Jason's after that boy he's wanted all these years.

  Mary: If you wanted a boy, you never should have throwed me over for
  Abby.


texts:
Is the phrase "a lingering fragrance" okay in English? Should it be "lingering fragrances"?
A Chinese student wrote this sentence:

If you present a bunch of roses as a gift to a person, there will be a lingering fragrance in your hands.


texts: When does the museum open vs. When is the museum open

texts:
I'm reading a book which represents sentences of two languages in parallel. I've noticed that one of the sentences is:

  When does the museum open?

My question is: Is it not supposed to be with a different type of auxiliary verb (be) rather than the auxiliary verb do - as in the following?

  When is the museum open?

...since open is an adjective in this context.

The word open is used to be used in this context as an adverb. Always when I listen to people who talk about the work times of places they say: it IS open between such hour to such hour. I've never heard that someone said "it opens between..." and used it as a verb. Maybe I'm mistaken and it is in use as verb in such context in native English spoken countries.


texts: "If I didn't give it to you" vs. "If I had't given it to you"

texts:
Is this second conditional or third conditional with didn't? in the case of the latter if I didn't would mean if I hadn't. Is that correct?

Guy 1: (..Give the toy to Guy 2..)

Guy 1: "You're giving it to me!? Thank you!."

Guy 2: "Just protecting myself. ..If I didn't give it to you, then
 walking the streets at night would be scary."


texts:
I have a question about "subject to":

  He is subject to depression.
  He is subject to speculation.

The first sentence means he tends to be affected by depression.  But I am not sure about the second sentence.  Does it mean he speculates about some matter, or that people speculate about him?

Sentence 2 is inspired by this:

  Amazon has long been subject to speculation of a move into bricks and mortar. It isn't the first "pure play" online retailer to mull over a physical presence either. Ebay has also been linked with a store presence, and has even experimented with short-lease "pop up shops" to gauge interest. But if rumours surrounding Amazon are true, the online giant could be about to make the first move by snapping up stores from RadioShack, which is seeking bankruptcy protection. Such a move, if true, will cause sleepless nights for the rest of the retail sector.


texts:
This is from Longman Dictionary

  An action is aimed at doing something:

  Our policies are aimed at encouraging economic growth.

  Don’t say: Our policies are aimed to encourage economic growth.

Then am I wrong to write the below?

  The goals of the treatment are aimed to reduce pain and inflammation.

  These measures are aimed to reduce unemployment by 50 %


texts: Difference between 'He always worked there ' and 'He was always working there'

texts:
Is there a difference when the adverbs 'always, continually,forever,etc..' are used with past simple and past progressive?

For example :

He always/ continually worked there.
He was always/ continually working there.

(What is the difference between the above two sentences?)


texts: Is there any difference between "I mean" and "I meant" when giving clarification?

texts:
Is there any difference between I mean and I meant when giving clarification? For example:

Person A: Julie will take care of the cat while we are away.
Person B: Who?
Person A: I mean/I meant Sara.


texts: What’s the difference between honesty, integrity and veracity?

texts:
How are these words different and when to use them?

I assume honesty is more casual and the other two are more proper and used more often in writing than speaking?

It is just my speculation that honesty is more casual because it is used more often than the other two words, this is simply verified via google search. The keyword "honesty" returns more results than the other two.

It seems to me that veracity is often used with an event rather than a person (by reading the news here)

Integrity seems to cover more aspect of person's quality than honesty (defined here and the answered by Andrew below).


texts:
It was pouring with rain and she was wondering what to do.

This is the sentence which I used answering the question Is it grammatically correct to use two past continuous tenses in a single sentence?.
The sentence is taken from Grammar and Vocabulary for First Certificate by L.Prodromou (2005).

But one commentator said: This may just be me, but "It was pouring with rain" sounds odd to me - not because of the progressive, but because I would expect "It was pouring rain" instead.

In my perception, the idiom "to pour with rain" is just fine. It doesn't sound odd to me. I'm interested in other people's views. Is to pour with rain odd, kind of dated?


texts: Using past tense with progressive form when talking about tasks that wil be completed in the future

texts:
Can I use the following form:

  Please tell me when you finished filling in this form.

Or does it have to be something along the lines of:

  Please tell me when you have finished filling in this form.


texts: How to understand this sentence correctly: "He shambled off down the corridor."

texts:
"Off down the corridor"?

"off" and "down"?

I can't get the picture of this sentence,because I don't know where the man was and where he was going in the sentence.  What position did the speaker think "he" was in then?


texts: Specific vocabulary problem: permit + reflexive pronoun

texts:
She never has more than one chocolate at once. (permits)

In the dictionary, there is no entry permit oneself, but my book gives the answer: She never permits herself more than one chocolate at once.
Which is correct?


texts: I'd like to ask how much the class is. And I'd like to know if I can say like these

texts:
I'm thinking of taking a class to practice English. It is not for free and the cost is in my interest. As I'm just a student, I don't enough money to take a class that demands me high cost. So, I'm going to call the academy and ask like this:

I'd like to ask how much it is that I take the class.

I'd like to ask how much the class is.

I'd like to ask how much money the class takes me.


texts: Is the sentence "There's nothing to stop you" correct?

texts:
English is not my first language and I want to include this in a blog article. Does the sentence make sense?

There's nothing to stop you.

p.s. What I am trying to say is that a person has no more excuses, and nothing can stop him from achieving weight loss. "There's nothing to stop you".


texts:
In the phrase "They were hugely punished", am I implying that the punished subjects had done something wrong?
If so, is there a word that has the same meaning as punish (meaning damage done to someone, physically and/or psychologycaly) but without the implied guilt?


texts:
Are there any differences between

Berliners (in general)or the Berliners (more specific)  in which context or sentence could  I use "the Berliners" I can't find one


texts: Why do we use both "count of" and "number of" in "I've lost count of the number of times..."?

texts:
I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve hit my thumb with a
hammer.

In this sentence, do "the number of" and "count of" not have the same meaning? Why do we use it twice?
Can we use it with those forms:

I've lost the number of times I've hit...

or

I've lost count of times I've hit...

I'm not native speaker and this sentence confused me, I hope I can express what I want to ask.


texts: Is "could not have been done" more appropriate here?

texts:
An extract from today's newspaper:

  Despite our best efforts and the hard work of various organizations, the boy could not be retrieved so far.

Should I use: ...the boy could not have been retrieved so far instead?

Thanks in advance.


texts:
I learned if s+ past perfect, S would have done

But I often encounter if s past verb, S would have done

For example,

  If he wanted to kill us, he would've done it at the junkyard.
  (from TV show 'Breaking bad')

Is there any difference in meaning had wanted and wanted


texts: What does the word "otherwise" mean in this passage?

texts:
Does "otherwise" here mean "If it can survive the changes"?

Whatever is true now should be discoverable now, and describable in terms that are not an outright affront to the rest of what we knew about the world. By this measure, the entire project of religion seems perfectly backward. It cannot survive the changes that have come over us-culturally, technologically, and even ethically. Otherwise, there are few reasons to believe that we will survive it.

Source: The End of Faith by Sam Harris


texts: How do I improve this? How can I put semicolon?

texts: Being taught and raised in a society; where art and design is an awful career option, I still manage myself pursuing my inner desire anyway.


texts: Since to get can replace to arrive (e.g., sense 11 in LDOCE: "to arrive somewhere"), do you say "I got in Tucson last night" or "I got to Tucson last night"?


texts: "she is leaving early because she finished her work" or "she is leaving early because she has finished her work"?

texts:
What is more correct:

  She is leaving because she finished her work.

or

  She is leaving early because she has finished her work.

I am not a native English speaker. The question is about simple past tense vs present perfect tense in a complex sentence. I am really confused about proper usage of either of them.


texts: Past perfect followed by past perfect always?

texts:
After Mustafa had returned from his voyage to Indonesia, he "had wished" or "wished" to visit a temple.

Tell me the answer please.


texts: After verb DO(auxillary verb) main verb should be in base form or V1

texts:
when we are using DO as auxillary verb the main verb used should be in which form, base form or V1?
Example :I do understand. Here 'Understand' is in Base form or V1?


texts:
I want to give the reference of a famous shop in my shop's address but that's situated on the 3rd floor and my shop at the 2nd floor (above the ground floor).

How can I write my address?

• The Bunnies Shop downstairs Shamlians Academy

• The Bunnies Shop down floor Shamlians Academy

If my my both the addresses are not correct please suggest me the correct one.

Thanks.


texts: " So much + adjective " vs " Very much + adjective "

texts:
I am very much happy.
I am so much happy.
I am happy very much.
I am happy so much.

Are all of the above sentences correct?
We use the number (1) and (3) every day. But I think the number (2) isn't correct because we can't use "so + much+ adjective ". On the other hand,  "so " is interchangeable with " very ". As per the rule,  The number (1) is supposed to be wrong. Please  give me the explanation in detail. I am so so confused.


texts: What is the meaning of the word ‘but’ in George Clason’s The Richest Man in Babylon?

texts:
So the book is partly written in archaic English, the dialogs mainly. While it is by the most part understandable in context, there are some parts still unclear for me, for example:

”That doth remind me of the races but yesterday," called out another listener.

What’s the meaning of the word ‘but’ in this context?


texts: When do you use "by" to signal a time period

texts:
Which version is correct?

"You will receive this information tomorrow" or "You will receive this information by tomorrow"


texts:
Would you please take a look at the following sentences?

  Do you know what time the class starts? / Do you know what time the bus leaves?
  Do you know what time the class starts at? / Do you know what time the bus leaves at?
  Do you know at what time the class starts? / Do you know at what time the bus leaves?

Question 1. Which one is most formal?
Question 2. Which one is most common?

Thanks in advance.


texts: What are some other ways to say 'lots of time'?

texts:
'Lots of time' might be too casual to use in essays, I have used 'long hours' instead, what are some other ways to say 'lots of'?

For example, in this sentence:

  University students have to spend lots of time to do researches and write reports.


texts: A couple questions about indefinite and definite articles if the reader/listener knows the noun

texts:
Some context for my question if you want to know:

For the longest time when writing English, I have just automatically added the indefinite article in front of most noun phrases because it "sounded right". However, a week ago I realized that it actually conveys the meaning of whether the noun in question is known beforehand to the reader/listener (or if you  mean "any of that noun"). Now I'm frying my brain because I'm second guessing my every use of a/an/the, especially since my mother tongue doesn't have such articles.

Anyways, my questions are:

Say me and my friend are running late for work, and he has a car in his garage. In a hurry he starts thinking about public transportation and forgets he has a car(<--or the car? since it's mentioned again?), but with a confused look I say

  I mean, you do have a car you know.

Now, I "know" I'm supposed to say "a car", but why is that? since technically he knows the noun in question, it's his car after all, and yet we refer to it as if he doesn't know it at all, as if it's just any car. Is this because we assume he doesn't remember it, and as such it's a new noun to him?

Second question. Me and my girlfriend have a gorgeous house. Now, in the middle of the day in the midst of my thoughts I say to her:

  We do have a nice house don't you think.

Again, "a nice house", although she knows the exact house I'm referring to, our house. "The" sounds off, but I don't know why. The one thing I can think for this is that I'm talking about the general idea of a single nice house, and as such it would pass for the "any of that noun" rule.

Now maybe I'm just overthinking these, but it's really irritating since I can otherwise speak quite good English, but now I have to think about the basics....


texts:
Is the sentence below correct?
 It has no importance for me what do people think about me.


texts: What is the name for this sarcasm-like form of words?

texts:
Is there a technical name for the common form of words whereby we refer to a thing -- often a person -- having a low level of some property, by saying that it does not have an especially high level of that property?
For example:

John is not the smartest person in the room.

I recently used this form myself (which is what triggered this question), in an ell.se answer I gave, when I wanted to refer to someone being of low intelligence. I referred to them as having:

...less than Einsteinian levels of intelligence

In practice, this structure is often combined with an idiom, as in:

Billy is not the smartest saw in the shed.
She was no oil painting.
Money doesn't grow on trees.
This is not my first rodeo

(But just to be clear, I'm asking not about the idioms themselves, but about the general form where "not lots of X" is used to mean "very little X")
Prior to asking here, I searched around a bit and so I think I can eliminate a few possibles. It is not:

sarcasm, because the statement being made is true;
damning with faint praise, because the statement doesn't actually praise at all;
a backhanded compliment, because it is not, in fact, a compliment.

So what is it called?


texts:
I'm not sure which is the correct one in the following sentences.

  1: I'm going to go for a walk with him after he finished his work.
   2: I'm going to go for a walk with him after he has finished his work.
   3: I'm going to go for a walk with him after he finishes his work.

In my own language, we always use "finished" (use "past tense" even if it has not happened yet), because I'm imagining he is in the state of "finished his work" or "has finished his work". So I have no idea which one should I use in English.

Please tell me which is the correct one, and why it should be so.


texts: What does "They do, do they?" convey exactly?

texts:
"Oh, don't lie, Harry," she said impatiently. "Ron and Ginny say you've been hiding from everyone since you got back from St Mungo's."

  "They do, do they?" said Harry, glaring at Ron and Ginny.

  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

I'm not sure what "They do, do they?" conveys exactly in such a context. It seems to me that it's kind of a pattern. Why doesn't it put a simple question like "Do they?", instead of "They do, do they?"? What would be the difference between "Do they?" and "They do, do they?"?


texts:
What phrase or verb do use to say that you are at university but study from home? Is it natural say study remotely or study distantly? For example:

  I was at university, but I studied remotely/distantly.


texts: What is the meaning of Murray words in his conditions?

texts:
In English Adventure movie The Lost City of Z (2016), Murray volunteered to join Percy Fawcett's Geographic mission.

Murray was unable to survive due to lot of adventures and then gave up his journey for returning to home.

So Murray complained to RGS trustees about Fawcett carelessness about him on the expedition and also he gave chance to Fawcett to withdrew his complaints on him with some conditions, This conditions made Fawcett angry and resigned from the present institution.

  Fawcett: I will, of course, need to hear Mr. Murray's conditions.

  Murray: On the day that I agreed to join you on your mission and
  allowed your star to enter my sphere, your wife was present to witness
  your ascent. My only condition is that she again be present to witness
  your acknowledgement of the wrongs that you have done to me.

What is the meaning of allowed your star to enter my sphere in his conditions ?


texts: Adjective meaning being difficult and requiring attention

texts:
Is there an adjective that qualifies an action of being difficult and requiring attention?

As an example:

  _______ spellcasting as opposed to automatic spellcasting

I can't think of anything. I am not sure if such an adjective exist. What do you think?


texts: What do you call a chain of 3d figures connected to each other?

texts: Something like this, but instead of people and 2d figures, 3d figures of any shape. Is there a word for it in the English language?


texts: What does "in + times (e.g. 1 seconds)" mean?

texts:
Get a coupon in 5 seconds.

The meaning of "in" when combined with time is confusing. "in 5 seconds" could mean "within 5 seconds" or "after 5 seconds", but how can I figure out which meaning is correct? Does "in 5 seconds" always mean "after 5 seconds"?


texts: What's the meaning of "get down" in this sentence?

texts:
In the novel I'm reading there's a sentence I don't understand.

  A power outage had darkened most of the city, and he had driven over to bring her a battery-powered space heater.

  “It’ll get down into the thirties tonight”, he said, almost apologetically, when she opened the door.

What's the meaning of "get down", here in this context?


texts:
My task was to design and implement the the/a company "laboratory" model (the/a small social network for shop customers).

I am confused about using articles on the top sentence.


texts: Difference between "in the bun" and "on the bun"?

texts:
I was thinking how would you imagine the following sentences?

  Put the diced onions in the bread bun(s?).

  Put the diced onions on the bread bun.

Does the second one depicts the sandwich as perpandicular to the level ground and onions on the top of the bottom bread? Does it have anything to do with the geometry of the sandwitch?

Also, should the first one be in plural?


texts: Can "go with" be used to suggest a choice?

texts:
Can "go with" be used as in the following sentence?

  A: What should I do, playing Doom or Hexen II?
  B: I would go with Doom.

The second sentence is making a suggestion. Is it correct/acceptable to use "go with" in that case?

The OALD doesn't show go with used as in the example sentence I used.


texts:
Is the following sentence grammatical by using when synthesizing?
That is, can we use of -ing after when?

  Although it is possible to include material A when synthesizing
  component B, it might make component B unnecessarily harder.


texts: How do you use the word "commiseration"?

texts:
How do you the word "commiseration"?
Is the word is a synonym of "sympathy"?
The Cambridge Dictionary gives the meaning of the word:

  an expression of sympathy for someone, especially someone who has lost a competition

So the following usage is correct?

  Commiseration to the losers.

  Stop your querulous self-commiseration.

But is the first usage somehow being ironic to the losers? Is the word is suitable for daily usage?Is it a derogatory word?


texts: "What time is it" versus "what is the time"

texts:
Does it matter if I use "what time is it?" versus "what is the time?".
In what cases should I use what time is it?

For example would I say:

  Hey steve! what is the time?

or

  Hey steve! what time is it?

or is there another way to express the same meaning in English?

Thanks in advance.


texts:
Many people use the phrase containing the hell, the earth when they get irritated.

  Who in the hell are you?

But why only in is placed?  We use Who on earth is X ?

Why don't we use?

Who on the hell are you?

Why only use these prepositions used in these sentences?


texts: what is the meaning of weak in this sentence and is it a verb in this context?

texts:
I found in the book that I'm reading, the use of the word weak. But as weak is put after a noun, then it's not an adjective. So I don't get its meaning.

Quotations:

  "How did you first day go, dear?" the receptionist asked maternally.
  "Fine", I lied, my voice weak. She didn't look convinced.