texts:
It wasn't so easy.
It wasn't that easy.

Is there any difference in the above sentences? Can "so" and "that" be used with adjectives without comparison degree such as "correct", "optimum", etc?


texts:
Suppose I have been going to a restaurant regularly and for the last few days I was unable to go there. My friend accompanies me as well. Is it right to say it like this?

  It's been days since we have gone there?


texts:
Halley's comet is a potato-shaped lump about ten miles long with a
  mass estimated at 10 billion tons, most of which is water ice.

I generally eschew this construction fearing that it is wrong except for some specific cases. I was surprised that the above sentence is grammatically correct.

Shouldn't something like this be more appropriate :

  Halley's comet is a potato-shaped lump about ten miles long with a
  mass estimated to be around 10 billion tons, most of whichD is water
  ice.

PS: Also can these uses of 'estimated at' be grammatically correct too?

  His weight is estimated at 50 kgs  OR The elephant's weight is estimated at 500 kgss


texts: "Even vinegar, once you've gotten it for free, tastes sweet": Is there an English equivalent for this saying?

texts:
There's a slang word in Russian, халява (pronounced halyava),  meaning something that you get for free and without any effort despite its obvious monetary or effortful value. This something isn't either a present or reward; nor is it anything obtained illegally, say, by a theft or fraud.

Since some people (maybe too many) wouldn't mind  getting something (even if they don't really need it) without paying for it, there appeared a saying "На халяву и уксус сладкий". Literally, it means somewhat like "Even vinegar, once you've gotten it for free, tastes sweet".

I'm wondering what would be the English slang or just colloquial equivalent of the Russian халява.  "A steal", which came to my mind, suggests a bargain, so I don't think it matches the original meaning.

Also, I'd very much like to know if there are any English sayings or proverbs referring to getting something (unduly) for free and to a possible aftermath of such "lucky" events.

A small addition:

Also, I've been thinking of "on the house" idiom and wondering if "without the expense of buying", or "without any expense", or "gotten for free" could be acceptable.


texts: Interchangeability of past perfect and simple past: "had won" vs. "won" and "had lived" vs. "lived"

texts:
She was talking to the man who [had won] / [won] the prize.
  She was talking to the man who [had lived] / [lived] with Marguerite Duras.

In the first sentence, the past perfect and simple past are supposedly interchangeable. In the second sentence, they are not. Why is this the case, and which tense is appropriate in the second sentence?


texts:
I am just practising some English grammar related questions, here is the question I am confused about :
question: Identify the one bold word or phrase that must be changed in order for the sentence to be correct.

  1) In supply-side economics, a balanced budget results from
  reducing in government spending.

  A. in

  B. results

  C. reducing in

  D. spending

Its correct answer is D. spending. But why should we select "spending" as wrong word that must be changed in order for the sentence to be correct.
what's the logic or rule behind it?

  2) Alligators are not long on the endangered list.

  A. are

  B. not long

  C. on

  D. the endangered

Its correct answer is  B. not long. Why?


texts: What is the difference when we added 'to be' in the sentence?

texts:
He seems to be an honest man.
He seems an honest man.

What is the difference when we added 'to be' in the sentence in meaning?
And What is 'to-be deletion'?


texts:
Can you please tell me which one is grammatically correct and why ?

1- He issued the certificate effective as of/from April 2015.

2- He issued the certificate being effective as of/from April 2015.

Thanks in advance.


texts: What does 'Friend a mine got his oil checked with a horn dipstick and that was all she wrote." mean?

texts:
“Well, you’re goin a go where you look. Army didn’t get you?” The
  thunder sounded far to the east, moving from them in its red wreaths
  of light.

  “They can’t get no use out a me. Got some crushed vertebrates. And a
  stress fracture, the arm bone here, you know how bullridin you’re
  always leverin it off your thigh? -- she gives a little ever time you
  do it. Even if you tape it good you break it a little goddamn bit at a
  time. Tell you what, hurts like a bitch afterwards. Had a busted leg.
  Busted in three places. Come off the bull and it was a big bull with a lot a drop, he got rid a me in about three flat
  and he come after me and he was sure faster. Lucky enough. Friend a
  mine got his oil checked with a horn dipstick and that was all she
  wrote. Bunch a other things, fuckin busted ribs, sprains and pains,
  torn ligaments.

-Brokeback Mountain by Annie Proulx-

What does the bold sentence mean?


texts: What is the exact meaning of the phrase "to get to + infinitive"?

texts:
In sentences like:

I get to see my father very often.

or

I don't get to go to the park.

what does the phrase "to get to [verb]" mean? Does it mean that I am allowed to do something (see my father) or not allowed to do something (go to the park)? Or does it mean that it is respectively possible and not possible for me to do these things? Am I wrong in my assumptions and meaning is based on context? Are the affirmative and negative forms entirely different?


texts: "We're using work to get away from the true internal work we're shirking." What does it mean?

texts:
We shouldn't pride ourselves because we aren't injecting something to our veins. Almost certainly, we are doing something with equal commitment. We're checking news at four minute intervals, to keep the news from ourselves at bay. We're doing sport, exhausting our bodies in the hope of not having to hear from our minds.
  We're using work to get away from the true internal work we're shirking. The most compelling addictions can sound very righteous to the world.

In a short few sentences, I think, this text is telling us that:

  Addiction is not just about drug addicts, and if we look very carefully at our lives, we ourselves are also, somehow, addicts.

But I cannot understand what the author means by these examples:

"checking news" (what's wrong with checking news?)

What does it mean? "to keep the news from ourselves at bay." I know what keep/hold something at bay means, it means to prevent something dangerous or unpleasant from happening or from coming too close.
But checking news doesn't sound very dangerous or unpleasant.

Or what's not true about doing sport or using work?

It's totally confusing.


texts: What is the verb form of "as you would have them do unto you"?

texts:
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

How would linguists or grammarians characterize "would" in this saying, as far as English grammar rules go?


texts:
1- A: Turn it off.

  B: No.

  A: Do it now. That's a direct order.

  B: Well, you don't want to start a battle of the wills with me because
  you will emerge from that battle a broken man.

This dialogue is from an american sitcom. What does the marked phrase mean? I think it means after that battle you will be a broken man. But I can't understand the construction of the sentence.

I have researched "emerge from" on internet. I have found more interesting sentences. Still don't get the constructions though.

  2- She emerged from the sea, blue with cold.

  3- She emerged from the bedroom, a vision in cream silk.


texts:
I want to express that an image is not sharp, meaning the focus is not set correct or there is smoke in front of the lens. Which would be more appropriate: "unsharp" or "blurred"?

"Blurred" seems to be much more common, according to Google ngram:


texts:
What are the differences between:

for some reason

and

in some reason

?


texts: What does the word "manoeuvring" mean here?

texts:
Here is a sentence from a space action game:

  The firing is automatic, so that you can focus on manoeuvring the
  soldier between risky cover positions, dodging incoming grenades and
  avoiding sniper beams.

Does the word manoeuvring simply mean moving here?

I know the lexical meanings of the word "maneuver", but am not sure which of them fits here.


texts: Is there any mistake in this sentence below?

texts:
The wealthy matron is so proud of her valuable antique vase that she decides to have her bedroom painted the same colours as the vase .

As far as l know we should use "such that" not "so that", am I wrong?

Plus I have never seen the usage of the verb "decide" with present tense?


texts: Can the word "if" be used in this situation?

texts: Is the sentence "It's for if you fall in a lake." grammatically correct? I'm curious about the beginning of the sentence "for if you" mainly.


texts: Questions on compund nouns in the form of 'A of B'

texts:
In this forest, we have ten different types of trees. Each type of trees needs a specific type of fertilizers. The choice of fertilizers is depending on the type of trees.

Hi, I don't know when to use 'the' in the noun formation following phrases, I have given an example above, not sure if it is grammatically correct. And It would be very helpful if you can create a few examples to cover the ones not used in the example above.

types of trees
the types of trees
types of the trees
the types of the trees


texts:
How to pronounce correctly s of close in idiom "come to a close"?
Is it /kləʊs/ or /kləʊz/.
I'm asking because in a film I heard /kləʊz/ and I thought it is was wrong.


texts:
In the following text, should I replace the highlighted can't with couldn't?

  Furthermore, the third point the lecture uses to contradict the passage is that organic foods don't benefit small famers. While the reading claims that organic foods allow small farmers to make high profits from their business, the professor in the lecture completely denies that idea. To support his belief he says that since 1982 small farmers can't make a living off of producing organic foods. That is because big companies always buy their foods; and the professor encourages us to buy any organic food and attempt to see the producer. He is sure that we won't see any small farmer's name. Consequently small farmers will continue to face economic problems in the future if they depend only on organic foods.


texts: Does "have far eclipsed" mean "have far blocked" in this sentence?

texts:
Sitcoms still exist, of course, but reality shows, and, on the other end of the spectrum, cable prestige television have far eclipsed the popularity of half-hour sitcoms.

What exactly the idiomatic words mean in the sentence: have far eclipsed.
Does it mean like " have far blocked"? Or, long way to stopped?.


texts: What is the gerund phrase in the sentence, "Bearing is the precious seed of the gospel to others will bring its reward." And what is it used as?


texts:
In the following sentence, is it grammatically correct to use the  'at'?

  The temperature is at zero degree Fahrenheit for frozen food.


texts:
They add value as a systems integrator.

Does this sentence mean:

  As a systems integrator, they add value.

or

  They add value. This value is about systems integrator.


texts: Future perfect continuous in the following answers

texts:
Conversation 1

  John: Will we be delayed here in Boston for long?
  Dave: I'm afraid so. The train _____ the station for an hour.
  a. won't have left
  b. won't be left
  c. won't be leaving
  d. won't have been leaving

Conversation 2

  Nick: This job is endless.
  Joe: I know. By the end of May, we _____ the house for two months.
  a. will have painted
  b. have painted
  c. will paint
  d. will have been painting

Can we use the future perfect continuous, i.e. the last options, in the above sentences? If not, what are the best options and why?


texts:
I'd hate to see such a hardworking/hard working/hard-working employee being fired.
Which is correct - hardworking, hard working, or hard-working?
Also, is "being fired" and "getting fired" interchangeable in this context?


texts: Is it "in a square" or "on a square" in AmE?

texts:
I've seen both.

  Arseniy P. Yatsenyuk, a prominent opposition leader who had just returned from a meeting on Monday with the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, delivered what could be his final speech from the stage in Independence Square, at least for some time.

(from here)

  The clashes that came this week have been inevitable ever since, with the Kremlin unsubtly pushing Mr. Yanukovych to use force to clear the fortified tent city on Independence Square, known to Ukrainians simply as the Maidan.

(from here)

The latter is not an American outlet, but Canadian English is, if I understand correctly, closer to AmE than BrE. Which preposition should I use?


texts:
There is a scene in the movie Drinking Buddies where Gene and Luke are talking in a bar.

  Gene: I've been ten minutes out since I got here. I had one of these, and then I said, "I'm gonna have one of those," and then here I am.

  Luke: Yeah, it's hard once it starts going in.

  Gene: I don't know what I am. Four or five in?

  Luke: You're five in?

  Gene: I might've.

  Luke: Oh.

  Gene: But I had a turkey burger earlier, so...

  Luke: You're really keeping it together.

  Gene: Yeah, I'm a quiet drunk.

What does it mean to say someone is four in? That person has drunk four beers? So if I have had three cups of coffee, can I say I am three in.?


texts: Pronunciation of "marry" and "carry" in American English

texts: Should I use "a" as in "map" or "e" as in "pet"? Merriam-Webster says both ways are ok.


texts:
Below is an excerpt from a test documentation for some concrete function:

  Specify incorrect input parameters for the function
  Make a call to the function
  Check that returned status is STATUS_FAILED

(The function returns a value, either STATUS_OK or STATUS_FAILED, this value is called return status in the documentation.)

I'm unsure about what article should be used with "returned status". I'd say that we need to use "a"-article. Am I right?


texts: When a reporter of a newspaper takes some pictures from something and puts them within their newspaper

texts:
In the following self-made scenario I need to know whether the bold part is natural or there is a better way to mention that:

  But still, Noah is thinking about the girl who he met 14 years earlier, a girl he loved like no other, and he is content to live with only memories.

  Soon, he finishes restoring the old house in the best way possible in the manner that newspapers took some pictures from the house and put in their newspapers.

  A newspaper article about his endeavor catches Allie's eye, and 14 years after she last saw Noah, Allie returns to him.

I am sure there is a better way to say that in English; I wonder if you give me a hand with it and let me know about it.


texts: Difference between 'most' and 'most of the'

texts:
I am not sure when I use "most" and "most of the" in a sentence. For example:

  Most people / Most of the people in India are not aware of the availability of top-up covers to supplement basic health insurance covers.

  Most companies / Most of the companies in Toronto made huge profits this year.


texts:
What does "set to win" mean in the expression "Conservatives Set to Win Majority"?

In particular, is the noun "conservatives" the agent of "setting to win" in the sense that they are doing the action of setting to win (as in "Conservatives are reluctant to leave"), or is it not (as in "Conservatives are likely to win")?


texts: Which tense is appropriate to use in this case?

texts:
I am not sure that I can use only present simple in this case.

  I should have taken my umbrella before I go/went - present simple or past

  The keys must have fallen out of my pocket before I get/got in the the the car


texts:
When I want to say that it is the reason of my previous work, in an official article, is it recommended to use the following or not?

That is why we used this object in the previous work.


texts: "The Act doesn't state the criteria for X; it has delegated [this] responsibility to ..." ~ What does "this" mean here?

texts:
I wrote the following sentence:

  The Employment Insurance (EI) Act doesn’t state the criteria for establishing, delineating, and reviewing EI regional boundaries; it has delegated this responsibility to the CEIC and ESDC.

(1) I want to know if the above sentence captures the intended meaning:

  I want to say to my reader that the EI Act does not list the criteria for establishing EI regions. The Act has delegated the responsibility of making regulations regarding regional boundaries to the CEIC and ESDC. Basically, CEIC and ESDC can make any regulatory changes with regards to EI regions. In simple terms, the two bodies don't just determine, type and state the criteria, they enforce it.

Here is the problem.

Someone complained that the sentence does not capture this meaning and instead reads like this:

  "... it has delegated the responsibility [of just stating the criteria for establishing ...] to CEIC ..."

They say that my sentence sounds like as if the two bodies are only responsible for the written communication.

The sentence is meant to be in the footnote, and space is limited (there are more sentences with the above).

(2) I want to know if the complaint holds water or if it's just pedantic.


texts: Should the reporter have used the definite article "the" before the phrase "old wine"

texts:
As we know, wine is an uncountable noun in English. I was reading the news and in the news the reporter has used the phrase "old wine". Being an Indian everyone knew that the reporter was talking about Narendra Modi (the Prime Minister of India). So my question is, should the reporter have used the definite article the before the phrase "old wine".

In the news

  To his critics, though, much of this is old wine in a new bottle, minor cosmetic tweaks that betrayed no signs of the paradigm shift in India’s destiny that Modi promised.

As per my opinion:

  To his critics, though, much of this is the old wine in a new bottle, minor cosmetic tweaks that betrayed no signs of the paradigm shift in India’s destiny that Modi promised.


texts:
We would need to protect our eyes by shielding them from unfiltered sunlight to view the stars on the moon.
  We would protect our eyes from unfiltered sunlight
  to view the stars on the moon.

Sentence 1 is from a science book. I wonder we would need to add the word "shield" as it means the same with
the word "protect".


texts: Usage of `the` article in «The special attention» vs. «Special attention»

texts:
Question regarding the proper usage of the definite article in English.

Which of the following sentences is correct and why:

  I plan to analyse the existing approaches to supply …, both at
  national and international levels. Special attention is devoted
  to the role of cyber activity in securing state political interests
  Focus will be given to the current and planned projects for
  intergovernmental cooperation….

or

  I plan to analyse the existing approaches to supply …, both at
  national and international levels. The special attention is
  devoted to the role of cyber activity in securing state political
  interests. Focus will be given to the current and planned projects for
  intergovernmental cooperation….

And one more similar case:

  Among different aspects, the %name_of_the_book% clarifies the subjects of %list_of_subjects%

or

  Among the different aspects, the %name_of_the_book% clarifies the subjects of %list_of_subjects%


texts:
Folks,

I found the following sentence in a news article. Please let me know if this sentence is correct.

  Nigel Farage did not accept the people had spoken in 1975.

I think that 'what' should be placed between 'accept' and 'the', but I'm not sure. Please let me know.

Thanks for your help.


texts:
Should I remove the article 'the' before 'present-day' in this sentence?

  The cornerstone for the present-day Chrysler was laid a long time ago.


texts:
resource: https://moapyr.fandom.com/wiki/Boidmachine
I know what's "machine", but what's "boid"?
I found nearly nothing it in quite a few dictionaries.
According to "Webster's Third New International Dictionary", "boid"'s etymology is "Boidae" (New Latin), the latter of which is a large nonvenomous snake.
According to https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=boid, "boid" has three definitions:

to take the mik out of somone really bad

Slang for "Bird", usually used by one who has a horrible, stereotypical New Yorker accent.

Boid is an anagram for the phrase "blacked out in a ditch."
The last two letters can be substituted for any number of different things, such as boib or boor (blacked out in a bush and blacked out on a roof, respectively).


texts:
Consider these examples:

There is no school in our country now that does not have a computer lab.
Now, there is no school in our country that does not have a computer lab.
There is no school in our country that now does not have a computer lab.
There is no school in our country that does not have a computer lab.

Because of the places of the adverb 'now', is there the change of meaning?


texts:
I am very confused about which one I should use in which situation.

For example:

  Let’s look through your closet and I’ll help you pick something out.

can we replace out in exchange for up here.

Another example:

A child go to a patisserie with his mom and there are some different kinds of cakes available there. But the child can only buy one of them. So what would his mom say?

  Just pick up the one you want most.
  Just pick out the one you want most.
  Just pick the one one you want most.


texts:
I'm saying

  How many times I asked you not to do that?

or

  How many times I asked you to not do that?

which one is correct please?


texts: Do we need "the" here: "the teeth of whales" or "teeth of whales"

texts:
Hello, everyone!

I was wondering if you could help me with #11. The answers state that we need "the" teeth, but I don't get it. Is it because of the preposition "of" with some kind of explanation afterwards? I would put a "zero" article here. We don't know exactly what teeth they were (only of some unknown whales). So why to use "the"? It might be a mistake in the answers of the book, but what would you put in here?

Thank you!


texts: There is no simple rule for inventory turnover, except that a high ratio is preferable provided inventory is adequate to meet demand


texts: What does "...was a saint, upon which declaration..." mean in this Wikipedia article?

texts:
Source

  Canonization is the act by which the Orthodox, Oriental Orthodoxy, Roman Catholic, or Anglican Church declares that a person who has died was a saint, upon which declaration the person is included in the canon, or list, of recognized saints.

The bold part is hard to comprehend. Can you explain the structure, please?


texts:
The gunman was engaged by responding officers within about 1 minute and taken into custody, officials from Anne Arundel County Government said.

According to the Collins dictionary, engage can mean:

  verb
  If you engage someone in conversation, you have a conversation with them.

Or

  verb
  When a military force engages the enemy, it attacks them and starts a battle.

So, what's engage supposed to mean in this context?

The full source.


texts:
We use Past perfect tense to describe Past of Past.

e.g.

  When we arrived at station (2nd situation) the train had already left. (1st Situation)

But I am confused in below sentence

  Last year when I had gone to my native that property was there.

In above sentence there is only one past i.e. only one situation.
Then why had gone used?

If I say

  Last year when I went to my native that property was there.

Is correct or not?


texts:
So I have a graph that depicts 3 lines. Each line represents a different level of consumption c. I am having trouble choosing the correct word to indicate the difference between the lines. My first attempt was the following.

Figure 1 shows the result for different levels of consumption c.

But I am not very happy with the word different, because it sounds to me a bit like different from a baseline. But what I want to say is they are merely different among themselves.

My second attempt is this.

Figure 1 shows the result for varying levels of consumption c.

Is there a clearer word than different or varying? If not which one do you prefer.

Thanks for reading.

Edit: s -> c


texts: What is the word used for "Make best use of"?

texts: For example if i'm designing a parking space, I want to find the most appropriate design that will let the maximum number of cars park with minimum space lost, so I need a design that will help me make best use of the space. I'm pretty sure that is another word that better describes these expressions "make best use of" or "have the least amount of lost space"...


texts: For last 7 days, last 2 days, last month

texts:
when some person asks me what have you been doing for last 7 or 2 days ,
What does he mean by that?

Does he mean what I was doing today + yesterday or yesterday and the day before yesterday? Like is the actual/current date always included as one of those two or 7 days? or it is 7 / 2 days besides today (today not included)?

Thank you.

For example, I was looking on my facebook page statistics and I scrolled to show results for last 7 days

It showed me results for these dates: 22.1.2017 - 28.1.2017

However, I did the same on my page in Google Analytics and I clicked show statistics for last 7 days and it showed me 21.1.2017-27.1.2017 - so today was not included.

So how am I supposed to count it? This day not included or this day included as well? Thank you


texts:
following this article, they said:
The game has become a staple of party-favor bags since it was introduced in the 1870s.

  You’ve probably played a 15 puzzle. It’s that frustrating yet addictive game with 15 tiles and a single empty space in a 4-by-4 grid. The goal is to slide the tiles around and put them in numerical order or, in some versions, arrange them to form an image.

  The game has become a staple of party-favor bags since it was introduced in the 1870s. It has also caught the attention of mathematicians, who’ve spent more than a century studying solutions to puzzles of different sizes and startling configurations.

What does “staple of party-favor bags” mean?
I don't understand the sentence, can you explain it?


texts:
I have a set of values that form a triangle. I want to investigate how the positions of these values affect their denominators. Should I say

relationship between the element number and the its denominator
relationship between element number and denominator

Should I use "element numbers and denominators". Why?

Thanks. This is the link.


texts: is "paschalilla" a right translation of this pie (Pascualina)?

texts:
I was looking for the word of the pie Pascualina in English , and google translator gave me "paschalilla". I dont think that's the right translation because I made a google search for images for that and I come with no photo of a Pascualina. Then I found another translation which says "spinach and egg pie".

Not sure if you can make a Pascualina with that but the most common ingredient in many places is chard. Does Pascualina have an English name or should I simply call it "chard pie" or something like that? Or perhaps I should use the original name Pascualina? Other usual ingredients are onion, garlic, cheese, pepper and ham


texts: referring to the sole of foot and other same positions

texts:
Which of the below sentences are correct and better to use in informal English language?

  A) Under my right foot is terribly itching.

  B) My right underfoot is terribly itching.

  C) The sole of my right foot is terribly itching?

And what if the position I was going to refer to was somewhere rather than my feet?

  D) I have a painful pimple under(?) my right thigh.

  E) A green chewing gum had stuck to the ...(back? / bellow? / underneath? / bottom? / none?) of my seat in the cinema.

In the last sentence please note that it's not talking about the backrest, rather it's talking about where you put your buttock.


texts:
"There is a banana and an apple on the floor."

"There are a banana and an apple on the floor."

"There are bananas and an apple on the floor."

"There is a banana and apples on the floor."

I'm confused with the rules of using "is" and "are." Please tell me which one is correct and which is not.
And based on what the verb has to be conjugated? Is it the total amount of the subject mentioned or is it just the first subject?


texts: Question regarding subject-verb agreement

texts:
Is the following statement correct:

  Presenting research at various forums and participating in numerous science fairs have introduced me to the world of research communication

Or is the italicised word 'has' instead?


texts: The weird difference between 'compel' and 'compelling'

texts:
While memorizing vocabulary, I found something very odd:the fact that while the word 'compel' has a negative feeling to it (because you are 'forcing' someone), the word 'compelling' has a positive feeling to it (because it 'evokes interest'). The question here is, since the word 'compel' is a verb, the word 'compelling' was expected (at least for me)to mean "something that compels", which is weird because if the word "compelling" actually meant, "something that compels", then the word "compelling" should carry on the negative feeling of the root word "compel"....

Is it just an exception that the word "compelling" and "compel" have (somewhat) opposite feelings? Or is there an underlying concept or rule for this?

Furthermore, I`m assuming that stating something that is very interesting as "That thing is compelling" is correct, but saying "That thing compels me" is incorrect. Is this true?


texts: meet or met in a sentence when in future

texts:
If you ever (meet/met) her, tell her I said that.

which one is correct when tell someone the sentence above?


texts: To say "You should use X for Y and Z only"

texts:
Is this sentence correct? (Yes, it's a list now, just for convenience. It will be normal sentence).

  E.g., you can use [discrete] for section titles only, NOTE for plain paragraphs or ==== blocks only, [quote] and [verse] for ____ blocks only.

Here is the confusing part:

  NOTE for plain paragraphs or ==== blocks only.

It's assumed that NOTE couldn't be used for anything except plain paragraphs and ==== blocks.

Should I use "or" or "and"?
Should I use "only"?


texts:
Does this sentence make sense?

  But in my view, it is one ability that had been most abused and convoluted, as we human being continue to juggle and keep up with the fast pace of changing times.

or I can replace the use of convoluted as:

  But in my view, it is one ability that had been most abused and has been the least understood, as we human being continue to juggle and keep up with the fast pace of changing times.


texts: Meaning of "I didn't hear from him until now"

texts:
I understand that "I haven't heard from him until now" means "I didn't hear from him before and I just hear(d) from him now".

But what about "I didn't hear from him until now"? Does it mean the same as the previous sentence, or "I haven't heard from him ever, not even now"? Is it grammatical and does it sound natural?

By the way, can I replace "until now" with "till now" or "up to now" in those sentences? According to this Q/A, "until" is preferred for negative conditional sentences, but I am not sure if it's relevant to my question.


texts: Help understanding past perfect with continuous

texts:
I am learning the past perfect/continuous and I have just read that we generally use it when we are saying in our tenses a form of time/date who highlight the importance of the past.

In this case, I was wondering if we could say this:

  Last day, when I had been yelled at you, the cake was burning in the oven.

The "Last day" is a mark of the past form, so we need to use the past perfect, in addition of the continuous. Is it true ?


texts: “Dear {Ms, Mr, Mrs,Dr, Prof etc} Psmith,” - what do you call the part in braces?

texts:
Dear {Ms, Mr, Mrs, Dr, Prof etc} Psmith,

In the example above, how do you name the particle in curly brackets?

I'm writing a questionnaire asking, also, how a person would like to be addressed in future correspondence but it (my question) has to fit in a column header in a table, so the shorter the better.


texts: Can you justify this "would" in a real conditional

texts:
If we go someplace else, it would be different, but maybe not as good. (Seinfeld)

It is a conditional with Present Simple in the conditional clause and would in the main clause. It is not correct, as far as I know (will should be instead of would). Do you know a way to justify it?


texts:
Tie (verb):
to fasten together two ends of a piece of string or other long, thin material, or to (cause to) hold together with a long, thin piece of string, material, etc.

Example:
- Could you tie this piece of string for me?

Knot (verb):
 to tie in or with a knot:

Example:
- He caught the rope and knotted it around a post.

Based on these definitions, what word as a verb can be used in a figurative sense in the following sentence:

  Language and culture are inseparably .............. to each other.

Connotation: "culture" and "language" are severely related to each other and each one has considerable influence into the other one.

I think, "tie" is a better choice and I can say:

  Language and culture are inseparably tied to each other.

But I don't know if a native would use this word in this sense. Meanwhile, I need to know whether "knot" can be used in this sense too.


texts:
In the very beginning of the movie, (the airplane scene) when Bane is about to leave the plane with the nuclear scientist, the following dialogue takes place between Bane and one of his men:

  Bane: No, they'll expect one of us in the wreckage, brother.

  Man: Have we started the fire?

  Bane: Yes, the fire rises.

I wonder why Bane says it rather than the fire has risen or the fire rose or the fire is rising. Why use the simple present tense there?


texts:
There is a particular word for the action mentioned in Title line. I've not been able to recall it despite I've tried my best. Can anyone tell me what 'verb' that is which we used for such action? i.e. to play with fingers on the floor for nothing but even with absent mind, drawing lines with fingers. When we are just sitting doing nothing and deeply sunk in thoughts, we move our fingers on the floor as if sketching or drawing lines.

Even if it's done with a stick, such drawing that has no purpose, what verb should be used? 'draw'? or something else? When I was a kid, I read a word for this thing but it now doesn't occur to me. It sounded like SCRABLE or something like that.


texts: the possibility to rewrite one particular sentence

texts:
Ettinger portrayed the Arendt-Heidegger relationship as a deeply pathological one that stretched from their first encounter in 1924 until Arendt's sudden death in 1975.

Could it be possible to rewrite this sentence without a change of the meaning in this way:

  Ettinger portrayed the Arendt-Heidegger relationship that stretched from their first encounter in 1924 until Arendt's sudden death in 1975 as a deeply pathological one?

Does the word order in the first sentence suggest that their relationship was pathological from the very beginning?


texts: Is there any special adjective like 'award-winning'?

texts:
OALD says...

  award-winning (adj) -having won a prize

I'm a bit surprised having the participle there. Why? Because the action is completed and still it uses the continuous tense (CT).

I thought of similar adjective thought-provoking. OALD says...

  thought-provoking (adj) - not made making people think seriously about a particular subject or issue

And, I'm pretty sure, there are many such adjectives.

What makes the former one unique is the thing that has already happened ('won' awards, not 'winning' or going to 'win') but still using the CT.

Are there other such adjectives that refer to past but in its adjective, takes CT?


texts:
It takes 10 minutes to complete execution.
It takes 10 minutes to execute.

Which one is correct or sounds more natural to native speakers?


texts:
I normally know 2 different versions of pointing an age of a person as follows:

She will be 12 years old in July.
She will turn 12 in July.

I wonder that is there any other positions in order to point an age except the above structures?
Edit: Actually, this might be too board but I just wanted the closest ones of such statements.


texts: That/if difference in indirect questions

texts:
I asked him if I might see his watch?

So can I write this above sentence like this?

  I asked him that could I see his watch?

What if I use "that" instead of if?


texts:
Is there difference in usage of "a piece of clothing" and "an item of clothing"

Can I write or say "three items of clothing" and "three pieces of clothing"? Are they used similarly?


texts: Is it possible to use past-tense with present-tense in the same sentence?

texts:
I usually face this problem of using two or more tenses in one sentence. Would you please help me with the following example if it is correct:

  After I signed-up for the shift, I revived an email mentioned that there is an instruction packet included video need to be watched.


texts: "My poverty is a result of {me / my} failing/me failing to..." -- which is appropriate?

texts:
Which one of the following sentences of the same meaning are more natural to a native speaker's ear?

My poverty is a result of my failing to assert myself.

My poverty is a result of me failing to assert myself.


texts:
It is safe to write either "Because ..., ..." or "... because ...". However, sometimes I find that if one sticks to the rule of no-comma-before-because, then the whole sentence gets extremely long. For example, instead of writing

  The sequence is not convergent because there is no real number $l$ such that for every $\epsilon > 0$ there is an $N \geq 1$ such that $|x_{n} - l| < \epsilon$ for all $n \geq N.$"

to me it looks better to write

  The sequence is not convergent; because there is ...".

I thus wonder if it is a common American usage to use the sign ";" to separate the sentences. For example, is it legitimate to write "I am healthy; because everyday I get up early."?


texts: The town I was born in vs. The town that I was born in

texts:
As examples which ones correct of following ?

The town I was born in had a tree.
The town that I was born in had a tree ?
The town which I was born in had a tree ?


texts: "gave a late slip" and "a hall pass to get through each broken promise"

texts:
Quoted from this talk:
http://www.ted.com/talks/shane_koyczan_to_this_day_for_the_bullied_and_beautiful/transcript

  When I was a kid, I traded in homework assignments for friendship, then gave each friend a late slip for never showing up on time, and in most cases not at all.

Does this sentence mean "I did not show up on time, and in most cases not at all", or the opposite?

  I gave myself a hall pass to get through each broken promise.

And does this sentence mean "I forgave myself for breaking promises"?


texts:
A colon is often put between the title and the subtitle of essays and articles.

Is it necessary? Can I drop it?


texts:
According to Collins dictionary, funnily enough means:

  You use funnily enough to indicate that, although something is
  surprising, it is true or really happened.

That basically sounds to me like a definition of amazingly enough as well. Is there a major difference or can they be used more or less interchangeably?


texts: A more idiomatic way of saying "that had the secret meaning of"

texts:
The Shining was an allegory that had the secret meaning of the
genocide of Native Americans.

This sounds incorrect.

The Shining was an allegory about the genocide of Native Americans.

That also sounds incorrect and a bit vague
Is there a better way to say this? I think the last one makes the most sense, but the about doesn't specify if it's the secret meaning conveyed by the allegory or the literal subject of the film.


texts: "Take on your enemies" – What does that mean?

texts: I heard the phrase "Take on your enemies" announced in a news conference today. Could you help me understand what it means?


texts: Is there any better way to talk about change(money)?

texts:
let suppose I have a hundred dollar note but i need 80 dollar dollars out of it.
So I can ask the grocery person "Can I have change?"
Any better way to say so?
how to say if i need each note of 10 dollars (total 10notes)
and if I have change and i need one or bigger notes how ca i ask ask? As this is not suitable if i say do you need change?

Your views will be appreciated.
Thanks


texts: Is this grammatically correct? "I have been the completion of the modifications on the site."

texts:
Is the following sentence correct ?

  I have been the completion of the modifications on the site.


texts:
I go to the shopping centre by Uber/Lyft/...
How do you say in a gerneal way?
Such as: I go to the shopping centre by ride-hailing.


texts: The meaning of "inframarginal" in the context

texts:
I would be grateful if anyone could help me with the meaning the word  "inframarginal" in the following sentence:

  A WDR could launch and help focus the debate. It
  could also initiate a parallel debate on the future role of the state and of
  global governance arrangements in a world where inframarginal discussions
  will be made—by the state—on where and how people can live in
  order to fit into the global budget of resources and global public goods.


texts: Which one has the correct punctuation of these two sentences?

texts:
I, not he am doing the project.

They, not he are the criminals.

or

I, not he, am doing the project.
They, not he, are the criminals.


texts:
Which of the following two sentences is correct?

I am working as a Librarian in your esteemed Institute since 06.10.2012.
I have been working as a librarian in your esteemed Institute since 06.01.2012.


texts: The usage of the verb AGREE with the indicative and subjunctives moods

texts:
Is my thinking correct or not? I think “agree” can convey different moods such as the indicative and the subjunctive.

The indicative (facts) 1 I agree that the demise of London zoo would be terrible 2 I agree that he is the ablest of us.
the subjunctive  3 They agreed that the meeting should be postponed. 4 They agreed that the meeting be postponed.

These are hard to classify:

6 I agreed that she would come. (does it mean 1) I agreed that her
come would take place in the future. Or 2) I gave my permission for
her to come.)
7 I agree that she will come.  (does it mean 1) I agree that her come
will take place in the future. Or 2) I give my permission for her to
come.)

Can you clarify 6 and 7 and let me know if 4 is correct?


texts: Can you say: acquire or obtain business?

texts:
When customers buy things from a store, you say:

(1) Customers give ABC Store business.

If I "turn this around", can I say:

(2) ABC Store obtains or acquires business from its customers.

Do these verbs work in (2)?


texts:
Assume that John is taking interview of harry. In past, harry was an administrator but now he is not . what should harry say here?

JOHN : Harry, Tell me about your past experience

Harry : I was an administrator for two years at COMPANY A

Or

Harry : I have been an administrator for two years at COMPANY A

I think they are just like "I did that for two years" and "i have done that for two years" But both refer to Past. But "I have done that for two years" sounds More accurate when we want to describe any time period (for,since). So i am thinking 2nd one is more accurate here.


texts: Why "to" is used rather than "for" in this sentence.

texts:
I wonder why "to" is utilized in the following sentence rather than "for"

  This chapter is devoted 'to' solving ordinary differential equations of the form

In my understanding if "to" is used, then the "ing" prefix should not be added to "solve".


texts:
Heard this sentence in a movie:

  And every last one of them trying to achieve it all.

What's the difference between the phrases:

Every last one of them
Every one of them
Each one of them


texts:
That the human brain can use language is amazing.

What does 'that' represent when used alone in a statement perhaps.  E.g not referring to a previous sentence.

Does 'that' represent an inferred subject?

(In that sense is the comma correct in these dialogue examples or should it be a semi colon- technically).

That is true, don't you know.
It's true, don't you know.


texts:
According to one of the exercises in collocation in use, it says " strongly love", is not a correct collocation.
Then what word suits the purpose?
[Note; love functions as a verb here].

Deeply love, perhaps?

I deeply love . . . , or , I truly love . . . .


texts: "If I wasn't ... " vs "if I weren't ..."

texts:
I understand that we use "If I weren't..." in conditional sentences like

If I weren't busy, I would do XYZ

But what if I have a sentence like

I would not have done ABC if I wasn't/ weren't sure

I am not sure this sentence is conditional. I have heard only "If I wasn't sure" in sentences like above.
Which one is correct and/or natural? Are both of them correct?


texts: "She / he has gone" vs "She / he is gone"

texts: I would like to know do "has / have gone" and "is / are gone" have different meaning?  Should I use "has / have gone" with "to" (e.g. "Where has she gone?" or "Where has she gone to?"). If so, what are the context they might be more likely used in? Please, give me examples.


texts: After I had done, they did vs After I did, they did

texts:
Which is correct? or are both correct? or are they both grammatically correct but only different in semantics?

  After Sally had mastered the skills for her job, her supervisor asked her to help train new employees.

  After Sally mastered the skills for her job, her supervisor asked her to help train new employees.


texts: Phrase for describing a cable without a connector at the end

texts:
I've been translating a truck scale description in a business offer letter, and the specification table there, listing the five parts comprising the prospective order, says on line five:

  Cable for connecting the load cell to the weighing terminal, bare end. Length: 30m.

In the Russian original, the phrase "открытый конец" (literally "open end") most likely means that the cable has no connector attached to it. It probably comes out of the load cell, and then is cut at this length, 30m. The Buyer can attach the necessary connector.

What would be a naturally-looking phrase for describing the same "bare end" in a similar English document?

(Also asked on Engineering SE)


texts: What does it mean when the wife in the picture says "I wear the brains in the family."?

texts: I saw this picture on the internet, and I can't really understand the meaning of "I wear the brains in the family" used by the wife in the picture. I know the husband said "I wear the pants in the family' means that he is in charge in the family.  So the wife responds to him by saying she wears the brains in the family. Does it mean that she is the head of the family?


texts:
There's this text in Quirke's Comprehensive Grammar:

The author later states that when the content of the dream is narrated, the past tenses 'was threatening','had' relate not to 'breakfast time', but to an earlier point (namely just before the girl's awakening).

If these actions happened before some other explicit time point, why do they have the past tense without perfective? I'm guessing it's because the past-in-the-past time is being identified by 'In my sister's dream', so there's no real need for the perfective to do it - but I'm not sure if that's the right interpretation.

A similar example from another book:

  I rolled to my hands and knees, shook myself all over and then came to my feet. A dream, I told myself. Only a dream. Fear and shame washed over me, dirtying me in their passage. In my dream I had pleaded for mercy as I had not in reality.

What's the difference? Any help? Thanks.


texts: What is the difference between these two sentences - Punctuation?

texts:
What is the difference between these sentences?

  Politicians who tell lies are to be despised.
  Politicians, who tell lies, are to be despised.


texts: Idiom "off the rack" and the definition from dictionaries and the usage in a sentence "off the rack policy"

texts:
There is a line from this article, saying,

High-income households and college graduates—which are more likely to have higher amounts of student debt— were more likely to support forgiveness. Fifty percent of households making more than $100,000 per year support forgiveness, compared to 45% of households making less than $50,000. Fifty-three percent of college graduates support forgiveness, versus 35% of people with a high school education or less.

"It's basically an off-the-rack policy to give money to upper-middle class, highly educated people and not others," said Jason Delisle with the American Enterprise Institute. "I don't think it's a good policy because I don't think that's a group of people that we should be providing aid to, necessarily, at the expense of others."

According to 3 dictionaries, the idiom "off the rack" means,
1, 2,, 3

bought, mass-produced, ready-made.

So is the article trying to say
"Hey dude, it's a supermarket policy to give money to high-income people, nothing original"?
Thank you in advance(m_m).


texts: Is "a" correct before subsidy in the sentence?

texts:
The government tried to pacify the protesting framers by announcing
  a subsidy on fertilizers.

I doubt whether a should come in a subsidy or not? Please clear my doubt.


texts: Leaving out the article 'the' without change in meaning?

texts:
Although I've read a few grammar books, sometimes I'm not sure if I should use 'the'.

These two phrasas are from the figure captions of a paper published in the journal Physical Review B:

  Time dependence of electron temperature at the front and back surfaces of the target.
  The temperature dependence of the volume of the copper material.

Is one of these incorrect grammatically/semantically?


texts: what do you mean by "draw chalk lines around the topic"?

texts:
In a presentation's speaker note, I found a phrase;

  "Before we discuss the points (presented on the previous slide), let's draw some chalk lines around the topic and talk about challenges we see in this field".

what do you mean by "draw some chalk lines around the topic" here ?


texts:
The stark judgment was given in/at a key meeting of energy ministers from the world's biggest economies and emitters that is taking place in London...

Two questions

Which is right? in or at?

What is the meaning or "emitters" here?

Fortunately I was able to find the original text:

Fossil fuel addiction will lead to disaster
Governments are falling badly behind on low-carbon energy, putting carbon reduction targets out of reach and pushing the world to the brink of catastrophic climate change, the world's leading independent energy authority has warned.
The stark judgment was given at a key meeting of energy ministers from the world's biggest economies and emitters that is taking place in London — a meeting already overshadowed by the British Prime Minister David Cameron's last-minute withdrawal from a keynote speech planned for today.


texts: An idiom/ idioms for a person who spends too much time on the cellphone?

texts:
Do we have any idioms for a person who spends too much time on the cellphone?

As we call a person who watches television a lot, a couch potato, or a person who spends large amounts of leisure or working time operating a computer, a mouse potato.

If there is any, I would appreciate your answer.


texts: Understanding "having to do with this most important summit"

texts:
If you change your mind having to do with this most important summit, please do not hesitate to call me or write.

Source: Trump's letter to Kim

Can you help with understanding the passage in bold? I am not sure whether this gerund refers to "have" as the auxiliary verb (have to/must) or not. Either way, I do not understand the sentence.


texts:
It would be correct to use "something" un the sentence like:

  She has rung you up to tell that she has found out something about it.

I'd better put "anything" instead of using "something" in order to convey the meaning of the following sentence correctly:

  I wanted to find out anything about him.

Wouldn't it?


texts:
How we will come to know that he got the documents?

Or

How we will come to know that he gets the documents?

Which one is grammatically correct?

Scenario.

I will have to take action after receiving document by xyz. So I want to say How "We will come to know that he got/get the document so that we can proceed further."


texts:
The three goddesses agreed on one thing: that the most handsome and fashionably dressed mortal who walked on the face of the earth was Paris, Prince of Troy. They decided to surprise him. One day when Paris was out hunting on the foothills of Mount Ida, he discovered three lovely goddesses standing beneath a tree.

What is the difference between "was hunting" and "was out hunting"?


texts:
The construction of the plant will begin with site work, completion of paperwork necessary for the construction of site access roads, and with the construction of living quarters for the FIFO construction workers.

I need an expression for "construction workers who will be employed at the site on the fly-in fly-out (FIFO) basis". As I understand, the majority of workers will be employed in in this fashion. But searching for "FIFO construction workers" brings little hits at Google.

What could be a more appropriate expression? A "FIFO construction worker" looks like "a worker who will construct FIFO", an unfelicitious combination. Could it be

  .. quarters for the "fly-in, fly-out" construction workers


texts: fish on somebody (gangster slang) -- meaning?

texts:
Cops undercover doing some illegal street buys (from the movie RoboCop (2014)):

  — Where the hell you get a gun like that, Jerry?
  — I can get you two whole crates full, man.
  — Two crates? No disrespect, J, but how a clown like you get so much product, man?
  — What's it matter where it comes from?
  — Why it matters, we don't want no dirty guns, Jerry. These guns got bodies on 'em, Jerry?
  — Yo, look, they're clean, all right? You gonna buy this shit or not?
  — Why you acting so nervous, man?
  — You fishin' on us, Jerry?
  — What'd you say?
  — You think he fishin', D?
  — I think he's fishin' on us.
  — Yo, what the hell are they talkin' about, man?
  — Hey, let me see your phone.

I searched online and couldn't find a thing about this expression.


texts: can the phrase “earn interest” be used in a normal conversation?

texts:
english isn’t my first language and I don’t really have anyone to speak english to so I’m not very good with idioms and specific expressions and their nuances. The other day I wanted to use the phrase “earn one’s (mine in this case) interest” but now I hesitate. I think I’ve seen this phrase being used in formal situations like business email etc. but I was wondering if it’s ok to use this phrase when talking to someone on the same level or on a friendly conversation. it feels like I’m looking down on my partner like: rejoice, you tried hard and now you have managed to grab my attention..
could you explain how you feel about it or provide similar substitutes if necessary?


texts: Are conjunctions like “and” allowed before a transition word?

texts:
In this sentence, is it grammatically correct to use and
before consequently?

  He did not submit the application by the deadline and
  consequently, his application was not considered valid
  after it got dispatched to the admissions office.

Is it true that conjunctive adverbs are always written after a
period or a semicolon?


texts:
One evening when he was being particularly obnoxious, chattering away well above my head, I let him have it.
  "Mummy," I said, "do you know what I’m going to do when I grow up?"
  "No, dear," she replied. "What?"
  "I’m going to marry you," I said quietly.

  Father gave a great guffaw out of him, but he didn’t take me in. I knew it must only be pretence.
  And Mother, in spite of everything, was pleased. I felt she was probably relieved to know that one day Father’s hold on her would be broken.

Dose it mean:

1) I was not deceived?

or

2) he did not notice me?

this text is from a short story named: My Oedipus complex


texts:
mix somebody/something ↔ up phrasal verb  1 to make the mistake of thinking that someone or something is another person or thing SYN
  confuse, muddle up with

  I always mix him up with his brother. They look so much alike.

  I think you might be mixing up Wetherall and Newton.

  I must have got the times mixed up.

Ok, I have a 2 year old son, he knows who is his grandma & who is his grandpa clearly. However, he uses the vocabulary "grandma" & "grandpa" wrongly. That is when he calls his grandma "Grandpa" & calls his grandpa "Grandma". Again, it is just that he uses the terms incorrectly not because he couldn't distinguish them.

Is it right to say "You mixed grandma up with grandpa" in this situation?

But I think "mix somebody/something ↔ up" is about that people don't distinguish who is who not because they use the terms wrongly.


texts:
My question, as I said in the title, is that can I use almost and job together? For example, is the sentence below correct (meaning and place of almost)?

  Unfortunately, there is almost no job related to my field.

Many thanks.


texts:
As reported by the BBC here, the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is being accused of comparing the state of Israel to Islamic State (IS), he said

  "Our Jewish friends are no more responsible for the actions of Israel or the Netanyahu government than our Muslim friends are for those various self-styled Islamic states or organisations."

Corbin was denounced by the current and previous Senior Rabbis of the UK citing that Corbyn should not be comparing Israel to IS.

When asked about it, Corbin said

  "No, no of course I'm not. The point in the report is that you shouldn't say to somebody just because they're Jewish, you must have an opinion on Israel. Any more than you say to anyone who is a Muslim you must have an opinion on any vile action that's been taken by misquoting the good name of Islam. I just ask people to be respectful and inclusive in their debate."

Was Corbyn actually making a comparison between Israel and IS?

Although his statement is lengthy, the simple pattern Corbyn seems to be using is the comparison

  A is to B as C is to D
  A is not more to B than C is (not more) to D

it seems to me that what is being compared is the "relationship" of A to B with the "relationship" of C to D. It doesn't seem that A is being compared to C, or that B is being compared to D.

Am I missing something?


texts:
I miss having beans ON breakfast.
I miss having beans IN breakfast.

Which preposition is accurate here?


texts:
I saw a text from an article, which is given below:

I want to know that why is is being used here. Here the subject is "choices" then why didn't the author use "choices are"?


texts:
Which one is the correct way of saying?

I am healthy like a fish or as a fish?


texts: Is it correct to say "My bunny's ears are weird. One stands up and the other hangs down at once"?

texts:
If a bunny is happy, its ears stand up, and if it is not happy, its ears hang down.
Is it correct to say:
-"My bunny's ears are weird. One stands up and the other hangs down at once"
-"My bunny's ears are weird. One is up and the other is droopy"
You can see the picture below


texts: "It was day before yesterday" or "It was THE day before yesterday"?

texts:
Are both following options are correct? If not, Which of the options is correct?

  Option A: "It was day before yesterday"

  Option B: "It was THE day before yesterday"?

The same question for

  Option A: "It will be day after tomorrow"

  Option B: "It will be THE day after tomorrow"

I always used option A till today when I saw the following slide, which mention option B and caused me this doubt.


texts: Why does it say "arrive to" , not "arrive at"?

texts:
I have found the sentences below in the UK newspaper The Guardian.
Why does it say "arrive to", not "arrive at" ?

  Prosecutors from the House of Representatives, known as “managers”,
  are expected to arrive to the Senate at midday local time (5pm GMT) to
  formally exhibit the articles of impeachment against Donald Trump,
  approved last month by the House.

  — Senate gets ready to open impeachment trial against Donald Trump


texts: 'far from obvious' or 'far from being obvious'

texts:
It is a scientific paper. I would like to say

  This fact is far from being obvious.

Can I delete the 'being'? Initially I used it because I thought it should be a noun behind the 'from'.


texts: Should attributive nouns be always Singular?

texts:
We saw rows of soldiers tents.
  We saw rows of soldier tents.
  We saw rows of soldiers' tents.

Which of the above is the most accurate sentence?


texts:
I come across some opinions of native English speakers that "I don't feel comfortable to do something" is not idiomatic and should be replaced with "I don't feel comfortable doing something"?
Do you agree with it?

However, they say that "I don't feel comfortable enough to do
something" is OK. How could you explain this:
"I don't feel comfortable enough to do something" OK "I don't feel
comfortable to do something" WRONG

I am also surprised to have found a few examples on the internet.

United States. Congress. House. Committee on Appropriations.
Subcommittee on Department of Transportation and Related Agencies
Appropriations · 1998
Do you feel comfortable to tell us so the Committee could find out?
Michigan Occasional Papers in Women's Studie Do you feel comfortable
to make eye contact with an interviewer and to sit in a relaxed way?
California. Supreme Court. Do you feel comfortable to procced this way
now, or what is your desire?


texts: "He told me he had seen Charlie the day before" -- What's its direct speech?

texts:
How can I change these sentences to direct speech?

  He told me he had seen Charlie the day before.
  He said you wanted to have lunch with him the following day.


texts: Does this sentence need an additional comma?

texts:
Consider this sentence I found in a chess textbook:

This book starts with prophylaxis because I'm convinced that in order to master positional thinking, one needs first to master prophylactic thinking.

Now, in my native language, there should a comma between that and in order, as you can't separate a conjunction (in this case, "that") from the clause it introduces (namely, "one needs first to master prophylactic thinking") by using a comma. Whatever comes in between the conjunction and the clause must be wrapped up between two commas. So in this case I'd have written

This book starts with prophylaxis because I'm convinced that, in order to master positional thinking, one needs first to master prophylactic thinking.

Does this rule exist in English as well? Or do you think sentence 1 is correct the way it is?


texts:
Does the following quote mean the native population dropped to 90% of the original numbers or by 90%, that is to 10% of the original value?

  [...] the native population of New Spain fell as much as 90% from its original numbers in the 16th century.


texts: 'n-minute walk' for other forms of transportation

texts: I'm familiar with the expression n-minute walk to describe something at a 10-minute distance by foot, but I was stuck when I tried to use this expression with other kinds of transportation. For example, if I want to express something apart by 10-minute distance by bus, how can I express that in a similar way to n-minute walk?


texts: Should the verb "help" be followed by another verb at infinitive or gerund?

texts:
Given the sentence

  My father helped me [doing/do] my homework.

I had learned that the preposition "to" can optionally follow the verb "help". However, the solution to my exercise says that the above sentence should correctly be:

  My father helped me doing my homework.

Instead of:

  My father helped me do my homework.

Could someone please explain to me why is that?


texts: "Consolidating memory is not instantaneous or even {momentary/inevitable}" - Why is inevitable the correct choice?

texts:
Consolidating memory is not instantaneous or even _____: every memory must be encoded and moved from short-term to long-term storage, and some of these memories are, for whatever reason, more vividly imprinted than others.

  A. salutary
  B. deliberate
  C. sequential
  D. momentary
  E. inevitable

This is a GRE exam question.
I know the meaning of the "momentary" and "inevitable" as I looked them up in the dictionary but as I read the whole paragraph again and again with "momentary" and "inevitable", both sound correct. I cannot find what clues make us to choose "inevitable" (as the reference said) as the answer and not "momentary".


texts: What is the meaning of the adverb infinitive phrase in this sentence?

texts:
Scientists have struggled for so many years to find them.

Is "to find them" in this sentence an adverbial modifier indicating purpose, or one of result?

In other words, which of the following two sentences is closer in meaning to the above sentence:

A: Scientists have struggled for so many years and finally found them.
B: In order to find them, scientists have struggled for so many years.


texts: What is the difference between "can possibly" and "could possibly"

texts:
"what could possibly go wrong?" and "what can possibly go wrong?"

I am confused because both uses possibly ... what is the difference between the two sentence?

thank you in advance


texts:
I want to convey that affective strategy influences prior knowledge and also influences how much effort is exerted to acquire prior knowledge. Prior knowledge and effort exerted, in turn, affect the performance. Does the below sentence convey the same?

  Affective strategy positively influences students in acquiring prior
  knowledge and exerting effort to acquire the later, which in turn
  significantly affects the first-semester performance in engineering


texts:
Here's from a TV show "3rd Rock From the Sun S1E4 Dick is from Mars, Sally is from Venus".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VUxhdOpX5w
17:18

Hey, check out the bartender.
Ooh, god's gift to women.
I hope he kept the receipt.
(Laugh)

I don't understand why it's so funny.


texts: Can *which* act as a definite article meaning *the*?

texts:
I heard the sentence from a non-native:

  He spoke in Greek, which language I could only follow with difficulty.

Here, which attracts my attention! Has it been used correctly? Normally I would say the (very) language.


texts:
What is the opposite of 'Behind the schedule?. How to say if we are ahead of the schedule or exactly on  the schedule?

Can I say we are ahead of schedule or on the schedule?


texts: How many times ... "in a week" or "a week"?

texts:
How many times do you eat in a week?
How many times a week do you eat?

I was told it was incorrect to add "in a week" to sentence 1. I know that sentence 2 is correct but I also think sentence 1 is correct.

Is sentence 1 correct? and what does the sentence mean?


texts: Adverbs that modify verb in an imperative sentence

texts:
I know of only the following two adverbs that are used before the verb of an imperative sentence;

Always

Always have your dictionary near at hand.
Always be true to yourself.

Never

Never mind!
Never confuse art with life.

Are there any other adverbs that are or can be used before a verb of an imperative sentence?


texts:
I need your help.

could anyone explain for me what is the difference between "call off" and "cancel" and when to use everyone.


texts: Please explain the use of the word Easy in this sentence

texts:
The tennis player, easy through the opening set against her opponent, rallied to take the final two sets for the biggest victory of her young career.

Of the following pattern, which one is implied over there?
Who went easily through the opening set or who was easy through the opening set...


texts:
This issue arose in a recent lesson. In short, it centres on the difference between:

  Where do you live?
  I live in Tokyo. v In Tokyo. v Tokyo.

and:

  Which city do you live in?
  I live in Tokyo? v ?In Tokyo. v Tokyo.

The issue is the answer 'In Tokyo', to the question 'Which city do you live in?'. There's no doubt about what it means, but my native speaker intuition says it's either not right or awkward (specifically, the 'in'), but in class I couldn't think of any reason why, and I haven't been able to find anything either way since. I can't recall hearing or reading it, and I wouldn't say or write it myself.

The issue isn't ending a question with a preposition. I would have the same issue with 'In which city do you live?' 'In Tokyo'. It also isn't with the preposition 'in'. I would have the same issue with 'Who did you vote for?' 'For Smith'.

So, is 'In Tokyo' a grammatical/acceptable response to 'Which city do you live in?'/'In which city do you live?'. Either way, is there an authoritative reference?


texts:
These are the books I wrote in this subject. There are other books, by other authors, on this subject as well.
  These are the books I wrote in this subject. There are other books by other authors on this subject as well.

Which is correctly punctuated?


texts:
In the following case, please advise whether "nationwide" should be put, before or after(end of the sentence), or both of them are okay?

  We reached out to universities nationwide.

or

  We reached out nationwide to universities.


texts: Should I translate names of foreign company or organisations to English?

texts:
When I'm writing in English and want to refer to foreign company/organisaion names, should I translate or keep the original name, or use both?  I can imagine a few possibilities, depending on factors such as whether the company/organisation is known world-wide or whether or not they have an official English name.

I think it's fairly straight forward with names such as KLM Royal Dutch Airlines because that is an official English name, even though the Dutch acronym KLM is rarely spelled out.

What I find more problematic is names which are relatively unknown to the English-speaking community. E.g: Nederlandse Publieke Omroep (Netherlands Public Broadcasting). Should I use both like I just did, with the original first and the English in brackets, or vice versa, English first and original in brackets (probably also in italics?). Or should I just stick to the English? or the original? I am a bit confused here.

Is there an official rule, or a style guide, for this in English writing?


texts:
What does "The scale is always heavily weighted" mean?

Even at the present day the air is charged with
prejudice. If any man of standing at the present instant were to enter a
London newspaper office and say that he had detected a medium in
fraud, the matter would be seized upon eagerly and broadcast over the
country; while if the same man proclaimed that he had beyond all
question satisfied himself that the phenomena were true, it is doubtful
if he would get a paragraph. The scale is always heavily weighted.

The History of Spiritualism   By A.C Doyle
XI.THE RESEARCHES OF SIR WILLIAM CROOKES (1870-1874)


texts: what does Mrs. Clinton's "deplorables" mean?

texts:
On social media websites, President Trump as well as his supporters refer to themselves as "deplorables" as in:

  We, deplorables, love you Mr. President".

I came to know the word had been first used by Mrs. Clinton to disparagingly refer to Trump's supporters. Meriam Webster lists two meanings for the adjective deplorable:

  1.Deserving censure or contempt.

  2.Lamentable.

So did Mrs. Clinton mean that Trump's supporters were "very bad and so deserve to be rebuked" or that "their ideas and behaviour causes sorrow and so they are truly pathetic"?


texts: Does "red apples and bottles" mean "the apples are red and the bottles are red" or "only apples are red"?

texts:
What does "Red apples and bottles" mean?

  The apples are red and the bottles are red too.  The apples are red but the color of the bottles is unknown.

Which one is right ?


texts: Meaning of the term fouler in a noun form other than as an adjective

texts: Does English language recognise the term fouler as one who commits foul/s other than just an adjective like 'fouler deeds' etc?I have seen foul being used as a verb as in railways such as 'fouling area' where cars are allowed to derail etc.We also say that he fouled up the situation,but I have not heard persons calling someone a fouler.


texts: What should I choose - "kind of" or "kind of a"?

texts:
There are some grammar tests in a book, Word Power Made Easy, one of which included this question:

  'What (kind of, kind of a) car are you looking for?' asked the salesman.

Although I'd have personally preferred "kind of" over "kind of a", I do not see anything wrong in using the latter. Also the answer in the key was the" kind of" version. So, I want to ask why the "kind of" version is certainly correct.


texts: List after columns: shall I use determiners?

texts:
In the following example, is the determiner optional or compulsory?

  X is defined by two parameters: scale and time shift.

or

  X is defined by two parameters: the scale and the time shift.


texts:
In my Grammar book I have...

  She's been watching television.

Can we also say...

  She's been watching the television

I just want to know if they are the same.


texts: Is there a standard or recommended handwriting style for students?

texts:
I'm learning English as a foreign language and I'm trying to improve my handwriting style. My native language (Persian) is not written through Latin alphabets and I'm not familiar with shaping the letters.

When I searched for handwriting styles I only came across complicated cursive calligraphy. I like cursive writing but I guess it's recommended to avoid it since it is harder to read or for some other reason I'm not aware of.

I'm thinking more of a block letter writing style but I don't want to stand out with a weird handwriting or something that native people would call not normal and frown upon. And I'm looking to learn how to shape the words like native people which could result in increasing my writing speed.

I read that cursive writing is not taught anymore in the schools of native speakers, Is that right?
Is there a style of writing that is encouraged or is believed to be the ideal and best way of writing and is recommended for English students to learn? (Which probably explains where and in which direction start shaping the letter or other details)

If yes, could you also mention what was the reasoning behind this selection?


texts:
What is the difference between the two in the title? E.g. be offered a job or get offered a job? Is "get offered" even grammatically correct? And why?

I have a feeling that the first one sounds natural but I can't find the evidence of the second one being incorrect.


texts:
“It’s — all — my — ruddy — fault!” he sobbed, his face in his hands.
  “I told the evil git how ter get past Fluffy! I told him! It was the
  only thing he didn’t know, an’ I told him! Yeh could’ve died! All fer
  a dragon egg! I’ll never drink again! I should be chucked out an’ made
  ter live as a Muggle!”   “Hagrid!” said Harry, shocked to see
  Hagrid shaking with grief and remorse, great tears leaking down into
  his beard. “Hagrid, he’d (1) have found out somehow, this is
  Voldemort we’re talking about, he’d (2) have found out even if you
  hadn’t told him.” “Yeh could’ve (3) died!” sobbed Hagrid.
  “An’ don’ say the name!”  (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

In (1) and (2) are ‘would’ meaning OALD #3, I guess, unlike (3). But I’m not sure of that. Are they as what I’ve guessed or not?


texts:
I have read the idiom "at the end of the day" is overused, probably in spoken language, and it may be found sounding irritating by some people. Besides that, I'd like to ask if it would be correct to use in a academic essay instead of closure words such as "to conclude", "to sum up" or "to summarize" etc.

Do people use it in that way ?


texts: What does "unmasked flourish" mean in this context?

texts:
The true meaning of the Waterfall approach, then, is unmasked <flourish/>:
it’s actually about control, and melds beautifully with the contractor-control model of IT. The CIO wants to earn the seat at the table through demonstrating control over the chaos of IT delivery.
What does "unmasked flourish" mean in the above context? Is "flourish" used as a noun?


texts: difference between expression/look on her face?

texts:
She had a sad expression/look on her face.

Are these completely interchangeable? Which is more common?


texts: someone I did not know but whom would soon become - why is it "whom"?

texts:
In the summer of 2001, after 15 years of developing graphical user interfaces and graphics-intensive applications, I read a best-selling book about implementing web applications by someone I did not know—Jason Hunter—but whom, unbeknownst to me, would soon become a good friend on the No Fluff Just Stuff (NFJS) tour.

Why is whom used in that sentence instead of who?


texts:
Is there any difference and are they all correct?

It is a story that never happened!
It is a story never to have happened!
It is a story that happened not!
It is a story that was never to happen!
It is a story that didn't happen!
it is a story there never was!


texts: Why is 'the' added before Wasp but not before Antman?

texts: Why is 'the' added before Wasp but not before Antman from the movie title "Antman and the Wasp"?


texts: "The weather was getting worse and getting to the camp was a (require)"

texts:
There is a task. Write down the appropriate root word for the word inside the parentheses.

  The weather was getting worse and getting to the camp was a (require)

So would it be correct if I replace the word require with "requirement"?


texts: I am a bit confused now. "I am taking fire." - Does it mean that I am shooting someone or that someone is shooting me? Thank you for your help.


texts:
There is an 2011 American comedy movie named "Change-Up" produced and directed by David Dobkin starring Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman. The following sentence is taken from this film when Ryan Reynolds's father is talking to Jason Bateman and Reynolds's closest friend to talk to him into changing is life while Reynolds is acting up and doesn't tend to take any step forward in his life.

  His accomplishments could rest comfortably on an eyelash.

What does it mean? Is it a proverb?


texts: "All you should do is study hard" vs "All you should do is to study hard"

texts:
All you should do is study hard.

All you should do is to study hard.

Is the one with to correct? When should I use to like that?


texts:
Why should I say

  The gains vs amount of time required are not worth it

and not

  The gains vs amount of time required is not worth it

?


texts: Why does "confirm me" or "reply me" sound so incorrect to me?

texts:
Is it correct to say "Please confirm me" or "Please reply me as soon as possible" in a context where I am asking for a confirmation or reply (like in an email)?

I am a native American English speaker and spent 6+ months in Southeast Asia where I met some people that had learned English as a second language (in Australia, I think) and I heard those expressions multiple times! I would say something like "Please confirm with me" or "Please reply as soon as possible" but I have also heard those expressions in various email communication throughout my past job where we worked with offshore employees in India.

It sounds so incorrect to me but there must be SOME logic to them since they're not isolated incidents that I've heard them in.


texts: Why use past tense for descriptions of a thing that's seen?

texts:
In the sentence below, when the author said "the monster was seven feet tall and had red eyes..." Why were "was" and "had" used? I thought it should be simple tense since it's a fact that the monster is 7 foot tall and he has red eyes.

  Alex Konis, a young driver from South Carolina, claimed a monster
  attacked him while he was driving along a lonely road. The monster was
  seven feet tall and had red eyes and scaly skin.


texts: How to mention that a specific time is already over?

texts:
If it is already over 9:35 pm, I will close the main door.

Is this correct? I want to express that , if a specific time is over then I won't allow any one to enter into the hostel.

Please correct me, if I am wrong.


texts: should I use " ...than teaching" or "... than to teach "?

texts:
I wrote the following message:

It'd be easy for you to teach them, way easier than to teach us two years ago.

But now, I think "than" is a preposition here, so it'd be a gerund, teaching, after it.
On the other hand, I also want to make a parallel structure: to teach... than to teach.
Which way of thinking is right? What's the best way to express the same idea?


texts:
have been reading a long essay on psychology and, at some point, the authors use the phrase "in one's sum", whose meaning I could not catch. I looked it up at some dictionaries, but I could not find either the phrase or a possible meaning for it. The context is as follows:
“We seek to test and find ourselves in the intimacy of the therapeutic relationship, to become known to and accepted by the other, in whose sum we may more fully assess ourselves.”
and
"In their sum, we can then most fully assess our potential for life."
Can anyone help me understand this phrase?
Thanks in advance.


texts: usage of "the" in "the English language"

texts:
I am interested in the English language.
  I  am interested in English language.

I want to know whether I need to put the definite article "the" before the word "language".


texts: Is it wrong to say "owinings" as a synonym of "possessions"? If no, what is the difference?

texts:
I am wondering is it absolutely wrong to say something like this (self-made example):

  He laid against the tree and though of his beloved ownings- family, friends and country.

Is that wrong? I discovered that Wiktionary considers this as a correct plural noun, but I am not sure about it.

Is that correct? If so, what is the difference between "ownings" and "possessions"? I don't know why "owning" strikes me a more emotional term that "possessions" does.


texts:
I am writing an article in English, which is not my native language, and I need some help in understanding some well known words, so that I can use them.

The expression under study,  what does it mean?

For me, I am writing about a field which is not studied well yet, so how to describe its state? Does the expression under study fit here? If no, what  are some other expressions that can be used here?

Thank you in advance.


texts: The meaning of the phrase "Let me do the car door"

texts:
This is an example sentence for "close (verb)" in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.

  Let me do the car door – it won’t close properly.

What is the meaning of "Let me do the car door"?


texts:
Why is a group of fish called "school"?

And is it anyhow etymologically connected with the word "school" denoting an educational establishment?


texts:
Jhon is a part the Huston Racing Club, and he is on the electrical team.

or

  Jhon is a part the Huston Racing Club, and he is on the Electrical Team.

I find this confusing because it's a team within a team. Is "electrical team" just considered a common noun? I think it shouldn't be capitalized but I don't know.


texts:
Confidence and self-respect as expressed by members of a group.

  Few things are funnier or more shocking than moral indignation as expressed by a total bastard.

  But he does still have a heart (as expressed by his affection for the mysterious Rosebud) if not a soul.

What does "as expressed by" exactly mean?

What is the meaning of "confidence and self respect" in this context?

What does "as" do in this sentence?


texts: Saying or idiom for "if you know you won't be punished, you will misbehave"

texts: As when a spoiled child has never been punished by his parents, he will therefore continue to misbehave and do wrong.


texts: Using "does" + verb in an affirmative sentence

texts:
Is it good to write "does" and then verb in an affirmative sentence? Also, should then, the verb ends with 's'?

Like:

  "She does play(-s?) guitar".

Should I put -s? Is it common in a regular speech? I have a doubt, that this construction uses, when someone wants to approve something straightly?


texts:
If I intend to talk about my lesson which is two lessons later, can I say "my two next lesson" ?
You can think that I used three different cars last month and try to represent the car which is the first one of these three cars. So, can I say "my two previous car was not satisfactory" ?


texts:
I have two questions.

Should I use 'challenges' or 'challenge' in this text?
Should I use article 'the' or 'a' before 'criteria'?

  That is why firms attach great importance to the possibility of using
  integrated system. But the key challenges for people designing
  solutions for manufacture applications is a complete lack of a
  criteria and requirements.


texts:
Let's say you are storytelling a haunted mansion's ghost stories. In the middle of your story you say:

  Many had tried to brave out a night in the mansion, but nobody lasted before midnight.(my sentence construction)

Or

  Many had tried to brave through a night in the mansion, but nobody lasted before midnight.(excerpt)

From my Google search, I think the ''brave out'' is correct=who endure a difficult/unpleasant situation, and I believe the ''brave through'' is wrongly used by the unknown online writer(I think, but not sure hehe, more likely not a native englishman) Which is really correct?


texts: “Got scorched [gold]”, idiom or weird turning of sentence?

texts:
I can't get the meaning of these sentences. Military context. The woman fell short of being killed by an explosion.

  Man : “She's good as gold.” […]

  Woman : “Feel like I got scorched that color,” she said as she shoved aside the pain. She huffed hard but didn't limp a lick.

(Source)

Is it an idiom about being “scorched” (as in “burned”) a certain color, or specifically gold ? Anyway, I couldn't find the meaning of this online.


texts:
I am reading an eBook. A sentence of that is as follows:

"I would like you to think about a piece of music that you have have found very peaceful and relaxing."

Why there are "have have" instead of "have" in that text? Isn't it a mistake?


texts: What is the meaning of the highlighted sentence given down below?

texts: Roy stopped talking. We sat and stared at the shadows, oversized and faint off the lattice fence.


texts: How to decompose 'nor on the other hand'?

texts:
The problem here is one which arises in relation to any study dealing with matters of
  profound human concern. Someone who is profoundly uninterested in political affairs
  is unlikely to make a good political scientist. But nor on the other hand is the most
  passionately committed party politician. The general point might be put something
  like this. Where there is not enough love, there is likely to be a lack of penetration
  into the inwardness of the subject studied. But too much love may blind a man and
  prevent him from seeing some of the inherent problems and difficulties.

  nor = 2. used before a positive verb to agree with something negative that has just been said

Nor already confirms a negative meaning (but with a positive verb), so why's on the other hand necessary? If I keep nor but remove on the other hand, then what happens?
Conversely, what if I remove nor and keep on the other hand?

Please explain the steps, thought processes; I’d like to try to resolve this myself in the future?


texts: "When I can not sleep" vs "When I do not sleep"

texts:
I need to correct the following sentence without making it a consequences.

  When I can not sleep at night I get grumpy the whole day.

I've corrected it below but somehow it's the word "get" that seems a little off here:

  When I do not sleep at night, I get grumpy the whole day.


texts:
How can this sentence be changed into passive voice:

  "My mother let me play today."

which one is correct:

I was let to play today by my mother.
I was let play today by my mother.


texts:
My best friend committed suicide because he was being bullied for being "blind" at his high school shortly after this song was released. He stated this song and lyrics gave him comfort and solitude to live his life. In closing, the taunting, harassment, and degrading finally broke him down mentally and emotionally and he took his life at 17  years old, as he had his entire life in front of him.

I'm just curious about this sentence. The use of "at" & "as" which appear wrong. In the sense, he's being bullied for being blind at highschool and committed suicide because he had his whole life in front of him.

If you add during his highschool years to the first example and just to the second it works, but what is the grammatical error here concerning at and as?


texts: Using "although that" after a long sentence started with "although"

texts:
If I have a long sentence started with "although", can I use "although that" for example after it to connect the reader back to the first "although"?

For example:

  Although a standard single-hidden-layer feedforward neural network with N hidden neurons is known to be able to learn N arbitrary distinct samples using almost any activation function, although that, the number of samples usually is very large...

Is the use here correct?

If instead I used "however" like so:

  Although a standard single-hidden-layer feedforward neural network with N hidden neurons is known to be able to learn N arbitrary distinct samples using almost any activation function. However, the number of samples usually is very large...

Is this also correct?


texts:
How can I refer to the year 1950 in terms of centuries?

For instance,

  At/in the middle of 20th century, there were great improvements in the transport system.


texts:
I use Grammarly and it keeps telling me that I'm misusing passive voice regarding this sentence:

  Which source materials should be avoided?


texts: When I want to clarify something and I say for example "Dogs, not cats.", I automatically want to write/say 'not' even though 'cats' is a noun, and for nouns one uses 'no'. But I'm quite sure this isn't the case here and it would sound really wrong. Could somebody explain the rule behind it? Surely, there must be one.


texts: 1 less, 2 fewer... When to use either/or

texts:
The statement reads - "...the length is less than 20 meters...".  Should this be fewer than, or is it correct to state 'less than'?

I believe that it should be fewer as metres is what I am dealing with (the subject), however, others differ...


texts: Are these gerund sentences grammatically correct?

texts:
I bought this book titled 2 Hari Taklukan Grammar, written by Edward Rahardian in Bahasa (Indonesian language) and mostly talk about gerund and infinitive. And these are some examples of the gerund sentences that I found.

  His mother suggested having lunch before we leave.
  I will try studying harder.
  The car needs washing.
  Your hair needs washing.
  My teacher disliked me coming late.

Somehow those words sound unnatural for me because I've never heard those in daily conversations. As a learner, I only get exposed with English by watching TV series and any other entertainment resources.

So in my thought, they sound more natural like this:

  His mother suggested to have lunch before we leave.
  I will try to study harder.
  The car needs to be washed.
  Your hair needs to be washed.
  My teacher disliked me to come late.

Are those sentences in the first group grammatically correct? And, is it normal for one to say them in normal/daily conversations?


texts:
What is an appropriate variant to say, for example, "Apples and, specifically to/in/for this articles, red apples are very important"? For a man I'd choose exactly "to", e.g. "specifically to me", but I feel it is not the case for a paper.

In addition, have I put commas correctly?


texts: Is "you think" a parenthesis ? Or it is a subject and a predicate of a object clause which in an attributive clause?

texts:
Look at this sentence -

  If you are prepared for something that you think is going to happen, you are ready for it.

I parse it like this :

  if you are prepared for something
    you think that is going to happen,  you are ready for it.

I think "you think" is an subject and a predicate in a attributive clause.   In my mind, if "you think" is a parenthesis, there should be a comma before and after "you think" respectively.   Is it right?


texts:
Not all language tests are of the same kind.
  All language tests are not of the same kind

I think both the sentences mean the same thing though they are syntactically different.

What is the part of speech of not in each sentence?

I think not in the sentence 1 is an adjective as it modifies the pronoun all

And in the second sentence ,I think, not is an adverb as it modifies a verb are.

My question is:

Do the two sentences mean exactly the same? or is there any difference?

What part of speech is not in the two sentences?


texts: "Our office was left early" – how do I say this naturally?

texts:
Plesase help me with below sentence construction.

  Yesterday our office was left early because of heavy rain

Suggest me synonyms for left or any alternative sentence.
I feel use of Past tense leave i.e. left is incorrect.

(From a comment:) I want to say boss allowed us to leave early from office. He closed the office early.


texts:
All content is copyright to the their respective owners, the webmasters claim no ownership and receive no financial gain for this site
This police officer is truly deserving of this award, he had dedicated his life to service the service of others, and he continues to do good work.

What is the difference between 1 & 2 in-terms of a comma-splice?

And how does 2 differ from this last example which is correct ?

He deserved the award, he worked for it, and he should be proud of it.


texts:
bring over (PHRASAL VERB [TRANSITIVE]) : to take someone or something from one place to the place where someone else is, especially their home. Macmillan Dictionary

  I’ll bring my holiday photos over when I come.

What "over" does add (as meaning) to the above sentence?

Is there any difference in meaning between the below?

  Can Jake bring over his baseball cards?
  Can Jake bring his baseball cards?


texts: "A word as Verb + ing" vs "that word as a Noun"

texts:
For a word like "Mix", we can know it either a noun or a verb. So my question is:
If I want to choose a title for my book, The Art of Mixing is the same as The Art of Mix? Are both of them OK? Or is the latter wrong? I know the first one is OK, but how about the second one?


texts:
What's the difference between elastic, springy, and whippy?

Oxford definitions:

  springy: springing back quickly when squeezed or stretched; elastic.

  elastic: (of an object or material) able to resume its normal shape spontaneously after contraction, dilatation, or distortion.

  whippy: flexible, springy


texts:
Should I give it to you or I should keep it with myself?
  Should I give it to you or should I keep it with myself?

Which one is correct? Or which one is better?


texts:
Whish of these sentences is correct if I am talking about something that is currently showing:

  Some files are showing, which can be optimized.
  Some files are being shown which can be optimized.


texts: What are the differences between "You gave up", "You gave it up" and "You gave up on that"?

texts: What are the differences between "And then you gave up", "And then you gave it up", "And then you gave up on that?"


texts: since I did something vs since I have done something

texts:
A sentence like

  We've known each other since 2015

sounds common and normal.
However, could you explain the possible circumstances of using a sentence with 2 Present Perfect clauses linked by "since" of this kind:

  I've become suicidal again since I've worked here
  I've been feeling down since you've been gone

I think I can somehow feel the meaning but I'd appreciate a native speaker's advice.
With regards,
Anabel


texts: Is the sentence "I can match this quality no problem" grammatically correct and natural

texts: Is the sentence "Yes, I can match this quality no problem" grammatically correct and natural when I want to answer to a person that I can achive the same quality of another person's product.


texts: What is the thing relative pronoun clause modify in this case?

texts:
There is a sentence like:

It gives children a dream that is useful in life.

There are three noun(It, children, dream(when including pronoun))that can be modified in the sentence above.

How could I know the noun that is modified by relative pronoun clause in this case? (context is the only thing we can use to choose it?)


texts: Should a comma be added and is the sentence right?

texts:
In the sentence:

  I would like to come to the UK this summer to improve my English as much as possible as I am going to study English at university next year.

Is it Okay to use "as" three times consequently like this? and are there any commas that should be added?


texts:
I sit in a coworker's office. I'm thirsty. I see there's a water dispenser. Can I ask: Can I take some water? - and would it be natural?
(I'm not asking the coworker to get it for me, I'm asking if I can take it myself.)


texts: "wait for no man" or "waits for no man" -- subject being "time and tide"

texts:
Which is the correct usage?

  Time and tide wait for no man.

or

  Time and tide waits for no man.


texts:
When we take a drink, we pause after taking a certain amount, usually a mouthful of this. What are the pauses called? Supposing X is drinking something. They took some of this, and stopped five times in between. Do we say any of the following:

They took the drink in five breaths.

They took the drink in five breathing pauses.

They took five breathing pauses while taking the drink.

They took five gulps while drinking.