texts:
I just finished reading that thread. I have some questions in my mind now.

1- As far as I understand by looking these examples, we don't really have to use comma or semicolon to connect two sentences when "nevertheless" is used. Am I right? (The examples are a,b,c)

  a) He was very tired; nevertheless he went on walking.

  b) She was very tired, nevertheless she kept on working.

  c) We are going nevertheless we shall return.

Isn't using "nevertheless" to combine two independent clauses without comma and semicolon considered wrong?

  I think we need to rephrase it "We are going; nevertheless, we shall
  return.

2- That use kind of puzzled me. (d) " Nevertheless" was used like "however". But most examples don't use comma before or after "nevertheless" unless it was used at the beginning of a sentence. For example, in the "e", there is no comma.

  d) What you said was true. It was, nevertheless, a little unkind.

  e) The two rivals were nevertheless united by the freemasonry of the
  acting profession.

So can I use this version of "d":

  What you said was true. It was nevertheless a little unkind.


texts: Is "for" the correct preposition here? Jump "for" something

texts:
The worker jumped for a balcony when the scaffolding he was standing on started to crash down.
Is for the correct preposition here if the worker intends to jump over to the balcony but we don't know whether he makes it or not?


texts: What is the rule of concord/agreement when it comes to using the first noun after 'there is\there are'?

texts:
I have come across the following sentence: 'There were one or two people I didn't know' in "Oxford Word Skills (Intermediate). I take it that the word 'person' is implied after the word 'one' which makes me come to the conclusion that I should choose was instead of were here.

I know the rule which goes as follows: the form of the verb in 'there is/there are' depends on the form (singular or plural) of the first noun which comes after the construction, as in There is a cat and her kittens in the basket.

Could you explain the choice of the verb in the example from the coursebook and refer me to a reliable source where I could read about this?


texts:
X: We have barely talked since the divorce.
Y: Things are still complicated?
X: Yes.
Is Y's question natural (in particular "things") here?


texts:
I spoke to him kindly____ him.

A. not to frighten

B. so as not to frighten

C. in order to not frighten

D. for not frightening

The correct answer is B, but I can't figure out why D is not correct. Can

someone help me out?


texts: "Have your friends had..." VS "Did your friends have..."

texts:
I'm translating this sentence from Russian into English.

  Have your friends had/did you friends have a vacation in Spain? - No, they were going to, but changed their mind.

I'm wondering about the following: we are asking about the news, we don't know about that fact in the moment, but at the same time it can be a past event having nothing to do with the present situation (may be we know the exact past time).

So, which one is more preferable having no definite context?


texts: Is an article missing in this sentence? If so, definite or indefinite?

texts:
The editorial also discussed how Spiro Agnew differed from the men in the carving... Readers agreed, proven by the crowd at the dedication... Even James Venable, descendant of the man who originally allowed a Confederate Memorial to be carved on Stone Mountain, did not attend. (Source: an essay by an American student in a college class)

Since "descendant" is a count noun, shouldn't it be determined by an article? To improve this sentence, which article should be added? Definite or indefinite?


texts:
I recently watched the very epic ending of the Shrek 2, and when the cat draws his rapier, he shouts "On guard!" to the castle guardians.

I perfectly understand the meaning from the context, but was unable to find the exact usage situtaion in any of the dictionaries.

Is it the similar to "Defend yourself!", when a person wants an attack not to be by surprise, but a fair battle and gives their opponent a chance to ackwnowledge the attack?


texts:
Australia's Great Barrier Reef is at/on the edge of perishing due to the massive rubbish released by local and international tourists, resulting urgent regulations to prevent things from getting worse.

Q1. Are there rules about when to use "at the edge of" and "on the edge of"? What about in the above sentence?

Q2. Is "at/on the edge of perishing" correct? (I googled it but didn't see anyone write like this.)

Thank you!


texts:
I want to know which one of these sentences is more acceptable?

You make a plan, but the world have the other.
You made a plan, but the world have the other.


texts: What does it mean "Fiscal inactivity" in the following context?

texts:
I've listened to a phrase at the short video lecture in Reading university in the UK which states:

  "Fiscal inactivity, sedentary behaviour, and poor eating choices
  can all contribute to obesity."

Then I've checked in the dictionary and I found 1 definition:
"Fiscal- relating to government revenue, especially taxes.". I can't get the relationship between the government revenue and obesity.

n.b. It is not physical activity but Fiscal activity. see here (in the beginning of the 6th phrase).


texts:
1) When he reaches to manhood, he will visit England.
OR
2) When he reaches manhood, he will visit England.

Which of the two is correct?


texts:
I'm familiar with preposition 'in' in terms of using past tense. E.g. to denote that something is hapenning during the year 2000, I can say:

  I joined the project in 2000

But in some authentic articles, I often come across collocation "back in XXXX", for example from here:

  Since EVE Online launched back in 2003

My question is: What is the difference? Does the 'back in'-collocation have some specific connotation? Thanks.


texts: The first day of spring/the first spring day

texts:
I guess, there is a subtle difference between these expressions:

  the first day of spring
  the first spring day

Could you help me grasp it?


texts:
I am reading a technical document but I believe this usage question is not limited to that.

The document talks about 2 components that need to be linked with each other, but instead in linked with it uses linked against:

  Applications that use the libraries provided must:

  • Link against any dependencies of the desired library.

  • Link against a version of the desired library

I was assuming that linked with is the right usage. Do you have ideas why linked against is preferred here? It doesn't sound natural.


texts: What do you call the walls of a toilet cabin?

texts:
I am thinking there must be a word, because the cabin walls are different from regular walls and often they have gap below and above them, and thus are significantly different from a wall, and most of the so-called cabins don't look like cabins, because they have open space below and above them.

Is there a word or a general word that can be used to describe these walls?


texts:
"You are late! I have waited for 20 minutes"

Or

"You are late! I waited for 20 minutes"

We are told if you see "for+ specific time" you should use present perfect so the first one must be true.

What are your thoughts?


texts:
So if somebody asks "Did they have sex more than one time during their married life?"

And the answer is that "They have had sex MORE THAN ONCE while being married"
Does 'more than once' mean twice or many times?

I just want to know the meaning of 'more than once' in this answer.


texts: How to determine whether “and” connects words or parts of sentences?

texts:
The sight of the little Breton peasant who did her humble housework aroused in her despairing regrets and ________ dreams.(distract)

Distracted or Distracting? Which one should I choose?

I think the problem is I don’t know whether the “and” connects (a) verb + verb or (b) noun + noun.


texts:
When I am inquiring about an offer in store, there are some add-ons that are not included in the plan. Should I use on or in with "the plan", saying:

  Is there any free add-ons on/in this plan?

And in another situation,  like when I am telling someone that he will be included in my work or project plan.  Which should I choose,  telling him:

  You are in/on my plan?

If these two situation have different choice, is there any reason for that?


texts: Can "allow for" be rewritten to "allow that "?

texts:
Get started early to allow for possible problems.

I am trying to rewrite this by changing the noun "possible problems" to a sentence. My example is as follows:

  Get started early to allow that problems may occur.

Is "allow that" correct?


texts:
I just watched this video on YouTube 5 Unexplained Mysteries Of World War II! and was surprised that many viewers were almost enraged by the fact that the author said many times "the world war II" instead of just "world war II". Not being a native speaker of English, I was quite surprised and also ashamed because I say "the world war II" quite often. Now I understand that it's wrong to do so.

However, I still don't understand the reason. In the comments under that video, there was an argument brought up that "World war II" is a name - just like "Facebook" or "Tony" - and names are not to be used with "the". But I noticed that in Wikipedia, while the article on that war is titled as "World War II", another name for that war in the article is used with "the" quite often - "the second world war".

Also, I remember how Ed Sullivan was announcing the Beatles on his show: "Ladies and gentlemen, the Beatles" - he did use "the" then even though "Beatles" is a name.

So, why not "The World War II"? And why so many viewers were so angry? Does "The World war II" sound somewhat insulting to native English speakers?


texts: "their/her/... one of" instead "one of their/her/..."

texts:
I am somewhat confused to use these two forms in a sentence.

  you can arrange a party at [one of their houses] /[ their one of the houses]?

Normally I use the first form but what If I write the second one in a sentence, will this usage be correct?


texts: Is it correct to say "It is the only way you see things that you have no idea occurred."?

texts:
Is it correct to say " It is the only way to see things that you have no idea occurred."?
I guess there is supposed to be a preposition ‘about‘ or ‘of' after 'you have no Idea', which I think is a attributive clause.
The material I read seems to be written by a native speaker of English, so I guess there might be some grammar rules that I don't know.


texts:
What does 'that' refer to in this passage?

  But the reason she was unavailable to speak with me is that she was
  out for a hike, because it was a beautiful spring morning, and she
  wanted to go for a hike. So of course this makes me even more
  intrigued, and when I finally do catch up with her, she explains it
  like this. She says, "Listen Laura, everything I do, every minute I
  spend, is my choice." And rather than say, "I don't have time to do x,
  y or z," she'd say, "I don't do x, y or z because it's not a
  priority." "I don't have time," often means "It's not a priority." If
  you think about it, that's really more accurate language. I could tell
  you I don't have time to dust my blinds, but that's not true. If you
  offered to pay me $100,000 to dust my blinds, I would get to it pretty
  quickly.

  Since that is not going to happen, I can acknowledge this is not a
  matter of lacking time; it's that I don't want to do it. Using this
  language reminds us that time is a choice. And granted, there may be
  horrible consequences for making different choices, I will give you
  that. But we are smart people, and certainly over the long run, we
  have the power to fill our lives with the things that deserve to be
  there.


texts: If I compare two actions, the first one of which is expressed in infinitive with particle 'to', can I use a gerund for the second action?

texts:
If I compare two actions, the first one of which is expressed in infinitive with particle 'to', can I use a gerund for the second action or should I stick to infinitive?

For example, can I say:

  She likes to listen more than speaking.

or should I stick to:

  She likes to listen more than to speak.

?


texts: We already working on the project - We are already working on the project?

texts:
Which sentence is correct?

  We already working on the project

  We are already working on the project

?


texts:
What is the meaning of In used in the following sentence

The combined vote share of the Congress and AIUDF was higher in 17 seats the BJP had won last time.

 Click Here to Read the Full Article


texts:
There's always somebody at home in the evenings.
  We're not always this busy!
  Ellie always was very good at art.

I think it is modifying 'is, are, was'.
Can't I think 'is, are, was' mean 'exist'?
It seems to be quite well explained to me if it means 'exist' because by so, we can think always is modifying 'exist'.

as in

  There always exists somebody at home in the evenings.
  We do not always exist this busy!
  Ellie always exists very good at art.

For me, these do not mean different from the sentences above.


texts: Capitalization of first letter after a dash

texts:
I'm in South Ossetia – yes, I managed to get a visa!

In this sentence, should "yes" be capitalised ("Yes") after the dash?


texts:
Five months ago, I {decided/have decided} to learn how to play the
piano.

Is "Five months ago" a definite time?
I have read that when there is a definite time, I should use the simple past tense. For example:

I ate my dinner two hours ago.

When there is no definite time, I should use the present perfect tense. For example:

I haven't seen my best friend for a long time.


texts: "we both of our know" or "both of us know"?

texts:
Which one is correct?:

we both of our know....

or

both of us know.....

Can I say "we both of know"?

We both of know which class we are studying


texts:
Can you say "Our results speak for themselves" if you want to make clear that the results are obvious?
I want to translate something and I don't know if this phrase is too literally for the English language


texts: What is the meaning of "expressive dent"?

texts:
"The toaster oven with the expressive dent".
what is "expressive dent"?

I've found a couple of meanings for expressive and for dent. However I don't know which one adequate here.

Thanks


texts: What is the difference between words "gadget" and "device"?

texts: Words "gadget" and "device" are translated the same in my language. What is the difference between these words in English?


texts:
Can anyone please tell me what's the difference between in and of in the following sentences? Are they both correct?

Lionel Messi is the greatest player of/in the Argentina football team.
John is the best student in/of the class.
The roads in/of the USA are wider than those of Russia.


texts: Sentence construction: "[Nor] ... *is [also not] 'be' included ..."

texts:
Projects in veterinary medicine where the endpoint is animal health or in food science is also not be included in this educational program. (nih.gov)

I have some doubts regarding the sentence above:

Admitting that "is also not be included" is a grammatical construction, why does the writer use "is" rather than "are"—it seems to me that "Projects" is plural?
Apart the considerations on the exactness of the verb agreement  cited in "1", why does the writer use "be" in "is also not be included"—maybe nothing is better in place of "be"?
Since I think nih.gov scripts should be not conversational, why does the writer use "also not" in that sentence—maybe a "nor" construction would be better?

Considering 1, 2 and 3 observations together, shouldn't it be a better phrasing the following version:

  Nor projects in veterinary medicine, where the endpoint is animal health, or in food science are included in this educational program.

Can anybody explain, also considering the commas I added, if the rephrased version is better than the original? If so, why? If not, why not?


texts: Is there any difference in meaning between "dry up" and "break off" in the sense of stopping talking suddenly?

texts:
Is there any difference in meaning between dry up and break off in the sense of stopping talking suddenly? For example:

I dried up in the meeting when the boss asked me a question.
I broke off in the meeting when the boss asked me a question.


texts: Question in a larger sentence without question mark

texts:
Example:

"I don't understand why she likes him or when she started liking him."

or should it be

"I don't understand why does she like him or when did she start liking him."

?

Should I used the question form for the second sentence? I want to know if you need to use the question form if you are asking a question in a much larger sentence that is not a question itself.

I want to know if I can ask "I don't understand Why he/she did/wanted something" without question form.

"Why you did this" vs "Why did you do this"?


texts:
A colleague of mine said there is no such thing as "playing snowball" in English.

In my native language, when we talk about "snowball", we use it with the verb "play." I wonder "playing snowball sounds" like a natural use of language in English?
I looked it up in a few dictionaries and I couldn't find an example with play.

However, when I looked it up on Ludwig, I found out about two sentences.

  Another 10-year-old, Ashvini, kept warm by playing snowballs with his dad, Dheeraj Kulshrestha, after possibly the longest journey of everyone. They were stopping off in London en route from Ohio to India and decided to make the pilgrimage to Stonehenge for the solstice.  --Steven Morris- Guardian

  "But I have always liked Charles - I've always had a soft spot for him. I used to watch Charles and Anne playing snowballs as children at Sandringham, they had little blue coats on. Yes, I go back a long way."
  By Zoe Applegate & Martin BarberBBC News, Norfolk

So, can I use "playing snowball" or not? Do I have to say "have a snowball fight?" or "throw snowballs" ?

Just to make it clear, do all of the following sentences sound OK and can they be used interchangeably?

Children were throwing snowballs on the street.
Children were having a snowball fight on the street.
Children were playing snowball on the street.


texts:
It's from the 12th episode of the second season of Breaking Bad. Here is the context:

Walt: Skyler, I'm so sorry. I'm just ....
Are you okay?
Skyler: Meet your daughter.
Walt: Hi there, girl. Hi there, Holly.
Ted: Congratulations, Walt.
Walt: Oh, Ted, I'm sorry, I didn't see you here.
Skyler: Oh, Ted drove me here. Thank God.
I mean, this little bundle of joy of ours was practically on rails.
Halfway here I thought he was gonna have to pull over and deliver her himself.


texts: Could anyone tell me what the "robby ( robbie? ) way" is?

texts:
I am writing an English blog. I am currently listening to Trump and Clinton debate over the abortion, could anyone tell me what the "robby (robbie) way" is?

I looked up the dictionary and surfed through but nothing came up. Is it possibly a name???

Video clip of Clinton/Trump Debate

Thank you in advance.


texts: Is the use of neither-nor grammatically correct in this sentence?

texts:
Is the neither/nor structure used correctly in the following sentence?

  This treatment can’t be used if the root is too curved or it has got a tiny root canal that would not provide the needed space for the post. Neither when the fracture extends below the gum line nor for a tooth that has multiple canals.

I am asking this because I have learnt how we can use neither/nor before nouns or adjectives
eg. “Neither Tom nor Jenny came to the party”
 or “this place is neither nice nor safe” but I'm not sure if I can use the structure together with 2 clauses?


texts: Superlative + noun / Superlative + of + noun

texts:
Is there any difference in meaning in the following examples? (with or without "of")

  1- He comes from one of the grandest of Palestinian families.

  1'- He comes from one of the grandest Palestinian families.(Is it
  possible to use this version?)

  2- I will continue to seek out the grandest of restaurants. ( Is he
  trying to find one restaurant or more than one restaurant? I am
  not sure about it. Can we know it without further context?)

  2'- I will continue to seek out the grandest restaurants. (More than one I think?)


texts:
I don't approve of his driving of the car.

According to my text book,
"his driving" cannot take the object "the car" directly, instead it needs "of" to put the object as in the sentence. Another example shown there is

  The mere knowing of his name is a small thing.   (Conan Doyle, A Study in Scarlet)

Again, it says "the mere knowing" cannot take the object "his name" directly.
But, I don't understand why.


texts: Regarding the construction "How long ago was it that..."

texts:
If we try to derive the corresponding declarative form of the question:

  How long ago was it since he had slept without fear?

we will find:

  It was X since he had slept without fear.

where X, the amount of time we're asking about, is replaced by How long ago in the question form.

Now, if we try to do the same with:

  How long ago was it that he had slept without fear?

we will get:

  It was X that he had slept without fear.

But I don't think the construction above is grammatical, or is it?


texts: Is it correct to use 'could' to describe past permission?

texts:
Recently I`ve been revising my knowledge about the verb could. I know that could is used as the past form of can to describe a general ability in the past. E.g.

  I could  work 10 hours a day when I was younger.

For specific situations in the past "to be able to" is preffered, though. E.g.

  I was able to get out of the car before it exploded.

Yet, there is another aspect of the modal verb could that got me puzzled, and that is could as the verb used to express permission in the past. I know it is fine to use the expression "to be allowed to" in that context. E.g.

  Children were allowed to use calculators during the test.

My question is: Can I use could for expressing both: a general past permission and a specific past permission? For example:

(general permission)

  Children could use their mobile phones only during breaks, not during lessons.

(specific permission)

  Even though I was on the train, I could smoke.


texts: When does the determiner "each" modify the plural noun?

texts:
[A] We interviewed each individual member of the community. (OALD)

For they have this meaning for ‘each’: “used to refer to every one of two or more people or things” in OALD, isn’t it proper to write [B] “~each individual members of the community~” instead of the above clause? If there isn’t the typo, can we use either singular or plural after each, for each means the individual members of a set”(CGEL, p.378)? If it’s possible, how about their meaning difference?

If your answer is we can’t use the plural of [B] grammatically, what about this?:

  [C] to tell two or more people who have not met before what each other's names are (OALD)

For [C], other's names is the set, so it ought to be plural; but for [A] the community is the set, so we can't use plural form of members that is not part of the set?


texts: Which sentence is more grammatically correct as well as sounds more natural using the verb "to reminisce"?

texts:
I'm writing about my project and want to explain how the location looked like years ago when the city used to be more green. Now I am not sure which of the below sentences is more grammatically correct, or sounds more natural in terms of word order and using the figures of speech?
If none is good, how can I use word "to reminisce" in my sentence? I like this word a lot and want to use it!
Version 1- Today just a few of those orchards, the magnificent past that one would reminiscing about, have remained and it will not take very long before these doomed survivors will also be turned into towers.
Version 2- Today just a few of those orchards which remind us the magnificent past have remained, and it will not take very long before these doomed survivors will also be turned into towers.
To me, the first sentence sounds deeper, and more literary but I'm not sure how it sounds to a native speaker?


texts: How to use "ever" in the meaning "once"?

texts:
I want to know if I used the word ever correctly in the following sentence.
I wanted it to mean that the students waited tables at least once during their first semesters of studies.

By the way, if there is any mistake in this post, correct it, please.

  Most university students have ever waited tables to earn some money
  during their firsts study semesters.

Thanks in advance.


texts: Can the word leitmotif can be used this way?

texts:
https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2148249/india-proves-democracy-no-longer-fit-purpose-while-chinas

  Such odious tactics are democracy’s leitmotif globally, as Brexit and
  Donald Trump’s election demonstrate. In combination, they suggest that
  democracy is not fit for purpose, especially in developing nations,
  particularly since there is a clear alternative: China’s political
  system.

Leitmotif is defined as:

  (Classical Music) music a recurring short melodic phrase or theme used, esp in Wagnerian music dramas, to suggest a character, thing,
  etc
  (Literary & Literary Critical Terms) an often repeated word, phrase, image, or theme in a literary work

It seems to fit the second definition, but as we can see it's a literary term, so how do you explain the way it is used here?

Theme is defined as:

  an idea or topic expanded in a discourse, discussion, etc
  (in literature, music, art, etc) a unifying idea, image, or motif, repeated or developed throughout a work
  (Music, other) music a group of notes forming a recognizable melodic unit, often used as the basis of the musical material in a
  composition
  (Education) a short essay, esp one set as an exercise for a student
  (Grammar) linguistics the first major constituent of a sentence, usually but not necessarily the subject. In the sentence history I do
  like, "history" is the theme of the sentence, even though it is the
  object of the verb
  (Linguistics) grammar another word for root19, stem19
  (Historical Terms) (in the Byzantine Empire) a territorial unit consisting of several provinces under a military commander
  (modifier) planned or designed round one unifying subject, image, etc: a theme holiday.

It seems to fit the first, so can leitmotif mean a recurring idea? Can we use it to mean a simple thing such as a recurring idea? Is an odious tactic an idea? I guess everything is an idea, but does it justify the usage?


texts: What is the exact meaning of the phrase "from the top on down"?

texts:
I came across the phrase "from the top on down" in this sentence,

  England is rotting from the top on down! We pledge our revenge on Nottingham Town!

I consulted some dictionaries but could only find "from top to bottom" and "from the top-down". Does the phrase "from the top on down" have the same meaning as "from top to bottom" or the same meaning as "from the top-down"?


texts: explanation for "had had had had" being grammatically correct

texts:
All the faith he had had had had no effect on the outcome of his
life.
Well, talk about lexical ambiguity. But as strange as this sentence
might sound, it is actually grammatically correct. The sentence relies
on a double use of the past perfect. The two instances of “had had”
play different grammatical roles in the sentences—the first is a
modifier while the second is the main verb of the sentence.

I don't understand the grammatical explanation given for this sentence. How does had had had had make sense and is grammatical? I understand that had had is correct, but not had had had had.


texts: What does "ungodly" mean in the following context?

texts:
What does this sentence mean
" Tina can’t wait until they stop working such ungodly hours"
Is it mean that she works all the time, except the hour that she sleep!!
Thank you


texts:
It is difficult to me.

  It is difficult for me.

Would you tell me when/ where you would rather use them?


texts:
I’m not a native English speaker and I am confused with the usage of by and through. Can someone please explain to me their usage based on the example below?

I have a referral code which I want to share with my friend; I can do that using email or Facebook. What is the correct sentence to use,

1.“share by email”
or
2.“share through email”?


texts:
I was surprised myself at how good I nailed the interview.
So here the speaker is trying to convey that they were surprised at how well the interview went and how well they, the speaker, performed. But would this sentence be considered grammatically correct?


texts:
I'm sure most of the time when we talk about the books' chapters we are talking about a specific book.

  I will check again but I am pretty sure we are supposed to read chapter two.

I wonder why "the" is not used before "chapter two".


texts: Definite aricle or zero article: "Who is going to turn up?" - "(The) friends of mine"

texts: Let us imagine a situation. I meet up with my friend Mike to discuss the party we are organizing. He asks me, "who else is going to turn up?" I say "friends of mine." So the question is: is it correct to say "friends of mine" or "the friends of mine". However, I did not mention which friends, but the word " mine" specifies which friends. "The friends of mine," not his. Mine. So it is unclear to me should I omit "the" or not.


texts: Having deal with "to get used to" and "to be used to"

texts:
I know "to get used to" means the process of accustoming whereas "to be used to" means that somebody has done it, this process is finished and now there is nothing unusual connected with this thing, it has become familiar to the person.

While I was reading an article about those construction I found out we could use both constructions in different tenses. But I was wodering is there any sense in using "to get used to" in any tense we would like to do it?

Once it means the process so we are able to use it in any tense, but, as for the "to be used to" construction? As we've stated above, it is the result, so possible variants are:

Present/Past/Future Simple;
Present/Past/Future Perfect;

And, at least, it's awkward and unlogical to use it with Progressive and Perfect Progressive forms. Am I right?

Would you be so kind as to provide me some examples.


texts: Meaning of the phrasal verb "dial in" in context

texts:
The following excerpt is from this article.

  Training in this fashion will not only dial in and perfect technique, but you’ll be optimizing your training as well.


texts: About the past simple form and the past tense?

texts:
I have two sentences and can't understand some things:

The past participle of regular verbs is the same as the past simple form.
‘Look’ is a regular verb so you add ‘–ed’ to make the past tense.

Are the past simple form and the past tense synonyms? Are they the same?
Edit:
Can I change these sentences to make clear this way:

The past participle form of regular verbs is the same as the past simple form.
‘Look’ is a regular verb so you add ‘–ed’ to make the past simple tense.


texts: I want to know the most adj noun (or) the most adj

texts:
The mountain scenery in East Java is the most exciting.

(OR)

  The mountain scenery in East Java is the most exciting one.

Which one is grammatically correct?


texts:
It is not clear as to how this accident happened.

Is this kind of contruction possible?

I think this "it" is like "It is easy to do this".

Can this "as to" be inserted like that? And does it change the meaning?

PS I wrote this example.


texts: Sherlock's English (Benedict Cumberbatch): subjunctive in conditional structures

texts:
So, if you are a big fan of Sherlock, you have probably watch BBC series ''Sherlock''. I think it is the third chapter in Series 1, the one that starts with Sherlock in Eastern Europe talking to a man who has just murdered his wife. This man's English would fit in the working class accent (if not lower), and he does not even use verb tenses correctly. Each time he says something incorrectly, Sherlock corrects him, every single time. This is no wonder though, it is Sherlock.
What I do not understand then is that Sherlock himself says ''If I was….'', instead of ''If I were'' (for example in S2E1).
And it is really surprising because it is Sherlock, but also because, as far as I know, Benedict Cumber's accent is quite posh.
I thought I was missing something but I watched a video about the use of subjunctive in English on YouTube the other day and LetThemTalkTV said there was no option: ``If I were'' is the only correct one.
So... What do you think? Why do you think Sherlock says ''If I was''?
Link to videos
S2E1: Dinner scene (SHE does the same).
S1E3: Chat in prison (bad quality)


texts:
I wonder whether in the case below I need to use present tense or future tense". Also, I wonder in any case what the general rule of it is. Please bear in mind that I insist on using "as" since I want to know whether it works similarly to "when", after which we cannot utilize any future tense. Sincerely, I appreciate your attention.

  From my perspective, there are currently some negative attitudes to modernity, which will be ended as more time will elapse.

or

  From my perspective, there are currently some negative attitudes to modernity, which will be ended as more time elapse.


texts:
What is the difference between the meanings of the following sentences?

  If I were going to Rome next week, I would be trying to find accommodation.
  If I were going to go to Rome next week, I would be trying to find accommodation.

I'm confused here, because i can see no difference in meaning between these two sentences.

"Going to vs going to go to"


texts:
Treasure Island:

  He continued. “I'm a plain man; rum and bacon and eggs is what I want, and that head up there for to watch ships off. What you mought call me? You mought call me captain. Oh, I see what you're at - there”

The bold part confuses me. What does "head up" mean in this context? What does "that" stand for?


texts: Is it correct and natural to the verb "reinforce" in the sense of improving a skill or the knowledge of something?

texts:
Could you tell me if it is correct and natural to the verb "reinforce" in the sense of improving a skill or the knowledge of something? For example:

You might want to go back over the words again to reinforce the knowledge of them.
You pronunciation is good, but to reinforce it, say that again.

If it sounds off, could you tell what you would say?


texts: Past simple or present perfect for an action in the past

texts:
Now she has become (become) a star in the world of music.
  Just listen to her and you know that God has given (give)
  her the voice of an angel.

Would it be possible to use past simple for  give:

  Now she has become (become) a star in the world of music.
  Just listen to her and you know that God gave (give)
  her the voice of an angel.

God's gift of "the voice of an angel" is done, the action of giving is finished, even it affects the present because she has still this voice.


texts: What does "off" mean in "he'd probably better off"?

texts:
Based on this breakdown, it’s pretty clear that professional CRO should not be at the top of this guy’s priority list. (In fact he’d probably better off brainstorming strategies to increase his cLTV, not his conversions.)

What does "off" mean here?

Does it mean that brainstorming should not be used?


texts:
I'm a bit puzzled and cannot identify the exact clause type the Subjunctive mood is used for in the following sentences:

It is high time we went home
It was time somebody did something
It's time she didn't confuse our names.

I have two different textbooks, and they say different things. One textbook says these are subject clauses, while other textbook says these are attributive clauses.
Could anyone please help me with these?


texts: In a very long time/ for a very long time/ a very long time.

texts:
I haven't had a talk with her in a very long time.

I haven't had a talk with her a very long time.

I haven't had a talk with her for a very long time.

Are all the above sentences grammatically correct?
What's the difference in their meaning?


texts:
I read Henry and Mudge and the Funny Lunch.
And I found this sentence in the book:
He said that maybe it should pull out into a Watermelon Bed.

What does it "pull out" mean?
And I wonder why author put "Watermelon Bed" instead of watermelon bed.


texts:
It is not one rather than the other.
Q: Could you tell me what this mean? I can't translate/understand it at all.


texts:
a. They were fighting the English led by general Smith.

b. They were fighting the English under the leadership of general Smith.

c. They were fighting the English**,** led by general Smith.

d. They were fighting the English**,** under the leadership of general Smith.

Are the above sentences all grammatically correct?

It seems to me that (a) and (b) might mean

They were fighting those of the English who were led by/under the command of general Smith.

or

Led by/under the leadership of general Smith they were fighting the English.

and (c) and (d) might mean

Led by/under the leadership of general Smith they were fighting the English.

or

They were fighting the English, who were led by/under the leadership of general Smith.

Is that correct?

Many thanks.


texts:
Their discovery was also the world’s discovery, and the film conveys the sense of a world out of joint, a total catastrophe that defies comprehension and seems like a sort of ubiquitous madness, even as its careful industrial organization becomes all the clearer.Source

Does this mean just when Nazi Germany's careful industrial organization (a killing system, almost industrial) becomes clearer, this madness at this camp feels more like part of a much broader thing?

But why the all the -er construction here?

It is mostly used like this: This incident makes this case all the more important.


texts: What does the phrase "building hopping chop" mean here?

texts:
Here is a sentence from an endless runner game:

  Building hopping chops is a good strategy to avoid unexpected dangers.

The player is advised to leap to the side when she sees any danger or goes near a risky corner.


texts:
To gain reputation among your clients, (a) / you ought to finish (b) /
  every assignment you undertake (c) / within the stipulated
  deadline. (d) / No error (d) / No error (e)

This is question of sentence improvement.
Answer: Replace within with by

I dont know the difference? It sounds me correct even with 'within'.
Is there any difference in meaning?


texts: When we use the word nostalgic, does it always have to come after the verb Feel?

texts:
Reading this book makes me nostalgic.
  Reading this book makes me feel nostalgic.

Just like we say "the ending of the movie made me so sad" and "the ending of the movie made me feel so sad", where both the sentences mean pretty much the same think. Can we use "Nostalgic" as we do "sad"/"happy", with or without the verb feel where the meaning stays the same either way?


texts: "What I want least is..." or " what I want the least is..."?

texts:
Please tell me if I need to use the definite article in the following sentence.

  What I want (the) least is to work there.

I feel that I need to use the there. If I am right, please tell me why it should be there.


texts: "At all", "For the life of mine", "One bit" and "A wink"

texts:
I was wondering if someone could let me which one of the identical following self-made sentences does not sound natural because of the different time adverbs:

  I couldn’t get any sleep last night at all.
  I couldn’t get any sleep last night for the life of mine.
  I couldn’t get any sleep last night one bit.
  I couldn’t get any sleep last night a wink.

For me, they all mean the same, but I doubt if the last three sentences are used as common as the first one. Aside from this mater, they all mean the same and work properly to me.


texts:
Which verb is better to use:

He trained ECDL to them last year.
or
He taught ECDL to them last year.

P.S:
ECDL stands for European Computer Driving License


texts: Alter Vs. change (alterations Vs. changes)

texts: Iv'e noticed based on the dictionary that the words "to change" and "to alter" (=alterations and changes) are interchangeable. My distinguishing is correct? Are there cases which they are not interchangeable when we are talking about changes? or maybe for English native speakers one of them is mainly in use in specific area?


texts:
From the beginning I had some problems listening to foreign accents. Like when someone from my native country (India) speaks English I understand it at once, but if someone from a foreign country especially US speaks English, I have to make them repeat the sentence several times to understand it. Also, I have noticed I have more problems when watching movies, talking than when  watching lectures. I am having lot of trouble these days because of it.

So how can I solve this problem? Also, is there is particular term for this state?


texts:
Let say, in a letter, we want someone do something for us in the future. We know that now that action hasn't happened yet.

At the end of the letter, we say "Thank you in advance!".

Why do many native speakers say "It is not polite to say 'Thank you in advance'"?

Some even feel offended.


texts:
What is the difference between

  Care of something or somebody

  Care for something or somebody

  Care about something or somebody

It seems to me there's no the difference.


texts: Stubborn about/in, unyielding in/about, rigid in/about

texts:
He’s really stubborn in his decision. Vs
  He’s really stubborn about his decision.

  He’s really unyielding in his decision. Vs
  He’s really unyielding about his decision.

  He’s really rigid in his decision. Vs
  He’s really rigid about his decision.

Is the use of in and about interchangeable?


texts: Why is “waived” closer to “commuted” than it is to “lenient”?

texts:
For the following question, I am supposed to pick two answers that mean roughly the same thing.  On the GRE, this type of question is called Sentence Equivalence.

  Punishment for transgressions of the law ceases to have a deterrent
  effect if the punishment is frequently _________ .

  A. arbitrary    B. changed    C. waived    D. lenient    E. commuted    F. applied

  -- GRE Sentence Equivalence Explaination, majortests.com

How can the answer be C and E for this context? I have chosen C and D.

I thought it would be C and D because D also refers to the punishment being waived.


texts: Is there any difference between the exression "by car" and "in a car"?

texts:
Is there any difference between "by car" and "in a car"? For example:

  I usually come to work by car/in a car.


texts: What does "on their places of destination" mean?

texts:
Excerpt:

  Tourism professionals have an obligation to provide tourists with objective and honest information on their places of destination ... (Source:Global Code of Ethics for Tourism)

I understand it as *they should provide tourist with honest info about different places the tourist will go in a particular destination", am I right?

Or it is only a way of saying destinations? Is there any redundancy in their places of destination?

And what is this structure? their refers to tourists? Could a native kindly paraphrase this sentence?


texts: What is the umbrella term for credit cards and debit cards? "Payment cards" or something? "Cash cards"?


texts: Why are the pronunciations of IRON and IRONY different?

texts:
I got 2 excellent answers to my previous question Why is “iron” pronounced “EYE-URN” but not “EYE-RUN”?. Now I wonder about iron and irony (and ironic). The top voted answer by Void suggests that the current pronunciation of "iron" is because of "metathesis". Why didn't metathesis affect irony?
The Etymology dictionary says:
"c. 1500, from Latin ironia, from Greek eironeia "dissimulation, assumed ignorance," from eiron "dissembler," perhaps related to eirein "to speak," "
My best guess would be that it entered the English language long after the metathesis had happened to "iron" and also both "iron" and "irony" have different origins but I can't be sure.
I also came across a question on Quora. One of the answers says "In “iron", the accent is on the i, so the ron was corrupted to just rn. In ironic, the accent is on the ron, so it wasn't shortened."  But "iron" and "irony" both have accent on the first syllable, so it's of no help.
So what happened exactly? Am I right or wrong?


texts:
I came across this page of Wikipedia. Actually, I was searching web for the opposite word of 'sportsmanship' and landed there. It's clear that the word game in this context is considered negative. It's interesting to learn that the antonym for sportsperson/manship is gamesmanship but then it tickled my brain with a question!

  Is the word game always shows negativity? If this is so, what does the game of xxxx mean as in The game of chess and the game of politics.

There's also a book titled Master the game of success. Does it mean that it may (of course, along with good ways) teach us unrighteous ways to solve problems and become successful?

Also,

  For him, life is all game! - Do I consider him zealous or frivolous?


texts: "causing harm for" vs. "causing harm to"

texts:
I often say "causing harm for X", but I am not sure if this is semantically and grammatically correct? What do you think?

  We need to pollute less, because not doing so will cause harm for all
  of humanity.
  We need to insure the minimum amount of harm for all of humanity.

In the second example, "for" seems to be more justified, but I am not sure if there's a rule for when to use "for" instead of "to". Could you break down what the rules would be and when to use "to" instead of "for" and is "for" really wrong, or is it just informal?


texts: Translate it for me Vs. Translate it to me

texts:
What's the difference between these two sentences using two different prepositions?

Translate it for me.

to

Translate it to me.


texts: Do a person get-out of / be out of / leave / exit balance?

texts:
What is the idiomatic word to go with 'balance' in the following context?

For example:
If a person had one disease and then got another one, we might say "He had one disease, and as a result he got out of /  was out of / left / exited balance and got another one". (or maybe other choices I've not mentioned).


texts: "had gone" vs "was gone" vs "did go" vs "was going"

texts:
I have have a hard time to understand the differences. Would you please explain the differences?

Question:

  You went to Chile, didn't you?

Answer:

No, but I had gone to Peru, which is right next door.
No, but I was gone to Peru, which is right next door.
No, but I did go to Peru, which is right next door.
No, but I was going Peru, which is right next door.


texts: "A hard working day" VS "A hard day's work"

texts:
I would be appreciative if anyone could help me with choosing the right answer:

I had a quite ............ and  I felt so sleepy. I'm off to bed.

a. hard working day
b. hard day's work
I think "a" can possibly cause some ambiguities while it is close to the adjective "hard-working"; otherwise it is quite natural and idiomatic to me.
As for "b" I have no idea if it is what I need here or not.
P.S. unfortunately the similar thread was not that helpful that I needed.


texts:
Do not use more of this product than is recommended on the label.

What does '' more of '' mean in this sentence ? Would it be the same structure if I would say;

  Will you need more of this product in the future?


texts:
Which is grammatically correct?

  A visit was made to local supermarket to observe and collect information for/on/about the fat contents of vegetable spread and butter available in the store.


texts:
In my country, usury is practiced by some people. For example, you borrow 70 million rials in usurious money from someone but you have to give him back 71 million rials after a week.

Does the highlighted part sound natural.


texts:
My belief paid off well.

About the phrase, should I add the word "was" before "paid off"?


texts:
Are the following two expressions different in any way ?

(1) "I am writing to follow up on xxx..."
(2) "I am following up on xxx..."

I seem to come across more (1) than (2) in emails but am not sure why (1) is/seems preferred.

Any help on the subtleties between the two or are they identical in all senses?


texts:
I did not sell my car, I decided to keep it.

I have not  sold  my car, I decided to keep it.

I have not sold  my car, I have just decided to keep it.

What sentence is the more idiomatic. Is the second possible? Because both actions are located at the same time so they should have the same tense. It is difficult to say what comes first, the decision to keep it or the "non-selling".


texts: Does it make sense to say "with the exam passed"?

texts:
I wonder if the sentence such makes sense?

  "I left the school with the exam (whatever this exam may be) passed"

The part I am not sure about is the phrase "with the exam passed".

I would like to point out the two facts "I left the school" and "I passed the exam", which are not necessarily connected. What would be a more idiomatic way to construct a sentence for that purpose?


texts:
A grammar book says I should place adverb between subject and main verb. So this should be right.

  When I was a student, I only pulled an all-nighter once.

How about this one?

  When I was a student, I pulled an all-nighter only once.

Is it right? Is it idiomatic?


texts: Is "condition" followed by "where" "that", or "in that"?

texts:
The system sounds an alarm when a condition is met where/that/in
  that the temperature exceeds a preset value.

I would like to know which of "where" "that", and "in that" is correct for the above sentence, although you may feel that the portion "a condition is met where/that/in" is unnecessary and needs to be removed


texts: Is "in the lower teens" appropriate in this context?

texts:
I want to know if it is correct to say:

  The number of participants is in the lower teens.

and whether native speakers would understand the phrase in the lower teens to mean more than 10, but less than than 15?

Having read some of the comments, I want to specify that the question concerns the number of people. I am aware what in his teens means. Someone in the comment mentioned in the lower teens was used when referring to temperature. I think it is a good start and we can continue exploring (if possible) more ways of using this phrase. Thanks for all the answers and comments.


texts: "Fax it to me at number" versus "fax it to me to number"

texts:
The phrase people use when they want others to email or call them is "Please call/email me at […]." It got me thinking about faxing.

Since fax numbers are like phone numbers, do you say, "please fax it to me at number xxx-xxx-xxxx" or "please fax it to me to number xxx-xxx-xxxx"?


texts:
In Insider Secrets To Hydraulics there is two texts:

  When I inquired why the new pump hab been fitted, the maintenance manager advised me that the original pump hab been uneconomical to repair. I knew immediately that this maintenance manager had fallen victim to distributor bias.

  There are three things you can do to ensure that you don't become a victim of one of these costly rip-offs.

In both texts "victim" is used in a similar sense but with different construction. Can you explaine to me why in 1) there is construction "victim to" and in 2) there is "victim of"?


texts:
I'm looking for the person who has the key of the room, and I have a doubt how to ask it (with who or whom)

  *"Who does have the key of the room"

or

  "whom does have the key of the room?"


texts:
it is found that the dream has little to do with reality in american
life

In this senctence, the part of "little to do" means have little relationship or have a little relationship? or is it Determined by context?


texts:
what is the true meaning of "Lyceum schools" in this context?

  Considering these four points, then, is it not a feasible hypothesis that
  the power which controlled Davis was actually Swedenborg? It would be
  well if the estimable but very narrow and limited New Church took such
  possibilities into account. But whether Davis stood alone, or whether he
  was the reflection of one greater than himself, the fact remains that he
  was a miracle man, the inspired, learned, uneducated apostle of the new
  dispensation. So permanent has been his influence that the well-known
  artist and critic Mr. E. Wake Cook, in his remarkable book
  "Retrogression in Art,"* harks back to Davis's teaching as the one
  modern influence which could recast the world. Davis left his mark
  deep upon Spiritualism. "Summerland," for example, as a name for the
  modern Paradise, and the whole system of Lyceum schools with their
  ingenious organization, are of his devising. As Mr. Baseden Butt has
  remarked, "Even to-day the full and final extent of his influence is
  extremely difficult, if not impossible, to assess


texts: Is "lie one on" really an American English slang expression for "getting drunk"?

texts: Some time ago I wrote down "lie one on" with this meaning for a flashcard; I must have read it somewhere, probably in a book, but I don't remember where. After a couple of months I wanted to look up the phrase again, but couldn't find it anymore. It doesn't seem to be listed in a single dictionary (also not in my American slang dictionary) and I can't find it on the Web. Does this expression really exist? Unfortunately, because I don't remember where I found it I can't give any context.


texts: You have to choose an hour that isn't already taken by someone

texts:
I always have problem using the word already, or simply have trouble with tenses;
in the first place, is the sentence in the question correct? secondly, when should we use already, can we use it in present tense?


texts: When to use "do" in phrases which are not questions?

texts:
Example: You do need to drink more water.

or

You need to drink more water.

What is the difference?


texts: Which one is right, and which should I use for what I'm trying to say?

texts:
He relishes feeling the watch in his hand, cold and sturdy.

  He relishes the feeling of the watch in his hand, cold and sturdy.

  He relishes in the feeling of the watch in his hand,cold and sturdy.

or simply

  The watch feels cold and sturdy in his hand.


texts:
Is there any difference between “at the zoo” and “in the zoo”? I found these examples in the dictionary.

We saw a baby polar bear at the zoo.
These lions were born in the zoo.
...the penguin pool at London Zoo.


texts: Stressing teen-numbers when counting in a row

texts: Is it acceptable to stress the second syllable of the numbers when counting them in a row? ThirTEEN, fourTEEN...


texts:
From the Merriam-Webster dictionary

I saw her at the doctor's last week.

How long will you be at the doctor?

Considering the fact that both of them come from the Merriam-Webster dictionary, it seems sure that both "the doctor" and "the doctor's" are grammatically correct.
However, the Cambridge Dictionary just lists the former. Does that means the latter is not as popular nowadays?


texts:
Which is a proper expression, "You have just dropped your key." or "You dropped your key." in a situation in which someone drops his or her key in front of you, and you have to tell him or her about the key?
If both of them are correct, what is the difference between them?
I'm glad if you will answer my question.


texts:
They left the hall quickly, wanting to unwrap the broomstick in
  private before their first class, but halfway across the entrance hall
  they found the way upstairs barred by Crabbe and Goyle. Malfoy
  seized the package from Harry and felt it.  (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

When the verb seize is combined with from, does it mean the broomstick left Harry’s hand or do both the boys hold it?


texts: You can play it for free for 2/3 more days - Usage of ''for xx more days''?

texts:
A game is free from Monday until Wednesday, meaning the game will no longer be for free after midnight on Wednesday (Wednesday 23:59).

It is around afternoon Monday and my friend asks me for how many days will the game still be free to play?

Should I respond for 2 more days or 3 more days?

2 more days meaning (Tuesday + Wednesday)
3 more days meaning (today + Tuesday + Wednesday)

I am not sure that if something is already happening whether I should count that in or not.

But I would go for three days because you can play it still today + 2 extra days.

How is "for n more days" understood? Do people use it meaning as extra days not counting today, or still including today?


texts:
I'd like to compare the size of my current house with the one of my old house. When we compare two things, depending on what we put more emphasis on, we can organize the sentences in different ways.
So I've made 3 sentences and I'd like to know if these sentences mean all the same. or Are there any differences in meaning?

The size of my current house is pretty much the same as the one of my old house.

My current house has pretty much the same size as my old house has.

The sizes of my current house and my old house are pretty much the same.


texts: What does "like someone for someone" mean?

texts:
I have come across it in the 9th episode of the 10th season of Friends. Here is the contex:

Chandler: Monica, I want a baby too, but this woman is giving away her
child. She deserves to know who it's going to.
Monica: (realizes Chandler is right. She's almost crying) okay, right.
(They hug)
Chandler: So, we'll tell the truth and who knows, maybe she'll like us
for us.

I think it means to like someone for what they are, but it's the first time I have seen the phrase. If it means exactly the same as like some for what they are, would it sound as natural if Chandler said maybe she'll like us for what we are? If not, what are other ways to paraphrase it?


texts:
I have a question about words that describe feelings. Why is it you say "I am a little tired" or "I am very tired"? Why do you not say "I am a lot tired"?.

It seems to be this way for many adjectives that describe feelings: a little sad, hungry, nervous, unhappy. But it's always: very sad, hungry, nervous, happy.

Can you explain this to me please?
Thanks!


texts: Interpretation of: "I discussed the subject of the paper with someone"

texts:
Suppose, I've written a paper "On Blue Cats" and told somebody that "I discussed the subject of the paper with Brown". How will this be understood?

Will it mean that

We discussed blue cats: their origin and behavior, say.

or

Brown argued that I should have chosen another subject and written about, say, violet mice


texts: Does British don't express the letter "r" in the middle or the end of the sentence?

texts:
With time I've noticed that consistently British people don't express the letter "r" at the end of the sentences, while Americans do. Then I've checked it on Cambridge dictionary and I found that it is even documented not only one time. Let's take for example two words only: marble or certain.

In British English there is a full ignorance from the letter "r" which stands in the middle of the word (marble or certain), while the Americans express it well.

Now my question is if I can certainly  determinate a rule which says that any word which have the letter R in the middle or in the end it is not pronounced at all in the British English. Can I rule it?


texts: "A dreadful five minutes" - what about the article?

texts:
In a BBC One show Would I Lie To You the host says "Gary [...] has had to endure a dreadful five minutes." (video on Youtube).

I'm curious about the indefinite article, since I've never seen it used in this situation where it clearly refers to the plural of five minutes, and not, for example, a five minute walk. This usage of an a contradicts what I've been taught (in my learner's book the sentence would go "Gary has had to endure dreadful five minutes").

The only thing I can think of is that the dreadful five minutes itself is a description of a singular event/entity, in which case I'd be happy for a name or designation of this language construct (and perhaps even some further examples of it).


texts:
One of the meanings of want is to lack something

But I am confued regarding its use in a sentence. Which of the following sentence is correct?

  He doesn't want courage.

  He doesn't want in courage.


texts: What is the difference between "continue to" and "continue the"?

texts:
Hello I have a student that asked me this question.

I mentioned that the "continue to" + verb focuses on the verb but "continue the" focuses on the noun phrase to follow.  Is that correct?


texts: Repeating the subject in a subordinate sentence

texts:
Just a short while ago I edited a question published on EL&U(1) and, doing this, I added the following paragraph:

  The words that express the tangible and visible things of our experience, such as sand or sea, are all nouns, as they are those expressing intangibles such as love or idealism.

Is it proper English "as they are those expressing intangibles such as love or idealism"?

I'm not sure if using they are there is correct and, when editing, other possibilities that came to my mind were:

"as those expressing intangibles such as love or idealism";
"as those expressing intangibles, such as love or idealism, are".

What is the rule governing the way in which that sentence can be correctly written? And what is the correct version?

(1) After Stoney's comment I edited again the original question in order to remove the grammaatical error.


texts: Are the phrases "I've had an experience" and "I'm experienced" equivalent?

texts:
Is there any difference between

  I've had an experience in something

and

  I'm experienced in something

?


texts: Changing the meaning of a sentence utilizing "can (not) help doing sth"

texts:
In (the!) OLAD, it is written:
sb can (not) help (doing) sth = used to say that it is impossible to prevent or avoid sth.
If we use "cannot help" the mean of a sentence change, like:

I cannot help shutting my eye= I am coerced to shut my eye.

According to OALD, I think the above equivalent is right. But What if we don't exercise "not" right after "can"? For example, What is the tantamount sentence below?

I can help shutting my eyes =?


texts: would have been saving vs would have saved

texts:
On a website (Quora.com) I read the following question and answer:

  Did the US President Clinton really stop Pakistan from nuking India in
  1999 and save india?

  Answer:

  If they had, they would have been saving Pakistan, not India.

Why he did not say they would have saved Pakistan ?

What is the difference ?

Thank you.


texts: Past or present tense for something that happened in the past as a lesson to me?

texts:
Shall I use past or present tense in the following:

  I was too late to catch the deadline for something. Some lesson for me (was or is) that I should have done it sooner.

I am hesitant to use "was", because it may sound like a lesson to me now, but it still is.

I am hesitant to  use "is", because my missing of deadline happened in the past.

If you don't like the writing, how would you write it  for the same meaning?

Thanks!


texts:
According to the Oxford dictionary:

Friend - a person who you know well and who you like a lot, but who is
usually not a member of your family.

What noun you can use for a person whos you know not enough to name a friend, but occasionally friendly speak with him/her?
Update based on comment:

I have many friends and three close friends

Or

I have many (?) and three friends


texts:
He throws away all the pictures that will remind him of his
     girlfriend if he sees them

When we are talking about this event that happened in the past ,what is the correct form?

  He threw away all the pictures that would remind him of his girlfriend if
     he saw them.

or

  He threw away all the pictures that would have reminded him of his
     girlfriend if he had seen them.


texts: What's the meaning of "somebody gave up something to somebody"?

texts:
It's a line from "The Marvelous Ms. Maisel" a comedy-drama in the 1950s. The phrase I confused is a line from a comedy stand-up, here are the full story:

  I do not charge for sex. I mean, that's free. I mean, it's free to guys I want it to be free to. My husband. Boyfriend. One girl in college. Anyone with a decent ticket to a Sinatra concert. Even my mother would give it up for a Sinatra ticket.

  No, she wouldn't. My mother wouldn't give it up for anything, to anyone. Well, my father. She'll- she'll give it up to him. I mean, not that she told me she'd give it up to him.

  But I'm assuming. Well, I'm here, so somebody gave up something to somebody at some point.

I understand all the punchlines in these phrases expect the last marked one. I have two questions:

Why mentioned "I'm here"?
Does "somebody gave up something to somebody" mean that people A will give up something in the reason of people B?


texts:
"You look like Barney!" he joked around.

  "Arrgh, I am a dinosaur!" she played along.

Is there a verb that means "play along"? I am wondering if there's a single-word verb that means exactly "play along" as in "I decided to play along after my friend decided to make fun of me and call me Barney". I can't think of a single word like that, but I am thinking there might be a word I don't know that might fit the definition.


texts: "I would say I didn't/don't want to join his team if I were you." - didn't or don't?

texts:
The bounty description should have been:

Since the question has not been answered officially, I think it would be nice to have an answer for it.

Enter the question of mine:

I am wondering what tense I should use in a noun clause appearing in a conditional sentence.

What I am not sure about:

  If she wanted to please me, she would pretend that she were/was/is happy.

  If I were you, I would imagine I were/was/am going to pass the exam.

  If I were you, I would say that I didn't/don't want to join his team.

But, I am quite sure in some cases, verbs should be in the appropriate tense that can describe the situation.

  "If you had the sense of humor, you would enjoy what I am talking about."

  If she were here, I would tell her that I like her. (because it is a fact that I like her. So it is like.)


texts:
Through the application, the user can select any element of the page by moving the mouse over it and (get or have ?) access to its static and dynamic information.

Is there any difference between get access and have access.


texts: Using the preposition "before" for a location

texts:
I have just arrived to my friend's house and he would like to know where I parked my automobile and asks me:

  A) Where did you park your car?
  B) I parked it before the post office.

Would you please tell me if the usage of "before" in my example is correct.


texts: When I introduce myself (in like a WhatsApp Group, etc.), does "Hi there, Chris here" works?


texts: "The miss to sales target was caused by"

texts:
I would like to know if this sentence is written correctly. I'm trying to explain why we missed the sales target.

  The miss to sales target was caused by ....


texts: What does "practical" mean in this definition?

texts:
This is the definition of Hint from OALD

  a small piece of practical information or advice.

Does practical above mean connected with real situations rather than with ideas or theories? It seems to me that practical above is more likely to mean useful or suitable, but OALD says that this definition is used to describe things/objects.


texts: Whether Lasseter is good at storytelling and in the use of technology or not?

texts:
A sentence from Steve Jobs，

  “Lasseter's shorts were really breathtaking both in storytelling and in the use of technology. I tried so hard to get him to Disney, but he was loyal to Steve Jobs and Pixar”

Shorts means limitations? But the rest of the sentence make me confused that whether Lasseter is good at storytelling and in the use of technology, or not?


texts:
I have found in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English the following :
Send=affect=to make someone or something start to be in a particular state:His lectures always send me to sleep.
Send sb/sth into sth:The tail broke apart, sending the plane into a dive.
I have found in English-Greek Dictionary of Fytrakis the following :
Send=affect=to make someone or something start to be in a particular state :The fire sent everybody running out of the cinema.
Is the sentence "The fire sent everybody running out of the cinema" correct?


texts:
I heard in a YouTube clip a line repeated several times:

  I have no inclination where they are right now.

  I have no inclination of where she is.

  I don't have no inclination of where she is.

Inclination means preference, tendency. But here it appears to mean idea/clue, as in I have no idea/clue where they are. Dictionaries don't have this meaning. Nor can I find a similar example sentence in dictionaries. What does it mean here exactly? Is the usage by the man in the video a mistake?


texts: How to separate a possessive adjective from its noun properly?

texts:
I will explain with examples.

  I sat between her and the door

  I sat between her and her bag.

"her" would mean the girl herself, in the first example, and it would still mean that in the second example.

  Because what only matters to me is that you didn't steal any of her
  and her friend's money.

So, would "her" in the third example mean "herself" instead of "her money"? If yes, then how should I fix it?

I didn't write (her money and her friend's money) to avoid redundancy.


texts: Grammatically right way to answer the phone

texts: When you pick up the phone and someone asks for you, should you say "It is I" like you were an actor from a Shakespearean play or "It is me" like you had dropped middle school?


texts:
Melting glaciers. Rising sea levels. Drowning cities. A disaster is coming our way!

Is that proper grammar?


texts: What does "Can’t think of the last time I did that." mean here?

texts:
I am wondering what "Can’t think of the last time I did that." means in the following sentences:

‘Actually,’ I say, ‘I’m not all that tired. And I don’t have to get up
early tomorrow morning to deal with two crazy kids. There’s some wine
in our room – I could go and grab it.’
She gives a small smile at this, the first I’ve seen. And then she
reaches behind the sofa cushion and pulls out an expensive-looking
bottle of vodka. ‘I nicked it from the kitchen earlier,’ she says.
‘Oh,’ I say. ‘Well, even better.’ This really is like being nineteen
again.
She passes me the bottle. I unscrew the cap, take a swig. It burns a
freezing streak down my throat and I gasp. ‘Wow. Can’t think of the
last time I did that.’ I pass the bottle to her and wipe my mouth.
‘We got cut off, earlier, didn’t we? You were telling me about that
guy – Callum? The break-up.’
Olivia shuts her eyes, takes a deep breath. ‘I guess the break-up was
only the beginning,’ she says.

Lucy Foley, The Guest List, Chapter 15

Before the actual wedding day, at the rehearsal dinner, Hannah, Charlie's wife, leaves the dining room where the ushers are playing their drinking game (the Irish snap) to find Olivia (the bridesmaid) sitting next door. So they start to talk to each other.
In this part, I am wondering what "that" means. Does it refer to drinking straight from the bottle? Or "gasping" after drinking, as described in the previous sentence...?


texts: Help understanding a grammar excercise about tenses

texts:
Which is the correct answer and why?

Let us go to the carnival, (shall we / shan't we / should we / shouldn't we)?
All but Stella (is being / were being / has been / have been)auditioned for the ballet performance this afternoon.
In a year's time, he (is becoming / had become / shall become / will have become) a qualified doctor.

In my opinion, the answer for Q1 is 'shall we'. However, in question tags, the question tag is negative if the main part of the sentence is positive. It doesn't seem to apply here so I'm not sure.

As for Q2, 'All is the subject' but I've no idea what the answer is.

In Q3, I think the answer is 'shall become' which describes the future. 'Is becoming' is unlikely to be the answer as it means 'gradually changing'. I think the future perfect tense 'will have become' is also an answer as it describes a future action that will have been completed.


texts: Which pronoun best suits to "man" as human in general?

texts:
When "man" is used as a general pronoun for humans, which gender (female, or male) does it have? For example, how should the following statement be corrected?

  Today’s man, besides the physical world with which he has been accompanied since his creation and been accustomed to its circumstances, has stepped into a new world named cyber space, which has different characteristics.

Is he -used in the quote- satisfy both  men and women? Or should I use something like he/she?


texts:
London is the oldest town of / in England.

Which is the correct preposition to use here ? My book says In but why of is wrong here ? Reading the sentence both sound correct.


texts:
I am confused about these two dialogues where Tom wants to borrow a big amount of money from Jim who is a very stingy person. Tom is talking to Steve about it. Tom, Jim, and Steve are very close friends who know each other very well.

Dialogue 1:
Tom: I will ask Jim to lend me $10,000.
Steve: What!
Did you just meet Jim?

Dialogue 2:
Tom: I will ask Jim to lend me $10,000.
Steve: What! Have you just met Jim?

I am confused because according to what I know #2 is the correct dialogue, however, I heard #1 dialogue from a native American.
In the everyday language:
I know the general difference between the simple past which usually is used for events that started and ended in the past and the present perfect which is usually used for the event that started in the past but still going on the present or relates to it. However, sometimes I cannot see the difference, especially in informal English. So:
Is there any difference between the meaning of the two dialogues above? or they just simply mean the same thing?


texts: difference between these conditional situations

texts:
what is the difference between these conditional sentences? I mean in which situations we use any of them?

If you look at the map, we wont be lost.
If you looked at the map, we wouldn't be lost.
If you had looked at the map, we wouldn't have been lost.
If you had looked at the map, we wouldn't be lost.


texts:
We use said+to+object, but I don't know that we can use told+to+object or not. For example

  She told to me be careful.

Is it correct or not?


texts: Which definition of 'bide' in 'bide time'?

texts:
bide one's time = Wait quietly for a good opportunity to do something (example)

1. How do you determine/deduce the apt meaning / definition (de novo) ? Please explain the steps, thought processes; I’d like to try to resolve this myself in the future?

2. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/bide+time does contain '2a.  To wait; tarry.' But is 'wait' the right choice?

3. What about Definition 2b? 'To stay in time' makes sense?

4. Or definition 1? 'To remain' in time makes sense also?


texts:
We usually have my mother (to) stay over Christmas

What differences in meaning or otherwise are due to the insertion
of TO ?
OED HAVE (vb) : https://oed.com/oed2/00103269


texts:
Our university, in expelling a student who verbally harassed his roommate, has erred by penalizing the student for doing what he surely has a right to do: speak his mind.

Q1) Are the word "student"s in the sentence the same student?

Q2) I am having problem understanding the sentence.

Does the sentence mean the student verbally harassed his roommate, but it is still not right to penalize the student because he has right to speak his mind? Or does it mean that the student was expelled, but it turned out that he actually did not verbally harass others, but just spoke his mind?


texts:
I've heard it many times. I searched the web and dictionary and found two meanings.

  An official engaged in international negotiations (this is clear to me).

  A person who deals tactfully with others (unclear).

We often say Ah! Come on...stop being a diplomat. Does it mean that we want the other person to be clear and straightforward (but then it's a bit negative) without playing with words? Does this word, by any means, refer to cunningness?


texts: When you're taking a ride on a bicycle, are you riding it, too?

texts:
It's probably a basic question but I got a little obsessive about it. When you 'take a ride', can you be the driver, too?

Do these two sentences:

  I took a ride in my car/in a car.

make you think of two different situations? e.i. 'in my car' makes you think I'm driving it and 'in a car' makes you think someone else is the driver? Or in both you think of me sitting in the back seat?

Is the same true about bicycle?
'I take a ride on my bike' means 'I ride my bike?'
How about a 'bus' or any public transport?
Is a bus driver while driving the bus taking a ride, too?


texts: He performs better "from the desk" - What's the better way of putting it?

texts:
He performs better from the desk than at the blackboard.

I am afraid that in the sentence above the words "from the desk" may be understood as if the student were performing while standing on the desk; however, what I want to express is the idea that he was sitting at the desk. I don't know what words I should use to convey the desired meaning more precisely instead of "from the desk".

"from behind the desk"?

"from his desk place"?

"from at the desk"?

?


texts:
Is it okay to use their in this case:

  If one is driving a smelly car, it is most likely that their hygiene
  is horrible.

Well, their is definitely plural, and one is singular, so I think it should match, but just using "his" or "her" sounds partial, and using "his or her" is, in my opinion, too redundant.

So is it fine to use their like this?


texts: How should I interpret this sentence about Mowgli?

texts:
Source

  We head back to the fork and take the left this time, 45 gigantic stone steps down to the river bank. Questions about Mowgli's den to the handful of people bathing there draw blanks.

They take left and then go 45 gigantic stone steps down onto the river.Or is it, the left path in itself is 45 gigantic stone steps down to the river bank.


texts: Can "should" be replaced with "if" in this sentence?

texts:
OzForex Foreign Exchange dealer Michael Judge said the dollar could go
  above US79¢ on Tuesday should the Reserve Bank cut the cash rate,
  which is currently at 2.25 per cent.

(http://www.smh.com.au/business/markets/currencies/australian-dollar-dips-in-anticipation-of-rba-rate-call-20150302-13ssqy.html#ixzz3TEcGUQv2)

can "should the Reserve Bank cut...." expressed as "if the Reserve Bank cut..."?

I have no idea what the sentence means to be?


texts:
"Briefly, though, she imagines the countless Asian workers who might, should she say yes, spend years of their lives applying versions of this symbol to an endless and unyielding flood of footwear. What would it mean to them? Would it work its way into their dreams, eventually? Would their children chalk it in doorways before they knew its meaning as a trademark?"
  - from Pattern Recognition by William Gibson

In the last sentence, why is it 'before they knew its meaning'?

Is it wrong to say 'before they know its meaning...?

Is it the same case with 'He went out before I had finished my sentence', where past perfect tense is used to indicate a later point in time?


texts:
In my grammar book, I have these example statements.

We were married July 21, 2000, in New York.
We were married on July 21 in New York.

Is it a rule not to use "on" when the year is included to specify a date?


texts: who is boss here -- no definite article in front of "boss"?

texts:
Example (Ukraine crisis: Putin shows who is boss in Crimea):

  RBut it was also about demonstrating who is boss here now. Vladimir Putin is spending three days in Crimea with a whole delegation of senior Russian politicians and business figures in tow.

Why do you think there is no definite article in front of the word boss? I know some of you will most likely say that the word is being used as a title, but why then is it not capitalized if it's a title? And don't you think that it would sound equally as good if the author had simply said the boss?

So,

Question #1:

If it's a title, why is it not capitalized?

Question #2:

Do you think it would sound equally good if the author had simply written the boss instead of boss without the article?


texts: Disambiguate (Did bring) and (have brought). Did you bring your passport? Have you brought your passport?

texts:
(1) I did bring it. (2) I have brought it. Are these both the present perfect simple?
Could someone please tell me the difference between:

Did you bring your passport?
Have you brought your passport?


texts: Is this sentence grammatically correct? “dared bid”

texts:
After reading a text, I came across this sentence

  Nobody dared bid on the priceless antique vase.

Is this sentence grammatically correct ?
Thanks guys


texts:
Is the following sentence correct?

  if I was supposed to send friend requests only to my acquaintances,
  why would I have come here?


texts:
Do you have to say "x dubbed over the actor's voice" or can you just say "dubbed over the actor"? I am wondering if we need to say actor's voice or use actor's instead of actor to imply it's the actor's voice we're referring to.

Here's an example:

  An interpreter dubbed over the president of the United States as he was
  giving his speech.


texts:
In the dictionary: at all

  used in negative statements and questions to emphasize what you are
  saying

  They’ve done nothing at all to try and put the problem right.

  He’s not looking at all well.

  ‘Do you mind if I stay a little longer?’ ‘No, not at all.’

  Has the situation improved at all?

But people do say "But many people think it is sad that she wanted to change her appearance at all." which is a positive sentence

Why do they use "at all" in positive sentences?


texts: How do I tell my teacher what I had to do in my homework?

texts:
I don't know how to describe my homework task, I mean I don't know which tense to use.
For example:

I have done my homework, where I had to review requirements, execute test cases and report a defects
I have done my homework, where I have to review requirements, execute test cases and report a defects

Which variant is right?
Feel free to provide your variants. I would be glad


texts: What does the writer mean by saing "said teeth"?

texts:
Toothaches are awful, aren't they?
In fact, they are really high up there on the "pain scale" -- at least in my mind (and the minds of many patients that I see). I mean, think about it -- they are painful enough to drive someone to go see a professional who will drill (drill!) into said teeth (amongst other things). So yes, toothaches hurt.

I can't get its meaning or use.


texts:
What is the difference between the following sentence?

  Remember when summer days felt like they would go on forever?

  Remember when summer days we felt like they would go on forever?


texts: Difference between "It's fine with me" and "it's fine to me"?

texts:
What is the difference between "It's fine with me" and "It's fine to me"? I read this sentence to mean "It looks fine to me". But, an American said that "It's fine to me" is wrong.
Why is it wrong?


texts: Suitable term for "has the highest-rating"/"most-popular" (media outlet)?

texts:
If you want to say:

  He works for a radio station that is the most popular in his country

Popular here does not necessarily mean "well-liked", but rather that it has the highest listenership numbers.

How can you convey this message succinctly, without using the word popular?


texts: Difference: "the product being sold" and "the product sold"

texts:
The commercial is focused on the embarrassment that someone can experience when the product being sold isn’t used.

Is it correct or is there any difference if I use delete "being" from the original sentence?


texts: Present or Past tenses when talking about the previous studies

texts:
I am writing a research paper and found that some paper use present tense to describe the previous studies. For example,

  There are several surveys which summarize the existing opinion mining
  work [9, 21, 14]

But some sentences use Past tense:

  Zhou and Chaovalit performed sentiment classification on reviews using domain ontology database.

When we want to talk about what has been done in the past in terms of research contribution, what is the general rule to choose between Present and Past tense?


texts:
I came across a press release headline: "Global edtech major upGrad raises USD 120 million"
In the article, there is also a sentence that uses "edtech major":

This is the first external funding raised by the edtech major.

I know that "edtech" is "education technology", but what does "major" mean in this context? It seems to mean "company", but I don't see that definition in the dictionary entry for "major".


texts: What do you call the act of two separate teams within an organization meeting together to increase cooperation?

texts: Is there a word like that that can be used to describe such an action, event? I used to work at a software firm where there were a lot of separate teams and they would sometimes work together for a big project and before that we would meet up to know each other.


texts: "difficult to pull off — he didn’t quite nail it"

texts:
I thought everyone in the cast was very good — and several actors had really challenging characters like the seven-minute woman. Al’s character was difficult to pull off — he didn’t quite nail it.

Source: https://jmmnewaov2.wordpress.com/2013/04/18/top-of-the-lake-closes-its-run-did-it-work-for-you/

Can you tell me what the bold passage exactly means. Especially "he didn’t quite nail it" I am not able to decipher. Does it mean that the Al's character is unconvincingly written?


texts: "can do better than V" and "can do worse than V"

texts:
"Can do worse than V" (as a way to make a suggestion) is much less common than "could do worse than V."

For example, "could" is used by more people than "can" in:

  He can/could do worse than marry Sarah.

What about "can do better than V"? For those who say "could do worse than V" as opposed to "can do worse than V," would you say "can do better than V" or "could do better than V"?


texts:
Which one is correct to say?

"He is waiting for death"
or
"He is waiting to die"

"for" or "to" ?

If either is correct, give me some examples. I have a doubt where exactly I can use "for" and "to"


texts: Why is the first letter of a proper noun capitalized

texts:
Is it incorrect grammar to make the first letter of a proper noun small letters ?
I found that most of the online grammar checkers will mark it as an error if you don't
capitalize the first letter of a proper noun. What's the logic behind that.


texts: Can't adjuncts be placed between verbs and their direct objects?

texts:
Andre ate greedily all the biscuits. (English Syntax and Argumentation, Bas Aarts)

Bas Aarts says the sentence is ungrammatical because the adjunct takes a position between the verb and its direct object. But the sentence does not seem strange to me. Would you show me some cases for his rule where the strangeness is obvious?


texts:
The definition in the dictionary says "strict disciplinarian", and a disciplinarian is a person who practices discipline.

If you call someone a martinet, are you praising them or criticizing them?


texts: but other ladies carried such things, so she also **would have one

texts:
Next she selected a parasol from a large and varied assortment in the rear of the store. Not that she had any idea what it was used for; but other ladies carried such things, so she also would have one.

Source: http://www.classicreader.com/book/2953/1/

I am not sure what "would" means in my sentence. From the context of the paragraph I undestand it that she wants to behave according to the the other ladies. So I would await the form "had to have one".


texts: How can I tell someone that I want to be his or her friend?

texts:
Let's say I'm new to a school or a place and I'd like to know the name of my colleague and I want him or her to be my friend.

From a movie, I heard a sentence like that:

  Can we know each other?

From google, I think I can say:

  Can we get to know each other?

According to AmE, can I use those sentences so that people know what I mean? Is there a difference between them? Is there a better or more correct sentence?


texts:
Surprises are waiting to "wow" you.

  They wowed audiences on their play.

Mostly I have seen "woo" to describe how it has impressed/surprise someone.
"wow" in the both sentences mean the same?


texts: Can you explain differene between them: Wore vs wearing vs Was wearing?

texts:
I did some research on the internet and this is what I understand about them:

He wore a black shirt yesterday means he started and finished the action in yesterday and now he is not in the black shirt.
The boy wearing a red shirt enjoyed cricket means the boy who wore a red shirt enjoyed cricket.
She was wearing a red dress yesterday. means she wore a red dress the whole day yesterday.

But still, I don't know if I am right here. I am very much confused.
Please explain these in details with differentiating each one.


texts: could you explain to me the meaning of phrasal verb draw in in the context of arriving? In some dictionaries it is related to trains and railways. Can I use it with trams or something?


texts:
She looks at me like I am a different person.
She looks at me like I were a different person.

I heard someone say the first sentence. It is an imaginary situation. What mood is appropriate here?  Should not this usage call for subjunctive?


texts:
Which is correct/sounds more natural?

Example sentence:

  He tries to make (a) space by shoving my bag away.

I found both options on Google.


texts: How do you express two plural nouns separated by 'and'?

texts:
I am always confusing plural forms of nouns.

A - "Cats and Dogs"
B - "Cat and Dogs"

If two words are plural, which one is correct?

As I understood, there is no special situation for that, it seems: Plural is plural, singular is singular in English. The second one is correct in my native language; that's why I got confused, sometimes.


texts:
I can say:

  I love to read. I hate to read.

But it must be:

  I enjoy to read. I enjoy reading.

What is enjoy so different?


texts: Which is more appropriate: thin or slim?

texts:
I was wondering when should thin be used and when should slim be used to express lacking weight:

  My friends say that I am too thin.
  My friends say that I am too slim.

If they are different, what would be examples of better usage?


texts: Can present perfect replace past perfect?

texts:
First sentence:

Biden also said he had told the Israelis to stop "intercommunal
fighting" in the flashpoint city of Jerusalem.

I have read present-perfect-vs-past-perfect, but still have no clue. I'm wondering if I can replace he had told with he has told. What I know, both are representing an event in the past that has done/had done.
Another sentence:

Canada has extended its ban on passenger flights from India and
Pakistan by 30 days to Jun 21 as part of a campaign to fight COVID-19,
Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said on Friday (May 21).

My first guess of the first sentence is it's a reported speech since there's "said" as past simple and using past perfect, I can agree with that. However, comparing to the second sentence with the same topic (reported speech), but it's using has? So, what's the explanation?


texts: The Past Continuous vs. the Past Perfect Continuous in context

texts:
Could you tell me if there is any difference in meaning between the following sentences?

When I got into the movie industry, I was waiting tables for seven years.
When I got into the movie industry, I had been waiting tables for seven years.

I would've thought that the first sentence isn't grammatically correct, but I hear native English speakers say it. I wander if both are perfectly natural and correct. If so, is there a nuance of meaning between them?


texts: What is the more proper alternative to "my bad"?

texts: When people admit mistakes they tend to use the phrase "my bad". I found that it is an informal way in North America. Could anyone help me with a better alternative?


texts: Relative clause or any omission here? "the sort of person Maddy is."

texts:
But there is more detail nevertheless, perhaps a stronger connotation of the sort of person Maddy is.
I think in the last part "the sort of person Maddy is",
there is omission of "that" between person and Maddy:
person that or whom Maddy is
But I am not sure if this is correct or not and this kind of style which is very short after relative conjuntion has been rare to me.


texts:
In a TV show I heard this:

  An asian girl comes in a park. A girl in a group of friends says "Look what the cat dragged in". A boy(her boy friend) in the group says "don't you ever let up.

What does he mean " Let up"

Here is the link:-> https://soundcloud.com/sukhjinder-singh-626913618/neighbours-joke


texts:
In The Beatles song "O-bla-di O-bla-da" Paul Mccartney sings:

  In a couple of years they have built a home sweet home

As far as I can understand he is singing about something that will occur in the future, so shouldn't he sing "In a couple of years they will have built a home sweet home" instead?


texts:
Mike hauls down the sidewalk.

  Mike walks down the sidewalk.

What is the difference?  Dictionary says haul means pull or drag with effort. So how can haul be used instead of walk? The context is simply "Mike walks", that's all: he isn't pulling anything.


texts:
I know this sentence:

  your message has been sent

the subject is no known.

I know this sentence:

  you have been registered.

the subject is no known.

but what is this:

  I have been really worried these past few days ?

here the subject is known , how this is good grammer? why the author not say : "I was worried" ?
sorry my english is bad


texts: You are not fit for life here... Is it correct?

texts:
I have a question that I want to consult:

I have a boss work in my country.
He is under challenging to get an official position
But after a period of time, I realize that he is not "suit" with this positon.
and I want to talk to him that:

  You should go home, You are not fit for life here

Is this sentence being used in daily life? If not, which sentence should be used here.


texts: Word usage, making something "compatible"

texts:
I was lost doing this. This is the sense I want to convey:

  Studying and working at the same time can be difficult because you need to accomodate both those activities into your daily life, take some time of study to your work, and viceversa.

My idea was to write:

  "When you study and work you need to compatibilize both these activities" (meaning to fit these activities in your schedule, etc etc)

Then someone pointed to me that the word "compatibilize" does not exist. How do I convey the same meaning? .

I did a translation from my language and the result was reconcile, but when I look it up on a dictionary reconcile gives me the idea of a couple fighting about something for example and then setting aside their differences.


texts: Which of the following options is best suited for the given statement?

texts:
The English exam question is which option would best suit as a conclusion for the statement?

  The Pacific yew is an evergreen tree that grows in the Pacific Northwest. The Pacific yew has a fleshy, poisonous fruit. Recently, taxol, a substance found in the bark of the Pacific yew, was discovered to be a promising new anticancer drug.

A.   Taxol is poisonous when taken by healthy people.
B.   Taxol has cured people from various diseases.
C.   People should not eat the fruit of the Pacific yew.
D.   The Pacific yew was considered worthless until taxol was discovered.

I would say it would be D. The Pacific yew was considered worthless until taxol was discovered. My reasoning behind that would be that the fruit was considered worthless until the anti cancer drug was discoverd. A and B do not follow. C does follow but I think C would have been best suited had the information "The Pacific yew was considered worthless until taxol was discovered." not been provided.


texts: What is the meaning of using "when" at the end of a sentence?

texts:
So I'm stumbling upon these pretty often, and here is the most recent example (couldn't come up with my own one or recall something more simple):

Also I like the idea of writing an ASCII horror space game in forth.
Dwarf Fortress when?

I'm thinking it's just an intentionally incorrect grammar usage, but I can't quite understand what it does exactly.


texts:
Meaning of the then king according to my book is

  The king then reigning

Can I say

  The king reigning then

Is there any difference. Is there any rule governing the position of then


texts: It's never been cheaper, but home cooking has fallen off the menu. What's "fall off the menu" here?


texts:
Would it be better to say:

  Losing a driver's license symbolically reflected incapability to operate throughout one's daily life routine as usual.

or

  Losing a driver's license symbolically reflected incapability to operate throughout one's daily life routine as normal.


texts:
my sentence is below:
As we’ve explained above that round bar(including both of metal and carbon material) has a helical cut on the surface that uses to determine the beauty value.

Should I utilize uses or using in this context?


texts: Can I use "The Republican community" to refer to the community of all American people with Republican viewpoints? If not, what else can I use?