texts: "If X he would..." vs "If X he might..." – what's the difference?

texts:
Please help me with the following sentence improvement question.

  If he smokes less he might get rid of his cough

My book offered four options to select from:

If he smoked less he would get rid of his cough
If he had smoked less he might get rid of his cough
If he smokes less he might have got rid of his cough
no improvement

My text book gave 1 as the answer, but I think it's 4.

What do you suggest?


texts: Which is the correct word to use: "I'll rather" or "I'd rather"?

texts:
I want to write a sentence to a friend indicating that instead of looking at the one thing, it's better to look at something else. Do I say, "I'd rather" or
I'll rather" look?


texts: How to tell past tense from past perfect tense in a noun clause led by " insisted that..."?

texts:
I'm confused about a multiple-choice question:

  The boy insisted that he __________ the glass. He said that he was not there then.

a. hadn't broken
b. didn't break
c. haven't broken
d. not break

The correct answer is a, while I would choose b if it was necessary to express the same meaning as the exercise sentence. Meanwhile, a seems correct to me as well, which I guess can be based on an explanation that the action "not break" happened before the moment "then". Therefore, could anybody show me the conventional way to make up this sentence? Can it be "The boy insisted that he didn't..." or "The boy insisted that he hadn't...", or both sound familiar to native speakers?


texts: Difference between "non-decreasing" and "increasing"?

texts:
In this section, we use a similar technique to solve the sorting
problem, that is, starting with an unordered array of elements and rearranging them
into non-decreasing order.

This line is taken from a coding textbook where they are basically discussing sorting algorithms. Sorting algorithms either sort in an increasing order or a decreasing order depending on the input type.
Does the word non-decreasing here mean same as that of increasing? Is there any particular situation where they have different meanings? Also, can these two words be used interchangeably in a context?


texts:
Are the following sentences more or less interchangeable?

a. It was evil of John to adopt a baby for his experiment.

b. John was evil to adopt a baby for his experiment.

Is there any difference?


texts: Is "either A and B or C and D or E and F" right?

texts:
Could I say like this:

  A boss could order his subordinate in either authority and serious way or polite and friendly way or even joking and intimate way.

By the way, should I insert an "a" before three kind ways?


texts: Does the question "how long have you been in this job" sound natural?

texts:
Does the question how long have you been in this job sound natural meaning how how long have been working as something? For example:

Person A: What do you do for a living?
Person B: I'm a doctor.
Person A: Cool! How long have you been in this job?


texts: Is it natural to ask "what color do you prefer to wear"?

texts:
Is it natural to ask the following?

  What color clothes do you prefer to wear?

What I am trying to ask is clothes of what color the person prefers to wear.
 Whould it be more natural to ask

  what color clothes do you prefer to wear?

Or it would be more natural to ask

  what clothes colors do you prefer to wear?

Anyway, what would a native English speaker say?


texts: phrasing would your tomorrow around or would around your tomorrow

texts:
What is the correct order of phrasing the following sentence:
1. Would your tomorrow around 3pm work?
2. Would around your tomorrow 3pm work?


texts: How we can change this sentence into passive : " I am happy. "

texts:
I'm happy .
The anovel sentence how we can change it into passive


texts:
"It's too late to change the plan now," Harry told Hermione. "We
  haven't got time to send Charlie another owl, and this could be our
  only chance to get rid of Norbert. We'll have to risk it. And we have
  got the invisibility cloak, Malfoy doesn't know about that."
      They found Fang, the boarhound, sitting outside with a bandaged tail when they went to tell Hagrid, who opened a window to talk to
  them.
      "I won't let you in," he puffed. "Norbert's at a tricky stage –– nothin' I can't handle."
      When they told him about Charlie's letter [Charlie’s friends can carry the little dragon away from Hogwarts to his place], his
  eyes filled with tears, although that might have been because Norbert
  had just bitten him on the leg.
      "Aargh! It's all right, he only got my boot –– jus' playin' –– he's only a baby, after all."
      The baby banged its tail on the wall, making the windows rattle. Harry and Hermione walked back to the castle feeling Saturday couldn't
  come quickly enough.  (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

Is the bold-faced part a double negation or the dialect of ‘I can’t handle anything'? I guess semantically the latter is more probable, but I can’t be sure.


texts: Using 'is' at the end of these specific sentences

texts:
I don't know what the problem is.
  I don't know which one correct is.

Some people told me the first sentence is correct and the second sentence is incorrect.
My question is:
Why using the word 'is' (at the end of the sentense) can be correct in the first sentence, but not in the second sentence?


texts:
In The Great Gatsby, I read the following line:

  From East Egg, then, came the Chester Beckers and the Leeches, and a man named Bunsen, whom I knew at Yale, and Doctor Webster Civet, who was drowned last summer up in Maine.

Is Chester Becker a man's first and last names? It comes with the definite article and the plural ending -s. What does that mean there?

I'd appreciate your help.


texts: What is the correct way to say: Collected data from acts/laws and from  via phone and email?

texts:
I am not sure how to properly put this in a sentence. While working as a policy research assistant for a provincial government ministry [e.g., Alberta Ministry of Mineral Resources], I collected data for my research work from two sources: (1) the acts and regulations of all provinces [websites] and (2) from policy analysts/economists working at the ministry counterparts [trying so say the equivalent mines/minerals ministries in other provinces] via phone and email communication.

As you can see (2) is very confusing and not clear. Those people are not working over phone. I collected data from them over phone and email. More importantly, not sure if "ministry counterparts" is the correct phrase. What is the best way to write the second part so it is clear. My current version is the following:

  Collected data from mining and mineral resources acts and regulations of all provinces and territories and from policy analysts/economists working at the ministry counterparts via phone and email communication.


texts: .. topics that I should ( be looking / look ) into more deeply

texts:
This time is also the perfect opportunity for me to think over my final project and consider topics that I should ( be looking / look ) into more deeply.

Which one is more common ? could you tell me the differences?

thanks in advance


texts:
I have a question about the usage of "communicate":

  He communicated about history.

I could find similar sentences using "communicate about" on the web:

  The intermingling of work and personal life adds to the onslaught, as people communicate about personal topics during the workday, and about work topics when they are at home.

but not in dictionaries.  So, do native speakers think that the pattern "communicate about" is wrong?


texts: Should I use "has X years old" or "is X years old"?

texts:
Should I use 'has' or 'is'?

  My son has 21 years old.
  My son is 21 years old.


texts:
Suppose a group of researchers claimed that they were working on 7G technology, and someone said, "It costs nothing to say you're working on something so advanced. What could "cost" mean here?

I'm considering which of the two senses given by Merriam-Webster is relevant:

  a. to cause (someone) to lose something

  b. to cause (someone) to experience something unpleasant

I'd appreciate your help.


texts:
In the following sentence is quietly incorrectly used?

  I was surprised to see every student sitting quietly in the class, even though the teacher was not present

According to my book quietly is wrong and in its place quiet should be used. But I think quietly is also correct since it modifies the verb sitting.


texts:
In a style guide for writers by Apple there are a lot of sentences like

alternate Don't use when you mean alternative.
America, American Refers to both North and South America. Don't use when you mean
United States.

These sentences don't look correct to me; I think they should be changed to

alternate Don't use it when you mean alternative.
America, American Refers to both North and South America. Don't use them when you mean
United States.

On the other hand, since the style guide is written like a dictionary, it is probably OK to have sentences with special (ungrammatical) omissions.
I am wondering whether it is OK to have such omissions in technical manuals that are not written like dictionaries; in other words, in technical manuals that are written as prose.


texts: "found out that she had a boyfriend" Vs "found out that she has a boyfriend"?

texts:
are both sentences below grammatically correct?

Her parents found out that she had a boyfriend.
Her parents found out that she has a boyfriend.

If yes, I guess, the first sentence implies that she doesn't have a boyfriend anymore whereas the second sentence indicates she still has a boyfriend. Am I correct?


texts:
The bouncer pulled the two men apart. One of the men had a black eye, while the other had a bloody nose.

I assume that the eye wouldn't be black yet right after the fight, so my question is which adjective would be the most common to use here instead? Battered? Bruised?


texts:
can anyone please tell me if I can leave out "some" in the following sentence?

Here is the example:

Hey John, give me (some) books that have great stories.

To me the word "some" is optional. I can leave it out. Can anyone please answer this?


texts: Usage of uppercase word instead of lower after dialogue

texts:
SOURCE (Red Sister, Mark Lawrence)

The following line appears in a novel I'm currently reading:

  "Go on!" Shouted from the platform, almost angry.

For speech tags I've often seen them lowercase like

  "Run!" he said.

For the latter one I believe because said is a transitive verb, it requires an object, namely the dialogue. I would think it's the same for shouted since it should also be a transitive verb and I have seen it used like "Go," she shouted. or something of the sort.

I have my doubts that it's a mistake, so I'm trying to understand why it's capitalized. Any ideas?


texts: Have to ”beg me”...(grammar/preposition)

texts:
Is this grammatical?

  ''You have to beg me if you really want some money.''

It sounds weird to ear, what should be the preposition for this?


texts: Difference between 'eat' and 'eating' in context of following sentence

texts:
What is the difference between 'eat' and 'eating' in the context of the following sentences:

  When I see them eating, I feel compelled to eat.
  When I see them eat, I feel compelled to eat.


texts:
Because if that were true, that there’s a plan, it would mean there’s
  a reason I live in Cincinnati, Ohio and my son robs banks. I would
  have to believe that the only logical way for my life to go after the
  riots in 2001 was to dream-up a non-profit called InkTank, to
  encourage anybody who ever wanted to set things on fire to write down
  the deepest, most hidden part of their hearts. How could something
  so little and nothing (1), the act of getting people to pick up a pen
  and listen to each other, to start to notice things, how could
  that matter (2)? (Kathy Holwadel)

It seems that *could*s mean ‘#7.used to emphasize how strongly you want to express your feelings (OALD)’ or ‘#5.used in statements that express a strong emotional reaction (Merriam-Webster’s)’. Or the second might mean #4 on OALD or #2 on Merriam-Webster’s. Would you tell me which one do I have to pick up?


texts: What is meant by 'holiday' in this sentence?

texts:
In the following sentence:

If I won a holiday anywhere in the world, I would go to Japan.

Does 'holiday' simply means 'holiday', or does it mean a 'trip' or 'journey' or something else?

Thanks in advance.


texts:
I'm confused with the logics of pronunciation for some words. Some of them are frequently used in my speaking and I tend to confuse.

The word wine sounds different than wind in the same part of the word i.e the root win; another pair which confused me is child / children, where on children pronunciation of child is similar to chill at least in my opinion.

Any way to rationalize this or is just memorizing?


texts: Is your son climbing onto that table? vs Is that your son climbing onto that table?

texts:
Do these sentences mean the same?

Is your son climbing onto that table?

and

Is that your son climbing onto that table?

I think they are different. The first is asking about the action but the later is asking about who. But in Rosetta stone there is an example:

  Is your son climbing onto that table? No, that’s not my son.

Is this example correct?


texts:
I can downplay something.

Can I thus "upplay" a thing or not? What do you think?


texts: Please let me know when you finish or finished?

texts:
A or B and Why?

I don't know whether I shall use "finish" or "finished"?

A. Please let me know when you finish.

B. Please let me know when you finished.


texts:
Those who don't understand Unix are condemned to reinvent it, poorly.

According to Cambridge dictionary, condemn means to criticize something or someone strongly.

In the above sentence how is the word "condemn" used and what does this statement mean.


texts: “Will have to” and “be going to have to”

texts:
Is there any difference in nuance?

I think you’re going to have to sell your stuff.
= I think you will have to sell your stuff.

If I think that something is a plan, I have to say “be going to have to”?


texts: What will be the best in this case present perfect or past simple

texts:
) I have ordered from them many times  and haven 't got any problem but last time I made an order for the supertempo "damned"and  did not receive the record,so I sent many emails but none of them were answered finally got a refund after a paypal dispute .

just would like to know if present perfect is a judicious choice as it is    only with the last order that I got a problem or will it be better to use past simple knowing that i am  surely going to order from them again


texts: Meaning of “that was for six units of a credit”

texts:
This sentence is from the class of MIT finance and I’m confused what does the following sentence means (see pic for full context)
“that was for six units of a credit”


texts: Understanding the definition of "preposition"

texts:
In my grammar book definition of preposition is given as follows:

  A preposition is a word placed before a noun or a pronoun to show in what relation the person or thing denoted by it stands in regard to something else

Isn't the sentence wierd i.e. the use of in what relation, in regard to at the same place?


texts: Is “My name is …” still used in introduction today?

texts:
I'm sure that most people use I'm ... when he or she introduces himself/herself. However, I also know that in old days people use My name is ... in the same situation. Is this phrase still used today? If that is the case, what kind of situations do people use it?

It seems that it is more often used in formal situations than otherwise, but what kind of formal situations do people use it?


texts:
In this sentence:

  “I have a room for free.”

the word for is a preposition, but free isn't a noun.

So is the sentence grammatical correct?


texts:
Soon I'll meet a native speaker and I'd like to know what expression is correct when I want to introduce an anecdote:

  at one occasion
  in one occasion
  on one occasion

Thank you in advance.


texts:
Q) like humans, zoo animals must have a dentist ----- their teeth

  fill
  filled
  filling
  to be filled

could you please tell me , which is the correct word and why ?


texts:
Which of the following is are correct or sound less jarring?

  1) Do any of your friends have cars?  2) Do any of your friends have a car? 3) Is any of your friends an actor? 4) Are any of your friends an actor? 5) Are any of your friends actors?


texts: Wondering what the phrase "further swell" means

texts:
But the demonstrators who have taken over parliament and massed in the surrounding streets for the past five days fear the deal could further swell Beijing's economic influence over their proudly democratic island. (Source)

I'm confused about what "further swell" means.

My perception: ... they fear that the deal may more and more (further) make the Beijing's economic influence bigger or swell it in their democratic island.

My second concern is why the writer says "their proudly democratic island." What is the relation between  democratic island and proudly and swell?


texts: "He didn't do nothing" Vs. "He didn't do anything" Vs. "He didn't do something at all"

texts:
I found the following sentences as some of the sentences that confuse a lot of ELL, and I, as a part of them, would like to understand them correctly.

  "He didn't do nothing."

Means that he did something (minus+minus=plus). Correct?

Vs.

  "He did nothing".

Means that he didn't do something. This a correct sentence?

  "He didn't do something at all."

Simply understood that it is the same as saying "he did 0".

Vs.

  "He didn't do anything."
  Here I have another big confusion. Once I've been told that it means that the man didn't do anything in world but something he did. But in other time I was told that the meaning is as the same as He didn't do something at all. This sentence can be said when someone suspected but we say about him that "He didn't do anything." or alternatively when complaining about someone that he didn't work at all.


texts:
Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin

" [...] They are bastards. The girl as well. All three of them
abominations born of incest.”
Would even Cersei be so mad? Catelyn was speechless.

Martin writes about Cersei [the queen] having three children who are not highborn. Cersei is married to the king, but the king is not the father.
Does "would be" mean "was" in this context? If this is the case, is used to express uncertainty?
Thanks in advance


texts:
I always knew through determination, everything is possible.

I've always known through determination, everything is possible.

Are both the sentences grammatically correct?
Is the only difference here that British English suggests you use the second sentence, American English, the first?


texts:
From movie London (2005)

A going-away party. A girl named London is gonna leave from the town.
A lot of people are at the party. One of the girls says to London.

  Girl: Hey, girl, I'm out of here.
  London: Already?
  Girl: I'm gonna miss you.
  London: I'm gonna miss you too. Thank you so much for coming.
  Girl: You're welcome. Don't get shallow on me.
  London: I promise. Are you kidding me?

The logic says that it's probably something like "don't get mad", but I can't find any proof of that.


texts:
I'm doing some test online (on Upwork) and this is one question:

  Complete the following sentence:

  The herd of gazelles successfully __________ the wild cheetahs.

  alluded
  eluded
  illuded

So, I think the first and the second couldn't be right for this sentence, so remains the third, but I don't know is there some mistake with this, can't find translate. What that means? Should some similar word be written instead of that?


texts: 'Of' and 'For' - A car of $30,000 vs A car for $30,000

texts:
I'm not so sure but I think 'a car of $30,000' simply means that the car is worth of $30,000; and 'a car for $30,000' means that somebody exchange $30,000 for a car.

What is the difference in meaning between the phrase using 'of' and the other with 'for' do you think?

Added information:

'A car of $30,000' is the phrase I made up.  I'm learning about the preposition 'of' and pick up one of its usage 'used with measurements and expressions of time, age, etc.'. There are some examples for this case, like '2 kilos of potatoes, an increase of 2%, a girl of 12'. With that I think maybe the phrase 'a car of $30,000' matches  the concept.

I got feedbacks from somes ell users, all of them are not with me about 'a car of $30,000'. The thing that keeps bother me is that preposition 'of' can be used to show possession, why can it not be applied in this case, 'a car of $30,000'?


texts: Is "How do you feel about someone did something" correct?

texts:
I know "How do you feel about someone doing something?" is correct, but how to ask the same thing if the thing that someone is doing has already been done now? Is this correct?:

"How do you feel about someone did this?"

To me this doesn't sound right. Would you help me out, please. I would be really thankful if you can give some explanation too. Thank you.


texts:
I have been searching for a word (verb/adjective) to describe the sound of a knife cutting on a wooden board for a while fruitlessly. What I ended up writing is "intermittent cutting board thumps" which, in my opinion, is pretty rubbish. The word "thud" also doesn't apply as I'm trying to describe a sound that is not dull; the sound a knife makes against a cutting board is pretty sharp and quick.
Any suggestions? Thanks!


texts: Word for using words from other languages for stylistic effect?

texts:
We will go to the rendez-vous as madame demands it.

What do you call the act of using a word from another language for stylistic effect like above as seen with the word bolded in black? I am pretty confident there's such a word, but I don't have the slightest idea what it might be.


texts:
I read a sentence --------

  A dent in the door of the car.

For things that touch or are found on surface on is used.

So can I say

A dent on the door of the car.

Thanks in advance.........


texts: Idiom for from difficult situation to worse situation

texts:
Is there an idiom that we can refer to say " going through from tough times to tougher(worst) times"

My own creation: From boiling oil to fire. Something like this.


texts: How can I use "am not"? Should I put continuous tense behind it or adjective or past tense?

texts:
I'm not a native speaker and I'm still a novice towards English. Please help me out with this one:

Not

Here is an example:

  I am not tolerate.

Or

  I am not tolerated.

Also, can you guys explain to me which topic I should take a look at to master this kind of sentence?


texts: How do I write a single letter in a sentence?

texts:
Example: Did you notice how the letter R is pronounced in American English?

Do I write like the example above, or do I need to italicize it?


texts:
Is there any way to say

  I does?

Is it permissible to treat the conscience I as a singular treatment in formal or informal language?


texts:
Thank you for your continuous support to the EELs including me.

Could someone kindly confirm me.

When I was reading this article, I encountered this phrase.

  After calling a snap election in April in anticipation of a landslide,

I guess this phrase snap election would mean PM May intended to obtain
quickly the further number of seats in the House of Common so that they are going to be much stronger for the preparation of the Brexit?

Thank you kindly. ( Really )

Sincerely.


texts:
A preposition question:

  The United States earned entry to the knockout round with a win over Ghana and a draw against Portugal in Group G.

  Source

Google search shows both "entry to" and "entry into" are used.  But are "entry to" and "entry into" really the same?


texts: Finish sth in a finite times/ within a finite time?

texts:
I am trying to write a sentence to say

I want to finish something in a finite time

However, I feel uncomfortable with this sentence. I feel

I want to finish something within a finite times

is better... but I can decide.

Some help? Thank you!


texts: I am writing a document where a person is serving the guests and takes their payments. I need one word to be consistently used across the document. For now I used a server. Is it appropriate? I am still wondering about cashier or waiter alternatives. What would native speaker pick up?


texts:
I have come across the following two sentences from Michael Swan's practical  English usage

1 I meet my mother every single day

2 I meet my friends every few days

what is the use of single in the in the sentence number 1?
is it not superfluous? is not enough if we say  "  I meet my mother every day"

I meet my friends every five days is understandable. But what does "every few days " mean? does it mean every now and then?


texts: I want to know the undertone of this writing

texts:
Long before Walt Whitman wrote Leaves of Grass, poets had addressed themselves to fame. Horace, Petrarch, Shakespeare, Milton, and Keats all hoped that poetic greatness would grant them a kind of earthly immortality. Whitman held a similar faith that for centuries the world would value his poems. But to this ancient desire to live forever on the page, he added a new sense of fame. Readers would not simply attend to the poet’s work, they would be attracted to the magnificence of his personality. They would see in his poems a vibrant cultural performance, an individual springing from the book with tremendous charisma and appeal. Out of the political rallies and electoral parades that marked Jacksonian America, Whitman defined poetic fame in relation to the crowd. Others might court the muses on Mt. Parnassus or imagine themselves in the laureates’ sacred grove. Whitman’s poet sought the approval of his contemporaries. In the turbulence of American democracy, fame would be contingent on celebrity, on the degree to which the people exulted in the poet and his work.

This article is from the preface of Walt Whitman and the Culture of American Celebrity by David Haven Blake. I feel like I got the gist of this writing. To Whitman as well as other great poets, it's important to write a great poem for a earthly immortality of work, but what's more important for that is to be a popular man for the public.

Is it right?

But I can't understand this part and the sentence structure exactly.

  They would see in his poems a vibrant cultural performance, an individual springing from the book with tremendous charisma and appeal.

First, on the content side, was the author intended to say that the writer himself/herself should be contained in there work as a main character with those characteristics?

  They would see in his poems a vibrant cultural performance, an individual springing from the book with tremendous charisma and appeal.

Second, in a structure side, is a vibrant cultural performance in apposition with an individual (springing from the book with tremendous charisma and appeal)? If so, I wonder how performance could be an individual.

Another question is here, too : )

  In the turbulence of American democracy, fame would be contingent on celebrity, on the degree to which the people exulted in the poet and his work.

Why is fame dependent on celebrity in the unstability of American democracy?


texts:
If a building is "enveloped in snowflakes from a dark sky," does it mean that:
A/ There is a layer of snow all over the building
B/ There are snowflakes falling all around the building, i.e., it is snowing on it
C/ Although there is not a full layer of snow on the building, we can see snowflakes increasingly sticking on it


texts: The restrictive relative clause structure containing "you think be"?

texts:
I have read this article which explains in detail what relative clauses are, but I still cannot clear up the structure of the below sentence(from here):

  I want to know what program, where, and when it's anticipated would
  replace these programs and would develop the kinds of skills you think
  are necessary.

I thought you think is a parenthesis that can be removed from the sentence, which applies to this sentence that can be found in the same source:

  Consult your doctor for any personal medical evaluation you think
  necessary.

we obtain the reduced relative clause:

  Consult your doctor for any personal medical evaluation (that is) necessary.

But when it comes to the first example the rule doesn't hold up anymore.

  I want to know what program, where, and when it's anticipated would
  replace these programs and would develop the kinds of skills are necessary.

We can see that the "are" is unnecessary here.

I don't know what role the "you think" plays in these two sentences, and when can I add it?


texts: A thought-provoking blank to fill with 'made,' 'forced,' 'convinced,' or 'decided.'

texts:
I want your opinion on one of the questions that I came across while teaching from the PTE (Pearson Test of English) material.

It is a 'fill in the blank' question.

  Those early humans leading a nomadic life, who hunted and gathered food where they happened to find it, began to supplement their diet with wild grasses such as wheat and barley. Noticing how discarded seeds and roots later germinated and sprouted may have been what _________ the first farmers to settle down and cultivate crops.

The options are:

made
forced
convinced
decided

What could be the answer? I incline toward 'made'.


texts: Does "make 3 predictions" sound natural?

texts:
"make a prediction" is natural, as it comes from Cambridge Dictionary, how about "make 3 predictions"?

  I'd like to make 3 predictions about the future of New York City, which are about population, housing prices and crime rate. First of all, the population of New York will increase ...


texts:
What do you normally call such a place which is belonged to a particular building:

  Court:
  -  an area or a short road that is not covered by a roof and is mostly or completely surrounded by buildings.

  Courtyard:
  - an area of flat ground outside that is partly or completely surrounded by the walls of a building.

  Yard:
  - an area of land next to a building that usually has a hard surface and that is used for a special purpose.

While according to all these definitions, they all can be alludes to these pictures, I have raised this question here to find out the nuance between these words.


texts:
Page 1: There are a number of possible approaches to the study of law. One such is the traditional or formalistic approach. This approach to law is posited on the existence of a discrete legal universe as the object of study. … The essential point in relation to this approach is that study is restricted to the sphere of the legal without reference to the social activity to which the legal rules are applied.
p 6: As the common law courts became more formalistic and more inaccessible, pleas to the Chancellor correspondingly increased and eventually this resulted in the emergence of a specific court constituted to deliver ‘equitable’ or ‘fair’ decisions in cases that the common law courts declined to
deal with.

Source: The English Legal System 2012-2013, Gary Slapper
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/formalism?q=formalistic#formalism__18:

[mass noun] Excessive adherence to prescribed forms:

Is this consistent with the definitions at http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/formal? What are the similarities and differences? Can formal be used here in both quotes?


texts: Hard English Texts or Texts with hard English?

texts:
What is the best thing to call hard English texts? I mean texts that are hard language-wise, and for example are very hard for non-native readers.

Texts with hard English?
Texts with a hard English?
Texts with heavy English?
Tough English texts?


texts: Understanding the relations between parts of speech in the sentence

texts:
SSL protocol is the predecessor of the TLS protocol used to secure
  network communications.

In this sentence the world "used" is related to the "SSL protocol" or
"TLS protocol"? How can I know that? How can I change that?

In addition, I'm not sure how to correctly formulate my question in general, about this kind parts of speech relations. Perhaps if I formulated it correctly, I would've found the answer in Google or SE.


texts:
In meaning of "doom somebody"? I said

I googled it but can't get any definition or explanation.

"can't" somehow indicates those things are caused by me, therefor "don't" could be better.
Should I say

I googled it but don't get any definition or explanation.

or

I googled it but didn't get any definition or explanation.

I am trying to imply there might not be existing definition or explanation for the phrase in question. Are there any other expression more natural and clear?


texts:
Are "go against the grain" and "swim against the tide/current" synonymous?

Thanks in advance


texts: "You should not work in the field while the sun was hot."

texts:
You should not work in the field while the sun was hot.

I came across this sentence and it felt a little odd, The original sentence is not from a native speaker. I think it should be either:

  You should not have worked in the field while the sun was hot.

or:

  You should not work in the field while the sun is hot.

Maybe dropping "while" would be a better idea, but my question is- can a sentence have two different tenses like this?

Note: Some edits have been done after the answer was given.


texts: Can someone explain this structure: no more ... than? What does it mean here?

texts: In the second place, if interpersonal relations, the life of the married couple and the family, love and friendship, may be thought of as belonging to the base of the personality, it must not be forgotten that the base is naturally no more the whole of the personality than of society.


texts: Looking for an English word that means all kinds of educational texts

texts:
What word English speakers use to name educational texts in general - textbooks,
tutorial, educational and encyclopedia articles.

In my native language there is such word - it meaning covers everything, that you can read while studying subject.

Something close in English?


texts: What is a balance of a chapter in a book?

texts:
the exact strategy whereby this determination is made will be covered in the balance of this chapter.

If I understand this right, a balance is a section in a chapter, but I couldn't find this meaning in my dictionary.


texts: Can "Monday", "Tuesday" be plural like "Mondays" or "Tuesdays"?

texts:
Which of the following sentences are correct?

From now on, the biochemistry lecture classes on Mondays at 10.30 a.m. will be held on Sundays at 11.30 a.m instead.
From now on, the biochemistry lecture classes on Monday at 10.30 a.m. will be held on Sunday at 11.30 a.m instead.
From now on, the biochemistry lecture class on Monday at 10.30 a.m. will be held on Sunday at 11.30 a.m instead.
From now on, the biochemistry lecture class on Mondays at 10.30 a.m. will be held on Sundays at 11.30 a.m instead.


texts: How would a native say "just looking around"

texts:
You are walking around in a shopping mall or some sort of store, even though you might buy something, you don't have anything specific in mind and you are walking around the store, to have a look.

If a salesman or a saleswoman asks you if they can help you with something, how do you explain to her the whole situation — that you don't have an idea what you want, you will buy something if you like it, but you don't know what it is, and you have to walk through the entire store to see if you want anything or not?

You can of course say "no", but it will be kind of rude.


texts:
Does it mean "in this field/area"?

  One of the people said that Apple is developing optical sensors, which
  involves shining a light through the skin to measure indications of
  glucose. Accurately detecting glucose levels has been such a challenge
  that one of the top experts in the space, John L. Smith, described it
  as "the most difficult technical challenge I have encountered in my
  career." The space is littered with failures, as Smith points out, but
  that hasn't stopped companies from continuing to attempt to crack this
  elusive opportunity.

  Apple isn't the only technology company eyeing opportunities in the
  space. Verily, Google's life sciences team, is currently working on a
  "smart" contact lens to measure blood sugar via the eye, and it
  partnered up with DexCom in 2015 to develop a glucose-sensing device
  no bigger than a bandage.

Source: Apple has a secret team working on the holy grail for treating diabetes (CNBC)


texts:
We do not always know what products are there on the market. We do not always know what products are there available.

Are these two sentences grammatically correct and what does "there" in the sentences mean? Thanks a lot.
If I rewrite the sentence as "We do not always know what products are there avilable on the market",is it acceptable or grammatical? Thank you again.


texts: What is the difference between following sentences

texts:
I am bored (or any other adjective)
I got bored (or any other adjective)
I've got bored (or any other adjective)
I was bored (or any other adjective)
I've become bored (or any other adjective)


texts: How to understand "a death blow away" in this context?

texts:
Voldemort's voice reverberated from the walls and floor, and Harry realized that he was talking to Hogwarts and to all the surrounding area, that the residents of Hogsmeade and all those still fighting in the castle would hear him as clearly as if he stood beside them, his breath on the back of their necks, a death blow away.

  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

"a death blow away" looks like a nominal phrase, but I don't know how to understand it correctly. What does it mean exactly?


texts: What is the meaning of "as" in the following sentences?

texts:
What is the meaning of "as" in the following sentences,

  1) "It's incredible," Andy quoted Jennifer as saying.

  2) "The food was delicious," Jack was quoted as saying by the
  newspaper.

Does "Andy quoted Jennifer as saying" mean "Andy quoted Jennifer as Andy was saying" ? or "Andy quoted that Jennifer said" ?

Does "Jack was quoted as saying by the newspaper" mean "Jack was quoted by newspaper that Jack said" or "Jack was quoted by newspaper as newspaper was saying" ?

What is the difference in meaning between " Andy quoted Jennifer as saying" and "Andy quoted Jennifer saying" ?

What is the difference in meaning between "Jack was quoted as saying by the newspaper" and "Jack was quoted saying by the newspaper" ?


texts:
I know that the following sentence is correct:

If it rains, I will stay at home.

My question is if the following sentence is also correct when you are not so sure about what you are going to do:

If it rains, I would stay at home.

I've seen 'It wouldn't surprise me if it were true.'
Above sentence is using "would" instead of "will".
Is this a very special case? Or it is natural and means we can use "would" instead of "will" when we are not so sure?

Thank you in advance!


texts: What is the meaning of "cow in the middle"?

texts:
This is the context.

  They receive their measure of food, hormones and medications from one set of machines, and get milked every few hours by another set of machines. The cow in the middle is treated as little more than a mouth that takes in raw materials and an udder that produces a commodity.

What is the meaning of cow in the middle?


texts:
I came across this sentence in an article online:

  Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, fresh off of not apologizing for the social media giant’s failure to prevent sketchy election data firm Cambridge Analytica from partnering with a similarly sketchy app to allegedly scrape 50 million users’ profile data, briefly emerged from his gilded panic room on Wednesday evening for an interview with CNN’s Laurie Segall in which he largely repeated his PR department’s talking points.

I can't really find fresh off of defined in online dictionaries, but I did find fresh out of defined in The Free Dictionary, one of its definitions being:

  Having just completed a particular task or goal, often a level of education.

Is this the meaning that the author of the article had in mind? And is fresh off of a common and idiomatic phrase, interchangeable with fresh out of? What does this sentence mean then?


texts:
Came across a place with the name Best Bagel and Coffee. This naturally brought up a debate on the following, does "Best X and Y" mean:

We have the best X AND best Y
We have the best X, and also we happen to have Y

Why? How would you make it one of the other? Our office is split. Help!


texts:
Apparantly both version are in use according to Google Books Ngram. However, the use of in public far more common than at public.

I wonder if saying at public is wrong or non-standart English even though it is in use.

For example :

  Smoking in/at public should be forbidden.

Google Books Ngram


texts: Appear in the exam or appear for the exam?

texts:
The following sentence is from the web :

Can I appear in the exam next August when the final year of my graduation will have commenced?

I think it should be appear for the exam in place of appear in the exam.
Am I right or are both of these phrases ok?


texts:
If I am referring to some point in the past, and want to mention that, at this point, John had done three things, which should I use:
"John had done this and that on top of having done this last thing."
or
"John had done this and that on top of doing this last thing."


texts:
What's the right preposition to use with "horizon"?

Example:

  A cruiser cut through waves at the horizon.
  A cruiser cut through waves on the horizon.

I get both results on Google: waves on the horizon/waves at the horizon.

So I'm not very sure which version to use.


texts: Difference between arabic , arab and arabian

texts:
Which one is correct to describe a photographer who lives in an arabic country ?

(arabic photographer)
Or
(arab photographer )
Or
(Arabian photographer)

And what are the differences


texts: What is the difference between start and start off. Both sound the same to me except start off sounds more informal. Is off here a filler word to make the sentence more natural?


texts:
I want to write a sentence, but without using "I" as a first word.
Is "Choosing the right course has been treated by me as a key element in developing  my interests" correct? Should I put "by me" at the end or any other advises?


texts: A fantastic excerpt for learning the usage of prepositions

texts:
German inflation slowed this month, adding to signs that the European Central Bank’s unprecedented stimulus for the euro area has yet to have any significant effect on the currency region’s prices.
Inflation in the bloc’s largest economy, calculated using a harmonized European Union method, slowed to 0.8 percent in July from 1 percent in June, the Federal Statistics Office in Wiesbaden said today. That matched the median estimate of economists surveyed by Bloomberg News. Prices rose 0.3 percent on the month, compared with a median estimate of 0.2 percent.
The ECB announced measures in June ranging from liquidity injections to a negative deposit rate to avert the risk of falling prices and return inflation to policy makers’ goal of just under 2 percent. Data today showed Spanish consumer prices dropped more than economists forecast in the year through July, sliding 0.3 percent compared with a median estimate in a Bloomberg survey for a decline of 0.1 percent.
-- German Inflation Cools as ECB Stimulus Yet to Show Price Effect [Source]

I'm a financial manager seeking the precison of wording in my field, so I'm wondering how the following substitution or addition would change the original meaning:

on the month ⇒ for the month

of 0.2 percent ⇒ for 0.2 percent

sliding 0.3 percent ⇒ sliding by 0.3 percent

a median estimate in a Bloomberg survey for a decline of 0.1 percent ⇒ a median estimate by (from) a Bloomberg survey of a decline of 0.1 percent


texts:
From Friends(Season 02, Episode 04): Transcript

the turns aren't as fast but when Snoopy falls. . . funny.

The turn is referring the movement when skating.
Is the phrase as fast is a kind of abbreviation of as fast as he need to balance himself? Or just the word has the meaning similar to very? Does this kind of usage of as very common?


texts:
The question is clear. Can "Wow!" be a sentence?

Imagine a hypothetical context where I'd utter something like this:

  Wow! What an amazing idea! I should think about a way to push this fix.

We see "wow" in casual speech often. It bears punctuation marks (typically an exclamation mark, denoting the rising intonation) and a capital letter — just like all "regular" sentences.

On the other hand, neither Wow! nor What an amazing idea! contain any verbs. These certainly don't have any parts of speech in the other sentence, so what are they? Are they sentences or clauses? In other words, can "Wow!" be a sentence despite its lack of [any implied] verbs, and subsequently lack of any distinguishable predicates?

Please back up your answers with references.


texts:
What do you want to do after being a graduate ?

Or

  What do you want to do after becoming  a  graduate ?

Which one amongst the above 2 sentences is correct ?


texts: Can I replace "to fish" with "fishing" in the sentence "Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime"?

texts:
Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to
  fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.

Would you tell me whether I can replace "to fish" with "fishing"?

  Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man
  fishing, and you feed him for a lifetime.


texts: What does "call" and "mind" means in this sentence?

texts:
in economist article, There is a sentence :

"Although “impeachment” most often calls to mind embattled occupants of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, it is far from a mere American phenomenon."

I want to know the meaning of this sentence and specifically what does "call" and "mind" means in this sentence?


texts:
I would greatly appreciated if someone could gave me some insight on this phrase construction

Wich one is correct?

"these techniques are difficult and lack sensitivity"

Or

"these techniques are difficult and with low sensitivity"

Thank you


texts:
The word "breve" here means musical note, its duration is equal to two whole notes (like how the duration of a whole is equal to two half notes and so on).
It has another singular form — "brevis".

What is the plural form of "breve" or "brevis"? How do I correctly say "two 'breve's"?

Variants "two breves" and "two brevises" seem incorrect for me.

P.S.: I can't use "double", since in my case this word already stands for another thing.


texts:
Let's say a graph shows a percentage above 10%.
Would it be correct to say:

  Quite over the 10%.

I'm not sure if "quite" is ok in this context, and I'm wondering if "the" could be used in case 10% is somehow important: for example it may be the higher value in the chart (while not having "something graphical" different).


texts:
In a semi-direct consensus democracy, on the other hand, party
competition is low because elections cannot lead to a change of roles
between government and opposition. The system places its trust in the
final control by the people over all important issues. Legitimacy
comes from the most important decisions being taken by the people
directly. Proportionality in elections and mutual adjustment in
legislative decision-making favour the idea of ‘no single winner takes
everything, everybody wins something’. In direct democracy, voting is
on a single issue at a time, and each case produces different winning
coalitions, which are barely foreseeable by the political elites. A
popular vote, even when settling a fundamental issue, involves just
one clear decision independent from the others. The Swiss government,
free from the fear of not being re-elected, will not spend much time
on programmatic strategy. The narrow limits of manoeuvre imposed by an
all-party government and the permanent risk of a referendum defeat
drastically curtail any effort to design comprehensive programmes and,
at least in domestic policies, allow for incremental progress only.
- Swiss Democracy bu Wolf Linder

In the sentence I emphasized, what does "others" refer to? To other decisions? Or what? I cannot understand.


texts:
Forgive me the poor skill of understanding. I just read below from the MDS3.0. But I have trouble of get the point of below. Please help to review it . Thanks.

  Recognizing the connection among these symptoms and treating the
  underlying cause(s) to the extent possible, can help address
  complications and improve the resident’s outcome. Conversely, failing
  to recognize the links and instead trying to address the triggers or
  MDS findings in isolation may have little if any benefit for the
  resident with hypothyroidism or other complex or mixed causes of
  impaired behavior, cognition, and mood.

For the first part:

  Recognizing the connection among these symptoms and treating the
  underlying cause(s) to the extent possible, can help address
  complications and improve the resident’s outcome.

In my understanding . It want to said: It(recognizing....) can help address the ...., But connection means between the symptoms and treating... , or just among these symptoms? Thanks.

But for the second part:

  Conversely, failing to recognize the links and instead trying to
  address the triggers or MDS findings in isolation may have little if
  any benefit for the resident with hypothyroidism or other complex or
  mixed causes of impaired behavior, cognition, and mood.

In my understanding . The links means the connection among.

It seems to say trying to address the triggers or MDS findings in isolation is not helpful. Because it says ...may have little if...

Is it correct? Thanks.


texts: meaning of the verb phrase "do anything with someone "

texts:
http://www.afb.org/annesullivan/teachingHelen.asp

This link is the letter of Annie Sullivan [Helen's teacher].

  In this letter, Annie explained to Mrs. Keller how difficult it was going to be to do anything with Helen.

I am so confused with the usage of "do anything with Helen". I consider Annie intend to teach good manners to  Helen.
Please read and explain it to me.Thanks in advance.


texts: Questions about the phrase "being broke"

texts:
Does the phrase "being broke" in this sentence make sense?

  The pudding being broke to pieces by the fall, Tom crept out
  covered all over with the batter.

This is from a English fairy tale. I think this sentence is participial construction, so "being broken" is correct, isn't it? I have not ever come across the phrase "being + past form". Could you teach about "being broke"?


texts: Comparative vs. Superlative While Comparing Two Items

texts:
In his book section 176, 3rd ed., Swan says:

  Elder brother/sister are used when a person has only one
  brother/sister who is older; eldest is used when there are more. An
  elder son/daughter is the older of  two; an eldest son/daughter is the
  oldest of two or more.

That was not clear enough; I don't see that here. Does that mean you can only use it if you have only one sister that is older than you (you don't have two or more sisters who are older than you ), or you can only use it when you talk about the youngest sister (out of two or more) that is older than you?


texts: Inverted word order in question like sub-sentence

texts:
What is the name of a structure that usually contains "how" or "what" and inverted word order but is not a question?

Example:
"Our goal is to investigate until we know how it was done".


texts: What are the implications of "suffocating air"

texts: Suffocating is defined as "the quality of impairing the breathing", but what is it about suffocating air that makes it hard to breathe? Is it the humidity? What would you replace suffocating with to make it clear on how the air is? What are the qualities of air that makes the air suffocating?


texts: Can we use "must have been Ving" to guess things that started from a point of time in the past and have continuously progressed to now?

texts:
You see your friend rather chubbier than the last time you met him. You guess that he started eating pizza a few months ago and kept doing that until now.
Is it correct to say "he must have been eating a lot of pizza lately, mustn't he" to guess his action of eating pizza started from a point of time in the past and have continuously progressed to now?


texts: In what way should I ask the question in terms of word order?

texts:
Sentence:

  1) What kind of level does it have

  2) What kind of level it has


texts: What is the meaing of "be off on someone"?

texts:
Here is the context:

  Introduce yourself to people who you don't want to date but you are willing to. Here are my reasons: one, you may be off on someone who you think is right for you. Open all the doors, see who walks through.

Does it mean that someone dosn't like the person whom he/she thinks is right for her/him?


texts:
How to understand and explain words “bare handful”?

  You are one of the bare handful for whom there is no need to learn.

How to say that phrase in other words?


texts: Can I say Merry Christmas and Happy New Year now, on December 14th?

texts: Now is 14th December. Can I now say "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year"?


texts:
I managed to win using this technique.
  I managed to win by using this technique.

Which is correct? And why?


texts:
No end in sight to this very warm to hot weather across the bulk of
  the United Kingdom. No significant rain in the forecast. It’s as you
  were this week the hot spots around thirty Celsius. (BBC’s weather
  fore-cast)

In a BBC’s weather forecast, I don’t understand a phrase - as you were. Would you explain what it means in this case?


texts: "As shocking as Steven Avery’s case is to Netflix viewers"

texts:
As shocking as Steven Avery’s case is to Netflix viewers, his wrongful imprisonment for 18 years is not an isolated incident in the troubled US criminal justice system.

http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2016/apr/26/making-a-murderer-attorneys-poverty-wrongful-convictions

I am a little bit confused by phrasing of the above sentence. It sems to me as two separate parts which do not fit together. The first part is interrupted by the comma. Why? I would understand if this sentence would have this form: As shocking as Steven Avery’s case is to Netflix viewers the fact that his wrongful imprisonment for 18 years is not an isolated incident in the troubled US criminal justice system. Do you find the sentence structure of the sentence OK?

P. S. Is in "to Netflix viewers" the correct preposition used? I would await "for".


texts: How to properly say "I put quality before evetything else" (slogan)?

texts:
I am writing a resume and I want to say that I put quality before everything else. It should show that I can negotiate about anything, but I stick to quality standards I set ahead even if it will break business relations.

Can I say "quality beyond anything"? I'd like it be short, like a slogan.

Can you propose anything else which is good to be put in the resume?


texts:
“in the bus” or “on the bus”

I know that, when we travel by bus we say, “I am on the bus”, but how about for objects, for example

There must be a cell-phone charger in the bus.

Or

There must be a cell-phone charger on the bus.


texts:
That is a freshener. It looks like a bell, but it's not a one as it wouldn't create (a/0) sound.

A sound.
Sound.

What should be the right choice for the sentence above? And if you use sound uncoutably, what context would that be?


texts: "Miss the opportunity" vs. "miss out on the opportunity"

texts:
Could you tell me if there is any difference in meaning between the phrase miss the opportunity and miss out on the opportunity? For example:

I'd hate to miss the opportunity to go abroad next summer.
I'd hate to miss out on the opportunity to go abroad next summer.


texts:
It is also explained here but I don't quite understand the role of "by truck" in this phrase. Can somebody help me, please?

"Finally, if the Bitcoins are not listed in a will, they are susceptible to what estate lawyers call “probate by truck”—where heirs walk off with property by claiming that “he would have wanted me to have it.” The difference is, instead of a favorite lamp or piece of jewelry, a relative might walk off with the private key to a Bitcoin wallet worth thousands or millions of dollars."

Source: http://fortune.com/2017/09/26/cryptocurrency-bitcoin-death/


texts: "Dostoyevsky is a Russian writer. He has written Crime and Punishment." - or is it "he wrote"?

texts:
Which of the two sentences would look more natural in this short text:

  Dostoyevsky is a famous Russian writer. He has written Crime and Punishment.

or

  Dostoyevsky is a famous Russian writer. He wrote Crime and Punishment.

There's no specific time expression in sentence 2, and "Crime and Punishment" is a widely-read novel, so we can say that the event "relates to the present" in some way. Still, could the use of Present Perfect be erroneous or infelicitous here, and why?


texts: The use of the definite article with the names of bridges and zoos in American English

texts:
Do the names of bridges and zoos take the definite article in American English? The sources I've explored so far seem to be somewhat contradictory to this question. Maybe someone could suggest the link to a reliable source I've failed to find?

P.S. In British English, as far as I know, they usually do use "the" before the names of bridges; the exceptions are: Tower Bridge, London Bridge, Westminster Bridge, and Waterloo Bridge. With zoos, it's not clear at all.


texts:
When I had got so far in my list I threw it into the fire in despair. “If I can only find what the fellow is driving at by reconciling all these accomplishments, and discovering a calling which needs them all,” I said to myself, “I may as well give up the attempt at once.”

I've got a hard time understanding this. My best attempt to interpret this and make it easier to understand it for me goes like this:

  When I go so far in my list, I thew it in the fire desperately. "If I can only find out what point was the fellow making by harmonizing those skills and what he wants to do which it needs all the skills aforementioned." I said to myself. I may stop trying to to understand all those immediately.

To compare them more conveniently:

  When I had got so far in my list I threw it into the fire in despair

  When I go so far in my list, I thew it in the fire desperately.

  “If I can only find what the fellow is driving at by reconciling all these accomplishments, and discovering a calling which needs them all,” I said to myself

  "If I can only find out what point was the fellow making by harmonizing those skills and what he wants to do which it needs all the skills aforementioned." I said to myself

  “I may as well give up the attempt at once.”

  I may stop trying to understand all those immediately.

Source: A Study in Scarlet, Arthur Conan Doyle


texts: What is the verb that describes the situation where you pretend you forgot something?

texts:
Is there a verb that describes the situation where someone tries to fake forgetting .. pretending he forgot something but he didn't?

I wish you get my point.


texts:
Example for dog:

A dog says "bow-wow".

The dog is barking.

A cow says "moo".

The cow is doing what? Mooing?

What are the other sounds for: a sheep, a rooster, a frog, a horse and e.t.c
Where can I find these words?


texts: Word or phrase for when a car goes over a pothole

texts: When on the road a car goes over a pothole (bump on the road), what do you call it in English?


texts:
Can anybody help me translate "entrainer dans leur sillage" into English?
so I am attempting to translate a French article from a wine magazine into English. I have tried researching a particular phrase but I genuinely cannot seem to find the appropriate definition.
This is the whole sentence for context:

Mieux, les "petits nouveaux" aiguillonnent les petits domaines, les inspirent, les stimulent, les entraînent dans leur sillage.

From the context, it is talking about young winemakers revitalising French wine estates. The last phrase is what I am struggling to translate.


texts: on comparisons: "Higher than that in y" vs "Higher than y"

texts:
I have doubts which statement is correct. I have two datasets, both have x and y. I measure variations between x and y from several aspects (aa, b, c, etc.) in both datasets and I want to compare the variations value between the two datasets:

  dataset#1 show higher percentages of variations between x and y than
  that in datset#2.

Or,

  dataset#1 show higher percentages of variations between x and y than
  datset#2.


texts: Does it sound all right for a man to say "I just had a baby"?

texts: When a woman gave birth to a baby, she can say, "I had a baby."  Can her husband use this sentence and does it sound all right? If someone is talking about her son, can she say, "My son had a baby yesterday"?


texts:
You were talking to someone and you guys took a break. After coming back, you find that other person is unavailable.

Which is more appropriate to say?

  Call me once back.

or

  Call me when you are back.


texts:
Being an English language learner for about 30 years, I still make mistakes.
In a written language, when I have misspelled and noticed it in a timely manner, I simply navigate to a wrong word and edit it.

However, in a spoken conversation, when I use a wrong word, I must stop and correct myself by saying a correct one. I've seen many ways to do that, but I'm still not sure which one to use:

He's going to school...

...er... she's going;
...sorry, I mean, she's going;
...oops, she's going;
...I'm sorry, let me restate it from the beginning, she's going;

What is the grammatical and polite way to correct myself in a spoken conversation?
Let's stick to a formal/business context if it matters.

Also, what part of a sentence should I repeat to make it clear?


texts:
Whenever someone asks me if I got a haircut, I always reply "actually, I got all of them cut;" or if someone mentions going for a haircut, I ask "oh really, which one?" It's a dumb old dad joke I know.

But it got me thinking ... I realize that there aren't many cases where a noun form can mean either a singular instance, or all of it, but 'hair' happens to be just such a case.

Singular: I plucked a (single) hair.
Plural: I lost two hairs.
???: I got (all) my hair cut.

I was wondering whether there is a specific grammatical term for this "third" amount-specifier?


texts: What does the phrase "space-warping portals" mean here?

texts:
Please help me figure out the meaning of the phrase "space-warping portals" in the following sentence from the description of the game "Levelhead":

  Play through hundreds of user-created challenges, like a mad dash
  through a fireball gauntlet or wildly complex scenarios loaded with
  space-warping portals. (Apple's App Store)

I consulted the Word Reference dictionary for the meanings of the word "warp", but am not sure which of them fits here.


texts:
Recently, I asked a question on stack exchange music, and I was wondering wether I should us the word for,to or of. For example,

    I am a student to drums.
    I am a student of drums.
    I am a student for drums.

Which one of those is correct? Should I use another sentence structure? Any help would be appreciated.


texts: Is there a word for the way this Geisha is sitting?

texts:
Is there any word for sitting like this:

  The geisha __ across from him at the tea table.


texts:
What's the word for saying that a limb or body part originates from another? I can think of a metaphorical way of saying it, but it's definitively not what I am looking for. I want to say it in a non-figurative way.

For example:

  Seraphim wings sprang forth from her back.


texts: What song did you sing or what song have you sung?

texts:
Suppose there was a festival this weekend and today is beginning of hte next week, do i ask "What song did you sing at the festival" or "What song have you sung at the festival?"What if it's one month after the festival? If it's a year or more after the festival it'd be simple past but this recent past thing makes things a bit complicated.

Thanks in advance.


texts:
I understand that "and so on" normally ends a list. But can I write something like
"I don't like music, because [...].  I don't like poetry either, because [...]. Nor like I math, since [...]. And so on."?


texts: Is a settlement with 50,000 inhabitants a town or a city?

texts:
I wonder when a place deserves to be called a city.
Suppose that we have a settlement which has 50,000 persons. Is that a town or a city?


texts:
Consider this sentence:

The first point I feel the need to address is why it is important to ask such a question.

Is it grammatically correct or should it be why is it important...? Why? What's the grammar behind it?


texts:
What is the grammatical role and structure of "upon" in the following sentences?

  Much of the world’s great architecture has been constructed of stone
  because of its beauty, permanence, and availability. In the past,
  whole cities grew from the arduous task of cutting and piling stone
  upon.


texts: Is the phrase"horse of the rider" correct?

texts:
Which phrase is correct?

  A.horse of the rider

  B.rider's horse

Are both of the phrases correct or are they both wrong?


texts:
Use the if the country’s name includes a common noun.
I know that we have to use "the" in front of some countries and USA is one of them. But it sounds odd to say "I like the USA".
Please tell me which one is correct.


texts: What is the difference between "has since" and "since then" and which is better here?

texts:
What is the difference between

  The company opened {it’s / its} doors in May 2015, and {has since / since then} finalized all the contracts.

And which is better?


texts: What does 'other' mean, in Section 10 of the 'Constitution Act, 1867'?

texts:
Source: p 37, The Canadian Constitution (2013) by Prof Adam Dodek BA JD LLM.

  [ Original Source : ] Application of Provisions referring to Governor General

  The Provisions of this Act referring to the Governor General extend and apply to the Governor General for the Time being of Canada, or other the Chief Executive Officer or Administrator for the Time being carrying on the Government of Canada on behalf and in the Name of the Queen, by whatever Title he is designated.

I suspect the obsolescence of the 1867 syntax as my problem, because the above is from the Constitution Act, 1867.
I cannot even determine whether other here is a pronoun or adjective.


texts: I am little bit confuse with the definition of extended family and immediate family. I have been living with my husband for three years in a apartment. Now in respect to this statement which one is my immediate family and which one is my extended family? My husband and me is it my immediate family? My parents' family and in laws family, are those my extended families?


texts: Ways to ask for the lifespan of an animal at a pet shop

texts:
I would like to know how best to ask for how long an animal will live for.

Should I say:

How long is the lifespan of [insert animal]

Or

What is the lifespan of [insert animal]

I am not too sure which to use. Does using 'how long' create repetitiveness?

In addition is it also correct to follow it up with ' Where is it at in its lifespan?' to find out how many years it has left?

One last thing, for the benefit of future reference, it would be greatly appreciated if you can suggest some alternatives for the same question, be it formal or collloquial.


texts:
"The man who does not shrink from self-crucifixion can never fail to accomplish the task upon which his heart is set."

context:quote

"Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves. They therefore remain bound. The man who does not shrink from self-crucifixion can never fail to accomplish the object upon which his heart is set. This is as true of earthly as of heavenly things. Even the man whose sole object is to acquire wealth must be prepared to make great personal sacrifices before he can accomplish his object; and how much more so he who would realize a strong and well-poised life? ." -James Allen


texts: Are there any differences in meaning between these expressions

texts:
Are there any differences in meaning between these

Unemployed for so long, he had lost all hope
Having been unemployed for so long he had lost all hope

I think because of so long they are both equivalent


texts: My dictionary lists a few where the translation is the same but I dont think they have the correct meaning. "Relent" "retreat" "concede" ( maybe this one?)


texts:
Is "pay a visit to" just a more formal and emphatic way of saying "visit"?

Tomorrow I will visit my parents.
Tomorrow I will pay a visit to my parents.


texts: Which is the correct phrasing: Do any or Does any?

texts:
Recently while writing the title of a question, I encountered trouble when choosing the correct grammatical syntax from the followings:

Do any philosophy believe that..?
Does any philosophy believe that...?

I felt using philosophies and/or believes would not be correct in any case. However, if they can be applied, suggest them also.


texts:
Beaux Arts Architecture in the Spotlight ( A title from an ACT test passage)

Based on Collins Dic, art is plural:

N-VAR Thearts are activities such as music, painting, literature, film, and dance, which people can take part in for enjoyment, or to create works that express certain meanings or ideas of beauty
N-PLURAL At a university or college, arts are subjects such as history, literature, or languages in contrast to scientific subjects.
N-COUNT If you describe an activity as an art, you mean that it requires skill and that people learn to do it by instinct or experience, rather than by learning facts or rules.

I don't think the "Beaux Arts" fit into any of these category, but rather one type of genre. So why plural is used here?


texts:
Have you totally blocked out the entire time we were a couple?

Can I rewrite this sentence above as shown below:

  1- Have you totally blocked out for the entire time we were a couple?

  2- Have you totally blocked out the entire time that we were a couple?

  3- Have you totally blocked out the for entire time that we were a
  couple?

  4- Have you totally blocked out the entire time for which we were a
  couple?

  5-  Have you totally blocked out for the entire time for which we were a
  couple? (Is this version grammatically wrong? or does it just sound
  very weird? )


texts: How to avoid multiple negatives in sentence

texts:
I have written few lines, but I feel those could be more better in English, even I am not sure about grammatical mistakes. Please correct my below sentences

  "But that didn't go well as I didn't here back from you."
      "I spoke few things which wasn't that impressive though that wasn't poor as well."

Thank you.


texts: Rephrasing “There was not enough commitment on my part or John's.”

texts:
(migrated from https://english.stackexchange.com/)

Are the following all correct and semantically equivalent? And even if they are, which ones are preferred and why?

There was not enough commitment on my part or John's.
There was not enough commitment on my part nor John's.
There was not enough commitment on my or John's part.
There was not enough commitment on mine or John's part.
There was not enough commitment on mine nor John's part.


texts:
This question might be unorthodox but please help me understand it.
I know many people named dick, like Dick Cheney former vice president of USA. And I head many people insulting each other with the same word. Are they really the same?(pronunciation and spelling)

Is it still a popular name?
Is it possible that it had another meaning in the old days?

If not why would anyone name his/her kid something like that?


texts: "adverb + adjective " vs "adjective +adverb "

texts:
1) It was well planned /thought out.

  2) It was Planned /thought out well.

Off and On I see the number (1) sentences. My question is, Is the number (2) correct with same meaning?  If not, then why?


texts: What does "have a global reach" mean here?

texts:
I ran into this:

  Tourism is more than just about reaching a destination – tourism has a global reach. Every time we travel, we become part of a global movement that has the power to drive positive change for our planet and all people. <Source>

What does that mean? does it mean it has a global purpose?


texts:
Bilingualism allows students to dream bigger and reach further.

In this sentence, would "go beyond" be better ? Which one is more formal? (I am writing an essay.)

Thank you guys.


texts: Difference between "Are you sure to continue?" and "Are you sure you want to continue?"

texts:
A: "Are you sure to continue?"
  B: "Are you sure you want to continue?"

Is the first sentence grammatically correct? And what is the difference? Can they be used interchangeably?


texts:
Should I use was or were in this line?

  The following informations about this item was contributed by Mr.X:
  Item price, Item location.


texts: How to use and understand: Kettle of fish

texts:
On Mathematica.SE I found:

  What distribution this tuple follows is a different kettle of fish.

I would like to understand how and when to use the phrase kettle of fish and why it can be used alongside with pretty or whole-new.


texts:
My cat learned that alarm sound means I wake up.

I am confused about the usage of present simple after the verb "means".

It means that I love you.

In the second example, it is not confusing because "I love you" is a fact but "I wake up" seems like it is and aily habit.

What is the meaning and why the present simple is used in the first example


texts: Is this a pun or a metaphor 'I had and wasn't a perambulator'?

texts:
This is excerpted from the author Max Beerbohm's essay Going Out for a Walk:

  It is a fact that not once in all my life have I gone out for a walk. I have been taken out for walks; but that is another matter. Even while I trotted prattling by my nurse’s side I regretted the good old days when I had, and wasn’t, a perambulator.

I looked up the word perambulator in the dictionary(American Heritage and Oxford), and found it means a pram, a baby carriage. And I also looked up perambulate, and it means walk or travel around. So I wonder if the last sentence I had, and wasn't, a perambulator is a pun: the author had a pram but he wasn't a great walker when he was a baby. Otherwise it would be weird to me that the author said he wasn't a baby carriage. Am I right about this?

Edit:

I find this review(please click if you are interested) of 'Going Out for a Walk' on the internet.

And it says:

  Beerbohm begins by stating that he is an inveterate opponent of the
  habit of walking. Even when he was a toddler, he used to regret the
  good old days when he was an infant. He didn’t have to walk then,
  since he had a perambulator. He wasn’t a pram and so nobody would ever
  forcefully take him out for a walk.

The reviewer thinks Beerbohm compared himself to a pram(perambulator), i.e. Beerbohm didn't have to be pushed around like a pram. So pram is understood as a metaphor.

Then I am confused. What does the author really mean by saying 'I wasn't a perambulator?

Does he mean:

1) when he was a baby, he was not someone who perambulates?

or

2) when he was a baby, he didn't have to be forcefully taken out for a walk like people did with a pram?


texts: Is it correct to ask: "What is there on the table / in your bag?" or is it better to ask: "What is on the table / in your bag?" Which one sounds more natural or colloquial?


texts: How is this type of job described in English? science/scientific advisor/counselor?

texts:
I am a Spanish speaker and I need to set what I am in English.

My clients are dentists. They come to me when they are in the last year of their university (grade, master, etc.). I help them to do their thesis, sometimes I do all the work, sometimes I just help them to do it, and sometimes I tell them how to do it. Some dentists come to me looking for this service, but instead of thesis, they need to publish papers in scientific journals.

So, am I a Science advisor or a scientific advisor?


texts:
1) He falls down on the ground from the roof of the house.

  2) He falls to the ground from the roof of the house.

I think both sentences are grammatically correct. But something else is wrong with this sentence, I'm not sure what it is. "on the ground from the roof" looks strange to me. Is there better way to construct this sentence?


texts:
Change the voice from active to passive of the following sentence:
  I had a car.

The active sentence is "I had a car". In passive form is it "a car had had been by me" or some other answer? I found this question online on a page for competitive exams.


texts:
Consider this sentence:

  Most historians trace the beginning of the Internet to Sputnik, the first satellite ..........

orbited the earth successfully.
to successfully orbit the earth.

The correct answer is 2. But why not 1? and why one should use "to" here?


texts:
Is the following sentence correct?

  Last week's sharp hike in the wholesale price of beef is a strong indication for higher meat costs to come.

I think the sentence is correct but for must be changed to of. But my book says costs is incorrectly used and use of for is correct in the sentence above


texts:
I often get baffled as I think about where to use comma in the sentence and where not to do so.
Examples:

  1. As he left the Mayor's office , people surrounded and questioned him
   with serious curiosity.

  2. After the meal had concluded (why is no comma used here?) the chief of police appeared on the scene .

I know that two clauses could be separated by the use of FULLSTOP, COMMA before FANBOYS, or  by using the semicolon... But none of the them is used in the second sentence and also in the first sentence only comma is used and not any of the FANBOYS word after comma is used. Why?


texts:
When I create something in the past and do not mention the time, the first thing that comes to my mind is: Present Prefect (PP)

I'd use the PP to describe an action when the time is not important and an action incomplete , unlike Simple Past to describe when something happened and an action completed.

I found this sentence on Wikipedia and the author used the Simple Past. I'd use Present Perfect but it always confused me.

Simple Past:

  Doctor Manhattan was created by writer Alan Moore with artist Dave
  Gibbons.

Present Perfect:

  Doctor Manhattan has been created by writer Alan Moore with artist Dave
  Gibbons.


texts: placement of [something] in [five dollars] and [twenty dollars]

texts:
If you bought something between $5 and $6 (that means, $5.10, $5.20, ... , $5.80, $5.90), would you say
(1a) It cost five dollars something.
(1b) It cost five something dollars.
If you bought something between $20 and $30 (that means, $21, $22, ... ,$28, $29), would you say
(2a) It cost twenty dollars something.
(2b) It cost twenty something dollars.


texts: "Will be Eat" - "Will be walk" - Why are these incorrect?

texts: I was teaching someone that she can say either "I will walk" or "I will be walking" but not "I will be walk" - She asked "Why can't I say so?" - Can someone say why it is wrong?


texts: Is "release" countable when used to mean "to let go" or "to make available"?

texts:
Is "release" a count noun or mass noun in the meaning of "let someone or something out of a place"? I see conflicting information from different dictionaries, even within the same dictionary.

MacMillan defines it as uncountable:

  [UNCOUNTABLE]
  The release of Nelson Mandela was watched by millions of people on TV.
  We’re doing all we can to prevent the release of toxic waste into the oceans.
  the release of secret government information

But the same usage is defined in Cambridge Dictionary as countable or singular. I saw this line on the Internet, which seems to suggest it is countable:

  A judicial mandate to a prison official ordering a prisoner be brought to court in order to determine imprisonment or a release from legal custody. (source)

But there are also other examples that suggest otherwise. Is "release" countable in this definition? What about in this following sentence? Can it be pluralized?

  We knew that the game’s release was imminent.


texts: Does "improved visual skills" equate with "better eyesight"?

texts:
Our teacher gave us this IGCSE English Section B task, which usually requires you to write a speech, newspaper article, letter, etc. about a topic related with the passages given using information from both the passages. Obviously, direct copying from the text material will be penalised, so we have to replace keywords with in-context synonyms as much as possible. But sometimes, it's not possible to find a good substitute. And I suspect that's the case here.

So, there is this line from an article on The Sun, he gave us to go with the task, that talks about how new research shows that video games are actually good for kids (emphasis mine):

  Boffins said that children who play Xbox, Wii and Playstation games could be racing, shooting and zapping their way to better visual skills.

another one there:

  The scientists believe this is a result of their improved visual awareness.

and yet another...

  Playing video games also improves [...] visual and spacial memory [...].

And he summed up all of these into "gamers have better eyesight", while adding that he did find it strange that playing games could improve eyesight and that he was skeptical.

Now, I think he has oversimplified the term(s) for lack of a better technical term. I think he also failed to understand that visual awareness/skill is so much more than just plain seeing things well.

Am I right?

I'm not quite sure if this fix has entirely to do with just English. It's a bit more about being able to comprehend the depth of scientific/technical terms.

Another thing: he said that "improved spatial memory" means that there is more space in your brain, in the sense that more of your brain gets activated and there's more space to store information. When I first heard that, I was like "WTF is he saying?!? lol". I absolutely think he completely misunderstood that. I believe it meant that you get more skilled at interpreting space and being able to remember it better.

Now, are my doubts about his intelligence valid? He was the head editor of the most renowned English newspaper in my non-English speaking homeland, Bangladesh. Otherwise, I do think he is fabulous, both as a teacher and in his English writing skills and he even got a few minor books published and they're on Amazon too.


texts: Meaning of the phrase "be predicated of"

texts: Here is the sentence it was used in: "It must simply be that the quantity may be trully predicated of the object." What does that mean?


texts: Indefinite Generic implies "just one"? Plural Generic implies "more than one"?

texts:
Examples:

(1)Fixing a car is a challenge.
(2)Fixing cars is a challenge.
(3)Learning a language is hard.
(4)Learning languages is hard.

How I understand the examples:
(1) and (3) are called "Indefinite Generic", and (2) and (4) are called "Plural Generic", I believe.
I think Indefinite Generic and Plural Generic are used for talking about something in a general tone.

Questions:
Question 1:

Do examples (1) and (3) imply the meaning that fixing "just one car" or learning "just one language" is a challenge or is hard and put little emphasis to cases where there are more than one car or one language?

In other words, do they imply the meaning: "Fixing just one car or learning just one language is hard, but if there are many, I am not sure."?
Does it depend on the context?
Question 2:

Do examples (2) and (4) imply the meaning that fixing "more than one car" or learning "more than one language" is a challenge or is hard and put little emphasis to cases where only one car or one language is there for fix or learning?

In other words, do they imply the meaning: "Fixing more than one car or learning more than one language is hard, but if there is only one, I am not sure."?
Does it depend on the context?


texts: What does 'simple' mean in the following context?

texts:
I met with this question while doing SAT reading,

  But change the conversation to food, and suddenly efficiency doesn’t look so good. Conventional industrial agriculture has become incredibly efficient on a simple land to food basis.Thanks to fertilizers,mechanizationandirrigation, each American farmer feeds over 155 people worldwide.

The answer gives 'straightforward' as the best definition,but I still can't wrap my head around it. Actually I feel confused about the whole second sentence. What does it mean?


texts:
In the game "The Turing Test", at one point an incredibly intelligent AI utters a sentence that baffles me because of its sudden disregard for the "s" form. It says:

  The distance between Jupiter and Earth make it inappropriate for the ISA to directly interface with the mission directives.

You can even hear him say that in this video.

Can someone explain what has happened here? Why does an otherwise perfectly speaking character say something that sounds this weird? Why doesn't he say "makes it inappropriate"? Or am I missing something? The game was produced by a British company, mind you.


texts:
We agree with positive statements using so-too:

  I have a red car.
  (Sara) So does Sara

But with the negative statements we use neither-either:

  I don't have a brother.
  (Jhon) Neither does Jhon

So I can say that the most important thing before giving your agreement is to know whether the sentence is positive or negative and then to agree as I did in the examples above.
But these sentences let me think many times:

  I have nothing to do.
  (I) so do I
        or
  Neither do I

So the question is:
Should I consider the last sentence positive or negative?
Look at this sentence too:

  The boy is impolite (It means that the boy is not polite)
  (girl) so is the girl
  or
  Neither is the girl

I mean if there's a prefix (which changes the word to the opposite), then the sentence will be negative in meaning so either or neither is used?


texts:
She is not very beautiful but very pleasing.

Does the sentence make sense to you? Can "pleasing" be used to modify people? I think it is mused to modify things, such as "The result is pleasing."


texts: Should I always use "contents" when talking of things contained in something?

texts:
When giving the meaning of content used as "the things that are contained in something," the OALD uses the plural form. Does that mean contents should always be used in that case?

  He tipped the contents of the bag onto the table.

I understand that in the case of books (except when talking of sections of a book), speech, or programme, I should use content.

Surprisingly for me, the Corpus of Contemporary American English doesn't have any example of sentences containing "the content of the suitcase" or "the content of the bottle" or "the content of the bag."

I can find content used in the following phrases, though.

The content of the information
The content of the showdown between protagonist and antagonist
The content of the particular text
The content of the bill
The content of the error messages


texts: "We usually grow vegetables in our garden" - Is this sentence correct?

texts:
We usually grow vegetables in our garden, but this year we are not growing any.

I saw this in a grammar exercise. I am curious why do they use "grow" instead of "grew".


texts: "Being a kid, I was afraid ..." - Does the participle imply "when" or "because"?

texts:
What does this sentence with the present participle mean?

  Being a kid, I was afraid of dogs.

Does it mean

  When I was a kid, I was afraid of dogs.

or

  Because I was a kid, I was afraid of dogs.

?


texts:
I can not able to understand

Is the above sentence grammatically correct?

The words can and able have the same meaning, they're both used to talk about the ability of a person. How do I correctly use each word in a sentence?


texts: Analyze the grammar structure of this sentence?

texts:
We buy things we don't need with money we don't have to impress people we don't like.

I understand the meaning of this sentence, but its structure confuse me because I am not a native speaker.

I know 'we don't need' describe 'things', so the first 'we' and the second 'we' can merge into one sentence, We needn't buy things with money.

but the remaining part I don't know how to deal with.


texts: an increase in output of 15%/ an increase of a certain percentage

texts:
In my context, I am speaking of a production function and a percentage increase. The production function: Y = F(K, L), where Y - output in units, K - tools in units - capital, L - hours spent on work.

z- a percentage increase, so zY = F(zK, zL).

I've formulated two sentences which are supposed to convey the same meaning,

  zY = F(zK, zL).

Do the sentences below reflect the above idea correctly from the point of view of English grammar?

  An increase of the same percentage in all factor quantities will lead to an increase in output of the same percentage.

or

  An increase of 15% in all factor quantities will lead to an increase in output of 15%.


texts:
What sounds more natural , especially what kind of usage of verbs :

" I will come to you if  I don't be held up at work" or
" I will come to you if I am not held up at work"

Thanks


texts:
My colleague wrote a presentation and I wonder if he is correct or not.

The SDK is super cool
Provides this unique feature
Ensures wonderful capabilities

Is it OK that each item in the bullet list starts with a verb without a noun? Shall I rewrite it this way?

The SDK is super cool
The SDK provides this unique feature
It ensures wonderful capabilities


texts:
Question:
I wonder if I can reduce a relative clause with perfect tense in it (present or past perfect).
It is a topic few sites talk about, so I ask it here.

Examples I came up with:
1.
Original:

I interviewed a few scientists who had worked at this lab.

Reduced to:

I interviewed a few scientists having worked at this lab.

Original:

I gave food to a kitten who had eaten a lot of cat food, and she didn't seem interested.

Reduced to:

I gave food to a kitten having eaten a lot of cat food, and she didn't seem interested.

Original:

She is a teacher who has taught in school. We can trust her teaching methods.

Reduced to:

She is a teacher having taught in school. We can trust her teaching methods.


texts: What does "to give some sense of the way in which" mean here?

texts:
But here, I want to use particular case studies to bring out the very different demands that circumstances make on the practice of diplomats.
  I also want to give some sense of the way in which skilful diplomacy, as well as rashness, excessive caution, and clumsiness, can have important ramifications for the fate of nations.

Does it mean: "I want to give a meaning of the acting forms of skilful diplomacy?"


texts:
In a paper I am writing, there is a large section which diverts from the main topic in order to explain some mathematical concepts. I would like to introduce this section in a sentence such as the following:

Before we continue, we need to divert in order to explain some mathematical concepts that we will need later on.

Or:

In order to continue, we need to make a digression for explaining some mathematical concepts that will be used later.

Both versions look cumbersome... I am looking for a better way to say this. In particular:

Is it better to use "divert", "digress", "make a diversion" or "make a digression" or something else?
What preposition comes after the verb - is it "for explaining..." or "in order to explain..." or something else?

Thanks!


texts: The added time is relatively high on Monday and Wednesday (66 and 64 seconds __________).


texts:
What is difference between I have to ... and I need to ...?

Like sometime we use I have to go for a meeting but sometime use I need to go for a meeting.

Are both correct or wrong or have any difference?


texts:
The word "number" usually means total or amount, but it seems to me unclear here. I mean what total or amount is it. Could you explain more clearly what it actually means?
Ramires produces a trademark lung-busting run to beat Richards to the ball and win a corner kick out wide thanks to a late deflection. City have numbers back to defend and clear before striding forward at the other end through Tevez, who just delays his shot and allows Ake to block a low effort inside the penalty area.


texts: "we must acknowledge" + "however": what's the right word order?

texts:
I am trying to figure out what is the best place for the word "however" in the sentence "We must acknowledge that". I've found occurrences of each order on the Internet. So I'm wondering which is the most idiomatic wording and if there is a difference (in terms of meaning) between them?

  However, we must acknowledge that...
  We however must acknowledge that...
  We must however acknowledge that...
  We must, however, acknowledge that...
  We must acknowledge, however, that...


texts: How to pronounce unaspirated stop sound properly? Such as the /t/ in " let me", is it just/lɛ/ /mi/?

texts: I'm not a native speaker, and I feel difficult to pronounce unaspirated stop sound properly, such as the /t/ in "let me". I found some learning materials on internet, but they are not sophisticated about the process of pronounce unaspirated stop sound. In "let me", the /t/ is unaspirated, so as materials said, I should close the mouth and block the air stream after /lɛ/, until meet /m/ in "me", then release the air stream. I don't know whether is that right or not. I'm very confused.


texts: What does 'WHICH' refer to the following sentence?

texts:
Consider a uniprocessor system executing three tasks T1,T2 and T3 each of which is composed of an infinite sequence of jobs which arrive periodically at intervals of 3, 7 and 20 milliseconds, respectively.

What does the which in the above sentence refer to ?

My approach

T1 comprises of infinite jobs (say J1 ,J2,J3) etc . Similarly T2(J1,J2,J3..) and T3(J1,J2,J3...)   Then

When which refer to each job instances of T1 then it should be T1(0,3,7,20,23) T2(0,3,7,20,23) T3(0,3,7,20,23) etc
When  which refer to each job instances of 3 tasks then T1 should be T1(0,3,6,9,12...) T2(0,7,14,21,28...) T3(0,20,40,60,80) etc.

PS: I need to know what does which referring to as well as the value of T1 according to your interpretation of which


texts: Talking about feelings after a regular event

texts:
For example,

  I go to the meditation class every week and I feel a lot more calm after class.
  I go to the meditation class every week and I felt a lot more calm after class.

I think I should use the present tense in the first half of the sentence because I am talking about something that I do regularly.

But at the same time, I felt calm every time after that class (it already happened many times in the past), so I am going to go to the classes and I believe I will still feel calm every time after going to the class (which makes it a regular event too?). So I'm confused about whether I should use the past tense in the second half of the sentence.

I did look up for the usage of simple past and it doesn't explain this situation.


texts: "Were you able to go to their office and have an on-site interview?" or "Were you able to go to their office and had an on-site interview?"

texts: In this context, should I use "have" or "had"? I am not really sure. Please help. Thank you.


texts: "Others are me and X" vs "Others are X and I"

texts:
So, I made a mistake of using the following structure on the Internet:

  "Some people seem to enjoy it. Others are me and [other person's name]".

Now, the sentence is already a bit on the dark side of grammar, but I got promptly called out that it should be "[other person's name] and I". I'm not sure about it, though - from my point of view, "others" serves as the subject here, and "me and [other person's name]" is an object.

Am I wrong? Why?


texts: Can I write a singular object after "are"?

texts:
I have this sentence in a technology book.

  Decision tables are a convenient way to organize information in a systematic manner.

I wonder if that sentence is correct, since the author has used a after are

Update

My confusion happens because are is for plurals not single


texts:
You have left the shop and didn’t care what would happen to your business just for having some fun and hanging out with those guys!
We have bigger fishes to fry son.
We must pay the installments back on the loan we’ve taken out from the bank and plan for opening new branches!
Look; If you ............ your responsibilities/duties now, the situation will just be that much harder to deal with next month.

a) shirk
b) get out of doing
As you can see in my provided links, both options mean the same to a non-native one like me!
I was wondering how they differ in meaning if they do. Otherwise, please let me know if they are interchangeable in this sense.


texts: We know the word a "spirit" can mean more than two things. One is a liuqor and another is mind or attitude. Therefore, if I ask "What is the best Chinese spirit?", will it cause ambiguity?


texts: What does “particular enumeration” mean in this sentence?

texts:
The other, showing the mass graves covered over with earth and marked by placards, evokes, in the barrenness and vastness of the graves, the totality of the Nazi crimes that, somehow, seem to surpass their particular enumeration. Source

What does the author want to say here with this particular enumeration?


texts: Is saying 'I do a job' grammatically correct?

texts: My sister wanted to convey the idea that she works somewhere and she used this sentence which I found quite odd. I tried looking for similar sentences but only found sentences like, 'she does odd jobs' which sounds perfectly fine. But saying 'I do a job' sounds very wrong grammatically and otherwise.