texts: Are these phrases all expressing resultative meaning?

texts:
Hermione Granger was almost as nervous about flying as Neville was.
  This was something you couldn't learn by heart out of a book -- not
  that she hadn't tried. At breakfast on Thursday she bored them all
  stupid with flying tips she'd gotten out of a library book called Quidditch Through the Ages. Neville was hanging on to her every word,
  desperate for anything that might help him hang on to his broomstick
  later, but everybody else was very pleased when Hermione's lecture was
  interrupted by the arrival of the mail.  (Harry Potter and the
  Sorcerer's Stone)

  From both sides of the valley little streams slipped out of the hill
  canyons and fell into the bed of the Salinas River. In the winter of
  wet years the streams ran full-freshet, and they swelled the river
  until sometimes it raged and boiled, bank full, and then it was a
  destroyer. The river tore the edges of the farm lands and washed whole
  acres down; it toppled barns and houses into itself, to go floating
  and bobbing away. It trapped cows and pigs and sheep and drowned
  them in its muddy brown water and carried them to the sea.   . . . . .
  . On the wide level acres of the valley the topsoil lay deep and
  fertile. It required only a rich winter of rain to make it break forth
  in grass and flowers. The spring flowers in a wet year were unbelievable. (John Steinbeck, East of Eden)

I come across adjectives that express result now and then as in the case – bored them all stupid.  But I’m not sure that the to-infinitive phrase and prepositional phrase also express the result of the previous action, having the objects as their semantic subjects. Are all the highlighted parts those expressing the resultative meaning?


texts:
They have as much as 50 times the incidence of people over 90. They have less cancers and so forth than the rest of China.

What is the meaning of first sentence? What is the meaning of "over 90" and "incidence of people"?

Thank you.


texts: The passive form of 'believe' vs 'consider'

texts:
Example :

Each culture has special things that are believed to bring good luck to people.
Each culture has special things that are considered bringing good luck to people.

Question :

Are they both grammatical?
Do they have difference in meaning?


texts: whichever player scores..or whichever person who scores

texts:
'any player who scores the highest number of points will be the winner.'

in above sentence,if we would replace whichever or whatever instead of any,can we use relative pronoun 'who' after whichever person or whatever person? like,'whatever player who scores the highest number of points will be the winner.'


texts: Which is correct: I've (just) cancelled the trained/train armies?

texts:
Which of these phrases is correct:

  I've just cancelled the trained armies?

Or

  I've cancelled the train armies?

I've just played Clash of Clans and one of my friends says he has cancelled the train or trained armies.

He had done his training armies but he just dumb them that's why he told me he had cancelled the "trained or train armies" These two words I'm confused whether the correct one is trained or train.


texts:
Because of execution time, cost, and expected outcome, we do not pursue
  these experiments further.

or

  Because of the execution time, the cost, and the expected
  outcome, we do not pursue these experiments further.

Is one version simply wrong? Is one more idiomatic than the other? Does it depend on former mentions of the concepts?


texts: Idioms for "letters being black marks for an illiterate"

texts:
There is an idiom in our native language  that translates black letters are nothing more than buffaloes to an illiterate.
Which means:   "To an illiterate person letters are nothing more than black marks."
Is there any such idiom in English?


texts: Omitting a word in conjunctions vs. using "one"

texts:
Which of the following constructions in the conjunctions is read more fluently?

In Figure 2, an intact and a damaged grate are shown.
In Figure 2, an intact grate and a damaged one are shown.


texts: what is the difference between "I should have been" and "I should have to be"

texts:
"I should have been" and "I should have to be"
I saw these two phrases in a book.
Is there any significant difference of meaning?


texts: 'Several contributions can be worked on and included' is this sentence correct?

texts:
Consider the following sentence:

  Several contributions can be worked on and included.

In this sentence, I am trying to express the fact that the work can be more interesting if the author can work on some additional contributions. I propose to the author to add some contributions to his work so that it becomes more valuable. By working on a contribution, I mean considering an idea and studying (i.e. investigating) it.

Is this sentence correct ? can it be enhanced ?

I searched for the expression Several contributions can be worked on on Google  but did not find any reference that uses it.


texts:
Can you guys help me figure out what "hit rock bottom" and "upholstered" means in this context?

  You're hardly the rehab-type and besides, you like it too much (drugs). Addicts don't give up until they hit rock bottom, and you never will. You're too upholstered.


texts:
I'm having a misunderstanding regarding Past Simple and Past Prog.

  The baby was sleeping peacefully through the night.

or

  The baby slept peacefully through the night.

Are both work? If not, what is the difference and how can I differentiate between those tenses regarding these types of questions?

Also, is it correct to say:

  She has worn short hair for two years.

it is a strange expression for me.


texts:
I am on bus or coach right now and someone call me.I answered:

  I am coming after half an hour, I am in the transportation now.

Please note that I don't want to say bus or coach and I said transportation instead of that, and I expectd that the listener will understand that I am taking one of transportation means.

So, in this case can I say "on transportation" or "in transportation"?


texts: Why is it incorrect to say "I have an available room"

texts: I have a guesthouse and I have a sign saying "available room". Someone told me better to say "room available" Why is this?


texts: Suggestions to follow while tutoring online a French student who wants to improve his speaking listening skills in English?

texts:
I'll be tutoring online a french student who I think has at least an advanced intermediate level in all parts of English, and wants to improve his speaking and listening skills, specially following fast spoken English. Now I'm not a licensed English teacher. Are there any specific suggestions I could follow that'd be more beneficial for the French student in particular? How can I make it interesting? What pitfalls should I watch out for?
What're the general mistakes the French make while speaking English?


texts: Can anybody rephrase this sentence for me, please?

texts:
"Increased regulatory burden translates to more hours [worked] with no positive impact on output."

source: http://money.cnn.com/2016/08/23/news/economy/us-economy-low-productivity/index.html


texts: to infinitive interpretation: successiveness vs. purpose

texts:
She waited until Ellie went off to the bog; then got up, came over to tell me she was leaving, and said I could have my bangle back; the one I gave her when we had our commitment ceremony. She chucked it down on the table in front of me, with everyone fucking gawping. So I picked it up and said, ‘Anyone fancy this, it’s going spare?’ and she fucked off.” (The Cuckoo’s Calling, Robert Galbraith)

I would incline to read the bold part as: “came over and told me.” But I wonder if it can have this meaning: “came over in order to tell me.”? In many cases, when there isn't obvious cause-effect relationship with the previous verb, it seems that to read to-infinitive as the former way - successively or resultatively - is more natural than purpose interpretation.
Which way do I have to read the example? And is there some tips to distinguish between the two interpretations?


texts: "shift by 1 day" vs. "shift 1 day later"

texts:
I wonder which form(s) are correct amongst the following:

All deadlines have been shifted by 1 day due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
All deadlines have been shifted 1 later due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

or perhaps should I shift differently?

I want to use the verb shift (I am aware otherwise could have said "postpone by 1 day", for example).


texts:
I can't figure out how to spell vowels in AmE. I generally prefer to pronounce "o" letter as "ɑ" as well as sometimes "ə". But it is done intuitively irrespective of any rule. I think there must be an algorithm(rule) for the pronunciation because I do mistakes sometimes. For example,

pronunciation - I began with prɑ when spelling, but it is wrong. It begins with prə

format - I began with fər when spelling, but it is wrong. It is fɔr.

combat vs computer ??

Anyway.

A tendency begins that nowadays I always convert pronunciations of "o" letter to "ɑ"s.

I want to learn and consolidate AmE speaking with the right pronunciations.

There is dilemma between ɔ, ə, and ɑ.


texts: (Singular or Plural Noun Adjunct) Stories Feature or Story Feature?

texts:
What should we call the feature in Instagram and other websites that lets you post stories -
"stories feature"
or
"story feature"?
This question is similar: https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/396864/singular-plural-nouns-as-adjectives
The answers there suggest me to use the singular ("story feature") but for some reason that doesn't sound right to me.


texts: Comma before “that” if a sentence begins with an emphatic construction

texts:
A coursebook gives a reference to “inversion after ‘neither / nor’, ‘so’ & ‘such’”, and there is this example:

  Such was the weather, that even the most daring windsurfers stayed at
  home.

The comma in that sentence really confuses me. I wonder if it is necessary at all.


texts: Why was use of Mistress was considered vulgar during 1800's?

texts: I found out in etymology of Mistress that it was considered vulgar to use it for women. I want know why and what is it's exact meaning and origin of word Mister and Mistress.


texts:
A strange question: is the form 'do is' correct? For example:

  HTML is not a programming language. On the other hand, JavaScript, that can be used in a HTML document, do is a programming language.


texts: He is getting admitted in a college vs. He is being admitted in a college

texts: As far as I know, get is used when u want something to be done by someone else. And Be is used for passive. But here which one should be used. And if both are correct, then someone can point me to a site which can tell me the exact difference between them.


texts: Can the preposition 'in' be omitted here?

texts:
Here are two sentences. 1. What are you doing in here? 2. What are you doing here?

What is the difference between the two sentences? (between No,1 and No,2 sentences)

Is there any grammar to omit preposition like above?


texts: Do native speakers pronounce "found the remark" without the "the"?

texts:
Haley found the remark disrespectful and felt she couldn't keep quiet,
  the sources said.

I heard someone read this, and I can hardly hear "the" between "found" and "remark".


texts: What does "He reminded me of me on the sidelines" mean in this context?

texts:
Brennan, 69, has stayed ambivalent about Kavanaugh’s nomination.

  “Obviously, I’m so disappointed in everyone in this whole process,” he
  said, adding that alleged victim Dr. Christine Blasey Ford has been
  the only one who has come out looking good. He did add with a chuckle:
  “Man, how about how he lost his mind the other night. He reminded me
  of me on the sidelines.”

Can someone help me to understand what Brennan meant by "He reminded me
of me on the sidelines" in this context?

I'm also not sure what his stance is by saying "Obviously, I’m so disappointed in everyone in this whole process,". What's this "everyone" referring to?

The full source.


texts: What does in the long run/the short run mean here?

texts:
What does this sentence mean? Does it mean "Gates thinks that you can't be an optimist in the future if you’re not pessimistic enough now?
What Gates understands is that you can only be an optimist in the long run if you’re pessimistic enough to survive the short run.
Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/04/bill-gates-powerful-lesson-invest-money-like-an-optimist-save-like-a-pessimist.html?forYou=true


texts:
First post here. I wanted to thank one of the forum members in an online course I was attending for sharing his experience. I wrote this message.

  Thanks for sharing your experience. Its heartening to hear what you made out of this course. It would be great if more of the alumni come forward and share their experiences.

Should the highlighted verbs be Present or Past tense? Does it make any difference?

Please note that I am an ESL Student.


texts:
Someone loves a person a lot (like a mother), and it breaks that person's heart when the person (s)he loves cries. Thus that person says:

  I can't see you crying.

  I can't stand to see you crying.

Or should it simply be:

  I don't like seeing you cry.

Does the first one work?


texts: "Anther link is `to` quora", is this expression grammatical and idiomatic?

texts:
this question comes from this post, where I asked

  I googled "uniform prior" and got a link to Prior probability, which
  uses the term without an explanation or a definition.

  Anther link is to quora, which does not give an concrete example.

I am concerned about whether Anther link is to quora is grammatical and idiomatic.


texts: How do you say "I hope it doesn't rain and lightning today?"

texts: How do I say I hope it doesn't rain and lightning today?


texts:
I wonder if in this sentence the word completed can be used instead of complete:

  ... used to estimate when the operation may be complete.


texts: How to understand "All could devil set me free"?

texts:
I'm listening to this song "A Whisper in the Noise - All my.."

  All could devil set me free

  I'm so tired I can't sleep

  All my feelings gravity's

  Spinning in the world over me

  Falling into masses empathy

  Very cementic energy

  Circle in the novel, sea to sea

  All could devil set me free

  ....

I can't figure out the meaning of All could devil set me free.

My guests:

All that devil can do is to set me free
All could set my devil free

What is the correct meaning and how can I get the meaning here? What are the leads and rules?


texts:
(1) Does he not know?
(2) Doesn't he know?

I don't usually see and hear questions formed in the first style. I was even surprised to know that it is grammatically correct. And actually it is the most "proper" way to form an interrogative sentence. Ngram shows that the first style was much more popular before than now.
What are your suggestions on choosing between these styles? And I will probably add the third one.

(3) He does not know?

EDIT:
The answers have explained how to form a question, but have not actually provided an account on the usage of the first two forms. Especially I'm interested in the first form: does it sound formal, is it used in speech or only in writing, et cetera.


texts: Technology vs. Technologies as a chapter name?

texts: What would the correct name be for a chapter in my thesis where I describe (multiple) software and programs? Technology or technologies?


texts: "I'd rather she has' vs "I'd rather she had"

texts:
Which one is correct and why?

  She hasn't been to Paris. I'd rather she has been to Paris. / I'd rather she had been to Paris.

Thanks.


texts: Is "There is 300 tonnes of water" correct in terms of grammar?

texts:
Can I write: "There is 300 tonnes of water"?

We can definitely write: "There are 300 bottles of water" but I am not sure if this is the case with tonnes, dollars, pounds .etc?


texts:
I searched for an English proverb for about this subject:

  you should want (love) a person who he wants (loves) you, too

In Persian, the phrase is this:

  خواهی که جهان در کف اقبال تو باشد  خواهان کسی باش که خواهان تو باشد

and the words mean:

  if you want world be in your chance, want one person who wants you too


texts: The most fitting way to start a phone conversation with a potential employer

texts:
I'm currently looking for a job and making a mental plan of what to say, potential questions and answers to them etc. and I was wondering what would be the best and most fitting way to start a phone conversation with a potential employer, after the greeting of course.

I'm calling regarding a job opening as a waiter.

I'm calling about a job opening as a waiter.

Also, are these grammatically correct? I'm not a native speaker so any advice would be greatly appreciated.


texts: Correct way to ask "What's the topic for the inside board this month/ for this month"?

texts:
We have two boards (one inside the class and another outside the class) where charts are put up every month.  We get a topic each month. So what is a natural way to ask the "inside board topic?

  What's the topic for the inside board this month?

  What's the inside board topic this month?

  What's the inside board topic for this month?

  What's the topic for the inside board for this month?

What out of the four sounds the most natural to you?


texts: Question about highlighted part of this short text

texts:
The first official said the U.S. military is more confident right now about the Iraqi military's ability to protect Baghdad. The Iraqi brigades defending the capital are more capable and include U.S. military advisers,  so at least Washington should have a better sense there if there's any imminent danger .

I wonder if this is a guess ( must have, should have ) or a first conditional ? Could you please determine what grammar has been use here?
I wonder if you could help me, simplify the highlighted part in simple English?


texts:
This sentence is right?

• Why don’t you go to Hawaii for like 3 years or something?

Isn't it correct to say "stay" instead of "go"?
In this context, a verb "go" has meaning of "stay", doesn't it?


texts:
Often I read "up" and "down" with some verbs. For example: "write down", "take down", "wake up", "open up". Some of them (maybe all of them?) can be used in both: "break up" and "break down".

So, my questions are:

What does "up" and "down" change in meaning of the verb?
Can I use "up" and "down" with all verbs or just with some of them?
Should I always append (for example) "up" to "wake" when I say to somebody that he must wake?


texts: I rarely see someone I know or I rarely see anyone I know?

texts:
Lots of people have been moving out of my hometown. I rarely have seen anyone I know.

Can you use "someone" instead of anyone?

If not, please explain why. Thank you!


texts:
Is correct to say 'I dreamt that my passed-away grandmother returned back to my home...' (as I dreamt about the time when she was alive, not returned as a ghost)?

I don't feel like to say 'my died grandmother', I feel that sounds bad.

Thank you!


texts: Meaning of verb "cock" in "He cocked his head to the side."

texts:
This sentence comes from a novel:

  "Huh. Wow. That is good news. So--" He cocked his head to the side. "--why don't you seem happy?"

OALD defines cock as:

  to raise a part of your body so that it is vertical or at an angle

However, I still don't understand/picture what the movement of the word cock is in this context, or when someone cocks his head, how does the head move?


texts: Grammar of: Colin clutched what was left of his dignity to him

texts:
Colin ‘Cubby’ Wall had decided that he wanted to go and say goodbye to Barry’s body too. Mary, usually compliant and agreeable, had found this excessive. Her voice had grown shrill on the telephone to Tessa; then she had begun to cry again, and said that it was just that she had not planned a large procession past Barry, that this was really a family affair . . . Dreadfully apologetic, Tessa said that she quite understood, and was then left to explain to Colin, who retreated into a mortified, wounded silence.
       He had simply wanted to stand alone beside Barry’s body and pay silent homage to a man who had occupied a unique place in his life. Colin had poured truths and secrets he had confided to no other friend into Barry’s ears, and Barry’s small brown eyes, robin bright, had never ceased to regard him with warmth and kindness. Barry had been Colin’s closest ever friend, giving him an experience of male comradeship he had never known before moving to Pagford, and was sure he would never have again. That he, Colin, who felt himself to be perpetually the outsider and the oddball, for whom life was a matter of daily struggle, had managed to forge a friendship with the cheerful, popular and eternally optimistic Barry, had always seemed a small miracle. Colin clutched what was left of his dignity to him, resolved never to hold this against Mary, and spent the rest of the day meditating on how surprised and hurt Barry would have been, surely, at his widow’s attitude. (The Causal Vacancy, by J. K. Rowling)

Whom do ‘his’ and ‘him’ refer to?
(1) If they are not reflexive pronouns, they can’t be Colin at all, and so do they refer to the late Barry?
(2) Does ‘to him’ the complement of ‘clutched’? I’m afraid it may be not, not yet seen the case in dictionaries. Then does ‘to him’ a modifier for ‘his dignity.’ If the latter would be right, does ‘one’s dignity to somebody’ make sense? What does it mean? If neither of them are proper, what goodness does the clause mean?


texts:
What's the grammatical function of "neither", in the following?

  What day is it today - the 18th or the 19th? Neither. it's the 20th.

Any response would be appreciated.


texts: What is the meaning of "can" in "Ben can not get wet"?

texts:
I have been reading the book, "HOUGHTON MIFFLIN Reading, Here We Go".

Situation: A girl is taking a walk with a puppy named Ben. A puddle comes out.
All the text of the part with Ben is very short:

  Ben is my pet. Ben can not get wet. Is Ben at the vet? Ben is not at the vet yet. Ben can get in a pen. A vet can get a kit. What can a vet do for Ben?

What is the meaning of "can" in the following sentences?

  Ben is my pet. Ben can not get wet.

Does "Ben can not get wet" mean "Ben does not want to get wet"? I think that the meaning of all "can" come out here is not "possibility or ability" but a different meaning.

In this sentence, does "can" mean "want"?


texts: An idiom/a proverb meaning 'if you don't know how to do something, then don't start it in the first place'

texts:
Is there an idiom or a proverb meaning 'if you don't know how to do something, then don't start doing it in the first place?'

Your friend accepts to do a research project for someone but he doesn't know how statistics works. He asks you to help him out. You want to say something like 'If you don't know how to fly, then don't jump off the cliff.'

My best find up to now is 'If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen' but it doesn't imply knowing or not knowing something. It's more about persistence or tolerance.


texts: A Turing machine x The Turing machine, articles in scientific concepts and tools

texts:
I would like to understand why sometimes the indefinite article is used, I thought that the whole name, the concept is "the Turing machine". In texts, I often see it used as a regular noun (the first mention is with "a", then with "the"].
We do not say "a Newton Theory of Gravity",as far as I know. What is the difference then?

  We may think of a Turing machine as a...

but

  We used Fourier analysis to evaluate the

Why here "analysis" does not need an article?

Can it be because we regarding the machine, can talk about a specific instance? But even then I would say we still talk about the concept, which is still the same.


texts: How to express "teeth are not white because they don't brush their teeth often" in everyday English?

texts:
stained adjective  /steɪnd/  /steɪnd/  (often in compounds) covered
  with stains or marked with a stain

  My dress was stained.

  paint-stained jeans

  The sheets were old and stained.

  The shirt was heavily stained with blood.

Say, your children don't brush their teeth often and that makes their teeth "a little dark or black".

What should we say?

-Your teeth are stained. You need to brush them more often.


texts: How to parse « the greatest jobs president »

texts:
I can't parse the following sentence :

  « I will be the greatest jobs president that God ever created! »

My problem is the role of the word "jobs" in "the greatest jobs president". I just don't understand why it's there. Does it change the meaning of the phrase or what value does it add ?


texts: What does “their” refer to in this sentence?

texts:
Many Westerners are startled at the images of America and the West in
  contemporary Japanese advertising. Their accidental encounter by an
  American tourist or businessperson on a visit to Japan often evokes
  surprise, confusion, and misunderstanding.

I'm not sure about what "Their" in this sentence refers to. I think there are three candidates for this:

images

1 is like treating images like a person, so I don't feel this is the right interpretation.
Many Westerners
American tourist or businessperson

2 and 3 are ok in the sense that they can be a proper subject of the verb "encounter", but I'm not sure why this is followed by a "by ...". Isn't this like: "His dancing by him"?


texts: "a car of his son" is wrong to use/but/ "a friend of mine" is alright?

texts:
There's a question asking which answer is correct in "He uses [a car of his son /his son's car]."
While I know the right one is 'his son's car', I also remember that I surely heard of 'a friend of mine' somewhere and it was alright to use the 'of+mine' there. So... what makes the former is wrong to use but the latter is alright?


texts: When someone says "I have decided to do something" does that mean they haven't done the thing as opposed when they say "I decided..."?

texts:
When someone says I have decided to do something does that mean they haven't done the thing as opposed when they say I decided to do something? For example:

  Kate has decided to go to the US

  Kate decided to go to the US.

Does the first sentence mean that Kate hasn't gone to the US yet, but rather she has made the decision to go there? And the second one mean she actully has gone there, am I right?


texts:
I see this sentence:

  To use these them, you just need to embed a bit of javascript in the
  header of your site.

in this page: https://www.battleforthenet.com/july12/#participants

Is the use of "these them" OK here? A bit strange to me...
Probably there is no grammar problem, but is this used often?

Thanks.


texts: How I change the sentence of active form to the passive form?

texts:
[1] *  I gave him a advice-------- >  active form
  How Ichange it to the passive form

Can I change it like:

  [1] *he was given a advice by me.


texts: Help understanding long sentence from NY times

texts:
"Hillary Clinton was running for president knowing all too well that a woman has to be twice as qualified to be perceived as once as good."

I'm confused by the sentence in bold.
There's so many as...as...as...

I racked my brains, read it over and over again, still I don't get it.

I roughly know it means in order to be perceived as good and qualified as a man, a woman has to work twice harder?

What I don't understand is how these as work with each other (I mean how to explain these as?)
and what does once mean in the sentence?  Is it like once, twice and thrice?


texts:
According to dictionary the meaning of 'you could've fooled me' is- 'used for saying you do not believe something that someone is telling you.'
‘Sam never meant to upset you.’ ‘Well, you could have fooled me!’
I'm not able to figure out the meaning of the phrase. In the example does the person saying 'you could've fooled me' mean that he doesn't believe that Sam never meant to upset him?
Why not just say 'you can't fool me' instead? Is it a sarcastic way of saying it?


texts: Which one should i use “ five cm open or open by five cm “?

texts:
Which sentence below is correct ? If both of it wrong please correct me .

  Leave the door five cm open.

  Leave the door open by five cm.


texts:
I've got a sentence

 Good people get up ______

Could I use
"Early in the morning " ? Is it a Clause?

The answer given is
"when the sun rises"?

Please tell which one is correct or both?
Also, please explain why.
Thank you.


texts: A saying / an expression to say: "most of the problems occure to the weakest people"

texts:
There is a proverbial sentence in our culture which says:

  Every obstacle is often on the way of (the weakest / the most poore etc.) people. (literal translation)

Connotation: it means usually all the problems / the biggest problems happen to those who are suffering from many other difficulties!

Some founded expressions which seem to be able to make an acceptable sense, but probabely uncommon or old-fashioned is:

  The weakest go to the wall.

The other expression is:

  Flies go to the leant hourses. [it is like a translation from another language.]

I'd like to know how would you convey this message through a fixed expreasion or proverbial statement?


texts: Negation with an appositive containing multiple elements

texts:
I don't like the names Axel and Brook.
  I don't like the names Axel or Brook.
  I don't like the name Axel, and I don't like the name Brook.
  I don't like the name Axel or the name Brook.

Which is better, 1 or 2?

The intended meaning is that of 3 and I know 4 has the same meaning as 3. However, the fact that in 1 and 2 there are two elements functioning together as an appositive is confusing me. Do the same rules of negation apply as in 4?


texts: Talking about previous researches. I am looking for verbs similar to "dedicate"

texts:
I want to talk about previous researches related to the impact of cell phone radiation. However, I was not very successful in finding proper verbs to construct such sentences. For instance, I wrote

  There are several works† dedicated to the investigation of harmful effect of cell phone radiation.
  There are several  works devoted to the investigation of harmful effect of cell phone radiation.
  There are several  works contributed to the investigation of harmful effect of cell phone radiation.
  There are several  works focused on the investigation of harmful effect of cell phone radiation.

Personally, I want to use words similar to "dedicate" or "devote" because they have a connotation of strong commitment, perverse attitude or being completely focused on a subject. However, I am not sure about using "dedicate" in such context.

With this regard,

Does the two first sentences sound natural, especially in terms of using "dedicate" or "devote"?
If so, is there any synonym for the verb "dedicate" in this context?

† works includes books, articles, journals, and any kind of research papers.


texts: What does "Of" mean in the beginning of "Of mice and men"?

texts:
The title of one of John Steinbeck's novels:

  Of Mice and Men

In Iran this novel has been translated to Persian word by word without considering the Of many years ago. It is just Mice and Humans not Of Mice and Men.

Is it only the taste of translator or had s/he been right in translating it like this? Does Of easily only mean From or something else?

I have to add the men in the title has been translated to humans in Persian. I know man or men can mean human in English but it would be better to be sure about that.


texts: Usage of 'Those' who/'Those students who'/'students who'

texts:
I have question related to grammar. Can I change the phrase "those who" With "Those students who" and "Students who" In the following context?

Here is the example:

1-Dear students, On 26 th December, Tuesday We have arranged a blood donation camp on the campus . Those who are intersted in donating blood may please contact John Dayal, the principal of Xyz college.

I think the phrase 'those who' can be replaced with "those students who" and "students who". If I replace it, will that be grammatical? Can any native speaker please answer this?


texts: Can I use these alternatives instead of "in between"?

texts:
Things aren't always black and white as people think. There are many
  shades in between.

To avoid repetition with another sentence, I want to find another way to say "in between".
Can I use these alternatives with basically the same meaning?

  Things aren't always black and white as people think. There are many
  shades throughout.

  Things aren't always black and white as people think. There are many
  shades through.

  Things aren't always black and white as people think. There are many
  shades in the way.

  Things aren't always black and white as people think. There are many
  shades across.

  Things aren't always black and white as people think. There are many interjacent
  shades. (Is this too formal?)

Are there better options?


texts:
When you put a roll of paper or a tube of something into a bag, it is a good idea to put it in vertically as the above picture because the tube may be too long that won't fit in the bag if you put it in horizontally.
How do we express "to put the tube or roll of paper into the beg vertically"?
For example, put the tube / roll of paper in the bag upright.


texts: Can somebody explain clearly what is different between 'draw' and 'pull'

texts:
Can somebody explain clearly what is the difference between 'draw' and 'pull'. In the excerpt below, if I change 'drew back' to 'pull back', Google gives different meanings. If I change 'pull together' to 'draw together' Google translates them the same. Such verbs come across in any text very often. What do I need to know when I can replace these verbs without losing meaning and when I can't? I have learned to translate them, but I can hardly use them correctly in English.

  Canute drew his hand back from the latch as though it were red hot. He
  was not the kind of man to make a good eavesdropper, and he wished he
  had knocked sooner. He pulled himself together and struck the door
  like a battering ram. Mary jumped and opened it with a screech.

Here is the other example. What does 'drawing out' mean or would 'pulling out' mean? By the way I can 't find a suitable translation for 'power of drawing
out the social side'. What does it mean?

  But he was not a social man by nature and had not the power of drawing
  out the social side of other people.

On the Divide
by Willa Cather


texts:
I have read this article "Elastic band removed from little boy's wrist after his flesh grows around it"
Some children put very tight rubber band on their wrist, which may prevent their blood circulation at their wrists and they don't even notice it until it is too late.
Is it correct to say  to a child "This rubber band is too tight on your wrist and it may prevent your blood circulation. So, take it off"?


texts: To "be" or "have" more of something? (meaning: to be like something)

texts:
In a song I know, there's the line:

  Who's more of a beast?

The rest of the lyrics around this makes it clear that it should mean something like "Who is more like a beast?" or "Who as more characteristics of a beast?".

So the 's, does it refer to is or has in this context?

How would one say this?

  Who is more of a beast? or Who has more of a beast?

I would think "is", but in German one would rather use the direct translation of "have"...


texts: What is the difference between "go" and "go off" is the sense of happening?

texts:
Tell me please if there is any difference in meaning between the following sentences.

  The job interview went well.

  The job interview went off well.

I think there is a difference because why would anyone add off.


texts: What's the correct sentence to use in this situation?

texts:
My native language lacks tenses. I'll try to express tenses using headlines and please, tell me what's the correct tense to use. I would appreciate it if you corrected my words if they sound unnatural.

In the past,

When a customer calls us to order something, we tell him: "That'll be $5". Sometimes, we say: "Including fees (or fees are included)".

Now,

We tell him: "That'll be $5 including delivery and processing fees".

A customer may tell me that he never paid processing fees or delivery fees.

Here's my reply that might have inaccurate tenses:

  Fees were applied but we didn't tell our customers about them for the
  sake of simplicity (or to make things easier) but now, we would like to give you our customers more details (or detailed explanation) about fees.

Thank you so much,


texts:
Nothing but books and magazines pleases/please her.

What is the subject "Nothing" or "Books and magazines"? What should we use here singular or plural?

Nothing pleases/please her but books and magazines.

If change the position of "but", then would it change the grammar of sentence or it doesn't make any difference?

I have same confusion with "all but", "everything but", "anything but".


texts: Is it wrong to say "very recommended" for something

texts: I know that the word recommended collocates with the words highly, heartily or thoroughly. However, maybe most of the non-native speakers tend to use the word very before recommended because of the direct translation of their native languages and it is common to see "very recommended" on the Internet. I wonder do native speakers use this collocation or is it only used by non-native speakers of English? Does it irritate your ears when you hear it?


texts:
In a break with the president, Congress voted for the first time to
  invoke the war powers resolution to try and stop U.S. involvement
  in a foreign conflict.

Why is it not "try to stop"?


texts: Why do I need a verb to use "refrain from"?

texts:
Definition by Dictionary.com
  to abstain from an impulse to say or do something (often followed by from):

Synonyms: abstain, avoid

Instance without a verb: I refrain from alcohol.

Instance with a verb: The future generation will reap the best results of civilisation by refraining from repeating mistakes of the past.

^it would be grammatically wrong if repeat is omitted, even though in both context it still make sense and mean same thing

PS: I know what is wrong and right, but I am looking for the constructive explanation behind this.


texts:
I was watching the movie "when harry met sally " and I had a trouble to understand this highlighted part of their conversation. Thank in advance.

  Sally: Amanda is my friend.
  Harry: So?
  Sally: So you're going with her.
  Harry: So?
  Sally: So you're coming on to me!
  Harry: No I wasn't. What?

  (Sally is not impressed, jaw drops, wide eyes)

  Harry: Can't a man say a woman is attractive without it being a come-on?
  Alright, alright, let's just say just for the sake of argument
  that it was a come-on. What do you want me to do about it? I take
  it back, ok? I take it back.
  Sally: You can't take it back.
  Harry: Why not?
  Sally: Because it's already out there.


texts: What's the difference in nuance between making a living and making a life?


texts: What is a proper word to describe someone who deeply regrets something?

texts:
What kind of adjective would you use to describe someone who, has done something terrible but wishes to be forgiven? Apologetic feels like it doesn't carry enough weight, and doesn't guarantee regret.

Possibly something to describe someone feeling Sorrow over actions, choices or events.


texts: "Had you told me earlier" vs "If you had told me earlier."

texts:
I've been asked to give a speech tomorrow. Since I'm not prepared I said:

"Had you told me earlier I could've prepared for it."

Q 1) Was the response correct?

Q 2) Is it the third conditional since there a two hypothetical past events? (One is the he didn't tell me earlier and the other one is that I couldn't take preparation.)

Q 3) What's the difference between my original sentence and the following sentence:

"If you had told me earlier I could've prepared for it."


texts:
"They have visitors in the high summer weather, when a grey cloak and umbrella, unknown to Chesney Wold at other periods, are seen among the leaves" - Bleak house, Dickens.

what he actually meant by "a grey cloak and umbrella are seen among the leaves"?  How can you see an umbrella and cloak(one type of garment/dress whatever) among the leaves??
PS- I know the meanings of all words here.


texts: Complements in grammar, may they seem like objects?

texts:
He seemed hasty.

Is hasty a complement, perhaps a verb complement, to seemed? There is no noun in the object position. May hasty be understood as an object here, to get a complete sentence?


texts: It is okay to say 'heartfelt congratulations'?

texts: Can I say 'heartfelt congratulations' when deeply moved with joy by someone's success?


texts:
I want to say I am the Head of The Heads of all Scientific Councils of the University, elected democratically by heads of all student scientific councils to act as their delegate.

Is the head of heads OK? or It's better to say In charge of the heads...
the points is it is a title of a position, that is the head of heads is elected by other heads.
it sounds kind of unnatural to me.


texts: Send an e-mail. The proper way to express it

texts:
What is the proper form?

send an e-mail

send a mail

send mail


texts:
Of course, you can also choose to have your grades emailed to you.

In the above sentence, what is the grammatical role of "have"? What is the name of the grammar structure? I expect to see "be emailed to you" but the simple form of "email" is used.


texts: What is this thing in browsers called in English?

texts:
Normally when surfing on sites we have on the site a thing in which we can move the site up or down (see image bellow with a red arrow). I would like to know what this thing is called, and what's the accurate verb for this action?

(does move up or move down work here? In my native language we use a word that's translated into "roll up /down" but Oxford dictionary doesn't know such meaning to my context.)

I really don't know what it is called in my native language (normally people say "roll up the page or the site"), so I don't have a lead where to start from.


texts:
What's the meaning of "is getting on me"? For example:

  "Mom is always getting on me about not finishing my breakfast."


texts: May one say "a question of profound principle"?

texts: Does the expression  "a question of profound principle" sound idiomatic enough? Is it tolerable? I am not sure, because Google does not give many references. I'm happy with the meaning, but if it sounds bad... Would "fundamental" be better?


texts: “I saw him be upset/to be upset/ being upset”

texts:
I'll use seeing and upset to create an example that might help me:
Out of these, which is correct, or which are best? Do some work in some circumstances and not others?

I saw him upset.
I saw him to be upset.
I saw him being upset.


texts: "It's cold today" -- what term do linguists use to call "it" when it's used as the subject of a sentence, but has no real antecedent?

texts:
Could you please remind me what term linguists and the grammar people use to call it when it's used as a subject pronoun, but the funky thing is that it doesn't really refer back to anything in particular like he, she or we usually do which do refer back to a person or an animal that they stand for.

In grammar-speak, when it is used like that they say that it has no antecedent. I think I knew the term, but I unfortunately forgot it. I did a Google search, but the only thing I could find was empty subject. But the truth is that I don't think that's what they actually use in linguistics. Would you please refresh my memory?

Examples:

  It's quite cold today outside. So, I don't really wanna go out.
  Did I solve that math problem? Yes. Actually, it was very easy to get it cracked. There was really nothing to it!
  Don't mention it! It's nothing. I really like to help people who are in need.


texts: Is it ok to say "my [or his or her] advantages"?  Or should  advantage be used only for non-sentient subjects, for instance, "advantages and disadvantages of a company"?


texts:
Does the following sentence make sense? This doesn't seem be a grammar question.

  Neither John nor I am having dinner together.

I'd appreciate your help.


texts:
I'm studying Spanish. I started classes in December.

I can roughly presume that the second sentence means "I started to take classes in December" because of the first sentence.

But can the second sentence also mean "I started to teach classes" depending on context?


texts:
How should I ask about the cost of my purchase if it consists of several items, e.g. one melon, three apples and some grapes?
I would ask "How much is it?" meaning that my purchase is the whole thing. Is that right?


texts: What's the meaning of "imaging of desktops" here?

texts:
I am studying the PXE tutorial:

  PXE was an important technology allowing hands-free imaging of desktops and servers.

I can not understand the "imaging of desktops and servers" there.


texts: In "Give it here!", is "here" a pronoun, adverb, preposition, or what?

texts:
In the American regionalism,

  "Give it here!"

(i.e. Pass that thing my way -> in my direction -> Give it to me)

Questions:

What part of speech is the word "here"? That is, is it a pronoun, adverb, preposition, or what?
Is the word "here" occupying the indirect object slot of the ditransitive verb?


texts: Where is the correct position for "well"?

texts:
I play with my funny cats well. (I suppose this is correct)

  I play well with my silly cats. (This is wrong because you should put
  the adverb of manner after the prepositional indirect object here).

And what about these?

  I play the piano with my stupid and funny cats well.

  I play the piano well with my stupid and funny cats (I guess this one is wrong).

I've read that you can't put an adverb between a verb and an object.


texts: Which of the following sentences is correct? I am quite unsure about the gerund here

texts:
Which of the following sentences are correct?

I look forward to listening to more of your podcasts.

I am looking forward to listening to more of your podcast.

I look forward to listen to more of your podcasts.


texts:
Can I use "move through this period" in my sentence? I added additional information for context.
"He drove a car when he was drunk. For this reason,  he is in jail now. He didn't stick to the rules. Now his family will not see him very long time and they will be worried. His family can visit him in jail and be in touch with him,  so he will be able to move through this period easily."


texts: Pronoun use with preposition: "with *he* and his wife" or "with *him* and his wife"?

texts:
This sentence was in a newspaper article:
"Eddie smiled as Will talked with he and his wife."

I feel it means "Eddie smiled as Will talked (with him) and (with his wife)."

So it should be "Eddie smiled as Will talked with him and his wife.

Which one is correct?


texts:
To look at him, you'd never think he was 80.
  To turn off mobile data, multimedia messages will be unavailable.

The first one seems okay.

But the second one seems bit odd.

I checked on Grammar correction and it says no errors for both of them.

Is the second sentence grammatically correct?

If not, please let me know what the difference between those two sentences is.


texts:
From time to time, I see the preposition up appearing alongside a verb or a verb phrase and doesn't add anything to the meaning (or at least, it seems so).

Examples:

  Buckle (up)! We have a long journey ahead of us!

  People Snuggle (up) to each other.

  Let's finish this (up)

In those sentences, is the particle optional? Because, (to me, at least) they have the same meaning as the verb/verb phrase itself.


texts:
If so, 'get something confusing' must be wrong.

Do you often use 'get something confused'?
Because when I googled, I found few examples.


texts:
Either of the two resolutions are made by me.
  Working out, as well as reading, are some ways to release stress.

It says the subject-verb agreements in the following sentences are incorrect.
These sentences seem fine to me.
Could you please explain what's wrong and why?

Source: from a Complete Canadian Curriculum book, in the English section.


texts: "comes" or "comes from" ? Which one is correct grammatically or are both correct?

texts:
The context of the phrase is like this:

  Most of these products do not list the source of that ingredient, so one
      must ask the producer from where that ingredient [comes / comes from].

Which option is correct grammatically in BrE and AmE or are both grammatically correct?


texts:
In this interview, Elon Musk was asked whether he thought there was an intelligent life somewhere in the universe and he started his answer saying:

  It seems probable, but I think this is one of the great questions in
  physics and philosophy, is: "Where are the aliens?"

Why did he repeat "is" in his sentence?
Is there a grammatical rule that I miss?


texts:
I want to express the meaning that I look like a typical East Asian. Can I say that:

1) I have a (typical) Asian (physical) appearance?
2) I have an Asian look?
3) I have an Asian face?

Or any alternatives to introducing one's ethnicity?


texts:
This is the sentence:

  The meaning of the world is the separation of wish and fact. Wish is a force as applied to thinking
  beings, to realize something. A fulfilled wish is a union of wish and fact. The meaning of the whole
  world is the separation and the union of fact and wish.

  Kurt Gödel

So I want to know what is the meaning of the bold part. I think my problem is with the usage of the "as" in this context. My take of it: wish is a force that thinking beings use that to realize something. Is that right?


texts: Deriving the logical subject of an infinitive subordinated to a passive main clause

texts:
I am wondering whether the logical subject of an infinitive should be the same with the subject of the main clause if the infinitive is used as an adverb of purpose in a sentence. As for this matter, I found two sayings.

In the website http://www.grammaring.com/the-infinitive-of-purpose, it is said that "The infinitive of purpose can only be used if the doer of the action expressed by the infinitive is the same as the subject of the main clause."

While in the website http://www.rit.edu/ntid/rate/sea/processes/infinitives/grammatical/subjects/purpose it is said that "the logical subject of the infinitive is not the subject of the main clause" , for example "The technicians were fired by the management to reduce costs." and "The technicians were fired to reduce costs."

Based on the two, I am wondering whether I could come to the conclusion that if the main clause is active then the logical subject of the infinitive should be the same as the subject of the main clause, and if the main clause is passive then the logical subject subject of the infinitive should not be the same as the subject of the main clause. Am I right?


texts: "Does my dividend increase over years?" or "Is my dividend increase over years?"

texts:
I was wondering, which sentence is more accurate? Or, both are acceptable?

Does my dividend increase over years?

Or

Is my dividend increase over years?


texts: What's the meaning of "to dog his heels"

texts:
I've come across Elia's Peattie, The Shape of Fear  but I can't figure out the meaning of the following sentence. Is it an idiom or phrase?

  "Purity seemed to dog his heels, no matter how violently he
  attempted to escape from her. "


texts: When you start a sentence with acronyms such as i.e., e.g., or similar, how do you capitalize them? "I.e., ...", or " I.E., ..."? Thanks.


texts: Is the Future Progressive suitable in this construction?

texts:
I have come across the following construction in which the examiner used the Future Progressive Tense. Isn't it right to use the Future Perfect Tense?

By 2150, the world's population will be increasing to 10 billion.


texts:
I would love you till the sun died.
  I would love you till the sun dies.

Are both of them grammatically correct?
Is there a difference in their meaning?


texts:
A native speaker asked "Have you ever been IN a real forest?"
I said "No, I've never been TO a real forest."
Why did he say 'in' instead of 'to?' Do both mean the same thing?


texts: What does "two-way justice" mean? Can I use it to describe a relationship between two people (without considering the role of gender) in which there is a complete equality in behaviors and reactions?


texts:
I know that the article "the" is not used with the fixed expression "a large number of".

But I wonder if it can be used with "a lot of" .


texts: Article before common noun + proper noun (e.g., "mission Foo")?

texts:
Should I use an article before a combination of common noun and proper noun, like in the case of "mission Apollo" or "level X"?

Context: I am writing (casual academic prose) about the fact that the same name in different contexts may be used to refer to different things. Here is an example sentence (we are talking about "documents": documents are comprised of levels, each level has a name):

  In principle, ? level X3 in one document has nothing to do with ? level X3 in another document.

Some possible options:

No articles at all

  In principle, level X3 in one document has nothing to do with level X3 in another document.

"The" before each "level X3"

  In principle, the level X3 in one document has nothing to do with the level X3 in another document.

"a" before each "level X3"

  In principle, a level X3 in one document has nothing to do with a level X3 in another document.

no article for the first occurrence, then "the"

  In principle, ∅ level X3 in one document has nothing to do with the level X3 in another document.

Which of these possible sentences are correct, acceptable or wrong? Are there other options?


texts: Is "I baked and served some pancakes to the guests." grammatically correct?

texts:
I baked some pancakes and served them to the guests.

This sentence has two verbs "bake and serve" that take the same object "pancakes".

Is it possible to simplify the above sentence as follows?:

  I baked and served some pancakes to the guests.


texts: Can I row this boat to the water's edge?

texts:
Can a person in a rowboat, while he is in the middle of a lake, say "I am now going to row the boat to the water's edge"?

I can imagine a man in a boat, in the middle of a lake, looking towards the shore and saying:  "People on shore are carrying cargo to the water's edge". But I cannot imagine him saying "I will row this boat to the water's edge".

Is there an implied vantage point in this phrase?


texts: What does 'a water carrier' mean in this sentence?

texts:
But positive thinking is not only a water carrier for the business world, excusing its excesses and masking its follies. The promotion of positive thinking has become a minor industry in its own right, producing an endless flow of books, DVDs and other products; providing employment for tens of thousands of "life
  coaches" "executive coaches," and motivational speakers as well as for the growing cadre of professional psychologists who seek to train them.

Smile or Die: How Positive Thinking Fooled America and the World


texts:
Consider this statement:

  You need to talk to your partner. You are in this together and you can figure it out. I understand about the cats but rehoming your cats isn't as catastrophic for your family as your death - not by a long long way. The life insurance isn't a substitute for having your around. If you have to declare bankruptcy, then you do - and you will pick up and recover. It isn't the end of the world even though it feels like it right now.

  You need to see a doctor about your depression and get some advice on
  the debt front. Many many many successful business owners have
  bankruptcy in their past - it is a very common thing. You are not a
  failure and you can come back from this. Don't think about suicide as
  an option.

What's the meaning of front in "debt front"?


texts: Which syllable do you stress in the word  as a *verb*

texts:
When you use forward as a verb, which syllable is stressed? (forward vs forward)

  I forwarded the email as soon as I read it

  This button forwards the message.


texts:
She'll either pay for the ring or return it.

She either will pay for the ring or will return it.

Could anybody possibly tell me if they are the same and right?

Moreover, which one do you use?


texts: what is the meaning of this sentence: he gazes at a poster for The Incredible Journ...... ?

texts:
Source

  he gazes at a poster for The Incredible Journey, wondering about all
  his sightings of an orange cat.

what is the meaning of this sentence?


texts: I want to know the grammatical errors in this sentence if any. The sentence is:-. "The hospital's construction will be finishing soon."

texts: I am confused whether the sentence will be the above mentioned one or should be written like :- The construction of hospital will be ending soon


texts: Is this sentence correct : "I would have never believed that it would become like that"

texts:
I said that in the past : "I don't believe (and I am sure) that it will become like that" (when I speak I am in the past).

Now we are in the present and I say to talk about this past : "I would have never believed that it would become like that" (I am surprised).

Is my sentence correct?


texts:
I have the following passage to be carried out:

  I remember the first flight of Concorde, the aeroplane which was built with the co-operation of the British and French Governments. I was staying at my grandparents' house in Bristol. My grandad (retire) by that time, but he (work) at the factory that built Concorde.

I put down the whole passage for you to understand the whole picture. Look at the last sentence. I would like to know if I'm correct. I've made up my mind to write the following:

  My grandad had retired by that time, but he worked at the factory that built Concorde.

To cut a long story short, "working at the factory" is past finished action, which is not valid now. I understand that in spoken English natives would rather say "retired", but I think in this case it would be better to fill the blank with "had retired" as it was an action happened in the past, having some signification at the time the story was taking place.


texts: 'be ing' vs 'be supposed to' in the context

texts:
Given that, a listener and a speaker are talking on the road, if the speaker says

  "I am swimming in the gym",

What does it mean? .I guess it's like a plan though.
If it is like a plan, how is it different from this? : I am supposed to go swimming in the gym.


texts: "the sun goes down" vs "the sun go down"

texts:
The quotation from Cambridge Advanced Dictionary

  When the sun goes down, it moves down in the sky until it cannot be seen  any  more

  On summer evenings we would sit on the verandah and watch the sun go down.

"The sun goes down" looks right due to "the sun" we can substitute to "it".
And verb for "he, she, it" should be with "s/es".
But why in 2nd sentence we use the verb - "go", not "goes"?


texts:
I would like to say that I have a new matrix and I called it "Function matrix". I would like to express my sentence in a good way. Here is my try:

The result of the functions are stored in a new matrix, which is termed as
Function matrix.

I just wonder is this a correct passive? or not?

Many thanks.


texts: "On their way to killing". Does it sound right?

texts:
Today I saw this tweet from Donald Trump:

  Russia, Syria, and Iran are killing, or on their way to killing, thousands of innocent civilians in Idlib Province. Don’t do it! Turkey is working hard to stop this carnage.

I am not a native English speaker (unlike Mr Trump!) but as far as I have learned, the verb after to is in the infinitive form and this tweet doesn't sound grammatically correct to me. Is this form commonly used in today's English?


texts: Usage of "and" in "the symmetric system with single and multiple rate levels and the general system"

texts:
Is the usage of "and" correct in the following sentence?

This characterization was provided for the symmetric system with single and multiple rate levels and the general system.

Should I insert a "for" after "levels"?
I am trying to express the following idea:

This characterization was provided for the symmetric system with single rate level, for the symmetric system with multiple rate levels and for the general system.


texts: Is there a word for everything you do at the master and PhD level?

texts:
I am thinking of "post-bachelor", but I am wondering if there's a better word for it. Here's an example:

  These post-bachelor courses are only required if you want to complete
  a master degree.

Could there be a non-composite noun or adjective?


texts: What do Plummeting into an abyss & have a good cry mean?

texts:
1. Plummeting into an abyss

I’m guessing it may have another meaning here than what I found.

When I looked up in the dictionary, I got the following definition :

Plummeting - to fall suddenly and quickly from a high level or position

abyss - a very deep wide space or hole that seems to have no bottom

  Have a good cry.

  I guess it means Eric likes to think about the old time with his dad. Am I close?

  Here's the only one research I found:

  http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/cry_2

  [SINGULAR] a period of time when you have tears coming from your eyes,
  especially because you are sad have a (good) cry: She went to the
  toilet and had a good cry.

Context: Stosh is Eric's cousin who is just moving in Eric's house.
Eric's father just passed away.

[Stosh's just woken up and he sees Eric is standing next to his bed.]

  Stosh: (grumbles) Oh, God!

  Eric: Hey, sleepyhead.(chuckles)

  Stosh: (groans) How long you been staring at me?

  Eric: Mm, about an hour.(groans) Hey, what were you dreaming about?

  Stosh: Plummeting into an abyss. Same as usual.

  Eric: I'm sorry. I'm just.. I'm used to coming in here to wake up Pop
  every morning. You know? He'd be laying right there, right where you
  are, scratching all over 'cause of his skin thing. (chuckles) I'd tell
  him, "Pop, don't scratch, you know? You got to let that scab over. "
  But guess what, he'd keep digging.

  Stoch: You know what, you have a good cry. I'm gonna go boil
  myself.


texts: "to the benefit of" VS "for the benefit of"

texts:
Bringing both organizations together allows us to capitalize on the best of both companies, to the benefit of facilities across China and beyond.”
  Bringing both organizations together allows us to capitalize on the best of both companies, for the benefit of facilities across China and beyond.”

If I want to convery the meaning "to the advantage of facilities across China and beyond", which one is a fit?


texts: Slang from Fresh Prince from Bel-Air S01E03: Vacuumed, Cheese Dog, Harley, Fly for Me

texts:
Hilary was talking about the girl (Mimi, whose father is a doctor and only let his girl date young man w/ promising career, especially doctor) whom will had a crush on.

  Hilary: She's been vacuumed more times than a hooked rug.
  Will: She looks good now, right? I don't see your point.
  Hilary: Just wave a chili-cheese dog in front of her nose n see how much of your arm you come back with

Is Hilary saying that Mimi was a promiscuous girl?? The cheese dog meant "hotdog"?
Will was talking to Carlton about Mimi's type

  Will: Mimi wants a street-wise, Harley, bad-to-the-bones type of guy, man.

I know Mimi wanted a "bad boy", but what does that "Harley" mean?
Will was exhausted trying to impress both Mimi's father (wanted a good gentleman) and Mimi (wanted a bad boy)

  Will: 'cause, baby. Ain't no girl that fly for me to go through all this trouble for.

Not sure about the meaning of fly, does that mean girls that fit for Will? and another grammar question, why does this sentence need a "for"?


texts: What is the opposite of "star" (celebrity)?

texts:
I want to know the opposite of the word "Star" ?

*Here star indicates a celebrity (people that appear in a movie).


texts: Is my understanding of the relative adverb "where" correct?

texts:
My question:
I am afraid I explained the relative adverb "where" wrong, especially in the (3). Is my understanding about the relative adverb correct?

Let me tell you what I might have been wrong about
Earlier today I was teaching my friend how to read the following sentence:

This system is loaded with a smart mechanism, where the server responds to the user's questions without human help and sends alert notifications to the user when there is an anomaly.

She didn't understand why the "where" can be used like that. She thought it should have been "which."
Then I explained:

(1) This system is loaded with a smart mechanism, where the server responds to the user's questions without human help and sends alert notifications to the user when there is an anomaly.

is equal to

(2) This system is loaded with a smart mechanism, in which the server responds to the user's questions without human help and sends alert notifications to the user when there is an anomaly.

is equal to

(3) This system is loaded with a smart mechanism, which the server responds to the user's questions without human help and sends alert notifications to the user in when there is an anomaly.


texts: What's the function of "how" in "This is how they lived"?

texts:
This is how they lived.

In the sentence above, what function does how have? Complements, interrogatives, content clauses, etc. I looked up on CGEL, but I’ve not found explanations for the example. It seems like ‘how they lived’ makes a complement from ‘they lived how’; ‘how’ is a manner adjunct, or ascriptive/descriptive adjuct. And from any construction pattern, ‘how’ is shifted forward to make the clause, they lived how, the complement of is.

How should I understand the how clause?


texts: We're totally getting in on the bottom side of that

texts:
Here's part of the a Ted talk titled "How to gain control of your free time":

  Sometimes I'll hear from magazines that are doing a story along these lines, generally on how to help their readers find an extra hour in the day.

  And the idea is that we'll shave bits of time off everyday activities, add it up, and we'll have time for the good stuff.

  I question the entire premise of this piece, but I'm always interested in hearing what they've come up with before they call me.

  Some of my favorites:
  ...
  Being extremely judicious in microwave usage: it says three to three-and-a-half minutes on the package, we're totally getting in on the bottom side of that.

In the last sentence, I don't understand the boldfaced clause, especially the "get in on" part.

(I think that the bottom side of that refers to three minutes.)

So the question is about the phrasal verb "get in on" or "get in".
Which one is the phrasal verb here? And what exactly does it mean?
Also, why is the progressive tense used?


texts:
Is it correct to write the question: "Are there any more problems?"? considering that "problem" has a negative connotation to it?
and to say: "There isn't any more problem" or "there aren't any more problems"? Thanks a lot.


texts: The difference between "came in slow" and "came in slowly"

texts:
The big breakers came in slow.
The big breakers came in slowly.

Are there any differences between the two sentences?


texts: Is there a word that's used to qualify a different world that has a shared space with ours?

texts:
The spirit world is * to our physical world.

When we use parallel world, it usually means that the world doesn't share the same worldspace and that exist independently to ours, but what about the spirit world. The spirit world, typically speaking, exist within our world and share the same space. How do you qualify such world? Is there a word for it?


texts: interested in hearing / interested to hear

texts:
Murphy's Grammar says that we use interested to ... to say how somebody reacts to what they hear/see/read/learn. And we use interested in doing something when we're thinking of doing it, we would like to do it.
But I've found these usages from Google News:

We're always interested in hearing about news in our community.
We will be interested in hearing the company's progress on these projects.
I would be interested in hearing any proposals he might have.

Should not interested to hear be used in those sentences?


texts:
As most men tend to be, I'm willing to play games at home.
As most men tend to do, I'm willing to play games at home.

I wonder which one is grammatically correct.

I think 1 is correct because "willing" can be regarded as implied as in "As most men tend to be willing".

Maybe could sentence 2 correct if we think "do" is substituted for "play" as in "tend to do"?


texts: The natural ways to say you cannot remember something at the time being

texts:
Suppose you are going to indicate that you are not able to remember a specific name, thing, address etc. at the time being; which one of the following self-made sentences doesn't sound natural to you:

  I can’t remember it right now.
  I can’t recall it right now.
  It’s not coming to my mind right now.
  It doesn’t come back to my mind right now.

For me, just the last two sentences sound a bit odd.
As far as I've heard, the verb "come to mind" refers to your 'own' mind only and consequently, the "one's" mind sounds a bit odd / redundant. Meanwhile, using 'back' seems to be something translated from another language, while to my experience, natives tend to use this structure without it. "Come to mind" and "come to me" are the expression which would work better here.


texts:
Above mentioned Goods were received in good condition.
(OR)
Above mentioned Goods have been received in good condition.


texts: I would think ( that ) ... vs I think ...?

texts:
What NAm/BrE native speakers exactly mean when they say or reply with " i would think ( that ) ... " ?

I mean if it's used in only one possible correct way and therefore doesn't need any further or other context to be provided.

And are there any differences in meaning or usage when comparing " I would think ( that ) ... " vs " I think ( that ) ... "  ?


texts: What does "breakdown" mean in this context?

texts:
This is a passage from an Wikipedia article on Schizophrenia:

  Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a breakdown of thought processes and by a deficit of typical emotional responses.

What does breakdown here mean? Does it mean to make incomplete, like they are unable to complete the thought process thus it breaks it?


texts: Is it idiomatic to say "my phone runs on battery" and "my phone uses battery"?

texts:
Dictionary says "Our van runs on (= uses) diesel.".
Similarly, can we say?

"my phone runs on battery" and "my phone uses battery"

"the fan runs on electricity" and "the fan uses electricity"


texts: "Would be better if..." – Is this in the past or present?

texts:
I want to know if this sentence implies that we are talking the present, and, if so, how could we change it into the past form?

  This world would be a better place if some people didn't exist.

Also, is it correct?


texts:
"It is obligatory for companies to provide details of their industrial
  processes."

The sentence above has phrase "obligatory for companies" and phrase "to provide details of their industrial processes". What kind of function does second phrase bear? It is not clear because after verb "be" sentence already has direct object, and after it I see infinitive phrase but to what it is related ?


texts:
Are both grammatical? Different?

Example sentence:

  I entered the station but stopped at/on the steps that led into it.


texts:
Great post. I enjoyed not only what said about how that word should be written, but, especially, how all the matter has been treated.

I would like to know if the sentence above is correct.

Just a little bit of context: I really appreciated an article about English grammar, then I would like to compliment author on it.


texts: A word that means "to start talking about things that are out of topic."

texts:
Here are a few definitions for the word:
To steer away from the main topic.
To take a walk on a path of topic way off from the intended one.


texts:
When we use *to-*infinitive verbs after preceding verbs, is it possible to use *to-*infinitives with linking verbs?

  That thief was to deserve the punishment.
  She is to be learning English.
  She was to have gone to her apartment.
  He will to have been attempting to code the program.


texts: Does placing a statement in quotes, invalidate the need to backshift?

texts:
Is it correct to say the following sentence:

  A week ago I went to the shops to buy some butter and all of a sudden I saw that ‘two men are walking towards me’.

Here I used ‘are’ because the statement is inside the inverted commas. The same concept which is used in direct speech. Such as:

  John said to Kate, “I am hungry”.

So is it correct to use 'are' in the aforementioned scenario?


texts: confused in the structure of a negative sentence

texts:
I make a negative sentence like this:

  They are not trying to make me confuse.
  or
  They are trying not to make me confuse.

What is the difference between these two sentences?


texts:
I'm preparing for academic IELTS by writing some essays and then correcting those using a grammar correction app.
In the following sentence,

Therefore, despite kids tend to form unfriendly societies, it is
necessary to gain this experience since it provides an opportunity to
interact with people of the same age.

The app suggests using 'the kids' rather than just 'kids'. Considering the fact that I'm talking about kids in general as opposed to a specific group of kids, why is this so?
Many thanks!


texts: "You were wrong before" vs. "you have been wrong before"

texts:
Could you tell me if there is any difference between you were wrong before and you have been wrong before? For example:

Person A: I'll make the right decision.
Person B: Nah. You were wrong before/you've been wrong before.


texts:
This is a comment made by a poster on an article about texting:

  It seems to me that by texting during class or at meetings, you are in no position to assess whether the topic under discussion is worth your time and attention or not. You're not paying attention. You've already mentally checked out.

What does checked out mentioned above mean? I've looked it up in the dictionaries, but wasn't able to find a definition that's relevant to the context.


texts: How does an architect 'make' a blueprint of a building? Is there a word for describing it? Or should I just use 'make'?


texts: Is "go down a storm" similar to "go down well"?

texts:
Something goes down a storm with somebody.
Something goes down well with somebody.
Are they the same in the meaning?
Or do they differ? such as one is formal and the other is informal?
BBC
English we speak
Source link


texts: What does the phrase “An anchor's cheer...” mean?

texts:
I found this line in Hamlet by William Shakespeare.

  An anchor's cheer in prison be my scope,

What does “anchor’s cheer” mean? How can an anchor be cheerful? Is “cheer” some part of an anchor? And what does “scope” mean here?


texts: I like to say I cannot see thing sharp because my eyes are weak and I dont have my glasses on. How should I put it? Can I say "I cannot see obviously." or " I see in a blur way".


texts:
Is it possible to use active voice, if we don't want to mention the subject.
For example:
 Is it possible to convert   "The room was cleaned " as an active voice statement


texts:
They did not tell me anything about the matter.

  a) Nothing was told me about that matter.

  b) Nothing was told about this matter to me.

Which one is the correct answer? I prefer #b as ''about this matter '' is more important than ''to me''.


texts:
There is such a thing in English that when a mass noun combined with an adjective it takes the indefinite article. For example:

  He had a great knowledge of English.

But I have noticed that is not always the case. For example: I have observed that with the word "fluency" and other adjective the is not followed, for instance:

  She showed great fluency in English.

Would it be correct to say "She showed a great fluency in English"? Tell me please if there is any additional rule to that.


texts: Meaning and nuance of "The art of those commercials is not to be mean, but it’s actually for the guys to like each other."

texts:
I love this part of the interview of Steve Jobs and Bill Gates because they, have been long-time rival to each other, exchanged positive emotions between them, on Steve's explaining about Apple's famous CM, Mac Guy vs PC Guy.
Then, I hope to understand the difference of a meaning or a nuance of the following sentences. I cannot get why Steve used the word "to".
An original sentence is:
The art of those commercials is not to be mean, but it’s actually for the guys to like each other.
Why would it not be "The art of those commercials is not mean, but it’s actually for the guys who like each other."?
Steve Jobs and Bill Gates Together at D5 Conference 2007
Here is the transcript.
Kara: And do you look at yourselves as rivals now? Today as the landscape has evolved–and we’ll talk about the Internet landscape and everything else and other companies that have [gone] forward, but how do you look at yourselves in this landscape today?
Walt: Because, I mean, you are competitors in certain ways, which is the American way, right?
Kara: We watch the commercials, right?
Walt: And you get annoyed at each other from time to time.
Kara: Although you know what? I have to confess, I like PC guy.
Walt: Yeah, he’s great.
Kara: Yeah, I like him. The young guy, I want to pop him.
Steve: The art of those commercials is not to be mean, but it’s actually for the guys to like each other. Thanks. PC guy is great. Got a big heart.


texts:
In The Economist: Turmoil in Hong Kong:

  On August 5th, at a press conference after two weeks hidden from public view, a rattled Carrie Lam, Hong Kong's chief executive, spoke of Asia’s financial hub being on the “verge of a very dangerous situation”.

Question 1: What does "a rattle person" mean here?

Question 2: Is the "a" here used as emphasis, like "a rattled President Obama"? (As an ell, this usage really confuses me.)


texts: My last novel had changed/had been changed three times before I was happy with it

texts:
My last novel had {changed/been changed} three times before I was happy with it.

Should I use "had changed" or "had been changed" in this sentence? I sometimes see cases that it is possible to use both of them, but does it work in this example?


texts: 'Sorry' as a replacement for 'Excuse me'?

texts:
Is it ok to say 'sorry' where you otherwise would use 'excuse me'?

Example: "Sorry, but could you show me the way to the next train station?"


texts:
In "Red Rock Mystery" book there is the text:

  Before she had been locked away, before her cries for help, she remembered daylight, soft and pure and warm. Now it felt a world away.
  What parents could do this to their own flesh and blood?

For me it would be fine if there would be "Why parents could do this to their own flesh and blood?". Can you explain to me why in last sentence there is "what" instead of "why"?


texts:
The task is on translating. I want to know is it acceptable to use Perfect Gerund (action of the Gerund has happened before the main action) instead of Gerund.

  "I've been a bad wife to him", - she thought. "Just yesterday I scolded him for not wiping/not having wiped his feet before he entered the kitchen. I'll never see him again."


texts: "I have ever been to New York. "Is this sentence correct?

texts:
I'm not a native english speaker.
I know this sentence is correct.

Have you ever been to New York? (O)
I have never been to New York. (O)

I have ever been to New York. <<<< ???
Is this sentence correct in grammar? or possible? or natural?


texts: where do I put the comma if any? After Please or would or allow?

texts: Please if you would allow three (3) business days for a reply back I will be forwarding this information over to my manager to review?


texts: Why do we use "has" for a plural subject?

texts:
I have a statement with an error, and I don't understand the explanation given to me about what is wrong with it.

  A letter of recommendation b)/ from the principal and c)/ the Head of English department have helped him to d)/ get this lucrative job. e)/ No error

The answer for the question about the above sentence shows we have to use has instead of have: have helped him to should be has helped him to. This is what I don't understand.

My question is that has is used to represent the singular form, so why do we have to use has? In the above sentence, "the principal and Head of English department" denotes two people — so why do we have to use has?


texts: What does “clear-cut title favorites” mean?

texts:
If Andre Iguodala goes to the Lakers, I believe they would become the clear-cut title favorites!

I do not understand the meaning of clear-cut, title and favorites here.

I had checked those words in dictionaries. I do not understand the relationship among those words(clear-cut, title and favorites). Firstly, title should be a noun? clear-cut should be a adjective? It is used as an adjective to modify title? Favorite is used as an adjective to modify title? But why favorite has “s”?


texts: 'Like yourself' is more polite than 'Like you'?

texts:
Today I used the expression like this:

  My first name may be difficult to pronounce for foreigners like yourself.

I used yourself to politely mention the reader, reminding a movie clip where an old man gently used the expression 'like yourself', but I am not sure whether this is commonly accepted as polite by native speakers. Maybe the sentence itself could be impolite..? Could anyone advise on this?


texts:
Instead of saying:

  I went to the hospital a month ago.

Is it acceptable to say:

  I was at the hospital a month ago.

Is either of these sentences preferred over the other?


texts: How to ask for the current token number of the person being served by customercare

texts:
In places like banks or other customer care centers, tokens are issued to people and based on the token number, one is served by customer care. At some places, there are automatic displays displaying the current token number being served.

In case, if we have to ask some one at the reception about the current status, how'll we ask the question :-

"Excuse me, can you please let me know the latest token number which is being served (any other better word in place of served ?) ?"

I hope you understand the situation that I am trying to describe here.


texts: Ramp University is set to close OVER THE NEXT YEAR (meaning)

texts:
I have to clarify the meaning of the bold letters:

  Ramp University is set to close OVER THE NEXT YEAR

Does it mean:

a) The university will close next year, throughout (from Jan. to Dec.)
b) The university will close next year, but it will close randomly (any month)

Disclaimer: This is not true, just an example.


texts: "The most frequently available devices are walking canes and talking watch."

texts:
The most frequently available devices are walking canes and talking watch.

In the sentence, Is it correct If I mention two devices even though I use "the most frequent"?

OR I should mention only one device. In the same way, lest frequently available devices color detector, electronic cane, liquid sensor.


texts: having + past participle vs past participle

texts:
What is the difference between the following two examples:

Faced with a bill for $10000, he has taken an extra job.
Having faced (with?) a bill for $10000, he has taken an extra job.

Or another example:

Finished the book, I had a holiday.
Having finished the book, I had a holiday.

As for me, both of them has meaning of "completeness".


texts:
What is the difference between too much and very much.

On seeing the lion she felt too much afraid.

On seeing the lion she felt very much afraid.

According to OALD meaning of too is very
So are two of the sentences given above correct?


texts: We can say "If you have any questions, please let me know." Then can we say "If you have some questions, please let me know."? Or what's the difference between them? Thanks.


texts: Present tense referring to general facts

texts: You know the sun rises in the morning and sets in the evening, and it's a general fact. Then, If I say just 'the sun rises' to describe the general fact, is it wrong? Must the verb modified because the sun doesn't always rise?


texts: "Being helped" vs he/she had been helped

texts:
Here are some sentences about "being helped":

Share your experiences of being helped by the Air Ambulance.

Source: http://www.worksopguardian.co.uk/news/share-your-experiences-of-being-helped-by-the-air-ambulance-1-8057024
California Nice victim talks about being helped by a stranger
Nice victim Greg Krentzman from Culver City, Calif, talks about being helped by a good Samaritan after being hit by a truck that killed 80.

Source:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/news/video-1311771/California-Nice-victim-talks-helped-stranger.html
Being helped by one of the nurses, the patient slipped and fell.

(Does it mean "as/while he was being helped"?)

Does "being helped" here refers to "he/she was being helped" or what kind of sentence construction it is ? How "being helped" is different from "had been helped, for example:

  share your experiences you had been helped by the air ambulance.


texts:
It is clear that the consumptions of beef, lamb and fish declined over
  a 5-year period.

I would like to ask that is it grammatically correct to use "consumption" as plural noun (consumptions) in order to mean: the consumption of beef, the consumption of lamb and the consumption of fish?

I know that consumption is an uncountable noun which is not supposed to be used as a plural form, but I still feel somewhat wrong to use just "consumption" to describe 3 objects.

Which one do you think is correct in the case above: "consumption" or "consumptions"?


texts: What function does 'open' have in 'She pushed open the door'?

texts:
I find this sentence in number 12 out of 4.1 exercise in a book named Advanced GRAMMAR IN USE published by Cambridge university press.

  She pushed open the door and ran into the room.

I looked up the dictionary and think that the word 'open' must be an adjective. But I don't understand why the word 'open' is put in that place instead of putting it between the word 'the' and the word 'door'.

The pattern 'push sth + adj. ' is found in Oxford English dictionary for advanced learners and there is an example sentence: I pushed the door open. So can I think that 'open' in this sentence is an adjective?Besides, almost any dictionaries do not consider 'open' as an adverb including non-ESL dictionaries such as webster's new world college dictionary and merriam webster's collegiate dictionary, which suprises me a lot !!!


texts:
(Pun intended.)
So, I've been reading Kafka's translations into English, and one of my favorites is still "A Crossbreed". What puzzles me though is the use of articles in the last paragraph. It reads:

Perhaps the knife of the butcher would be a release for this animal...

So, I did not really understand the use of two the's (also, hope it's an appropriate way to pluralize "the" ): does this mean that there is some specific butcher with some specific knife? Is it allusion to God?.. So, Kafka being Kafka, I checked the original (the same link as above), and it reads:

Vielleicht wäre für dieses Tier das Messer des Fleischers eine
Erlösung...

Now, my knowledge of German is pretty much zero, but I know that "die" is one of the forms of the definite article in German, so we can say that the translator(s) just "retranslated" (as in, "relayed") Kafka's word, i.e. it's not their addition or interpretation.
So, my question is still: why "the"? What is the grammatical / semantical reason here? Also, am I right in interpreting "a release" meaning that it is just one available way, i.e. "the release" would be more fatalistic? Possibly, it is more of a literary interpreation question, but grammar is a tool to express it, after all.
If you also understand German, it would help even more, I think, because it is possible that the definite article has some pecularities in German that I am not even aware of.
P.S. Now, having re-read my question, I would also appreciate if you correct my usage of articles in it if there are any mistakes. That story made me realize how lacking my knowledge of article usage is. Thank you for your time.


texts:
Is "I'm just doing things that everyone needs to do" a correct sentence?

form 1. The things you need to do.

form 2. The things that you need to do.

form 1. I'm just doing things everyone needs to do.

form 2. I'm just doing things that everyone needs to do.

From the two forms of sentence above, which is the correct one? The one with "that" or the one without? Or both?

Any help would be appreciated.


texts: Though I have heard 'worthful' in some usages and also I have checked it in the Meriam-Webster website, I am still in doubt if it is a formal word, because lots of the grammar checkers show it as wrong (even this web site spell-checker!)


texts:
What is the difference between out of breath and breathless?

I have read the dictionary carefully. I saw an example is that:

  We were out of breath after only five minutes.

And 'out of breath' is used with the meaning having the difficulty breathing after exercise.

I wonder if we can use breathless instead of out of breath in that case ?


texts: How do I use words that I have learned just recently?

texts:
So I like using new words when I learn them, especially because they sound cool, and nice. However, I can't seem to put them in a sentence where it doesn't sound awkward, or pretentious. It will always seem awkward. For example, the word peruse (not just this word, other words as well). Is there a way to practice how a word is used without sounding awkward when using it?

I do indeed convey the meaning properly, however it just doesn't sound good when I use it in a sentence, please tell me what to do, I want to be able to use fancy words and be a very good writer at English. Please help me, can you show me just peruse as an example? Thank you very much in advance.


texts: Meaning of "Tea leaves are a challenge to read."

texts:
From CNBC.com:

  But the tea leaves about Saudi Aramco's current leanings are apparently a challenge to read, with several well-placed experts telling CNBC that New York is either a complete shoo-in for the listing — or it stands absolutely no chance because of regulation and geopolitical concerns.

Does the bold part of the sentence above mean "predicting the future of Aramco by looking at its current tendencies is apparently a challenge"?


texts: What is the exact use(s) of "feel like"?

texts:
As I have concluded "I feel like" can have two different meanings. One is "to have a desire for", and the other is "feel as if" or simply just "feel".
I just want to know how common(or correct) is the second meaning?

For examples:
What is the difference between

"I feel like I am not able to eat more"

and

"I feel that I am not able to eat more"

and

"I feel as if I am not able to eat more"?

Is the first sentence correct at all?


texts:
Is there any other way to say this sentence?
I would like to take out one of the "of" in this sentence, because it seems too much. The sentence is:

"This organ contains three kinds of groups of cells"


texts: "being there such differences" - is this an acceptable turn of phrase?

texts:
All studies should be directed at identification of potential differences between a biosimilar drug and a reference drug, and on assessment of their significance (being there such differences).

Is this an acceptable phrase? I would have written "when such differences are detected" or "should there be such differences", but maybe the bolded phrase is also acceptable.


texts: Which follows an uncountable noun of multiple things, singular or plural verb?

texts:
Which of these sentences is better?

  The water usage of Alice and Bob are different.

  The water usage of Alice and Bob is different.

The first one seems better because we can treat two uncountable nouns (Alice's water usage and Bob's water usage) as two things. But is either of the sentences better than the other?

Here let's assume "usage" is an uncountable noun.


texts:
Here's the sentence in my textbook.

What's the most important thing you would consider when you buy a computer?

But, what if I start the sentence with "What's the thing.."

Can I say like..

  What's the thing you think is so important you would consider when you buy a computer?
  What's the thing you would consider because is so important when you buy a computer?
  What's the thing you would consider because it is so important when you buy a computer?

I think #1,2 are right, but #3 is not right. Am I right?


texts:
i know wh words can be used in wh clauses apart from wh questions, so i have one doubt below, which is mentioned below. please let me know which is correct or both correct?

we should know, what they eat and what they do not.
we should know, what do they eat and what do not.

any other usage of Wh words exaplanation is appreciated


texts: Is this grammatically correct? - I guess it is caused by many of the stones are overlapping with each other

texts:
Is this grammatically correct?

I guess it is caused by many of the stones are overlapping with each other.

I think be caused by should be followed by reasons, but I am not sure it could be a clause or only a phrase. And If it could be a clause, should I use be instead of are ? And finally, if yes, what's the name of this grammar?

I guess it is caused by many of the stones being overlapping with each other.


texts: "Get smart in something", "get smart about something" or "get smart with something"?

texts:
Could you tell me which preposition I use after smart: in, about, or with when specifying something the person wants to be knowlegeable about. For example:

I want to get smart in math.
I want to get smart about math.
I want to get smart with math.


texts: Meaning of ''in complexity'' in a sentence

texts:
I have read a sentence in an article.

  Robots are growing in complexity.

What does "growing in complexity" mean in this sentence?


texts:
They sat silent in the coal-black cave of vines. Ma said, “How’m I
  gonna know ’bout you? They might kill ya’ and I wouldn’ know. They
  might hurt ya. How’m I gonna know?” Tom laughed uneasily, “Well, maybe
  like Casy says, a fella ain’t got a soul of his own, but on’y a piece
  of a big one–an’ then–” “Then what, Tom?” “Then it don’t
  matter. Then I’ll be all aroun’ in the dark. I’ll be
  ever’where–wherever you look. Wherever they’s a fight so hungry people
  can eat, I’ll be there. Wherever they’s a cop beatin’ up a guy, I’ll
  be there. If Casy knowed, why, I’ll be in the way guys yell when
  they’re mad an’–I’ll be in the way kids laugh when they’re hungry an’
  they know supper’s ready. An’ when our folks eat the stuff they raise
  an’ live in the houses they build–why, I’ll be there. See? God, I’m
  talkin’ like Casy. Comes of thinkin’ about him so much. Seems like I
  can see him sometimes.” “I don’ un’erstan’,” Ma said. “I don’
  really know.” “Me neither,” said Tom. “It’s jus stuff I been
  thinkin’ about. Get thinkin’ a lot when you ain’t movin’ aroun’. You
  got to get back, Ma.” “You take the money then.” He was
  silent for a moment. “Awright,” he said. “An’, Tom, later–when
  it’s blowed over, you’ll come back. You’ll find us?” “Sure,” he
  said. “Now you better go. Here, gimme your han’.” He guided her toward
  the entrance. Her fingers clutched his wrist. He swept the vines aside
  and followed her out. “Go up to the field till you come to a sycamore
  on the edge, an’ then cut acrost the stream. Good-by.” “Good-by,”
  she said, and she walked quickly away. Her eyes were wet and burning,
  but she did not cry. (John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath, p439)

It seems it refers to cotton picking and blowed takes a role of linking-verb, so the highlighted part means when the picking is over. But Tom has to go out as a fugitive and his family are just itinerant workers. So this seems their last face-to-face talking for Tom’s mother, as is with her other son Noah and her son-in-law. Then what does her saying mean?


texts: Is "except" the correct word in this context?

texts:
Several Punnett squares illustrating these interactions are noted on
  the next page. Note that females are likely to be color blind 33
  percent of the time while males are likely to be color blind 50
  percent of the time in these interactions. This is also illustrated on
  the following page.

  All possible sex-linked trait crosses except color blindness
  (The list of test crosses ONLY FOR color blindness follows.)
  1. ...
  2. ...
  3. ...
  4. ...

In the book, there is only one chart. Although the title of this single chart says there are all crosses EXCEPT those for color blindness, there are actually crosses ONLY FOR color blindness.
The word except means not including, but, besides. Doesn't it mean then that all possible sex-linked trait crosses are included other than test crosses for color blindness? Is it just a mistake in the book or some other meaning of the word in the context?


texts: Is it grammatically correct to use ''will'' after ''hope'' and ''if''?

texts:
I'm wondering something that if we can use ''will'' after ''hope'' and ''if''. Normally I thought or rather I learnt we could never use ''will'' after ''hope or if'' but I came across these usages while I was watching tv series that is doctor who (classic one). I know sometimes we could come across grammatical errors in the tv series or movies but I don't think BBC could make a mistake like that. I don't remember in which episode but I'm sure I saw these usages.

So is it okay if we use like that or has that rule changed afterwards? Because that episode of doctor who was released in 1964.


texts:
I’ve been trying to find an answer to this and it seems that “going on holiday” is a standard phrase for British English. I’m not a native English speaker and “going for a holiday” seems much more natural for me.

Is it wrong? Why is the article omitted?