texts: I loved her more that I've done any of my exes. - does this sentence make sense?

texts:
I loved her more that I've done any of my exes.
this is the first sentence that I've come up with. but the girl that broke up with me is now another ex. So is the following sentence better?

I loved her more that I've done any of the other exes of mine.

I loved her more that I've done any of my other exes

I loved her more that I've done any of my the other exes.

I loved her more that I've done any of the other exes.

I think #4 sounds best. and #3 doesn't make sense because 'my' is already implying a definite so we don't need to use definite article 'the'. and I don't know if #1 and #2 sounds natural. can you help me with this?


texts: Why can't we say "I regret I didn't do it"?

texts:
I recently talked to a native speaker and he told me that we can't say:

  I regret I didn't do it.

And that we should say instead:

  I regret not doing it.

I understand why he second sentence is right. But what's wrong with the first one? Why can we say:

  I suggested I should do it.

  I forgot I did it.

  I explained I did it.

Why can't we say that?

  I regret I didn't do it.

What's the difference?

I mean the verbs can follow at least one of the patters: verb to do sth or verb doing sth and verb (that) sb did/does sth. So there should always be at least two ways of using each verb. Why not in the case of regret?

Are there any other verbs which can't be used like that (verb (that) sb does/did something)?


texts: key estimate "in" establishing or key estimate "to" establishing

texts:
I am struggling to decide which sentence is correct (maybe they are both correct?) and I would appreciate any comments.

The sentences I am trying to decide between are

  The following result was the key estimate to establishing the main result in ...

  The following result was the key estimate in establishing the main result in ...


texts:
Can you please provide more example or perhaps a reference to usage of to leave as the following example?

  The founding fathers established constitutional protections for the
  press because they understood that leaving the watchdog function to
  partisan politicians wouldn’t necessarily serve the public interest.


texts: Difference between "sue/charge/accuse/litigate/bring a suit/bring an action"

texts:
I'd like to know the difference between sue/charge/accuse/litigate/bring a suit/bring an action which I run into a lot in articles. They all can mean taking a legal action. But in Chinese we don't have as many choices of words to mean the same thing. Dictionaries help me poorly with that except for collocation. (I know some of them have other meanings, but that's not the problem here)

Can you please explain to me what the nuances are suggested between them in terms of severity, purpose, or parties involved etc?


texts: "I have a grievance (from you that)..." - Is 'from you that' redundant?

texts:
Suppose two close friends are talking about a problems which recently has occurred between them; then does the bold segment in the sentence bellow seem redundant to you or not:

  I have a grievance from you that I need to air with you.


texts: "Zilch. Every. Dang. Year." - what does it mean?

texts:
I found Zilch. Every. Dang. Year. in A bittersweet farewell to the Obamas at their last White House Easter egg roll.

Zilch is nothing at all

What does Zilch. Every. Dang. Year. mean in this article?


texts: When can I use present perfect for old events?

texts:
In English Grammar in Use, it is said that we have to use past simple instead of present perfect for things that are not recent or new:

Use the past simple (not the present perfect) for things that are not recent or new:
Mozart was a composer. He wrote more than 600 pieces of music. (not has been ... has written)

However, later in the same book, there is the following example:

Fireworks are supposed to have been invented in China.

Tell me if I'm wrong but it is present perfect ; for simplicity, we can rephrase the above sentence like this:

Fireworks have been invented in China.

It seems to be a contradiction. The invention of the fireworks is not a recent event. According to the first example, we should use past simple.
In this answer, it is said:

There is no limit on how far back an event occurred, the only requirement is that we are talking about the state or effects of the event in the present.

Should I conclude we can use present perfect for recent events and English Grammar in Use is wrong about that?


texts: "Would you mind if I [do something]?" versus "Would you mind me [doing something]?"

texts:
Is there any difference between the following sentences?

Would you mind if I smoke a cigarette outside?
Would you mind me smoking a cigarette outside?

Would you mind if I prepare a tea cup for you?
Would you mind me preparing a tea cup for you?

To me, "Would you mind me [doing something]?" and "Would you mind if I [do something]?" seem equivalent ways to ask before doing something, but maybe there are differences between those phrases that a native speaker would catch.


texts:
On Wikipedia it is said:

  Battle royal (plural battles royal) traditionally refers to a fight involving three or more combatants that is fought until only one fighter remains standing. In recent times the term has been used in a more general sense to refer to any fight involving large numbers of people that are not organized into factions.

(Emphasis mine)

Why is the plural "battles royal" rather than "battle royals"?


texts: What is a habitual sentence and in what does it differ other legal sentences?

texts:
Here are some examples:

  He was facing five years on each count and you are also facing a habitual sentence, she told him, and you can actually get double.

  Prosecutors counter that it is more common for a defendant facing a habitual sentence to make an "open plea" - legal jargon for what is poetically termed "throwing himself on the mercy of the court."

  He's turned so much around, and it doesn't make sense for him to be facing a habitual sentence now,


texts: "could have +past participle" and "couldn't have +past participle" meaning in Interrogative sentences

texts: I know that "could have +past participle" and "couldn't have +past participle" have different meanings when we use them in Declarative sentences, but I think when we use them in Interrogative sentences they have the same meaning. Am I right? Examples: Could you have been nicer at the party? couldn't have you been nicer at the party?


texts:
Which one should I choose:

  Don't you think it's time you tell vs told Adrea the truth?


texts:
Is there any difference between "Aim" and "Goal"?
I often seen while filling the Resume or Bio-data, there were two fields as:

  Aim:
  Goals:


texts: Is there an idiom that means "taking revenge for X"?

texts:
I know the idiomatic phrase "getting back at someone", but the issue here is that it's synonymous with "taking revenge against someone" instead "taking revenge for an action done against me". Are there idioms that mean the latter?

For example:

  I will get my revenge for the things you've done to me.


texts: Is there any particular term to mention the small ditches on the road?

texts: Is there any particular term to mention the small ditches on the road ?


texts: meaning explanation of blanket justification

texts:
I want to know what is this. I hope it is correct, but I'm ask you to be sure
so please help me .
The complete sentence is :

  network invariably fall back on the blanket justification of giving
  people what they want .


texts: Is it really wrong to say, "I lived here for two years"?

texts:
I just read a very interesting point in the book Ready for FCE. The question was about the difference between I lived here for two years, and I had been living here for two years. Apparently, when you say the first, it means you don't live here anymore, and when you say the second one, you might be living here or you might not.

I wonder if it's rigorous grammar and in everyday English, speakers use the first statement even if they now live in the same place where they used to.


texts:
Is that valid to say:

  I've been reading 3 books this week.

Is this sentence grammatically correct?, I know that it is better to say I've read 3 books this week, But Is it grammatical to say the sentence above?


texts:
What is Name or word for the edges in the top of windows outside the building/house which are marked in the pictures? In most buildings/houses which is big where a person can stand or even sit. Not I'm not referring cornice, balcony or porch.

I just found, in India we call this slab. Does any agree with this word?


texts:
To perform this pose, they rest on their legs while positioned
  wide apart, as if they were straddling an invisible horse.

I am not sure whether this use is grammatically correct. Is it okay?


texts: Are feelings countable or uncountable in this example?

texts:
There was (a) strange puzzlement in his eyes.

Is the article incorrect or not in this sentence?
To my ear, both cases are correct. Adding the article before the adjective makes the feeling (puzzlement in this case) more unique, as opposed to the "typical strange" puzzlement that would be intended without the article.


texts:
In Glass (2019) movie, Elijah's mom is talking about his son:

  Elijah's mom: He has this notion that superheroes are based on people
  like him, and that other gentleman I read is here, Mr. Dunn.

  Dr Ellie: Would it surprise you to know there are more and more people
  who have this delusion? It is actually the center of my work

  Elijah's mom: Yes, it would.


texts: Is it correct to ask someone "Are you still at the university?"

texts:
So, other day when was sitting in the library, it hit me, where is someone.
I texted the person saying "Are you still at the university?" To which I wondered, whether i'm writing correct grammar or not?
Should I be using "at" or "in"?


texts:
I found the following phrase in a book I was reading：

  I will personally send agents to your house to remove your kneecaps in the dead of night.

I am confused about the meaning of remove your kneecaps. Does this mean cut down the kneecaps? Or does kneecaps mean others?

I know the author's meaning, he wants to express his fuss. But why use remove your kneecaps, is there some allusion?


texts:
Shut up you idiot!

  Shut up idiot!

How does "you" affect the meaning of the first clause? Are they both formal ways of addressing?


texts: "X is brave. Y also is brave (bla-bla)", or "Y is also brave (bla-bla)", or "Y is brave also (bla-bla)"?

texts:
Which of these variants is clear and unambiguous?
(bla-bla) is some very long phrase like "as everybody knows".


texts:
Which one is correct?

  Is it good or is it bad?

  Is it good or it is bad?

I am pretty sure that the first one is correct, but are there any cases in which the second one would be a valid option too? I could not manage to answer this using Google, since I was able to find millions of examples of both cases.


texts: What does "trade on" mean in this context?

texts:
Does it have an idiomatic meaning here?

"Even Netflix was at $99 a share just three days ago, and closed at $123 on Thursday. The story for this stock was turned on its head when it reported earnings earlier this week. Netflix trades on the amount of subscribers it receives, and those subscription numbers have been weak lately, though the company repeatedly told investors not to judge its growth on a quarterly basis and to think long-term."

SOURCE: http://www.cnbc.com/2016/10/20/jim-cramer-warns-that-if-you-treat-stocks-like-politics--youll-be-eviscerated.html


texts:
From Primal Fear (1996)
A psychiater discovers that her patient suffers from the dissociated personality. She describes:

  I kept seeing the signs. The big ones. Abusive background, these
  repeated blackouts, the ellipses in thought

I couldn't really understand what are ellipses in this case. All dictionaries say that an ellipse is from mathematics.


texts: How to understand "that he had come to dread" in the sentence?

texts:
"Ray," she said in that whispery conspirator's voice that he had come to dread.  "Ray, listen --"

I saw the sentence in a book, The Long Walk.  The usage of that that-clause confuses me.  Is it modifying the noun word voice? I think the sentence is saying her whispery conspirator's voice made him come to dread.  Is my understanding correct? And, why does it use the perfect tense？


texts: Does "I'm staying in Dallas through April" mean until April 1 or until April 30?

texts: So, this is embarrassing ... I'm a native English speaker, and someone told me they're "staying in Dallas through April." Does that mean they're leaving Dallas April 1 or April 30? This post addressed the question, but it only got one answer, and I'm trying to figure out if there are multiple interpretations to this. Thanks!


texts: How to distinguish in English "to produce smell" from "to try to detect smell"

texts:
I have to produce a one or two-word epithet which means "somebody who strives to detect(or assess) the smell of [something]". But I was surprised that to produce smell and to detect smell is expressed with the same word in English. So I cannot say "food-smeller" for example, because this would be understood as a person who produces the smell of food.

How can I express the meaning I need?


texts:
I read the sentence

  The driver process runs your main()
   function, sits on a node in the cluster, and is responsible for
  three things:...

I am not sure

  sits on a node in the cluster

modify the process or function . I always stumble by the similar situation, please tell me how I can call this syntax and what's the rule to judge this?


texts: Plural should be used on decimal quantities?

texts:
In following situations, should we use singular or plural?

  I have 300 units of goods and this will last 0.8 [month | months].
  I have 1,000 units and this will last 2.5 [month | months].

Thank you for your advice.


texts:
I came across this the other day, but found this strange:

  It is never boring going into space. You get to experience...

Should it be:

  It is never boring to go into space? You get to experience...

If both are possible, can anyone tell the difference in usage or meaning, or why do both have the same meaning?

Thanks a lot!


texts:
I want you succeed in life.

Is the above sentence correct? It sounds grammatical if we think of the sentence as 'I want that you succeed in life' and take 'that you succeed in life' as the object of the verb.

Is it the same as:

  I want you to succeed in life.

Will it be correct to think as it? Is the particle 'to' omitted in the sentence?

(I don't mean that I want to succeed).


texts: Someone's / something's privilege against someone / something else

texts:
Imagine two friends are talking to each other about a rival company which is competing one of these two (as the owner of a big company) for a big project to win the lowest bid. The guy who is the owner of the company is worried a lot and the other one is going to make his advantages bold and express his sympathy in that way. I have no idea how to phrase it like a native speaker. I just can translate what comes through my mind to English. Please let me know if it sounds natural to you? If not, please let me know how a native speaker would say it:

  Don't worry; your privilege (in front of / against) him is your education degree / financial (status / conditions) / etc.


texts: what do you call someone who cannot tell the difference between right and wrong/love and hate?

texts:
I am looking for a word that describes someone who cannot tell the difference between love and hate, or right and wrong.

NOT "innocent", I am looking for a different connotation.


texts: Is "break X at the seams" a metaphor, or something else?

texts:
The Mariana crow actually uses its bill to peck and break the shell at
the seams to extract the vulnerable crab.

https://corvidresearch.blog/tag/extinct-crow/
I was told it wasn't an idiom, so I am wondering if it's a valid metaphorical usage. I do see it often.


texts:
The below is the excerpt from an online article. Could anyone explain why the present perfect tense is used in the bold fonted part?
Do not start and plug through every task until you’ve asked this question: “Do I really need to do this now?”


texts:
I am working on some application, My first language is not English, I have some drag and drop box as attached bellow, I have 3 questions:

1+2: Is the marked field at the picture are ok? I'm not sure if I need to add the "  'a' file..."

3: When the user trying to drag more the one file I want to tell him that only file, I added the message screenshot, the messagק is fine?


texts: use 'to' to indicate a verb in flashcards

texts:
I am trying to guide my son on how to create flashcards to study vocabulary for Spanish as a second language. My question is about english though. When I learned english long time ago I used 'to' to indicate that the word is a verb. So, I would write 'to go', 'to be', etc instead of 'go' or 'be'.

Is there still any reason why I should use 'to go' instead of 'go' or is it just that long time ago people were more formal? My son asked me and I don't have a good answer.


texts: Meaning of "First day of week" in different countries

texts:
"First day of week", as shown by calendars in general use, is different depending on country. Example:

 (Monday) versus   (Sunday).

What is its meaning/use in countries where English is an official language (e.g. USA, UK, New Zealand, Australia, India, South Africa, Malta, Ireland, Canada)?

I am looking for an answer similar to

"In [country] it is Monday, whereas in [country] it is Sunday. Also in [country] it is Sunday, while in [country] it is Monday. ..."

Thus, maybe just take a look at your calendar and tell me what you see (and where you are located).

Related: http://www.tondering.dk/claus/cal/week.php, "What is the first day of the week?" (which neither gives a list).


texts:
Where do you think, we are in?

What's wrong with this sentence? My editor says the following comment.

Review this sentence for preposition use, particularly at the end of sentences               The preposition, “in”, is at the end of a sentence.  Consider re-wording your sentence so the preposition is not at the end. In informal cases, we often end a sentence with a preposition.  When writing formally, ending a sentence with a preposition should be avoided.  Prepositions are words like on, in, to, with, from, about and through.


texts: Does "to look at" mean something similar to "looking at" in this context?

texts:
1) I was in the zoo to look at/see the animals.

2) I was in the zoo looking at the animals.

3) I went to the zoo to look at/see the animals.

Does the first sentence mean something similar to either of the other two sentences? Is it grammatically correct?
Do we say "I was in X (place) to do sth", or do we say "I was in X (place) doing sth?


texts: Is this possessive its clear to the sentence?

texts:
The sentence in question is:

  An X microphone can sense a Y speaker vibrating with a high frequency up to a limit determined by its elastic sensitivity.

Does possessive pronoun its here clearly refer to X microphone ? Or any chance the reader is confused to assume it refers to Y.


texts:
An American tutorial says

  English is a perfect balance between the long
  versus short, the high versus low, the stressed versus the effortless ...

which uses "effortless" as the opposite of "stressed". it seems to be a little bit uncommon as "effortless" is not in the tons of options from wordhippo.

Simply, the opposite of the word "stressed" is obviously "unstressed". Apart from which, is there any other common options could be the opposite of "stressed" when talking about INTONATION?


texts: Present Progressive in Conditional sentences

texts:
Someone wrote:

  We could commute with comfort in Warsaw, having enough room in our means of public transport, but for the 'sardines' getting on them.

I suggested (based on another suggestion):

  We would be commuting comfortably in Warsaw with enough spaces in public transport, if it wasn't for these 'sardines' screwing things up.

First, is the original sentence with "could commute" correct?

Second, is my usage of "progressive present" in this case, correct and natural? Could you please tell the  usage of this tense in conditional sentences?


texts: Possessive construction : "elements positions" vs. "element positions"

texts:
The question may appear like this question, however here I doubt the plurality of the second noun
What is correct, and what is the difference of

elements position
elements' positions
elements positions
element positions


texts: What does "play the beard" mean in this context?

texts:
This is a scene from the movie Synchronicity.

  Jim: Was I playing the beard tonight?

  Abby: Why do you ask?

  Jim: Well, either you came to the lab with Klaus or you got there through the wormhole.

  Abby: I did arrive with Klaus. But I'm leaving with you.

I am not sure what "playing the beard" means in this context, and it appears to be a total non-sequitur. It doesn't seem to be idiomatic. I can only think of it being sort of a reference to Jim being a facade/playing a role for Abby.


texts: Is it correct/acceptable to leave out the personal pronoun in this case?

texts:
Being used to writing in Italian, where using a personal pronoun as the subject of a clause is not mandatory, I wrote the following sentence:

  It could be a user thinks the post could make better, doesn't down-vote, but explains what is wrong in the post.

Is it acceptable to avoid writing the personal pronoun in this case?

Are there cases where it is possible, and cases where it is not possible?
For example, I would not find anything strange with a sentence similar to the following one.

  I went to the bank to get money from the ATM, bought fruit to Stop'n'Shop, picked up my sister, and went to the cinema.


texts: Present perfect simple for an unfinished action

texts:
I decided to walk back home. I had walked for about 200 meters when the storm began and I ran to the nearest cafe.

Would it be possible to use past perfect progressive since the walk was not completed?

A worksheet about this issue


texts: To avoid not repeating the same verb twice

texts:
Why do I need to write the auxiliary verb "do" down to replace this regular verb in this statement? I mean:

*Love me like you do


texts: What's the word that refers to the pronoun the possessive pronoun his/her relates to?

texts:
I don't remember what it's called. For instance:

  Robert lost his keys.

Robert is the pronoun the possessive pronoun his refers to.

I am guessing there's a technical term used by grammarians, but I have no idea what it is.

If I were to give a stab at it, I would call it the master pronoun, but that sounds just dumb.


texts: What does the meaning of " so I spiraled and shut you out"?

texts:
It's a phrase from the line:
The last time Cal got sick, you went down a rabbit hole looking for every remedy, shutting out the world, shutting out me, and so I spiraled and shut you out.

What does "spiraled" and "shut you out" means in this phrase? I checked the dictionary but still confused... I mean, it's weird for me to use spiraled to describe a feeling... looking for help!


texts:
I have read a phrase in a religious writing 'pleasure of God'. I had a kind of feeling that 'pleasure' doesn't fit best here. The writer meant to say:
to please God
He used a noun form. His writing was about good deeds, virtues that humans do to please God. His sentence was:
Can he make atonement by giving charity for the pleasure of God?
I think it should be:
Can he make atonement by giving charity to please God.
Am I right?
Do natives use this phrase 'pleasure of God'? Do you say, [I am worshiping for the pleasure of God.]?
Actually the word 'pleasure' seems to give kind of different meaning.


texts: The usage of the modal verb "should" in a sentence

texts:
I wonder what meaning of the verb "should" is used here in the sentence.

  I was surprised that he should say such a thing.

The sentence is from English Grammar in Use by Raymond Murphy. Unit 34, part D.

I totaly don't get it, what meaning does "should" have here?
My friend native said he doesn't know why here "should" is used, but said that I could easily replace it with "would" but I dont get it either, so I am here.

For me the sentence:

  I was surprised that he had said such a thing.

looks far better.
He commented the difference like:

1) It sounds like what he said is very out of character for him.

2) Here it's more simply surprise about what he said and doesn't really reflect on the person who said it.

Actually I don't get this explanation either, so I would like to see some detailed response to that subject.If it's correct rephrase that for me please. Thanks!


texts: Develop in/ according to [some] scenario

texts:
Please fill the blank:

If the measures are not taken, the situation may develop ___ the worst scenario.

'According to'? 'In'? I would like to avoid rephrasing


texts:
The children studied him impassively.

That was an example sentence from a dictionary. Unfortunately I failed to understand its meaning. Besides, there is no more context. This is the whole shebang! To the best of my knowledge, people don't study someone, but something! Or maybe everyone else have done that and it's only me who have missed out on the fun!


texts: Does "give up" in this sentence mean quitting smoking?

texts:
I have researched the exact meaning of give up as in dictionaries.

But give up in the sentence below seems to have no object words, which means it is used as an intransitive phrasal verb.

  We surveyed 500 smokers and found that over three quarters would like to give up.

And in the Macmillan dictionary as in the answer below which Mike added the link in, the intransitive version of give up means to stop doing something that you are trying hard to do, which seems to be inappropriate in this case. And also in Oxford dictionaries there are similar explanations regarding give up.

So I wonder if, also in this case, "give up" can mean quitting smoking.


texts: What does the word "topically" mean in this context?

texts: The drugs can be administered orally, or topically.


texts: A relative clause for this sentence with "let"

texts:
I wrote:

  There was another manned aircraft with it, which Iranians let it go

When I tried to remove extra "it", it would be:

  There was another manned aircraft with it, which Iranians let go

However, it doesn't sound familiar to my ear. Is it a correct relative clause, if no how can I rewrite it?


texts:
Consider these two sentences.

  people use smart phones all over the
  world

  people use smart phones all across the
  world

per Oxford Dictionary, "all over" means "everywhere".

per Cambridge Dictionary, "across" means

  in every part of a particular place or country

And then, "all across the world" means "everywhere in the world". Obviously both of them mean the same.

However, Google Ngram implies that the former is much more commonly used than the latter.

So, is it both grammatical and idiomatic to say "all across the world"?

update: thanks to @FumbleFingersReinstateMonica reminder, here is another one.


texts:
Could we use one adjective for two nouns? Is the following sentence correct?

  It has low speed and voltage.


texts:
Is there an expression that means "the worst of the two combined"?

This is like merging CNN with Fox News while only taking their worst
sides.

The above doesn't sound very idiomatic. There's a better way of saying it.


texts:
When should 'into', 'in' and 'inside' be used?  What are the differences between the three?

For example, what are the differences between the following statements?  Are any of them incorrect?

  The frog jumped into the well.
  The frog jumped in the well.
  The frog jumped inside the well.


texts:
As a beginner, I cannot understand the conversation in R. City - Locked Away music video at 1m 46s. It sounds like "very American" English.

I googled it, but it is not part of the song and I could not find any transcription.

Could you transcript it please ?

EDIT: I especially wonder if he is saying man or ma'am.


texts:
I have a paper to write before class.

I can say this, if I'm not mistaken, this way:

  I have a paper which is to be written before class.

What has happened here? What is the name of this?

Another example:

  The inherent desire to develop that technique caused him to spend 11 years on it.

Here this can be said in this way:

  The inherent desire (which was to/in order to) develop that technique caused him to spend 11 years on it.

Could you give me a link for further study?


texts:
What made him drive off the road? Did he collide with another car?

Is collide natural here? And would it mean that he hit the other car?


texts:
1)  'What did he say?'
  2)  'What he said?'

I am much confused about these terms please anybody explain
       which one is correct and which I should use?


texts: Why Is the First Letter "a" Pronounced Differently in The Words "Arabic" [heir ah bick] and "arachnid" [ah rack nihd]?

texts:
I'm wondering which rule(s) causes the word Arabic to have it's first "a" pronounced differently than the first "A" in arachnid.
You can hear samples on Dictionary.com:

Arabic,
arachnid.

I'm aware that some people pronounce them differently, but
these samples show them the way I'm accustomed to hearing them, as Arabic [heir ah bick], and arachnid [ah rack nihd].


texts:
Is it grammatically correct to say:

  He is our chemistry teacher.
  He is our English teacher.

etc? Can academic subjects be used as adjectives?


texts: What does it mean 'the exam is under referral'?

texts:
What is the meaning of the following sentence:

  The exam is under referral, because there was no accompaniment.

It's about music exam and it's the reply on the question how the exam went.

Does it mean the exam went bad (e.g. student fault), or everything is fine (good) or the exam is postponed?


texts: When someone asks me, where do you go to school, are they asking for the address of the school that I attend?


texts:
It is from this video. It is at 6 minute and 13 second.

  Twelve years later, 2006, I learned that the man dropped all of his appeals, and his execution date was approaching.

Does the speaker mean that all of the man's attempts to get acquitted failed, or that he accepted the sentence?


texts: Does a redundant word make an English sentence incorrect?

texts:
Consider the following two sentences:

If you do not study, you will fail the exam.

If you do not study, then you will fail the exam.

I know that the first sentence is preferred over the second one. The word "then" is a redundant word in the second sentence. But my question is: does that make the second sentence grammatically incorrect?


texts:
A very annoyed tone. (grammatically correct)
He seemed much annoyed. (grammatically correct)

I would like to know if I wrote (or said) "He seemed very annoyed" whether the native speaker would consider it as being a mistake?


texts: Have + object + past participle vs Have + object + bare infinitive

texts:
1).  Cambridge dictionary link and Some of my friends are saying have + object + bare infinitive is used to talk about an experience

We had a strange woman come to the door selling pictures.

2).  While others are saying have + object + past participle  is used to talk about an experience

We had a strange woman came to the door selling pictures.

In this site I found the second form as correct. The example I found in his site - The minister had eggs thrown at him. (This means  The minister underwent the experience of eggs being thrown at him )
I feel that the first sentence means “We made or instructed  a strange women come to the door” and the second sentence is correct. But as an non native speaker with zero knowledge in English, I can’t question cambridge dictionary. So which of the two is correct?


texts: NumerICs vs numerALs, what is the difference if any?

texts:
I looked up MW but failed to see whether they are interchangeable.

On a daily basis I find difficulties in adjective forming, so I guess this is just one more of the -IC versus -AL dilemmas, no?


texts:
Suppose I spent my holiday visiting a city for 10 days, but I stayed in the hotel for 8 days since the bad weather.

Could I say:

  "I visited the city, but I stayed most of the time in the hotel"

Does this sound natural?


texts:
In which of the sentences below would the use of at be grammatically correct?

  i. I do not want to talk about mine stay at sea.

  or

  ii. I do not want to talk about mine stay at the sea.


texts: How do we properly use the "more ... than" phrase?

texts:
This politician greatly entertained us more by his lack of intelligence
  than his sense of humor.

  This politician badly entertained us more by his lack of intelligence
  than his sense of humor.

  This politician didn't entertain us more by his lack of intelligence
  than his sense of humor.

I am thinking the third is wrong, but the first and two sound ungrammatical as well. The use of the second verb complement "more by his ... than his ..." seems to muddy the meaning in both the first and second sentences, but I am not sure we can say it's wrong, because semantically they're not quite wrong. What should I make of it?


texts:
In the entire history of English not one native speaker has produced "91 view", so while I am closing this as a duplicate, which it is, it really also is general reference and even common knowledge, and as such way too basic for this site.

In the entire history of English not one native speaker has produced "91 view", so while I am closing this as a duplicate, which it is, it really even is general reference and also common knowledge, and as such way too basic for this site.

What, if any, is the difference in meaning between 'also' and 'even' in (1)? Is (2), in which 'also' and 'even' have been interchanged, grammatical?


texts: Are "actually", "exactly", and "really" interchangeable?

texts:
Who exactly are you?
Who really are you?
Who actually are you?

Are all of them grammatically correct, and do all of them have the same meaning?
I feel like they are all similar in places, yet different, but I cannot tell how they are different (if they are)


texts:
I'd like to ask questions about the exact tense of participial construction like the following sentence.

Having worked in the industry over the years, I have sometimes been surprised to see young workers have worked punctually while their bosses have worked too late.

Q. Which one is correct among the following paraphrases?
1. While I have worked in the industry for the years, I have sometimes been ...
2. While I worked in the industry over the years, I have sometimes been ...
3. As I worked in the industry over the years, I have sometimes been ...

I would like to know the exact tense of participle when rephrasing the subordinate clause or adverbial clause.

"While I have worked in the industry over the years, I have frequently seen that lower-level employees haven't stayed as late as their bosses have done [so is needed here or not?]."

Working in the industry over the years, I have frequently seen that lower-level employees haven't stayed as late as their bosses have done.
Having worked in the industry over the years, I have frequently seen that lower-level employees haven't stayed as late as their bosses have done.


texts: “is said to be” vs. “is said to have been”

texts:
Can we use both of variants and are they interchangeable?

  The house is said to have been built a century ago.
  The house is said to be built a century ago.


texts: Reported Speech of wh-question: He wanted to know where he works/worked?

texts:
I am not sure which one we should use when we talk about someone asked:"Where does he work?"

  He wanted to know where he works?
  He wanted to know where he worked?

Does the answer depend on when the people asked?


texts: Help me with this question and explanin please :) Tom IS or IS BEING very naughty these days. How is correct?


texts:
I have stumbled across such phrase in the TV show House:

  The police investigated what they saw, not what they didn't saw.

My question is why is the second form of the verb "see" is used in the second part of the sentence, but not in the first form as it should be used in past simple after "did"? It is supposed to be didn't see, isn't it? Is it some kind of emphasis? And in which cases can it be used?


texts:
Try and hit me!
Try to hit me!

Do the above example mean exactly the same and it's just a matter of preference to use which word?

He tried to make it better.
He tried and made it better.

The second example sounds strange when it comes to more formal sentence of that sort. Is it still a correct use of the phase?


texts: Which determiner? -- "Please submit a photocopy of { a / the / your } residence card"

texts:
What is the correct question?

  Please submit a photocopy of [a / the / your] residence card


texts:
Which one is right?

  Something that is not working

  Something that are not working


texts:
At this very moment, I am adding the word ''torrential''(adjective) in my vocabulary list(also it sounds awesome and smart to say this-just from a non-native perspective hehe)however, Goggle exemplifies its usage in a sentence that says:

  ''a torrential downpour''

Come to think of it:

torrential=a rapid and copius in quantity(also heavy)
downpour=a heavy rain

''A torrential downpour'' will mean ''a heavy heavy rain'' am I right that it now becomes redundant/incorrect?


texts: How do you describe a sound that is mellifluous and sounds like when crystals crash?

texts: I don't know if i've describe it clearly or not, the bell-sounding, chipper sound, also the sound that wind chimes make, I always say the crystal-like sound which I'm not really content with, I really want to find a word which can describe this sound that makes me so happy and chill, can you guys help me with the adjective?


texts: Question about the tense of "until ..." in a object clause

texts:
Quite confused about it. Here is a sentence:

I was wondering if you could lend me a few dollars until I get paid on Friday.

Why is got or would get improper here?

Compared with:

I said I would go there tomorrow. (Would, not will)
If you go there tomorrow, I will lend you some money. (Go, not will go)

Should I say:

He said that he would not be able to talk until he gets his microphone tomorrow.
And
He said that he would not be able to talk until he got his microphone the next day.

Please tell me if I'm wrong and why it is so, Thx.


texts: Idiom using the metaphore of "shouting in the dark" & English equivalent

texts:
In Czech, we say something is a "shout in the dark" when you do something without expecting it to fulfill the purpose (usually, it's used when someone is pushing for a change and gets no response). Is there an English equivalent? And is there an idiom in English which uses a similar metaphore?

I know there's "shot in the dark" in English, that's not what I mean :)


texts:
Which version is better?

  Let me know when you are going to send it so I can make the payment.

or:

  Let me know when you are going to send it so that I can make the payment.

I think so is better because the payment is the effect: you send the book, and the effect is that I must pay.


texts:
I wrote:

  However, this time they have access to the variables set by the child nodes and the data extracted from them.

Can I replace "have access" with "access".  I myself think "have access" means that they can use or they can reach something if they want. They are allowed to use them, however maybe they don't use them. But, "access" means an action of finding or using something, then maybe I just can say "They can access" but not "They access".

How much my understanding of that is correct?


texts: What is the meaning of 'unlikely to comply to preserve'?

texts:
I saw the translation of 'unlikely to comply to preserve' and I don't understand why it means 'likely preserve' and not vice versa. Could you clarify it?

  The newspaper said Roscosmos has asked for medical records and video
  recordings that would show the movements and health of the NASA
  astronauts and that NASA was unlikely to comply to preserve the
  astronauts’ privacy.


texts:
I looked up the word "picture" in the dictionary and it is usually said "Picture someone doing something".
Shouldn't the word "engaged" be "engaging" in the following sentence?

  Perhaps you’re obsessively picturing him engaged in drunken coitus
  with another woman.

This line was said by Sheldon Cooper, who hardly ever makes grammatical mistakes, so I am pretty sure it is grammatically correct what he said, but I don't know why he said "engaged" instead "engaging". Please highlight the difference. Thanks.


texts: Is a minor sloppiness acceptable in The Washington Post?

texts:
I don't know German, so I can't tell if the English translation of Angela Merkel's speech is accurate, but even so the quote doesn't integrate in the fluency of the previous content of the sentence in the following article:

  LONDON — German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday declared a new chapter in U.S.-European relations after contentious meetings with President Trump last week, saying that Europe “really must take our fate into our own hands.”

Can Europe take our fate into our own hands?

If I were to correct it I'd write as:

  ... saying that we (Europe or the Europeans) “really must take our fate into our own hands.”

So, what would you say about that? Please let me know your thoughts on this.


texts:
Choose the correct option:

  To get into the building I'll disguise as a reporter.
  To get into the building I'll disguise myself as a reporter

Disguise myself is the correct sentence given.

But, if I use it other way and not use myself with it, will it be wrong grammatically?


texts: Why is it "I saw you kiss her yesterday" instead of "I saw you kissed her yesterday"?

texts:
I have seen in a movie a strange sentence which is:

  I saw you kiss her yesterday.

So considering that is past simple, she should have said 'kissed' instead of 'kiss'.

I don't understand why we don't say :

  I saw you kissed her yesterday.


texts:
Which verbs can be used in the blank in the following sentence?

  The world  ............. a new era.

Especially are the following sentences are correct? Would there a difference between them if all are acceptable choice?

1.The world  came into a new era.

2.The world  moved to a new era

3.The world  entered (into) a new era.


texts:
When should one use your and yours. What is the difference in usage. Give some examples if possible, please. For example,

  Your question is interesting! Were those gloves his or yours?

Why do we use exactly your and yours

I found this article: http://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/grammar/british-grammar/pronouns/pronouns-possessive-my-mine-your-yours-etc. But it did not help me to figure out my problem. Since there is no explanation when to use your and when to use yours.


texts:
She recognized the writing on the envelope immediately. The Gypsy had
  warned her that she had no future with this man, yet here he was –
  five lonely years after their last meeting, begging her to join him in
  New York.

  She felt unbelievably happy as she stepped on board the
  Titanic.

I know all of the word and phrases but I can't figure out the whole meaning?


texts: What does the phrase 'Getting a haircut' modify?

texts:
I found a sentence in 'Life's like that' from Reader's digest, May 2018. In the sentence, what does the phrase 'Gettting a haircut' modify?

  Getting a haircut, the barber asked me, what I do for a living.


texts: Should the "a" be removed in this sentence or not?

texts:
Which one of these sentences is grammatically correct?

I cooperated with this company on a per-project basis.
I cooperated with this company on a project basis.
I cooperated with this company on project basis.


texts: Can I place a comma after a conjunction beginning the sentence?

texts:
Is it correct practice to place a comma after a conjunction (that begins the sentence it's in)?

  So, Nathan draws the curtains to see what's beyond his dungeon.

  But, I don't see the point in trying so hard!

I have often seen commas being used in such instances. But, a quick google search seems to imply it's wrong.

  One of the most frequent errors in comma usage is the placement of a
  comma after a coordinating conjunction. We cannot say that the comma
  will always come before the conjunction and never after, but it would
  be a rare event, indeed, that we need to follow a coordinating
  conjunction with a comma. When speaking, we do sometimes pause after
  the little conjunction, but there is seldom a good reason to put a
  comma there.
  — Rules for Comma Usage, Grammar.ccc.commnet.edu

  Two specific situations call for the use of a comma before "and." The
  first is created when we have three or more items in a series. [...]
  The second situation occurs when "and" is being used to coordinate two
  independent clauses. [...] The use of the comma would also apply when
  any of the seven coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or, nor, for,
  so, yet) join two independent clauses.
  — When to Use a Comma before "And", Getitwriteonline.com

The sources of both the excerpts seem reliable enough. This puts me in doubt.

Many people erroneously believe that beginning a sentence with any coordinating conjunction (especially, and and but) is wrong in the first place. I suppose that's why this construction was not considered in the texts above.

The more I think about this, the more I'm convinced that this is probably a grammar myth.


texts: Can you use "which" to refer to a preceding clause in formal writing?

texts:
I've seen people use "which" to modify a preceding clause in daily conversations. I am not sure if it is allowed in formal writing. For example,

Her possessive father and unloving partner destroy her dreams and hopes in life, which ultimately causes her to die of loneliness and sorrow.

In the above sentence, "which" refers to the previous clause:

  Her possessive father and unloving partner destroy her dreams and
  hopes in life

I would like to know if this usage is okay in formal essays.


texts: What's the meaning of this present perfect sentence?

texts:
The sentences are:

Mary has worked as a teacher for over 25 years.
It has rained heavily for 2 hours.

Does it mean "Mary" is still working as a teacher or she is no longer working now?
Does it mean it is still raining or it stopped?

Since it cannot mean both, so how to suggest either one of the meanings?


texts: Dropping /t/ when is next to a consonant

texts:
I was once reading the phrase next year, and I was told I should've pronounced next year as /nɛks jɪə/, that is, without the /t/.

Does this work with other phrases? Like count them?


texts: Idiom or phrase to describe the worst of two situations

texts:
Is there any idiom or phrase to describe a bad situation which is worse than another bad situation.
Scenario, between robbery and robbery with an infliction of injury. Robbery with an infliction of injury is indeed worse than a mere robbery. I am thinking of the phrase the worst of its range. But i dnt know whether it suits the context of the sentence below.

Given the circumstances, robbery with an infliction of injury is the worst of its range


texts: For context, is it "Everyone is here." or Every one is here." Thanks. I have found conflicting information in my research.


texts:
what is the difference between "I wish to be a pilot" and "I wish I was a pilot"?
To me it sounds like "I wish to be" refers to the future while "I wish I was" refers to an imaginary status in the present
Thanks


texts: How to say that Japanese proverb in English?

texts: I am reading James Clavel - Shogun and they said the following in my native language which I translate literally - “ The wolf to be fit and the lamb to be whole” I am not sure if in english language there is such expression, proverb that means compromise. Please advise if there is such proverb


texts: the connotation of "play" in "play of imagination/chance"

texts:
Play

  5   [noncount] :  the state of being active or having an effect

  the play of market forces 

  She promotes the free play of ideas in her classroom.

  http://www.learnersdictionary.com/definition/play#ld_entry_v2_jumplink_play_2

I also found some examples from the COCA.

" Battle is the raucous transformer of history, " Hanson observes, " because it also accelerates in a matter of minutes the usually longer play of chance, skill, and fate? "
Indeed, the virtuosity evident in the variety of work in this exhibition, the multiplicity of techniques represented, the kaleidoscopic play of imagination reflected in the forms, lines, colors and textures all attest to the remarkable vitality of this workshop tradition presided over by Chunghi Choo as benevolent muse, and to the continuing mutual support which this teacher and these artists provide for one another.

I have checked this thread regarding “at play”.  https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/76476/is-the-usage-of-at-play-limited-to-children-s-action

One post says:

  As noted in etymonline's entry for the noun play, «Meaning "free or
  unimpeded movement" is from 1650s.» This meaning of play is seen in
  wiktionary's sense 9 of noun play, "The extent to which a part of a
  mechanism can move freely"

Could you explain the connotation of “play” in these contexts?  Does it have a whimsical and light-hearted feel?


texts:
I remember reading that the verb "let" has two meanings. The first one expresses "urging":

  1) Let the children go to bed.

  2) Let he call me back when he is back.

The second meaning expresses "permission":

  3) Let him do it! (Grant him permission to do it)

I was wondering is it really so? And if yes, then what would be the difference between:

  4a) Let him call me when he is back.

  and

  4b) May he call me when he is back.

Am I right that "Let he call..." is not correct?


texts: Shall I use have forgotten or forget in this sentence?

texts:
First, thank you userr2684291 for reminding me of the web site's name.

Here is the situation:
I couldn't remember the name of LXXX-8 web site, so I went to the chatroom to get some help. (I don't know whether advertisement is allowed here or not, so I put XXX in the web site's name)

  Could you remind me the web site's name please?
  It is a web site that you can write some sentences, and some other users will come to help
  you check your grammar.
  ColleenV once told me the web site's name, but
  I have forgotten

I felt like using simple present tense in the last sentence, but
my hands was typing the sentence in present perfect tense.

I think simple present tense is also correct, but I don't know how to explain it to myself that which one is the better.

  ColleenV once told me the web site's name, but I forget it now

I am sorry, moderators.
I have read the suggested answer in the given link, but
I do not understand how it can help me solve my question.
I would like to know which of the tenses is the better in the given situation.

I need help.
And which one sounds more natural to your native ears?

  "I have forgotten" or "I forget it now"


texts: Can't understand position of DO verb in sentences

texts:
I practice TOEFL and faced the following sentences.

  Only infrequently does arthritis lead to total incapacitation.

  Only after entering the store did Arthur realize that there
  was danger.

I can't understand the position of DO verb in the sentences.


texts: English equivalent of the Russian idiom "притянуть за уши" + opposite of "to abbreviate"

texts:
I have encountered a couple of problems regarding the proper translation from the Russian language into English. Here are 2 cases:

There's an idiom that literally translates as "pull the ears" ("притянуть за уши"), which means that you are in a situation where you experience the lack of proofs and instead of accepting the fact that you're wrong, you are trying to find a very shaky, sometimes even illogical argument in order to factitiously prove your 'correctness'.

Is there any proper analog for the opposite action of "to abbreviate" or "to make an abbreviation"? The rough one (that I made up for myself) would be "de-abbreviate". I'm not sure whether you may use it in the context like that:

I have no idea how to decipher the 'IBM' abbreviation, something about machinery and computers

Here you see the word "decipher", which is completely doable and useful in Russian, but when I said that, native English speakers were quite amazed about it.


texts: What is the keywords of major contributor of a project?

texts:
I am writing my resume.

I want to write that I was not the sole responser of the project, I did get suggestion from the director, but I am the major contributor of the mechanical and electrical engineering parts of the half million project.

How should I rephase ?


texts:
"At the time, Deane had four small manufacturers that could make 100 satchels each per week. Tops."

Source: http://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/13/this-mom-built-a-65-million-business-the-cambridge-satchel-company.html


texts: Is it idiomatic to use "consists of" with only element/factor?

texts:
From this book "Deep Learning and Convolutional Neural Networks for Medical Image Computing"

  Recent statistical data published by the World Health Organisation
  (WHO) estimates that 23% of cancer-related cases and 14% of
  cancer-related deaths among women are due to breast cancer. The most
  effective tool to reduce the burden associated with breast cancer
  consists of early detection in asymptomatic women via breast cancer
  screening programs, which commonly use mammography for breast
  imaging. Breast screening using mammography comprises several steps,
  which include the detection and analysis of lesions, such as masses
  and calcifications, that are used in order to estimate the risk that
  the patient is developing breast cancer.

usually I see "consists of" is followed by at least 2 items/elements/factors, such as "consists of A and B"

"consists of" here is followed by only one item, that is, early detection, Is it idiomatic to use "consists of" this way?


texts:
1) She was to have returned yesterday, but she fell ill.

  2) She was to return yesterday, but she fell ill.

Does both the sentence have same meaning?


texts: Put "on the block", "on the line", "on the altar"

texts: As I understand, the block is a chopping block where you can loose your head. Does putting something on the line mean the same, that they are interchangable? I understand that putting on the altar is different in that you trade something for something else, that is, you loose the item put for sure. But what about the on the block and on the line? How different they are: syntactic purely or they have semantic differences as well?


texts:
Considering this line "I want my love to redeem me" taken from a Car Seat Headrest song, I realized I have no idea how to use nor how to interpret this word even after consulting dictionaries: this word has a bunch of meanings, and they all differ from one another, which confuses me even more.

Are there any patterns on how to quickly determine meaning in a context or am I missing something really basic here?


texts:
If I said,

"Jonathan ignore me not if I speak."

Does this mean:

"Jonathan  do not ignore me if I speak."

Or does it mean:

"If  I don't speak, Jonathan may or may not ignore me."


texts: What do you call the inside surface of a dome?

texts: I think the inside surface is called "intrados" and the outer side is called the "extrados". However, these terms seems to be borrowed from the Italian language, so I was wondering if there are alternative words or phrases I can use. What are the best word or phrase to use in a conversation, because using "intrados" sounds a bit too weird for me, and it's probably not commonly use and would probably confuse people.


texts: Present perfect vs present perfect continuous difference

texts:
1.How long have you stayed in hotel?
2.How long have you been staying in hotel?

Are these both grammatically correct and have the same meaning?

Or first mean I was in this hotel but now I am in other place(like finished action)and second like I am still in this hotel or the first also mean I am still in hotel


texts: Is the term 'Logically Erroneous' correct?

texts: If I say 'This computer program (suppose C/C++ program) is logically erroneous', would it be correct?


texts:
I was looking at a dictionary for different senses of 'fortunate'. I found two examples and I don't get the difference between the two. Please help me.

  They were fortunate enough to escape injury when their car crashed.

Does this mean they escaped injury because they are were fortunate or does it mean they were fortunate because they had escaped injury?

  They were fortunate to escape injury when their car crashed.

Also, what's the difference between #1 and #2?


texts:
He was incapable of reading one classic without relating it to another — in his edition of Chapman's Homer he scrawled lines he preferred from Pope's Homer — or else contemplating how he himself would render the same material. —Source

Is this usage the same as just "or"? Why did he add "else" here? I would like a native speaker's opinion.

Does this mean "he couldn't read Homer with just one translation. He need another translation and he couldn't read the original so he couldn't translate by himself."


texts: Sentence paraphrase spilt small sntences

texts:
Can anyone paraphrase this sentence for me. I am not a native speaker. It will be easy for me to understand the sentence if someone spilt it small sentences.
The Dictionary, together with his other writing, made Johnson famous and so well esteemed that his friends were able to prevail upon King George III to offer him a pension.
Thank you.


texts: The right position of "although" in this sentence

texts:
... .Obviously, this overhead is function of the amount of resources, M, and increasing M, although it provides better knowledge, it  results in a larger overhead.

  ... .Obviously, this overhead is function of the amount of resources, M, and although increasing M provides better efficency, it  results in a larger overhead.

Which one between these two sentences sounds better ? Do you have a better formulation ? should I say "a function" or just "function" ?


texts:
What is the meaning of the same side up in the following sentence.

  If two maps of the same plane region are superimposed, the same side up, on a plane then by our theorems there will be one and only one point whose representations in the maps will coincide.

How is up used in this sentence? Is it adjective or adverb or prepositions?


texts: What is the expanded form of "Tom's visit to the United States"

texts:
We know, 's is the abbreviation for is or has

But i just read a sentence

  Tom's visit to the United States provided him with an opportunity to learn English

So we generally use 's for is or his So the expended of this sentence should be

  Tom is visit to the United States provided him with an opportunity to learn English

OR

  Tom has visit to the United States provided him with an opportunity to learn English

But both seem incorrect, So what is the correct expanded form of first sentence.


texts: what does "huge value but very low density" mean in this context?

texts:
I'm trying to translate a big data Article. But I don't know what does "huge value but very low density" mean in the following context?

  With this definition, characteristics of big data
  may be summarized as four Vs, i.e., Volume (great volume),
  Variety (various modalities), Velocity (rapid generation),
  and Value (huge value but very low density)

Reference to the original article
(the related context is in the 4th paragraph of the 3rd page)


texts:
Does "expected a run on the drug" mean "expected a course on the drug (that is, expected to get treated using the drug)"?

The New York Times
@nytimes
After President Trump received an antibody treatment by Regeneron he called a “cure,” many expected a run on the drug. Instead, many doses are going unused.


texts:
thousands of messages
hundreds of messages
tens of messages
units of messages????

I searched CZ=>EN dictionaries and they offer me word unit but in different meaning. Is it appropriate to use "units" for amount classification below ten?


texts: Can I use as "She hates to spend money or to give money away." instead of "She hates to spend money or give money away."?

texts:
Here is a sentence which is correct.

  Sentence 1.
  She hates to spend money or give money away.

I wonder the Sentence 2 is also right.

  Sentence 2.
  She hates to spend money or to give money away.

The only difference is the "to" existing or not before "give money away".

Thank you.


texts:
In the following example, "." is used to delimit the fractional part of the number from its whole part. As such, it is called a decimal point, not a period.
In the following example, "." is used to delimit the fractional part of the number from its whole part. When used in this way, it is called a decimal point, not a period.

Is it correct to use "as such" in sentences like the one above? I have tried to find authoritative examples on the Internet, but for some reason the texts that contain such sentences are written by authors who have some relation to Korea, and so it makes me think that native speakers would prefer the second version. Am I right?


texts: Shouldn't "much" here be used instead of "more"?

texts:
I read a sentence in a chapter named "The Last Lesson" which was:

  It was because they were sorry, too, that they had not gone to school more.

More is a comparative adjective. So I wonder in the sentence, it is not clear 'more than what?'. I think it has been used in a wrong way here and the author wanted to convey the sense of much. Am I right?


texts: what's the pragmatic meaning and semantic meaning of( has become and becomes)?

texts:
I think the two sentences has the same goal I am aiming for.

but which one has strong meaning

  Software has become a vital component of the infrastructure supporting our everyday life.

vs

  Software becomes a vital component of the infrastructure supporting our everyday life.

due to the fact that :

Present simple is used to describe a fact ! this is a fact? isn't it ?

present perfect is used to describe a continuity or state of continuity ?

We're not sure when the sharp increasing of software will stop.


texts: "talk with me about" vs "talk about with me"

texts:
Are both of these sentences correct? Does the position of the prepositional phrase matter here?

  What do you want to talk with me about?

  What do you want to talk about with me?


texts:
I have some question about the usage of the preposition "between" here:

  At age 37 and with no children between them, Brown Hamilton and her husband decided to split.

I cannot find a dictionary definition that fits this usage of "between".  Could it be wrong?


texts: Usage of the present perfect in talking about a past event

texts:
This was sent from a native speaker so I assume his sentence to be correct.

  I've been to Dublin for a weekend and loved it.

If that's not the case, please tell me. I just don't understand the use of the present perfect in the first section. Shouldn't it be "I was in Dublin for a weekend and loved it" because it's completely over?


texts: Why are there no articles before "female membership" and "male control" in this sentence? Is it a mistake?

texts:
Did the author make a grammatical error in this sentence?

  "While (the) female membership of parliament is the highest in the world (though still far from equal), (the) male control of the corporate world is absolute."

Why is there no article before "female" and "male"? I thought the definite article can be used with uncountable nouns?


texts: Tenses in the context - which are WRONG?

texts:
As we know the TENSES of English can be rather confusing for learners this is why I have decided to come up with a spectacular example using a made-up context which ought to help us see how the tenses involved work.

Imagine a situation. A person had worked at the office for 6 years and, say, on the 3 of March 2006 at 10 AM he was officially dismissed. But he was given one extra hour (until 11 AM) to collect his articles and say goodbye to his colleges. On the same day at 10.05 AM a new worker came to take his post over and he asked about the time having been spent by the old worker here. What tenses would fit for this situation? Let me give you my versions.

I think that the following TENSES are possible: (Do you agree?)

New Worker asks at 10.05 AM:

a) How long did you work here?

B) How long were you working here?

C) How long had you been working here until today?

D) How long had you worked here until today?

Is there any significant difference in subtleties between those four?

I also wonder whether it would be OK to use the Present Perfect in such a situation.

E) How long have you worked here?

I don’t feel comfortable with it, though. What do you think?

As for the answer of the old worker. I think that the TENSES used in the questions are OK. However, I am considering other options which I am not sure about.

F) I have been working here for the last 6 years. (Would it be correct to say it at 10.05 AM or is it only OK to say before 10.00 AM? Remember that he was dismissed at 10.00)

G) I was working here for the last 6 years. (I think it’s wrong. Do you agree?)


texts: What is correct answer for the question "Do you have..."?

texts:
What is the correct answer for the question "Do you have" (For example: Do you have money?")

options that I thought about:

  a) Yes, I do.

  b) Yes, I do have.

  c) something else?

I know that the correct answer for the question "Do you like it" is "Yes, I do" or "No, I don't".  But in this case I have doubt because of the word "have".


texts:
I have seen this sentence in an online learning website:

  Let's delve into the problem you'd like to solve

I can't get why would is used in this sentence?

what this the difference between this sentence and this one:

  Let's delve into the problem you like to solve.


texts: Can we frame a passive construction for present/past/future perfect continuous sentences?

texts:
I would like to know if we can construct a sentence in present/past/future perfect continuous tense? How common are they? why many English grammar books don't mention it?

Thanks


texts:
This is an Arabic sentence that I have translated into English. It makes more sense in Arabic. I need help on the last part. Thank you.

  If A is followed by E, I or U, the A will be incorporated into the/that letter.


texts: "I'm marrying with her" or "I'm marrying her"?

texts:
Which one of the following is correct?

I'm marrying with her.
I'm marrying her.


texts: Direct and reported speech, and how they work

texts:
She said, "I'll call you when I get off work." - Direct speech

  She said she'd call me when she got off work. - Reported speech

Is the above example correct grammatically?

At what points do we choose not to backshift the tenses in reported speech?
Could we do that anytime we want without worry whether it'd be grammatically wrong?
Or should I try to backshift tenses in reported speech always?


texts:
In one forum (dedicated to videogames) I have found somebody posted this message:

  Somebody rumored that this armor has innate resistance to death and mind attack, but it is totally wrong [...]

Q1. What exactly this "somebody rumored" construction means?

Do I understand right, that this means "some person, no matter who is it exactly, made a rumor about..."?

I searched it and have found few more examples:

  But I heard at hospital from Naveen-one of our classmate that somebody rumored; she was having an affair with someone in the school.
  For somebody rumored to be on death's door, Camille looked awfully good to him.
  I mean, jeez, phoningup somebody rumored to be in the Russian mob wasn'tto be taken lightly.
  The only thing she learned was that, in east Mississippi, somebody rumored to be an enforcer for a boss in Memphis was punishing dealers who...
  On that particular day in history somebody rumored to Purdy Parker that Darlene had called them all the Pasty Parkers.
  It was impossible to tell what they were thinking, but they tried too hard, the way they might with somebody rumored to have cancer.
  It was not a lot of time for somebody rumored to live in the neighborhood of seventy-eight years (on average).
  For somebody rumored these past three years to be of failing health and undergoing dialysis, Carlos Agassi surprisingly looks, as they would say, fit.

Q2. Can I say in same manner - "somebody gossiped" or "somebody speculated" with same "overall meaning", but different "intonation" in it?

Q3. Also, is it possibly (just for my own curiosity) to create negative sentence with construction "anybody rumored", like "Come on, man, is there anybody rumored about this stuff nowadays? That stuff is so outdated, nobody cares about it anymore".?

Thanks.


texts:
The White House said in a statement that the Chinese government
  briefed them on the meeting Tuesday.

Which part is connected "on"?


texts: Sentence with "while" in a reported speech: is backshifting necessary?

texts:
Yesterday I saw a girl when I was parking my car. She was crying. She explained  to me while her boyfriend was driving her home, they had had a terrible argument.Her boyfriend had stopped the car and had forced her out of it.

Is past perfect used  had had because it is reported speech: I  think so, direct speech would be "While my boyfriend was driving me home, we had a terrible argument" Is it necessary in that case ?


texts: Can we use 'one of the' for the plural? whch sentense is correct of the following?

texts:
Which sentence is correct?

Flour and meat are the one of the most used food ingredients in the world.
Flour and meat are two of the most used food ingredients in the world.


texts: Is "shouldn't it" equivalent to "should it not" in American English?

texts:
I have noticed that some Americans write "shouldn't it" in sentences. For example:

Why is the dog outside, shouldn't it be inside?

Is this correct grammar in American English? Because I assume the only valid form would be

Why is the dog outside, should it not be inside?

Does the congregation of "should" and "not"?
I specify American English as I have never seen it used in UK English


texts: Why is it "half an hour" instead of "a half hour"?

texts: Today our lecturer said that we were gonna have "half an hour" break. Initially I thought it's a mistake and it should be "a half hour" but latter I was told that it's correct. Assuming that it's indeed correct, my question is why we put the article ("an)" after the quantifier rather than before it. (such as: "a one person" rather than "one a person")


texts: Shouldn't there be "strong" instead of "weak" in this sentence?

texts:
I read a sentence in "The Hindu" which was:

  Given the prevailing economics and diesel's reputation as a dirty fuel that adds to pollution from cars, buses and freight vehicles, auto companies see a weak business case to upgrade them. (source)

Now, the former part of the sentence is talking about a downside of a commodity, so I think there should be a strong case to upgrade it because upgrading generally means to improve the quality of sth but in the case it seems opposite. Am I right?


texts: "School issued delay" or "a delay" or any alternative expression? Why?

texts:
Yesterday night there were cold wind, mist, and black ice on the road, so my school district had its school start delayed for 2 hours this morning.

So if I were to write a school news article about this, which should be my choice? (This'll go in the body paragraph, not the headline)

  Our school district has issued a two-hour delay on school start time
  Our school district has issued two-hour delay on school start time
  Our school district has had its school start time delayed for two hours
  (Any better expression?)

  ...this morning.

If you'd also like to answer, should I use the definitive article "the" in front of those "school start time" above? I feel like I should not, because "time" is abstract. If I were to use "the," I should have used "...hours," am I wrong?


texts: "He told that he was hiring 20 additional policemen"

texts:
Is it grammatically wrong to say these?

He told that he was hiring 20 additional policemen
The major told that big cities were experiencing the same problem


texts: am I using "that" in the correct way please?

texts:
I am writing to my manager. I want to suggest to her making a new service.
I have problem with this sentence

  Can you suggest to them that Company Name develops the Italian version of the website?

Am I using that correctly in this context please?


texts:
a. In the room, I saw a woman sitting behind a desk reading, and a woman exercising. I greeted the woman exercising.

b. In the room, I saw a woman sitting behind a desk reading, and a woman exercising. I greeted the exercising woman.

c. In the room, I greeted a woman exercising.

d. In the room, I greeted an exercising woman.

Which of the above sentences are grammatical?

Would (c) work if the woman was the one who was exercising?

Would (c) work if I was the one who was exercising?

Many thanks.


texts:
I am wondering whether "much" or "many" should be used in the following sentence:

it's unusual that people as much / many as four generations apart speak to each other in the same way.


texts:
Let's say my friend and I are at his place alone. and and all of a sudden music starts to play in the living room, which is imposible because I am sure we are totally alone. So I start to think that I am just hearing things. Do I say I hear or I am hearing in this situation? For example:

Are you sure we are alone? I hear music in the living room.
Are you sure we are alone? I am hearing music in the living room.


texts: How to understand "for whom" structure in a sentence?

texts:
From a TED talk, starting at 2:11:

In the first, we have animals that display stereotyped, predictable behaviors towards their dead, and for whom much of what we understand about them comes from experimental studies.

Why is "for whom" here? I understand structure like "for which" where the preposition is part of the set phrase that come after the relative pronoun. But here I don't see how "for" comes into play.
I don't think "and for whom much of what we understand about them comes from experimental studies" is as good as sth like " and about which/whom much of what we understand comes from experimental studies," in which I transfer "about them" into the pronoun+relative pronoun structure, whereas in the original sentence I don't see how "for whom" related to the sentence comes after.


texts: A question about inversion in affirmative sentences

texts:
Which is correct?

"In fact it is rather simple, just a story of two children. But in this apparent simplicity the book delivers a wonderful exposition of so great memories, ideas and dreams.

or,

"In fact it is rather simple, just a story of two children. But in this apparent simplicity does the book deliver a wonderful exposition of so great memories, ideas and dreams."


texts:
If a helix is discontinued for a short while and then continues in a different direction, I prefer to call in "kinked". If the helix is simply uniformly following one direction, I prefer to call it "straight", but I have corrected, and been told that it is called "linear". Which is right?

Thank you!


texts:
"I have managed to pull off only two topics."
Is this phrase correct? As manage and pull-off has the same meaning.


texts: I'm not really seeing/I don't really see/I can't really see?

texts:
Which one of these is correct/natural?
1)
Listen, I'm standing outside the stadium right now and I'm not really seeing any players or fans or anything. Are you sure the match was today?
2)
Listen, I'm standing outside the stadium right now and I don't really see any players or fans or anything. Are you sure the match was today?
3)
Listen, I'm standing outside the stadium right now and I can't really see any players or fans or anything. Are you sure the match was today?


texts: Why can't I use Present Perfect Continuous or vice versa Present Perfect forms in these sentences?

texts:
He  has traveled so much recently that we have not managed  to see each other much and I  have met  someone else. (why not "has been traveling")
I have been eating
fish and fruit since I got here. (why not "have eaten")
It is a miracle that I have survived for this long. (why not "have been surviving")

Sentences like that give me doubts as to my knowledge upon this subject.


texts: past tense/present tense... which one is best in this context?

texts:
Earlier this morning, I opened the list on my computer to check:

  A.    ...if there was anyone I knew who had made the list.

  B.    ...if there was anyone I know who had made the list.

  C.    ...if there was anyone I know who made the list.

Are all these sentences grammatically correct?

And in all these sentence, it's the present that we're talking about here.
Like, the exact present day.

And the part "if there was anyone I knew", in the first sentence is bugging me, for the people I knew earlier this morning, I still know them.


texts:
What is the difference between "who is this?" and "who is calling?" when we answer to the telephone?

Is the second one more polite than the first one?

Lastly, is there any difference between AmE and BrE?


texts:
I have a page with list of products. What is the correct name for this page?

  Product list

or

  Products list

And What's difference?


texts: Is father-daughter relation or relationship? Is a feeling of hate relation or relationship?

texts:
I am confused relation with relationship.

per this post

  both can mean “the way in which two or more concepts, objects, or people are connected”

Assume Yang is Alice's father, father-daughter is their relation or relationship?

Alice hates her father, is this feeling their relation or relationship?


texts: Does "I graduated the high school." have two meaning?

texts:
I think that the main sentence "I graduated the high school." can have two meaning, although that interpreted meanings are odd.

One is "I received a diploma from the high school." ,and the other is "I granted academic diploma to the high school."

Are these correct?

And I've supposed that main sentence gives misunderstanding to people because it has two meaning.

So I think It is better way that I should avoid to write ambiguous sentence like main when I wanna express just one meaning "I received a diploma from the high school." except "I granted academic diploma to the high school."

So this sentence "I graduated from the high school." is better  than main sentence in that it doesn't have ambiguous meaning unlike main sentence.

Is my thinking in this writing right?


texts: Is "Get it me" a grammatically correct sentence?

texts: A friend of mine was telling me he was hungry and so I said he should get food. He then said "but you're not here to get it me". At this point I told him that it didn't sound like an actual correct sentence but he argued it was. I tried to tell him how weird it sounded but he just said that since he's the British one and I'm Swedish, he'd know the language better than me. So is it actually a legit working sentence or not?


texts: what is the meaning of "pick to pieces" in his context?

texts:
I don't understand the meaning of this idiom.

"I glanced sideways at the beautiful boy, who was looking at his tray now, picking a bagel to pieces with long, pale fingers".

I found a definition on wordreference but doesn't seem correct:to pull or pinch at someone or something until only pieces are left.
if anybody could help?


texts: "go / on a picnic" or "go on / a picnic"?

texts:
'go on a picnic' is a very famous phrase.

I wonder where the meaning group is separated?

go on + a picnic

go + on a picnic

ps. another example is "go on a business trip"


texts:
How do you say your Youtube account is getting view-suppressed idiomatically? I've been trying to find a way to say it and I can't really find a good example on Google, so I thought of asking it here. I thought of a few possibilities, but all of them sounds awkward.

For example:

  YouTube has been responsible of the suppression of views on my YouTube
  account.

  Lately, I believe YouTube is responsible of the view suppression my
  YouTube videos have been getting.

Not sure if you would agree with me, but they sound odd, so how would you reword them?


texts:
How can I understand the following example (the very first):

  Could I make a point about noise levels?

Is make a point an idiomatic expression or something like that?


texts:
we were doing direct indirect speech and there was a sentence :

  Stop what u were doing and listen to me

I choosed this variant but my teacher said it has to be

  Stop what u were doing and LISTENED to me

Which one is true. i'm sure about my variant, but I can't proof it


texts: Tesla's 'Roadster' made its DEBUT 2 years ago(word usage)

texts:
Let's say Tesla made the 'Roadster's first public appearance 2 years ago. Which is correct:

  Tesla's 'Roadster' made its DEBUT 2 years ago.

Or

  Tesla's 'Roadster' DEBUTED 2 years ago.

Which one of these is more natural-sounding or correct?


texts: Meaning of - "smaller planes have now given way to bigger planes"

texts:
Can you please explain the meaning of planes in the below sentence?

Over the years, smaller planes have now given way to bigger planes. Air travel is expensive but the number of people travelling by air and the airlines have increased.

I tried to search on google and found below but seems like that is not relevant in above context. Can you please suggest?


texts:
Is there any particular reason for using the or a? Is there any specific rule applied?

When the is omitted, what should I notice instead of the generic noun?

For example, what is the difference in the following?

  I am seeing a train.
  I am seeing the train.


texts: "make things look better" and more detail

texts:
A basic sentence:

  They make things look better than they are.

So far, it seems ok. But now I would like to be more specific:

  They make things look better on TV or on posters than they are.

And it looks awkward for me and I guess it is wrong. Is it? If so, how can I convey information from the first sentence alongside details about TV and posters?


texts:
it may not be a valid question but I wanna know that 'is the above mentioned sentence correct or incorrect'?
Because as I was discussing this sentence with one of my friends, he told me that you haven't used 'neither...nor' in a correct way!
I got astonished at that time but then he told me that 'Neither can he eat nor sleep' is grammatically correct. But now I want your views about my friend's sentence and mine.


texts: Why 'nobody', instead of 'anybody' or 'anyone', is used in this context?

texts:
"The Sorcerer's Stone! Of course -- the Elixir of Life! But I don't understand who --"

  "Can you think of nobody who has waited many years to return to power, who has clung to life, awaiting their chance?" ... ...

I think 'nobody' here refers to Voldermort. I don't understand why 'nobody' is being used in this context. I figure it might mean the sense: a person of no influence, authority, or importance. But I think Voldermort isn't that kind of person. On the contrary, he meant a lot to all the people in the book. Otherwise, 'anyone' or 'anybody' looks more appropriate for this context in my opinion.

Any thoughts?

-- Excerpted from Harry Potter.


texts:
"I can't help laughing at the sight." = "I can't help myself laughing at the sight."

I think that both sentences have same meaning.

What do you think about this?

Please, help me anybody.


texts:
People say this when a cat likes cuddling, eg. he's a big suck. I don't know the exact meaning. I couldn't find an appropriate meaning from dictionaries. Or maybe I'm looking up the wrong word (different spelling, same pronunciation).

It could be a local use, I'm in Ontario.


texts: What does the word 'broke' mean in "country Is 'Broke' With state subsidies...."

texts:
Does "broke" here mean "without money"?

Brazil's President Says Country Is 'Broke'
With state subsidies to fight poverty now ended, Brazil's far-right President Jair Bolsonaro on Tuesday said his country is "broke" and he is unable to do anything about it, attributing the crisis to "the press-fueled" coronavirus.

Source:  International Business Times


texts: What does it mean "it stopped short of overturning the policy"?

texts:
But it stopped short of overturning the policy, saying instead that parliament should be given time to legislate on the matter.

Does it mean "it stopped of overturning the policy short". But I can't find a usage like this.
If it means "Short of overturning the policy, it stopped", I think it is unreasonable.
This is an article in The Economist.


texts:
The dialog from Casino Royale movie looks a bit strange for me:

  Now, I'd have normally
  gone with only child
  but, you see, by the way you ignored
  the quip about your parents
  I'm gonna have to go with orphan.

Dictionary says that "to be" can be used:

  To select or choose: decided to go with the pink wallpaper.

But, in the movie, James Bond doesn't choose or decide, he suggest if I understand context correctly. He could have spoken "I'd have normally suggested you are the only child", with same meaning, isn't it?


texts: Which verb should be used with injection - give or inject? What is the better way to talk about the injection?

texts:
Normally, in India people around me say

  — Doctor will give you the injection.

So, is give the injection fine or inject the injection would be better?

Or is there a better word for it?


texts:
Is using "to butt in" acceptable in a formal conversation such as business meeting in order to add something or to make a correction by speaking shortly while someone is talking?

Or can we say it means "I will say something now and I want to keep on talking"?

For example:

  Can I butt in here please

Also can "to come in"  be used in this context? Are they synonyms? Which one sounds better?


texts:
In my schoolwork, I stumbled upon this sentence that needed rewriting.

  The guests didn't have food or drink; neither did the hostess
  .

Here's my take

  Neither did he nor the hostess have any food or drink
  .

It was not accepted, maybe due to the school's guildline. I wonder if my take was grammatically correct. As I am not asking whether I should use this or not, and what would be the better alternatives.


texts:
Can you use "lock into place" like this?
I thought "lock into place" was an idiom, but I couldn't find it. It seems to be a phrase that's not an idiom, so I was wondering if the following sentence made sense.

Her eyelids lock into place and because of that she could no longer
close her eyes.


texts:
Seinfeld, "The Raincoats."
(Jerry and Elaine sitting in the booth)
ELAINE: N-I know they're your parents Jerry an' they're very nice
people. But don't you think it's odd, that a thirty-five year old man
is going to these lengths to see that someone else's parents are
enjoying themselves? I mean don't you find that abnormal?
JERRY: It is a tad askew.

What does it mean here?


texts: What does "pertinent biological information" mean in an essay

texts:
I was asked to write an essay about my career objectives and goals, major interests, exprience or any pertinent biological information. I tried to figure the meaning of the last part but with no success

My dictionary shows that pertinent means relevant to, so they're asking me to write about biological information related to my career objectives and goals? how can biological information be related to this?


texts:
Aaah! You stained my pilgrim hat butt-pipe!
Source: https://southpark.fandom.com/wiki/Starvin%27_Marvin/Script
Can you please clarify to me the expression "pilgrim hat butt-pipe"? The official translator of South Park to my native language translates it simply as “missionary hat”. But what is "butt-pipe" in the context?


texts:
I was at doctor office few days back and there was lady who was trying to come in the office.But couldn't as the door was locked. I told the nurse there that "somebody is on the door" and she replied back saying you mean "somebody is at the door ?".

Which one is correct ?


texts:
I am writing a story. In my story, I'm writing the prologue using the present tense, due to wanting the reader to be closer to the protagonist and experience his story in real time. I am also narrating the story from the first person singular point of view.

During the prologue, a character dies. Let's just call him Bob.

Now Bob did some actions before he died.

Should I say (after he dies)

  Bob has set up this contraption.

Or

  Bob had set up this contraption.

(As he dies/immediately after he dies)

  Bob has successfully carried out his mission.

  Bob had successfully carried out his mission.

Edit:
To give context, Bob's mission was a suicide mission. As I watch the explosion, do I say: "Bob had successfully carried out his mission" OR "Bob has successfully carried out his mission"?


texts: "I haven't seen him for five years" and "I hadn't seen him for five years" difference

texts:
Can anyone explain me, please, what is the difference between this two sentences: "I haven't seen him for five years" and "I hadn't seen him for five years"?
In English, we use both of them when we speak about something that happened in the past, but still, I'm not sure that I really understand the difference between present perfect and past perfect, since they both can be used for this purpose.


texts: Should “stand” be replaced by “get” in this sentence?

texts:
Here’s the sentence:

  Stand a chance to win an iPhone X by (doing something).

I think stand a chance here is overused.


texts: Expressing weakness of alleged reasons for something

texts:
Let's take the sentence

Sentence. Jim was detained on a slim ground that he was seen with Bob two days ago.

The idea is to say that the justification for Jim's detention is weak, and I wanted to express it using the phrase 'on a slim ground'. However, having checked both google ngrams and google search, I found that the phrase 'on a slim ground' and its alternative 'on slim grounds' are not popular at all, so it is probably incorrect to use them.

Question. Is it true that the sentence at hand is not correct, and if so, how to replace 'on a slim ground' to make it correct?


texts: What is the phrase describing "insects causing trouble and anxiety repeatly"?

texts:
He has to fight with a lot of insects around his house in every summer, which have caused repeated trouble and anxiety to him.

Could I call them haunting insects indicating the effect they are bringing? If not, what's the appropriate phrase?


texts: meaning of ''he took on targets once seen as all but untouchable''

texts:
It's an article in Reuters I can't get the meaning of bold part

  In three hours of blazing exchanges with his rivals, he took on
  targets once seen as all but untouchable, including the judicial
  establishment and the Revolutionary Guards, the elite military force
  that controls much of Iran's economy.

would you give me the meaning of that part word by word?


texts: Is it idiomatic to say "x is equal to 30 at least 900 times"?

texts:
A post says

  Assume the Bureau repeats the survey 1,000 times, the confidence levels of 90% means that the stated number is between (35,534,124 to 37,315,094) at least 900 times.

I am aware the idiomatic way to express that meaning would be

  the stated number is between (35,534,124 to 37,315,094) 90% of the time.

However, the quoted part is an explanation to "90% of the time". It is supposed to use a more simpler expression convey the idea.

So, Is it idiomatic to say "... at least 900 times" in that case? Could someone please give a hint? Thanks in advance.


texts: Do you swirl or twirl a little oil around the frying pan?

texts:
In my ears, swirl sounds better but I don't know why. I tried looking up the definition for both verbs but I couldn't find anything particularly unique for each, eg something like one of them being used only with inanimate objects.
Does anyone happen to know some general rules of thumb when to use each of the verbs?


texts: Reporting statements: He {would/will} probably be back soon

texts:
I'm wondering if there's any reason why will would be uncorrect in the following phrase:

  She said that he will probably be back soon.

reporting the statement:

  He's likely to be back soon.

The book I'm reading suggests to use would, should or ought to.

Also for the following:

  I refuse to accept that he is dishonest.

To report it I would have used either can't or couldn't (maybe she still can't believe it?)

  She said that she can't/couldn't believe that he is dishonest.

I realize that the book may not write all the possible words, but am I wrong somehow?


texts:
The document as it was finally approved set forth the essential
  principles of freedom and equality for everyone-regardless of sex,
  race, color, or other status. It also asserted a number of fundamental
  human rights, including among others the right to work, the right to
  rest and leisure, and the right to education.

What does among others mean? Does this mean other people? or other principles stated in the document?


texts:
Is this sentence legit?
For example, Did you watch the movie but forgot the ending? or should I say Did you watch the movie but you forgot the ending?


texts:
Can this statement be rephrased without using the word "because" or sounding elegant

  The fee is discounted substantially because organizations are expected
  to have a long term contract, a minimum of a year.


texts:
Is there a word that refers to the sound made when we are moving in a type of terrain? It should be a word that useful for video games, esp. 2d ones where moving through a grass or solid terrain result in a different sound being played. It doesn't necessarily have to be specific to video games, but it would be nice if the word was a specific word used by video game developers. I can't think of a word like that. For visuals, we have textures, but we don't have a word for a unit of sound, esp. that implies the same sound being played as a unit of sound at a trigger X.

For example:

  The ___ was repeatedly heard as Link walked in the tall grass.


texts:
When to use the former and when to use the latter?

Example:

  I went to the Internet and searched everything I could on animal
  behavior.

  I went to the Internet and searched everything I could about animal
  behavior.


texts:
While I’m reading The Martian,

  I may as well yell toward Earth for all the good that damned thing will do me.

What is the meaning of “damned things will do me” here?


texts: The meaning of "identify" and "distinguish"

texts:
I wrote

To create a wrapper, the user first identifies text features such as textual delimiters, keywords, constants or text patterns, which we call anchors, to distinguish and delimit data regions and data records on a representative page.

by "distinguish" I mean "to make distinct", does it have such meaning?
In fact I don't know the meaning of identify and distinguish or similar words.
in dictionary identify is  to recognize someone or something. Then can I say "I identify an object on the page for the reader"? or it is an action that every one should do by himself?  Then what would be the word I should use in such sentence?
Similarly, distinguish is to recognize the difference between two or more things. So, for example, you may distinguish something on a page. What if I highlight them or use some landmarks to make them distinguishable? what is the word of my action? Do I again distinguish them?
===== Examples of my usage =====

I can't distinguish the mountain you climbed in this picture
I can't identify any damage in this car

But are these ok too?

This tree distinguishes the mountain we climbed in this picture
This spot identifies a damage to the body of the car


texts: Difference between '[Adjective] as it may sound' and 'As [adjective] as it may sound'?

texts:
Is there much difference between the two?
For example:

Silly as it may sound, ...

As silly as it may sound, ...

Also: When you say it like the second example, does the second 'as' still mean '(even) though'?


texts: taught more than 100 hours or taught for more than 100 hours

texts:
When using the verb "run", I realized that we can say "I ran 2 hours last night." without including the preposition "for". I wonder if we can do the same thing to "teach"?

I have taught more than 1000 hours in total.

or do we have to use "for"?

I have taught for more than 1000 hours in total.


texts:
I'm trying to understand this song, but it's really full of non usual constructions to me.

Her words like the mountain stood lonely and lofty
With her face like a daydream and her hair like the shawl
Worn by a mourner as he steals away softly
From those that would have him mourn nothing at all
Endlessly sorrow rode high on the north wind
Slashing and slicing, to take him his toll
And endlessly creatures of darkness were cutting
Their paths through the walls that sheltered the soul
But no longer gypsy-like sadness unending
Her eyes they lay hollow and her face petrified
Some will go laughing and others condemning
But who there among you could have told her goodbye

Does "As he steals" refer to the mourner?
Does him in "take him his toll" refer to the wind?
If yes, is this a example of personification, using him instead of it?
What does "Endlessly sorrow rode high on the north wind Slashing and slicing to take him his toll" mean?
Disconsidering the metaphors, the endlessly sorrow used the north wind like
a tool?
I can't understand the specific meaning of "take him his tool".


texts: What is the difference between “within” and “inside”?

texts:
Here is the definition of the word within from Oxford Dictionary:

  inside (something)

So does that mean the two words have no difference, and can be used exchangingly? Is there any connotation that one word can be used but not the other?