texts:
Please help me figure out the meaning of the sentence "Needs to apply themselves" in the following text from the description of the app Clusterduck:

You will see that every duck comes with a playful personality
description, such as, “Sometimes leaves the fridge door open. Needs to
apply themselves.”

Here is a description of the game from Apple App Store:
CLUSTERDUCK is about hatching as many ducks as possible. As more ducks hatch, the more strange things happen. The ducks begin to genetically mutate! With each generation of ducks that hatch, the chances of things going horribly wrong increase at an alarming rate.


texts: Do I use the simple tense or continuous in this case?

texts:
It's full day and I'm interacting with a co-worker:

Don't mind if I yawn a lot while you're talking. I didn't sleep /
haven't slept all night.
Don't mind if I'm yawning a lot while you're talking. I didn't sleep /
haven't slept all night.

What is the correct option?


texts: Are "with a view to" and "with a view towards" synonymous?

texts:
I know that "with a view to x" means "with the intent of doing something", but I am not sure if "with a view towards x" means the same thing. I couldn't find an entry for "with a view towards", so I was wondering if it was idiomatic and they both meant the same thing. I think there might be a slight difference in meaning, but I am not sure what it could be.

For example:

  The military deployed soldiers in the region with a view to securing a
  critical asset.

  The military deployed soldiers in the region with a view towards
  securing a critical asset.


texts:
What colour was Tom Cruise's jacket in Top Gun?

  What was the colour of Tom Cruise's jacket in Top Gun?

  What colour Tom Cruise's jacket in Top Gun was?

  What colour Tom Cruise's jacket was in Top Gun?

Which ones of these questions are correct? And why?


texts:
Could you explain me please, why sometimes the word "mile" is used in singular, sometimes in plural, while in both cases it refers to several and not 1 mile.

Example:

  They took part in a 26 mile long swimming race.
  After 12 miles he got tired.

Thanks in advance to those who can enlighten me!


texts: Usage of "having done" for describing a person

texts:
I came across this question on a sample TOEIC test.
The answer is "(A) having" and I have no idea why this is correct.

  Maria Vásquez has a wide range of experience, ------- worked in
  technical, production,  and marketing positions.

  (A) having  (B) has  (C) having had  (D) had

I thought "(B) has", as "she has worked in technical, production, and marketing positions." was a correct sentence.


texts: differentiating between the best proper , polished sentence

texts:
Would you please take a light on if the bold parts have been selected properly?

Meanwhile, could you please show me which one of the sentences is recognised as the best sentence naturally?

A. In advanced and industrial countries, under economic and constant circumstance as well as change in society and behavioural patterns, the young's tendency towards marriage has been significantly reduced.

B.In advanced and industrial countries, through economic and constant circumstance as well as change in society and behavioural patterns, the young's tendency towards marriage has been significantly reduced.

C. In advanced and industrial countries, under economic and constant circumstance as well as change in society and behavioural patterns, the young's interest in marriage has been significantly reduced.

Any comment would be greatly appreciated


texts:
You can watch tv ...

A. After you have finished your work

B. If you have finished your work.

Which option is correct?


texts: "While I had/have had discussion with him about this, no decision has been made."

texts:
example 1: While I have had  discussion with him about this, no decision has been made.
example 2: While I had  discussion to him about this, no decision has been made.
My understanding is that in example 1, have had is used to emphasize that there were more than one discussion. In example 2, only one discussion.
Am I wrong?


texts:
given the following sentence

  I have a snake of which the head is white and (of which) the tail is black.

In this expression, can I omit the second (of which)?
Or shouldn't I omit it?


texts: Why do you say "I suggest TO you" but not "I honour TO you?"

texts:
Why do you need the TO when you say I suggest to you, but not when you say "I honour you.
You can say "I give to you my word" but you can also say "I give to you my word.|


texts:
I'm currently reading this article, and a paragraph says,

  Johnson tweeted that the two sides had struck a “great new deal” and urged U.K. lawmakers to ratify it in a special session being held Saturday — only the first time since 1982 that British lawmakers have been at work on that day.

What would the bold line mean?

Would that mean, British lawmakers worked for the first time since 1982 overnight?


texts: article: usage of "the" in front of a noun that was not mentioned beforehand

texts:
But the countries that suffered the highest death tolls say they lack "the" funds to finance it.
In the sentence above, why is there "the" in front of the word funds?
In the whole passage that this sentence was included, the "funds" were not mentioned beforehand.
From what I know, "the" is used to indicate specific nouns that have mentioned earlier in the context or a representative noun (as in "the police" or "the people").
And "the" in this case does not seem to fit into any of the two..
How should I make sense of this usage of a definite article?
I would greatly appreciate your help! Thanks!


texts: Is “worse” correct in “His Chinese is no worse than mine”?

texts:
Given the following sentence, am I correct to input the word "worse" to fill in the blank and make the sentence understandable?

  I cannot speak Chinese very well, and he cannot either.

  His Chinese is no __ than mine.


texts: If "I wonder" is separated by a comma, should the sentence end in a question mark instead of a full stop?

texts:
Is this sentence correct?

  I wonder, is it time for breakfast?

"I wonder" sentences end with full stop, but what if it is separated by comma as in above sentence? Would it still be wrong to put the question mark?


texts:
The results of the infection of malaria are the enlargement of spleen and capillaries in the brain are blocked.
  The results of the infection of malaria are the enlargement of spleen and capillaries in the brain being blocked.

In these two sentence above, how should I use the conjunction 'and' ?
Can I use it to join noun and sentence?


texts:
Don't listen to her, she's just cranky because her mom blew her off at the last minute. She should have babysat/been babysitting.

(This is said at a party about a woman who has brought her baby with her)

What would be natural in the context - "She should have babysat" or "She should have been babysitting" or something third?


texts: Should I use indefinite article with the word money?

texts:
The question actually is in the title. Google shows both phrases are found:

  It's small money.
  It's a small money.

So which of them is correct?


texts:
This song is originally sung by John Mayer.

vs.

  This song was originally sung by John Mayer.

Should I use was or is?

Was: for it is event that happened in the past.
Is: for it is a fact that John Mayer originally sang the song.


texts:
This phrase is supposed to mean "we are covering the news from a new perspective/from another angle. We don't analyse the news by following the major trends or opinions."

I could find a lot of example of the phrase "a new look at" on the web, but I'm just not sure if I can use it with "the news"

A new look at the news! is my try for the translation of the French phrase: "Un nouveau regard sur l'actualité"


texts: Is it video on the topic or video about the topic?

texts: Is it a video on the topic or a video about the topic?


texts: What is the grammatical rule of " fainting" in this text?

texts:
Julian, grasping the head of the weapon, attempted to draw it forth, but in vain – the sharp steel cut his fingers, and the pain and loss of blood caused him to fall fainting from his steed.
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/16167/16167-h/16167-h.htm


texts:
The following sentence came up and started a discussion between me and a friend over the grammar and the use of the word to:

  Now that the weather is frightful, why not (to) spend the time indoors with friends and family

My friend's argument is that we must use the full infinitive form. To that I argue that we are using that form, we should just skip the leading to. Which is correct? Should the to be there or not?

I believe the following is a minimal, simplified version of the sentence:

  Why not to do it

But in this case it makes sense for me to say it both with and without the to, although I feel that those two versions have slightly different meanings (I would also put the stress slightly differently in either case):

  Why not do it

  Why not to do it

Whereas it feels incorrect to me (but not to my friend) to use the to in the example in the beginning.

Some advice for clearing this out?


texts:
I created the sentence below:

  I made this juice by mixing orange and apple in a ratio of 1:3.

I want to know what is called the number "1" and "3" that form the ratio. As far as I searched on the internet, it seems to be called "proportion".  So, does the following sentence make sense?

  I made this juice by mixing orange and apple in a ratio of 1:3, but
  this ratio can be changed as long as the mixing proportion of orange is
  less than that of apple.


texts:
https://www.changemakers.com/mentalhealth/entries/reaching-out-about-depression
What does "Reaching Out About Depression" mean?


texts:
I found this sentence in an English grammar book but I can't figure out why we are using the present continuous tense:
"Amy is a student, what is she studying?"
Shouldn't it be "what does she study" I think it's not talking about the action that is happening right now so we should use present simple can someone explain this thanks.


texts: What's the difference in meaning between these two sentences?

texts:
• We'll taste the dishes of different restaurants there.
• We'll taste dishes of different restaurants there.

Are they both grammatically correct? And if they are, what's the difference in meaning between them?


texts:
This is the context:

  It’s very hard to find the place where consciousness “gives out” as you move across the natural
  order. If one looks for a capacity without which there wouldn’t be consciousness, for example, language or
  reasoning or certain kinds of emotion.

  source: The enigma of human consciousness.New York Academy of Sciences.

What is the meaning of "gives out" in this context? is it like showing up?


texts: "try to bleep open your car" why "bleep" can be used in this phrase

texts:
“Imagine trying to bleep open your car one day,” says Graham Steel,
  the boss of Cryptosense, a firm that makes automated security-checking
  software, “but then you’re told that your car has been locked, and if
  you want back in you need to send $200 to some shady Russian e-mail
  address.”

This sentence is extracted from The economist. I looked up the dictionary and found that "bleep" can be used as noun or verb. In this sentence, I think "open" is the verb, then "bleep" should be an adverb to modify "open". But there is not such usage in dictionary. Does "bleep" make sense if it is a noun or a verb in this sentence? and how?

The whole paragrah is:

  A recent development is “ransomware”, in which malicious programs
  encrypt documents and photographs, and a victim must pay to have them
  restored. “Imagine trying to bleep open your car one day,” says Graham
  Steel, the boss of Cryptosense, a firm that makes automated
  security-checking software, “but then you’re told that your car has
  been locked, and if you want back in you need to send $200 to some
  shady Russian e-mail address.”


texts: How to understand by "If you have a change of scenery, you go somewhere different after being in a particular place for a long time."

texts:
If you have a change of scenery, you go somewhere different after being in a particular place for a long time.

Does it mean you go somewhere different for a long time. or you were in a particular place for a long time.


texts: "Beard comes late to our family males." is the sentence correct?

texts:
Today, one of my school friends ended up saying:

  Beard comes late to our family males.

Is the sentence grammatical? If not, then help me correct.

I'm not a native speaker.

Thank you.


texts: What is the "to" in “… for you to assess …”?

texts:
We’ve worked with Coursera to create new software for you to assess each other’s work.

Isn't this supposed to be "for you to assess each other's work with?"
Like, I have a pen to write with.

Because this second "to" explains the software.

What do you think?


texts:
According to this sentence:

  A projector moves the film forward at 24 frames per second so that our eyes register moving images and {not still ones}.

I am not sure whether it "doesn't register non-moving images" or "register non-moving images". And still usage doesn't grasp it.

And (conjuction) have been made reduction, Can you please make a full sentence - without reduction ?


texts:
The armed bank robbers strode into the bank and fired a shot into the air/ceiling.
If inside, could "into the air" be used or should I go with "into the ceiling" or something else?


texts:
Below is a timeline of what you should do if you were injured at work: [...]
(Source)

This is a subjunctive sentence, but this "should" is not subjunctive.
It is like "You should do it now!"
Is this imbalance possible?


texts: in a scientific context, how to talk about reasons and consequences?

texts:
I've written down 4 sentences and my thoughts.

  High temperatures would melt stones .( imaginary situation in the time of speaking)

  High temperatures will melt stones . ( I have no Idea ! - I don't think it suggests a future event )

  High temperatures melt stones. ( It is a fact and always happened)

  High temperatures can melt stones. ( High temperatures are able to melt stones, certainly )

Questions:

Are my paraphrases right ?

I am always mixing up the correct usage of would and will in the such contexts. What is the difference between 1 and 2 ?

Additional Info:

In Cambridge Advanced Grammar in Use we can read in the unit 16 and on the page 32 that, we can use will/would to talk about things that are or were always true. Thus, I said in sentence 2 that, "I don't think it suggest a future event"

Regards


texts: Are native speakers serious about using right conditionals?

texts: After reading English Page’s Conditionals, I wonder how seriously natives speakers take the rules described in the articles. In the rules, there are 3 tenses: past, present, and future; 2 scenarios: real and unreal. It’s very hard for me to put the rules into practice.


texts:
The following is from 'The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival' by John Vaillant

  Today, even after a serious heart attack, Pikunov still has
  surprisingly powerful hands-and opinion to match. Among his
  colleagues, he elicits no neutral feelings, but his chin-first
  demeanor softens when he recalls the man he knew as "Vanya" Dunkai.

What does 'chin-first demeanor' mean? Is it something to do with Pikunov being a person who elicits no neutral feelings?


texts: How common is the usage of "yous" as a plural of "you"?

texts:
Yesterday I was exposed to the fact the "yous" is a plural form of the pronoun you. while historically I know that "you" is actually the second person plural pronoun while the singular form is "thou".

My question is how common or widespread the use of this form (yous) in the spoken English from one side, and in the formal English on the other side (in Britain and Canada or even in USA? I just don't want to be strange or weird if I use it.

I asked this question due to my exposure to this post on Facebook which I found in its thousands comments - many times of usage in the pronoun "yous" (I've attached just some examples from a lot in the same post which its commentators using "yous".


texts: What's the difference between "The Greenford team have" and "The Greenford team has"?

texts:
The Greenford team have completed the installation and hopes that word will soon get around about this life-saving equipment

AND

  The Greenford team has completed the installation and hopes that word will soon get around about this...


texts: Meaning of the word "innocent" in "innocent of any logical coherence"

texts:
This song is, in my opinion, completely innocent of any logical coherence and must be interpreted emotionally.

In this sentence, I think "innocent" could be interpreted as "not at all, entirely lacking", right?

If you look at the Longman English Dictionary, Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary,
there are only meanings associated with crime.


texts: what does mean if a number is placed after "then"

texts:
Would you mind helping me to figure out the meaning of the following sentence?

  Jason Warnock, then 29, is the man making the life-saving maneuver.
  "Readers Digest"

I was wondering if ", then 29," means Jason who has 29 years old or something else.


texts:
The man sitting in the iron seat did not look like a man; gloved,
  goggled, rubber dust mask over nose and mouth, he was a part of the
  monster, a robot in the seat. The thunder of the cylinders sounded
  through the country, became one with the air and the earth, so that
  earth and air muttered in sympathetic vibration. The driver could not
  control it-straight across country it went, cutting through a dozen
  farms and straight back. A twitch at the controls could swerve the
  cat', but the driver's hands could not twitch because the monster that built the tractors, the monster that sent the tractor out, had
  somehow got into the driver's hands, into his brain and muscle, had
  goggled him and muzzled him-goggled his mind, muzzled his speech,
  goggled his perception, muzzled his protest. (John Steinbeck, The
  Grapes of Wrath)

What is cat’? Is it displaying a certain pronunciation for cat or does it mean something else?


texts:
A sign. IGS STORE. The store in a house. Dark room. Behind the counter
  they could see a kitchen, teakettle spitting on the stove. Bunny heard
  television laughter. Waiting for someone to appear, Quoyle examined
  bear-paw snowshoes. Walked around, looking at the homemade shelves,
  open boxes of skinning knives, needles for mending net, cones of line,
  rubber gloves, potted meats, a pile of adventure videos. Bunny peered
  through the freezer door at papillose frost crowding the ice cream
  tubs.

The Shipping News by Annie Proulx

I googled and looked up the dictionary but can't figure out what they are.


texts:
I sometimes see "safe the date" on webpages. I always thought it was "save the date" as in "saving the date to a calendar". Also, there is no verb safe.
Using "safe the date" feels wrong to me.
And, is "save the date" a phrase that is commonly used or is there a better phrase?
AFAIK it means something like "please save the date to your calendar (or remember the date and block it)".


texts:
Let's say this is my hometown's narrow road. Further, can I say:

  "My hometown's road should be widened, because everytime opposing vehicles pass each other, they are always having a hard time to manuever their way around due to snug space.

Is the bold letter(phrase) correct?, specifically, do opposing vehicles pass each other?


texts:
What is the "sock of the valley" in the following sentences?

  I moved deep into the sock of the valley--the only visible human. Except for a ribbon of yellow-lined asphalt below me, there was no sign of human making. Beyond the last hills lay the Pacific.

This is in this book.


texts: Please tell difference between illusion and disillusion,I cannot understand it with the help of dictionary?i don't know how to use them?


texts:
We have an event called forum. It is a kind of a meetup where a lot of discussions are going on.

I want to say that I have an idea and I want to raise that idea during the next forum. Which preposition should I use?

  I want to raise a suggestion on the forum

or

  I want to raise a suggestion in the forum


texts: What is the difference between 'There is a pencil there.' and 'There is a pencil.'?

texts:
I want to know the difference between the two sentences above.

There is a pencil there.
There is a pencil.

I think that 'there' is unnecessary in No.1 sentence.

Would you please tell me the difference?


texts:
In my English studies I came across "prevent" and "avoid"

Cambridge Dictionary says:

prevent = to stop something from happening or someone from doing something:
avoid = to stay away from someone or something:

So if my understanding is correct we use:

"prevent" in form of protect or resistence
"avoid" in form of staying away or leaving out, omit or skip

Is this correct or are there any other/better ways of distinction ?

An example that would fit to my business exam would be:

What activities are needed to prevent/avoid that our customers become unsatisfied with our currently understaffed telephone service ?

I have found this issue here, also discussed on ELL


texts: How does Tim would break the window or How would Tim break the window?

texts:
How does Tim would break the window?
How would Tim break the window?

Both correct and have the same meaning?


texts:
I am totally confused where to use which.
We were told in university and at school that past tense is used for repeated actions in the past while present perfect is for a just completed action.
But the native speakers never say "I worked here", they say "I used to work here".
They also never say "I have uploaded/converted the file for you", they say "I uploaded the file for you".
I fact, I virtually never see present perfect used by native speakers.
Can anybody please clarify?


texts:
I have two examples:

  If you do try to discuss these new beliefs with them, many of whose minds are closed to new ideas will fight hard to keep themselves convinced and even try to change your mind back as well

and

  If you do try to discuss these new beliefs with them, many whose minds are closed to new ideas will fight hard to keep themselves convinced and even try to change your mind back as well.

What is the difference between "many of whose" and "many whose"? Do they have the same meaning and can they be interchangeable?


texts: Can prepostions link verbs to other words?

texts:
I read that a preposition links nouns, pronouns and phrases to other words in a sentence.
However, I saw these sentences and explanations below from the internet.

Josie drove to relax. (to ≠ preposition)
Josie drove to the mall. (to = preposition)

I wonder about "to relax", whether that "to" is a preposition or not. Why does it explain that "to" in this case is not a preposition?
Could you explain it to me? Thank you so much!


texts: Can there be more than one verb in a sentence, such as one linking verb and one action verb?


texts: The meaning of " half a workshopful of "

texts:
Somewhere in the Other World, where there are books and pictures and
plays and shop windows to look at, and thousands of men who spend
their lives in building up all four, lives a gentleman who writes real
stories about the real insides of people; and his name is Mr. Walter
Besant. But he will insist upon treating his ghosts - he has published
half a workshopful of them - with levity. He makes his ghost-seers talk familiarly, and, in some cases, flirt outrageously, with the
phantoms.

This is from "My Own Ghost Story" by Rudyard Kipling。
What "half a workshopful of " mean?
I am glad if someone would kindly teach me.


texts:
How do you transform

  We usually work too late to have much leisure time.

to a sentence in the form:

  So _____ that?

My answers:

We usually work so late that we cannot have much leisure time.
We usually work so late that we have/can have less leisure time.

Which is correct? And let me know any other possible answers.


texts:
I have just watched "All Together Now (2020 film)".
And the girl says "it was all on me".
This is the plot that leads her to say that.
The girl named Amber Appleton and her mom Becky are temporarily homeless after Becky leaves her abusive boyfriend Oliver. They sleep in the school bus where Becky is a bus driver.
One day, Becky's employers discover that she has been living in her bus and fire her.
Becky convinces Amber to get back to leave with Oliver, but Amber refuses because she thinks it's not safe to live with Amber. Amber runs away from her mom.
Both Becky and Oliver are alcoholic.
A few days later, police officers go to Amber's school and inform that Oliver and Becky have both been killed in a car accident, presumably while driving drunk.
And the girl says "it was all on me" because she thinks she runs away from her mom when her mom needs her.
In dictionary, "on" means "causing someone problems"

30 CAUSING SOMEBODY PROBLEMS used when something bad happens to you,
for example when something you are using suddenly stops working, or
someone you have a relationship with suddenly leaves you
Suddenly the telephone went dead on me.
Dorothy’s first husband walked out on her.

But "on" also means "to be responsible for something"

17  — used to indicate the person or thing that is responsible for
something
The drinks are on me. [=I will pay for the drinks]
They blamed it on me. [=they said it was my fault]

Some American people say "It was all on me", does "on" mean "I was responsible for it" or "it caused me some problems"?


texts: risk of developing type 2 diabetes by around a fifth -- "by around a fifth"?

texts:
Source: Never mind the food you eat... what you drink could be making you fat

Example:

  A study earlier this year found that having just one can of sugary, fizzy drink a day can increase your risk of developing type 2 diabetes by around a fifth, for example.

I don't understand what by around a fifth means here.


texts: What does "it's going to be a fast match for team X" mean?

texts:
"It's going to be a fast match for Team A."

Does this mean that team A will win? I am not sure what it means, because it's going to be a fast match for both team A or the team team A is playing against regardless of who wins. I was watching an esport match and a member of team B said: "It's going to be a fast match for team A."


texts: What is the everyday word to express "some food that tastes good if it is kept dry and bad if it absorbs moisture"?

texts:
Some food like snacks should be kept in a dry environment without any moisture or humidity.
If these foods are left in the open humility air, they will become soft and taste bad.
What is the everyday or common word to express that bad status?
For example, "I like to eat bread that has just come out of the oven. Bread will get soggy / damp if it is left in the open air."


texts: "Are" at the End of a Statement (a statement that is not an indirect question)

texts:
Why is it okay to use "are" at the end of a statement?

I found a page here that talks about verbs at the end of indirect questions, but I am specifically looking for an answer about why "are" can be used at the end of a statement that is not an indirect question.

For example:

  I won't do that no matter what the circumstances are.

  She does not know who they are.

To possibly add a little more clarity to my question, why is it okay to say the sentences above but not okay to say:

  She does not know who are they.

  I won't do that no matter what are the circumstances.

I feel like there is a really simple grammar rule that I am missing that will make all of this make sense.

Similar Questions / Possible Duplicate:
I found a similar question here that has an answer talking about "is" at the end of a sentence. One of the answers says that you can't use a verb directly after a "wh-" word (i.e. who, what, when...). That would make sense in explaining why we say "who they are" and not "who are they," but that doesn't work when I think about something like: "Where are the cookies?" [Edit: I read the answer again. The difference here has to do with the order of words in a question versus the order in a statement.]

Another similar question is here, but the answer focuses on question formats again. Another answer says:

  The normal order is subject-verb-object. When there is no object, the
  verb comes last in the sentence...

Then they give the example, "I don't know where the bank is." But "bank" is an object. So doesn't that mean we should technically say, "I don't know where is the bank" to follow the subject-verb-object order?

Both of the questions were sort of old so I decided to ask a new one.

Thanks for any help.


texts: Is this way of reading the number 334400 correct?

texts:
334400 new jobs.

Three hundred thirty four thousand four haundered thousands new job.


texts:
From the movie To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar

In a drag queen context, when the winners are announced, the host said to them

  Work the runway. Work it! Tempus fugit, diva women!

It doesn't seem to be idiomatic. Is it slang language?


texts:
Can you give some help, please? According to the exercise, I have to combine the two sentences with a relative pronoun.

A car didn't stop at the crossoroads. It was going fast.
A car, which was going fast, didn't stop at the crossoroads.
The girls laughed during the film. They were sitting behind me.
The girls who were sitting behind me laughed during the film.
The boy plays tennis very well. His brother is a tennis instructor.
The boy whose brother is a tennis player plays tennis very well.

Do you agree? There is no context given and sometimes it is hard to distinguish defining from non-defining relative clauses! Maybe both options are acceptable. Thanks a lot beforehand!


texts: "tell me what that movie is about" vs "tell me what that movie about is"

texts:
Tell me please which sentence is correct.

  Could you tell me what that movie is about?

  Could you tell me what that movie about is?

In theory, the second has to be correct because the part what that movie about is is not a question. It sounds weird though. So I think the first one is correct. Explain the grammar to me please why the second sentence isn't correct.


texts:
I always thought when we use the dependent clause after the main clause, we don't need a comma before the subordinating conjunction for example,

  I always sneaked into the movies to see an R-rated although my parents never would've approved.

till I came across this sentence,

  They kept the family farm, no matter how unprofitable it became.

The website says it's because the information remains true, no matter what you add in the subordinate clause.

I seem to fail to understand how you can add some information that make the comma unnecessary. Interestingly the same is true with although.

  He kept charging to his card, although his account was overdrawn.

How can I add some information that can change the main clause! Should I say something like,

  He kept charging to his card although he didn't!

I don't think so. So what's the trick? What's the point that I'm missing?


texts: Absence of the definite article before present company

texts:
My mother sighed melodiously, her way of warning present company that this could easily turn into an improvised lecture from the great man himself.

This is from "Call me by your name" by Andre Aciman.
How do you explain the absence of a definite article before present company? Is there a grammatical explanation or a rule?


texts:
Context: "He didn't say a word about the accident in front of us(,) kids."
I think the comma here may slightly change the meaning if used/not used. However, is the variant with no comma okay in literary, narrative style?


texts: Is it correct to say "as any human" meaning "as all humans"?

texts:
Could you tell me if it's correct to say as any human meaning as all humans? For example:

As any human, I've also made mistakes.

What I'm trying to say is that all people have made mistaks, and I'm no exception.


texts:
Usually when a present participle is modifying a noun, that noun is the subject of the sentence. In this sentence, the modified noun, however, isn't the subject. The sentence sounds a little cumbersome (maybe even off?) to me; but I hope I am wrong.

So I am having a hard time deciding if the participial phrase is grammatical here and fits the meaning I intend.

Sentence A (comma before the participle)

  The HR members were impressed by Albert’s range of skills,
  combining curricular design and innovative teaching methodology.

Sentence B (no comma before the participle)

  The HR members were impressed by Albert’s range of skills
  combining curricular design and innovative teaching methodology.

Here is what I mean to say phrased differently: The HR members were impressed by Albert’s range of skills which combined curricular design and innovative teaching methodology.

I am aware that I can change the phrasing, but for stylistic reasons I want to keep the participle.


texts:
What is the difference between:

  lines that are red are representing (...)

vs.

  red lines are representing (...)

and

  lines that start with the letter A (...)

vs.

  lines starting with  the letter A (...)

I'm interested in the meaning, usage and which one sounds better to you.


texts: "the starting is good" or "the start is good"

texts: I want to give my impression about the prologue, which one 'the starting is good' or 'the start is good' is the correct way?


texts: Is the expression '1/4 of something' or '3/4 of something' idiomatic/natural sounding?

texts:
Say, I have a packet of milk and there is not much left in it. If I pour it in a cup, it might less than 1/4 filled.

Can I describe it like this

  There is less than one fourth of a cup of milk in the packet.

Or in another context

  The amount of juice in the box will be slightly more than three fourth of a cup.

Also, should I use a or the with cup? one fourth of a cup or one fourth of the cup?


texts: What is the correct tense to use after "based on which"

texts:
The objective of the project was to provide the Government with the required ground conditions and climate information, based on which to make informed investment decisions for future expansion of road infrastructures.

After based on which, is it correct to use to make?


texts:
Although i tried searching google but couldn't came across any digestible stuff
my question is that
if a young girl in her early twenties  make an email id as "funkygirl", what is the meaning of "funky"here?

i have also attached a photo containing the word"funky"discussing about  a young girl in showbiz"
so what is meaning of funky here?


texts: Close vs closed for door, which one is correct?

texts:
I know that the opposite of 'open' for door is 'closed'. While 'close' means near. But I found a sentence while reading a novel that says:

  He heard the door to the private room open and close quietly

I hope someone will help me to understand why the author used close instead of closed here.

Thank you in advance!


texts: Is there a single word as a substitute for "make .. constant"?

texts:
This method makes the pressure in a container when the temperature in
  the container is less than 10℃ constant.

This is just an example I created.  In this example, the words "make" and "constant" are away from each other. Is it possible to rewrite this in such a manner that "This method makes constant the pressure..."? or is there a single word  as a substitute for "make .. constant"?


texts: As a freelancer, can I call my expensive laptop my bread and butter?

texts:
The Free Dictionary website states that the meaning of bread and butter is:

  noun A vital component of something. Bread and butter, as foodstuffs, are considered basic forms of sustenance. A flourishing stock market is the bread and butter of a successful country.
  noun A job or task that provides one with a steady income. I'm an artist on the weekends, but being a tutor is my bread and butter.

Now, my question: as a freelancer, can I call my expensive laptop my bread and butter?


texts: Can I say “years passed” in specific usage

texts:
I am sure I’ve seen this usage somewhere, i want to use this and it goes like this:

“As I reflect on the years passed, ...”

I don’t feel comfortable with it. But I’ve seen similar usage in “ a reflection on years passed”

Can someone help tell if my usage is correct ?

Thanks


texts: What is the meaning of "pathological sincerity"?

texts:
A: The truth is the only thing to get her back.

B: Except you won't be telling her the truth. Will you? You will be telling her that your brother is lying to her to her face with almost pathological sincerity for the past two years.


texts:
Please consider the following scenario:

  a) I'm really jealous of him; he's a really successful engineer.
  b) Instead, I'm really proud to have such a colleague! You see! He's been a truly diligent person thoughout his whole academic period and now he's enjoying his life! I knew him since many years ago! I remember well; he really burned the midnight oil to get where his is now!

Does the bold phrase above mean to work hard late into the nights for a long time in modern English? Doesn't is sound old-fashioned to you?

I would appreciate it if you let me know a better idiom in modern language if it's an obsolete type of implying this meaning in English.


texts: A dog ran down/along the street- meaning difference

texts:
The dog ran along the road.

The dog ran down the road.

I was doing a test paper on English and came across this question "the dog ran __ the road", and from the options only two made sense, along and down, but do they both not mean the same thing?

So far as i've been told, walking down does maybe indicate there being a sense of direction. Whereas walk along, could just mean walking horizontally on something like a pavement, or next to something.

But if you're talking about running or walking down/along the sidewalk or the street, both should pretty much mean the same thing, right? That you're either walking or running on the flat surface of the pavement.


texts: Is it correct to use "cetera" by itself, replacing "et" with "and"?

texts:
I've always preferred variations of "etc" and "et cetera":

"and cetera"
"&c"

"Cetera" is Latin and though we may borrow the Latin phrase in English, it might not be correct in formal settings to use the word alone.

Is it correct if I say "and cetera" ?


texts: 'in the privacy of his kitchen.' what does it mean?

texts:
I am trying to translate some fanfics to Korean. Anyway, I can't understand the meaning of the sentence.

Looking Will in the eyes gives Hannibal a tranquility that he usually only knows in the privacy of his kitchen.

It is entire sentence. I tried to google like this; 'know in', 'in the privacy of one's kitchen', 'in the privacy of one's own', but nothing came.
What does it mean, is it a kind of idiom, or can I just translate it literally?


texts: The way he did it was different from the way we were used to ？

texts:
The way he did it was different from the way we were used to.

In the sentence, "we were used to" is a relative clause to identify "the way".
Am I right?


texts: how do you pronounce "to" in American Accent in this sentence

texts:
I have this sentence

  I have come here to chew ... etc

I know that the to in that sentence is pronounced as da in American accent.

my question is, is the to is also pronounce as da in this sentence

  I have come here to study ... etc


texts: Preference of separate clauses over complex noun phrases in formal writing?

texts:
Both in my native tongue (Hungarian) and in my originally first foreign language (German) it is common in formal texts to use complex noun phrases instead of multiple separate clauses. At least this is my experience, but it might be based on older texts or occasional legal documents, which have their own language style. I am engineer by trade with no linguistic training since grammar/high school.

I am looking for some input regarding how correct the sentences below feel and how formal they sound. I would also be grateful for any good guidelines regarding formal writing. All I have found listed is either way too trivial  or too abstract. Despite my initial dedication, I was not able to get a good grip on the explanations.

I am really unsure how I should approach editing my writing for publication. The strict length restriction and the aim to be concise pushes me towards more complex noun phrases; on the other hand, this structure is more complex and needs more effort to understand. The texts I write are intended for scientific publications; therefore, I should aim for more formal language instead of informal, everyday parlance.

Examples:

The more than 10% difference between the planned and the final overall costs is attributed to in the meanwhile increased labour related expenses.
The difference between the planned and the final overall costs are more than 10% and it is attributed to the labour related expenses, which has increased in the meantime.


texts: "Hyacinths on (what I fondly call) my rockery"

texts:
Satin white, Persian purple, oil-paint yellow. When I planted these birches they were broomstick-height, and now look at them. They tap our bedroom window on stormy nights. Hyacinths on (what I fondly call) my rockery. Boy-blue and girl-pink. Through the kitchen double-doors I watch you eating supper – carrot and coriander soup – and leafing through Country Living Magazine, dreaming of houses uncluttered by reality, by half a lifetime of memories, perhaps.

Everyone calls Hyacinths as Hyacinths, because this is the original name of the flower called Hyacinths, so why the author say: "what I fondly call"?


texts: There's no way ahead, we can't go ahead (AmE use)

texts:
This is a description (I made it up myself).

So 4 people are running away from wolves. They reach the end of the cliff.

Can I use:

  They couldn't  go ahead.

Or:

  There was no way ahead.

And if one of them exclaims:

  Here is no way ahead.

Is the use of "ahead" natural? Does it mean that they can't "go any further"?


texts: What’s the meaning of the lyrics “Teenagers now I know I wild eat their young”?

texts: This lyrics comes from Tough Love by PattyCake Productions. Could you please help me analyze the structure of this lyrics? And is the word “wild” used as an adverb?


texts:
The word "movement" has many definitions in the dictionary. Which of them is proper in the following sentence?

  So you've probably studied both of these movements separately,
  separate movements, Realism and Impressionism, in some of your art
  history courses.

I found in the Merriam-webster dictionary definitions like "tendency" or "trend", but I am not sure about the meaning in this context.


texts:
Can someone explain what this means:

  Lamp posts and trees reared up at him, splintering his shins

Source: The Finkler Question by Howard Jacobson.


texts: What does "for money" mean in this sentence?

texts:
"That's the idea that if you make the consumer uncomfortable enough and then tell them that for money we'll make you less uncomfortable, then you will give us money."

It is an excerpt from an NPR News article about how mobile phone game companies make customers make additional purchases in the games themselves.

My question is, in the sentence above, what does "for money" mean? more specifically, what does "for" mean here? And could you give me other examples of the same use of for ?


texts:
"The fastest economic growth in more than 30 years"
Does it mean that country experienced the fastest economic growth relative to any year within the 30 year period?
Link :
http://www.nytimes.com/2000/01/28/us/state-union-president-clinton-state-union-strongest-it-has-ever-been.html
Yes, It's a very old article. i came across that sentence on ludwig. So i am kinda curious about this. If you find that article too tedious to read, you may opt to answer the second example.
Second example:
"Gold is set for the biggest monthly gain in more than four years after a weaker dollar and low rates fueled its surge to a record."
Link:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-07-31/gold-set-for-best-month-in-four-years-after-record-breaking-gain?utm_content=business&utm_source=facebook&cmpid=socialflow-facebook-business&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=socialflow-organic


texts:
What is the difference in meaning between:

Would the boss cancel the meeting?

Will the boss cancel the meeting?

When should one use first, and when second?


texts:
What is the cognitive reason behind the fact that we say "John is a boy," but we don't say "John is a good" or "John is boy?"

A related question is: Why do we say "This is a glass," but we don't use an "a" when asking, "What is this?"


texts:
I received it this morning .It has been a long time coming but the long wait has been worthwhile!
I wrote this in the beginning of the afternoon, so can I use present perfect for these two verbs or shall I stay with past simple .
(the wait was very long and it has just ended) present perfect can be used for something that has just ended.


texts: Ve and vis pronouns and possessives in a book

texts:
I'm reading "On the steel breeze" by Alistar Reynolds. For a character named Travertine, he uses "ve" instead of "he" and "vis" instead of "his".
This is a passage using "ve":

  Travertine's a pretty divisive figure. Ve's a friend of mine... When ve was last in trouble..."

and this is using "vis"

  Travertine examined vis fingers.

Is this some kind of formal treatment? or the writer made it up? I can't find any info about this.


texts:
Please take a look at the following two sentences from an LSAT:

For the most part, only government-sponsored research investigates agricultural techniques that do not use commercial products.
Most if not all government-sponsored research investigates agricultural techniques that do not use commercial products.

I can tell a main difference among others is that "most" in 2. specifies the subject scope while "most" in 1. comprises an adverbial that modifies the whole sentence. But what does 1. tries to refer to by "for the most part"—part of what?
I would really appreciate it if someone could help. Thank you very much for your time.


texts:
The engineer, in collusion with the contractor, cheated the government of a lot of money.

Is the above sentence grammatically correct. The reason to ask this question is that the phrase given here is cheated out of  but here people have mixed opinions, so what's the correct form ?


texts: What's the word for a territory breaking away from another territory to become its own self-governing country?

texts: I forgot this one. When a country breaks away to gain independence, what is the word to describe it?


texts: How to use commas if the conjunction “and” is repeated?

texts:
For example,

  Mary bought bread and meat and cheese and some butter.

Do I have to put any commas in this sentence? If the answer is yes, then how many commas and where should they stand?


texts: "I was supposing..."? (past continuous possible?)

texts:
I would like to know if it is possible to say "I was supposing..." or does it always have to be "I supposed..."? The example for what I am thinking of would be the following sentence:

When we talked last Monday, I was supposing I would have a lot of free time this week to prepare the documents. However, I turned out to be quite busy.

or

Last week I was supposing, I'd meet you in the office one of these days. I didn't know you went on holiday.

Are these possible?


texts: Is "Births" correct as third person singular of "To birth"?

texts:
I have this doubt now that I'm writing down a translation of a text: the word "birth" can be either a noun or a verb, but its usage in different sentences is not completely clear to me.

For example, if we are talking about a dog, I could say "Dog birth" using the word as a noun, or "Dog birthing" using it as a verb, but then, if I want to use a present time verb I would like to say "The dog births", third person, singular, and its the dog who births, not her mother who gives her birth.

Now back to the question, is the sentence "The dog births" correct and commonly usable, or is it better to use "X gives birth to Y"?

EDIT for specific case:

"The dog gives birth to a happy puppy" is the starting sentence, present form, but here the dog is the subject, while I want to be the puppy to be it, like in the bad-sounding "The happy puppy births from (?) the dog", I mantained "from the dog" just for reference to the main sentence, but the aim is exactly to avoid the "birth-giver" subject and result in a simple "The happy puppy births".

We already stated (in answers and comments) that while not incorrect, its not commonly used, so are there alternatives in the sentence construction that don't need altering the present o the "birth" verb?


texts:
Need advice, please. Trying to explain why not to use the "to infinitive"

I got the question after it was read in a textbook.

"The queen, what she does her entire life is lay eggs"

"lay" is used here as a bare infinitive because it used after the auxiliary verb "does", right?

Why would "to" be added if the sentence is changed to:

"The thing which she does her entire life is to lay eggs."

Does the rule still apply?

To simplify:

The thing which she does is to lay eggs.

What she does is lay eggs.

What am I missing here?

Any help would be appreciated.


texts:
Can it be omitted in the following sentence:

  On the other hand, more than a century later there is no complete classification of solvable algebras, nor is it in principle possible to obtain complete classification to isomorphism classes.

?

Edit: This question actually seems to be related:  When is it ok to omit subject?


texts: use "whether" rather than "if" after "discuss" and "doubt" in an object clause?

texts:
Sentence 1:We discussed if we should close the shop.

Sentence 2:We discussed whether we should close the shop.

Sentence 3: I doubt if they'll make it.

Sentence 4: I doubt whether they'll make it.

Which sentence sound natural to you?
Is there a rule that we should use "whether" rather than "if" after "discuss" in an object clause?
Thank you very much!


texts: Why did he leave me? (As in "not kill me")

texts:
I was reading an article online. (It was not by a native english speaker)

The person in the article was wondering why the referred person didn't kill her, why he spared her, when he had killed so many people.

Shouldn't it be "Why did he spare me?", "Why didn't he kill me?", "Why did he let me live?" or maybe "Why did he leave me alive?" (Does this one sound fine)

But does "Why did he leave me?" work? Doesn't it sound like "Why did he walk out on me?" and not "Why didn't he kill me?" (And this is what the sentence meant, it said "Why did he leave me? Why didn't he kill me too?)


texts: I've always been able to vs I always have been able to

texts:
what is the difference between the two sentences?

  I have always been

or

  I always have been


texts: What other word/phrase that can be used in alternate with "I just realized"?

texts:
Example,

  I just realized why some people still choose him even in the middle of
  the latter's allegations of corruption. It is because...

Alternative phrases for I just realized


texts: Gerund or infinitive which is more common at the start of a sentence?

texts:
Swimming helps us stay healthy.
  To swim helps us stay healthy.

What's difference in meaning, if any?
If verbs are action verbs, shall I use infinitives or gerunds as subjects?


texts: How best to say "having dinner" & "talking with my wife"

texts:
Which sentences are grammatically correct and make sense?

  I was having dinner, talking with my wife.
  I was having dinner and talking with my wife.
  I was having dinner as I was talking with my wife.
  I was having dinner while talking with my wife.

I think 1 2 4 are okay, except 3. But 2 seems to sound awkward. The best choice would be 1 or 4.

I posted this question because some native speakers told me sentence 1 sounds unnatural.


texts:
First scenario:

Please imagine someone's husband just left the house and he is on a mission now. The woman's sister comes to her and asks where is her husband? What should she say then? Would it sound natural to say:

  He's just gone on a mission.

Or

  He's gone to a mission. [it can just serve as a translation, but it sounds unnatural to me.

Second scenario:

or let's suppose three months ago you were sent to a long-term mission (i.e. 2 months) and now when you are back home, you're talking to someone and explaining about that period of time. Does the sentence below make any sense to you:

  Once, I went to a long-term mission from the company side...

Also, please let me know about its idiomaticity.

I wonder if you could let me know what would you usually say in such a case if my suggestions do not sound idiomatic in this sense.


texts: semantic difference between 'should' and 'would'

texts:
If it should rain tomorrow, the party would not be held. (A Korean grammar text)

While wondering what’s the semantic difference between ‘should’ and ‘would’, I get an idea from the account for ‘shall’ and ‘will’ that are written in a Korean dictionary. I can’t translate them well into English but its gist is like this: ‘shall’ has a meaning of others’ will (Every life shall one day end); ‘will’ has a meaning that the speaker's intention influences on the subject (You will not go out today).

When the above meanings are applied onto the example 1, it seems to makes sense. That is, raining is beyond the speaker’s will, while cancelling the party would be within the speaker’s will, as is below example 2.

  They should have to work to pay for the education they would have had for free, and even then they should be put in a special school with marine drill sergeants keeping them in line. (daum.net)

Q 1. Can my understanding of ‘should’ and ‘would’ for the examples be okay?
Q 2. Can you change the ‘would’ of example 1 and 2 into ‘should’? For ‘shall’ also has the speaker’s will (I shall do everything I can).


texts:
Are all of the following sentences correct?

New York is a city to which I have traveled many times.
New York is a city which I have traveled to many times (not "many times to"?).
This is the problem for which there is no perfect solution.
This is the problem which there is no perfect solution for.

I used to think in adjective clauses with prepositions such as "which", "whom" we can put the preposition only before them.

All of the items are from the keys.
The original task is to fill tha gaps (there might be several correct answers):

New York is a city _ which I have traveled _ many times. (to)
This is the problem _ which there is no perfect solution _. (for)


texts: "Ball" and "bowl" do they really sound the same?

texts:
To my non-native ears, they always do even though the dictionary says otherwise. Do you say the two words in the same way in your speech?

Additional information that might be useful:

I understand and recognize the difference between the two. It's just the difference seems to vanish in fast-paced native speech. I'm asking about whether native speakers ignore the somewhat subtle difference in their casual fast-paced conversations, and produce the two words/sounds in the same way. I wanted to confirm whether that was true or I was just hearing things.

My native language is Arabic. I can tell whether the speaker's accent is American, British, Canadian, etc., but honestly, both Brits and Americans gave me the same experience. I can determine from context which word is meant. Because my ears are not well-trained to hear a British accent, the difference is almost impossible for me to grasp in British casual fast-paced speech.


texts: Wondering what the word "glamour" refers to in this context

texts:
Actress Sharon Stone brought her brand of glamour to Cannes on Wednesday, but apart from the expected red carpet-full of stars there was also a touch of controversy.
  When French Director Michel Hazanavicius’s film ‘The Search’ was screened it was greeted with both boos and cheers.

Source: http://euronews.com/2014/05/22/controversy-in-cannes-as-the-film-the-search-is-booed-and-cheered/

I am wondering if is literary talking about a new product being advertised at cannes film festival with brand "Stone" , for example, or it is talking figuratively about her beauty !


texts: What does 'performance' mean in the passage?

texts:
What does 'performance' in the passage exactly mean?  I assume it is not used as its general meaning.

  "The analogies between science and art are very good as long as you
  are talking about the creation and the performance. The creation is
  certainly very analogous. The aesthetic pleasure of the craftsmanship
  of performance is also very strong in science." - Freeman Dyson


texts: "A little" Vs. "The little" (in reply to "Have you got any money?")

texts:
A: Have you got any money?
  B: Yes, a little
  A: Have you got any money?
  B: yes, the little

How a little is differ from the little in above context?

As far as I know the meaning of "a little" is "positive(some)," and meaning of "the little" is "not much" which can also be considered as some.


texts: What is the difference between DOES IT and DOES THAT?

texts:
Please help.

What is the difference between 'How long does it take?'
and 'How long does that take?'

I'm really confused.

Thank you.


texts: I saw some times we say it was meant to be,  in the other hand, we might say he meant that. If so, we will have several collocations with these. Can I say he was meant to do or it meant that. Furthermore, does it was.meant to be and it meant that have any difference in meaning?


texts:
Is there a difference between a and the in the following context? As an English speaker do they both sound natural?

What is a/the computer?

A/the computer is an automatic electronic machine that convert raw data into useful information.


texts:
If I were your brother, I wouldn't have approved.

If I had a knife in my hand, I might have stabbed him.

Do these two sound correct?


texts:
Could someone please help me with this sentence? I’m having problem with deciding if it’s it should be plural or singular.

  I have a blue and red car.

or

  I have a blue and red cars.

Which one is correct? I think it should be car and not cars as we are only talking about one unit.


texts: 'My hands are shaking when I get nervous' - is this grammatically correct? I know that 'My hands shake when I get nervous' would be a safer choice but I'm just curious about that specific sentence. At first I thought it was correct, but then I googled it and the results were either 'hands shake' or 'hands start shaking', 'hands are shaky', etc. Thanks!


texts:
Despite all obstacles (a) I will complete (b) this training on (c) self control by next month (d) [No error]
It's a question from a test. One of the bold sections is erroneous or there is no error.
I was unable to find any error but the answer says (b). With no explanation given, I do not understand why it is wrong and what should it be.


texts: We can say, angry with/ at someone. Is angry towards someone correct? For example, I'm very angry with my friend, Mara. Can I say: I'm very angry towards Mara?


texts: Which one is gramatically correct? - I need some help

texts:
There are two sentences:

In artifacts from as early as the Stone Age, mathematics and art can be seen to have fused in the geometric patterns which decorate pottery and carpentry.
In artifacts from as early as the Stone Age, mathematics and art can be seen to have fused in the geometric patterns to decorate pottery and carpentry.

I think the first one is the most suitable option for this sentence, but someone has another idea as option 2 noted above. I'm a bit confused. Hope someone could help.


texts:
Can we use simple present and past tense to tell routine everyday action?

  They are kept under surveillance.

Meaning they are kept under surveillance by their parents every day;

Or

It means they are just kept under surveillance for a day?

Or

Just reporting

Also

In reported speech if I say

  They were kept under surveillance

Has the same meaning as above but for a past situation,
i.e. they were kept under surveillance by parents every day. Is that correct?


texts: Is this correct: It is I whom you saw in the window

texts:
While there's no problem with

  It's me whom you saw in the window.

if I prefer to use the formal

  It is I whom you saw in the window.

Am I required to follow up with the subject who pronoun or the object whom pronoun?
Seems like I'm breaking a rule whichever I choose.


texts: Meaning of "the policy was a step too far."

texts:
Could someone help me to understand the following sentence?

For many ethnic Mongolians, who see their language as one of the last surviving markers of their distinct cultural identity, the policy was a step too far.

Extract from the New York Times' article Curbs on Mongolian Language Teaching Prompt Large Protests in China by Amy Qin
What is the meaning of the policy was a step too far ?


texts:
I have some questions about noun clause:

  The manager asked me .......... in my present job.

  a. how long I have been working

  b. how long I had been working

My problem with above questions is what actually the manager said and what we must choose between the answers. I somewhere saw that the answer is b. But I want to know what the manager really said. Did he really said "b" or the answer is "b because of ask"ed".

My second question:
Is this sentence grammatically correct?:

  I want to know did he really say that. (Correct / Not Correct)

in other way: Can we say "I want to know did he ..." instead of "I want to know wether he ... or not"?


texts: "The FFA was created to govern the rules of flying."

texts:
Do those sentences have the same meaning?

The FFA was created to govern the rules of flying.
The FFA was established to give rules to flying.


texts: Meaning of "shame someone into doing something"

texts:
The sentence "I tried to shame him into giving some away" is quoted from the New Oxford Dictionary.

What does "shame somebody into doing something" mean? As in this sentence:

  I tried to shame him into giving some away.

Maybe it means to make someone do something by shaming him/her?


texts: What does "period" mean in this conversation?

texts:
What does the word period mean in the following context? It does not seem to be a part of the sentence.

  — Could you please {do something}?
  — I don't want to do that, period.


texts: Idiom Many go out for wool and come home shorn

texts:
We've got a saying in Spain:

  ir por lana, volver trasquilado

I've found that in English already exists a similar proverb:

  Many go out for wool and come home shorn

whose meaning is also similar

  many who seek to better themselves or make themselves rich, end by
  losing what they already have.

But I'm not certain that the two of them share the following nuance. In Spanish it's applied also to

  Alude a quien fue a ofender y volvió ofendido

Let me adapt and translate

  The one who try to offend you, ends offending himself.

Offend, meaning in this case, that someone tries to demonstrate that you are wrong or that you are stupid but at the end he stands corrected or definitively showing that he is the stupid one.

Another saying in Spanish that reflects this meaning is

  Le salió el tiro por la culata / His gun backfired

Is correct the use of Many go out for wool and come home shorn in this case?
Are there any other idioms for this case?


texts: Are both "out of the city" and "outside the city" correct and natural?

texts:
Where do you live?

A bit out of the city. / A bit outside the city.

Are both these correct? Are they equally natural?


texts:
Does it have the same general meaning? Or does it have a completely different meaning somehow?

He walked his grandfather to the house.
He walked his dog to the park.


texts: Does an uncountable noun take an article if it has an adjective before it?

texts:
We all know that uncountable noun does not take an article. But then, if there's an adjective modifying an uncountable noun what should happen?

  An article before adjective + uncountable noun? OR
  No article before adjective + uncountable noun?

My research:

I found some examples of having article + adjective + uncountable noun such as...

  A soothing music.
  A deadly pollution.
  A hot tea.
  A hard work. And the like.


texts: Which is correct? dubious looking + noun Or dubious-looking + noun?

texts:
I'm currently writing an essay. I don't know whether or not it's 'dubious looking' or 'dubious-looking' when describing a noun.
For example, 'dubious(-)looking' form. I know the hyphen is used when the two words are used as adjectives. One teacher has told me that you use the hyphen when two nouns work as adjectives. Looking is an adjective and so is dubious. Does the hyphen rule still apply?


texts: Which is correct "If you are tired" or "If you tired"?

texts:
I went through some documents about the usage of if clause. But still confused
about the usage of clause sentence.

Which sentence is correct in the below two sentences?

  If you are tired, get some sleep.
  If you tired, get some sleep.


texts: Why is there a preposition in "for several months" but no preposition in "two hours"?

texts:
1) The meeting lasted two hours.
2) The drought lasted for several months.
These sentences are from Cambridge Dictionary. My question is - Why is there a preposition used in second sentence but not in first?


texts:
I remember reading a word containing T-S-L that describes ornamental cords or brushes that decorate uniforms, perhaps curtains and the like. I thought it was *tassle but came up empty. Which word am I thinking of?

PS: It is tassel. I am just an idiot. Wiktionary has a picture


texts:
I have a problem concerning times of the day in English.

Am I doing it right? I’m particularly interested in the bolded ones (midnight/noon/midday). Do they require any prepositions? Would it be correct to write and say, for example: It’s twelve o’clock at midnight? When it comes to 18:00 – is “It’s six o’clock in the evening” also correct? Take a look at the sentences after OR. Are they correct? Is everything correct?

0:00 – It’s twelve o’clock midnight.

0:01 – It’s one past twelve in the morning.

1:00 – It’s one o’clock in the morning.

2:00 – It’s two o’clock in the morning.

3:00 – It’s three o’clock in the morning.

4:00 – It’s four o’clock in the morning.

5:00 – It’s five o’clock in the morning.

6:00  – It’s six o’clock in the morning.

7:00 – It’s seven o’clock in the morning.

8:00 – It’s eight o’clock in the morning.

9:00 – It’s nine o’clock in the morning.

10:00 – It’s ten o’clock in the morning.

11:00 – It’s eleven o’clock in the morning.

12:00 – It’s twelve o’clock noon. = It’s twelve o’clock midday.

12:01 – It’s one past twelve in the afternoon.

13:00 – It’s one o’clock in the afternoon.

14:00 – It’s two o’clock in the afternoon.

15:00 – It’s five o’clock in the afternoon.

16:00 – It’s four o’clock in the afternoon.

17:00 – It’s five o’clock in the afternoon.

18:00 – It’s six o’clock in the afternoon.
or

It’s six o’clock in the evening.

18:01 – It’s six o’clock in the evening.

19:00 – It’s seven o’clock in the evening.

20:00 - It’s eight o’clock in the evening.

21:00 - It’s nine o’clock in the evening.

22:00 - It’s ten o’clock in the evening.

or

It’s ten o’clock at night.

22:01 – It’s one past ten at night.

23:00 – It’s eleven o’clock at night.


texts: When your spirits are not adapted to a particular situation

texts:
Please suppose you are not mentally / emotionally prepared to a particular condition / situation. How can you describe such a situation that your spirits do not compromise with the conditions you are in, idiomatically?

I've heard the following sentence, but have no any idea whether it works properly in this sense or not.

This situation does not "bode well with" my spirits!

The reason I doubt is that, according to my dictionary definitions, if something bodes well it makes you think that something good will happen. While this concept is far away from the meaning in my mind!

I was wondering if you could let me know whether my example works in this sense appropriately.

If not, please let me know how a native speaker would indicate the same message?

Some more explanations:

The word "spirits" means "morale", or rather your emotional potencials and the maximum tolerance of you! The degree you can bear a specific situation or some problems! Short and to the point, one's "emotional limits"! I am looking for the nearest and at the same time the most natural way, which a native uses to explain the same situation when you want to say: something is not  with your morale.
Let's suppose a gentle person like a poet or a singer or someone like them who is often times very emotional and cannot bear some harsh things like cutting body organs! So types of people barely can act as successful surgens! Because, the act of surgery [is not compatible with their (spirits/morale)!] How would a native speaker describe such a situation?


texts: Are there any difference between 'Are you a native Chinese?' and 'Are you native Chinese?"

texts:
For the following sentences, are they same in meaning?

  1: Are you a native Chinese?

  2: Are you native Chinese?


texts: Given "A implies B", is "B implies A" "the other hand" or "the other side"?

texts:
I asked a question just now, where

  x = 2 → x² = 4  is true

  where "→" means "implies", x = 2 "implies" x² = 4,

  on the other hand, x² = 4 does not "imply" x = 2 in general, where
  the counterexample is x = -2

This is an "image version", since ell.stackexchange does not support Tex command.

In that question, is it reasonable to say "B implies A" or

as "the other hand"?

Is "the other side" or some other expression better?


texts:
24.Tom thought he would get ______ his obsession with computers and become a lawyer like his father.
     A. over                       B. in                         C. out


texts: simple present vs. present participle on context

texts:
An user issued a bug on meta.stackoverflow.com recently. After that another guy (engineer) made some fix and then said

  This should be resolved.

I guess that sentence should be

  This should have been resolved.

Since the engineer was trying to convey the fact of job done.

Is my understanding right?


texts: Difference between the meaning of "For this reason" and "in this regard"

texts:
Celebrities are increasingly becoming famous for their luxury lifestyle than their achievements. For this reason, they are bad role models for children.

Celebrities are increasingly becoming famous for their luxury lifestyle than their achievements. In this regard, they are bad role models for children.

Is there a difference in meaning or not?


texts:
No sooner had I spoken than I wished I kept my mouth shut.

How is it explained that "than" is used alone and without any other words and why "than" in the first place?

As a side question, how to use this construction?


texts:
I am a non native speaker.

I have never talked English with anyone before. so all my accent depends only on how I see the word or if I heard it from a movie.

Is there any website or tool FREE that I can give it a word and it will say it in an American accent? I know it couldn't be 100% accurate but it is helpful to me.


texts: Difference between “unhappy with/by the new tax policy”

texts:
Actually, I'm learning English speaking and I'm not good at it.

During learning English, I've got a question.

How do you feel those two sentences?

  I knew people would be unhappy with the new tax policy
  I knew people would be unhappy by the new tax policy

I've heard native speaker said 1.

but I guess, when it comes to non-native speaker, saying 1. is difficult.

is 2.sentence little bit strict feeling??


texts:
Gaz & Dave stuck standing on top of the car, which is sinking in water.
One man walking on the land & saw them, but Gaz says "Not so Bad" to man
instead of taking help from him. so Dave responded to Gaz like this:

  "Not so bad"? That's not much of a chuffing SOS!


texts: Are the words "harmless" and "interests" ambiguous in this context?

texts:
Lysander is harmless enough. We keep each other company with our mutual interests, yet I don't think he could handle the enormity of our present situation.

Source: Diablo 2, Drognan (sells magic items) about Lysander (sells magic potions)

Are these words ambiguous in this context? I wonder whether "harmless" means "not causing any physical or mental damage or injury" or "unlikely to annoy or worry people" and "interests" "something in which one is interested; a hobby or pursuit" or maybe "benefit; advantage" (the definitions from the Collins English Dictionary).


texts: A simple speech to introduce a song to audiences

texts:
I'd like to find common sentences to introduce a song. Could you please suggest me some? Can I say these ones? I can hardly know if it sounds odd

"I'd like to present to you a song of..."
"I'm going to submit to you a song of..."


texts:
1. Around the World in a Hundred Years: From Henry the Navigator to Magellan

2. A Thousand Years of Nonlinear History

These are the titles of books. I would like to ask why the indefinite article is used before the number. When omitting the article would the meaning be different?


texts:
Michael Cohen retweeted something which said:

  let’s gut her

"her" is referring to Megyn Kelly.

He later said that this was not a threat to her safety, as the definition of "gut" is:

  to make (something) no longer effective

I looked at Webster, and it defines "gut" as:

  to remove the internal organs from (a fish or an animal)
  to destroy the inside of (a structure)
  to destroy the power of (something) : to make (something) no longer effective

  [...]

  Examples of gut in a sentence

  The salmon is already gutted and filleted.
  Critics claim that these reforms will gut the law.

I knew that both definitions exist, but I didn't know that the second definition - to make something no longer effective - could be used when referring to a person, I always thought it could only be used when referring to things such as laws and regulations. So my questions are:

Can "to gut" be used like this, referring to a person?
Is it commonly used this way?
Is that how most native speakers would interpret the sentence?


texts:
In the episode The Cafe, Jerry Seinfeld enters a restaurant and says:

  You go back there in that kitchen and tell your chef I want the works.

Does it mean that he wants 1) the dishes he ordered cooked with the excellence, or 2) just everything they can offer today? To support the second choise, I will refer to the Subway eateries: when you choose the salad, you can choose "the works", which means a mix of all salads.


texts: What is the meaning of 'would' in "I was always told that only time would heal the pain"

texts:
I was always told that only time
  Would heal the pain (source: #lyrics: until you were gone)

To me it sounds like it is related to willpower
Like she was told that time had potential to heal or the pain or time was capable to heal the pain
But it didnt


texts: Are there specific names for forehead jewelry?

texts: I googled "forehead jewelry" and found a lot of them in google photos, but I'm looking a specific name for this type of jewelry that falls on the forehead (and couldn't find there one).


texts:
Madison: I just don't think it's a good idea, looking for some secret
weirdo off the Internet. I mean, we just had an assembly about this.
Josh: He's not a weirdo. He's a covert investigator.

What does "assembly" mean in this context?
Source: Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)


texts: How to understand and parse this long sentences with so many attributive clauses?

texts:
You /said /in another interview /that [if /the government /of
  California /served /residents /the way [that /Google /serves/
  employees ][that /it /buses /down from San Francisco /to Silicon
  Valley, that /you / wouldn’t have proposed /this. Can you /expand on
  /that?

There are so many "that" here, it is not easy for me to analyze these clauses, especially the sentence , I think the correct one should leave out "that".

So how to understand and parse this long sentences with so many attributive clauses?

The article is from enter link description here


texts: The usage of "wrote" or "has written" in a special context

texts:
I have a question, a friend of mine and I discussed about what sentence is correct:

  To the person who has written this:

  [piece of paper attached]

  [New sentence]

or

  To the person who wrote this:

  [piece of paper attached]

  [New sentence]

or maybe both of them?


texts:
it can be used not only at the task, process of an organization but also used to achieve better vertical and/or horizontal integration among the all different levels.

VS

  it can be used not only at the task, process of an organization but also can be used to achieve better vertical and/or horizontal integration among the all different levels.

which one is correct.


texts: The first time when something happens in the future

texts:
What should be used when I want to tell about my upcoming experience of something in the future? I have come up with a few options and I am not sure which sentences are correct.

1 Tomorrow will be the first time I go to New York.

2 Tomorrow will be the first time I have gone to New York.

3 Tomorrow will be the first time I will have gone to New York.

4 Tomorrow will be the first time I will go to New York.

a bit different situation

5 Is it going to be your first time purchasing with us?

6 Is it going to be the first time for you to purchase with us?

7 Is it going to be the first time you have purchased with us?


texts:
Which sentences are correct?

  a) He looks at you in the same way Rick does.
  b) He looks at you in the same way as Rick does.
  c) He looks at you as Rick does.

Is there any difference between “The same way” and  “the same way as”?
I thought that “as” could replace “the same way” so could it just go by itself  in the sentence?


texts:
A college of further education

I am wondering what is this? what is further education?? would you please explain it in more details or introduce me a site or source in such a way that I could study that?

Thanks in advance


texts:
The following is the definition of "pub crawl" in an Oxford dictionary. I'd like to know whether "taking in" can be paraphrased as "that takes in."

a tour taking in several pubs or bars, with one or more drinks at each.

Consider also the following:

Fred Jones went on a trip visiting friends up in Bangor, Maine.

Can "visiting" be replaced by "that visited"?
If the boldfaced element in one sentence but not the other can be paraphrased by a relative clause, could you tell me why?


texts: How do I formally say in an E-mail: "Don't call again"?

texts: I would like to know how can I politely tell someone in an email to not call me again, I noticed that I often come across many salesman trying to sell me a services. But I am unsure on how to reject them politely or formally. I would also like to improve my English.


texts: I know we usually use backup as a verb, but if I wanted to use do/make, which one would be correct? I researched on google and found both usages, so I'm not sure which one is right


texts:
I've noticed that in comparison structure as.. as.., in my textbook, after the first as goes an adverb to compare and only after it goes additional information, like:

  You don't know as much about cars as I do.

So the question is, would this be correct:

  You don't know about cars as much as I do.


texts:
Can anybody please decompose this phrase and explain its meaning by providing some examples and explicate the context it could be used.

Thanks


texts:
Below is a sentence from yourdictionary.com

There has been an increase in greenhouse gases, therefore global warming is happening. (Depending on a writer)

Which can be rewritten as:

1)- There has been an increase in greenhouse gases; therefore, global warming is happening.

Or

2)- There has been an increase in greenhouse gases. Therefore, global warming is happening.

Please confirm if above two sentences can be rewritten as a replacement of original one.

regards;


texts: Delete the phrase "I'm" from the sentence by native speaker

texts: I hear many native speakers say, for example, "glad to connect" or "Not sure about that". Where they delete "I am" at the beginning of the sentence, Is that kind of "short the talk", I mean to speak a fewer words, or it has a conditions/rules to delete those words?


texts: Meaning of "for a month" in this context?

texts:
"Tom is living in London for a month."

What does here 'for a month' mean?  Does it mean,

By the time when we speak, Tom has lived in London 31 days and he's spending his 32nd day. or
When the time of speaking, Tom is still living in the middle of the month and he'll change the place/country  after the end of month.


texts: "What's it going to take you to do..." vs. "what's it going to take for you to do..."

texts:
Could you tell me if the word for adds anything to the meaning in the following context. It's from the sixth episode of the tenth season of Friends.

Chandler: Look, I'm sorry I didn't give them your tape. And I promise,
next time to submit you whether I think you are right for the part or
not.
Joey: That's not the point Chandler. The point is that you lied.
Chandler: I know. You're right. What's it gonna take for you to
forgive me.

How the meaning would change if Chandler dropped the for?


texts:
The situation is: I came home and realized that one window in my house is open (because e.g. it was colder than it should be), but I didn't know which one exactly (my house has several windows). Which article should I use?

  I came home and realized that I had not closed [the/a] window.


texts:
Is there a word for anything that is a con and a pro at the same time. I mean it is both good and bad, has both a minus and a plus, is an advantage and a disadvantage at the same time.

A second entrance door is a ____
Two heads is a ____
A fifth wheel is a ____ for a car.


texts: "...made us be happy" or "...made us happy"?

texts:
Which of these sentences is correct and more common?

  The show made us be happy.
  The show made us happy.

To me both are correct with a little difference in meaning!


texts: What's the meaning of this infinitive "to be in my shoes" in this sentence?

texts:
I came across this sentence

  There isn't an entomologist in the whole world who wouldn't give all he has to be in my shoes today.

When I asked this translation to some people, some person translated "to be in my shoes" as "in order to be in my shoes" and some person translated it as "if he were in my shoes".

Which is correct? Or anything else?

I knew the meaning of the idiom "be in my shoes" but I am confused how to use this infinitive "to be in my shoes" in this sentence because there were some translations about it.


texts: What's the difference between "I'm American" and "I'm an American"?

texts: Usually, the sentence, "I'm American", is used.  Is it OK if I say,"I'm an American." instead of  "I'm American"? If not, why? What's the difference?


texts:
(I don't want to?) stand your way

I think I might be remembering what I'd heard on the educational local radio while driving, but those three words are all I can remember. When I heard them, ‘your way’ would be a locative adjunct I thought, and the phrase means that somebody, maybe I, is in the place of blocking you. But it seems, looking up dictionaries, that the phrase needs ‘in’ before ‘your way.’ Can the phrase use without ‘in’? Or must I just have heard wrong?


texts: "Don't you not like eating fat?" – Is it correct?

texts:
My friend had told me he didn't like eating fat. Yesterday he was relishing some pork belly with a lot of fat, so I asked,

  "Don't you not like eating fat?"

He's a native speaker and I'm not. He understood it but it was very unfamiliar to me.

Google didn't turn up enough cases for me to decide if it is correct. If not, what are some correct ways? "Don't you dislike eating fat?" is that all right? But I dislike this way if the other one is also correct. :)


texts: "How are you doing?" Why do we answer "good" instead of "well"?

texts:
When someone asks me "How are you doing?"
Why do we answer "good" instead of "well" (adv. for doing) ?


texts: Are there cases in which "empiric" and "empirical" are not interchangeable?

texts:
On stackoverflow.com I found 3 instances of empiric solution and 4 instances of empirical solution.

What does this mean, if it means something—perhaps empiric and empirical are completely interchangeable? Or, does there exist some differences in usage?


texts: Error correction : It was not clear from the manual of instructions whether it should be signed or not

texts:
It was not clear (A)/ from the manual of instructions (B) whether it should (C)/ be signed or not.(D)

This is an error correction question from my book. I thought the correction was either to omit manual of or to omit of instructions but my book suggests to replace was by is. Is the suggestion by book correct ?  If yes what would be correct sentence if I were to say the above sentence in past tense ?


texts: Is "released for a limited time" correct?

texts:
A special edition of the widely popular video game will be released for a limited time.

Does released work in that sentence?


texts:
In a Pitchfork article (Alvvays: Antisocialites Album Review), I came across this word bum-bum, and I can't work out what it means. Here's the sentence in which it appears:

  Better yet, in a similar vein, is “Not My Baby,” an aching and ethereal song that bum-bums like the answer to the Ronettes’ “Be My Baby.”

Out of several online dictionaries I tried, only Wiktionary had an entry for bum-bum, and it said:

  (Brazil, childish) buttocks

The word used in the Pitchfork quote looks to be a verb though, and if it derives from this noun I wonder what hip-related action it might denote and how that can fit into the sentence.


texts: What's the meaning of "Before the world fell at our feet"?

texts:
Adele in her song says

  Before the world fell at our feet

What does it mean?


texts: Word for someone who says yes, then no, then yes

texts:
Facing a situation that needs a decision, a person says yes then in a minute later changes it to no, but he/she does it several times and does not have a real decision eventually.

What is the single word for it? If I translate directly from my native language, it comes to "unreliable". But, I don't quite agree with it, because it's a typical characteristic of people who hardly decides.

How about wishy washy?


texts:
Here is the lyric: https://www.google.com/search?q=better+dig+two+lyrics

Excerpt:

  I told you on the day we wed
  I was gonna love you 'til I's dead
  Made you wait 'til our wedding night
  That's the first and the last time I wear white

As far as I can tell it should rather be "til I'm dead", what am I missing?


texts: i could meet you vs i can meet you & i would meet you vs i will meet you?

texts:
i have so many doubts about given sentences i would be greatful if someone could clear those!
Could is generally referred to talk about past possiblity - is it true or not?
if it's true then why
we say i could meet you tomorrow? why can't just. i can meet you tomorrow?
one answer to this question is maybe to sound polite 'making a guess - 'i am not sure' correct me if wrong!
question followed to this is - can we say i could meet you yesterday? in present(today) if we haven't met that person yesterday because of some reason as 'we use could to talk about past abilities' so now that person again ask as we didn't when can we possibly meet so in that case can we say this '  i could meet you yesterday but now i am busy from mon to fri so probably on sat'?
and in case of you i will meet you. we are certain that we will meet someone.
but i don't understand why we say we " i would meet you' i tried to look up about this on internet and what i understood is if someone says " i would meet you tomorrow" that's bassically mean i won't meet you in reality because i have some other stuff to do so saying i would meet to someone always come up with reason why i won't meet in realiy if i am not wrong.  If it is so then why we say i would meet you? is there any possiblity of meeting in reality even in tiny amount?
if there is then, coming up question is same as were in could case.
can we say i would meet you yesterday? in present (today) if we haven't met that person yesterday because of some reason as 'we use would as past version of will' so now that person again ask as we didn't when can we possibly meet so in that case can we say this '  i would meet you yesterday but now i am busy from mon to fri so probably on sat'?


texts:
To this question physical science gives an answer, somewhat incomplete
  it is true, and in part still very hypothetical, but yet deserving of
  respect so far as it goes. Physical science, more or less
  unconsciously, has drifted into the view that all natural phenomena
  ought to be reduced to motions. Light and heat and sound are all due
  to wave-motions, which travel from the body emitting them to the
  person who sees light or feels heat or hears sound.

Problems of Philosophy, Bertrand Russell, Chapter III

How could I understand the bold text?
I think I would write it like this: It is true that physical science answers this question in a somewhat incomplete way . Is it correct?


texts:
It is often easier to fight for principles than to live up to them. [Adlai Stevenson, speech, New York City, Aug. 27, 1952]

I read this sentence from principle | Origin and meaning of principle by Online Etymology Dictionary

I understand it literally and love it, but I cannot grasp its complete idea from my 27 years experience.


texts: "had had to read" vs "could have had to read" vs. "would have had to read"

texts:
I am not a native speaker, so understanding a foreign language while living in an environment where people don't speak English very often is a little challenging. Recently, I came across these. I would be glad if you could help with these and explain where to use them?

He had had to read/swim.
Could have had to read/swim.
Would have had to read/swim.

I am quite acquainted with sentences with 2 consecutive "hads" or have
 immediately followed by had, but what good on the Earth is this little word  "TO" doing at the end of every sentence?


texts:
Assume, we have teacup (with handle) on the table. Then we rotate the cup so that its handle is now pointing to other direction, but the cup itself remains in the same place. Can we say in this case that the teacup's position is changed? Can we say that the teacup's location is changed?

I.e.:

What word/term can we use to refer the teacup's placement irrespectively to its orientation?
What word/term can we use to refer both the teacup's placement and orientation?

Do location and position usually mean the 1st thing or the 2nd thing?

The older wording of the same question

Let's suppose, I have set of objects on plane. Every object is characterized by two coordinates (X and Y) and its rotation angle (i.e. where the object's head is directed to).

I want to pick up proper terms for:
1. Point where object is located (i.e. object's X and Y).
2. Point where object is located together with its rotation angle (i.e. object's X, Y and angle).

Is it correct to refer {X, Y} as object's location, and {X, Y, angle} as object's position?
Or, maybe, location=position is {X, Y} only? So then what term can I use for {X, Y, angle}: state, extended position/location?
Or, maybe, it's better to refer {X, Y} as coordinates and {X, Y, angle} as location=position?


texts: Is it, kill your daughter or killing your daughter?

texts:
THE SOURCE: LOST (tv series)

  LOCKE: You told her not to talk to me. That made her pointless... Now, Charles, it's clear you're not afraid to die. So, there's only one way to motivate you to tell me what I want to know. Soon, this will all be over. I'll get what I want. And I'll finally leave this island. And when I do, the first thing I'm going to do is kill your daughter...Penny.

Why the writer did use “kill” instead of killing

Killing you daughter is the first thing I am ...


texts: "an obligation to" vs. "an obligation towards"

texts:
Please take a look at the following argument from an LSAT:

We know that there can be no obligation to an entity unless that entity has a corresponding right. Therefore, if we have no obligation towards an entity, that entity has no rights.

I vaguely sensed there is a difference between "an obligation to X" and "an obligation towards X". (Let X be an entity.) 'To' suggests a more direct relation than 'towards', which can mean concerning or in the direction of.
But is there any case that I have no obligation towards X, but then I still have an obligation to X?


texts:
What's the idiomatic way to describe an action, in which a main theme for a string of many similar subsequent actions was established?

  On the very first lesson he told me that his hobby was inventing magic
  tricks, and that ____________________ many of our
  conversations with him in the following lessons of that year. We would
  talk about the magic tricks recently performed by some famed
  magicians on TV, about how they actually did those tricks, as well as
  about what kind of new tricks we ourselves would be able to come up
  with and impress others in our class.

1) laid down the topic for

2) gave rise to the topic of

3) predetermined the topic of

4) established the topic of

5) defined the topic of

6) ?


texts: Using "knew" and "didn't" in present tense writing

texts:
The sentence is:

  I wonder sometimes if he even knows what 'fun' means, but I guess he wouldn't be in Harvard if he didn't.

Or is it "... if he doesn't"?

And at the front portion, is it "if he even knew" or "if he even knows"?


texts:
Is this a correct sentence? I have searched it in google but nothing was found

  Do we have better than ELL (a noun)?


texts:
There is this context:

  "Since we are discussing the relationship of space, time, and logic, let us talk about time-travel paradoxes. We first have to ask ourselves what it means to travel back through time. What would it mean for me to go back to the Continental Congress held in Philadelphia in 1776, in order to witness the signing of the Declaration of Independence?"

What's the meaning of “what it means for {someone} to be in some place”?

I had a similar question about what it means for something to be something:
 What's the meaning of "what it means for {something} to be {something}"?

but in this context, I don't think the previous question has the answer for this one. I don't get it what it means for me to be in a certain place. if anyone can help I would appreciate it.


texts: "Retiring" vs "Retirement" - word formation/parts of speech

texts: Could you please explain the difference between those two words - "retiring" and "retirement"? To me they both indicate the time when you stop working but I can't quite pinpoint the difference in usage. for example "What is the legal age of a. retirement/b. retiring in your country?" Which do you think is more correct and why? I have frequently heard this phrase "retirement age" but i still doubt whether it's correct here. Thanks in advance.


texts: Question about meaning of "compromising" in this context

texts:
After a colleague is kidnapped by the criminal multimillionaire she is spying on, Sam is ordered to kill him to keep him from being tortured and compromising the team. But her colleague delivers a stunning revelation - he has information on who tried to assassinate her in Tangier. If Sam carries out the order to kill him, she will never find out.

My instinct is that it has to do with informing the criminal multimillionaire by the person being tourtured and therfore put Sam and other colleague in danger.


texts:
Please explain. I like to learn English. I do not really understand the proposal: "Don't hate Monday. Make Monday hate you". Help me to understand this sentence. I am very interested in this phrase.

It will be right or I not correctly think? "Do not hate Monday. Hate the person who created the Monday".

The phrase was taken from pictures:


texts: What is the function of "of" in "of her immortal sisters" and "that of Roy Bhaskar"?

texts:
There are two long sentences here, I quoted from different books.

If you paint the same face, and set a winged rose or a rose of gold somewhere about her, one's thoughts are of her immortal sisters, Piety and Jealousy, and of her mother, Ancestral Beauty, and of her high kinsmen, the Holy Orders, whose swords make a continual music before her face.

The part of this sentence that confused me is "are of her immortal sisters". What makes me confused in this parts of the sentence is the verb "to be" which is used before "of". So, I'm actually asking if we can remove "are" and replace it just before the "the Holy Orders" as I wrote below:

"If you paint the same face, and set a winged rose or a rose of gold somewhere about her, one's thoughts of her immortal sisters, Piety and Jealousy, and of her mother, Ancestral Beauty, and of her high kinsmen, are the Holy Orders, whose swords make a continual music before her face.

Even if I'm wrong, I think this sentence says that when a painter paints a woman's portrait with a rose or golden rose, it reminds the viewer of some religious thoughts because of the allegoric function of the rose.

The title of this book echoes that of Roy Bhaskar, A Realist Theory of Science, and this immodest act is homage to an important work that gave impetus to the movement of Critical Realism to which my work contributes.

and here I got confused about "that of Roy Bhaskar". To be clear, I feel like there is something missing between "that" and "of". So, what I should understand is "The title of this book echoes that (title of book) of Roy Bhaskar, A Realist Theory of Science"? Or can we simply get rid of "that" from the sentence, if we can't, why?