texts: Can we say sentences like "They are so/too good of people"

texts:
As far as I know we can say "He is so good a person" for meaning "He is a very good person" or "He is a person who is so good" while we can't say "He is a so good person". Also we can say "He is too good a person" for meaning "He is a person who is too good" while we can't say "He is a too good person".

And again, as far as as I know, we can't say "They are so/too good people". Can I say "They are so/too good of people" like I can say "He is so/too good a person".

I mean, for meaning "They are people who are so good" or "They are very good people", can I say "They are so good of people"? And for meaning "They are people who are too good", can I say "They are too good of people"?

EDIT: I just found many results on Google for "He is too good a person" and "They are too good of people", but there are too few results for their versions with "so" instead of "too". It seems like we can use "too" in those kinds of sentences, but it is wrong to use "so" this way. What do you think?


texts: How would you describe thinking in the dark?

texts:
It happens usually in the bed, when all the light is out. This would reduce all stimuli significantly, so you can analyze/use your imagination best. I take a look a some synonyms for "think" but don't know what to choose:

  ponder, reflect, deliberate, meditate, contemplate, muse, cogitate, ruminate, be lost in thought, be in a brown study, brood, concentrate, rack one's brains, cudgel one's brains, put on one's thinking cap, sleep on it, cerebrate

My objective is to find an illustration that can describe that state of thinking.


texts: How to show properties of "Plural Noun"?

texts: If I'll say hostel of boys then may it'd be wrong because we use 'of' for lifeless things like buildings 'Floor of hall.' So I found difficulty showing properties of plural live noun. I'm unable to show their properties as Boy's book, Girl's sack, Antonia's car. So 10 boys and their books. Just like that. So how can I do it?


texts: about the sentence "The house being built has got most of the shape."

texts:
I'd like to ask whether the following sentence is correct and how to improve it while retaining the meaning.

The house being built has got most of the shape.

The intended meaning is as follows.

A house has been being built near your place. It only started 3 weeks ago, but the building has progressed so fast that now you can see the overall shape of the house. Until last week, you had no idea as to the shape of the house.

Why I chose that expression over a general one like The building has progressed a lot is because I desire to accentuate the fact written in bold in the above paragraph.
Thank you.


texts: What is the term for the grandson of my aunt?

texts:
How should I call the grandson of my aunt?
Should I call him cousin or something else? What is the generally accepted term?


texts:
Which of the following sentences are correct?

The number of both cars and motorcycles is ten.
The number of both cars and motorcycles are ten.

I think the first one, since the noun is "the number", but I am not sure.


texts:
The city "Big Apple"'s real name is New York.

Is that correct?

I know there are many other ways to say it but what if I need to put an 's after a quoted name?


texts:
p 240 of 493 of this PDF at http://85.17.122.176/bookreader.php/139008/The_Letters_of_J.R.R.Tolkien.pdf:
'Helms too they chose' is archaic. Some (wrongly)
class it as an 'inversion', since normal order
is 'They also chose helmets' or 'they chose helm
ets too'. (Real mod. E. 'They also picked out some
helmets and round shields'.) [1.] But this is not normal order, and if mod. E. has lost the trick of putting
a word desired to emphasize (for pictorial, emotiona
l or logical reasons) into prominent first place,
without addition of a lot of
[2.] little 'empty' words (as the Chinese
say), so much the worse for it. And
so much the better for [3.] it the sooner it learns the trick again. And
some
one must begin the teaching,
by example.

1. Please elucidate Tolkien's intent? I thought that he'd prefer 'Helms too they chose'? But then he claims it is 'archaic' and the bolded? These would contradict his position, no?
2. What are little 'empty' words
3. What's the antecedent of it?


texts:
Is this sentence correct

They  planned that they would read this book but they did not.

or is it better to say

They planned to read this book but they did not .


texts: Can you use word "translated" as adjective?

texts:
I am wondering if word translated can be used as adjective in the following example.

  I have a translated document.

For me this sounds completely fine, but dictionaries do not provide word translated as adjective like here and here.


texts: “We are so good swimmer.” or “We are so good swimmers.”

texts:
“The enemies devise a plot to drown us; o my friend, tell them that we are so good swimmer.”

While writing a poetry in my native Urdu language, I thought to translate the above couplet into English. If we say “we are so good swimmer” is all grammatically fine in my mother tongue. Is it fine in also English, or should we pluralise ‘swimmer’?


texts:
The most we can expect is a slight cut in the sales-tax. (this is what is reasonable or acceptable)

With a new wind generation record of 4,131 megawatts set on 14 September, the question of how far the UK's wind generation fleet can help in meeting our climate targets is increasingly controversial. Now it can be shown that the sceptics who lobby against wind simply have their facts wrong.(https://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2012/sep/26/myth-wind-turbines-carbon-emissions)

Can I use "could" in place of "can" in (1) and (2)? If so, does it change the meaning?


texts: The meaning of "Through RED initiative..."

texts:
One of the planned elements of Converse’s promotional strategy was
  joining forces with the (RED) Global Fund, which raises money to fight
  AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. Through the (RED) initiative,
  Converse has developed more than 110 artist-, designer-, and
  musician-designed All Stars, including limited editions by The Edge,
  Lupe Fiasco, Terence Koh, and Vena Cava.

I am having a hard time understanding the implied meaning in this paragraph. The bold part says that through RED initiative (plan), Converse developed many shoes.

I don't understand how, through RED initiative, was Converse able to develop these musicians-designed shoes?

What does RED plan (initiative) have to do with Converse developing musicians-artist-designed shoes?


texts: Can you say "raise awareness about something"?

texts:
As the title says, I was wondering whether it would be correct/okay to say "raise awareness about an issue". Specifically the about is leaving me confused.

I guess you could use of or for (can you?), but I don't like the way that sounds, compared to about.


texts:
How to express that you caught fever -

I have got fever so we won't meet today
I caught fever
I am having fever
I am suffering from fever
I am feverish


texts: In the hypothetical setence, can "was" be used?

texts:
However, if you tried to copy the original rather than your imaginary drawing, you might find your drawing now was a little better.

How come it is possible to use was instead of be or is? Because my knowledge tells me that the main clause of hypothetical sentence should have the form of would + root verb.


texts: Is it "a historical account" or "an historical account"?

texts:
I saw both of them on various books, so are both valid? Or is it just that 50% of the people are wrong?

I know it's "a universe", but I still have trouble with it. Is there a website that tells you if you should write "an" or "a" for any X word? It's really giving me trouble.


texts: What does "blade" mean exactly in this sentence?

texts:
I saw this sentence in an online article.

  Like its predecessors—the Countach, Diablo, and Murciélago—the Aventador SV is an impossibly wide, ridiculously low-slung blade of a car, with doors that scissor skyward and a huge V-12 behind the seats.

I know blade means a dashing man, but not sure it applies here. None of the word's definitions appear to fit here. What does it mean exactly?


texts: Verb to express a user uploading a request for a "necessity"

texts:
I'm working on a system where the users can add necessities, for example, the necessity of a  professional to provide some service that is needed for the treatment of a patient (e.g.: a dermatologist).

In a literal translation from Spanish, it would be something like "Register necessity" ("Registrar Necesidad"), but it sounds a bit awkward for me in English.

1) Is it okay?
2) Is there a more precise way to say it? "Register a necessity" maybe?


texts: "express doubts about" vs. "raise doubts about"

texts:
In a report, there is this sentence: "we question the rationale behind ABCDEF..."

Questioning something means to have doubts about it. Cambridge defines it as "to express doubts about the value or truth of something".

Two other phrases often used to express the same idea (i.e., to question something) are expressed doubts or raised doubts. Google returns about 110 real entries with "authors express doubts" or "authors raise doubts"; around the same number for any combination of those (e.g., authors have expressed doubts).

My sentence looks like this:

  The authors express/raise serious doubts about the general validity and appropriateness of ABCDEF ...

My problem is I don't see how "express" (to convey or suggest or say or show) is equivalent to "raise". I have a feeling that a situation can raise doubts, as opposed to people (authors in my case). Or, person A can raise doubts about something in the mind of person B.

Example: But defense lawyers are paid to raise doubts. The New York Times.

In my case, the authors themselves doubt the validity of the issue or question the rationale. I feel that "express" is more suitable here, but then I am told they both work equally well.

Which is the appropriate word that fits the phrase in my case?


texts:
I've seen this sentence in someone's facebook status but it sounds unnatural to me.

  I'm the Rumplestiltskin who spins straw into gold

I thought it should be spin because the subject is I, but I'm not sure. Which one is the subject in this sentence, I or Rumplestiltskin and why?


texts: "is mainly that between creditors and debtors" or "is mainly which between creditors and debtors"

texts:
I have written the following sentence:

The relationship between banks and depositors is mainly that between creditors and debtors.

First, I want to ask whether it is correct to use that in such situation.
Second, if it is correct, I also hope to know whethet that can be substitute by which.


texts: Is "secure a job" informal? What formal verbs can I use other than "obtain"?


texts:
I consulted some dictionaries, for example in Cambridge Dictionary the entry for graphic reads

  very clear and powerful:
  a graphic description/account
  He insisted on describing his operation in graphic detail while we were eating lunch

but I am still confused by the meaning of "graphic language" in such a sentence:

  WARNING: This story contains graphic language.

Why is language called ‘graphic’, what is its origin?


texts:
When using certain abbreviations in italic, should '-(e)s' representing plural form written in italic?

For example,

  We call a mobile node that senses the surrounding information MN.

  Blah, blah, blah ...

  The MNs in a region R will be ~~~~~~~~.

v.s.

  We call a mobile node that senses the surrounding information MN.

  Blah, blah, blah ...

  The MNs in a region R will be ~~~~~~~~.

Only the last sentences are different (MNs v.s. MNs).
Which is more correct for the formal papers?


texts:
I read we can say:

  1) He is sent for.

Okay, then can we say:

  2) He is sent a student for?

Like, of course, we can say:

  3) A student is sent for him.

But the idea is to make "he" the main figure in the sentence.

Then if we can say those sentences we can improve the idea:

  4) I was sent a present to by her

OR

  5) I was sent a present by her to

Does it work?


texts: It was a pun! from the Dead parrot sketch

texts:
In Monty Python's Dead parrot sketch when John Cleese returns to pet shop from the railway station in Bolton, he's having this dialog with Michael Palin:

J.C.: I understand this is Bolton.
M.P.: Yes.
J.C.: But you told me it was Ipswich!
M.P.: It was a pun!

Then Cleese turns back and starts to look around like crazy. Why would he do that? I thought a pun was a kind of word joke.


texts:
Today I saw a girl with a T-shirt where were written "Gets no better". I can't understand what it means. I litteraly can translate it, but it makes no sense for me...

My best bet would be "I have nothing better to offer than what you see", but what makes me doubt is the "s" at the end of "get"... For this meaning, I would have said "got no better" instead...
Or maybe it means this is the T-shirt speaking, saying "[she] gets no better" maybe ?

Can anyone tell me more about this ? How would you understand it ?

Please feel free to correct my english since I'm learning :)


texts:
What format would the verb has to be singular/plural/depends? I have been using plural for this type of sentence, but I couldn't find any rules about this.

For example, does John have a cat? If does is omitted then I would be John has a cat. Do you change the verb has to plural form, have, if you put does in front of the sentence?


texts:
Am I right if I understand 'each holding strange and new thoughts' as 'each was strange and each have new thoughts' or maybe 'each have strange thoughts and new thoughts? Also could you explain gramma of this phrase.

  When Meg and Charles Wallace returned to the house, silently, each
  holding strange and new thoughts, evening was moving in with the wind.
  The twins were waiting for them, and wanted Charles Wallace to go out
  in the last of the light to play catch.

A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L’Engle


texts:
(At The Real Estate Office)
Agent: As I was saying, this is our largest house and it has four bedroom, and the smaller one has three bedrooms, and our smallest house or home has two bedrooms. Would you like this house?
Man: No, this house is much too small.
Agent: Would you like this larger one?
Man: No, this house is too small also. It's just not big enough.
Agent: So, you do want the large four-bedroom house after all.
Man: No, it's too small as well. It's still not big enough.

What does "just" mean in this sentence?
Thank you


texts: Do we say "to get burnt by the boiling water"?

texts:
burnt: damaged or injured by burning

  burnt toast

  Your hand looks badly burnt.

"Burn" often connects to "fire"

I am not sur if we say "to get burnt by the boiling water"?


texts: "cost extra 50 dollars" or "cost an extra 50 dollars"?

texts:
Tell me please I need to use the indefinite article in the following sentence.

  That phone costs 200 dollars, and that one will cost you (an) extra 50 dollars.

I think because of the adjective extra I need to use the article, but I am not sure. If it is really needed then why?


texts: "By now" with the present perfect continuous

texts:
Recently one of my students has come across a sentence in "Advanced Language Practice" by M.Vince that caused some confusion. The sentence is:

"Nothing much has been happening by now / so far"

According to the answer key, the correct answer is "so far". While I don't have problems understanding why "so far" is correct in that sentence, I don't really know why exactly "by now" is incorrect. I think I know the meaning of the expression "by now" but still I can't find of any rule or clear explanation of why It should not be used in the above-mentioned context.


texts: Difference between read on and read about

texts:
Very often my co-workers ask me the question:

  What are you doing?

And I always wonder whether I should reply with reading on or reading about :

  I am reading about the origins of the universe.

  I am reading on the origins of the universe.

Can I use read on and read about interchangeably?


texts:
Ok , I have two sentences :

Do you mind if I open the window?
Do you mind me opening the window?

Are both of them correct?
If yes , do they have the same meaning ?
Thanks for helping


texts:
I am looking for a word to mean "make opaque".

I'm thinking, perhaps "obscured" or "block", but neither sound right.

Example: I put electrical tape over the LED lights to [your word] them.


texts:
Is it correct to think that if I say

  I have been ill for a week

it could both mean I am still ill or I just got better?
I thought that if you have recovered you should say

  I was ill for a week.


texts:
Republicans, meanwhile, have been growing increasingly restless, with the House Oversight Committee probing Trump's security protocols for discussing classified information at his weekend retreat in Mar-a-Lago, and Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell suggesting that the Senate investigation of Russian interference in the election would expand.

I'm not sure what this means. However, I tried to construct a section of the sentence I especially have difficulty understanding it. This is my interpretation.

The original phrase: the House Oversight Committee probing Trump's security protocols for discussing classified information

My attempt to paraphrase: the House Oversight Committee investigating Trump's security system to discuss secret information

Source: TIME February 27/ March 6, 2017: White House Chaos Theory


texts: Paraphrasing "Peter was abandoned by his parents at an early age and took to stealing." to participles

texts:
From my homework about participles, I have to paraphrase this to participles but I don't know how to.

Peter was abandoned by his parents at an early age and took to stealing.


texts:
I'm here for 10 minutes

or

I have been here for 10 Minutes

what is the meaning of two sentences.


texts: Correct way to describe your academic degree

texts:
Earlier when I wanted to say that I have done my three year degree course from a university I generally used to say that "I have done my graduation in History from ABC University".
Graduation was the word that I used to use for that three year period of my study. But today I found out that native English speakers don't use the word graduation in that sense. I checked various dictionaries and now I understand when to use that word.
But now I am confused as to how to refer to that three year period of study.
I have thought of a few ways by which could tell someone about my degree, but I would really like to know what native English speakers think of these sentences.
Also, please mention any other ways of saying that.

I did/have done my bachelor's in History from ABC University.

I did/have done my bachelor's degree in History from ABC University.

I did/have done BA in History from ABC University.

I have completed/finished my bachelor's in History from ABC University.

I have completed/finished BA in History from ABC University.

Please suggest other sentences as well.


texts:
When I write the following sentence, the grammar/spelling checker running on my Mac always suggests me to use prefixed to or prefaced with.

  Functions implemented by a module should always have their names prefixed by the module name.

What I mean is that, if the module name is user, the function name should not be load(), but user_load().

Is it correct to use prefixed by, or should I use another phrase?


texts:
I cannot understand the meaning of this quote from Thoughts on Various Subjects (1727) by Alexander Pope, and it is not explained anywhere else on the Internet.

  Some people will never learn anything, for this reason, because they understand everything too soon.

I don't see the difference between understand and learn in this context.


texts: Meaning the modal verb "should" in context

texts:
I have happened upon this use by looking up the meaning of the phrase no less.

  Who should arrive at the party but the prime minister, no less!

I am totally confused by the use of should, and so have no idea what is meant by that. Why is it in question form, but an axlanation mark used at the end. Could you please explain the grammar to me please?


texts: Meaning of "part" in the following sentence

texts:
In the following sentence

  Mr. Gandhi’s letter of resignation is part self-reflection, about the Congress in general and his own personal role in it, and part a critique of the state of affairs of Indian politics.

Though I am able to comprehend this sentence but never saw such use of part

Is it grammatical?


texts: Cunningly getting out of an awkward position or situation

texts:
In Russian we have a term "Выкрутился из положения" or just "Выкрутился" which means cunningly getting out of an awkward position or situation.

  I mean, imaging, you are talking to a writer and you ask him different questions about his book and he tries to answer them but he seems not to know his own book well enough or just doesn't want to answer all those questions so he just says, "You can find all the answers in my book" and so you say this...

What is the English term for it (a phrase, an idiom or a word)?


texts:
if I have a study  in the university on one subject and in the first page of my study I have to identify or summarize of the study.
Can i say?
The study is about the committer of major crime.
or
The study was about the committer of major crime.
My question which is correct to use, past or present tense?


texts: Should I use "build" insted of "got it made" for the following sentence-

texts: King Ghadsi of Jaisalmer got the lake made 650 years ago with the help of the people(when will I use "got it made")


texts:
I live in the Middle East and have acquired my English skills orally and from experience rather than academically, and there's a certain structure that English-speaking people in my vicinity use often.

In a sentence like:

  'John was troubled by something but I didn't know what it was/what was it.'

From experience, I feel that 'what it was' is correct but I don't know why and most nonnative speakers would use the other construction. Can somebody explain or at least tell me what topic in a grammar book would deal with this kind of structure so I could read about it?


texts:
The scientific method is a potentiation of common sense, exercised with a
  specially firm determination not to persist in error if any exertion of hand
  or mind can deliver us from it.

So it sounds that this method doesn't care much about error or who makes the mistake, but what is the meaning of "deliver" in this context? What does "it" refer to?

This is quoted from Peter Medawar.


texts: Is "the most edifying of experiences" grammatical?

texts:
When I search the word 'edifying' in the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary, I get the sample sentence:

  Being left in a bar all afternoon with a load of football fans is not the most edifying of experiences.

My question is if this sentence is grammatical. What part of speech is the word 'of' in the above sentence? Should it be the following instead?

  Being left in a bar all afternoon with a load of football fans is not the most edifying experiences.


texts: As soon as vs. Just as or immediately after

texts:
Today I mailed  notes to one of my classmates. Under the subject I typed " Reply immediately after receiving". But the thing is, I am a bit skeptical about the grammar of the sentence
 which I always am  when it comes to using English either in speaking or writing. But this time I am asking you native speakers of English.

Would you have said it differently? and my second question is can I reword the sentence in the following way:

Replay as soon as you receive .. Or

Reply just as you receive.

Thanks in advance.


texts:
The jetties coming out into the river, and a host of ships in the Middle Ages, little wooden ships ferrying produce across from the Continent and back. (Source)

The structure of the whole sentence is quite confusing to me: how can I understand it?

I looked it up here. I would have picked the fourth meaning,

  if you produce an object, you bring it out or present it, so that people can see or consider it

    When challenged, he produced a gun.

But produce is not transitive in my example.


texts: Article: Difference between "I have a right to ..." and "I have the right to ..."

texts:
I have a/the right to be angry with you.
  I have a/the right to know the truth.
  I have a/the right to go out on a date.
  I have a/the right to protest against the government.

In all the examples, can the definite and indefinite articles be used interchangeably?


texts:
Foreign-exchange reserves (also called forex reserves or FX reserves) is money or other assets held by a central bank or other monetary authority.
  Foreign-exchange reserves (also called forex reserves or FX reserves) are money or other assets held by a central bank or other monetary authority.

Why would plural form be used when reserve is in its plural form?

Would the same rule apply to oil reserves?


texts:
Imagine a woman who has had a plastic surgery on her face and has lifted her face. How a native speaker should say it in everyday speech?

For me, the following examples which are direct translations from my language, work, but I have no idea if they are natural or not:

  She looks younger than her age. --- Yea, but I think sh’s gotten a face-lift.

  She looks younger than her age. --- Yea, but I think she has done a face-lift.

  She looks younger than her age. --- Yea, but I think she has lifted her face.

If they are not natural, please tell me how shall I say it in the most common way?


texts:
Dictionaries usually recognize the following:

  lend me some money

  lend some money to me

So how about placing "to me" immediately after the verb?


texts: What is the difference on each sentence? "A policeman stopped a car." vs "A policeman made a car stopped."

texts:
Background situation was that a policeman is on road in a car approaching the policeman.

A policeman stopped a car.
In this situation I think that the policeman directly contacted the car to stop it.
A policeman made a car stopped.

But in this situation other than first situation, I think the policeman didn't directly contact the car to stop it. Just another element stopped the car directly following the order. For example a driver in the car pulled over or another policeman stopped the car directly.

Is my thinking right?


texts: Using "BY", "UNTIL" and "TILL" with Future Perfect tense

texts:
Is it correct to state that "by" is used with Future Perfect tense in affirmative sentences, and "until" / "till" are interchangeable and used only in  negative statements? And what about interrogative ones ("by" similar to affirmative)?

I'm still not sure is there any real difference, though I've tried to clear it up.


texts:
Which one is correct from the following sentences and why?

  This is referred to as enterprise mobility.
  This is referred as enterprise mobility.


texts:
People saw them comitting the crime but they denied their fault/guilt?

On the the lesson I chose guilt but now I think that fault is much more suitable.

Can I use guilt in the sentence or this is semantically incorrect?


texts: How to write the address of a house that consists of several numbered buildings

texts:
I'm translating a Russian document in which there is the following address (literally from Russian):

  107076, Moscow, Korolenko Street, House 2 Building 6

That is, House 2 consists of several standalone buildings, and we write to someone in Building 6. We write this as "house" in Russian, but in reality it might be called 'complex of houses' in English, probably.

I know that we usually write the number of the house before the street name in English. But how to put that "building 6" into that?

Would this do:

  107076, Moscow, 2/6 Korolenko Street

.. or is there some other way?

P.S. The original Russian sentence is:

  107076, г. Москва, ул. Короленко, дом 2 стр. 6


texts: How would you call the act of buying a used product in order to resell it?

texts: Say you work in a company that buys and sells mobile phones. Customers bring you used mobile phones so that you buy them, repair them if needed, then resell them with a margin. The act of selling is a "sale", as far as I can tell, no problem there. But what about the act of buying ? Would you just call it a "purchase", or is there a more specific word when you buy a used product ?


texts: Does question word "Who" always require a singular verb?

texts:
Does question word "Who" always require a singular verb right after it?

Imagine a situation, in which somebody is telling you a sentence, but you don't make out one word in it (in the example below that word is shown by XXXXX):

  -- I just realized that those XXXXX go to school only 3 times a week!

On one hand, you didn't hear the word clearly, but, on the other hand, you did hear "those" (not "that") and "go" (not "goes"), so you are quite positive that it's about more than one person. So, how would you ask a question here?

Would you ask like:

  -- I am sorry I didn't hear it. Who go to school only 3 times a week?

or would you still stick to the singular form (even though you know that it's more than one person meant) like:

  -- I am sorry. I didn't hear it. Who goes to school only 3 times a week?


texts:
“He got his car stolen.” (From a Korean Grammar text)

When I saw afore-written sentence, I thought: can it make sense? It might be, if it should mean: [thought 1] he intentionally had his car stolen for malicious object, i.e. for taking insurance deceitfully. But this sentence below makes me think differently.

  He got his nose broken in a fight. [= his nose was broken in a fight] (Webster’s #11)

After seeing Webster’s example, I got this second thought: [thought 2] he has got his car stolen without his any vicious intentions, i.e. totally by outer causes, that is, by thieves, etc.
Nonetheless, still I can’t shake off the first thought. How can I understand the sentence?


texts:
Which is correct and how to use all of it?

  1) I will come tomorrow in the evening

  2) I will come in the tomorrow's evening

  3) I will come in the evening tomorrow

  4) I will come tomorrow evening

  5) I will come the tomorrow evening

  6) I will come in the tomorrow evening

Or what are there other variants....?


texts: The difference between some sentences with adjective+noun+to do smt/for

texts:
I was told that

  "We are looking for an eager person to work for our company"

is not the same as

  "We are looking for a person who is eager to work for our company"

, but the same as

  "We are looking for a person to work for our company, who is eager."

So it means that "An eager person to do smt" is not the same as "A person eager to do smt"

Okay..

If this logic is correct,

Does "the hardest book for me" mean "the book for me which is the hardest" ?

or

does "the most difficult book for me to read" mean "the book for me to read, which is the most difficult" ?

I believe that there is definitely a problem here.

In my opinion;

  The hardest book for me to read is Inferno. = The book which is the hardest for me to read is Inferno.

  "You are the most amazing friend to hang out with." = "You are the friend who is the most amazing to hang out with."

There is something wrong because what I was told is not working properly.


texts: Past tense or present tense for that clause in a present perfect tense sentence

texts:
“ I have never seen a smiling face that was not beautiful.”

Why do we use “was” instead of “ is” here?


texts: If I were you, I wouldn't bother him while he ..... sleeping.- "is" vs "was"

texts:
This is a second conditional

  If I were you, I wouldn't bother him while he --------- sleeping.

What goes in the blank space?

My opinion: I've seen people use the present tense and past tense ( maybe it was the past subjunctive)


texts:
Lance: It is a total loss.

  Lance's son: How does this even happen?

  Woody Woodpecker (is hiding in the tree hole): I'm so sorry! I didn't
  mean to!

  Fireman: Well, I think we found the cause of the fire. It looks like
  something was destroying the wall and hit the wiring. It is probably a
  small animal, mouse or a rat or a bird or something.

  Lance:Bird?Like a woodpecker?

  Fireman: That's possible.

  Lance's son: Dad, woody wouldn't have done this! It couldn't have been
  him!

  Lance: Really?

1) Why did Lance's son use "would + have +p.p"? I think he could have said "Dad, woody didn't this".

It is a little bit confusing.

Movie: Woody Woodpecker


texts: Should you say hour or hours in this type of sentence?

texts:
Being a non native speaker of English, this type of sentence always bites me:

  It was a pleasant four hours journey from Nashik to Pune.

Should it be hour or hours?


texts:
I was reading an academic paper and I encountered the following sentence:

"By the assumption, facility i is fully paid before time t. For any city k, the edge j must be tight before time t."

As I know, we don't use "the" before phrases like section 2, room 5. But why in the above sentence the authors used "the edge j"? Is it correct? As a related question, in a formal writing, if I say "Let S be a set of integers". Now which of the following sentences are correct:

The set S contains ...
Set S contains ...
S contains...


texts: Listing's meaning as in motion or movement?

texts:
It's the scene where he's being pushed back

He stumbled back, listing, unsteady on his feet.

What does listing in this sentence mean?
Source: Novel, Pines, Blake Crouch


texts: Help parse "the sanctions come as travel bans and asset freezes... failed to ..."

texts:
The sanctions come as travel bans and asset freezes aimed at President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle failed to force the country to meet an ultimatum to end support for separatists in two mainly Russian-speaking regions in eastern Ukraine.
Russia and Ukraine blamed each other for the downing of a Malaysia
Airlines jet yesterday that killed all 298 people on board in an
incident that may prove to be a turning point in the five-month
conflict between their countries. The U.S. said this week that Russia
is supplying the rebels with weapons.
-- Source

I find the bold sentence ungrammatical. The sanctions seems to act as the subject for both come and failed here.
The only way for the sentence to be grammatical could be to regard asset freezes as the subject for failed, but obviously it won't work semantically. The sanctions include travel bans and asset freezes.
I would think it should be "the sanctions coming as travel bans and asset freezes aimed at President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle failed to force the country to..."
Please help me parse it.


texts: What's the appropriate wording for an emcee at an occasion to ask people on stage to look at the camera for a group photo?  Is it good to say "please pay attention to our camera"?


texts: What does "to throw a fun curveball" mean?

texts:
I've found this expression in the title of this game review: 'Kairobotica' Review - Kairosoft Throws A Fun Curveball

But what does it mean? The Cambridge Idioms Dictionary says that "to throw (somebody) a curve (ball)" means to surprise someone with something that is difficult or unpleasant to deal with, but this doesn't fit the context, does it?


texts:
The new model is already selling well, even though the advertising campaign just started.

I am wondering why already is used here. Does the word refer to one action that (has) happened before it, started? Plus, please someone explain the meaning of the whole sentence for me.


texts: Correct way of asking a question in the past tense - "How many pegs...?"

texts:
Which sentence construction is correct?

How many pegs did you have?
How many pegs did you drink?
How many pegs you drank?
How many pegs have you drank?
How many pegs you have had?

I am confused about this sentence How many pegs you drank? is this correct English
Or is there any other better way asks someone?


texts: tenses with the expression it.... two years since

texts:
She invited me to dinner. But it _____ two years since I _____ to her house. So I lost my way.

The answers were "was" and "had gone".

Could they be "had been" and "went"?


texts: What is the difference between you don't know what to do or you don't know what you supposed to do?

texts:
My senior person asked me to do some work that I am not aware of. I would like to know the difference between these two set of words. I think both the question gives the same meaning, but why he should ask like that?
He may thought that I was already aware of those work, but I am not.


texts: If I want to express that someone has been to see me, for an informal visit, do I say she has been to see me or she came to see me? Is there any difference in meaning?


texts:
I have looked through How to use "resulting" in the middle of the sentence? but still, am not sure how to use resulting in. My sentence is:

  Implemented version control using GIT and JUnit for testing the application, resulting in improvement of pre-production quality and reduction of post-production defect

My question is:  Is it correct? Also, can I write noun after resulting in as I have written improvement and reduction?


texts: Grammatical structure of "goodness knows where"

texts:
I encountered the following sentence (1).

  (1) She came up from goodness knows where.

I wonder at the grammatical structure of "goodness knows where."

This phrase is used as a noun clause, but this word order cannot be understood as a noun clause according to the normal English grammar.

Do I have to accept this phrase as an idiom, or are there any grammatical explanations for this?

According to the normal English grammar, I think this should be written like this:

  (2) She came up from the place which goodness knows.

Can (2) be used instead of (1)?


texts:
My role model is Roald Dahl.   Reading his books,  i found myself fascinated by his interesting stories and creative characters. I especially like the messages and lessons in his books. I learned that we should always believe in our abilities. As a result,  I became more confident and hopeful about my future.

Here,  because the resulative confidence has a relevance to present time, became can be replaced with have become?

Two have different meanings in this context or interchangeable?


texts:
Should I add "do" after "As they were supposed to" in this example?

When everybody left the room, Mary and Ann, at last, could talk as two real friends are supposed to
(do?).


texts: Does English have the subjunctive aspect

texts:
My language is Persian and I think we have an aspect which is absent in English, or maybe I am wrong.

In a conversation I wrote this sentence

  Then you mean it is not important that I be the first one  having  to have a mere idea that earth revolves around the sun and I should someway prove it!?

I don't know if it is correct but I said "I be" maybe because of my mother language inference. It is imaginary and something like "would be" but without "would". because if I say  "I am" it means I really am.

Like

  Then you mean it is not important that I am a Persian....

Means I am a Persian, and you try to say it is not important ....

But if I say

  Then you mean it is not important that I be a Persian

Means I am not a Persian or I could be a Persian or not, and you try to say it is not important ....

Now suppose the verb is "go"

  Then you mean it is not important that I go to university

It should mean that I go to university but you say it is not important...

Now how can I say it in an imaginary format?

  Then you mean it is not important that I ....?


texts: "Only then is the survival brain turned down and the personality fever cooled."

texts:
Does the author omit that between is and the? Are the verbs about turned down and cooled in the subjunctive?

  The Buddha taught that kind of happiness. He put it this way: “True happiness can only be found by eliminating the false idea of ‘I’ or ‘self.’” Only then is the survival brain turned down and the personality fever cooled. The only problem with that formulation is that once the “I” or “self ” has been eliminated, then there is no one around to enjoy the feeling of happiness.
  (Excerpt from Crazy Wisdom Saves the World Again! by Wes "Scoop" Nisker.)


texts:
I am confused about whether "a fraction" should be used as single or plural.

I read this post: Should you use a plural verb if you refer to a fraction?, but it is still not clear to me. I understand examples (a) and (b) given there:

  (a) One-third of the city is unemployed. [correct]

  (b) One-third of the people are unemployed. [correct]

However, which of the following is correct and why, please?

  (c) A fraction of the people is unemployed. [Is this correct?]

  (d) A fraction of the people are unemployed. [Or is this correct?]

My spell check says (c), but that seems contradictory to (b), is it not? Thank you.


texts: What does this sentence mean especially the part in bold? (is consistant with)

texts:
The use of identifiable symbols and pictograms on the early tablets is consistent with administrators needing a lexicon that was mutually intelligible by literate and nonliterate parties.
What does this sentence mean especially the part in bold?


texts:
If you decide to accept we would love to discuss it further.

"Would" is not supposed to go with if, but "would love" is something of an idiom and I am not sure what other word I can use. "Will love" doesn't sound right.


texts:
I know the cases like I had had a headache yesterday. where had had is grammatically correct.

Is ".. + had + had + past-participle + .." grammatically correct the way used in the following sentences, or should it always be ".. + had + past-participle + .." in such cases?

  The dreams he had had helped him make some sense out of the two
  fragmented portions of his life.

  The success of their operation had had helped them forget all their
  tiredness and anxiety.

Or should the above two sentences be like;

  The dreams he had helped him make some sense out of the two
  fragmented portions of his life.

  The success of their operation had helped them forget all their
  tiredness and anxiety.


texts:
I think recreational time is better choice because "recreational" is an adjective. However, when I google it, I found that "recreation time" is rarely used, but I am not sure whether it is a correct compound noun, is it?

For example:

  A person should have a recreational/recreation time on weekends.


texts:
Here's the context.

  Blushing from embarrassment is governed by the same system that activates your fight-or-flight response: the sympathetic nervous system.

And I'd like to know the difference between that and as here.

  Blushing from embarrassment is governed by the same system that activates your fight-or-flight response.

The system that governs the blushing from embarrassment

The system that activates your fight or flight response

are exactly the same thing, right? but, when it comes to using 'as' like #2,

  Blushing from embarrassment is governed by the same system as activates your fight-or-flight response

The system that governs the blushing from embarrassment

The system that activates your fight or flight response

are similar.

From the context, the two system is referring to the exact same thing "the sympathetic nervous system", and that's why the author used that rather than as. Am I right to think this way?


texts: How to understand the sentence "Everything else in the room was shown true, but not him."

texts:
I was reading R.Jordan's "The Wheel of Time". I've faced the following sentence: "Everything else in the room was shown true, but not him.". I only have some guesses how to understand it.

Some previous sentences to make it more clear:

  Strange oval stones made the fireplace;
  they just looked like stones, wet-slick despite the fire, when he looked straight at them, but when he glimpsed them from the corner of his eye they seemed to be faces instead, the faces of men and women writhing in anguish, screaming silently.
  The high-backed chairs and the polished table in the middle of the room were perfectly ordinary, but that in itself emphasized the rest.
  A single mirror hung on the wall, but that was not ordinary at all.
  When he looked at it he saw only a blur where his reflection should have been.
  Everything else in the room was shown true, but not him.


texts: I would like to thank everyone for their/ I would like to thank everyone for your

texts:
I have searched on the in the internet for examples of both usages and I came across this post in a thread at this forum

  We would like to thank everyone for their support.
  We would like to thank you all for your support.
  We would like to thank all of you for your support.

However, the poster does not go into the details as of why it has to be that way. What I wanted to say was "I would like to thank everyone for their awesomeness" while talking to a group of friends. However, I hesitated and I "corrected" myself by saying "I would like to thank everyone for your awesomeness" in the same situation. However, I am not sure of which sentence is correct. I will appreciate your expertise on this one!


texts:
Please check the sentences and let me know, which one is correct?

I read somewhere:

  Clad in a bluejeans and a grey jacket.

As per my opinion:

  Clad in a pair of bluejeans and a grey jacket.

Thanks in advance.


texts: adverbs modifying infinitive verbs in front of the 'to'

texts:
Some of us have faith that we shall solve our food problems with genetically modified crops newly or soon to be developed.

The 'newly or soon' modifies '(to)be developed' in front of 'to'. Can adverbs modify infinitive verbs in front of the 'to'?


texts: How to use verbs to list actions in a sentence?

texts:
How should I use verbs to list actions in a sentence?

I wrote the following sentence:

  "The learner can search content of the book, take a book from electronic library, and discuss with the classmate."

I confuse that is above sentence correct and formal?


texts: use present tense to express future in some subordinate clause

texts:
In the two following sentences, it is correct to use present tense to express the future

I hope they are working hard tonight.

Students who graduate three years later will work in that factory.

But if I change the tense of main clauses to the past tense, it can be used in the same way?

I hoped they were working hard at that night.

After the college entrance examination, students who graduated three years later would work in that factory.

Can these two subordinate clauses express the past future?

Because I know if you change "If it rains,(tomorrow will rain) I won't go outside."

to the past"If it rained, I wouldn't go outside" means"At that time, it already rained, and I wouldn't go outside"

like:
She had had dinner before her father left.(father left?)
She had had dinner before her father was going to leave(father left?)

But if we say :
She have had dinner before her father leaves(This one means her father will leave)

Thanks a lot!


texts:
We felt that we needed at least enough states so there could be this
cooperative, competitive environment where each of the states could
watch and benefit from the actions of the others and each could
compete for their constituents and their counties

I interpret "could watch and benefit from the actions of the others" as "could watch the actions of others and benefit from the actions of the others".
But someone interpret it as "could watch from the actions of others and benefit from the actions of others".
Which one is right?
Full context:

Why six states, rather than four or five or seven?
Well, seven is a question. We did consider five and we did consider more than six. We felt that we needed at least enough states so there could be this cooperative, competitive environment where each of the states could watch and benefit from the actions of the others and each could compete for their constituents and their counties. A lot of people have asked me why not two or three? My belief is with two or three you’d end up with the same kind of environment, where you’d end up with two monopolies or three monopolies.


texts: "Can I go see my shoes?" vs. "Can I go look at my shoes?"

texts:
I am thinking often which to say.

Can I go see my shoes?

Or:

Can I go look at my shoes?

The above is just an example, what I am asking is what's the difference between look at and see...
I wonder which is more preferred, and why? What's the different meaning of these two sentences...


texts:
People whose hair is curly often get their hair straightened.

Is this natural?
or do I need to use 'whose hairs are'?

and if the noun is unaccountable, do I have to use a singular verb even if the subject is a plural noun?


texts:
He didn’t have money, if he had, he (would buy - would have bought) a car?

My last year GSEC exam is tomorrow I have finished my novel and faced this question in grammar work book.

The answer is would have bought, but I don’t know why we used the 3rd conditional – why there is only “had”. Can some one explain?


texts:
"This being our first transaction....."

My dictionary says this means the same as

  "Because this is our first transaction....."

Could anyone tell me why that is? "This being" is a gerund isn't it? I don't understand why this can be inferred, as I could just add is + adjective in which case the "because" sentence wouldn't make sense. (that's the way I think)


texts: Here's a bunch of versions of the word "smuggler's boat". Please tell me which one is best or normal

texts:
As we English learners do, I fed words to google to find the most popular variation. This is what I ended up with:

     Word:              Result count:
A    "smuggle boat"     56
B    "smuggle ship"     94
C    "smuggler boat"    35,500
D    "smuggler ship"    40,900
E    "smuggler's boat"  31,900
F    "smuggler's ship"  11,800
G    "smugglers boat"   16,200
H    "smugglers ship"   34,400
I    "smuggling boat"   28,500
J    "smuggling ship"   27,000

After that my reasoning is as such:

A and B is out. I'm guessing it's because here "smuggle" is in verb-form. I rack my brain for other "verb compound words" (or whatever you want to call them!) but I can't come up with anything good.
I think either of the other variations (C-J) would be fine? I found the result dip in F peculiar, but I figure that "smugglers" and "smuggler's" is actually the same thing and if you add those results together it evens out.
Are there any better words to describe a smuggler's ship? All of those results seems low to me.
The nuance between ship and boat is almost synonymous here, correct? The impressions I get is that "ship" might hint of something larger? (sorry if this is a different question!)

Please correct any of my faulty reasoning above! Which one sounds most normal, or is it all the same?

I think my native language "bleeds in", and smuggle ship feels natural to me, even though I now believe it to be wrong. Perhaps I've just read too much Harry Potter - Muggle this, smuggle that!

Thanks for your time!


texts:
I came across a question in Romeo and Juliet:

  But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the East, and Juliet is the sun! Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, Who is already sick and pale with grief.

I could analyze it as: What light (through yonder window) breaks?
However, I still couldn’t comprehend the meaning.


texts:
I am going to the countryside.

Is there any occasion where countryside would be used without "the", so it would go like: I am going to countryside, or something else?


texts: Use of Preposition at the end of a sentence

texts:
I understand a bit of the Verb+Preposition combination to end a sentence. But the below sentence is kind of complex for me to understand. Can somebody make me clear how "in" is connected to "wants" and "direction"?
They seem enthusiastic and supportive of the new direction
Betsy wants to take the program in.


texts:
What does the contraction 'er and the phrasal verb patch 'er up mean in the following text:

  This section will cover a lot of ground and your brain may meltdown a few times, but don’t worry, that’s just a flesh wound. Patch ‘er up and keep going!


texts:
[i] I made her clean the room.
[ii] I make her cleaning the room.

We use this expression: somebody do something as [ii]. My asking is can we also use [ii] construction. It seems it can be. Say there’s a situation that my intention of her cleaning is not to clean the room but just to do it for a while, for funny task - you can see a little girl willingly to do the thing just for fun as a recreation; my intention is to do my own work for the while, while she is distracted: e.g: “I made her cleaning the room, while I was reading the letter.”


texts:
What is the common term for the word "menstruation"?

Can I use cyclus?

In my native language, we normally say it by "monthly guest".


texts:
I have a question:

"A paper", is this usage correct?
Or should I say "a sheet of paper"?


texts: What does “kind enough to die” phrase mean?

texts:
What does "kind enough to die" phrase mean? Rocket told this to Thor in avengers endgame, not to save her mother(when they came to the past), and to prioritize their task to save the half of the universe who are kind enough to die. if I can remember.

Does this mean that these people don't deserve to die? or something similar?


texts:
Is it grammatically correct to put both of related nouns in plural form? Like:

cards databases / databases of cards
words variations / variations of words
etc


texts: Ellipsis of verbs in a series of adjectives and participles

texts:
Can I leave out the second was?

  1- The little animal was alert and quiet but was caught
  nonetheless.

  2- The little animal was alert and quiet but caught nonetheless.


texts: Does this sound right? - "Start by dragging into this area..."

texts:
I have this sentence, roughly in the middle of an empty screen:

"Start by dragging into this area a file or folder you would like to process."

and I'm not sure about "into this area" directly following "dragging". I would happily put the "into this area" part at the end, but a reader quickly scanning this text would not be able to make as quick a connection between "dragging" and "into this area" as when they are together, given that the part detailing what can be dragged ("a file or folder you would like to process") is rather long?

Does the original sentence sound OK to a native speaker? If not, what are your suggestions to improve it?


texts:
I have to confess that before I came across the construct approve of him I didn't  know it even existed. The only version I knew was approve him.
Studying the approve's definitions in the dictionaries cited in The Free Dictionary I concluded that approve someone or something has to do with the transitive use of the mentioned verb whereas approve of someone or something is related to its intransitive use.
The usage note of approve of, according to Collins COBUILD English Usage states:

Be Careful!
Don't say that you approve to someone or something.

My question is why? Would you please let me know this?
In rest I think I understand why it's OK to say:

Stefan approved of the whole affair.

whereas

The directors quickly approved of the new deal.

Is not OK. That's because using of in this sentence, the sentence will get the first meaning which is not appropriate in this context.


texts: How many Colors are in/are there in something

texts:
A lady asks her 3 yr old daughter:

How many colours are in/are there in this toy?

What should be used :are in/are there in?

Should 'there' be used ?


texts: What should I use 'Being' or 'to be' in a sentence?

texts:
Which one is correct?

What's your secret of being closer to women?.
What's your secret to be closer to women?.

Should I use 'getting' instead of 'being' or 'to be' and 'close' instead of comparative 'closer'?
What's your secret of getting close to women?


texts: What are the depicted measurement devices called in English?

texts:
Please check the image. What is it called in English?

Is it as 'a measurement indicator'?

How about this one?


texts: Their or his or her in a sentence using "neither --nor"

texts:
1.Neither John nor Mary has done their homework.

  2.Neither John nor Mary has done his or her homework.

Which pronoun is suitable, singular or plural?


texts:
I often see people write "hope this helps" at the end of a communication, especially when they are trying to answer other people's queries about computer problems.
Recently, my English teacher pointed out that both "hope this helps" and "hope this help" are grammatically incorrect after she saw a classmate of mine writing the three words in his assignment, but my teacher just didn't explain it in detail why the expressions are wrong.
So, could you tell me why both "hope this helps" and "hope this help"
are grammatically incorrect please?
I had asked this question in school. Some of teachers told me that "hope this helps" was perfectly acceptable and they had been using it for many years.
But some told me that "the correct expression should be: Hope this help or I hope this help"
Please help me!
Which is correct?

hope this helps
hope this help
I hope this will help. (my suggestion)


texts:
From Where I Lived, and What I Lived For by Henry David Thoreau:

  The only house I had been the owner of before, if I except a boat, was a tent, which I used occasionally when making excursions in the summer, and this is still rolled up in my garret; but the boat, after passing from hand to hand, has gone down the stream of time. With this more substantial shelter about me, I had made some progress toward settling in the world. [Emphasis added.]

How can a shelter be about him? I think it should be of mine.


texts: Could a verb 'to suggest' mean 'to say' or 'to express an opinion'?

texts:
Syria Envoy Suggests Donald Trump Has Limited Window to Work With
  Russia

As I can see from the context in this sencence a verb 'to suggest' means 'to say' or 'to assert'. Am I right?


texts: Do I need a comma in this sentence before the word repeatedly?

texts:
"I could clearly see her trying to push it back to where it was supposed to be repeatedly and without success."

I'm thinking that this is OK, but it seems to be a long sentence, and I naturally pause after the word 'be' when speaking it outloud.
Maybe I need one AFTER repeatedly?


texts:
Coroner just told me that Christine's body was put in the water sometime early Tuesday morning.
  So that Monday night party is critical.
  Somebody there had to have known what happened later that night.

Why did the author not simply say:

  ... Somebody there must know what happened later that night.

What does the original sentence convey that mine doesn't ?
or, What does the original sentence not convey that mine does ?

Thank you


texts: all those who were overweight and not agile

texts:
a.  All those who were overweight and not agile were exempted from
participating.
b. All those who were overweight, and not agile, were exempted from
participating.

Which should be used if the assumption is that none of those who were overweight were agile?
Which should be used if there were some overweight people who were agile and only those who were overweight and not agile were exempted?
Is (a) ambiguous?


texts: Correct usage of "cover a lot of ground"?

texts:
I want to describe the topics along with the idiom like:

  "covered a lot of ground on Newtonian Mechanics”

Is the usage of idiom correct here? I have never seen its usage with the concept or a topic (i.e., on Newtonian Mechanics).

Also, are there other idioms which could be used in the same vein?


texts:
Is the following sentence grammatical?

  His life was consecrated to the relief of suffering.

To me it doesn't appear.


texts:
From Friends S02E14

INTERVIEWER: Alright, lets see if you're as good in person as you are on paper. Make me a salad.
MONICA: A salad? Really I, I could do something a little more complicated if you like.
INTERVIEWER: No, just a salad will be fine.
MONICA: You got it.

The interviewer asked Monica to make a salad, and Monica said you got it, What's the meaning of it? Shouldn't it be I got it which means I understood your words?


texts:
From this answer, I learned from Collins that consist is a synonym for subsist.

  [D3.] subsist - (followed by in) to lie or reside by virtue (of); consist

1. What are the similarities and differences, between consist and subsist?

2. Can consist interchange with subsist? Eg: p 13, How the Law Works, by Gary Slapper:

  In what does the merit of legal science – or the ‘art of Law’ as it was referred to by Sir Edward Coke – subsist? It subsists in the accumulated experience and expertise that enable its professionals to do many important things.

3. If I try to change subsist to consist, what happens to the trailing in (coloured in grey)?
In other words, does the Collins definition imply

  4. subsist in = consist  or
  5. subsist in = consist in   (ie: the preposition in is added to both sides)     ?


texts: I want to ask someone if a certain issue has ever been "brought up to discussion" or "came to discussion". Is it correct English?


texts: Whose past participle should I use here?

texts:
I'm writing about a project I worked on in my PS. The project started in August and I joined in October. So which verb should I use here?

  The project had _______ for 2 months before I joined the team.

Thanks!


texts: "Mrs. Jones going to New York" vs "Mrs. Jones gone to New York"

texts:
I am giving two sentences below. Please get me clear. I am confused.

  Mrs. Jones went to the New York.
  Mr. Smith took up her position. This is the context.

If I join the two sentences above into two sentences using the participle, then which sentence is meaningful or do both of them carry the same meaning?    Sentences with participle are as follows:

a) (With) Mrs. Jones going to New york, Mr. Smith took up her position.

b) (With) Mrs. Jones gone to New york, Mr. Smith took up her position.

Source:Present participle or past participle


texts:
What is the correct verb to go with "habit"?

Is it to "do a habit" or to "perform a habit" or something else?

An example of a sentence where I would want to use this verb:
"It's in general much easier to give up a bad habit completely than to try to [missing verb] it in moderation."


texts: the difference between I'm to be and I will be

texts: What exactly does it mean: I'm to be your new partner? Does it mean the same as I will be your new partner?


texts:
Is there a rule about when an adjective should end with "ic" or "ical"?

Geometr-ic
Analyt-ical
Theoret-ical
Kinet-ic


texts: Is there a difference in meaning between "had looked at" and "had been looking at"?

texts:
I have found two examples of the same sentence where different tenses are used.

I can't find the pictures I had looked at earlier.

I can't find the pictures I had been looking at earlier.

To me these sentences mean the same and can be used in the same context. Am I right?


texts: I have a question about past continuous tense 'was buying'

texts:
Here is a sentence I've got on my textbook.

I was buying a new washer because my old one had broken down. I ordered a model that was in stock and available for next-day delivery.

I can't understand how it is possible to use was buying in the above sentence, which is really unfamiliar to me.
I think the following sentences is more familiar form to me.

I was thinking of buying a new washer because my old one had broken down.
I was shopping online for a new washer because my old one had broken down.
I decided to buy a new washer because my old one had broken down.

So, I'd like to know what exactly 'was buying' means.
Could you let me know why the 'past continuous tense' is used?


texts: Can I use the Present Perfect SIMPLE with State Verbs like “Thought” and “Know”? Like, for example, “I’ve thought you were my friend” and “I’ve known she was nice.” Can I use it? If I can’t, why?


texts:
I have an ongoing discussion with my lecturer about "since" and the past tense.
We had a German translation from "A song of ice and fire" and had to translate it back to English.

My translation: "He was a fifty-year-old man and, since he was part of the Guards, had seen many young lords come and go."

My lecturer said "was" (i.e. simple past) is not possible but "since he had been part of the Guards."

(The German text is: "... und seitdem er bei den Wächtern war, hatte er schon viele junge Lords kommen und gehen sehen.")

Is my translation wrong?
If both are fine, is there any difference in connotation?

I talked to a friend of mine and she found the usage of "had been" rather strange (native speaker of American English).


texts: What's the proper adjective to use with the phrase "bill details"? And what's the proper tense?

texts:
I'm not sure what to use:

  The bill details or the break down of the bill will (Appear - be ready - come out - or something else) within the next week.

Also, How can I say that I don't have them now?

  The bill details are not ready yet.
  The bill details have not been ready yet.
  The bill details was not ready yet. (I think this is wrong).


texts: "Choice tonight" vs "choice for tonight."

texts:
Do they mean different things? Or they are the same?

Example sentence:

  Tom's choice (for) tonight is chicken salad.

My theory is that "for" indicates that there's an object and without "for" the sentence focuses on the choice itself. But I'm not very sure.


texts:
I'm not a native English speaker, so my question might seem trivial. Anyway, I always thought "whose" would require no article for the following noun. To my surprise, it seems expressions like "a man whose the name is Bob" are quite common (on web pages at least).

edit: for examples of use, a simple google search on "whose the name" will yield results like

"the metadata object is added as a sibling name/value pair whose the name is the symbol..."

"this collection represents the birth of this herbarium whose the name is a recognition of his prominent contribution to the knowledge of the Haitian flora"

"Benghazi, a city whose the name derives from the Greek Berenike directly"

So my questions are:

is adding the article a common way of saying?
is that specific to some nouns or could you use it with anything, e.g. "whose the cat is black", "whose the height is 2m" ?
is there a difference of meaning between the two variants?


texts: “In no time” - choose the correct verbal construction

texts:
Why do we have to choose the future continuous construction for the following sentence?

  “The doctor says I will be feeling better in no time.”

Can’t I use the present continuous cpnstruction?

  “The doctor says I am feeling better in no time.”


texts: Must there be ONLY Present Perfect Continuous

texts:
We normally use the present perfect continuous for this:

  She has been living in Liverpool all her life.

Why can't we use:

  She has lived in Liverpool all her life.

Still, if we do can, what is the difference?


texts:
But then as Mama and Papa drove away, Sal burst into tears. A delayed
  reaction. It was as if something inside her suddenly broke or popped
  or was switched on. She was hysterical. Gabby, Billy, and even the
  Drop Sisters were powerless to soothe her.

  The gushing of tears went on.

  And on.
   And on.

  Billy couldn’t stand it. He put his hands over his ears. He’d gone
  from trying to be helpful, to being annoyed, to feeling angry. “CAN.
  WE. GO. NOW. PLEASE?” he repeated loudly over the relentless crying.

As for the bold sentence in the paragraph, I'm not very clear about its structure. Why is the first "to be" a to-infinitive, but the last two 'to's are followed by -ing form?  What is the ellipsis of this sentence？


texts:
I read it in the manga Berserk:

  A child of only thirteen like master Adonis... How very cruel...

This is said when referring to Adonis's death, but is How very cruel grammatically correct?  Or it is just a typo?


texts: The meaning of “give or take the odd blip” in this sentence?

texts:
What is the meaning of “give or take the odd blip” here? I know that “give or take” means “more or less”, and I know that “blip” means “a little bit”, but I doin’t get what they mean together.

Almost every year since records began, our species has had more energy
at its disposal than it had the year before. For the past 50 years,
the growth rate has averaged 2.4% per year, more than tripling in
total over that time. For the century before that it was more like 1%
per year, and as we go back through history, the growth rate looks
lower still but neverthe- less positive, give or take the odd
blip.


texts:
Who blames me?  Many, no doubt; and I shall be called discontented.  I could not help it; the restlessness was in my nature; it agitated me to pain sometimes.  Then my sole relief was to walk along the corridor of the third story, backwards and forwards, safe in the silence and solitude of the spot, and allow my mind’s eye to dwell on whatever bright visions rose before it—and, certainly, they were many and glowing; to let my heart be heaved by the exultant movement, which, while (1) it swelled (2) it in trouble, expanded (3) it with life; and, best of all, to open my inward ear to a tale that was never ended—a tale my imagination created, and narrated continuously; quickened with all of incident, life, fire, feeling, that I desired and had not in my actual existence. (Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë)

Are “movement”, “which”, and “(1) it” co-referent (ie the same things)?  Are “my heart”, “(2) it”, and “(3) it” co-referent?


texts: Some streets in New Zealand get very narrow because of the things shown in this picture. What are they called?


texts:
What would be the indirect speech for the sentence given below.
The teacher said,"she was sick yesterday".
Which one is correct.

The teacher said that she was sick the previous day.
The teacher said that she had been sick the previous day.


texts: What tense of the word sing completes the sentence below appropriately?

texts:
Which of the verb tenses of the word 'sing' appropriately completes the sentence:

  She said that she heard Esther ______.

In my study of the concept of reported speech I got to understand that a statement of this nature, when reported, carries past tense of the verb. But still after checking with online grammar software I am tempted to believe that the verb tenses 'sing', 'sang' and 'sung' can all appropriately complete the sentence. This of course is the root of my confusion.


texts:
Excerpted from THE RINGER of a news about Netflix:

  Why watch something live for the sake of a water cooler that doesn’t exist anymore when you know you can simply wait it out and take a show in on your own schedule?

What does it mean here?


texts:
Which one should I use if a would like to refer to the water that has a healing effect due to its physical propertis or chemical components?

What is the difference between medicinal and medicated?

Thanks for the answers!


texts: What does "people without substance" mean?

texts:
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/be%20without%20substance

  We tend to dismiss stories as the last resort of people without substance. As an older retiree remarked, “Why, I have a perfect memory. I even remember things that never happened.” We denigrate professors and elders for telling “war stories.”

Source.


texts:
Which one is correct and making proper sense, Else is there any major difference between the two.

That code should be debuggable.

That code should be able to debug.

If there is no difference in the meaning. What will be the proper place to use each of the above.


texts: "get its delivery" or "get it delivery"?

texts:
Tell me please which one is correct in the following sentence:

  It is the difference between buying a pizza at a grocery store and getting it  delivery.

  It is the difference between buying a pizza at a grocery store and getting its  delivery.


texts: Group of people: A problem with singular and plural

texts:
I have a sentence:

  Comparatively large group of people (13%) choose public transport when commuting to school or attending Holy Mass and the same number choose it when they go shopping.

I am not sure which form to choose - "the same number choose" or "the same number chooses". The number refers to the people, but I don't know: if the word "number" refers to a group of people, but the word "people" is not mentioned after the "number", is plural of the verb correct? Could someone of you tell me which form should I choose?


texts: Are 'Let's have/take something to eat/drink' grammatical and meaningful?

texts:
I have seen them in a book written by non-natives.

It they are correct then what do 'take and have' mean here?


texts: how do you use merriam webster dictionary?

texts:
I have a problem using Merriam-Webster dictionary. I can't use it properly.

For example, if we search for Cramped in Google it says uncomfortably small or restricted.

But I can't find any meaning that matches the Google's translation in Merriam-Webster. Could you give me some tips and advice to use it correctly?


texts:
I don't generally talk like that

I don't usually talk like that

To me, a non native speaker, "generally" and "usually" sound the same. What's the difference between "generally" and "usually"?


texts:
How can I state an current state of an activity?

For example:-

The process was completed
or
The process has completed ?


texts: Is there any major difference in the meanings of bewildered/bewildering and confused/confusing? How about the context in which they can be used?


texts: Is unidisciplinary a valid English word? I want to use it as an antonym of interdisciplinary.


texts: What's the difference between sterilize and disinfect?

texts: Whey they both mean make something clean or kill bacteria


texts:
For example,

  So we can avoid getting into a mess of switching between different contexts.

If we can't say like that, how to express the equivalent meaning?


texts:
Good evening

What is pronunciation in British English when

one word ends of [v] and next word begins of [w] ?
one word ends of [θs] ?

Examples

I've won - [aɪv wʌn]
months  - [mʌnθs]

What is different between pronunciation of working class and higher society of British English?


texts: Someone who often frowns out of anger/inmost unpleasant feelings

texts:
What do you call a person who often frowns and looks upset or angry?

The only word I found is "Sulky" which when I google it, strikes me as it is a sort of childish term or something!

The other idiom is found I've come accross  on this forum is "hatched-faced", which based on definitions is more about facial dimentions; so not at all what I'm looking for.

I was wondering if you could help me with it.


texts:
Let's say you were always a champion marathon runner in the past. Then, you stop competing due to hectic schedule of school studies. Few years later, you joined again but you came in third only. Could you say:

  I only came in third, which is very unusual of me.

Or

  I only came in third, which is very unusual for me.

Which is correct prepostion?


texts: "the ordinary sense of the word" meaning

texts:
Of course, the people in short stories are not real, in the ordinary sense of the word.

I want to know what does the phrase "ordinary sense of
the word" mean?
I find the meaning of single word in my dictionary.
But I can't suggest this phrase meaning?
I think it means "common understanding way".


texts: Is "didn't have a X to do with" a common/idiomatic phrase?

texts:
Google only returns 6 results. So I'm a bit skeptic.

Example sentence:

  I didn't want to eat the food, though it didn't have a pinch to do
  with the taste.

Is the phrase common/idiomatic? If not, what's a better alternative?


texts:
Six men are about to rob a bank. They sit outside it in a car. One of the men tells two of the men that they're going to wait in the car while the four others go in and do the job. The two men don't like that. One of them says:

This is not what I signed up for!

To which the man in charge responds:

You and your friend signed up to do exactly as I tell you to.

Questions:

Is the phrase "this is not what I signed up for" perfectly natural to use in this context?

Is the response phrased naturally as well?


texts: Should I place an article before "20/20 vision"?

texts:
Having (a) 20/20 vision is the desirable condition of the eye.
If you have (a) 20/20 vision you don't need glasses.
(A) 20/20 vision is required for certain job positions.

Is the article "a" necessary or correct in these sentences?
I wanted to ask this question because sometimes I find the article "a" before "20/20 vision" and other times not. I'd like to know why.
You can find several examples on this ngram search, although the focus of this question is about the specific examples above.

"In that state you must have a 20/20 vision in one eye"
"A 20/20 vision is normal vision for distance"
"However, it is of interest that 35.9 per cent of those with a 20/20
vision and 40 per cent of those with a 20/30 vision complained of eye
symptoms"
"...whereas commercial pilots are accepted if they have a 20/20 vision
with correction"
" She has a 20/20 vision in the right eye by the use of a Schnelling's
chart"
"First, the student, because he has a 20/20 vision as indicated by
the test above, believes his vision is “normal”"
"Their report to applicant stated J. B. Pierce had a 20/40 vision of
his right eye without glasses and a 20/20 vision of the same eye with
glasses"


texts: What does ‘over’ meaning in the following sentence?

texts:
Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep.

1 or 2?

1￼ resting on the surface of somebody/ something and partly or completely covering them/ it

2￼ in or to a position higher than but not touching somebody/ something; above somebody/ something

(Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary)


texts: Can anyone recommend a serious, advanced, comprehensive resource for learning English tenses that would cover virtually everything there is to know about the subject?


texts: Taking about something that happend in the past

texts:
I was wonder if you tell me your opinion about below statement specially tense
"I can have special time for practicing what I had learn before"


texts:
I remember a teacher in a video course taught me that "who do you like for..." is an idiom, but I almost never came across it.

The following are two examples he gave:

  Who do you like for the best actress at tomorrow’s Oscar’s?

  Who do you like for the soccer game tomorrow night, Brazil or Germany?

I'm wondering if who is obligatory in this idiom. Can we use what or which instead?

And what to make of this idiom?


texts: Repeated "to" in "to whom something is done to"?

texts:
Is there a rule for this? For example, is it correct to say

  To whom will the package be delivered?

or does it have to be

  To whom will the package be delivered to?

I'm sorry if this is a duplicate, I didn't know how to properly search for this construction.


texts:
An ELL post says

  I'd like to picture myself as a wealthy patron casually slipping the doorman a substantial tip as he doffs his cap / tugs his forelock and holds the door open for me to go through, thereby ensuring that I'll get attentive service from him for the duration of my stay.

which uses a pattern of "slip a tip".

I am aware that "tipping" means the customer gives $1 per bag to the doorman. I don't understand the meaning of "slip a tip". Could someone please give a hint?


texts: What does “only” mean in “It's only natural that”?

texts:
It's only natural that you should worry about your children.

How would it be different if I removed “only” from the sentence?

  It's natural that you should worry about your children.

What does “only” mean and emphasise here? Is there a way to rewrite the sentence and save the meaning it conveys?

I’d love to have some examples.
Thank you in advance.


texts: “A daughter’s life”: the usage of the article

texts:
What else but sail to save a daughter's life,
  and pray she still drew breath?

It seems to me that the article in bold is redundant. Why is it used in this text? Is it grammatically correct?


texts: Is it possible to say "Did you catch the meaning?"

texts:
Is it possible to say

  Did you catch the meaning?
  Did you catch what I'm trying to say?

In order to express/ask if somebody understand something.


texts:
I was told that sums of money take a singular verb. What about the following sentence? Which auxiliary verb should be used?

Eight million dollars have/has been appropriated for research into this strain of the virus.


texts: Is there a phrase like: "The next chapter takes over where the previous chapter ended"?

texts:
I am trying to correctly write the following sentence:

  Each chapter takes over where the previous chapter ended.

It sounds slightly messy and unnecessarily long and I suspect it to not be properly formulated. Is there an actual phrase in English with which you can say this properly or in a better way? (I hope the intended meaning is clear: that the chapters a chronological and if read one after another there wouldn't be "holes".)

Three questions about particular details to this example:

Can I replace takes over with continues from or similar?

  Each chapter continues from where the previous chapter ended.

Am I correctly using the word previous or should I use former/preceding or other?

  Each chapter takes over where the former chapter ended.

  Each chapter takes over where the preceding chapter ended.

And can I omit the words ended and where and instead use from without loosing or changing the meaning?

  Each chapter takes over from the previous chapter.


texts:
Since the “Great Recession” of 2007-09, the world’s major central banks have kept short-term interest rates at near-zero levels. In the United States, even after the Federal Reserve’s recent increases, short-term rates remain below 1%, and long-term interest rates on major government bonds are similarly low. Moreover, major central banks have supported markets at a record level by buying up huge amounts of debt and holding it.

The questions:

Why not the short-term interest rates?
Why not the near-zero levels?
Why not the long-term interest rates?
Why not the major central banks?


texts:
which one is correct please: "children aged eleven to fifteen" or "children aged eleven to fifteen years" or "children aged eleven to fifteen years old"?
Thank you.


texts: Describing a person's position who is sitting next to another one on the bench not in a parallel form

texts:
I want to describe a person's position who is sitting next to another one on the bench, but her body is not in a parallel form with him and she has turned her upper body to somewhere opposite in a way that her back is visible to that person, not her face.

As you can find in above, it is very long to describe; I want a word or a short phrase to describe this position.


texts: What is the different between "giving an interview" and "having an interview"?

texts:
I saw someone said this online:

Have an interview = you are being interviewed
Give an interview = you are interviewing someone

But as I know it, giving interviews is being interviewed, agreeing to answer questions, like "give an interview to the reporters".
It's quite confusing how to see the word "interview". Say, at a news conference or in a talkshow, which part is giving an interview, and which part is having an interview?


texts: Is the sentence 'I have no choice not to do it' grammatically correct?

texts:
Which of the two sentences is grammatically correct? I found the second sentence on line.

  I have no choice but to do it.
  I have no choice not to do it.


texts:
Which one of the two words either bear or bear with should be used in the following sentence?

If you are living near a market place you should be ready to ________ the disturbances caused by traffic.

I think it should be bear because bear with means to ask somebody to be patient with you while you finish doing something. But there is no such request in the above sentence.
But many websites say it should be bear with
Which one is correct, kindly share your views.


texts: Is the interpretation of the given sentence, right?

texts:
The detective watched the woman bury the body of the person she had killed from behind a tree, taking pictures of what was going on.

Does the above sentence imply the detective watched the woman bury the body of the person she had killed from behind a tree (the detective was hiding behind the tree) while taking pictures of how the woman was burying the body.

Is the above given sentence grammatically correct?


texts: What is the antonym for "heliotrope", the property of following the sun, or, what is the word that describes the property of one who seeks the shade ?


texts: 'private set intersection on outsourced private data' - Is the repetition of 'private' OK?

texts:
As a paper title we have:

  "Delegated private set intersection on outsourced private data"

I need to know whether repeating an adjective "private" in the above title is (1) grammatically incorrect, (2) it's not read well, or (3) it's ok.

Please note that in the above title "private set intersection" is a protocol's name.


texts: "Are the same person" or "Is the same person"?

texts:
Father's grandfather and grandfather's father are the same person.
  Father's grandfather and grandfather's father is the same person.
  Father's grandfather and grandfather's father are the same people.

Which one is correct? I guess that the second sentence is right because there is actually one person- singular not plural. Am I right ?


texts: What does Natalie Wood mean by "Well, stop the world" in the movie Rebel Without a Cause?

texts:
Here is a conversation from the movie Rebel Without a Cause 1:38.

Jim: Hi. Hi. Wait a minute. Hi. I've seen you before.
Judy: Well, stop the world.

What does Judy(Natalie Wood) mean by "Well, stop the world"?


texts:
In despite of them being rich they wanted more

could this be a correct sentence? If not, why ? And what is the correction


texts: What may "that last one" mean when related to men's sexual activity?

texts:
Context:

A married couple spying on their teenage son via a special computer program, start finding out the details of his interest in sex.

Here's an extract from their dialogue that puzzled me:

  “Talk to him,” she said.

  “I have,” Mike said. “I’ve explained the birds-n-bees. I’ve explained
  that sex is best when blended with love. I’ve tried to teach him to
  respect women, not objectify them.”

  “That last one,” Tia said. “He’s not getting that last one.”

  “No male teenager gets that last one. Hell, I’m not even sure any male
  adult gets that one.”

(Harlan Coben,"Hold Tight", chapter 5)

What has puzzled me is "that last one" phrase which doesn't seem to be used in the context of actual cases of sexual intercourse -- all that was said before is that their son watches online porn.

So what "that last one" means in the context is unclear to me. Could anyone explain what it stands for?


texts: an influence + supplementary information accompanying a noun..."influence IN the formation of my character..."

texts:
I read a senence in dictionary

  My profession had an important influence in the formation of my character and temperament.

The structure of the noun "influence" is

influence + supplementary information accompanying a noun

It seems to me there is a difference between these two sentences.

  ..."influence in the formation of my character..."

  ..."influence on the formation of my character..."

The first one does not describe what thing an influence is on.

It could be an important influece on something which is not specific in the formation of my character and temperament.


texts: Usage of preposition "on" followed by "homework" and preceded by "problem"

texts:
Is it Ok to use "on" in the following sentence:

  There are some problems on the homework I didn't get.

Or I should use another preposition?


texts: In British English, do "university" & "school" have similar usages?

texts:
Ok,

"My children are at school" means "My children are attending a school".

"My son is at university" means "My son is attending a university".
(Source)

So, "university" & "school" have this similar usage.

But "school" also has other usage,

  "school" also means "[uncountable] (used without the or a) the time
  during the day when children are working in a school"

  Shall I meet you after school today?

  School begins at 9.

  The kids are at school until 3.30. (means "Right at this moment, my
  children are at that school in person" & have not come back home yet) Source

My question is:

does "university" mean "(Uncountable Noun) the time during the day when students are working in a university"

So, does  "My son is at university until 3.30." mean "Right at this moment, my son is at that university in person" & has not come back home yet?

does "shall I meet you after university" mean "shall I meet you after you finish your  university class today"


texts:
It IS/WAS estimated that people consumed a lot of bottled water in 2015.

In the sentence above, is and was both are possible? Then how the nuance is different?
If there is no difference,  which is more natural?


texts:
I recently came upon these two curious sentences:

  " I believe it was a young Barack Obama who said...."
  "The young Joyce already showed signs of the genius that was to be fulfilled in Ulysses"

Why is the definite article not used in the first sentence? What's the difference between the usage of 'Young' in these two sentences?

I also came upon these:

  "I like Freda, but the Freda this evening is boring"
  "The Chicago of my youth..." , "The Dublin of Joyce is still there....".

The book says the first sentence is incorrect but the next two sentences are legitimate. How is that? What's the difference?


texts: Any difference between "under many minutes" and "in many minutes" in this sentence?

texts:
I feel like there is a slight difference between "under many minutes" and "in many minutes" in the following sentence, but I cannot tell what or why. Could anyone help, please?

The context is:

Elizabeth has just told her mother that she has been engaged with Darcy.

  When her mother went up to her dressing-room at night, she followed
  her, and made the important communication. Its effect was most
  extraordinary, for, on first hearing it, Mrs. Bennet sat quite still,
  and unable to utter a syllable. Nor was it under many, many minutes,
  that she could comprehend what she heard, though not in general
  backward to credit what was for the advantage of her family, or that
  came in the shape of a lover to any of them. She began at length to
  recover, to fidget about in her chair, get up, sit down again, wonder,
  and bless herself.

  from Pride & Prejudice


texts: Choice of tense: the story was interesting / is interesting

texts:
Cannot figure out which sentence suits better:

  The story of the movie that I saw last night was very interesting / is very interesting.

When I was writing this I came across another confusion with the sentence:

  I saw a movie last night, that had a very interesting story / has a very interesting story.


texts: Which one "in to" or "into"? They've tricked him (in to/ into) going

texts:
What is the correct prepositions for the sentence

  They've tricked him into going.

or

  They've tricked him in to going.


texts: Question about meaning of the line from Modern Family (season 2 episode 5)

texts:
In the TV show Modern Family (season 2 episode 5), Mitchell called Claire for some advice about preschools he's picking for his daughter, he said:

  "Hey, it's me. What's a good preschool?"

I am confused about the meaning of the bold part, does it mean that "do you know any good preschool"?


texts:
Someone gave me a document to read. I said:

I’ll read it. If I (had/have) any questions, I’ll ask.

Reading it will happen in future, and further questions will be asked after the doc is read.
Which verb goes here the best? Which one is completely wrong?


texts:
Let's say I am eating ice cream with a friend and the friend got some ice cream on their face. And I point that out so that he will remove it. Do I say

  you have some ice cream on your face, wipe it

or

  you have some ice cream on your face, wipe it down?


texts: You take one road and then pick up another. What's the difference in meaning between take and pick up?

texts:
You're gonna take 25 South to Las Cruces. You can pick up 10 West from
there.
We take the A14 to Birmingham and then pick up the M5.

I guess the take means to choose a road and start to drive on it. What exactly does the pick up mean in this context?
I've found one definition:
pick up:
find and take a particular road or route.
"they veered left and picked up the road which ran alongside the river"
So what's the difference between take and pick up here?


texts:
Wikipedia says Hermione’s pronunciation is /hərˈmaɪ.əni/. But I hear /hərˈmaɪ.ni/ in the audio. Would you check the audio for my better understanding of the sound?

[audio]


texts: What does "commit a minimum of four weeks" mean?

texts:
Does "one must commit a minimum of four weeks (or at least $2,000)" mean "customers must use their service at least 4 times"?
Eater's Ryan Sutton reported that the Italian restaurant Carbone now offers a Hamptons pickup service that starts at $500 per week, though one must commit a minimum of four weeks (or at least $2,000).
Source:https://www.businessinsider.com/wealthy-not-spending-as-much-money-coronavirus-pandemic-economy-2020-6


texts: What is the gender of newspaper? What is the grammar behind the term "sister newspapers"?

texts:
Recently while I was searching for the information of one of my favourite newspaper I came across an interesting thing about the gender of newspapers. For every newspaper that was owned by a single organisation, they were using the term "sister newspapers" as given in the image attached. I googled and searched about 'newspaper' but could not find any dictionary classifying it into male or female.

Although I understand what they wanted to imply but I want to understand why they used the term "sister newspapers" (grammatical logic behind it).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sister_paper - This is the definition of 'sister paper' as per Wikipedia but it is not satisfying enough to understand the grammatical logic behind using it.


texts: regarding indirect Interrogative questions and WH Conjunction

texts:
It is clear that what was done as a public health measure to protect people from the COVID-19 threat has snowballed into a major economic crisis for the urban poor general.
I didn't not understand what the government's intention was behind this scenario.
I didn't understand that what  is the government's intention behind this scenario.

Which one is correct?
In the first sentence 'that and what' are used together.  Why? Can we?
The second sentence is an indirect question where WH words work as conjunctions.
Shall we consider the third one incorrect?


texts: present perfect associated only with the past

texts:
Is the following correct?

  I went to see a friend to see how she's been but when I got there
  she wasn't in.

I think it should be "had been" because it is in the past. What do you think?


texts: Differences how many and whatever in the following context

texts:
What is the difference between the following sentences.

  1.Tell me how many books you have.

  2.Tell me whatever books you have.


texts:
The sentence:

  The boy stole / was stealing the apples while nobody was looking / looked.

Question: Which variant is more appropriate?


texts: What's the best sentence to use when you're trying to ask for a different banknote than the one you've already been given?

texts:
Say you're at the checkout in a store and you receive a torn five-pound note; what's the best way of asking for a different note?

I myself was thinking of something around the lines of "Excuse me; could I have this changed with a different five-pound note?"; but I'm still unsure whether this sentence is grammatical and that it's the best way of asking the question.

I'd greatly appreciate it if you would provide me with a few sentences I could use in this situation.


texts:
With this sentence, I'm talking about an experience I never had:

  I've never had a motorcycle.

or

  I never had a motorcycle.

Two of them look correct, but I think there is a difference between them. Can you explain to me what the difference is between them if they are correct?


texts:
I want to ask my friend if he is already finished his studies today at the university, but I am afraid the meaning will be that he finished to study completely while my meaning is just about today. Also I am not sure about the the verb "finished" if it's correct in this meaning, since I can use other verbs such as "stopped" etc.

Then my option are:

  a) Did you finish already to study today?

  b) Have you finished to study today?

  c) Did you complete already the study today?

I would like to know how native speakers used to ask what I want to ask.


texts: Can we use an infinitive clause with no object in order to specify a purpose?

texts:
Even if it is not a common way, it seems that we can use an infinitive clause with no object for a purpose statement.

We talked here before about the accuracy of the question

  Who did you find to study with?

and everyone agreed with the idea that "to study with" is an adverbial relative clause there stating a purpose. Then we can see that infinitive clauses don't have to be attached to nouns.

The other example;

  She is hard to study with, because, she is really lazy.

Again, "to study with" doesn't need any noun for its own preposition "with".

Let's come to the main point now.

These details make the following sentences grammatically/linguistically correct.

  To study with, I found someone who is one of the most successful students at the university.(Why did you find him? To study with.)

According to some people, we have to say:

  To study with him, I found someone who is one of the most successful students at the university.

But they don't have any evidence for it.

We don't say:

  "She is hard to study with her." or "Who did you find to study with him?"

I believe that in those kinds contexts, we don't need to use a pronoun because using it is more confusing..

What do you think?

If you think that we have to use a pronoun, what is your evidence/reason?


texts:
In the phrase below, the last participle phrase looks attached to "pets" or rather to "cats and dogs".

What would be your first opinion?

Sam liked pets, including cats and dogs, encountered in the street.