texts: “to be in a shape of” or “to have a shape of” dinosaur

texts:
Which phrase, if any, of the following, is correct with regard to each single element of my puzzle design:

element has a shape of a dinosaur
element is in the shape of a dinosaur
element is of the dinosaur shape
is dinosaur-shaped

My research.
I find support for "have a shape" in texts related to geometry. Here is an example:
https://www.researchgate.net/post/What_do_we_mean_by_shape_and_when_do_two_objects_have_similar_shapes
Here is scientific work in which the phrase "is a shape of" is frequently repeated:
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/c824/a5c28db61405b19412a1fed6a2a8dc5733d4.pdf
Update for bounty.
I would like to find a compromise between brevity and precision. I want to point out that the puzzles are different from ordinary jigsaw puzzle in which each element is a rectangle with tabs and blanks.

I do not want to be as simple as to say that each element is a dinosaur (which is simple but not precise, since piece of wood is not an animal).
I do not want to be too descriptive as to say that it is a caricature of dinosaur or artistic impression of a dinosaur, which is precise but not simple.
I would like to avoid ambiguity. The figure is meant to be a dinosaur, not a dinosaur-like creature.

The best solution would be a two-three word phrase for layman audience.


texts: "they got married" vs "they have got married"

texts:
Is

  They got married

the same as

  They have got married

Is word "have" is ommited from the first sentence? But both have the same meaning. If not, why is got used with an adjective "married"?


texts: When to use Sorry and When to use forgive me, excuse me

texts:
I'm confused using these words.

  a) Sorry  b) Forgive me  c) Excuse me

Someone explaining with examples will be helpful. Also, how do we use these words differently>


texts:
Under the guidance of her Christian pastors, she entertained herself, besides, with such humane achievements as sentencing a youth to have his hands cut off, his tongue torn out with pincers, and his body burned alive, because he had not kneeled down in the rain to do honour to a dirty procession of monks which passed within his view, at a distance of some fifty or sixty yards. It is likely enough that, rooted in the woods of France and Norway, there were growing trees, when that sufferer was put to death, already marked by the Woodman, Fate, to come down and be sawn into boards, to make a certain movable framework with a sack and a knife in it, terrible in history. It is likely enough that in the rough outhouses of some tillers of the heavy lands adjacent to Paris, there were sheltered from the weather that very day, rude carts, bespattered with rustic mire, snuffed about by pigs, and roosted in by poultry, which the Farmer, Death, had already set apart to be his tumbrils of the Revolution.

It would be appreciated if someone sumply shiw me what the bold part could mean.

Thanks in advance

Extracted from A TALE OF TWO CITIES by Charles Dickens


texts: Is "do one's eyes" a correct expression?

texts:
Can I use "doing my eyes" instead of "doing my eye-makeup"? For example:

  I am doing my eyes. I'll be out in a minute.

This is in the context of, for example, applying eyeshadow, mascara and a liner.

If this not right, could you suggest a better expression?


texts: It plagued/had plagued the reputation of him for the next seven years, which is right?

texts:
I read an article about Marie Antoinette on wikipedia and I found a sentence -The couple's longtime failure to consummate the marriage plagued the reputations of both Louis-Auguste and Marie Antoinette for the next seven years.

I am curious if it is right when I put 'had plagued' in it instead of 'plagued'. I guess that 'some affairs had plagued the reputation for seven years' means there is another affair that restores their reputation after seven years from that failure.

Am I right? Also, If there is any ambiguity or errors on my post due to my bad english, please correct me. Thank you


texts: "be responsible" vs. "take responsibility"

texts:
I want to say that I don't want to be judged for one's behaviour. So, are both of them correct?

  I refuse to be responsible for your actions.
  I refuse to take responsibility for your actions.


texts: Is “that's an interesting idea” necessarily encouraging or approving?

texts:
Is “that's an interesting idea” necessarily an encouraging or approving expression in English? Can it be a negative or disapproving comment?

(Maybe some examples would be nice.)


texts: "not a smallest response" or "not the smallest response"?

texts:
You've asked a question on .stack and don't get an answer for 5 straight days. So you say, "Is my question that hard? 5 days and not the smallest response!"

Or should it be "...and not a smallest response!"?

Or "... and not a slightest response!"?

Or "... and not even one response!"?

or should it be something else?


texts:
Five minutes to go. Harry heard something creak outside. He hoped the roof wasn't going to fall in, although he might be warmer if it did. Four minutes to go. Maybe the house in Privet Drive would be so full of letters when they got back that he'd be able to steal one somehow.

  Three minutes to go. Was that the sea, slapping hard on the rock like that? And (two minutes to go) what was that funny crunching noise? Was the rock crumbling into the sea?

  One minute to go and he'd be eleven. Thirty seconds... twenty ... ten... nine -- maybe he'd wake Dudley up, just to annoy him -- three... two... one...
  (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

I guess would in the highlighted sentence is used ‘to express a wish.’ If it is right, what does maybe mean? Maybe he wished to wake Dudley up, seems somewhat funny.


texts: separate students according to their academic performance(s), singular or plural?

texts:
"Separate students according to their academic performance(s)."

(For example, their test results.) Should I use singular or plural in this phrase?

I did some research, but the example here is quite different than mine.


texts: Can an elliptical construction be used in a list?

texts:
Elliptical constructions can be used to omit certain words that are inferred by context. For example,  “I went swimming, and John went [swimming], too.”

However, can elliptical constructions be used in a list to avoid repetition? I'm writing an essay and would like to use the following list:

  ....the legalities and inherent assumptions that serve as the basis for involuntary: commitment, drugging, and ECT treatments.

Is it implied from the context that this list really reads as involuntary commitment, involuntary drugging, and involuntary ECT treatments without repeating the word involuntary so many times? Also, is that an improper use of the colon?


texts: Which of the following sentences is more formal?

texts:
I don't know which of the following is more formal in writing.

1) I am going to give my children food, clothes , and other things.

1) I am going to give my children food, clothes , and other stuffs.


texts:
I have a headache.
I have headache.

Which one should be the correct and valid sentence?
Please explain it with reasons.
Thanks.


texts: An infinitive clause modifies actions according to the context?

texts:
My question:
Sometimes, an infinitive clause can modify all the actions preceding it. Sometimes, an infinitive clause only modifies some actions preceding it.
This is all determined by the context. Am I right?
Examples:
The bold text in the examples is the actions I think are modified by infinitive clauses.

(1) She jumped ropes, lifted weights, and consumed a lot of protein to bulk up her muscles.

(2) My friend and I woke up early and showed up at her home and gave the gift to her to surprise her.

(3) The murderer entered the house and put a pillow on the old man's face to stifle him.


texts: Meaning of "exempted from coverage" in this context

texts:
Question: What does "exempted from coverage" mean in this context?

This is in regards to Unemployment Insurance (UI). You pay UI premiums all year long. If you get laid off from work, then you claim unemployment benefits from the government.

Here is a paragraph from a book (note that I have found a number of inconsistencies in this book):

  As in most other [Unemployment Insurance] schemes, the Canadian legislation began by stating that all private-sector employment and all public-sector employment (provincial employees with the consent of the provincial government), . . . were insurable. It then listed 21 specific types of employment that were exempted from coverage, the most prominent being agriculture, horticulture and forestry, fishing, most lumbering and logging, transportation by water or by air, domestic service, hospital employees, teachers, Government of Canada employees appointed under the Civil Service Act or certified as permanent, municipal and provincial employees unless their employers agreed, and generally any employment earning more than $2,000 per year. Roughly 42 per cent of the labour force was covered; the rest fell into the exempted categories.

  Source: Pal, Leslie A. 1988. State, Class and Bureaucracy: Canadian Unemployment Insurance and Public Policy. Page 39.

I don't understand what Pal (1988) means by "exempted from coverage".

Exempt means to excuse someone or something from a duty, payment, etc. If that is the intended meaning, then the sentence should be "exempted from paying UI premiums" which is NOT the same as "excluded".

Did Pal mean "excluded from coverage the UI program"? That is the what I feel the author meant. The first sentence says the general false truth - "we are there for everyone". I would expect the following sentence to say how that is not true and how some industries/occupations were excluded from being able to claim benefits.

Research

I am following a different source too (a very authoritative one). Here is something from Lin (1988):

  The UI Act of 1940 made coverage compulsory but with broad exceptions. Certain industries, professional services, government services, casual
  employees, and persons with annual earnings over $2,000 were all excluded
  from the system.

  Source: Lin, Zhengxi. 1998. "Employment Insurance in Canada: Recent Trends and Policy Changes." Canadian Tax Journal 46, no. 1: 58-76. https://www.ctf.ca/ctfweb/Documents/PDF/1998ctj/1998CTJ1_Lin.pdf (Page 63)

Here is another source (but this is quite unreliable since it's essentially a website/blog):

  At its outset, the new scheme was somewhat narrow in its coverage. While the Act applied to all private and federal public sector employment generally, it nevertheless did exclude a number of different types of employment, such as agriculture, forestry, fishing, logging, hospital care, education (teachers), and any employment earning more than $2,000 per year. Additionally, municipal and provincial public sector employees were excluded unless their employers agreed to participate. As a result, only about 42 percent of the labour force was covered under the new insurance scheme (Pal, 1988).

  Source: Makarenko, Jay. 2009. Employment Insurance in Canada: History, Structure and Issues. https://www.mapleleafweb.com/features/employment-insurance-canada-history-structure-and-issues.html

Both Lin and Makarenko state that certain industries/occupations were "excluded" (note that Makarenko cites Pal). This means that people who worked in those areas could not claim benefits even if they lost their jobs. "Exempt" would only mean they did not have to pay premiums (they could have received benefits even without paying premiums).


texts: What's the word for a student who doesn't register but goes to a class anyway?

texts: Suppose someone goes to a class without registering. Then what word should I use to describe this person or this kind of behavior?


texts:
Are sentences both correct? Is the first sentence often used by native speakers?

  Yesterday we went to the park and there were we had a picnic there.

  Yesterday we went to the park and had a picnic there.


texts:
You need to open the windows to get a nice breeze/nice breezes in the house.

Can we use both versions? I have heard an American say “a nice breeze”, but that sounded confusing because of the singular “breeze”, and not the plural form “breezes”.


texts: They say that it's not for nothing that= People say?

texts:
I was asked whether I agree that the best things in life come as a result of hard work and repeated failure. I said:
"I believe that it's not for nothing that they say that failure is the pillar of success. This saying reminds me of Henry Ford....."
I've heard 'they say' being used like this before. And I think I understand what it means. Is it like saying 'people say?'
I'm confused because of the fact that it doesn't mention who or which group of people. Please let me know if I've used it correctly and what it means.


texts:
The word "SciRant" was seen in Twitter hashtags. An example from Twitter is given here.

I see this word as the combination of Scientific and Rant.

Does it mean that the author of that post thought the findings from that research paper was unreliable, or that the author was just self-mocking about his comments.

Thanks!


texts: What's the pun in "Clowns divorce. Custardy battle.”?

texts:
What is the pun in this joke?

  Clowns divorce. Custardy battle

by Simon Munnery


texts:
I was watching a movie and there was something like advertising the next episode in the bottom of the screen. It was a text which i can't match with the english grammar. Just this :

  Truth be told

I have some questions about this sentence.

Why not using "the truth"?
What does it mean exactly? Is this some kind of telling something about the future? If it was my sentence, i would say "The truth will be told".
Is this sentence grammatically right?


texts: May I omit the definite article here? Or else it'll be 'the The'

texts:
The name of the popular daily is The New York Times. I'm talking about its reporter. May I omit the definite article from this sentence?

  I'm talking about Paul, the The New York Times reporter.

The first the is grammatically introduced as a modifier of the word reporter whereas the capital The is the part of the daily's name.

Is this right then?

  I'm talking about Paul, the New York Times reporter.

I must include the (and not The) in my sentence.


texts: Meaning of "It is due to my mistress to say of her"

texts:
Excerpted from LEARNING TO READ by Frederick Douglass

  I  lived  in  Master  Hugh's  family  about  seven  years.  During  this  time,  I  succeeded  in  learning  to  read  and  write.  In  accomplishing  this,  I  was  compelled  to  resort  to  various  stratagems. I had no regular teacher. My mistress, who had kindly commenced to instruct  me,  had,  in  compliance  with  the  advice  and  direction  of  her  husband,  not  only  ceased  to  instruct,  but  had  set  her  face  against  my  being  instructed  by  anyone  else.  It  is  due,  however,  to  my  mistress  to  say  of  her,  that  she  did  not  adopt  this  course  of  treatment  immediately.  She  at  first  lacked  the  depravity  indispensable  to  shutting  me  up  in  mental  darkness.  It  was  at  least  necessary  for  her  to  have  some  training  in  the  exercise  of  irresponsible  power,  to  make  her  equal  to  the  task  of  treating  me  as  though  I  were  a  brute.

What does the bolded sentence mean? I can't understand its structure, It is due to my mistress to say of her?, it's odd.


texts:
What is the right way of pronouncing "blessed"?

is it "blest" or "Bles-id"?

I hear people pronouncing it different ways, apparently both ways mean the same thing.


texts: revising sentence in a more meaningful way

texts:
I have written the following idea.

  In addition, ridge-line detection, horizontality of ridge-lines and
  azimuth constraints on corresponding segment pairs are imposed as
  rules.

But, I have said to revise the italic part. I am doubted what is the wrong. I guess verb is missing... so, if I write it as

  In addition, ridge-line detection, testing of horizontality of
  ridge-lines and azimuth constraints on corresponding segment pairs are
  imposed as rules.

then would it be meaningful? thanks. any suggestions are welcome.


texts:
I've been into the use of "any" in positive sentences, and I crossed that this sense of "any" can also be used with "whatsoever" to add emphasis, such as:

If you have any query whatsoever - it doesn't matter what it is -
please ask me.

Nevertheless, I think that "whatsoever" is just used with negative sentences to add emphasis, and "any" in this sense is not indicating anything negative, so why is "whatsoever" used? and wouldn't it be better to use "whatever" instead?
Here is the link where I found that sentence: https://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/learnit/learnitv303.shtml


texts: Difference between "I'm sorry (that) S+V" and "I'm sad (that) S+V"

texts:
I don"t know the difference between "I'm sorry (that) S+V" and "I'm sad (that) S+V".

For example,

I'm sorry I went.
I'm sad I went.
I'm sorry you're not going to come.
I'm sad you're not going to come.

Would you explain the difference to me?


texts: "It's taken a year for him to go back to his country!"

texts:
I'm studying English now and have a problem getting around.

If someone is going back to his country soon for the first time in a year, could I say:

  "It's taken a year for him to go back to his country."

Can I say that sentence to another person if he's now on a plane to go back to his country?

What about if he went back to his country yesterday? Can I say:

  "It had taken a year for him to go back to his country."
  "It had been a year since he (had) left his country."

I also would like to know when I could say:

  "It has been a year since he left his country."
  "It has been a year since he had left his country."

I know I'm asking you about English too much but please help me get through this!


texts: What's the cream or powder that removes hair called?

texts: I know there's a powder or cream that removes the hair (mainly from face) without any need to usage of blade. It's a chemical shaving.  Now, I thought it is called "shaving cream" or "shaving powder", but according to Wikipedia these names refer to those powders or cream facilitate shaving so it's not what I'm looking for. I'm looking for the one that shaves without any further need to use blade.


texts: How should I parse "...many of them efforts..."?

texts:
I first saw this question on another forum. (I didn't write the question originally on that forum. )The answer provided there didn't seem complete or understandable to me, so I thought I would ask here.
Specifically, I'm unsure of the meaning of the phrase in bold. I understand the literal meaning of many of them, but how does "efforts" go together with this phrase?

"So while some traditional trades - malster and blacksmith - had declined or vanished, they had been replaced by others, many of them efforts New Agey, Back-to-the-Land, and Save-the-Planet in nature." -- G.M.Malliet - Wicked autumn

Larger context:

The Internet had aided this transformation by allowing villagers ... to set up shop as potters and booksellers ... and sell online what goods they could not sell in their stores. ... Most of all, objects from Awena Owen's Goddessspell flew off the shelves. So to speak.
So while some traditional trades—malster and blacksmith, saddler and wheelwright—had declined or vanished, they had been replaced by others, many of them efforts New Agey, Back-to-the-Land, and Save-the-Planet in nature. The villagers quickly had discovered that city dwellers would pay almost any price for a product labelled "organic" or "handmade."


texts: Correct tense to use when two subjects are in different times

texts:
For example:

  The Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China were/are communist.

I am unsure of which to use because the first part of the subject implies the past tense while the second part of the subject implies the present tense.


texts: What does "Wouldn’t have said it was" mean?

texts:
‘Where’s the bloke who kept on about being here illegally?’

  The Doctor stood up and moved forward. ‘Yes?’ he said curtly.

  ‘What do you want?’

  He could just make out Thermus raising his eyebrows. ‘There now, is
  that any way to talk to someone who’s come to let you out?’

  ‘Wouldn’t have said it was, Thermus,’ said Flaccus, standing beside
  him, holding the dungeon key. ‘I’d have said that was more the way of
  an ungrateful wretch who doesn’t appreciate all we’ve been doing for
  him.’

The Stone Rose
It wouldn't? I wouldn't?
Flaccus hadn't say anything.


texts:
Let me tell you the scenario first. I asked my previous to give me some work on my weekends and my manager has told me that I can work on Saturdays from 7 am to 5 pm. Now tomorrow is Saturday and asked my employer the following sentence:

  Good morning Josie, as tomorrow is Saturday, I'm just confirming if I'm working tomorrow.

She said I am going to commence my work on the 23rd which is the next Saturday.


texts:
Recently, I had taken a test in which the blank s[ace was about usage of conclude in a sentence.

However, a review of the cases by the European Medicines Agency (EMA)
could not say definitively whether the reported cases were linked to
the AstraZeneca vaccine ------- the benefits of the vaccine
outweigh any risk.

the options were:

, concluding
and concluded
, concluded
and concluded that

I have chosen 1st one but the 2nd and 4th one are correct too.
despite the fact that I don't know how concluding is grammatically working in this context, the meaning makes sense.
I hope that someone would explain that how the 2nd and 4th one are correct too! and Why not the 3rd one?


texts: The ambiguity of the phrase "we disagree"

texts:
Let us consider such a phrase:

  Ashley and I disagree on this subject.

As far as I understand it means that Ashley and the speaker have different opinions on the subject. But is not there some ambiguity? I mean the following:

  Ashley and I disagree [with Fred] on this subject.

That is, depending on the context, it may mean that Ashley and the speaker share an opinion and it is different from that of Fred.

Thus, can A and B disagree have two meanings as described above?


texts:
Neither did she have cracks on her sides, nor was she beautiful.

It's correct, right?

  But neither did she have cracks on her sides, nor she was beautiful.

Is it gramatically wrong?


texts: Is 'haven't a clue' slang? and do people all over the world use it or is it just a British thing, or is it used by a smaller group of people?

texts:
Just wondering as I always use it and people often ask me what I'm talking about. So it got me thinking that it might just be a British thing, or maybe even just a thing people from the country commonly use? I'm use to people questioning phrases I commonly use, as I was brought up using cockney rhyming slang and half the time I don't even realise that nobody understands what I am on about. But I didn't think 'haven't a clue' was a cockney thing? or maybe I am just overthinking and everybody uses it?
EDIT: I know cockney isn't from the country. Half my family are Londoners and the other half are country.


texts:
Could anyone please advise which is more natural and if there's any difference in meaning in these two sentences?

I left early to make sure I would have an allowance and wouldn't get
stuck in the traffic.
I left early to make sure I would have an allowance and wouldn't be
stuck in the traffic.


texts:
Does the word "Dems" sound neutral here? Is it negative sometimes?

kenny strong tweeted in Replying to @JoeBiden
Dems want to give to the states and the needy, but the republicans only want to protect their business from lawsuits. Republican corporation and business owners are not hurting. It’s a very sad situation.


texts:
What is the meaning of this sentence:

  He met a girl who was to become a queen.

Does it show the plan of the girl?

Does it mean: He met a girl who 'was going to' become a queen?

How and in which sense is 'was to'  used in this sentence?


texts: What are differences between "damage" and "injury"?

texts:
He claimed serious injury to his reputation.

Can I use damage?

  The closure of the factory will cause severe damage to the local economy.

  The ship sustained only minor damage.

Can I use injury, instead of damage? Are they synonyms?


texts:
A subordinate sent me an e-mail requesting leave to attend his marriage.

  Kindly take this request into consideration and mark my absence as a informed leave.

Can it be "a informed leave"?

My edit:

  Kindly take this request into consideration and mark my absence as an informed leave.

"An informed leave" sounds unnatural.

Am I right in using the article "an"?

"kindly request" - should they be used together?


texts:
Note that because every 2-element subset chosen from a set of 5 elements corresponds to a unique 3-element subset consisting of the elements not chosen.

My questions concern whether consisting of the elements not chosen is a relative clause (transormed from: subest which consists of...) or is the gerund a object complement.

  The number of digits to the right of the decimal point is equal to the sum of the numbers of digits to the right of the decimal points in the number being multiplied.

Is being multiplied a reduced relative clause(transformed from: the number which is being multiplied) or is the gerund an object complement?

I have trouble making a distinction because the following website says (https://www.thefreedictionary.com/Object-Complements.htm):
"Participles generally function as object complements by describing what the direct object is or was doing."


texts: Difference between feel regret and feel regretful?

texts:
I made up this sentence.

  People feel regret after breaking up with their spouse.
  People feel regretful after breaking up with their spouse.

Is there any difference in nuance?


texts:
So, I heard a colleague of mine use the expression "I thought I should introduce myself on a semi-first-name basis". Even though I use English a lot, I've never heard it before.
My question is what does it mean?
If my name is John Applewhite how would you address me "on a semi first name basis"?

Thank you!

EDIT: While user3169's answer makes sense, I found out that my colleague really uses the expression according to Maulik's definition. I would vote up for both answers as a "thank you for your time and help but I don't have enough reputation!


texts: Are there pronunciation patterns in English?

texts:
I know that English is not a phonetic language, but I think there may be general patterns to help pronounce English words.

Can native English speakers say the words without looking at phonetic symbols?


texts:
He wasn't much aware of the dangers of the acid, though I had already
  taught him about it, which consequently brought an end to his life.

As you see, the context clearly tells "which" is referring to "He wasn't much aware ... the acid", but I just heard from a native speaker that "which" must be placed right after what "which" is referring to, so the sentence is not grammatically correct, but I wouldn't agree with him, because even if "which" is not placed close to what "which" refers to, it's already obvious by context that "which" refers to "He wasn't ~ acid".

I want to hear your opinions.


texts:
People were killed by militants when they [People] were gathered for meeting.

Is using were gathered is makes above sentence passive voice?

If yes, then can we imagine that there is any agent/doer who gathered people?

As per my knowledge we need to use had gathered as first action is gathered and the killing.

Also, gathered is intransitive verb. So in above sentence does it conveys the meaning that people gathered there for meeting or the they were asked to gather by someone?

  People were gathered for meeting by leader and then he started his speech.


texts: "come away a feeling" or "come away feeling", which one is more appropriate?

texts:
The lecturer is saying

  And my goal is for you to come away
  feeling like you could have invented
  calculus yourself. That is, cover all

feeling is countable.

So, is "come away a feeling" more appropriate?


texts: "They are hard to play against" or "It is hard to play against them"

texts:
It's hard to play against them.

Can we rewrite it the following way -

  They are hard to play against.

Is one of the two more appropriate? Which one would you choose here?


texts: Present Perfect / Simple Past and "to come"

texts:
The difference between Present Perfect and Simple Past is that the first is somehow connected to the present and the latter is not. However, it seems to me that "connected to the present' is a little subjective and that deciding whether an event is connected to the present depends on the speaker's interpretation of the context.

My latest question about the difference between both verb tenses is the verb "to come". What is the difference between "came" and "have come" ? Does the latter implies that the subject still is at the place? Or could it mean other connection to the Present, eg "He has come to the beach and has got a sunburn" (assuming that he is currently suffering the effects of the sunburn) ?

Furthermore, what is the correct verb tense in the sentence: "He has come to see if I am/was ok" ? I guess this is related to the above question.

Note: I'm aware that US English uses Simple Past in some contexts where UK English would use the Present Perfect, probably because it simplifies the whole process of deciding whether every event has a connection to the present or not when talking.


texts: Is WHICH referring to A, B or something else in "A is ... B ... and from which"?

texts:
A Cambridge english vocabulary says

  The Cambridge Learner Corpus is a collection of over 44 million words of English, based upon evidence of language use by learners from all over the world and from which the English Vocabulary Profile has developed. The English Vocabulary Profile shows the most common words and phrases that learners of English need to know in British or American English. The meaning of each word or phrase in the wordlists has been assigned a level between A1 and B2 on the CEFR.

Is WHICH referring to "The Cambridge Learner Corpus", "evidence of language" or something else?


texts: How to reinterpret this complex sentence that starts with "A person who agrees to serve as a mediator..."?

texts:
A person who agrees to serve as a mediator between two warring
  factions at the request of both abandons by so agreeing the right to
  take sides later.

Does this sentence mean:

  A person who agrees to serve as a mediator between two warring
  factions (at the request of both) abandons the right to take sides
  later.

If this is the case why is there a "by so agreeing"?

Or does this sentence mean:

  A person who agrees to serve as a mediator between two warring
  factions at the request of both, by agreeing so, abandons the right to
  take sides later.

If this is the case, why should it be "by so agreeing"?

Is there any grammar reference for this kind of sentence structure? Could someone come up with similar examples, please? This sentence really confused me at first; I thought it meant:

  A person agrees to serve as a mediator between two warring factions,
  at the request of both abandons, by so, agreeing the right to take
  sides later. (A mediator agrees to take the role by agreeing he can take one side later...)


texts:
He’s discovered a new suspect, and this new suspect has just enough evidence against him to suggest that, hey, maybe he killed Andrea instead of Naz. Box has even tracked this new suspect down and very nearly gotten the guy to confess, in a superbly creepy scene.

Source: http://www.vox.com/2016/8/29/12688534/the-night-of-finale-recap-the-call-of-the-wild-verdict

I am not sure whether the part in bold is the causative as in the sentence like this: Wait, I'll get someone to help you! Or is the meaning simply that Box very nearly achieved to get a confession from the guy?


texts: Grammatical function of "all" in "You ladies all have to understand its importance."

texts:
Does all within:

  You ladies all have to understand its importance.

play the role of an adverb?


texts:
Waiting for John, I made some tea. [1]

I have a participle clause above and I want to find the original clause. The sentence is from this link. I have two choices presented as follows:

  While I was waiting for John, I made some tea. [2]

  As I waited for John, I made some tea. [3]

First of all, which choice is correct?

Secondly, if I change [2] into [4], does the sentence have the same meaning as in [1]:

  While I was waiting for John, I was making some tea. [4]

Please help me.


texts: What's the meaning of "be wheeled around" in this context?

texts:
“Miss Maudie, this is an old neighborhood, ain’t it?”

  “Been here longer than the town.”

  “Nome, I mean the folks on our street are all old. Jem and me’s the only children around here. Mrs. Dubose is close on to a hundred and Miss Rachel’s old and so are you and Atticus.”

  “I don’t call fifty very old,” said Miss Maudie tartly. “Not being wheeled around yet, am I? Neither’ s your father. But I must say Providence was kind enough to burn down that old mausoleum of mine, I’m too old to keep it up — maybe you’re right, Jean Louise, this is a settled neighborhood. You’ve never been around young folks much, have you?”

  To Kill a Mockingbird

I dont understand the meaning of "be wheeled around" here.
Is it an idiom?


texts: isn't comparative adjective OR isn't any comparative adjective

texts:
What's the difference between the following?

Sam isn't more likeable than George.

Sam isn't any more likeable than George.


texts: Is it wrong to say "All rights reseved by someone"?

texts:
I've seen in many websites that these exists a part called "footer" at  bottom of the page and there's a sentence written on it.

  All rights reserved.

I know what it means. But everytime i read that, i have a feeling like this : "Who reserved it?" and i always had doubt about this sentence :

  All rights reserved by company X.

Is this one wrong ?  If yes, why? If no, why i see the first sentence everywhere?


texts: "The chicken will have been cooking for an hour" - makes sense?

texts:
I've heard that sentence here, as an example for the future perfect continuous.

  The chicken will have been cooking for an hour.

The chicken is the subject, does it cook itself? Is it possible to say such a thing?


texts: lack of knowledge or the lack of knowledge

texts:
Once I see "of", I spontaneously consider to use "the", like "the screen of mobile phones" because the screen here is specific and it is related to mobile phones. However, the following sentences are copied from Cambridge dictionary, and I don't understand how "lack of something" is not specific enough to use "the".

  Hospitals are being forced to close departments because of lack of
  money.

  One disadvantage of living in the town is the lack of safe places for
  the children to play.


texts: He speaks English well vs he may well (well vs may as well)

texts:
He speaks English well. (well is an adverb and modifies the verb 'speaks'

He may well get a poor grade in writing.

Q. What is well here? Is it an adverb which modifies get or may?


texts: How should I say this “I already knew the answers” or “I had already known the answers”

texts:
The sentence looks like this:

  I didn’t need to read the passage text because I already knew the
  answers/I had already known the answers

I get it that “had” is used when we are talking about something that happened in further past but if I already knew the answers then should I use “had” because I knew them before taking the exam? And what’s the difference between these two?


texts: The complex will include facilities for the __ of liquefied natural gas

texts:
The future LNG complex, situated near the ABC gas condensate field, will include facilities for the ___ of liquefied natural gas.

I wonder what would be the proper catch-all term describing facilities used in the "dispatching" of LNG produced at an LNG plant to customers. These facilities might include facilities for the loading of railway tankers, tanker trucks and even LNG carrier ships. I mean tank truck loading racks, railcar loading facilities, all kind of equipment used to pump the gas to a nearby port terminal, facilities inside the terminal, specialized railroad tracks etc.

In Russian, we have the catch-all expression "мощности по отгрузке" (capacities/facilities for the shipping-off), but I guess that "shipping-off facilities" would look strange in English.


texts:
I am using different hues to illustrate the data in a diagram for my thesis, but I am not sure how to describe them. Which combination of words would be correct:

  Smoothed data are shown using solid / strong / dark colors and
   unsmoothed data are shown using light / soft / pale colors.


texts: How to ask the following question in polite and formal manner?

texts:
Can you please tell me, what would be the right sentence formation and decent way to ask the following question:

  "Have you read the job description properly / thoroughly and got an idea of what I am looking for exactly?"


texts: Has or Have? Which is grammatically correct and why?

texts:
Today my friend asked me if you can use "has" instead of "have" here. I'm not sure how to explain the grammar simply.

⑤"Since there is no other food on the table, and each of them have small plates..."


texts: Is "check out" naturally used to mean "see"?

texts:
A: Why did you come?
B: I just wanted to check out your paintings.
A has mentioned to B that A paints a lot, so B is interested to finally see A's paintings. Is check out natural here to mean "see"? Is it very informal or perfectly natural?


texts: Not possible to use conjunction 'when' in this case?

texts:
This is a question from a text book.
"Mr. Thompson wrote to the main office to find out (   ) his budget would be for the following year."
There are 4 options given.
(A) what
(B) who
(C) when
(D) it
The answer (A) is given in this case.  I can agree with that, but I also feel that "(C) when" can be used in this case.  If it is not allowed to "when" grammatically, could you please advise me the reason.


texts: have + had + participle - ...I have had partaken of the brew

texts:
I need help from a proper native speaker. See the example here below

By the time of writing this text, I have had partaken of the brew for a total of 3 times.

The exemplary sentence was written in the past and should convey that the writer had the brew 3 times by the time he wrote that text.

Right or wrong?

To me it seems grammatically incorrect but I believe that I have heard such constructions in conversations.


texts: Pronunciation of word ending with z sound followed by word starting with sh sound

texts:
Here are two examples of words ending in a z sound followed by a word starting with a sh sound:

  Does she
  Always shines.

Do we pronounce the z sound or do we skip it and pronounce sh directly?


texts: "Thank you very much in advance" or "Thank you in advance very much"

texts:
Thank you very much in advance.
  Thank you in advance very much.

Is the first sentence correct or the second one? I would say that the first one is right, but I am not sure.

In any case, thank you very much in advance!


texts:
I'm speaking about a particular quantity, let us call it the number of gizmos, which depends on the number of thingums, doodahs, and hickeys. Mathematically, we have a function g which is represented by an expression with variables t, d, and h.

Now, I want to roughly say that aʰ ≤ g(t,d,h) ≤ bʰ, where a and b are some expressions exceeding 1 and depending on t and d, but not on h.

Intentionally simplifying, I wrote:

  The number of gizmos is exponential in the number of hickeys.

In this style, I used to write for over a decade.  But my English teacher corrected the sentence to

  The number of gizmos grows exponentially in terms of the number of hickeys.

I can live with "grows" but find "terms of" strange.
Which version is right? If both, which style is preferred in math papers?

I welcome answers from mathematicians who are native AmE speakers and have an excellent command of English.


texts: What does 'common twitch' stand for in this statement?

texts:
I would like to get to know what the meaning of common twitch is here?

Because giving into old temptation
is like that common twitch.


texts:
I wrote this sentence:
Therefore, the copula model has been fitted to the data.

However, one online program return me writing issue as "Passive voice misuse". I feel that my sentence is correct. However, I would like to double-check it. Is there is any problem with my sentence? Is there a way to improve it.


texts: What is the idiomatic form of the expression 'did you come from upstairs'

texts:
Let's say I am in a building with multiple floors, I see my friend in the lobby and I want to ask him

Did you come from upstairs? or
Are you coming from upstairs (if I know he has just come.)

I did not find any google phrase search result when I looked it up, so I am not sure if it is idiomatic or not.
On the other hand, I always hear the phrase

Are you going downstairs/upstairs?

So I think it is perfectly idiomatic.


texts: Subjunctive mood in "I wish your day is/be ..."?

texts:
I wish your day be a wonderful day.
  I wish your day is a wonderful day.

Which sentence is correct? Notice that I am thinking to use it in place of "I wish you have a wonderful day" in addiction of another wish phrase.


texts:
Do we say

  "heavily invested into the stock"

or

  "heavily invested into the stocks"?

Let's say you buy 100 Apple stocks, do you say "I am heavily invested into the stock" or "I am heavily invested into the stocks"? Or is the entire sentence wrong? I feel the word "stock" can refer to so many things and it can be confusing at times.


texts: so, Do we say "Good Affordable hotel" or "Affordable Good hotel"?

texts:
A native American teacher said, we have to say "Good Affordable hotel".

This page mentions the order of Adjectives in English

  Opinion

  Size

  Shape

  Age

  Color

  Nationality/Origin

  Material

  Purpose

Ex: good (opinion) small (size) shoes.

But the site did not say how we order 2 adjectives of a same kind.

"Good Affordable hotel" or "Affordable Good hotel" since both "Good" & "Affordable" are opinion-based adjectives?


texts: How much can the distance between a noun and its relative clause be?

texts:
In the sentence

  I have read your paper, which is very well-written, carefully.

"your paper" is described by the relative clause "which is very well-written".

I'm looking for grammar rules related to the distance between a noun and the relative clause describing it. For example, I'm not sure if the following sentences are grammatical:

  I have read your paper carefully, which is very well-written.
  I read your paper carefully last night, which is very well-written.


texts: Is this Liverpool accent? "I wanna hold your hand"

texts:
I like this song "I wanna hold your hand" by The Beatles.

Paul and John sing the phrase "I wanna hold your hand"
as "I wanna hol'-your hand".

Other cover singers sing it as "I wanna hol d-your hand"

"I wanna hol'-your hand" is Liverpool or England accent?
Please tell me, thank you.


texts: Is there an idiom that means something is inconsistent with the contexts or facts? Like when a book is written and the plot and the world-building doesn't go hand in hand and are inconsistent with each other. Is there an idiom we can use to describe such situations?


texts:
I want to say that I remember a name if I hear it three or four times. Which of these two sentences can express the meaning better?

  I remember a name if I hear it multiple times.

OR

  I remember a name if I hear it many times.

I hope you will answer these sub-questions as well:

Which sentence sounds more natural?
Are they both OK to use (they have no grammar mistakes)?
Which sentence can express the meaning more clearly?


texts: It had been a long time since + Past Perfect or Past Simple

texts:
I would like to know which one is correct when the structure refers to a past event.

Past Perfect + Past Simple -
It had been a long time since I met her.

Past Perfect + Past Perfect -
It had been a long time since I had met her.


texts: What does the phrase "not if I have to" mean?

texts:
It's from the second episode of the first season of Breaking Bad.

And just so you know, my brother-in-law is a DEA agent...
...and I will not hesitate to call him. Not if I have to. Understood?
This is your one and only warning.

Does that mean that the person won't call the agent, but will call if she has to. I am confused.


texts: When someone has a plastic surgery on the face

texts:
Imagine someone has done a plastic surgery on the face. What is the best and the most natural way to say this in English? What comes to my mind is:

  He had a plastic surgery on his face.

But the problem is that when I search it n google, I get only 7 hits. This is why I doubted if I have to look for an alternative. What is the best structure to indicate the same thing?


texts:
What is the right choice
 “I started playing piano when i was six “
Or “I was starting playing piano when i was six “ , and why?


texts:
As I mentioned in the questions, I'm looking for a verb to use with this expression.

Can I say "I did my reality check?

My_examples:
Let’s say that something is different than I thought. Can I say:”I did reality check, and American Dream isn’t alive anymore.” or another example “I did reality check, and my job is less exciting than I had thought before.”

What other verbs can be used with "reality check"?


texts: possible for adverb to modify adverb before it?

texts:
Adverbs can modify other adverbs that come after it: "He moves very quickly."

But is there an instance where an adverb, or adverbial phrase, comes after the adverb that it modifies, instead of before?


texts:
I have seen the word 'only' placed both before and after a noun. Where should the word 'only' go in this sentence? Is it the writer's choice?

If you have attended every lesson, only the songs need to be rehearsed at home.
If you have attended every lesson, the songs only need to be rehearsed at home.


texts: Why should we use "entertainment"? Can I use "entertaining" instead?

texts:
I was doing my homework when I came across a question like this:

  "It might look like (entertain), but the kitten is practising its hunting skills."

I decided to choose "entertaining" as my answer, however, it was marked wrong. The correct answer should have been "entertainment". I really don't understand why. Can anyone help me?


texts: How to show radio interferences in writing?

texts:
In writing when we want to show the reader that there are radio interferences so some words of the broadcaster are lost, how to write it? What is the classic or the preferable way?

In Russian it's usually just "шшшшш.. шшш" or like that.

I imagine it should be something like:

  [Broadcast] "And now we.." Shhhh.. "the.." Shhhh.. "..a happy day."


texts: Can we use The Modal verb 'Will' to express a possibility?

texts:
For example-
Maybe she won't come to our party.


texts:
I was watching an interview with a woman. At some point she choked up and ended the interview. Then a voice-over said: "She shuts down in tears".

Is the verb "to shut down" used here in the sense of "she was unable to speak anymore" or "she was unwilling to continue the interview anymore"?


texts:
A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent
  and tidy under the inky sky, the very last place you would expect
  astonishing things to happen. Harry Potter rolled over inside his
  blankets without waking up. One small hand closed on the letter
  beside him and he slept on, not knowing he was special, not knowing he
  was famous, not knowing he would be woken in a few hours’ time by Mrs.
  Dursley’s scream as she opened the front door to put out the milk
  bottles, nor that he would spend the next few weeks being prodded and
  pinched by his cousin Dudley… He couldn’t know that at this very
  moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up
  their glasses and saying in hushed voices: “To Harry Potter — the boy
  who lived!”

  (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

Is closed a participial or a verb?


texts: Is there anything similar between low and high born?

texts:
Normally you say that someone with an average income is part of the middle class.
If I look about the past...specifically the middle ages and even earlier I often find the terms "low born" and "high born" (or peasants and nobles).

I'm wondering though if there is any similar word in english that can be used for something in between low born and high born (thus something like the middle class. aka one word and then "born" after it)?

Nowadays I don't hear low born or high born too much only in combination with past times, but if there is something in the modern world I would also be interested in that.


texts:
I like to play basketball

  I like playing basketball

What's the difference between these two?


texts: Usage of "now" and "then" referring to people

texts:
It was Mr. JACOB then, and now it is Mr NASIR who has done the same mistake

Is this sentence correct? Referring to a previous case it was Mr. Jacob and now it is Mr. Nasir?


texts: "Akkadians are/were referenced in the Bible"

texts:
I was talking about the Sumerians, a Mesopotamian people who are not just extinct but were all but forgotten about for millennia - unlike the Akkadians, a later people, who are also extinct but were at least referenced in the Bible.

Or is it "are referenced", present tense? The Bible, as in any of the physical copies lying around today, currently contains a reference to the Akkadian people. But the act of referencing them took place when the Bible was written, so in the distant past, suggesting past tense.

Which one is correct, or more correct if both are used?


texts: 'Provide us the ability' vs 'provide us with the ability'

texts:
In an old stackexchange question (I don't remember which one) someone had posted an image of their English question paper. They wanted to know why the multiple-choice option 'd' would not work. This issue, I believe was resolved.

The question began with the sentence 'Vitamin C provides us the ability to resist disease'(The portion in italics is a modified reproduction of the original statement which I forgot).

What confused me was the usage 'provides us the ability'. Wouldn't 'provides us with the ability' be grammatically right? Or is the former usage acceptable (as in they mean the same thing)?

These are the Ngram results which shows a drastic difference between the usage rates. Google search too gives similar results (numbers of the latter exceed numbers of the former).

If they are different, I would like to know what idea 'with' emphasizes. Thanks in advance.


texts:
In "The Song of Flying Fish" by G. K. Chesterton, the author was describing a eccentric but expensive curio, saying:

  From the other end of the room it looked like a rather unusually large bowl containing rather unusually large living fish; a closer inspection showed it to be a huge bubble of beautifully blown Venetian glass, very thin and delicately clouded with faintly iridescent colour, in the tinted twilight of which hung grotesque golden fishes with great rubies for eyes. The whole thing was undoubtedly worth a great deal in solid material; how much more would depend upon the waves of lunacy passing over the world of collectors.

What's meant by "worth a great deal in solid material", does it mean "a lot of coins"? or "very heavy weight"?


texts: Should we say "in the home page" or "on the home page"?

texts:
I've to write the following sentence:
In the home page, select xxxx from the xxxx panel.

Should I use "in the home page" or "on the home page"?


texts: What’s the exact sentiment in this sentence?

texts:
These two paragraphs are from the New Yorker magazine (March 06,2018)

  The pianist Maria Yudina (Olga Kurylenko), who has been engaged to play while Stalin lies in state, walks in, sees the body, and says, “Small. He looks so small.”

  This is the exact sentiment that the late oligarch Boris Berezovsky claimed Russian President Boris Yeltsin expressed upon being introduced to Vladimir Putin, in 1999.

My question is which part is the exact sentiment?

The sentiment that Boris Berezovsky claimed?

Or

The sentiment Boris Yeltsin expressed?

Or both

The whole sentence seems very smooth but I feel some preposition is missing.


texts: What does "taste" mean in "The air is thick enough to taste"?

texts:
https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3001741/china-blame-south-koreas-air-pollution-really

  (A woman looks at a view of Seoul shrouded by fine dust.)

  To the untrained eye, it seems like a foggy day in Seoul. The air is thick enough to taste and the visibility is just metres. Out of the haze emerge businessmen hurrying to work, women heading to the shops, mothers and children on the school run. Even in this fashion conscious city, they are all wearing the same thing: surgical style masks, as if scared to show their faces.

I know what "the air is thick", kind of foggy and dusty,

but what does it mean by "air is thick enough to taste"? Is it a figurative expression?


texts:
The town was flooded when the dam burst.

The town flooded when the dam burst.

I'm fairly counfused about the correct usage of the verb flood.  I know that the verb form of the word has two similar meanings with reagrd to a natural disaster, first is "a state of overflow" and the second is "to become inundated or submerged caused by that overflow" (as it's noticable the second is what we exactly need to focus on).
But they are both used in active voice as far as I'm concerned ,however, I also pretty often come across the way it's used in passive, so does it mean slightly different apart from these both when it's in passive?


texts:
This sentence is from a novel:

  Georgie could hear him sitting back in his chair. She could picture him, too--long legs kicked up, resting on the edge of their shared desk.

What does kick up mean? I couldn't find the meaning in the dictionaries, but does it sound like what it is that he is kicking his leg upwards and rests it on the desk?


texts: What does "be an insult to the fabric of space/time itself" mean?

texts:
He became a scheduling black hole, missing meetings and deadlines as
  if they were an insult to the fabric of space/time itself.

I know the meanings of the words, I know the phrases "black hole" and "fabric of space/time" refer to the Einstein Relativity Theory. But I can not get the meaning of the sentence.

So, Could you please explain it to me?

The fuller text is:

  The surgeon cut the tumor out, and Elliot went home. He went back to
  work. He went back to his family and friends. Everything seemed fine
  and normal. Then things went horribly wrong. Elliot’s work performance
  suffered. Tasks that were once a breeze to him now required mountains
  of concentration and effort. Simple decisions, such as whether to use
  a blue pen or a black pen, would consume him for hours. He would make
  basic errors and leave them unfixed for weeks. He became a scheduling
  black hole, missing meetings and deadlines as if they were an insult
  to the fabric of space/time itself.


texts: Politely saying "we will perform the safety test after finishing the modernisation work"

texts:
I am writing an email to reply the client and I want to tell him that when we finish the modernisation work, we will perform the safety test. How can I say it politely?

We will perform the safety test after finishing the modernisation work. Or
We will perform the safety test after the modernisation work is finished. Or
We will perform the safety test after we finished the modernisations work.


texts:
If i want to say:

  Helping people is a proof of being kind-hearted
  People helping is a proof of being kind-hearted

Don’t these two sentences give the same exact meaning?

More examples:

  Studying English is complicated.
  English studying is complicated .


texts: Do "l know something like the back of my hand" and "I know something like the palm of my hand" mean the exact same thing?

texts:
Having heard both of these idioms I would like to know if they have the same meaning?
Idiom 1 "I know something/somebody like the back of my hand."
Idiom 2 "I know something/somebody like the palm of my hand."


texts:
I know vegetable can be countable and uncountable. But what about this context?

I need carrot in my recipe.
How much? / How many?


texts: How to pronounce these words "rendered", "tired","hired"...?

texts:
I know that 'render' is pronounced /'ren-dər/. But, with the /d/ sound added (/'ren-dərd/), does it sound exactly the same on the vowel part in the second syllable of 'mustard' and 'bastard'. And; 'tired', 'hired', do they also sound the same in the second syllable? (/'tai-ərd/)

Thanks.


texts:
Seen outside a hotel in Switzerland:

  Come in, and we'll hospitalize you!

Is hospitalize being used properly in this sentence?


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

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

  As though the knowledge gained over centuries of lived experience is of somehow lower valency than the literacy acquired in a school.

I couldn't find any relevant definition of this word in this context.


texts:
A Pakistan International Airlines aeroplane with 99 people on board crashed in a residential area of Karachi. The aircraft had taken off from Lahore. Although reports mentioned at least three survivors, a provincial health minister said at least 37 people had died, amid fears of many more casualties. Pakistan had just resumed domestic flights after a coronavirus lockdown.

3 alive but more could be died, then the minister said yes 37 had died.

I don't find any "but" meaning here against what the reports said, even there is a "although". What's the logic?
does the "fears" come from the public though it is not mentioned?


texts: I do not know how to diagram this sentence

texts:
How would I diagram

  Unless we share the food, many of us will go home without any food.


texts: 'I saw the fallen tree.' and ' I saw the tree fallen.'

texts:
I asked a question about the difference between the sentences below a few days ago:

1)  I comforted a crying kid.
2)  I comforted a kid crying.

My question was: "is there any difference of the two sentences above in meaning"?

I got the following answer:

  It's possible to distinguish, though usually the two interpretations
  are the same, in effect. The post-nominal modifier, "kid crying",
  refers to a temporary or accidental characteristic, but the
  pre-nominal modifier, "crying kid", refers to a permanent or essential
  quality. If the kid differs from other kids in crying a lot of the
  time, then even at a time when the kid happened not to be crying, you
  could refer to him as the crying kid, but not as the kid crying.

Below is today's question:

What is the difference between the following two sentences:

I saw the fallen tree.
I saw the tree fallen.


texts:
The FRA has a compressive strenght over three times that of the vertebral body

Can someone explain the "that of the..." part? I couldn't understand what kind of structure it is.


texts: Which use of the verb cause is correct in the sentences below?

texts:
Why does reserpine administration causes a decreases in vascular tone and blood pressure?

Why does reserpine administration cause a decreases in vascular tone and blood pressure?


texts:
Always, we use 'have much in common', not 'have many in common'.

However, I can't find the reason why 'have many in common' is wrong. This is because I think 'many' can also be 'pronoun' like 'much' is 'pronoun'. Is this just English usage? I mean there is no exact reason why we do not use 'have many in common'.

Thank you for your cooperation.


texts: If someone asks "What day are you leaving?", would it be grammatically correct to answer with "On the 8th April." for example? Or does it have to be "On Monday."?


texts:
"Charlie's in Romania studying dragons, and Bill's in Africa doing something for Gringotts[bank]," said Ron. "Did you hear about Gringotts? It's been all over the Daily Prophet, but I don't suppose you get that with the Muggles - someone tried to rob a high security vault."
  (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

What’s the referent for that? I’m puzzling whether it is for the newspaper (Daily Prophet), or the news about Gringotts bank.


texts: Grammar of "meaning" in "Cats are carnivores, meaning they hunt prey."

texts:
I don't understand the grammar of "meaning" in this example sentence:

  Cats are carnivores, meaning they hunt prey.

That are two independent clauses, right? And obviously the "meaning" combines them somehow.

However I can't find the name of this type of grammar? In which cases is something like that possible?


texts: Do I use "came from" or "comes from" to indicate the origin of something?

texts:
Which form of the verb to come from do I use?

Herbert von Karajan (just as an example) comes from Austria.
Herbert von Karajan came from Austria.

Should I use another form of the verb?


texts:
Some Person has told me this following statement:

  Stop making issues where they already are resting.


texts:
Friday night was fine, and plenty of people came by, even in the dark. Saturday, as the day went on, the weather got worse. Rain picked up, and the weather report was threatening the coming winds. link

What does "the day went on, the weather got worse" mean?

the weather was bad since morning and was worse and worse during the day.

Or

the weather was bad before morning and on morning it got worse.


texts: Meaning of "If I were any better I would be twins"

texts:
I noted a phrase recently which was:

  If I were any better I'd be twins.

There was another version of it too which was:

  If I were any better I'd be dangerous.

Does the speaker mean that if they would have been any better they would be twins or dangerous but still they are not? So it seems more of a wish to me?


texts: "Apply only permissions changes on sub-elements" or "Apply permissions changes only on sub elements"?

texts:
In a web-application where you can manage and organize resources (eg.: files, events, discussions/chat and so on) inside a certain structure (lets say folder structure) and you can grant permissions to users on these resources.

If you want to inform the user that he is going to make a permissions change only on the sub-folders and not in the folder he's currently working, is it more correct to say :

  Apply only permissions changes on sub-folders

or

  Apply permissions changes only on sub-folders

I'm Italian and for me the second sentence ( position of only ) looks more correct/suitable for what I'm trying to say


texts: This state will work for the betterment of the common people

texts:
Question is add modal auxiliary showing 'Obligation'
I had written
This state need to work for the betterment of common people.
Is this right ?
The options that I thought were must and should


texts: Premodification by the past participle stemming from the relative clause

texts:
The implication of the word, (which) you are searching for, is as follows...

Is it possible (correct, relevant) or at least marginally acceptable to change this sentence allowing discontinuity and employing "drastic" pied-piping?

  The by you searched implication of the word is as follows...
  The searched by you implication of the word is as follows...


texts: Term for women who claims to be feminist but are actually selfish

texts:
There are some women (self proclaimed feminist) who says they believe in equal rights but at the same time they expect

Their husband to be working on better paying job than them
Men to offer them seat in case no vacant seat is available in public transports
Men to always pay for their dinner on dates

along with many other things. They are not true feminist. They are selfish persons who only care about themselves. Is there any special term/phrase for such women?


texts:
It's Ariana grande one last time.

Does it mean that she just went in and passed away.


texts:
Is it correct to read mixed fraction 35 466/635 as ' thirty five and four hundred sixty six over six hundred thirty five'?
I know we can read it as thirty five and four hundred sixty six six hundred thirty fifths. But practically it is not possible.  Thank you.


texts: Singular Vs plural while making a general statement

texts:
I'm having a hard time understanding whether to use plural or singular while making general sentences.

Doing a bit of research I found both can be used. For example:

  Dogs are loyal animals.

  A dog is a loyal animal.

(Both these sentences are talking about all/any dogs in general)

  A child needs care.

  Children need care.

(Both these sentences talk about all/ any children in general).

Now, as for the question:
Recently, I looked up in the internet as to when is a definite article used.
It says "We use the definite article in front of a noun when we believe 'the reader' knows exactly what we are referring to."

I think this statement is a general statement about the use of definite article. My first question,  am I right in thinking that this is a general statement?

Second question is, what if we use 'readers' in place of 'the reader'?  Will there be a change in meaning then? I'm asking this question because if this is a general statement then if I use 'a reader' or 'readers' in place of 'the reader' then it should all mean the same, i.e., all of them should be expressing 'any reader' just like the examples above (1 to 4). Right?

Another example:

  (1)  Banks are financial institutions where 'a lender' meets 'a borrower'.

I guess this is also a general statement about banks. So can I phrase this sentence like this without any change in meaning?

  (2)  Banks are financial institutions where 'lenders' meet 'borrowers'.

In sentence (1), 'a lender' expresses just one lender or any lender?
In sentence (2), 'lenders' expresses more than one lender or any lender in general?


texts: Is "to clamp" the best term for restricting a numerical value to a range?

texts:
One of the definitions of "to clamp" is, according to wiktionary:

  (transitive) To modify a numeric value so it lies within a specific range.

Is "to clamp" the best term for this?
It sounds a bit technical to me.


texts: What is the meaning of "to follow fashion"?

texts:
I heard the phrase "follow fashion" at some place, but I'm not sure whether it means "to keen on the news of fashion trends" or "Having the habit of choosing your clothes based on the latest fashion"?

I cannot find it in dictionaries except in Cambridge: "He refused to follow fashion." but it is not clear what it means.


texts: Etymology of words used to start and ask questions

texts: Could you please help me understand the etymology of words used to start questions? I am particularly interested by the words 'how' and 'why'. Thank you!


texts: Should we always use "verb+ ing" structure after the verb "start"?

texts:
As far as I know, after the verb "Start" we should use verb + ing structure. For example:

I have to start doing the exercises.

What if we use the verb "start" in present continuous?Is is correct to say/write :

I am starting doing the exercises.

Or we should change it in the following way:

I am starting to do the exercises.


texts: How do you make this sentence sound formal?

texts:
i wonder if anyone could help me with this sentence. i want to make it sound somewhat formal.

How would you feel if someone lied to you? OR What would you do if someone lied to you?


texts: What's the pronunciation of `tearDown` in jUnit?

texts:
There are setup and tearDown method in jUnit tests. What's the pronunciation of tearDown?

I found people pronounced it:

like t-ear
like t-air

Which is correct?


texts:
What means "The talk needs to be approximately 45 mins to allow for 15 mins of Q&A’s."

Does it mean that the talk needs to be 45 mins and additional 15 mins will be for questions? So the whole thing will take 60 mins.

Or the whole process will take 45 mins - like while talking during that time 15 mins will be taken for questions?

Please clarify. Thanks


texts: Why is "be" used in "Figuring out a vacation policy be particularly hard when you have employees around the world"?

texts:
I see the following sentence in this article

  Figuring out a vacation policy be particularly hard when you have
  employees around the world.

Is putting "be" as the main verb grammatically correct? I thought the verb should be "is" instead but is there a special rule which allows "be" to be put there?


texts: Please explain 'if and how' and how paraphrase it

texts:
Please explain 'if' and how paraphrase it.

  Now, researchers aim to learn if and how animals can really enjoy
  their lives.


texts: A word describing a 'part' of UK hospitals (departments?)

texts:
What's the common name in usage in the UK for the part in the hospital that specializes in one field only (for example neurology)?
I saw two different names 'wing' and 'department'. But both are in non native English speakers country,  so I'm not sure what it reflexes and if it's correct also in context of medicine.


texts:
A person was writing on a sheet of paper,  so he asked for a notebook to put under it.

  Can I get something to put under it for support?

  Can I get something to prop under this page?

  Can I get something to prop this (page) up?

Is the use of "support" natural here?  What do you think?


texts:
I have 2 questions basically.
First one is that Are the following sentences similar to one another?

I will give a try to do my best!
I will try to do my best!

Second question is that are there any other verbs that can be combined with give (e.g., give a look?)


texts: I have a question about the relation between noun and preposition

texts:
When I read and write  a sentence in English, I always wonder the relation between noun and preposition.

For example, I looked at this sentence I have a problem with...

But I wonder why the preposition with is used and why about or another preposition like that is not used.

Native remember these relationships?
Do I have to remember all the relationships like problem with?

Please help me.


texts:
If I say: 1 I was living in America for a year. (it will be a bad sentence on its own)
If I say: 2 I lived in America for a year. (it will be OK)
If I say: 3 You were eating this sandwich for an hour. (it will be OK)
Any idea why 1 is wrong (without additional context) but 3 is OK on its own?


texts: Seemingly omitted article in "Last edit was 2 hours ago" from Google docs

texts: I always wondered when I can omit articles in sentences. Like, I think I saw many cases in presentations or instructions where some articles are omitted. I noticed today that the status message in Google docs seems like omitting an article "the" too. Shouldn't it be "The last edit was 2 hours ago?" When can I omit articles without coming off awkward?


texts: Being and Was, Which one is correct and why?

texts:
Can you please tell me which sentence is correct here? What if I just take out the preposition "with", is it still grammatically correct?

  Less coal was burned in 1980, with its figure being just over 15 billion units.

  Less coal was burned in 1980, with its figure was just over 15 billion units.


texts:
Let's say my roommates and I are planning to go to place X, and they are waiting for me to get dressed.

After getting dressed, I might say something like this:

  Dude I am ready, let's go.

What I want to say is:

  Dude I am ready, should we go now?

Can let's go be used in the second expression in should we go?


texts:
I have read an article. (ISO 15693-2 Page 1)

Somewhere in it, it mentioned that :

Now, I can't translate it.

What does this sentence mean?

Subcarrier is a signal that its frequency is equal to Fs, And this signal is used to modulate another signal that we call it carrier and has a frequency equal to Fc? Is this right?

Update:
And also what does this below sentence mean?

vicinity integrated circuit card

It is a card that has integrated circuit and is vicinity? or It is integrated circuit of a vicinity card?


texts: Are "may certainly" and "might certainly" sound usage?

texts:
While giving an answer to an EL&U member's question just now, I had written

  "although you would certainly submit a project report,"

but then somebody said it is not always done; I instinctively edited it to

  "...although you might certainly submit..."

before wondering whether it is grammatically sound.

Here I have used 'might' in the sense 'you may or may not want to submit' rather than 'you can submit.' That set me to wondering whether such a sense of uncertainty can be juxtaposed with the word 'certainly' and still remain sound usage.

Other examples:

  I am not surprised you didn't use a thesaurus straightaway -- I am aware that for such purposes you might certainly consult the dictionary first.

(it is quite possible you may consult the dictionary first)

  I suggest you don't try to avoid your ex-spouse, though you might certainly feel the urge to do so.

(You are likely to feel the urge to do so)

  You may certainly feel apprehensive facing your first driving test, but the key is to be calm and make well-considered decisions.

(you are likely to feel apprehensive...)

Point to ponder: does any ordinary citizen take a second driving test, unless he or she has failed the first one!

Added after 20 hours by edit:

I got no answer or comment in nearly 20 hours, which is highly unusual on English Stack Exchange where 12 seconds after asking seems to be the mean delay for getting a reply!


texts:
Here is a sentence which I think an example of passive participle clause:

  After being arrested, he was taken to the police station.

I think the above sentence  with 'being+p.p' is an example of passive participle clause. Is that sentence is formed through the following process ?

  Active: After the police arrested him, the police took him to the police station.

  passive: After he was arrested by police, he was taken to the police station.

  passive participle clause: After Being arrested, he was taken to the police station.

"After he was arrested" changed into=After being arrested
Am i right here ?

Here is a sentence where I have removed "after":

  Being arrested, he was taken to the police station.

Is this sentence meaningfull ?

Does it imply 'He was arrested and taken to the police station or Because he was arrested he was taken to the police station or He was being arrested and taken to the police station?

How the passive participle clause are formed?


texts: What is the correct word for "turn off lamp" for a non-electric lamp?

texts:
We often say turn off the lights. Is it correct to say turn off the lamp when referring to a non-electric lamp (lit by fire)?
That doesn't sound proper. Which is the better phrase to use there?


texts:
So I stumped upon this question using the right structure to complete the sentence

  One of the most ancient arts,___ in different parts of the world.

  (A) for weaving to develop independently
  (B) the independent development of weaving
  (C) weaving, to develop independently
  (D) weaving developed independently

So the way I do this is to translate each option to my native language and choose the one that I found meaningful so I choose B but the correct one is D. Is there any structure order that I need to know instead of translating? Any help would be great


texts: Question about present perfect continuous and teaching it

texts:
The car has been giving me trouble from the start.

How do you simplify this grammar in a simple manner. I know it in advance but a great deal of difficulty teaching it to my mother. I am going to have to be her tutor in a short time.

A million thanks in advance.


texts: I am reading SAT sentence correction tips and I can not get my head around the tip "Verb-Subject Mismatch" . What does it mean?


texts: Using "provide" to say "someone is provided to do something"

texts:
In addition, the user is provided to specify the context in which each rule is executed.

Is my usage of "provide" correct?


texts: How to invite a colleague to do a casual activity with you using proper language?

texts:
I would like to make friends at work as I am a migrant and am pretty much isolated from the society.

What I am not sure about is how to invite someone (a colleague I mean) to do a casual activity with me and not sound impolite/pushy/unprofessional/needy. Also I am a girl and he is a guy. Don't want to sound flirty as well.

For instance, I have a colleague who seems to be into playing games such as chess, etc.

If I tell him something like this, would it be appropriate?

  Hello, hello. If I remember correctly, you like playing chess. My
  partner and I are not pros but like to play chess and other types of
  games as well.  We thought maybe we could arrange a little game
  night/day if you are interested at all?

Would appreciate any advice as to how make these sentences in such a way to serve my purpose.

Thank you guys in advance.


texts: 'A' or 'the' before a countable noun in a specific case

texts:
Assume that I am writing an email to a colleague about a paper and I want to include the sentence

The problem X is discussed in a/the remark near the end of the paper.

Here X is some problem whose nature is irrelevant for this question. The remark I am talking about has not been mentioned before. My question is: should I use 'a' or 'the' before the word 'remark'?

On the one hand, I am talking about a specific remark, so I thought about the 'the' first. On the other hand, the remark has not been mentioned in the body of the email, so shouldn't it be used with an 'an' when it is introduced for the first time (as in for example 'A bear walks into a bar...')?


texts: Hanging TO or FROM or ON in this situation

texts:
I have seen the sentence in a grammar book:

"There are hanging some ripe mangoes TO the twig of the tree."

But earlier I always used ON and FROM in this situation.

Explain (hanging) on, from and to.

Thanks in advance.


texts: Is it correct to say that the "statement has its own merits and demerits "

texts:
I'm writing an essay about modern communications. The topic of the essay is "Modern communications mean that it’s no longer necessary to write letters. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?".

I have written an introductory paragraph, but I am not sure if it is correct, especially the phrase "In my opinion this statement has its own merits and demerits".

  Introductory paragraph

  Current advancements in the areas of communication and information technology have significantly changed the way people communicate and interact with each other. So that some people argue that we no longer need to write letters. In my opinion this statement has its own merits and demerits and in the following paragraphs they will be analyzed.


texts:
I finished before he
  I finished before him

In formal language, do we use the subject or object pronoun after before or after?


texts:
The moon is not a magnet the way the earth is.
Unlike the earth, the moon is not a magnet.

The first sentence is from an article on science. Can I rewrite the sentence as the second? Please explain it to me.


texts: It is still called your lap when you're standing up?

texts: This may be a stupid question, but would it be wrong to refer to my lap as my lap when I'm standing up? It doesn't sound right to me, but I don't really know what else to call it other than "quadriceps," which is really referring to the muscles, not my lap.


texts: Is there a difference between "to tarry" and "to linger" when speaking about "staying in some place for a long time".


texts: What exactly is meant by "modified love"?

texts:
I am reading a book called Howards End  by E. M. Forster.

In the first chapter there is a letter and at the end of letter are the following words:

  . . . Much love.  Modified love to Tibby.  Love to Aunt Juley . . .

What does modified love mean?

I did some research and found one of the meanings of modify at dictionary.com:

   5. to reduce or lessen in degree or extent; moderate; soften: to modify one's demands.

But except for this meaning, I was unable to find any explanation for this phrase.

So modified love means "less love"?


texts:
And what was her name, this woman whose life has ended my own?

What does it means?


texts: Supposing vs if. "Supposing/if I don’t arrive till after midnight, will the guest-house still be open? "

texts:
What's the difference between the following sentences?
Supposing I don’t arrive till after midnight, will the guest-house still be open?
If I don’t arrive till after midnight, will the guest-house still be open?


texts: How should I interpret the structure "after...time of"?

texts:
How should I interpret the structure after...time of?

Example 1:

Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhopal/bhopal-teen-kidnapped-in-car-raped/articleshow/75283878.cms

  After three hours of the nightmare, the duo left her near Mayur Park and threatened to kill her if she spoke to anyone about the rape.

I listed two ways to interpret it. Which one is correct?

  (1)The nightmare lasted for three hours, and after that, the victim was left near Mayur Park and threatened.

  (2)The victim was left near Mayur Park and threatened three hours after the nightmare. And we don't know how long the nightmare was

Example 2:

Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/pune-girl-with-rare-metabolic-disease-undergoes-liver-transplant/articleshow/73556902.cms

  The baby regained consciousness after two hours of the surgery and shifted to her room.

I listed two ways to interpret it. Which one is correct?

  (1)The baby gained consciousness two hours after the surgery. And the surgery lasted for an unknown period of time.

  (2)The surgery lasted for two hours, and the baby became conscious after that.


texts:
Does the construction "as of now on" mean "from here on"?

As of now you'll be doing your homework right after school.


texts: Can I say that people "suffer the famine"?

texts:
Is the usage of suffer the famine in the following sentence correct?

  Most of the people who live in Ghana suffer the famine


texts:
The poem "Opportunity" by Walter Malone has a line

My judgments seal the dead past with its dead.

I could not find the real meaning of the "dead past" in the Oxford dictionary. Anyone help me please.


texts:
Here is the example, which is from 'Baker's blue-jay yarn' by Mark Twain.
I think the sentence means '(bad words) you might say in everyday life', but I'm not sure.

"He just had strength enough to crawl up onto the comb and lean his back agin the chimbly, and then he collected his impressions and begun to free his mind. I see in a second that what I had mistook for profanity in the mines was only just the rudiments, as you may say."


texts:
I saw one expression from my email: "What asks are we willing to push back on?"
Usually, "push back" is what I use. but here, what meaning does this "on" add?


texts: is it possible to use the past continuous with before?

texts:
Is it possible to use the past continuous with before? For example: We were watching television before you arrived last night.
Or is simple past the only option?


texts: What does the word "colony" means in the context of a British colony in Berlin?

texts:
From the International Herald Tribune (emphasis mine):

  King George and Queen Mary were the guests at breakfast to-day [May 23] of Sir Edward Goschen, the British Ambassador to the Prussian Court. Before breakfast their Majesties received a deputation from the British colony in Berlin, which presented a loyal address. The address was read to their Majesties, who listened to it standing, by Mr. J. W. Louth, the dean of the colony, who also had the honor of reading the colony’s loyal address to King Edward in 1909.

The dictionary definition of colony doesn't seem to apply here, there was no British settlement in Berlin in 1913 (or any other time). What would be the exact definition of the word "colony" in context?


texts: Question related to future tense: "shall" vs "will"

texts:
What is the difference between these sentences?

  Tell me, doctor, shall I lose weight?

  Tell me, doctor, will I lose weight?


texts: How to use the phrase "the up-and-comers" properly? Is there any classification of age of people belong to "the up-and-comers"?


texts:
I saw a sentence

She hoped to have done

Or a sentence, created with the same structure. I don'tunderstand how it works. Then I saw a full version of it:

She hoped that she had done

So, it's like a combination of Past Simple(hoped) + Past Perfect(had done) but combining them we can't have Past Perfect, we have  only perfect infinitive.

When I later saw

She can't have done

I didn't understand it, too. Since then I've been trying to create a full version of it which would be clear for me. I tried

It can't be possible that she has done - I was told it was incorrect

It can't be true that she has done - I was told it was incorrect, too

I also have such variants:

It can't be real that she has done

There can't be a possibility that she has done it

There can't be a probability that she has done it

Is there any sentence among those I wrote which can be equaled to "She can't have done"?


texts: Can we use "that", "those", in a derogative way

texts: Do you have examples of uses of "that" "those", etc... in a derogative way.


texts: Can't get the meaning of this sentence from A CHRISTMAS CAROL

texts:
while Master Peter Cratchit plunged a fork into the saucepan of potatoes, and getting the corners of his monstrous shirt collar (Bob’s private property, conferred upon his son and heir in honour of the day) into his mouth, rejoiced to find himself so gallantly attired, and yearned to show his linen in the fashionable Parks. And now two smaller Cratchits, boy and girl, came tearing in, screaming that outside the baker’s they had smelt the goose, and known it for their own; and basking in luxurious thoughts of sage and onion, these young Cratchits danced about the table, and exalted Master Peter Cratchit to the skies, while he (not proud, although his collars nearly choked him) blew the fire, until the slow potatoes bubbling up, knocked loudly at the saucepan-lid to be let out and peeled.

I am guessing that Peter bit his collar while he was eating potatoes because his new clothes was too big for him or isn't it?

"Although his collars nearly choked him"? Wasn't it too loose that he can bite his collar?

Wasn't he eating potatoes, now he is boiling the potatoes?

THANK YOU FOR YOU TIME


texts:
What's the terminological name for the infinitive combination with "to" (infinitive + "to")

For example: to go, to sit, to say, to speak, to drink, to eat etc.
This kind of combination is normally located after "want", or "go", think, etc. (For instance "I want to eat.")


texts: Two nouns sharing an adjective, can the definite article of the second noun be omitted?

texts:
In the following sentence, the nouns “consumption” and “use” share the adjective “high”.

I would like to know if it is grammatically correct to omit the definite article "the" of the second noun “use”:

  The consumption of soft drinks and the use of sedentary transportation
  is high in the south region.


texts: I don't know how to express this,but I hope you'll get what I'm talking about

texts:
I know it's a bit weird but I can't express this idea naturally....

When someone has food or water quickly(especially water) we start coughing.  The food or water don't get stuck but we start coughing. Like, for example, if we take big sips of water and quickly we tend to start coughing. So what is it called (it isn't getting stick in the oesophagus) in English? How do you express this idea?


texts:
"How do you know you won't attain greatness?"

1."Exactly the way I know I don't have three hands. It's obvious."

"How do you know you won't attain greatness?"

2."Exactly how I know I don't have three hands. It's obvious."

Do both the sentences, sentence 1 and 2 convey the same meaning?
Is sentence 2 grammatically correct? Can how ever be used instead of the way?


texts: How to shorten a sentence which got long due to commas followed by another lines

texts:
This is a sentence, I've to write in an e-mail

I have been waiting for any information from the office regarding the cause of delay, but despite multiple follow-ups with ... & writing emails of request, I'm completely uninformed about the status of my scholarship.

How to write this in shorter sentences/sentence as I've heard writing long sentences is a bad practice.


texts:
Which of the following two verb-forms is/are grammatical? Both, I think.

  I have read and agree / agreed with the terms and conditions.

The first verb agrees with the subject I;

  I have read and (I) agree with the terms and conditions.

The second verb agrees with the helping-verb have;

  I have read and (have) agreed with the terms and conditions.

Following is the n-gram freq graph for both the verbs;


texts: What is the meaning of "by the millions" here?

texts:
"The idea that machines far more powerful than their GE-645 mainframe would be sold for a thousand dollars by the millions only 30 years later was pure science fiction. Sort of like the idea of supersonic trans-Atlantic undersea trains now." (Tanenbaum, Modern operating systems, 2nd edition, p. 40)

What does the author mean by "for a thousand dollars by the millions"?


texts: what are two different meanings I can get from this sentence?

texts:
Sally didn't eat more than two apples.

I am wondering how does this sentence can get two different meanings.


texts:
"They climbed mountains and  braved through the seas"

"these six men braved the rough seas"

My question is,  does "through" make any difference in the meaning between these two sentence? If yes,  what sense does it add to the meaning of the second sentence compared to the first?


texts: Can I convey the information about the future experience in this way?

texts:
Sentence:

  It might be the worst thing you will have ever heard (I anticipate that his experience of listening to some tunes in the future might be the worst thing that he have ever heard)

Can I ask the question about the future experience in this way?


texts:
The equipments that were used in our observation were: a measuring cylinder, hoes, and scoopers.

Can it change as:

  The equipments used in our observation were: a measuring cylinder, hoes, and scoopers.


texts: "no tests have been done" or "no test has been done"?

texts:
Should I say "no tests have been done" or "no test has been done" in case when only one test could possibly be done?

For example, in the case of a director who entered an empty classroom where a reportedly lazy teacher works, he may report to the principle as:

  I've checked all her papers. The tests on papers 1 through 5 have been done, however, no tests
  have been done on paper 6 yet

So, here the plural "no tests have been done" is used because there are more than one students in the class.

However, if it's one of those student's parent writing a complaint about that lazy teacher to the principal, then could he/she write something like:

  It's been already quite a long time since my daughter's progress has
  been tested. The tests on papers 1 through 5 were done long time ago.
  And no test has been done on paper 6 yet

?


texts: differentiating between to ...to VS. to ... ing

texts:
to take too much time making a decision

to take too much time to make a decision

Would you please tell me if they are grammatically correct?

Thanks


texts: road, curving vs road curving : comma with participial phrases

texts:
In the same quote below, why is the first occurrence of road is followed by a comma while the second is not? Who or what is curving in the first occurrence, the road or the writer? Can I get evidence as to who or what is curving from the text or grammar rules?

  I was on a high, open road, curving over the swell of hillside that I
  saw as the flanks of some prehistoric animal, deep in slumber. The
  moonlight was so strong as to throw my shadow beside me on the road as
  a mute companion; and so I found myself not quite alone after all,
  taking a childish pleasure in my shadow-self as it matched me stride
  for stride. I could see quite clearly my road curving ahead, and the
  clump of trees, inky black, that marked my turning point.

Source: Chapter One of Set in Stone by Linda Newberry


texts: Wear it on both your shoulders; wear both the straps, wear your bag with two straps

texts:
When kids sling their bags, teachers say:

  Wear it on both your shoulders.

  Wear both the straps. (on your shoulders)

  Wear your backpack with both straps.

Do these sound natural? I read them being used on different websites to mean the same thing "wear your bag over both shoulders".


texts:
But since China signed up to the U.N.'s toughest sanctions against North Korea yet in March, after Pyongyang's fourth nuclear test, the daily caravan of trucks rumbling over Dandong's iron bridge from the North has slowed to a trickle.

My question is:How to explain "yet" in the paragraph cited from Time above?
Does it mean "again"?
But I can't find any record shows that China had done this to North Korea before.
Thank you!


texts:
Don't be put off to change yourself to be better.

Did I use this 'phrasal verb' correctly? I just want to make it sure.


texts: Using the noun "familiarity" and the verb "familiarize"

texts:
Please consider my following made-up short story:

  That was fifteen years ago! I was good friends with the girl of one relationship, and the guy of another. They each broke up with their respective others, and I introduced them to each other. They started dating. After a short time, they fell in love and got married. Now, they have two adorable children.

I need to know whether it is possible to say:

  I have familiarized those couple together.
  Or
  - I was the cause of their familiarity.

Are these two sentences of mine include the natural usage of the words in my question?

If not, please let me know how a native speaker would imply them in an idiomatic and normal English?

Thank you.


texts: "it has been never answered" versus "It was never answered"

texts:
Q1. Which of this two phrase suits better to answer in this situation?

  Mike and James are talking about the book. James read it before, Mike
  finished reading it yesterday. Mike has some questions about the plot,
  so he is asking James about; and one specific question, say - why character have decided not go for a help although he had a such chance - has no clear answer in the book. So, James, been little bugging about this plot hole can answer one of two:

  Well, it has been never answered clearly...
  Well, it was never answered clearly...

I do know, maybe it is only from my perspective, but both these verb constructions work good in this situation and I see a little to no differences between them. First, in my vision, is more retrospective view on the situation in the book, while second sounds more like a statement, but both these answers are acceptably, are they?

Q2. If we change a word order, would we make a more emphatic statement, like:

  Well, it has never been answered clearly...
  Well, it never has been answered clearly...
  Well, it never was answered clearly...

Thanks!


texts:
When would you omit the "as"?
I know the following sentence can be reworded, but for the sake of an example:

A lack of protein remains his most critical issue.
A lack of protein remains as his most critical issue.


texts: Can I use a past tense clause after a present perfect one?

texts:
Can I use a past tense clause after a present perfect one , for example, like this :

  It has just crossed my mind so I added it.

In this sentence, I only want to emphasize the first action to be recent and important for the present so I used the present perfect however I feel that it'd be so weird writing it like that with an action which actually happened before another action in the p.perfect meanwhile that another action is in the past, It sounds unlogical. However, I don't want to make the first verb in the past tense too since I want the reader to feel how recent that action is.


texts:
Balanced reporting requires impartially revealing injustices where they occur no less than fairly presenting the views of each party in a conflict.

I understand "Balanced...injustices" and "fairly...conflict" parts separately, but I do not understand what the sentence means as a whole because of the bold part (where...than). Can someone explain it?


texts: May the verb "play" meaning "perform music using musical instruments" be followed by a preposition "on"?

texts:
Performing music, one may play various musical instruments, the verb "play" not being followed by any preposition (play the piano, play the guitar, etc.),  for example:

  He plays the guitar superbly.

But what if I have a particular musical instrument in mind? Should I use a preposition "on" before it?

The examples:

  The guitar he learned to play on was his brother's.

  This is the guitar he used to play on when he was a teen.

Would this also be correct? Would the preposition "on" be compulsory, optional, or unacceptable?


texts: What does "anti-beltway" mean in this context?

texts:
Does it mean "anti-America" like this link? If so, it's very strange because South Korea is a big ally of the U.S.

  Things keep changing, but according to an amalgamation of media reports voters are likely to pick one of the following presidential candidates -- all reform-minded liberals or anti-beltway people. They would need to register next month for an election in May.

source: Forbes


texts:
For example estimation produces estimates (values). In an analogy, does prediction produce predicates?

I do not know how to correctly call data produced by predictions.


texts:
He's been here quite a couple of times.

Would this be a natural thing to say?

How many times would you say that "quite a couple of times" are? (I know there's no precise answer to it)