texts: Use of "could" or "can" when referring to an observed past ability

texts:
After a concert: We are astonished until now. Did you hear the notes
  that girl could/can reach?

Which one should I use: "could reach" or "can reach"?

Or are both correct for this kind of question?


texts:
On  the  way  he  soon  became  lost  in  philosophical  speculations.  "Ghee,"  he  said  to himself, "comes  from  cow's  milk.  Cows  eat  grass,  and  yes,  leaves,  too.  Ah  then, ** in  a  way**,  ghee  comes from  cow's  milk,  and  cow's  milk  comes  from  leaves,  and  so  the  ghee  and  the leaf  are  related!

This paragraph is from a folk tale.The question is :
which sentence does the phrase "in a way" emphasize?
Does it mean "to some extent"?


texts: Where should I place "only" in this sentence?

texts:
I have three sentences that I am still not clear about. Are they correct or okay to use?

  Only will be send BILL and other documents after 100% payment has been completed.
  BILL and other documents will be send after 100% payment has been completed.
  Only BILL and other documents will be send after 100% payment has been completed.

Which one is okay to go for? Please help.

Thank you.


texts: Article omission regarding specific theories in science

texts:
I am writing a paper which involves references to different theories.

I wonder if you should use an article before, for example "social exchange theory" or not. I searched for it on Google Books and found some publications where the article is omitted and some where it is used.


texts:
What is the difference between 'complex' and 'complicated', in semantics and usage?
I guess 'complex' is more technical; it's used in math, physics, engineering, grammar, etc. But what about non-technical use? Is there any difference between the two sets of examples bellow?

  We have a complex relationship.
  He is a complex person.
  This problem is complex.

  We have a complicated relationship.
  He is a complicated person.
  This problem is complicated.


texts: what is this grammar? A plural noun with a singular object

texts:
Happy New Year all!

I was travelling in a public transport and saw the passenger notice.
One of the statements on the notice has this information:

  Passengers are advised to wear a surgical mask when having symptoms of
  fever.

I am wondering why a singular object, i.e. a surgical mask is used.
It sounds like to me that all passengers are advised to share the same surgical mask when aboard.

Could you explain it please?


texts: "I want to" and "I would like to" and "I would love to"

texts: Is there any difference in the emotional intensity by saying "I want to", "I would like to", and "I would love to"? Moreover, which one would be the most appropriate expression when talking to seniors?


texts: Is “the” needed when talking about someone's abstract belongings?

texts:
I’ve got this text:

In September it turned out that Judy won a scholarship that would
cover her tuition and board. I was really glad for her because only a
few students had this chance. Judy said she wanted to become more
independent so this scholarship would be very helpful. I can
understand her intention because it seems very embarrassing to spend
money of someone who isn’t even your relative.

Now I’m struggling about whether I need to put the article before “money” in the last sentence. I’d rather not do it because there is no concrete relative or money, but a friend insists that the situation is concrete enough to put the article.


texts: come and go in an essay [Are the author trying to make the readers feel as if they had been in the situation?]

texts:
I was reading this book by Greene and wondered why he didn't use 'go' instead of 'come.' You would use 'go' for someone, including yourself, moving to some other place other than where you are/were, or where the listener is/was. I think Greene wanted for the readers to feel very much as if they had been in the situation; i.e. at the location of the station where the stage of the story was at that particular moment?

  We drove up to the front door of the station.

  [...]

  A man appeared.

  [...]

  We didn't say anything for a moment. Then one of us said that we had
  just wanted to come down and see him.

  ('American Beat' by Bob Greene)

What nuance would you feel if come down were replaced with go?


texts: What does "precedents to this story" mean in this context?

texts:
could you please help me to understand the meaning of "precedent to this story"?
"There are many historical precedents to this story"

Does it mean that story is written on the basis of historical events?
Thank you!


texts: What does mean the word "Way" at the beginning of sentences?

texts:
What does mean the word "Way" at the beginning of the sentence "Way to do something".

And is it a noun or an adverb?

For example:

Way to work that diaper.

Way to explain that joke.

Way to bring it around.

Way to make a play for the middle class.

Way to kill the spirit!

Way to make a plan and stick to it.


texts:
Here is two sentence what do they mean

Posted right at my front doorstep

Posted right to my front doorstep


texts: Difference between “that" and "the fact that"

texts:
Is there any diffrence between sentences below?

  1) It turned out that he lied all along.

  2) The fact that he lied all along turned out.

Also:

  3) It doesn’t interest me that he came late.

  4) The fact that he came late doesn’t interest me.


texts: Is "see something done" a valid construction?

texts:
I have read about the construction: want something done, as in, I don't want it done this way.

But today I found the construction: see something done, in the example,

I have never seen this used.

should I add it in my English or just go for:

  I have never seen that this is used.

instead?

Thank in advance.


texts: Hypocrisy don't makes you / doesn't make you a human

texts:
Hypocrisy don't makes you a human.
  Hypocrisy doesn't make you a human.

Which would be grammatically correct: don't makes you or doesn't make you?

Or perhaps it should be:

  Hypocrisy would never make you a human.


texts: Should I write mobile phone or mobile phones

texts:
I am writing a sentence about the history of mobile phone, but I am not sure whether I should use a singular or plural noun,

  I think mobile phones were invented to make our lives more stressful.

  I think mobile phone was invented to make our lives more stressful.


texts:
I want to create a tagline for my clothing brand. As the title says, the tagline is:

  Make it different

I want the tagline to describe to consumers that:

These products are exclusive, and
The consumer will feel different while using my products.

Does "make it different" sound good?


texts:
Chicago (edit: The Chicago Manual of Style) says that when two nouns “possess” the same entity, only the
  second takes an apostrophe (‘):

  my aunt and uncle’s house
  Gilbert and Sullivan’s lolanthe
  Minneapolis and Saint Paul’s transportation system

  On the other hand, when two nouns possess different entities, both
  possessives take an apostrophe:

  my aunt’s and uncle’s specific talents
  New York’s and Chicago’s transportation systems
  our friends’ and neighbors’ children

Source: https://writingtips.wordpress.com/2008/06/27/possessive-with-two-nouns/#comment-4320

In the above source, the following question is raised which remains un-answered;

  What about a line in a song I wrote for one of my grandchildren
  relating the date he was born to the date my husband and I first met.
  The line is as follows:

  “………Born upon a fateful date in Mama and Paps’s life.”

  or” …..Born upon a fateful date in Mama’s and Papa’s lives.”

  or …”Born upon a fateful date in Mama’s and Papa’s life.”

I look forward to knowing the answer to the above question and a general explanation to the rules.


texts: Is there a word for the damage women go through during delivery? I am especially thinking about the damage undergone in the private parts. Is there a specific word people use? I thought "damage" was too general and it would be confusing to use it in such a context. Is there any better, more specific word?


texts: What do the letters "ft." often seen on songs authors names - stand for?

texts:
What do the letters "ft." very often seen on songs authors names - stand for?
Don't Look Back In Anger - Vintage New Orleans Oasis Cover ft. Maiya Sykes (YouTube)


texts: The use of 'or' in a list after 'without': Does this suggest uncertainty?

texts:
Source

  He's been the bowler of this IPL: quiet, still, without flaring nostrils, piercing gaze or arching eyebrows.

Why is or used there? The writer unsure of what he's saying?


texts:
All they want to do was kiss the ground that their lungs can still pump air and rest.

Is was the correct verb?


texts:
While reading through my writing, I noticed that I wrote: "During the events of yesterday..." because it fit the narrative. The phrase, however, made me wonder whether it's correct. When I googled the words "the events of yesterday", all I found was an article dating back to the 1860s, in New York Times that used this exact phrase. The modern term seems to just be: "During yesterday's events".
My question is then, as asked in the title, while perhaps a bit old-fashioned, is it still grammatically correct in modern English to use the words: "During the events of yesterday"? – or has it completely fallen out of use?


texts:
How many people do you have in your city?

How many people are there in your city?

Is there a grammatical difference? I heard both many times. But once I came across a book, where "do you have" sentence was considered wrong. Don't understand why.


texts: What's the differences between "Will" and "Would" as present tense?

texts:
I always appreciate all the people here. Today I have a question about will-would usage. I know there're lots of answers for them already. However I just need to learn them with my sentences for better understanding.

< Will >

  A : You'll die for them?

  B : Yes, I will!

< Would >

  A : You'd die for them?

  B : Yes, I would!

Those are movie quotes. I re-wrote them with help of dictionaries, which are below.

< Will >

  A : Do you plan to save them, even though you know you can't survive while doing that?

  B : I do and I promise.

< Would >

  A : Do you REALLY want to risk your life for them? You could be killed!

  B : I do and I hope so.

So, how close am I?


texts: What do you call a situation where you have choices but no good choice?

texts: How do you call a situation in which you seemingly have a choice, but whatever you choose it will be to your disadvantage in one way or another?


texts:
What is the meaning of 'just enough' in the following context:

People in richer countries, who use over 250 litres per person a day, will have to use less. Even 20–40 litres a day per person, which is just enough for basic human needs, can be difficult to find in many places.

Does it mean 'hardly sufficient' or 'quite/totally/perfectly enough'?

Thank you.


texts: Can we use "every inch of" with time, materials, substances, liquids and everything else

texts:
I know that every inch can mean "completely" or "in every way", then Longman also says that you can use it so speak about "the whole of an area or distance" - every inch of. Can we use "every inch of" to speak about time, materials, substances, liquids and everything else?

I was inspecting every inch of her body.
Her voice changed every inch of an hour as she kept on singing.
When you fill every inch of the bucket with water you have a bucket full of water.
The molecules occupied every inch of the surface.
Every inch of her hair was white.
The way she spoke to me felt as if every inch of her words was a lie.


texts:
If we are to avoid placing a preposition at the end then which is correct? The original is Whom will you come with?

Whom with will you come?
With whom will you come?


texts: Is "Are you" correct when used in this sentence?

texts: I'm reading a book and found there is a sentence. Is it correct? I'm not an English native speaker and I just feel Do you is more proper here. Just want to confirm.


texts:
my teacher asked to me today. but i still confused

which one is the correct sentence

  Jane prefers homemade food and so does Henry.

or

  Jane prefers homemade food and so Henry does.

which sentence is correct?


texts: May there be an indefenite article after a definite?

texts:
May there be such order of articles: ...in the end of a...? Definite end of something indefinite.
What about the opposite by the way (a/an, then the)?


texts: I am writing introductory paragraph and I want to express that some API will be used by mobile devices. Originally I started with "dedicated to" because it is direct translation from my native Czech language but I feel that it is not appropriate. That dedicate is better suited in sentences like "I dedicate this Oscar to my mum". Is "API is dedicated to mobile devices" ok or not? If not, how to replace it?


texts: ".....type/kind of + indefinite article + singular noun..."

texts:
Q) "What type/kind of         (a) compressor is           used in a rocket             engine?"

A) "The compressor             used in a rocket             engine is called the         rocket-engine                 compressor and it          is not that                      type/kind of (a)             compressor that is        commonly used in          other fields of                engineering........"

All that I'm confused of is whether or not to use an indefinite article before "compressor" in the above two structures.

And would it be grammatical, if I pluralized the above interrogative structure as below?

Q) "What types/kinds         of compressors             are used in rocket          engines?"


texts:
My friend and I were looking towards our boss and wondering when to enter his room to speak to him. Usually, a good indication of whether he is free or not is to check whether he is sitting down.

So my friend looks at me and asks me "Has he sit yet?"

To which I laughed and said, it's supposed to be "Has he sat yet?"/"Has he sat down yet?"

But she insisted that she was right, and now there is some money on the line. I wasn't able to get clear examples of this online. Which one is grammatically correct?


texts: Why 'an' is needed before the word 'extra'?

texts:
She must now sell two properties she owns or face an extra four years in jail.

As a rule of thumb, fours years do not go with "a" or "an". Why, in this case abover, 'an' is a must? Look at the following example:

  The unions says it was expecting at least an extra 800,000 journeys during the Games.
  The unions says it was expecting at least extra 800,000 journeys during the Games.

Usually, an or a is definitely not required before plural noun. But it seems I should choose Option (1) here. Why?

Anther example:

  As a result of the expansion of the manufacturing plant, production capacity will increase by about 25 percent, and a further 85 permanent full-time jobs will be created in Huntington.


texts: ...a note from the Eurasia Group, a consultancy. - how to understand the last part "a consultancy"?

texts:
Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/russia-scores-massive-gas-pipeline-deal-with-china-2014-5

  The deal between Russia's Gazprom and China's state-owned energy giant CNPC was confirmed by sources in the Russian energy sector, according to a note from the Eurasia Group, a consultancy.

They first say a note from the Eurasia Group and then add a comma and the words a consultancy. How should I understand that last part - a consultancy?


texts:
I read that bark someone isn't proper English, but, even if in a phrasal verb construct, it is used in a sentence from "Six Weeks in Saratoga: How Three-Year-Old Filly Rachel Alexandra Beat the Boy and Became Horse of the Year" by Brendan O'Meara.

  With the coils of the bike's suspension barely depressed, the bike's
  owner bolted toward her and barked her off the bike, inspecting for
  any damages.

So, I was wondering why one cannot bark someone if, according to the above writer, bark someone off is grammatical.

Note that dictionaries I have consulted don't have an entry for bark off — even if, for example, bark out exists —, so I'm not sure what the meaning of "bark off" is in that context.


texts: Informal colloquial English: Can I remove are in "You still here?" or similar sentences?

texts:
Suppose that you see a person who used to work with you in the same building but they left that job for another a year ago. You see them again in the same building and turn and say:

  Awo, you still in [The building's name]!!!

Added later: The building name would imply a sense of affiliation with that building. For example, suppose that sentence can be understood as "Are you working here again?"

Also, suppose you say this with a rising tone of voice as if you are really surprised to see them there. Is that a common thing to remove the be? I mean in the informal spoken American English?

S.N: I know in AmE, there are senetnces like "how you doing" or "where{'re?!} you going". Hence, I asked this question. I have a feeling that I've heard the similar structures many times before.


texts:
"It was the same mirror I'd gazed into as a child, then as a girl, then as a youth, half woman, half girl."

Educated                 by Tara Westover

What does "half woman" mean? (For example: A girl that has boyfriend?)
What does "half girl" mean?

Would you please explain it to me?

Note:

The speaker is about 25. She has a boyfriend but she is not
married.
There is another text that contains the same phrase:

  "The old man went back to his room and, sinking into his chair,
  covered his eyes with his hands and sat as if lost in thought—and
  memories. And, strangely enough, it was not of the young man he was
  thinking, but of a very beautiful woman, half woman, half girl,
  with black hair and brilliant eyes, with the blood of the South
  mantling in her cheeks, with the fire of the South, passionate,
  impetuous, uncontrollable, in eyes and cheek; a woman of fire and
  strong will, hard to understand, impossible to control; a woman to
  make or wreck a man's life. The woman whose vision rose before the old
  man, who sat, a bowed and desolate figure, in his chair, had wrecked
  his."

The Woman's Way    (Esprios Classics) By Charles Garvice


texts: Are the verbs Take and Bring considered antonyms?

texts:
Take this with you. Vs. Bring this to me.
What should I take? vs, What should I bring?

To me the verb, take and bring are antonyms of different directions. Am I correct?

which is correct in a occation where I ask someone about what to pack for a camping trip?
What should I take? vs. What should I bring?


texts: May I write"...they been so kind and arranged "?

texts:
I'm constructing a sentence which right now looks like this

  We all know it is a long way to their nearest office, but they have
  been so kind and arranged for them to come to us.

Is this the correct use of "been so kind" and is the sentence correct?


texts:
What indeed? While she was walking through the forest, she saw a wolf strolling  slowly towards her, humming something to himself. A minute or so earlier, the wolf had been watching her from behind a tree, and had thought to himself, 'She'd make a nice juicy meal'. But as he didn't want  to frighten her off he had decided to play it nice and cool, and so the nonchalant walk.

I would like to know if past perfect continuous and past perfect are necessary as it is written a minute earlier, so that we know that this passage takes place before the girl saw the wolf. Would it have been possible to use past simple?

  A minute earlier he watched her from behind a tree and thought.....

The Tragic Tale of Ruddy Wee Hoody  random idea english


texts: About short attributive clauses in English

texts:
I have a problem that is hard to solve/ code that is not working anymore.

vs.

  I have a hard-to-solve problem/ not-working-anymore code. (hard-to-solve/ not-working-anymore are not really words in the dictionary)

There are so many cases we use an attributive clause to modify a noun, but it's just too short that I feel it's kind of trouble to add the formal subject and the be verb.

Do native-speakers feel the same?

In Mandarin we use the second way of expressing, But how do English-speaking people express such things?

Is there a third way to express this?


texts: What's the adjective for a person who cares much?

texts:
For example, I want to say to my mum:

  Oh, I could cook something myself. It's better for you just go in the room and rest after this crazy day you had. Mum... thank you for all, you're so ____. (you care about me so much)

What would be a word that has a positive connotation?


texts:
I'd like to speak about conditional sentence, could you tell me if my tense are right or if you would choose others?

I should have called you when you talked to her

She said she would have called me when I ate

I would call you when you work

I would have bought this house when I had sold my former one.

Could you explain me how to use "when" when it's about past tense..


texts: Help to understand: "the hearing wound down to tell her" in this context

texts:
Sen. Kamala Harris put Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh on edge with a surprise question at his confirmation hearing on whether he spoke with anyone about the investigation into Russian election meddling.

  It's the only time President Donald Trump's high court pick appeared
  to stumble.

  The California Democrat, who's considering a presidential run, pressed
  Kavanaugh late Wednesday as the hearing wound down to tell her who, if
  anyone, he's spoken to at a law firm about special counsel Robert
  Mueller's investigation into contacts between the Trump presidential
  campaign and Russia.

I don't quite understand the part "the hearing wound down to tell her" in this context. "Wind(wound) down" seems to mean "to slow and near an ending". It may mean "as the hearing wound down(nearly to the end), that question just jumped to her mind(so she asked who ...)"

It looks like the figure of speech, apostrophe or personification(the hearing -> a person).

What's the correct way to understand it?

The full source.


texts:
People are sometimes asked how many English words they know, and I'm also curious about the size of my own vocabulary. One way perhaps is to look at a list of the most frequently used 5000 or 8000 words, pick out the unfamiliar words, then see how much is left.

Note, the criteria of the estimation here is simple: know at least one definition (as full fluency is too rigorous and complicated).

Is there any other practical way to count memorized words or phrases?


texts:
Is there a website that can tell whether a word or phrase is formal or informal?

For example, I would like to know if "before long" is formal or informal, and if it is informal, what its formal counterpart is.

Thanks!


texts: What is the difference between "Do anybody" and "Does anybody"?

texts:
What is the difference between

  Does anybody know...?
   and

  Do anybody know...?


texts: Which is correct "in spring" or "in the spring"?

texts: Here is my sentence: "This picture was taken in spring / in the spring" commenting on a photograph in a photo documentary. Is there a difference? is the determiner THE necessary and why or why not? Thanks for your help.


texts:
I was uncertain if the adjective of commence was commenceable or commencable (meaning being able or allowed to begin or being eligible to start).

According to my googlificational skills, neither is. So, I wonder how to spell it? Or doesn't such a form exists in English at all?


texts:
In the opening paragraph to “The Adventure of the Engineer’s Thumb” by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Watson writes:

The story has, I believe, been told more than once in the newspapers,
but, like all such narratives, its effect is much less striking when
set forth en bloc in a single half-column of print than when the facts
slowly evolve before your own eyes, and the mystery clears gradually
away as each new discovery furnishes a step which leads on to the
complete truth.

I was curious about this "half-column" reference. After several searches I found many other contextually similar references to both "half-column" and "half column" referring to the printed word, perhaps implying concision or something similar, but no definition for this phrase that fit these contexts.
I do understand how newspapers and simlar periodicals have traditionally been formatted, and being a bit of a graphic design enthusiast I started down that avenue and eventually concluded that the "half" was in reference to the length being half a page. This is supported by similar specifications such as "double half column" and "triple half column" which mean two or three columns wide respectively, and half a page in length, and "quarter column" which is a single column wide and quarter page long.
But then in another instance that I encountered it seems to be used figuratively:

About Printing-house Square, mayhap you may light on an honest man, a
squeamish man, a proper moral man, a man that shall talk you Latin by
the half-column if you will but hear him.

I am not familiar with the text but apparently it's from "The Kickleburys on the Rhine" by William Makepeace Thackeray:
Given what I could find I drew the conclusion that "half-column" literally means one column of text (about 1-1/2" or 4 cm in width in period relevant print media), half a page long, and can be used metaphorically, perhaps meaning terse.
If anyone has an actual dictionary definition, or source they can cite, then I would grateful for a clarification, expansion, or refutation of my conclusion. I thank you in advance.


texts:
A mother is telling her ex-husband that she doesn't think he should see their son for some time because the ex-husband is dealing with some personal problems at the moment...

"I think you have enough problems to deal with right now. That's why I think it's better like this."

Hi. Is there anything wrong with "That's why I think it's better like this."? I have searched Google and it had no hits, so I was wondering if it's ungrammatical or just unnatural? Thank you in advance.


texts: Is the phrase 'offer her a home' an idiom?

texts:
The following sentence is taken from a novel. In the sentence, is the phrase 'offer her a home'  an idiom?

  He was unable to offer her a home.


texts: Do these two sentences have the same meaning? A boy is in green T-shirt and A boy is wearing a T-shirt which is green colour

texts:
A boy is wearing a T-shirt which is green colour.

To make it less clumsy, I rewrite it this way:

  A boy is in green T-shirt

Do the two sentences have any difference in meaning now?


texts: Why do we need to use an -ing verb/gerund after 'when'? What is 'when' actually?

texts:
I have a long-standing doubt on 'when'.

  1) Is it a conjunction or preposition?

I don't know whether it is preposition or not, for every verb after it will take -ing or becomes a gerund:

  1) Before/After/When studying, don't talk to her.

If it is not a preposition, why does it behave so?


texts: A tense problem about the use of modal verbs

texts:
Here is an example from the HP books:

"Come to think of it, he wasn't even sure his nephew was called Harry. He'd never even seen the boy. It might have been Harvey. Or Harold."

I think it enough to say "It might be Harvey. Or Harold." to report the character's thoughts here. Is it necessary to use the perfect?

Thanks.


texts:
I can't understand the meaning of this sentence:

  This is a sad sight for Mediators’ friends, who will come to depend on their rosy outlook.

The complete paragraph is:

  Unlike their Extraverted cousins though, Mediators will focus their
  attention on just a few people, a single worthy cause – spread too
  thinly, they’ll run out of energy, and even become dejected and
  overwhelmed by all the bad in the world that they can’t fix. This is a
  sad sight for Mediators’ friends, who will come to depend on their
  rosy outlook.


texts: "Students soon!" - is this a correct sentence?

texts: I have to make an English title to a photo of children preparing to go to school for the first time. Is "Students soon!" a grammatical one?


texts:
Bad guy: Come on, Tin Man, just pull the trigger.
  Pull it.
  You can run.
  Go on.
  Run.
  Run!
  There you go.
  Run. Run!

  --Robocop 2014

I have come across numerous "There you go." in movies. I have looked it up in dictionaries, but I couldn't well fit the meanings to the scene.

Would you explain how and when this idiomatic expression is used in daily conversation.


texts: How can I tell whether the word following "to be" is an adjective or a past participle?

texts:
Is there any rule to know whether a word is an adjective or a past participle when it follows "to be"? For example:

  John is hurt.

The website where I found this sentence says that “hurt” is a past participle in a passive sentence.

  Are you hurt?

I found this sentence in my dictionary, which says that “hurt” is an adjective.

I feel confused. Is "hurt" an adjective or a past participle, and is it active or passive?


texts:
In the following sentence

  As of now Aadhaar enrolment and updating were being carried out at 48 centres in select offices in the city.

When the sentence is in the present tense as indicated by as of now then why is were used here. I think it should be is


texts:
source: https://www.amazon.com/Barrons-GRE-Verbal-Workbook-2nd/dp/143800379X

Making illegal any activity that is popular and not overtly harmful_______ a trade-off between the advantages gained and the disadvantages posed ________ a black market develops in the activity.

a. impugns
b. entails
c. abets
a. if
b. unless
c. until

Dear experts, I'm having trouble with the meaning of the sentence and the answers (entails, if) that the book mentioned. However, the book didn't explain anything.

Can anyone help me understand why did the answers make sense?


texts: "The obvious question here is how does ..." - Does this sentence require a question mark?

texts:
According to the Chicago Manual of Style Guide (17th Ed.)

  "An indirect question never takes a question mark." (6.69: Direct and indirect questions)

  "How the two could be reconciled was the question on everyone’s mind." (CMoS)

I wrote the following sentence:

  The obvious question here is how exactly does the program determine "employment opportunities".

I can't quite figure out if it should take a question mark or not. I think it is an indirect question (a statement with an embedded question in bold) and should not take a question mark.

However, when I looked up "the obvious question here" in google news, I found both versions - with and without the question mark (but mostly with the question mark).

  Question mark not used:

  The obvious question here is how to define “everyone.” - Forbes
  The important question is whether the crisis will last longer than the ECB assumes. - The Washington Post

  Question mark used:

  The obvious question here is how do women, who still earn less than men on average, manage to own more property than single men? - NBC News
  The important question is whether a lock box sitting on a porch is a real deterrent?  - Forbes (haha this is wrong!)

I want to know if my sentence is an indirect question (I think it is) and if I should not put a question mark at the end.


texts: Is there a word for large group of horses? I know there's "flock" for birds, but I am wondering if there's a similar word for horses and land mammals.


texts:
Does the verb "continue" always require an action-describing word right after it? Can I drop it if the action is clear from the context?

For example, can I say:

  Throughout the whole first semester Linda remained passive and didn’t
  participate much. She was never naughty, but didn’t show any
  enthusiasm either. In the first half of the second semester she
  continued in the same way.

or should I say

  ...she continued to behave in the same way


texts: What does the noun 'foil' mean, in 'a foil for a Justice's rhetorical gambit'?

texts:
Source, para 2: The importance of Stevens’ good manners, by Prof Pamela Harris, 2010 Apr 26.

  For the public, Justice Stevens' manners are perhaps most evident at oral argument.  Since the Justice announced his retirement, many lawyers already have commented fondly on the Justice's habit of prefacing his remarks with a request:  "May I ask you a question?"  And what follows is indeed a question"” [sic for these two quotation marks] an exceptionally hard question, usually, but an actual question, in search of an actual response, so that the advocate becomes a meaningful part of the process rather than a foil for a Justice's rhetorical gambit.  In substance as well as form, Justice Stevens' style of questioning accords real respect to the lawyers who appear before him, treating them as valued participants with something important to offer.  No wonder that so many of them speak so highly of the Justice.

I can infer that foil here is used figuratively and am guessing that it means a static sounding board or passive tool, which is how a Justice, who cares only about blazoning a rhetoric gambit, would treat an advocate?    Yet which definition applies?


texts:
Land trade routes [ by / through ] which Venetian merchants transported spices to Europe were closed by the Ottoman Empire.

Which one is correct, by or through?  Could you help me clarify it?  Thank you always.


texts: I see the usage of both 'User Manual' and 'User's Manual' in daily life. I am wondering if both of them are grammatical and idiomatic? If 'User Manual' is grammatical, is 'user' used as an adjective here (rather than possessive pronoun)?


texts: To rewrite the sentence using "It seems ..."

texts:
If you rewrite the following sentence A "It seems ..." to a sentence whose subject is "Nature", which is grammatically correct among B to D?

  A. It seems that nature cannot be controlled.

  B. Nature does not seem to be able to be controlled.

  C. Nature seems not be able to be controlled.

  D. Nature cannot seem to be controlled.

Thank you very much.


texts:
Poor transport facilities and lack of resources raw materials and energy also partly _______ the job in contrast fulfillment.
In dictionary, I could find both have similar meanings. I wonder which one is more suitable.

account for: to be the explanation or cause of something
contribute to: to be one of the causes of something


texts:
I wrote a sentence like:

  If the XXX device fails to detect a YYY event, then it will eventually fail to detect the successive YYY event.

Is this a correct use of "will eventually"? Or should I use:

  If the XXX device fails to detect a YYY event, then it also fails to detect the successive YYY event.

Actually, I want to say: if the first clause happens then the second clause will definitely happen.

Another question:

  The XXX device fails to detect a YYY event during the ZZZ cycle of the ...

or should I use IN in place of during.

Which are more grammatically correct?


texts: Clauses and Phrases: When does a new independent clause begin?

texts:
In the sentence below, is "on" an adverb and is "another" a quantifier? I thought they were but I am unsure. Please help as soon as possible. I am willing to learn how to identify these tough parts of speech.

Here is the sentence:

  It’s red and it has a broken seat but we found another seat to put on it.


texts: In the lab X vs. in the lab called X vs. in the X lab

texts:
I'm not sure which sentence(s) the following ones is/are correct:

I work in the lab X.
I work in the lab called X.
I work in the X lab.

X could be one word (e.g. "Haystack") or several (e.g. "Machine Learning for All").

What is the best option?


texts:
In Friends, S01, finale, Ross asks his sister Monica about her roommate Rachel. He won't be attending Rachel's birthday party because he's flying to China shortly.

  Ross: Is Rachel here? I wanted to wish her a happy birthday before I left.

Why did he say wanted instead of want, and left instead of leave?


texts: "Unable" or "not able." In this case, Which do you think sounds most natural?

texts:
Many people are not able to receive much required psychological care
  Many people are unable to receive much required psychological care

I'm trying to proofread a friend's work.

Is there a discernible difference to you between the above two sentences? I feel that 'unable' sounds more natural, but on the other hand, sounds like there is a slight element of blame.

I wonder if 'not able' is something objective whereas 'unable' denotes an intrinsic or inherent inability.

  The child is unable to walk
  The child is not able to walk


texts:
Passage :

  W: I need to check my messages.

  M: How are you going to do that? We are in the middle of the freeway!

  W: I’m going to use my cell phone. Haven’t you ever done that?

  M: No. I just use my cell phone to talk to other people.

Could you explain "We are in the middle of the freeway"?


texts: Difference between 'during', 'in' and 'of'

texts:
Incorrect: Whereas it had been possible to at least consider the draft proposal of the directors, none of the two options of the final
  bargaining round were acceptable because of the bulk of the finance
  stipulated in the fine print depended on output.

  Correct: Whereas it had been possible to at least consider the draft proposal of the directors, neither of the two options
  during the final bargaining round was acceptable because the bulk of the finance stipulated in the fine print depended on output.

The above-mentioned question is from GMAT. This question is based on subject-verb related. But my question is related to preposition, that is,

Why did they use during instead of of?
Is it fine if I use in instead of of?. If so, what is
the difference I am making here?


texts:
Source: Obama and Putin Move Toward Compromise on Syria

Example:

  Both leaders obviously needed to vent before they went face to face. On substance, though, Obama showed the weaker hand. He stressed his reluctance to submit to the logic according to which some unsavory regimes -- "tyrants like Bashar al-Assad, who drops barrel bombs to massacre innocent children" -- should be supported to beat back terrorism.

What exactly does that mean? How do you personally understand that?


texts: Question about reduced relative clauses: Can "having..." mean both "which had... " and "which have..."?

texts:
I saw a question today asking which one is correct, and the answer is (2)
(1)

Literacy opened up entire realms of verifiable knowledge to ordinary men and women having been previously considered incapable of discerning truth for themselves.

(2)

Literacy opened up entire realms of verifiable knowledge to ordinary men and women who had previously been considered incapable of discerning truth for themselves.

Question:
I originally thought both are ok because I remember adjective clauses involving participles, both "which had.." or "which have...", can be reduced to "having..."
Am I wrong? Or there are other reasons that make (2) the answer?


texts:
Using mix conditionals : should I use "were" or "are"  in the following:

1-They wouldn't be famous in the way that they( are) now if they hadn't been serious.

2- They wouldn't be famous in the way that they( were )now if they hadn't been serious.


texts: Can we call someone who teaches at a university a "teacher"?

texts: For example, like someone who is teaching people at a university. Is he still called a "teacher" or not?


texts: Difference of meaning between gerund and verb

texts: "I like your working." Is this sentence correct? If it is, then what is the difference between- "I like your working." and "I like your work."


texts: Idiom or phrase to indicate celebration of unlawful activity

texts:
Are there any idioms or phrases to describe a celebration of an unlawful activity
Sentence:

His celebration for the crime was short-lived as he was captured by the police after the incident


texts: Is "cut" a passive or an active verb in "I have my hair cut"?

texts:
I got a haircut yesterday because my hair was too long. While I had been thinking to have a SailorMoon's iconic hairstyle, it reminded me of the question that I asked in an English class.

(Aside: I am doing a part-time intermediate level English course. You know, I was expecting a native speaker, but ironically, our school did not give us one. Our English teacher was a graduate from a top school in South Korea.)

During English class, I asked her, "Is cut a passive or an active verb in the sentence 'I have my hair cut'"?

She said that: "I have my hair cut" means "I have my hair to cut". But most people choose to omit the preposition to".

I asked her to confirm whether it means:

"I have my hair to cut."

or

"I have my hair to be cut."

She picked the former (#1), but I picked the latter (#2) in my mind. Since she was very confident, this really made me so confused.

As far as I understand, "I have my hair cut" means "A gentleman cut my hair for me". So, the word "cut" should be a passive verb in the sentence "I have my hair cut". That means, "I have my hair cut" is equivalent to "I have my hair to be cut" (#2).

I believe only one of us (either my English teacher or me) is correct, but which of us is?


texts: The best way to say the mentioned meaning?

texts:
A intentionally keeps B ignorant of C.

Now I want to say that the above form of behavior is not morally acceptable.

The sentence I have in mind is something like this:

  A's intentional keeping ignorant B of C is not morally acceptable.

I know that the above sentence is problematic. What is the correct way to say it, if we want to keep my sentence structure as long as possible?


texts: Omitting "Let's" at the start of a sentence?

texts:
While reading an article, I encountered a sentence as follows:

  Fast forward several years until increasing pain forced me off the court
  and X-rays revealed bone-on-bone arthritis in both knees. A sports medicine
  specialists suggested...

I can understand how "fast forward" was used as a verb in this sentence, but I do not know the grammar behind this. I assume this is not an imperative form as this sentence is followed by the story about the author's personal recollection. (I guess some phrase like Let's was omitted.) Could anyone tell me the grammar rule for to this sentence?


texts: "This food is sweet for a meal, sour for a dessert" - the punctuation for this construction

texts:
If I have to state its general form, I would write:

... [X] + as/for/article/none + [noun 1] , [X antonym] + as/for/article/none + [noun 2] .

X: is any adjective

I want to know if the comma makes the most proper punctuation to use between the two related statements which are kind of contradict each other but make, as a whole, a complete sentence.

Examples:

  This food is sweet for a meal, sour for a dessert

  Your method is fun for studying, boring for entertaining.

  Your post makes a good-quality comment, bad-quality answer.

Also, is that a well-known construction, and does it have a particular term?


texts: Why do we say "the bathroom" and "a ceiling"?

texts:
I was watching a TV show in which the following dialogues occurred:

The team of three members of ninjas were on a mission in a forest.

  Hinata:Where has the Naruto gone?

  Choji:The bathroom.

Can he be talking of a specific bathroom in a forest?

Then, master Jiraiya was caught up by a demon. The ceiling above them started to collapse.

  Master Jiraiya:A ceiling is collapsing.

I think he should have said the ceiling instead.


texts: How to understand the use of 'on' in "three lessons on"

texts:
Three lessons on, Apparition was proving as difficult as ever, though a few more people had managed to Splinch themselves.

  Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince

I figure "three lessons on" means after three lessons, but I'm not quite sure. What's the correct way to understand it?


texts: Is the phrase "You can cancel a subscription anytime" correct?

texts:
One native speaker said that it is a mistake to use the indefinite article in the phrase "You can cancel a subscription anytime". I want to ask native speakers if it's true, and if yes — what rule states this?

She said:

"You can cancel subscription anytime" — not a mistake, but could be better
"You can cancel a subscription anytime" — incorrect!
"You can cancel the subscription anytime" — this one is ok
"You can cancel your subscription anytime" — ok as well
"Subscription can be canceled at any time" — the best option

So, my questions are why #1 is correct (zero article?) and why #2 was considered as a wrong variant.


texts: It comes later in the chapter, it comes in your chapter

texts:
Is the use of "come in" natural in these sentences:

  It comes later in the chapter.

(That is, it happens a little further on in the chapter).

  This comes a little later in your chapter.

(Of a textbook, e.g., it has been discussed later in the chapter)

Is the use of "comes in" natural and common in this context? Is it used a lot?


texts: My fundamental purpose in life is (exploring vs explore) new things

texts:
I wonder which sentence is correct out of these three sentence below and why. This grammar structure has been eating me away...! thanks in advance!

  My fundamental purpose in life is exploring new things
  My fundamental purpose in life is explore new things
  My fundamental purpose in life is to explore new things


texts: Indefinite/definite article before an adjective + a person's name ("an exasperated Einstein")

texts:
I saw the following sentence in a book that I'm reading:

  "Why do I get my best ideas in the shower?" an exasperated Einstein is said to have remarked.

I was wondering why an indefinite article is used before Einstein. My best guess is that it's because they are referring to one of many states of Einstein (for example, a tired Einstein, a confused Einstein, etc.), but I'm not sure what the grammatical reason behind this is.

I came up with other adjectives that required a definite article "the" before adjective + Einstein, for example, "the newly-wedded Einstein" or "the recently-relocated Einstein". However, I don't understand the rules for why a definite article must be used in these cases and an indefinite article in the earlier cases.


texts: difference between "has to start" and "not started"

texts:
I'm waiting because the leader "has to start" the event

I'm waiting because the leader "is not started" the event

what is the meaning of above two sentences.


texts: The difference between 'painter' vs 'artist '

texts:
What is the differences between
' painter ' and ' artist ' ?
I am so confused with it.


texts: What are introductory elements and how do you identify them?

texts:
according to (https://newsroom.unl.edu/announce/snr/3912/22065#:~:text=Introductory%20elements%20consist%20of%20clauses%2C%20phrases%20and%20words,really%20about%2C%20or%20the%20meat%20of%20the%20sentence.)
it is 'Introductory elements consist of clauses, phrases and words that appear before the main clause of the sentence.'
but what does that mean? does it mean any clauses liek dependent and independent clauses? any phrases and words?


texts:
I was wondering after using the word system which word is more appropriate to use in order to explain and give more details about it: "where" or "in which"?

I can observe that both words are used but should it be chosen according to the context or their usage overlaps and does not change meaning much if we prefer one to another.

Following examples were excerpted from Google search results:

  We develop a mathematical analysis for the steady state performance of
  a system where voice calls and data packets are transmitted over the
  same ..

  How can we create a political system where elected representatives
  care much less about winning the next election and instead ...

  A parliamentary republic is a system in which a prime minister is the
  active head of the executive branch of government and also leader of
  the ...

  A multi-party system is a system
  in which multiple political parties
  across the political spectrum run for national election, and all have
  the capacity to gain control of government offices, separately or in
  coalition.


texts: What's the meaning of "be dragged through time"?

texts:
I know the "drag something down/along/through something" means:
to pull something or someone along with difficulty, for example because they are heavy.1

But in the text below, the word "time" confuses me:

  What I needed was to be dragged through time.

I am wondering whether it means "I needed to be pulled along with difficulty through time" or something else.

The fuller text is:

  I shimmied the length of a purlin, which took me to the framing beam at
  the barn’s edge. This was more dangerous in one sense—if I fell to the
  right, there would be no purlins to catch me—but the framing beam was
  thicker, and I could walk it like a tightrope.

  That was how Dad and Shawn became comrades, even if they only agreed
  on one thing: that my brush with education had made me uppity, and that
  what I needed was to be dragged through time. Fixed, anchored to a former version of myself.


texts:
Example:

  I make 10 dollars an hour.

 1. Is it correct to say:

  I make 20 dollars two hours.

 2. How could I ask a question so the answer would be an hour? Is it correct to say:

  How often do you make 10 dollars?


texts:
I know the SOT (sequence of tenses) rule and how to apply it to object clauses, but I have some confusion about the appropriate tense in a relative clause. For example, in the sentences below, which interpretation is right?

  I will see the girl that is walking.

Is walking now, or can it be either now or simultaneous with seeing?

  I will see the girl that will walk.

Is walking later than seeing, or can it be either later than seeing or later than now?

  I will see the girl that walked.

Is walking only before now, or can it also be before seeing which is in the future?


texts: How to ask your superior to allocate some time for you?

texts:
I need to get the signature of my manager for a request to be processed.  Is it OK to ask him

  Can I have few seconds of your time?


texts: "Have you spoken English recently" vs. "Have you spoken in English recently"

texts:
Do you speak a language or speak in a language when asking if someone has been practising it?

For example, which of these is better:

  A: Have you spoken English recently?
  B: Have you spoken in English recently?


texts: Verb, but no subject, after 'such ... as'?

texts:
Source: p 52, Criminal Law: The Basics, 1 ed (2009), by Herring

  HOMICIDE ACT 1957, SECTION 2
  Where a person kills or is a party to the killing of another, he shall
  not be convicted of murder if he was suffering from such abnormality
  of mind (whether arising from a condition of arrested or retarded
  development of mind or any inherent causes or induced by
  disease or injury) as substantially impaired his mental responsibility
  for his acts and omissions in doing or being a party to the killing.

Please observe that this question differs from this, because herein a subject splits such as. What are some formal terms describing this issue? How can a verb follow such ... as without another subject?
This sounds wrong to me, so would someone please explain the grammar and also the meaning?


texts: What is the difference between "was living" and "lived?"

texts:
I want to know the difference between these two sentences:

  I was living in this town for 2 years.

  I lived in this town for 2 years.


texts:
Let's say I have two windows in my room, both at opposite ends. While one window is connected to another room, the other one is an outer window; by that I mean that, if you open it, you will see the view of outside. The first window goes inside another room.

How can I differentiate between the above mentioned windows? Do the highlighted phrases correctly describe what I want to say?


texts: Could/could've- which of the two indicates that something has no chance of happening?

texts:
If there's no chance of something happening in the future, what tense do we use to indicate that?

Let's say I have a friend whom I'm not meeting tomorrow, and they call me and say "If you came over tomorrow, we could play video games.

Would this mean my friend acknowledges i have 0 chance of being there tomorrow?

Or does could imply there being a slight chance and could've would be a better indicator of acknowledging something that is not going to happen in the future, like if someone were to say, "I wish we could meet tomorrow. I know we can't. We could've gone to that restaurant you've always wanted to go"?


texts:
I ran into this sentence:

  In spite of my warning, they left on the hike.

I wonder what they left on the hike means. I know hike means a long walk, especially in the countryside. Then does the sentence say they left the group while the group was on a hike? I mean they left the group while all of them were on a hike.


texts:
They had coffee from condensed milk cans at an early morning place that served fishermen.

This is a sentence from "The old man and the sea" by Hemingway. I'm not sure if it means the coffee was served inside cans or it is made using condensed milk.


texts: "Cause unwholesome inspiration and impact on viewers"

texts:
So I have this sentence, and I don't know if you can say "cause" or if I should replace it with another word.

Thank you,
thegirlinneedofhelp


texts: Do you say to a kid "Don't smear the ink of the marker all over your hand. It sticks hard on your hand. Now I have to scrub / wipe it off your hand"?

texts:
smear [transitive] to spread an oily or soft substance over a
  surface in a rough or careless way SYNONYM daub

  smear something on/over something The children had smeared mud on the
  walls.

  smear something with something The children had smeared the walls
  with mud.

  His face was smeared with blood.

  scrub something  off | scrub something off something

  to remove something from the surface of an object by rubbing it hard
  with a brush, etc.

  This treatment involves scrubbing off the top layer of dead skin.

  wipe: to remove dirt, liquid, etc. from something by using a cloth, your
  hand, etc.

  wipe something (from/off something) He wiped the sweat from his
  forehead.

  wipe something away/off/up She wiped off her make-up.

  Use that cloth to wipe up the mess.

A kid tried to write or smear the ink of a marker all over his hand.

Do you say to him "Don't smear the ink of the marker all over your hand. It sticks hard on your hand. Now I have to scrub / wipe it off your hand"?

I am not sure using "smear" and "scrub / wipe" is idiomatic in this case. "Wipe" seems too weak to remove the ink.


texts: Using an article in "the rest of [the] thesis"

texts:
I am describing the structure of a thesis. In it, I have:

Chapter X provides the required details to comprehend the rest of
the thesis

OR

Chapter X provides the required details to comprehend the rest of
thesis


texts:
Could someone tell me if that's correct? What I meant to say is that I'd like to know the last day when I could apply for Admission and for the Scholarships at a school (There are 2 different forms, one for the Admissions and another for the Scholarships).

  "Good evening! I would like to know the applications deadline regarding the Scholarships and Admissions."


texts: Why was having and not had: "he was having trouble finding the right packaging" vs "he had trouble finding the right packaging"

texts:
On the sleeve reissue of the Chris Bell single "I am the cosmos" (record store day 2018) I found these sentences:

  A tape of the recording arrived in the mail several weeks after the phone call;it took that long because, Chris said, he was having trouble "finding the right packaging," I was never sure what this meant.

Why not "had" instead of "was having"? Is it to emphasize the duration of the trouble
of "finding the right packaging"? Because at the time of receiving the tape there were no more trouble of finding the right packaging so I think we could use "had"


texts: What does 'throwing up its hands at its own audience' mean?

texts:
I'm a non-native English speaker. I'm reading a book about the Simpsons show now. I have a little trouble understanding the last part of the sentence. I read it a million times. I know about the idiom 'throw up one's hands', but I still don't get the proposal. I guess the author says the show gives up trying to please or entertain the viewers, or make them laugh, but I'm not sure about my guess. Am I right? What do you think?

PS: I want to replace this part 'throwing up its hands at its own audience' with simpler wording.

  Starting in Season 8 though, the tone of those jokes changed markedly.
  Where the show had once been fond of an occasional subtle nudge to let
  the audience know that it was aware of the absurdities of episodic
  television (Burns never remembering Homer, Marge reminding Bart that
  he hasn’t used any of his famous catchphrases in four years), now it
  seemed exasperated or downright indifferent. For all its great
  moments, “The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show” is about nothing so
  much as the show throwing up its hands at its own audience.


texts: When should I use the past simple, the future perfect, and present simple?

texts:
I'm doing a quiz and have some doubts in a few tasks. Could somebody check if I'm correct?

Ex1. Put the correct form.

As soon as we arrived at the airport, we checked in.

a) had checked in
b) were checking in
c) checked in

Explanation. I've chosen here c because we have here consecutive actions, i.e. we arrived and then we checked in. Other options don't make sense.

The car will soon have done 50,000 km - we'll need to get it serviced.

a) will soon have done
b) will soon do
c) will soon be doing

Explanation. I've chosen here a because in this sentence we want to stress that in some short period of time we will get 50,000 km on a odometer. Other options don't make sense as well.

Ex2. Put the verb in a correct form.

Many people have problems sleeping if they drink coffee after midday. (drink)

Explanation. I've chosen here present simple because we want to stress avery day action (they drink coffee).
I wonder if we could use here present progressive - Many people have problems sleeping if they are drinking coffee after midday?

I want to spend a year travelling when I will have finished university. (finish)

Explanation. I've chosen here a future perfect because that guy probably already have a plan he is going to travel after finishing university, thus he wants to stress it.
But future simple I think also possible.


texts: Using coffees or teas to discuss a combination of multiple varieties

texts:
In the following statement "This company prepares a blend of coffee.", should we use coffees in place of coffee since blend means a mixture of different things? So here it should mean a mixture of different varieties of coffee.

Similarly in such a statement if tea replaces coffee, then should we use teas?


texts: Can I use "when it comes to" like the following?

texts:
I'm comparing my old house and my current house. First, I'd like to talk about my old house and then I will talk about my current house. In this situation, I need to bring up the topic of my old house. To this end, can I use "when it comes to" like the following? If not, is there any suggestion?

  What I like about living in my old house is that there was a spacious yard. I remember that I played basketball with my younger brother ther. But when it comes to my current house, there's no yard, which makes me miss my old house.


texts: In the Oxford Learner's Dictionary's meaning 1, what is the difference between apply to and apply for, and what is the meaning of (for something) after apply to somebody/something? What element of clause structure is it, like complement or adjunct? And does it have the same meaning and structure as make application to somebody/something for something in this dictionary?


texts: Use of despite and regardless in one sentence

texts:
Regardless is an adverb which implies:
in spite of everything, anyway, nevertheless, nonetheless, in any case, no matter what, despite everything, come what may

For instance: Despite her recent surgery she has been carrying on regardless.

Source: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/regardless

Question: Can we use despite and regardless in one sentence?


texts: Using the preposition "for" in a sentence

texts:
Suppose a family father tends to punish one of that family kids and says to the family members let's go out and have dinner and he / she should stay at home alone as their punishment. Mother talks to him and finally father forgives the kid in our question. But my question is that in the following sentence which is probable to be said, using the preposition 'for' is redundant or obligatory:

  Eventually he agreed for him to join them.


texts:
Should I use are or is in the following sentence?

  Most of the audience is/are sleeping.


texts: Does changing the position of an adverb change the meaning of these sentences?

texts:
I always get confused between the placement of adverbs:

  She has only ten dollars.
  Only she has ten dollars.
  I answered only four questions.
  I only answered four questions.

I think the meaning is the same for both sentences. My teacher says that the sentences have different meanings.

Could anyone explain the different meanings of the above sentences?


texts: Can you transcribe the saying from 14:50 to 14:60 in this video?

texts:
I need to transcribe a short text read by Alan Watts in this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osEVlaMX6t4

The text is from 14:50 to 14:60.
This is what I heard but I'm not sure it is correct.

  "...is a certain extraordinary lack of depth..."

Can you transcribe a complete sentence that have above text?


texts: Is "the first time" a type of signposting language or something like that?

texts:
Signposting language is the words and phrases that people use in order to guide the listener coherently through what is being said.

Imagine that, Alice has been having headaches for a week, so she comes to see a doctor.

  Alice: I’ve been having these headaches.

  doctor: Is this the first time you’ve had a problem like this?

A nice ELL post explains why "the first time" is a sign to use perfect tenses. There are also other this kind of "sign words", such as “never”, “for” and “since”. Is it to consider "the first time" a signposting language?


texts:
Why do (British) English words have so many meanings? Why? What is reason? Some words (verbs, nouns etc.) have more than three meanings and some have more than ten meanings. What on earth. Does it exist only in English? How do English speakers know what someone means? Why some words are the verb, the adjective, the noun and more at the same time ?

Thanks for explanation.


texts:
I found this in a book called The Joy of Mary.

  He kept picking his nose, but for the moment his hands were not in his nose.

Is this "kept picking" part correct?
Does this mean he had a habit of picking his nose but now he wasn't picking his nose?


texts: What does "the bottom fell out of the economy" mean?

texts:
I came across the following sentence on this web page.

  This development, coming as it did when the bottom had fallen out of the European economy, provided an impetus to a long-held desire to secure direct relations with the East by establishing a sea trade.

What does the bottom had fallen out of the European economy mean?

And what does did in coming as it did mean?


texts: When you want to prevent someone from being foul-mouthed

texts:
Imagine you have a friend who often uses vulgarities and like they say has a bad mouth. You want to give them advice and ask them not to use vulgar language as a friend who wants the best for him/her. Also you dislike his/her mannerism, but for some reasons you can not put an end to this friendship (you want to maintain that relationship.)
Once, when he/she is talking to you about a serious matter, he/she starts cussing and mixing their words with some of his personal catchwords which everyone would consider them indecent.

I need to know whether the sentence bellow sounds natural to you and if not, what is the natural way to say:

  Don’t be a foul-mouthed person.


texts: go back / return to / again when use any of this?

texts:
For instance.

Mexico went back to have debt problems after the economic crisis in 1982..

Mexico returned to have debt problems after the economic crisis in 1982

Mexico had again debt problems after the economic crisis in 1982

I am not sure how use go back/went back, return to/ returned, or use again when it comes to talking about you used to do before.


texts: Meaning of "in that sometimes" in "There's a chance for a splendid fortune in that sometimes."

texts:
"Oh, good-bye, our dreams!" said Sir Huon. "It's neither sceptre, sword, nor plough!
  Maybe yet it's a bookful of learning, bound with iron clasps.
  There's a chance for a splendid fortune in that sometimes.

This is from "Rewards and Fairies" by Kipling.
I can not understand the meaning of "in that sometimes".


texts: Formal equivalent for "something something" to fill in the blank created by leaving out unimportant information

texts:
I quoted a comment in which only the first and last parts were relevent to the point I was trying to make and instead of the middle (unimportant) part I wrote:

Something something

which I later realized that it sounded too informal.
What is the formal way to fill in the blank of a left out part of a quote?


texts: What is the meaning of this sentence "I don't think I'm getting through to you."?

texts: Thanks and apologies for a silly question from a newbie.


texts: How do you make the flap t sound as in the words city and letter

texts: I'm having a hard time figuring out the right placement and motions of the tongue when making this consonant. I watched a few videos on this topic. People say that in order to make the sound you don't want to be touching the roof of your mouth too much but you have to lightly bounce the tip of your tongue against the roof of the mouth. I have no idea how to do this. I tried doing it and I either touch the roof of the mouth too hardly and it sounds heavy and unclear or in effort to touch lightly, I end up accidentally pulling my tongue away and it doesn't even reach the place that it should. I would be really grateful for an explanation of what is that that tongue is doing when you make this sound. Thank you for the answers in advance!


texts: defined by v.s. defines v.s. by definition vs. a copular verb

texts:
Please take a look at the following sentences:

Endemic species are by definition those that exist nowhere else but in the protected ecosystems.

Endemic species are defined as those that exist nowhere else but in the protected ecosystems.

Existing nowhere else but in the protected ecosystems defines endemic species.

Endemic species are those that exist nowhere else but in the protected ecosystems.

I find it difficult to tell what implications each sentence has. I try to think aloud my thoughts:
"By definition" implies "by nature" so 1. express an intrinsically close relation between the endemic species and living in the protected ecosystems.
Since 3. put endemic species as the sentence object and since "defines" mean one possible way to describes a thing, so 3. simply express one way to define endemic species.
Lastly, 2. shows the definition of endemic species; such definition is currently held as the definition of endemic species.

Edited:
Additionally, the added 4. seems ambiguous in that it might offer an explanation but not a definition, vice versa.
Could you kindly share your insight about or comment on my interpretations? Thank you.


texts: Difficulties in finding of "s third person singular" in more complex sentence

texts:
I know the question I'm asking is so specific that you may be reluctant to answer, but I have no other place to find my answer.

I have a sentence, on the Sciencealert site, in which the writer did not use, as my guess, "s" for the verb in the second clause. Why? Is it grammatically correct? How it formed?

The sentence is:

  The goal of this study was to search for genetic underpinnings of
  male sexual orientation, and thus ultimately increase our knowledge of
  biological mechanisms underlying sexual orientation.

Why the "increase" verb has not s? Is not its subject "the goal"?


texts: Is 'Kind attention' impolite? When is it specifically used?

texts:
I have often seen emails and letters that contain the phrases:

  For Your Kind Attention, Dr. Maulik:   Kind Attention, Dr. Maulik:

And in other emails/letters I don't find it. To be frank, though as it includes the word kind, it looks like a bit of oxymoronic usage with the word attention. In other words, a bit impolite! It seems you are ordering someone though politely.

In what circumstances do we use this phrase? Is it impolite? If yes, what are the other alternatives to this that serve the exact purpose?


texts: The preposition after verbs in special questions

texts:
1：Where does he live?

2：Where do you come from?

I am confused when I should add a preposition after a verb. “Where” is an adv, so in sentence one, there is not a preposition after “live”. However, in sentence two, there is “from” after “come”. Could you explain the reason?

I also have another pair of sentences:

1：When can you come?

2：What time will you be coming?

I can understand that in sentence one, “when” is an adv, so there is not a preposition after “come”. How about sentence two? Is “what time” served as an adv? If not, why “coming” is not followed by "at"?

Thank you very much!


texts: The definite article before the word "two"

texts: Tell me please If it is possible to use "the" before "two" in some situations. For example, I am at a shop and I ask  the salesman to show me the best suits he has. So he gets me one suit and then another and I say "I will buy the two."


texts:
What is a better way to thank someone: to use "invaluable" or "valuable".

"I cordially thank you for your invaluable help"

vs

"I cordially thank you for your valuable help"


texts:
“I don’t think what to name them,” Adam said. (John
  Steinbeck, East of Eden)

Is the to a complementizer leading the object of think; and what, the object of name?


texts:
Vehicles transporting dangerous materials should have an inventory of
  the materials being transported readily available.

What does "readily available" refer to in this sentence? Does it refer to "readily available inventory"?


texts:
As soon as they had had enough to eat and drink they wanted music and dancing, which are the crowning embellishments of a banquet, so a servant brought a lyre to Phemius, whom they compelled perforce to sing to them.(Odyssey)

I know that "I have enough to eat." means that "I have lots of food."

In the example above, it means "I had lots of food and drink."
So in a sense,it is a done act.
Is it possible to say so?


texts: Meaning of "to say them in all good-intentioned honesty about a story"

texts:
I'm reading an introduction to Philip K. Dick written by Roger Zelazny. This introduction is included in PKD's novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep and the following paragraph is Roger Zelazny's praise about PKD:

"Inventiveness. Wit. Artistic integrity. Three very good things to have. To say them, however, is perhaps to talk more about the mind behind the words than the ends to which they are addressed. For to say them in all good-intentioned honesty about a story results mainly in a heaping of abstractions."

I'm so confused about the part in bold characters that I don't even know how to explain what confuses me. The sentences just seem very long and complicated. Even though I know every word of them, I still don't understand their meanings. I guess the only part I understand is that "the mind behind the words" refer to the author. So does "the ends to which they are addressed" refer to the readers? Does "to say them in all good-intentioned honesty about a story" mean "to talk about a story honestly in terms of the three aspects"?

Anyhow, I don't understand the meaning of the whole sentences. Can anybody kindly explain the idea for me?


texts:
Trade Truce by China and U.S. Gives Both Sides Political Breathing Room

  “China has emphasized many times that United States bullying and
  pressure aren’t working with China,” Gao Feng, the Commerce Ministry
  spokesman, said in a briefing on Oct. 11.

With doubt, I looked up the original Chinese text. I used translator to translate it is

  China has repeatedly stressed that US bullying and extreme pressure do
  not work for China.

I feel "work for" is appropriate and "work with" like "work with sb".
And I don't understand why it is the present continuous tense.


texts: What is it called in English? (the part that closes dumbbell bar weights?)

texts:
In gyms there are bars or dumbbells, and while putting the weights on the sides of the bar, it's used to close each side of the bar by thing which closes the weights to the bar and avoid it to fall out, and make it more safety for use.

What are they called in English?


texts: in the next five years vs. in next five years

texts:
Is there a difference in meaning between in the next five years and in next five years?

Where do you think you will be in the next five years?

Where do you think you will be in next five years?

From my understanding, the former one means within five years, and the latter one means after five years.
So, If I heard the first question, I should say something like "I will be doing something in 2021, and something in 2024." But If I heard the second question, "Five years from now on? Hmm... In 2025, I will be doing this."
Am I right?
I've read other questions but this(in ten minutes / in the next ten minutes) says there's a difference in meaning while this(in the next seven years (meaning of in in this context)) says in always means during.
Oxford Learners Dictionary says in can mean,

during a period of time

after a particular length of time

for a particular period of time

How do I tell which is which?


texts: Coordinating conjunctions to connect multiple subordinate clauses

texts:
Coordinating conjunctions (and, but, for, nor, or, so, yet) can connect main sentences, words, phrases and many others, but can they connect multiple subordinate clauses?

If yes, how should I connect them (should I add a comma and the subordinating conjunction itself or not)? Thank you.

Here are examples I made. They might be able to help when you answer my question.

1, Connect two subordinate clauses, and keep the subordinating conjunction with a comma in between.

  When people tell you to settle down and stop dreaming, but when you know what you love, you should stay true to yourself and keep going.

2, Connect two subordinate clauses, and keep the subordinating conjunction but without a comma.

  When people tell you to settle down and stop dreaming but when you know what you love, you should stay true to yourself and keep going.

3, Connect two subordinate clauses without a subordinating conjunction or a comma.

  When people tell you to settle down and stop dreaming but you know what you love, you should stay true to yourself and keep going.

4, Last question is that: does it work if the whole sentence is in this order? or it needs some words in it to make it clear (for example, the subordinating conjunction itself?).

  You should stay true to yourself and keep going when people tell you to settle down and stop dreaming but (when) you know what you love.


texts:
I get stuck to differentiate between some common and material noun.

Can material noun be countable?

Are  egg, earth, nail, sun and moon material nouns?

when can I use article in front of a material noun?

I am not a native speaker.

Thanks in advance.


texts: Houston, we have a problem: 'Has' or 'had'?

texts:
I was doing a research on some scientific topic, and while I was at it I just read the excerpt wikipedia gives about Persian wikipedia:

  The Persian Wikipedia (Persian: ویکی‌پدیا، دانشنامهٔ آزاد Vikipedia, Daneshnameye Azad / "Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia") is the Persian language version of Wikipedia, spelled Vikipedia. The Persian version of Wikipedia was started in December 2003. It passed 1,000 articles on December 16, 2004 and 200,000 articles on July 10, 2012.The article about Persian wikipedia

Second, I have a tendency to speak to myself in English. That's because I'm crazy. That's a nice way to practice speaking, as you always have yourself available to speak to. Anyways, later I was thinking about what it could mean "to pronounce vikipedia" and I realized that it's because we pronounce wikipedia not like /w/ as in worm, but /v/ as in vest. That was when the question occurred to me:

  Wikipedia actually had a nice point.

vs.

  Wikipedia actually has a nice point.

I saw the excerpt, but it is still there. Wikipedia has a nice point if anyone goes and sees the excerpt again, but had a nice point when I read [past tense] it.

The question is, which one would be sounding more normal to a native? Or are they equally correct in these situations?

I couldn't find a dup. If this is, feel free to inform me.


texts: Actualizing something in accordance with something

texts:
If a trading company sets prices which are much higher than the prices put by the rivals. Then this company carries out marketing research and realizes that its prices on goods do not meet actual market requirements.
Can you say that the company should actualize its prices in accordance with the market ones?
I need the noun instead of the verb.

Actualizing prices in accordance with the market ones
Adapting prices to the market ones
Making prices more relevant to the market ones

Which of the listed phrases sounds more natural to you?


texts:
I have a doubt in the following question:

Shakespeare is one of the greatest dramatists that ____ ever lived.

I want to know what will complete the sentence.


texts:
I have read the following sentences:

  So here's what I'm thinking: This school year has been kind of a bust, but if I can get voted as a Class Favorite, I'll go out on a high note.

What does "go out on a high note" mean? Is "on a high note" an idiom?


texts: What is the meaning of "crash out" in this context?

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

A day earlier, a majority of the MPs decided to rule out, under all circumstances, Britain's crashing out of the EU without an agreement.

According to Cambridge dictionaries, "crash out" means either "falling asleep" or "losing". But that doesn't seem to fit here.


texts:
I cannot differentiate the listed words below:

  Wail
  to make a long, high cry, usually because of pain or sadness, or to make a sound like this
  Mourn
  To feel or express deep sadness, esp. because of someone’s death
  Whine
  If you whine, especially as a child, you complain or express disappointment or unhappiness repeatedly

Please consider that, in many dictionaries, they have not been dedicated for a specific purpose while they emphasize by the adverbs "usually" and "specifically" in their definitions; hence, I don't know whether using each one in a particular case would be natural or not!

For instance, I don't know which choice would be more idiomatic and natural in each case below:

  (First scenario) (informal case)
  A: Why are you ____________?
  B: Oh,  you don't know how much my leg hurts.

  (Second scenario)
  A: Did you know that Ana's father passed away last night.
  B: Seriously!!! What a catastrophe! I'm really worried about her! Have you heard of her since morning? Is she OK?
  A: She is not OK at all!! Keeps sitting at home crying and ____________

  (Third scenario)
  - Last night, I couldn't sleep whatsoever!  A cat was lying down on the wall  ____________ just behind my sleeping room's window.


texts: Can we say "transformation and upgrading were accelerated"?

texts:
Here's a sentence in Chinese :传统行业加快转型升级。The English version is: transformation and upgrading in traditional industries accelerated.

Is it right to say: transformation and upgrading in traditional industries were accelerated?
Please let me know why. Thank you.


texts: mixing simple present with present progressive

texts:
The children sit on the sofa, watching TV. Their mom watches too.

Is it weird or normal to write "watches" in the example above when I have just used "watching"?


texts:
When I watch movies, I usually hear one person say to another a short phrase with the structure "noun + past participle" in the conversation. Here's two examples:

  "Request denied."

  "Permission approved."

I can understand that they mean "I deny your request" and "I approve your permission." I often see such a sentence structure in news headlines such as: "Woman killed in the conflict" or "Child found in an empty house", but seldom see such usage in spoken English. If this usage is correct, can I say "two pairs of shoes wanted" to a salesman when I visit a shop?


texts:
Let's say, your current job does not look promising, and you are planning whether to stay or not. Can you say:

  "If being a medical transcriptionist can make me rich because of excellent pay, then I will definitely stay on this job, sadly its not.

Or

  "If being a medical transcriptionist can make me rich because of excellent pay, then I would stay on this job, sadly its not.

In the above bold letters written, which is correct?, to make it grammatical...


texts: Sentence starting with Maybe as question

texts:
Is it correct to use a sentence starting with Maybe as a question, eq.

  Maybe I'll come sometime on Sunday?

  Maybe I can help you?

I suspect it is acceptable form for spoken informal context but not sure.


texts:
If cashier tells you that:

  I don't have change. Could you "pay exact amount of money"?

How to say "to pay exact amount of money" in good English?


texts: What does this mean and is it correct to say so?

texts:
I have a text in english, the context is about electronics.

this is a sentence :

This work has a unique perspective based on the wind farm participation, through inertia control.

1- perspective based on something

2-perspective through something

are these sentences above correct in the whole sentence I wrote?

Also, I don't know what it is supposed to mean, I'm a translator not Electronic engineer.


texts: Would you teach me how this sentence is structured?

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

  “I honestly don't say this lightly, but I don't know how you could look at the things that have happened over the last year … [and] under the new leadership of the bureau and not say that it is a complete failure in doing its job on behalf of student loan borrowers,” Frotman said. “The current political leadership at the CFPB has prioritized the interests of the student loan industry over the very real plight of the 44 million Americans who have student loan debt.”

How is the bold part functioning?

"Not say that" is doing what?

Or anyone else does not say that?


texts:
If I'm trying to describe a situation in the past in which I wasn't able to find a specific pair of shoes, should I say:

  I couldn't find those ones.

or

  I wasn't able to find those ones.


texts: Can a pro-verb be followed by a noun phrase?

texts: I’m confusing whether a pro-verb can be followed by a noun phrase. For example, in “I like Japanese, but my brother likes Chinese,” can I use does instead of likes?


texts: How to say that my English isn't very good?

texts:
A: My English is poor.
  B: My English is not good.
  C: I am not good at English.
  D: My English is bad.

Which one is more appropriate to use in conversation?


texts:
What is the meaning of 'is to be' in the following sentence and in similar cases?

  We cannot set up in any detail an ideal of character which is to be universally applicable.

I wasn't able to find its meaning in OALD.

[UPDATE]

longer context:

  But although we cannot set up in any detail an ideal of character which is to be universally applicable—although we cannot say, for instance, that all men ought to be industrious, or self-sacrificing, or fond of music—there are some broad principles which can be used to guide our estimates as to what is possible or desirable.


texts:
Generally speaking, adverbs modify verbs, and adjectives modify nouns. However, I guess adverbs can modify nouns as well. With that said, I recently came across the following sentence that just struck me as off:

It would be an extremely uphill battle.

I feel like you can have an extreme uphill battle, but not an extremely uphill battle. Something feels off about this sentence, but I could just be wrong.


texts: Ten years seems little yet it feels so.. large? Is this correct?

texts:
I was writing down my thoughts when I came up with this sentence and I don't know if it makes sense.

"Ten years seems so little yet it feels so large"

Thank you for your help.

Edit:

I was reflecting on the last ten years of my life, the way I perceive time, the missing opportunities and my lack of action.

When I was 16 I thought 10 years was a lot of time and it is, but now that I'm 26 I can't seem to relate to this idea.

The clock ticks too fast for me everyday that makes the idea of reaching a goal attainable, yet Everytime I take action I fail. And when the due date finally comes, time finally shows itself as he is and the many opportunities he had given me to get back on track, yet here I am, in the same place and nothing has changed and that's when I feel that past time feels short and long at the same time.

It's at this point when I realized that, had I just resisted a little longer I'd have reached my goal. Because it is now that I see it wasn't endless fight.

It's funny how ten years seems too little now that is over, yet it feels so large because in that short span, many people did so much more than I did.

That was basically was I was thinking when I came up with this sentence.

Please excuse the long post and my poor rusty English.

Thank you.


texts:
In this sentence:

  Alf’s wife has never discovered that she married a dustpan and she never will, for Alf has just found another job.

Can I use ‘she will never’ to replace ‘she never will’ ? And why?


texts: "turned his thoughts northwards" meaning

texts:
"Wand-carriers," repeated Harry: the phrase fell oddly upon his ears as his scar prickled, as Voldemort turned his thoughts northwards, and as Harry burned to question Ollivander, next door.

  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

I think "turned his thoughts northwards" probably means Voldemort literally thought about something in the north. But I'm not sure if that's correct. It doesn't seem to be relevant to the context though. Any ideas?


texts: What does "accelerated, but still" mean in this context?

texts:
I would like to know what "accelerated, but still" means in the following sentences:

‘I’m a …’ I tried and failed under her gaze.
It was the same feeling, the same pulling to and fro, that one feels
when standing on the edge of a diving board.
‘I’m a—’ My voice almost steady. ‘I’m a homosexual.’
The world did not
tumble. Her face remained calm. The white winter light still streamed
into the room as if into a church, illuminating the floor and us, my
heart pumped blood around my body – accelerated, but still – and a
shiver ran through me, through my entire being, and I felt like
something dead and heavy inside had been expelled, as if I’d been
carrying a leaden ghost within me all that time. I felt dizzy. I tried
to say something else but there was nothing to say. She took me into
her arms, and I allowed her to – into her soft arms, against her
pullover, cushioned by the soft breasts beneath it.
‘It’s OK,’ she whispered. ‘I understand.’ She stroked my hair. ‘You’re
good. Don’t you worry. You’ll be fine. You’re good.’

Tomasz Jedrowski, Swimming in the Dark, Chapter 7

In this novel which is set in the 1980's in Poland under the socialist regime, where homosexuality was socially unacceptable, the protagonist Ludwik left Poland in 1981 to live in the United States of America. And he remembers what it was like back then in Poland, where he decided to leave the country after trying hard to stay in the country. (The main reason that Ludwik decided to leave the country was the fact that his lover Janusz constantly tried to straddle between Ludwik and a girl named Hania, the daughter of some high Party officer.) But the Passport Bureau wouldn't give him the passport, blackmailing him with the fact that he was a homosexual. So Ludwik took another route, by visiting Hania's house and telling her about his situation and asking her help so that he could get the passport, but without telling her that he was a homosexual. But eventually, at the end of the conversation, Hania asked as to what it was that they were blackmailing Ludwik with, because she must know that to know how to best approach the situation, and Ludwik here made the confession for the first time in his life.
In this part, I wonder how his body was "accelerated" (becoming faster) and how it was "still" (calm, perhaps?) at the same time.
Or would it mean that, though his pulse was accelerated, his heart still continued pumping...?


texts: What is the meaning of this lines said by Grace?

texts:
In English Drama Movie: Short Term (2013), Grace say this words to Jayden about her mom's boyfriends.

  Whenever I was drawing portraits of, you know, those guys, I would
  always take forever. 30, 40 minutes just stringing them along, saying,
  oh, I've just got to do a couple more shadows, or, I'm just fixing the
  nose. I don't know why I did that.

couple more shadows is it means shadow or Is it idiom?

Another doubt is What does mean by "stringing them along" ?

I am so confused. please explain this lines.


texts: What does "Slam dunk" mean in this sentence?

texts:
What exactly does "slam dunk" mean in this sentence??

Officials Warn Syria Chemical Weapons Intel Is ‘No Slam Dunk’
--- http://world.time.com/2013/08/29/officials-warn-chemical-weapons-intel-is-no-slam-dunk/


texts: Interlinked system of factories / plants

texts:
If I want to say that a holding company owns and operates a number of oil-processing plants, all interlinked in the business sense but spread across different locations, what words/phrases could I use? In Russian, we use the word complex, like complex of oil-processing plants, but in English complex seem to imply the presence of its elements at a single location or their physical connection (complex of roads), but not their connection in the sense of product streams.

Am I right that "complex of plants" or even "complex of enterprises" (as one Russian dictionary suggests) will sound and look strange to a native speaker?

I looked for synonyms and found "system, network". Are these O.K. and what other words/phrases could be used to the same effect?

  "According to the plan, the Holding's network/system of oil processing
  plants will process some 8 mn tonnes of crude next year."


texts: past subjunctive after the verb "to want"

texts:
I read the following sentence:

  I wanted my daughter to make her bed.

If I wish to use the subjunctive mood instead of the (more usual) infinitive form, would it be "I wanted that my daughter made her bed" ?


texts:
Are the following sentences both correct? If so, what's the difference?

The disease varies with severity.

The disease varies in severity.


texts:
From 2 Broke Girls:

  I'm going to the prom with Brandon, if his dad will lend him the car.

Why does the quote use "if ... will"?

After reading this ELL question, I think it should be if ... would


texts: Can "since" and "as" be used interchangeably in the following sentence?

texts:
They sat at the counter as/since all the seats were filled.

I've seen both versions. For example here.

Are as and since are interchangeable in situations like these? If so, in which situations are they not?


texts:
I am supposed to ask someone to remove himself from a particular place like a couch or a chair,Can I say get off that chair or get off the couch?

Is it correct? If not can anyone please some related expression?


texts: Who is "acting responsibly" in this news article about Russian bombers?

texts:
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/vladimir-putin-sending-russian-bombers-close-us-230353217.html

  So far the Russian incursions into sensitive European airspace have been uneventful, General Breedlove said, with both the Russian pilots and the NATO pilots going up to escort them back to Russian territory acting responsibly. But other NATO officials worry privately that the increased incursions could end up in some kind of incident – a mid-air collision, for example – that could ratchet up tensions.

Who is exactly acting responsibly? I don't really understand who they're talking about.


texts: What does the phrase "something for something" mean?

texts:
It is from this article. Here is the passage:

  This is coming with a calorie ticket of 230, which makes legumes highly nutritious, calorie for calorie.

I can understand the phrase word for word, but calorie for calorie gives me a hard time.


texts: What to use? "that found that" or "found that"

texts:
A good illustration of this is provided by a recent survey conducted
  by the British government that found that 26% of students...

What to use? that found that or found that?


texts: Pronunciation for the words which contain the letter "i"

texts:
I am very interested to find out a rule which can help me to pronounce correctly the words which contain the letter "i".

For example: nine vs. injury vs. provide... These are some examples which put me in difficulty when I try speaking in English.


texts: What is the meaning of "in a white light"?

texts:
What is the meaning of "in a white light" in the following sentences,

  Long long ago an Emperor lived in China. His name was Ming Ti. And the
  Emperor had a son. His name was Ming Cho.  One day Ming Cho was
  playing in the garden. There was a big storm. Lightning came down to
  the garden in a white light.

(Source: Once There Was a Dog by EDWARD W. DOLCH and MARGUERITE P. DOLCH)
?

Does it mean "Lighten came down to the garden. The garden was filled with a white light."?

or does it mean "Lighten came down to the garden. the color of the garden
is a white light."?

Does "in" of "in a white light" mean "was filled with" ?


texts: transmit from sb to sb or transmit to sb from sb

texts:
Dengue virus is transmitted to people from mosquito.
  Dengue virus is transmitted from mosquito to people.

What is the difference between these
two sentences?


texts:
A very different argument comes from Barbara Bender, who argues that before farming, there was competition between local groups to achieve dominance over each other through feasting and the expenditure of resources on ritual and exchange, engaging in a kind of prehistoric arms race. To meet increasing demands for food and other resources, land use was intensified, and the development of food production followed.

  This argument clearly emphasizes social factors, rather than environmental or technical factors, and takes a localized, regional approach. It is supported by ethnography (direct and systematic observations of a human culture) concerning competitive exchange activities, such as the potlatch (traditional celebrations in which groups gather and give gifts) of the indigenous inhabitants of the northwest coast of North America. These people were foragers in a rich environment that enabled them to settle in relatively permanent villages without farming or herding. Competition among neighboring groups led to ever-more elaborate forms of competitive exchange, with increasingly large amounts of food and other goods being given away at each subsequent potlatch. As suggestive as Bender's argument is, however, it is difficult to find evidence for competitive feasting in archaeological remains.

  According to paragraph 2, the potlatch activities support which of the following ideas?

  A. Foragers were able to live in permanent villages without farming.
  B. Social factors such as the competitive exchange of food may have led to domestication.
  C. Competition among neighboring groups made a foraging way of life preferable to domestication.
  D. Increasingly large amounts of food were easily available for competitive exchange.

Can anyone help me figure out this question? I cannot decide between B and D, though D is the answer...

Thanks.


texts: Does “when they're used as a place to live“ make grammatical sense?

texts:
Geodesic domes have lots of issues, especially when they're used as a place to live.

My biggest concern is that the dependent clause has a plural pronoun "they're" with a singular verb "live".

Disclaimer: My (grammarian) logic for this concern may be incorrect.
            If it is incorrect please let me know. TY.


texts: Should I use "make" or "makes" in this sentence?

texts:
In this sentence should I use make or makes?

Massive scale, along with rapid growth make/makes it different.


texts:
When a person is wanted everybody wants to work with him, he's popular and is always asked for. But is there an opposite for wanted, meaning a person who isn't popular at work, someone whom nobody wants to work with.

I was thinking of the word outcast but I doubt it can refer to such a meaning considering its definition.

I would like to fit it into this context:

My friend is always wanted while I am always [this word].


texts: "And shadowed on a screen, I saw hooded forms..." - does "shadowed" belong to the "forms"?

texts:
Reading Nyarlathotep by H.P. Lovecraft, I would like to ask if my understanding is correct:

And shadowed on a screen, I saw hooded forms amidst ruins, and yellow
evil faces peering from behind fallen monuments.

As this "fronting" (I do not know how exactly this is called) is not really a concept I am well acquainted with, I am not sure: does it mean "And on the screen, I saw hooded forms (..) shadowed on the screen? If so, what exactly is the meaning of "shadowed" here?
Thanks a lot


texts:
Before the ambulance arrived, the injured man died .

No need for past perfect here.

  As the ambulance approached the scene, the driver noticed that no one at all was attending to the injured man. This was because, before the ambulance arrived, the injured man had died. No one was looking after the injured man, because he had died.

Past perfect is needed as explanation but the sequence of time without it would be crystal clear. Would it be possible to use past simple?

  My dad was furious because I scratched his car.

So why not past perfect for scratched as it is an explaination of why my dad is furious?