texts: What does "struggle" mean here? Does it have a negative connotation or positive?

texts:
What's the meaning of 'struggle to tackle' in this sentence?

"How many of us struggle to tackle a problem or goal because it just seems beyond our capabilities to deal with."


texts: What does the phrase "What’s it about coming from you" mean?

texts:
Well, my English friend and me are just talking about a movie. So he asks me what I’m watching. So I tell him the name of the movie that I’m watching. It’s call “Sweet home”.  Then he texts me saying

What’s it about coming from you

and I don’t understand it. What does it mean?


texts: In this video, he says "Now, we have two passing tests." It doesn't make sense to me by saying passing test. I would say passed test instead. Because a test can only be passed, right? How could a test pass itself?


texts:
I was reading the lyrics of a song called "Dominoes" by Syd Barett, and couldn't understand what he was trying to convey in this verse "Losing when my mind's astray"

Lyrics


texts:
We say compounds like "mosquito-ridden" and "shark-infested", but I haven't heard "mosquito-infested" or "shark-ridden".

My question is that can we use the suffixes "-ridden" and "-infested" interchangeably regardless of the amount and significance of the damage that an excess of something can cause?

For example, can we say "mosquito-infested" or "shark-ridden"? Wouldn't it seem funny or unnatural?


texts:
a. He painted the painting in the living room.

Does this mean

a1. In the living room, he painted that painting. Maybe it is somewhere else now.

or

a2. He painted the painting that is in the living room now. Maybe he painted it somewhere else.

?

b. He tore up the painting in the living room.
Does this mean

b1. In the living room, he tore up that painting. Maybe he had brought it with him from somewhere else.

or

b2. He tore up the painting that was in the living room now. Maybe he tore it somewhere else.

?

My feeling is that both sentences are ambiguous.

Many thanks.


texts: A phrase or idiom for 'something you already wanted' and you are 'legally' asked to do it!

texts:
In my regional language, there's a very good idiom which literally means...

  'X' was already my favorite dish and a doctor advised me to be on 'X' (this 'X' diet/dish)

Now the context.

This idiom is used when someone wishes/likes something and on top of that, legally/officially he's asked to do that!

Example:

  "Jack is not a dedicated person. He never likes to work."   "I know...but do you know he's been offered a field work."   "What? a field work? Oh my god! So now, he'll simply roam here and there!"   Yeah... [Idiom here] meaning he already love wasting time by not doing work and now he's offered a field work where no one will keep a watch on him. At least, in office, he was doing something as everybody watched.

To make it clearer -

It does not matter whether what you wanted/liked/doing is a bad thing or good. The idiom has nothing to do with goodness or badness. It's just what you already wanted/doing/liked, it's (by luck?) told/permitted/asked to do -all official and legal!


texts: When should and shouldn't I use articles with acronyms?

texts:
I used to think that if an abbreviation can be pronounced as a regular word, it goes without an article ('NATO', as an example). Similarly, if it's just a sequence of unpronounceable letters, it goes with an article ('the EU', 'the IMF', etc.). However, I noticed that 'GDP' usually does not follow this rule. So what the rule is? Please don't tell me there's no rule. If it's really so, then tell me what the convention is. I don't fancy googling every abbreviation.
EDIT: I replaced 'acronym' with 'abbreviation'. It seems I picked the wrong term.


texts: Can I use "a case in" instead of "a case for" in the mentioned context?

texts:
I have conducted an argument about vulnerability, which also implies that dishonesty is praiseworthy. In the next sentence I say:

  A case in praise of dishonesty?!

And I mean to say, with a satirical connotation, that what is said also implies that sometimes dishonesty is actually good.

I think the common phrase is "a case for" but I want to use "in praise of dishonesty" as it refers to another significant text. So can I say "a case in praise of"? Or maybe other suggestions?


texts: What does the word "where" mean in the sentence?

texts:
It could be quite clear and understandable to native english speakers, but a bit hard for me. The sentence is:

  There are some programs that you’ll need, where we’ll go over how to download, install, and use in this exercise.

Whereas the next phrases are very clear to me:

  where do you live?

  I first saw him in Paris, where I lived in the early sixties

  this is where I live

I can't understand what is the use of word "where" in the first sentence. Is "where" referred to a place? Or situation? Or it's just a conjunction and means nothing?

The full context is (from the very beginning):

  In this exercise, I will be showing you how to get all of the components set up in order to do this lab, as well as many other labs, on the cloud environment. There are some programs that you’ll need, where we’ll go over how to download, install, and use in this exercise. First off, you’ll need to make an account on the IBM Analytics Demo Cloud website,  ttps://my.imdemocloud.com/. This account will be needed in order to access the cloud environment. On the main page, press the sign up button.


texts:
My friend is visiting a mechanic now, the mechanic is fixing his car.

Someone asked me, where is your friend. What should I answer?

  A: Where is your friend?

  B: He is fixing his car.

He is the subject of the clause, but he isn't fixing his car by himself, actually the mechanic is fixing the car.

So, What is the right answer?


texts: What does "I’d sit this one out, Cap," imply or mean in the context?

texts:
My friend and I, neither native English speaker, had an argument about the meaning/implication over this sentence:

"I’d sit this one out, Cap," Natasha said.

My friend believed that it means :

"Natasha told Cap that she would not join the fight between Thor and Iron Man, It's his (Cap) turn to do so."

I believe that this is a suggestion as :

"I would sit this one out if I were you, cap",   Natasha said.

I feel like it's an omission of "if I were you" in spoken language, BUT I have no idea how this idea comes from.

So which of us is wrong? Or both wrong? Could anyone help to explain the " 'd " in this sentence ?

Here is the sentence in the context:

  With Iron Man and Captain America out of commission, the blond warrior
  grabbed Loki around the neck, and before anyone could do anything
  about it, he raised the hammer and jumped back out of the Quinjet,
  disappearing into the storm.  “Another Asgardian?” Natasha called from
  the cockpit.

  “That guy’s a friendly?” Steve asked. It was hard to believe.

  “Doesn’t matter,” Iron Man said. “If he frees Loki—or kills him—the
  Tesseract’s lost.”

  “Stark, we need a plan of attack!” Steve said as Iron Man stomped
  toward the open gangway.

  “I have a plan,” Iron Man said over his shoulder. “Attack.”

  Then he rocketed out of the ship.

  Steve was amazed at the speed at which Tony moved. He grabbed a
  parachute and strapped it on.

  Natasha looked at him skeptically. They were thousands of feet above
  land, the Quinjet was moving at a supersonic clip, and—as far as she
  knew—Captain America couldn’t fly.

  “I’d sit this one out, Cap,” she said.

  “I don’t see how I can,” Steve said.

  “These guys come from legend. They’re basically gods.”

  Maybe Steve was old-fashioned, but he didn’t think so. “There’s only
  one God, ma’am. And I’m pretty sure he doesn’t dress like that.”

  The Avengers I


texts: Which is better: "go ahead..." or "proceed..." quite well

texts:
Which is better?

  I'll work on it 4 hours per day so project should proceed quite well.

  I'll work on it 4 hours per day so project should go ahead quite well.


texts:
Are these sentences without the grammatical? Should I omit it or retain it?

I love the people who love me.
The People who love animals are very kind hearted.


texts: Do amounts *always* take singular verbs?

texts:
I know amounts and quantities usually take singular verbs even if they are plural nouns but what about this sentence? :

-There ........ two dollars in my wallet.
A) is
B) are

-Which is the right answer and why?

Thanks in advance.


texts: Uncertain usage of "should" and construction of the verb

texts:
I am not quite sure whether in the following sentence the construction of the verbs and the rest of wording are correct:

  Should the construction of the University Hospital be completed, this would indeed set new standards - both in terms of size ("one of Germany’s largest university hospitals") as well as with a view to the technological advances.


texts: Do these two sentences convey different meanings?

texts:
She tried in vain to prevent the work from being done.
  She tried to prevent the work from being done in vain.

Our teacher said these two sentences show different intents, but I can't see the difference. Help？


texts: Can "Why don't you be" be correct? If so, how is it different from "Why aren't you"?

texts:
In this comic occurs the phrase:

  Why don't you be more social?

This sounds wrong to me, but I'm not sure why.  Can the phrase Why don't you be... be correct?  If it is correct, how does the meaning differ from Why aren't you ...?

Googling lists lyrics of some songs, but I do not dare take that as a reference for grammatical correctness.


texts:
What is the formal way of following sentences? I see them too much in memes and informal speaking, I know the meaning, but do not the formal way.
"You don't say?"
"Challenge Accepted"
"Bitch Please"
"RIP [something]"

Thanks in advance.


texts: Is it natural to say "I hit him by surprise" or "I sneakily hit him"?

texts:
Is it natural to say "I hit him by surprise" or "I sneakily hit him" to mean we sneakily hit somebody and he didn't know it at first and to make him surprised?
Some people suggest "I sneaked up on him and hit him"


texts:
Halo

  So many lives and deaths had been measured in this battle. Had the
  balance of the odds tipped slightly against them—everything could have
  been lost. That was something he had never taught any of his students
  at the Academy—how much victory depended on luck as well as skill.

I don't think the meaning is

  ... how much victory depened on luck and skill.

Maybe it means

  of course skill was important but victory needed luck as well.


texts: Why do we use the "continuous" verb form here?

texts:
Let me present some example sentences...

The population of the world is increasing very fast
(Why it does not use 'increases'?)
At first I didn't like my job, but I'm beginning to enjoy it now.
(Why it does not use 'I begin'?)

UPDATED:
Additionally, Which sentence is correct?

  3a. You can turn off the radio, I don't listen to it.
   3b. You can turn off the radio, I'm not listening to it.


texts:
Is "call in a taxi" correct? I thought "call in a taxi" was correct, because you would say "call in a supply package", but after looking up Google, I barely get any results telling me that it's not idiomatic. What's the correct phrasal verb I should use?

For example:

  I wanted to call in a taxi after I got out of the restaurant.


texts: Use of the conjunction "that" to express an intentional consequence

texts:
First an example; just to make clear what I'm referring to.

  He wrote a note on the calendar, that he might remember to call his friend on his birthday.

Meaning:

  He wrote a note on the calendar, in order to remember to call his friend on his birthday.

I remember having seen this usage somewhere, but I just wanted to make sure that it was actually correct, or commonly used.


texts:
googling "unluckiest" return 459000 results
googling "most unlucky" return 225000 results

It seem that "unluckiest" is the right one because prefix "un"  won't count when we take into account long or short adjective right?.


texts: Can you solve this doubt of tense on use of 'could' and 'were'?

texts:
Biography-Shadow Dragon Saga

Well.If 'they fuse into' is not used.They 'fused' is used.That may be because of 'could'.If I say 'Goku and Vegeta not being able to defeat Omega, ....' then it should have been 'they fuse into'.But if I say 'Goku and Vegeta were not being able to defeat Omega' then what would be the effect on that 'fuse'?


texts: "Annual" vs "Inter-annual" vs "Intra-annual"

texts:
I want an adjective that unambiguously distinguishes the following two graph types:

It can be a technical term, but hopefully I want a word which laypeople can easily understand.

Which does the word "annual change" refer to, the red one or the blue one? Or is this word ambiguous? I initially thought this only refers to the blue one, but I found there is at least one page that uses this phrase in the sense of "within one specific year" (i.e., red). How much is this acceptable?
Does "inter-annual change" unambiguously and safely refer to the blue one? This dictionary entry defines this word as "Measured or evaluated on a yearly basis", which I think perfectly matches the blue graph. But some native speakers seem to think "inter-annual" only means something like "in relation to a previous/next year" (i.e., 1995 vs 1996, 1996 vs 1997, and so on).
How about "intra-annual"? Does this unambiguously and safely refer to the red one?
What is the best word that unambiguously refers to the blue one as opposed to the red one?

(By the way, I think I know the basic difference between inter- and intra- as in internet/intranet.)


texts: Are these two phrases predicative complements?

texts:
“I was born a son of a bitch and I’m going to die a son of a
  bitch.” (One Hundred Years of Solitude, tr. by Gregory Rabassa)

It seems like ‘was born’ and ‘am going to die’ are Catenative Verb; both the ‘a son of a bitch’ are predicative complement. Is this the right parsing?


texts: What is the difference between 'until now' and 'ever since'?

texts:
Hello,everyone. *
could you help me ?
I know both mean from a past time till now but my question is could they be used interchangeably? If no, please mention why ?
Tnx in advance.


texts:
I am working on a scientific paper and would like to ask a question regarding the use of "a role of" vs "roles of".
"Dendritic cells play critical roles in expansion and antitumor efficacy of infused T cells" or
"Dendritic cells play a critical role in expansion and antitumor efficacy of infused T cells"
I wonder if I should use "critical roles of" because of "expansion and antitumor efficacy (plural)".
Any comments would be appreciated.
Thanks.


texts: Formal way of asking "Don't we need to?"

texts:
What phrase should be used in place of "Don't we need to" in a formal letter?

Example situation: Boss sent a mail indicating that some data is to be updated in chart A. The reply is like "I have updated the data in chart A. Don't we need to update it in chart B too?"


texts:
I came across this phrase on the Internet:

  I won't put up with your nonsense. You can be difficult by yourself.

I cannot understand what it means "to be difficult by yourself". Does it mean that "You can't even deal with yourself".

Thanks in advance


texts: What does this "send for" mean in the context

texts:
First of all, I would like to thank you very much for your efforts and maintenance by promoters.

Now, I happened to have read an article about the U.S diplomats issue, and the first line says,

    The Cuban president sent for the top American envoy in the country to address grave concerns about a spate of U.S. diplomats harmed in Havana.

What I would like to ask you is, what kind of "role" could this for ( in bold ) be playing for?

Thank you so much in advance.

Sincerely.


texts: Idiom's tense when writing a novel in past tense

texts:
If the novel is written in past tense, what tense should the idioms be when they are used by the narrator?
For example, consider the following passage:

The fight was over. John stood over the prostrated Alan who pleaded for his life.
Even though it was heart-rending to see it, Bob did not move to help his comrade: you did not bring a knife to a gunfight.

Should it be "you did not bring a knife to a gunfight" or "you do not bring a knife to a gunfight"?


texts:
This is an exerpt from 'How to Be an Imperfectionist' by Stephen Guise. I can't grasp the meaning of the bold-fonted sentence. I can't understand the logical structure of this paragraph. Specifically, what is the meaning of 'one remdeeming quality'? Could anyone help?
It’s strange to think that perfectionists would ever perform worse. The problem lies in trying to run a mistake-free program (those are incompatible with the human opoperating system). This makes perfectionism even less attractive, because improved performance is supposed to be its one redeeming quality.


texts: What should we put in this sentence-will or would?

texts:
In an interview, I heard an actress saying:

  "I would not say, this is the best role I have ever done."

What is the meaning of 'would' in that sentence as there is no if-clause?

Why didn't she use 'will' instead of 'would,  or was she wrong?


texts: Pronunciation of the suffixes -man and -men

texts: I've checked and can't find any answers. What is the grammatical or unwritten rule for the pronunciations of the suffixes "man" and "men". How do we know if a word is pronounced as /mən/, /mæn/ or /men/. Some examples are freshman, freshmen,policeman, policemen, marksman,Breman, Coleman, German, human etc...    If you have any idea please let me know. Thank you.


texts: When can you respond with "affirmative"?

texts:
When is it appropriate to respond with "affirmative"? Could some examples be provided?

This dialog has been taken from Knight Rider TV series season 2 episode 15:

  Michael: KITT, analyze these tire tracks.
  KITT: They're still warm, Michael. Made by a vehicle accelerating, not
  stopping. And I detect traces of clay in the tires.
  Michael: Clay, like at Glenrock Cliffs?
  KITT: Affirmative.

How I Met Your Mother season 3 episode 6:

  Lily: Are you telling me that they actually have conventions for porn?
  Barney: Affirmative, or to put it in another way "God Bless America"


texts:
According to subject-verb agreement rules, compound subjects with words joined by "and" take a singular verb if all the parts represent a single unit as in:

Macaroni and cheese is my favorite food.

While I was speaking with a native speaker of English he said, "my throat and tongue hurts". So I want to know whether he made a mistake or or the sentence actually qualifies as requiring a singular verb, and if so, on what grounds since the tongue and the throat are two separate parts of the human body?


texts: "in the morning on Sunday" and "on the morning of Sunday"

texts:
Jesse takes the train in the morning on Sunday.

or

  Jesse takes the train in the morning of Sunday.

It looks to me that both are correct. If yes, do they have different connotations?


texts:
consider:

  "I think the rule is ill-conceived and that it seriously fetters perfectly legitimate methods of criminal enforcement".

I know meaning of the both,  enforcement and criminal. However, I cant figure out what the combination "criminal enforcement" conveys?

Moreover, I do know what law enforcement means. It means to do certain efforts making sure a system of law is obeyed. But, I have no idea about the definition of "criminal enforcement"


texts: Can a person say he's saturated? (In the sense that he can't take anymore)

texts:
I was talking to my friend yesterday and he told me that he has been promoted and has to take additional responsibilities. Then he told me that he would soon become saturated.

Can a person become saturated? Can saturated be used in this context? I keep thinking that overwhelmed is the right word. I also came across sentences like feeling a bit saturated, saturated of what I am doing.


texts:
What's the meaning of:

  He is laying it down!

I'm watching a MSNBC commentary about Syria war and @3:38, which the host is astonished by a truth being told by a guest and said this sentence, so what's the meaning of it?

Note: The video contains opinions about the conflict in Syria. I am only interested in the English. Please do not click the link if you don't want to hear about the topic.


texts:
According to the Cambridge Dictionary,  after all means:

  despite earlier problems or doubts:
  The rain has stopped, so the game will go ahead after all.

What's the problem here, raining? Am I correct to think that "after all" means 'ultimately" here because the rain has stopped?

  used to add information that shows that what you have just said is true:
  I do like her - after all, she is my sister.

Does 'after all' mean 'because' here? Why do we need to use 'after all' here in this sentence?

According to the Macmillan Dictionary,  after all also means:

  used for saying that something is true despite what was said or planned before
  Maybe she was right after all.
  I'm sorry, but we’ve decided not to come after all.
  used when giving a reason to explain what you have just said
  She shouldn’t be working so hard – she is 70, after all.
  I’m not really ambitious. After all, money isn’t everything.

I don't understand what 'after all' exactly means in both of these usages in the sentences above. Does it mean 'ultimately' or what ?

Could you please illuminate my confusion about what 'after all' actually means?

Note: I have also read How to Grammatically Discern "after all", Phrase? but It wasn't helpful for me for this question


texts:
(1) I became the art project leader. (2) I got first place in
  the science contest. (A Korean middle school English textbook)

What are the reasons that the first sentence has an article and the other none?


texts:
Can "how about" be used in this way? I heard it in an episode of Grey's Anatomy:

How about we don't talk to her anymore?

Because from what I've learned after "how about" we're supposed to use a gerund:

How about not talking to her anymore?

But, for me, both of these options seem right. But what if we want to use it to refer to a "he" or a "she"?

How about she goes to the park?

How about her going to the park?

Also, I feel like in the sentence "How about not talking to her anymore?" there is a "us" that is omited. Am I right? Could someone clear this up for me?


texts:
I often encounter in the Internet strange phrases like "Confused I am".

What does this strange word order mean?


texts:
Do the two terms "all the time" and "always" give the same meaning?
I am asking about them as I might replace "all the time" with "always" in a survey frequency scale. For a non-native speaker, I am not sure if they give the same meaning and can safely be used interchangeably?


texts:
Original text :
(If they had done it, we would be at peace now )
What if I want to add a form of "can" to the if clause!!
Would it be right to say (If they could have done it,we would be at peace)


texts:
What is the difference in the following two sentences

The way he is behaving in, he'll soon spill the beans. I am afraid.

The way he is behaving, he'll soon spill the beans. I am afraid.

Is any one of them wrong?


texts: What's the meaning of "normalizing and centripetal power"?

texts:
What's the meaning of "normalizing power"?

For example:

  Macedonia epitomizes borderlands because it is associated with heterogeneity, complexity, and overlapping identities, qualities that distinguish it from the state’s normalizing and centripetal power.


texts: Difference between 'Can I help you with' and 'Can I help you'

texts:
What is the difference between 'Can I help you with' and 'Can I help you'?

please teach me how they are different.


texts: What is the most natural way to describe the color of an object as a combination of blue and white? For example we prefer "black and white" to "white and black". Does it matter which color is predominant?


texts: Difference between "speed up something" and "speed something up"

texts: Both seem to be in common usage, but is there a nuanced difference about when one is more appropriate than the other? Thanks.


texts: Infinitive function as adjective with be and without

texts:
I saw the following examples in a book:

We have several new plants to be watered
Maria still has several letters to write
Do you have any money to spend ?

Why in first case did an author use "to be" (watered), whereas in other two he used just "to" (write, spend)? Obviously, letters as well as money can't write or spend themselves, too.


texts:
In the sentence

  I am sure Helen will get a first class.

What is the meaning of get a first class in this case. Does it mean  will achieve the first position but I have never heard this.


texts: What word should be used to describe a sports event?

texts:
As in "enjoy your sports event".

I've considered using just event, but I think it's too generic.
I've also considered "race" but not every sports event is a race.
Maybe there isn't a proper word for this in English.


texts:
What do "persona" mean in this context?

  Blockchain as a creative medium

  There is clear potential for creatives to be directly recompensed for their work.

  Services like Mycelia aim to revolutionise music, Giftto helps content creators monetise their online video persona, and Typerium designed to protect the IP of its content creators.


texts:
What is colloquial?
Meat with potatoes or Meat and potatoes. (Meaning cooked potatoes and meat mixed in one dish, perhaps with some savory dressing)
UPDATE:
It seems you can say "meat and potatoes" (meaning cooked potatoes mixed with meat on a dish.)
But what if I want to use the following construction?

Eat both X and Y.

Supposing X = soup, and Y = meat and potatoes.
What I get is "Eat both soup and meat and potatoes."
Isn't there too many ands?


texts: How to describe periods and cycles of dates?

texts:
Let's say that someone gets his profit (interest payment) from the bank on the first day of each month. A second person gets is profit on the 15th or whatever the day is.

Is this correct and clear in meaning?

  The period or the cycle of the first person starts on the beginning of
  the month. The monthly period or cycle of the second person starts from a
  date that he specified.


texts: Are contractions and/or slang used in English exams and tests?

texts:
Are all those correct uses in English or is it just for explaining and not correct for writing on tests or exams?

Would it sound more fluent to write

  Ex, Y'all, I'll, They're.

instead of

  Example, you all, I will, they are.

Ex short for “example”
y'all or ya'all short for “you all”
I'll short for “I will”.
they're short for “they are”.

Would it look more fluent to write the above with or without contractions?

Are the terms above used in fluent English or slang English?

For IELTS Exam


texts: I like to see you OR I like see you. Which sentence is correct? Can we omit "to" or not?

texts:
Which sentence is correct?

  I like to see you

OR

  I like see you.


texts: This sculpture is believed __________ in the 15st century in memory of a priest

texts:
1.This sculpture is believed ---- in the 15st century in memory of a priest.

  A) having made B) to be made C) being made D) to have been made E)
  having been made

At first when I filled the blank with option D, I thought it sounded better but then I asked myself why I cannot say other options even though if I have to choose an infinitive form like option B and because the date is certain shouldn't I avoid to use present perfect tense.So could you explain why I cannot other options or how to change the sentence so as to use them?

  The students denied ---- any instructions by the invigilator as to how to do the listening part in the exam.

  A) to be given B) being given C) giving D) having given E) to have
  been given

The same here. Is it important that the word deny gets the verbs coming after it to take gerund form.if this vital criterion, could you compare options B and D.


texts:
My friends always use "nerd" to describe an intelligent person, but when I searched its meaning online, I found that it's not really a good word.

"A foolish or contemptible person who lacks social skills or is boringly studious."
Oxford Dictionaries

I've become so confused with this word.
Is it an insult or a compliment?


texts:
Can I say:

  We zero out the meeting because we knew it was going to be a failure.

Can I substitute "cancel" by "zero out?"


texts: Which one should be used here in this context?

texts:
During a school event the teacher said

The students whose names I've called will come up onstage

But till that time she hadn't called anyone

So shouldn't it be the students whose names I call will come up onstage


texts: “As soon as I earn money, I will get a car”

texts:
I have a friend learning English: He said he would usually use, “ As soon as I earn money, I will get a car.”. Yet, someone told him to use, “As soon as I have earnt money, I will get a car.”.
I tried to explain it to him. But which would you use, and why? Which looks better, if either matters?


texts: What does "the syntax" or "semiotics" of taste mean?

texts:
I think it's a kind of analogy. Just as we understand a sentence, which is composed of a number of words, so we perceive a gustatory composition?

Crushing the tongue against the roof of the mouth drives the food mass
into the taste buds, and this clamping or sucking motion intensifies
and prolongs the flavor. However, taste also requires the intervention
of the brain which must recognize, evaluate, and categorize the
stimuli from the mouth and nasal passages. The evaluative quality of
taste or the recognition and judgment of flavor can be processed only
in the brain, and, as with the visual imagery of painting, the quality
of taste is assessed in relationship to a history of tastes. The
tasting subject frequently judges the outcome of the experience in
opposition to or alliance with previous experiences of the same or
similar tastes. This process might be defined as the “syntax” or
“semiotics” of taste. A chef or diner may rate a dish as “better”
or “worse” than the last time the gustatory composition was prepared,
or describe a new taste combination in relation to one that is
familiar: “It tastes like chicken.”

Food, Film and Culture: A Genre Study


texts: What is "narrow" mean as in "Narrow Decision"?

texts:
In Narrow Decision, Supreme Court Sides With Baker Who Turned Away Gay Couple

  The court’s decision was narrow, and it left open the larger question
  of whether a business can discriminate against gay men and lesbians
  based on rights protected by the First Amendment.

I think it maybe means the article of the decision being very short.
Or maybe means the narrow-minded.


texts: Concerning the use of the possessive form in this context

texts:
In this newspaper article, just under the "China is reluctant to get too involved" heading, the possessive form has been used thus:

  Just a few minutes’ walk away from the Legislative Council building, the People’s Liberation Army, China’s military, has an outpost with thousands of combat-ready soldiers ready to do Beijing’s bidding.

How can minutes even possess a walk? shouldn't it be "Just a few minutes walk away..." where few minutes only qualify the walk instead of possessing it?


texts:
What is the difference between "to thrive in" and " to thrive on" in terms of meaning and usage?

Which one should I use in which situation?

For example: what does this sentence, from Cambridge dictionary, mean?

  She seems to thrive on stress.

Does she have a tendency to be more successful and efficient in a stressful environment?

And what does this sentence mean?

  Some people thrive in fast-paced, deadline-heavy careers, while others
  prefer less stimulating work.

Can I replace 'thrive on' with  'thrive in" ? Probably not, but what would it mean if I did?


texts: dedication to my late father and my mother

texts:
I am writing my thesis and would like to dedicate it to my parents. However my father passed away while I was studying. I would like to dedicate it to both him and my mother. How do I word this without making the sentence too awkward?

Is it correct to say "to my loving parents" even though one of them is actually not with us anymore? (Meaning, is it correct usage of the language, or is it necessary to use the words "late/diseased" etc.?)


texts:
In Cocaine song, by Clapton, why does he refer to cocaine as "she" instead of "it"?

She don't lie, she don't lie, she don't lie,
Cocaine

In the same sentence, why does he use "don't" instead of "doesn't"?


texts:
What're the common prepositions which can be used after "named"?

For example:

The rocky island named {by, for, from, after} its large pelican  colony.

In this sentence which preposition is correct and why?


texts: The expression "play a geopolitical game of chess"

texts:
Is this idiomatic? I saw it being used by some people in forums, but never saw any renowned author used this expression. Is there a better way to say it?

For example:

  India was playing a geopolitical game of chess while Pakistan was
  playing a geopolitical game of checkers.


texts:
In response to Rachel's good-bye email, James wrote:
"Rachel, you've been wonderful to have working with us at the studio."

Is "to have working" correct ? Is this acceptable in Canadian English ?

I would have written "to have worked ..."


texts: Is this sentence correct? 'It was two years of my life that I enjoyed thoroughly.'

texts:
Is this sentence correct?

It was two years of my life that I enjoyed thoroughly.

Should I change it to:

They were two years of my life that I enjoyed thoroughly.

The preceding sentence goes like this:

The most influential experience in persuading me to take that decision was my career at ABC. It was/They were two years of my life that I enjoyed thoroughly.


texts:
While reading some old documents, I noticed that each time a certain person wrote a letter by hand he started it with Mep while, if he used a typewriter, he utilized Mess. which I understand. It comes from Messrs. The question is why did he replace the double s with a p?

Two examples:

1) Mep Wright Bros

see: https://www.loc.gov/resource/mwright.03257/?sp=33

2) Mess. Wright Bros.

see: https://www.loc.gov/resource/mwright.03257/?sp=37


texts:
Does one put a comma after linking phrases such as "To this end, we denote ...", "For the purpose of the proof, we introduce an alternative notation ..." etc. in formal (scientific, mathematical) writing?

I suppose the question is more complicated than a simple yes–no and there may be cases where the comma is expected and when it's unexpected, so I'm probably looking for some rule of thumb. I prefer British rules if that matters.


texts: It is the name of a Yanni album. Is this equal to "brouhaha" and "noise"? What is the general rule to understand the meaning of "out of"? Sometimes it means "lack of something", like in "out of gas", but sometimes it means "because of", like in "out of jealousy". I got a bit confused!


texts:
I wonder why they are so late. They should have arrived a long time ago.

Does this sentence have two possible meanings?  How would we choose between them?

  1) I expected (predicted) their arrival would have taken place a long time ago.

  2) It would have been better for them to arrive much earlier, maybe they have missed something at the party.


texts: Looking for a word -- Stiching side of clothes is public

texts:
Yesterday, I saw someone who by mistake had worn the T-Shirt incorrectly. The stitching side was public.

As you can imagine I am still struggling to put my thoughts across. Please help me find the word or sentences I could have used to informed him about that.


texts: missing "his" before "tears" and "a couple of feet"

texts:
I have stumbled onto two sentences in my book and I wonder to know why there is missing "his" before "tears" and "a cople of feet". The texts are

Then, as he tried to drop a couple of feet to the ground, he caught his shirt on a metal shard that hang him up for an instant before tearing loose.
Chad fought tears as he leaned in and pressed his head against his father's chest.

For me it would be OK to say "his tears" and "his couple of feet", because it was his tears and his feet, as well as it was his shirt and his head, but I think it was reason for writer not to write that. Can you explain to me why?


texts:
I've translated the next sentences:

A brother of my friend's will have finished university by the summer and he is looking forward to teaching at school.
Tomorrow he'll be working all the day and we'll go to pool because I think he'll have finished all his work by that time.

These two sentences belong to the same exercise. And can't be get from the context. So I would like to know if I use "double possessive" correctly. And could I use "We're going to pool" as it is arrangement? Or as we aren't sure about his success at doing his work and we haven't arranged our meeting at a concrete time I should use simple time?


texts:
I have been arguing with my friends over the usage of 'supposed to' for quite a while now.  It is my belief that 'supposed to' is used to describe the obligation of the subject.  For example:

  "I am supposed to go home early today."

  "She was supposed to bring Nachos to the party."

However, my friend insists that he can use 'supposed to' to make a prediction.  Here is the example he gave me.

  "The house is supposed to be bought in the auction."

So can you please help me solve this grammatical conundrum and give an example of the proper usage of 'supposed to' in a prediction?


texts: What is the meaning of "pick up" in this sentence?

texts:
We had thought the turnout for these events would pick up, but it's really lagged behind our estimates.

Does this sentence equal to:

  We had thought the turnout for these events would increase, but it's really lagged behind our estimates.

Or:

  We had thought the turnout for these events would meet our expectations, but it's really lagged behind our estimates.

Does pick up, in this sentence, equal to increase or to meet the expectations?


texts: Why does Google show the pronunciation of "teacher" as /ˈtēCHər/, not /ˈti.tʃɜː/?

texts:
I see a lot of word in google translate is not true vs IPA.
For example
teacher /ˈti.tʃɜː/ but in google translate it is /ˈtēCHər/. Is it IPA?
You can see image below.

What standard sound of google translate has been using?


texts: Word usage: "answer me" or "answer to me"

texts:
Given the phrase:

  Please, stop talking. I asked you a question.

Should one then add:

  Answer me, please OR Answer to me, please.


texts:
"live far from each others" has 30000 Google results.

"live far from each other" has 60000 Google results.

So which one is right? "Each others" or "Each other"?


texts: Do we say "turn the strength of the fan up/down"?

texts:
We say "turn the volume of the TV up/down".
Do we say "turn the strength of the fan up/down" as the fan has a few buttons for you to adjust the strength of the air blow?


texts:
Researches so far

How to use a semicolon

I am confused over a sentence from The consolations of Philosophy by Alain de Botton.

  ... ask yourselves whether a tree that is supposed to grow to a proud
  height can dispense with bad weather and storms; whether misfortune
  and external resistance, some kinds of hatred, jealousy, stubbornness,
  mistrust, hardness, avarice, and violence do not belong among the
  favourable conditions without which any great growth even of virtue is
  scarcely possible.

What are the things that don't belong to the favourable conditions?
Are they

  some kinds of hatred, jealousy, stubbornness, mistrust, hardness,
  avarice, and violence

or

  bad weather and storms; whether misfortune and external resistance,
  some kinds of hatred, jealousy, stubbornness, mistrust, hardness,
  avarice, and violence

For future study, what is this construction called, if there is a name for it?(so that I can study this in more detail by myself)


texts:
What should be the passive voice of  below given sentence?

  My father promised me a gift.

I am confused  between these two options .

A gift was promised to me by my father.

Or

I was promised a gift by my father.

To me both sentences convey the same meaning but if it is asked in exam and I have to choose between them then which one should I choose and why it is better than the other ?


texts:
I have some question.

Should I use 'in the profession of manual turner' or 'as a manual
turner' in this text?
Which sentence is better?

  I completed my education in the profession of manual turner at Basic
  Vocational School and then graduated from Technical Secondary School
  as a technician mechanic.
  I completed my education as a manual turner at Basic Vocational
  School and then graduated from Technical Secondary School as a
  technician mechanic.


texts: I want to quickly remind you vs I want to remind you

texts:
I am curious and somewhat confused on the use of "I want to quickly remind you" vs "I want to remind you" when sending an email to remind someone. Can we use them interchangeably or they are used for separate purpose?

I am sorry if it is a too simple question, English is my L2.


texts:
I would like to know what usually follows after each proposition in sentences with the word "work".
These are what I understand so far:
I work for my boss. ( usually for certain person )
I work in a accounting corporation. (usually for business area )
I work at Samsung. ( usually for specific name of company )
Could you please tell me if I understand rightly?


texts: Emphatic constructions in American English

texts:
In the English Language there is such a thing as Emphatic constructions. One of them

  I had hardly come in when it started to pour with rain. or
  No sooner had I come in than it started to pour with rain.

I wonder if it is still used in American English.


texts:
Whenever an old post is edited on a Stack Exchange site, the entire page is bumped to the top of the active page. Some eagle-eyed users might spot other spelling, formatting or grammatical issues on different answers and also decide to fix these issues.
For some time now, I have seen the following message by an assiduous editor on several Stack Exchange sites.

(While we are at it.) yes, I did not bump it (that was by a question edit!)

Other parenthetical variations include (that was by a new answer)!, (that was by an answer edit)! and (for some reason this was on the main page today - new answer added that was later deleted or kicked by the automatic process?)! [sic]
Here the editor is saying they are not to be blamed for bumping an old post to the top because the event was caused by someone else editing the original question. In other words, the most recent edit is not responsible for bumping it back to the top.
Why I think the edit message is confusing
I once commented saying that I think the message should actually read:

No, I did not bump it.

But the comment was steadfastly ignored. In my view,
someone replying "yes" suggests that the author/editor did cause the post to bump to the front page.
Q: Did you edit/bump the post?

Yes [I did bump it]
No [I didn't bump it]

The only time a “Yes, I did not bump it” would make sense (in my view) were if the speaker had responded to the following observation
Commenter: I know you didn't bump the post.
Editor: Yes, (you're right) I didn't bump it.
This silly issue has never been picked up by anyone, and I feel I am alone in seeing the editor's summary and silently groaning. Nonetheless, I can stand it no longer. Should the message read “No, I didn't bump it” or “ Yes, I didn't bump it”? I need to know. Please.
Older Questions on ELL
I would love to see a question that answers my dilemma, but I'm afraid none replicate the situation which I have described. The edit summary is not in response to a question, it explains why a seven-year-old question is now at the top of the active page. I would like a definite answer that explains why the summary is erroneous (if indeed it is).


texts:
In The following lines from 'the Japanese Quince' by John Galsworthy :

  he drew several deep breaths but they augmented rather than diminished the sensation - as of some sweetish liquor in course within him, together with a faint aching just above his heart.

I can't make sense of the part where it says "in course within him". I dont know what it means. I already looked up the definitions of 'course' in 2 different dictionaries so please cease from suggesting just that !


texts:
I came across this sentence and I would like to rewrite it in different ways ?

  This car has a six-litre engine and therefore uses a lot of petrol.(source)

So can I write

This car has a six-litre engine and it therefore uses a lot of petrol.
This car has a six-litre engine, it therefore uses a lot of petrol.
This car has a six-litre engine; therefore uses a lot of petrol.
This car has a six-litre engine; therefore,it uses a lot of petrol.


texts:
In a small English training video, there is a sentence "Would you turn the coffee on": https://youtu.be/bRb4D1lmr4M?t=24

Since I can't see anything related with coffee in the screen, I can't understand it. Does it mean turn on the coffee machine?


texts: Exceptions: “Bring” and “Take” for Future Events

texts:
1. As one listener named Simone put it, you bring things here and take things there.

2. If you want to focus on the school and write from the perspective of the bazaar, you bring the cake to the bazaar..

How's 2 a sensible exception? The bolded requires that I be here (at the bazaar). So how can the bolded make sense if I'm already here? Why not take for both 'perspectives' (From home and the bazaar)?


texts:
There is expression "ring someone up". Would it be correct if I wrote the following:

  He kept ringing the hotel stubbornly, asking whether there were messages left for him.

Is "ring the hotel" used in a proper way?


texts: Difference between "WOULD" and "WILL"................?

texts:
Consider the examples:-

When would I get the access of the system.
When will I get the access of the system.

which sentence is correct in spoken/written English.

thanks.


texts: which way can I understand the past event

texts:
I played football at 5 o'clock yesterday.
does it mean:

I started to play football at 5 o'clock yesterday.
I finished playing football at 5 o'clock yesterday.


texts:
I understand the meaning of "where you are", but I'm not sure if it is grammatically correct to use the phrase in the following example -
If I already know where you have moved to and wonder if you're happy living there, is it grammatically correct ask "Are you happy where you are?" Or maybe it should be "Are you happy in where you are?"


texts: Does the word potential always need an article?

texts:
To help with my English, I occasionally use Grammarly. I was writing a text today which included the following phrase:

  This has the double benefit of making you aware of areas that have potential for improvement while also increasing... [cont]

Grammarly highlighted the word potential and says the following:

  The noun phrase potential seems to be missing a determiner before it. Consider adding an article.

And suggested swapping it for the potential or a potential.

Now both suggestions seem wrong to me, however I'd be the first to acknowledge my lack of grammar "smarts" (hence the use of Grammarly!).

Which (if any) of these is the correct use, and what is the background?


texts:
The word OK is pretty much everywhere, from simple conversations to user interfaces and even as a gesture:

That makes me wonder: how informal is the word "OK"? For instance, would it be appropriate in a legal document?


texts:
Is there a difference here:

  It happened that he did not go to work today.
  As it happened, he did not go to work today.

Do "it happened that" and "as it happened" have different meanings?


texts: Is it OK to use multiple verbs separated by coma that lie between a common subject and object?

texts:
I am writting a recommendation letter for one of my employees in support of his application for graduate school in Canada and English is not my native language obviously.
Is it grammatically OK just to say:

  "As he knew he was designing a piece of software that
  stuck other parts together, he patiently listened to, actively answered requests from, and
  unreservedly provided insights for other developers of our team. "

As you may notice,I put multiple verbs or verb phrases separated by coma between a common subject("He" in this case) and a common object("other developers" in this case)~
Is it grammatically OK to use them in this way?
Thanks in advance!


texts: "help robot population (to) adapt" -- can I omit "to"?

texts:
Actually I should be working on my bachelor report (it's due tonight), but hey, there are more important things like: Can I omit the to in the following sentence?

  ... foster behaviour that would help the robot population (to) adapt to the MONEE environment.


texts: Using "How's you doing?" and its variations

texts:
What are the common situations to use this phrase How's you doing?
Could it be related to something specific? For example to News?

I've seen the phrase: How's Your News?

What does 's stand for? Is News a plural? If news is plural, how is the phrase used?


texts:
I have noticed in that in cases when listing certain things, the following convention is used

  a, b, c, d and e

But I have also seen some cases where a comma is used before the and:

  a, b, c, d, and e

Is there a specific usage case where such a convention comes to play?


texts: What word describes words that can be more that one part of speech?

texts:
Some words, depending on how they're used, can be used as different parts of speech.

i.e a noun in one case and a verb in another.

Examples

Here's a couple examples: Top, Quiet, Fast

Top

  noun in "the spinning top fell over"

  adjective in "the top shelf"

Quiet

  adjective in "she's a quiet person"

  noun in "I need peace and quiet" or "please keep quiet"

Fast

  noun in "they completed a two day fast"

  adjective in "the new car is fast"

What are these types of words called?


texts:
In the sentence below would it be grammatically correct the use of "in" before "demand"?

  The increase in stress rates has intensified my laughter amount from
  the increase in demand for job responsibility.


texts:
I read this in a website:

  "We notice you are using an ad blocker. Please consider supporting us by upgrading your account. Thanks."

Shouldn't they have used "have noticed"?  "We notice" sounds like this is some routine exercise that they do daily, for example "I see sun rise everyday". It sounds a bit odd to me but it may be because English is not my native language.

  "We have noticed you are using an ad blocker. Please consider supporting us by upgrading your account. Thanks."

What would have been a difference, if any?  Which of the two sentences sound more natural and is used more frequently by native speakers?


texts: The meaning of "Who should find it but you?"

texts:
In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) Extended, Tom Riddle says to Harry Potter about diary:

Tom Riddle: Still, the power of the diary began to scare her. She tried to dispose of it in the girls' bathroom. And then who should find it but you?

Why question mark kept after "you" instead of after "it"?
Why not like this:

And then who should find it? You Harry?


texts: Is "bored" in "I am bored" an adjective or a past participle?

texts:
Let's look at the sentence.
I am bored.
Now what does the sentence mean? If I consider 'bored' as an adjective it means I am bored right now. And if I consider the sentence as a passive voice of present Indefinite tense then it means someone bores me. Right? Now which meaning do I have to take? Which meaning is suitable?


texts:
Lifts rigged with electrical lighting should not be operated over low voltage electrical utility
  lines.

Does it  mean that the location of the lifts should not be on low voltage electrical utility lines? Does "over" refer to the location of the lift, which means that the lift should not be located on the utility lines?


texts: A problem with a preposition in a context

texts:
Here are three sentences:

  I like simple, hearty food, food which, when you taste it, you say, now this is real food!
  I hate the jingles on TV commercials, maddening snippets of melody which, once you've heard them, you can never get out of your head.
  I hate the jingles on TV commercials, maddening snippets of melody which, once heard, cannot be gotten out of your head.

Reading these, you can't help seeing that while sentences 2 and 3 remain readable without "once heard/you've heard",

  I hate the jingles on TV commercials, maddening snippets of melody,
  which you can never get out of your head

  I hate the jingles on TV commercials, maddening snippets of melody,
  which cannot be gotten out of your head

the first one, if you delete "when you taste it", reads rather clumsily:

  I like simple, hearty food, food which you say, now this is real food!

My question is this:

Does this mean that without the preposition "about" before "which" the first sentence is grammatically incorrect and should be written as

  I like simple, hearty food, food about which, when you taste it,
  you say, now this is real food!

or it will also be correct without it?


texts: Usage and omission of the definite article "the"

texts:
Can anyone who knows the language well please tell me if the following sentence is correct with and without the ?

Here is the sentence:

  Yesterday I was at john's home. He was telling me about
  (the) struggles he faced last month.

Can I leave out the word the? I know I can say "Yesterday I was at john's home. He was telling me about a struggle he faced last month." So I think I can use the plural of "a struggle" and leave out the. Am I right?


texts: Should I use "with" or "on" in the following case?

texts:
A thesis with flies kept him awake the whole week

  A thesis on flies kept him awake the whole week

What's the correct option?


texts: Can “as" be used to introduce a longer background action or situation?

texts:
As they were sleeping, somebody broke into the house.
  As I was driving down the street, I saw Peter.
  As I walked through the park I remembered about my mother's birthday.

Do these sentences sound natural? Can I use “as“ in this way?

I know that “when“ or “while" can be used to introduce a longer background action or situation. I am just wondering whether I could use “as" in this way.


texts:
I've been reading this article.

And I came across this paragraph:

  We certainly need to further examine the meaning of these differences; yet, this is early evidence that sperm carries information about a man's weight. And our results imply that weight loss in fathers may influence the eating behaviour or their future children," says Romain Barrès.

I want to know, in this part:

  And our results imply that weight loss in fathers may influence the eating behaviour or their future children.

When it says the eating behaviour, who does the paragraph refers to? The father or future children?

How do I tell who the paragraph refers to?


texts: “It is going to be Children’s Day next Tuesday. ” or “It will be Children’s Day next Tuesday.”?

texts:
It is going to be Children’s Day next Tuesday.

  It will be Children’s Day next Tuesday.

  It is Children’s Day next Tuesday.

The third one is ungrammatical. The time is in the future, so I need to use the future tense. Our teacher told us “will” and “ be going to” are interchangeable most of time.

Are they interchangeable in this context?


texts:
A certain Andy Tompson, who insists that he is a native English speaker (which we can't really know), gave this example, "It's you I need to fix this" as an active to the passive "I need this to be fixed by you" among other sentences, which are: "You need to fix this" and "It's you who needs to fix this".

Now this is odd, because to me, "It's you I need to fix this" reads like two separate phrases: "It's you" and "I need to fix this".

The other two I find correct.

Is the option "It's you I need to fix this" correct?


texts:
I'm wondering which one of these two sentences is correct? And if they both are correct, then what's the difference between them?

For displacement maps we use 32 bit depth images in order to avoid
render artifacts which might occur if we used lower bit depth
instead.
For displacement maps we use 32 bit depth images in order to avoid
render artifacts which might occur if we have used lower bit depth
instead.


texts: Difference between 'be in shape' and 'be shape '?

texts:
I'm a beginner at learning English now
I'm so confused with the usage of the preposition 'in' in a sentence

For example:

I'm in good shape
I'm a good shape
This is a different size
This is different in size

Please, help me understand.


texts:
What's the usage of on in SpaceX rocket lifts off on first commercial satellite launch? Is it used metaphorically here?

Source


texts:
I described this as "vertically carved characters":

I was told that you usually put an hyphen when you have a verb.

I did a Google search, and I found both the hyphen and hyphenless versions:

  [...] to form a horizontally-carved raceway [...]

  Source.

  On top of the stone plaque are two vertically carved Chinese characters [...]

Source.

What's the correct answer? Or at least the most common format?


texts: everybody. Could you tell me , what form of 'elect' here? Of 19 British prime ministers (elected) or (were elected) in the 20th century.


texts:
In the following sentence what does the jump in mean? (Does it mean hurry or sth like that?)

"The best way to appreciate a software development framework is to jump right in and use it "

Obviously I know the meaning of either jump and in but I have no idea about the former sentence.


texts:
I thought you were one of those people who like listening to this kind of music.

I thought you were one of those people who liked listening to this kind of music.

Are both the sentences grammatically correct, and do they mean the same thing?


texts:
While asking a previous question I was not sure whether to conclude by asking "A" or "B":

A. Which of the above definitions is the most accurate in describing ...
B. Which of the above definitions does it fit more accurately the meaning of "bombastic" in that interview.

In "B" case "does it fit" form (after "Which ...") caused me perplexity under a grammatical perspective.
Can anybody enlighten me on this problem?


texts:
I clicked a few promising entries from the countless services that offer redemption in the form of cash for abused electronics and settled on a $70 offer from an outfit called iCracked, whose name suggested it could sympathize with my mental state.

In this paragraph all things happened in the past, why offer is still in present tense?

Source:LARB


texts: What is the difference between run away, get away, break away and go away?

texts:
What is the difference between run away, get away, break away, and go away?
About get away and run away, somethings were explained here, but what about other phrases?
I searched and found it as a polemical topic. It would be creditable that on one page we discuss them as a reference. We have other words like make off, abscond, flee, leave, escape from, etc., as others put forward them as examples, so far.


texts:
What is more common "light" or "burn" in this context?

  Do you know how to burn a candle?

  Do you know how to light a candle?

Are either of them equally likely?


texts: Why is 'I was just thinking' preferred over 'I have just thought'?

texts: Both constructions seem capable of expressing 'I thought something very recently'. Why is the former preferred over the latter?


texts: How Adele sings "There's a fire" in the song "Rolling In The Deep"

texts:
I like Adele and her song "Rolling In The Deep".

She sings the first phrase "There's a fire".
And I can't hear it but "They they fire".
It's different from how a cover singer sings "There's a fire"
that I think is common.

Is this Adele's original accent or something? Or simple "a" emphasis?


texts:
I went to the cinema in May and it was on then.

What exactly does "it was on" mean in the sentence above?
Does it mean it was on theaters? or it was a hit back then?


texts:
When we talk and already have a context, can we omit components such as "the", "of" or "in"?
In the examples below, I want to talk about the students of Harvard University only, but I don't want to repeat "the students of Harvard University" because that is too long.
I came up with a few alternatives like these below. Which are acceptable to you?
I guess that with a clear enough context, all of these are correct, right?

(1) When you were at Harvard University, were students asked to do voluntary work?

(2) When you were at Harvard University, were the students asked to do voluntary work?

(3) When you were at Harvard University, were the students of the university asked to do voluntary work?

(4) When you were at Harvard University, were the students at the university asked to do voluntary work?


texts: What does "it" refer to in the following sentence? Who is the subject of "would show"?

texts:
What does it refer to in the following sentence? Who is the subject of would show? I struggle to understand the meaning of the sentence. (emphasis added)

  We assume that the present is a much more serviceable guide to
  the future than a candid examination of past experience would show
  it to have been hitherto.


texts:
In this article I read:

  When I was a kid, our neighbors had two twin cats.

  Both cats looked seemingly identical—same charcoal fur, same piercing green eyes. Some personality quirks aside, you just couldn’t tell them apart just from looking at them. But of course they were two different cats, two separate beings, even though they looked exactly the same.

  There’s a difference in meaning between equal and identical. And this difference is important when you want to understand how Python’s is and == comparison operators behave.

  The == operator compares by checking for equality: If these cats were Python objects and we’d compare them with the == operator, we’d get “both cats are equal” as an answer.

  The is operator, however, compares identities: If we compared our cats with the is operator, we’d get “these are two different cats” as an answer.

  But before I get all tangled up in this ball of twine of a cat analogy, let’s take a look at some real Python code.

In the previous context, author takes cat twins for an instance, then follows

with ball-of-twine

I roughly understand the brief meaning.

In Wikipedia, it has no relation with twins.

The phrase has no explanation in urban dict.

I assume the author applied wrong phrase when flaunting his vocabulary.

Is it a popular phrase?


texts: Is "in what little time he had" a correct sentence?

texts:
For example:

"It is impressive how he did what he did, specially in what little time he had"

Is the sentence structure and grammar correct?


texts: What is the difference between "If you are lost" and "If you get lost"?

texts:
If you are lost
  If you get lost

I think "are" sounds stative and "get" sounds dynamic.

So what difference do they both actually make?

"If you are lost" can be a repeated or unchanging action - what would be the difference in that case?


texts:
Is there any grammatical difference between prepositions in the following word combinations?

Die from/of laughter, collapse with/from remorse, make haste from/(out) of necessity

or is it purely a collocation thing and each verb should be memorised alongside prepositions that go with it?


texts: Does "Thanks to" in the sentence express "Thanks"?

texts: "Okey! Thanks to Danny giving us a brief overview of the production line. It seems it is the most profitable line. " Here, is "Thanks to Danny" the meaning of "Thank Danny"? or just means "Due to"?


texts:
Can you tell me which one is correct. I think the second one (without who) is correct but the answer key is the first one (who). I don't understand.

J. Francisco Chaves, who took office as the first Superintendent of Public instruction for the territory of New Mexico.
J. Francisco Chaves took office as the first Superintendent of Public instruction for the territory of New Mexico.

Thanks a lot and Merry Christmas!


texts: When does medial ‹d› represent /dʒ/ e.g. educate, graduate, soldier, ... ? Is there any rule?


texts: Need pronunciation feedback: What do you do?

texts:
I need your feedback. Did I pronounce the question "What do you do?" good or not so good in American English? https://clyp.it/wnxeqwau

Any suggestion would be appreciated. Thank you!


texts: Should the verb "be" be capitalized in a title?

texts:
For example if I were to write a title called,

  "The First Letter of Each Major Word in the Title Should Be Capitalized"

Is this one correctly written?

Should I capitalize "be" as well here?


texts:
I learn English here, but I think the answer is wrong.

  The women aren’t ever received law degrees as today.

Why the correct answer is that?

Why the women using "are" instead of "isn't"?


texts: Is there any single word that means "let people know of my presence"

texts:
Sometimes we need to write a long expression in a single word. I need to know the single word or verb that means, "letting people know of one's own presence".
Here goes the context: There was this pair of macaws very close to me and I didn't notice them. They cried so loud all of a sudden that I felt they were trying to make me aware of their presence. And while writing about it I couldn't figure out the exact word to narrate the macaws' action.


texts: In “arrange it that…”, what does pronoun “it” refer to?

texts:
In bold sentence, What does pronoun it refer to??

LEWIS: [...] But what he's done with Orleans and Barbary Coast and Santa Fe, and everything he touches, he works for the people in the community. He loves his people in his town.
KING: Vegas.
LEWIS: And he does everything to give them pleasure.
Well, when I played the first engagement for Michael, he said, "You know, the local people here are so thrilled that somebody that lives among them wants to come and perform for them." I said, "Michael, let's arrange it that they have it the rest of their life." Well, he took this thought and put it together in a contract and offered it to me. He said, "Can we do this?" I said, "If the numbers are right, you got me."
Source: CNN Transcript - Larry King Live: Jerry Lewis Discusses Hosting His 50th Telethon

Can it be paraphrased as "let's arrange it (the situation) that they have it the rest of their life."??


texts:
"Parents play a crucial role in determining what does, or doesn't, influence their teens."

In the above sentence, should the word "influence" be replaced by "influences"? Please explain.


texts:
Nevertheless, Harry was determined to find out more about Riddle, so next day at break, he headed for the trophy room to examine Riddle’s special award, accompanied by an interested Hermione and a thoroughly unconvinced Ron, who told them he’d seen enough of the trophy room to last him a lifetime. (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets)

Why are there articles preceding the modified proper nouns? It reads okay to me but it's rather strange, can you explain it.

Would "accompanied by interested Hermione and thoroughly unconvinced Ron" be correct?


texts: 'He is rumored that he is writing a new book' - why is this wrong?

texts:
I came across the following sentence in a test and it is wrong answer so there cannot be a sentence in this structure. Could you explain to me why?

  He is rumored that he is writing a new book.


texts: Using the definite article "the" with adjective before a person's name

texts:
I am sure this has been asked in the past, but I can't find any rule and I would like to understand what's going on.
"The" is never used for proper names, that much I know. When I google "playwright William Shakespeare", it still seems the correct way to say it is without "the". But once I get to "British playwright William Shakespeare", it suddenly seems correct to add "the", as is "the British playwright William Shakespeare". What am I missing and should I still ommit the definite article is the latter case?
TIA
Ruth


texts: Should the following sentence use "not surprising" or "not surprisingly"?

texts:
He hadn't arrived yet. Not surprising/surprisingly. It was too early.

I think it can go both ways?

Maybe the sentence could mean:

  Not surprisingly, he hadn't arrived yet.

Or:

  He hadn't arrived yet. Which wasn't surprising.

Or maybe I'm wrong and only one option is correct? If so, which?


texts: Phrases or words to describe the sound a scissors makes

texts:
What would be a description of the sound a scissors makes when its two blades come together? Some examples might be:

"The clipping of fingernails."
"The snip of the blades".

Words or phrases work.


texts:
“here is a third type of affix, not normally used in English, but found in some other languages. This is called an infix and, as the term suggests, it is an affix that is incorporated inside another word. It is possible to see the general principle at work in certain expressions, occasionally used in fortuitous or aggravating circumstances by emotionally aroused English speakers: Hallebloodylujah! , Absogoddamlutely! and Unfuckinbelievable!. In the film Wish You Were Here, the main character expresses her aggravation (at another character who keeps trying to contact her) by screaming Tell him I've gone to Singabloodypore!. The expletive may even have an infixed element, as in godtripledammit!.

(Excerpt from: George Yule. “The Study Of Language.” iBooks.)

I am wondering what the bold part means. Would you help me understand it?


texts: "all the same" = [ all the + same + (?) ]; "the best" = [ the + best + (?) ]?

texts:
I like it the best / most.

  Thank you all the same in spite of this.

I am curious about the phrases in bold. What kind of structure are they? They all have the word "the" in them, which makes me wonder what kind of noun phrases they are, even though I know they are used as adverbs to modify the verbs. However, I think a phrase that uses the word "the" should be a noun phrase because "the + adjective" actually means "the + adjective + noun".

So I wonder:

all the same = all the + same + (?)

the best  =  the + best + (?)


texts: Do you perceive nouns ending with -a as somewhat feminine?

texts: In Russian, most nouns ending with -a are considered feminine and decline accordingly (with -a considered an ending). But English has no declensions and no -a ending. So I wonder whether you perceive nouns ending with -a (such as "America" for instance) as somewhat feminine?


texts: But seem like he didn't study much but still can do well in the exam

texts: Why cannot write "studies" instead of "study"?


texts:
They pity no one. They answer to no one. Their lives are simple. When
  they look down they see nothing but their prey, and the borrowed
  plumes of the hunters: they see a flittering, flinching universe, a
  universe filled with their dinner.

  — Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel

This is a scene of hawking. What is the "borrowed plumes"? I googled it and all I got is an idiom meaning "empty pretensions" which I don't think applies here.


texts:
The train arrives at Chicago.
The train arrives in Chicago.

Chicago is a big city, so we use 'in' before a big city. However, what about the sentences above? Do we have to use 'at' or 'in'? If we think of a particular point, we use 'at'. As the train arrives at a particular point, do we have to use 'at' here? Later the train will leave Chicago. Or are both prepositions possible?


texts: "Your job is more easy than mine" – is the comparative formed properly?

texts:
This post talks about the difference between easier and more easily, which inspired me another expression

  Your job is more easy than mine

is this a proper expression? I guess it is grammatical but not a normal expression. so I need a double confirmation.


texts: Is it correct and natural to say "catch up with someone on something"?

texts:
Could you tell me if it's correct and natural to say catch up with someone on something? For example:

Today I'm going to catch up with you on Friends.

What I'm trying to say is that I'm going to watch as many episodes as the person I was talking to.


texts: Can the verb of this subordinate clause be in present tense when the fact is still true?

texts:
I couldn't load all the boxes because my car was too small.

There were a few boxes to take to somewhere using my car.
But as my car was too small, which is the same car of mine still now, I couldn't load all the boxes into my car.
Regarding the fact the car used at that time is still the same car of mine now, can I also speak as follows? If then, which is more natural to say?

  I couldn't load all the boxes because my car is too small.


texts: Is it correct to say "snakes can slide". I presume "snakes can slither/glide" is more common, but is "snakes can slide" wrong?


texts: "In the beginning of the week" vs. "In the start of the week"

texts:
Which one is correct?

  A) In the beginning of the week

  B) In the start of the week

Or it's just a matter of style?


texts: a fighting for the glory - how do you understand this type of grammar?

texts:
A stanza from a song called John Paul Jones by Johnny Horton:

  When John Paul was a captain in the U.S. Naval Band
  A fightin' for the glory and the freedom of our land
  He made those British captains wish that they were on dry land
  He sent their mighty vessels to the bottom of the sea
  He took their bags of treasure and he sank their chests of tea
  He gave his blood for all free men and his life for liberty

The only thing I know is that this type of grammar is usually only used in old songs and poems, but I don't think I know how to actually understated it. I asked an American friend of mine, but he couldn't give me a definitive answer as to how one should understand it, only that this is some kind of manner of speech that's mostly used in old poetry and songs.


texts: Can aka (also known as) be used when not referring to a name or nickname?

texts:
Example (this is the opening of a story that's going to describe parts of Mary's life):

  This is how Mary lives in her one-bedroom apartment (aka how she
  coexists with loneliness).

According to Collins' Dictionary:

  aka is used especially when referring to someone's nickname or stage
  name.

Can I use it, though, like I did above?

If not, what's a better alternative?


texts: Does every singular countable noun must be used with an article with it?

texts:
Source
There are categories of nouns like:proper nouns, common nouns, material nouns, compound nouns, countable nouns, uncountable(nouns) or mass nouns, collective nouns, concrete nouns, abstract nouns, pronouns.

I heard a sentence in a TV series as:

  You've also made clear your desire to replace me as leader of the Decepticons.

I wonder what kind of noun is the leader in this context and why it is not preceded by an article?

Another example from The Hound of the Baskervilles

  I never hurt man or woman in my life that I know of.

Would the following sentences be grammatically correct?

  I never hurt a man or a woman in my life that I know of.
  (a could also be replaced by any).

  I never hurt men or women in my life that I know of.


texts: "I called to ask Mary for help" or "I called Mary to ask for help"

texts:
I am trying an English quiz.  Which is correct:

  I called to ask Mary for help.

or,

  I called Mary to ask for help.


texts: A number with contraction - is it valid?

texts:
While contractions go without any doubt with words, I wonder whether they are okay with numbers/digits too!

Are these valid contractions?

  USD 80'll be paid by me   GBP 1000's not a small amount  INR 300're born by my company

I could not find any example. Kindly help me with that. Quote some references.


texts: How to properly ask for store hours on phone?

texts:
I call a restaurant today and ask them for "Are you open till what time today?" as today is Christmas Eve and the person on phone asked me twice what? What?

So how do I ask for a store/restaurant person on phone about store hours for that day?

You are open till what time?
Till what time is your store/restaurant open today?


texts: When I was learning English by watching CNN news, I saw a news with the title “ The polls show Biden is a clear favorite 100 days out from an unprecedented election”, I want to know that is “out from” a phrase here. And if it is, what’s the meaning of it.


texts:
I wonder what is the best way to introduce in writing about my education e.g.

  " I did my graduation in economics in 2010 from Kingston University".

or

  " I have done my graduation in economics in 2010 from Kingston
  University".

or

  " I did my graduation in economics (2010) from Kingston University".

To me there looks to be something wrong with first two sentence constructions as there is "in" twice in the sentence. But I don't know the rule which stops me writing like this.

Kindly advice.

Thanks
Ahmad


texts: What do you call the imprinted pattern left behind a car in mud?

texts:
What's the name for this ... chase? stria? groove?

In Czech, we call it "stopa" - which literally translates as "footprint" but has a lot of other meanings as well so I can't really work out which of the tons of the English translations I should use here. Trail? Trace? Vestige?


texts:
Question 1.
Are these sentences correct?

He saw me after he had entered the room.
He saw me after entering the room.
Entering the room, he saw me.
On entering the room, he saw me.
Upon entering the room, he saw me.
Having entered the room, he saw me.

Question 2.
Can we start a sentence with any verb preceded by on or upon?

On coming home, he fainted.
On starting the job, he sent me a message.
On solving the problem, he left.
On cooking dinner, she asked for help.


texts: "The job interview went well" vs. "the job interview went off well"

texts:
Could you tell me if there is any difference between the job interview went well and the job interview went off well? For example:

Person A: So, how did the job interview go?
Person B: It went well./ It went off well.


texts:
What does this word mean? I heard this in the following sentence:

  He is a dumb-witted. He never speaks.


texts: Which preposition is appropriate with "compensation"?

texts:
Could you work on this for free?

In an answer to the above question, which preposition is correct to use with the word compensation?

  — No, I would like to work with compensation.

  — No, I would like to work under compensation.

  — No, I would like to work on compensation.

Or, should we just say:

  No, I would like to be paid for my work.


texts:
I read this sentence in a story: "I’m starting to get worried about him.”
If I write this sentence as : "I am getting worried about him." Would it change the meaning, anyway?


texts:
If I have an exam tomorrow and I said the following:

I have to study hard because I really don't want to take the exam again.
I have to study hard because I really don't want to have to take the exam again.

What's the difference between 'don't want to' and 'don't want to have to?'
I'm not sure but I think 'don't want to' here simply talks about what you personally want and not. And 'don't want to have to' means that there's something (certificate) for which you'll have to retake the exam if you fail.


texts:
I came across following sentence.

  Why on earth, has he not com.

I think it should be

  Why has he not come on earth

But book says first is also correct.

Can anyone tell me logic/rules


texts: A word which means something boring that you can not avoid but have to do it on some time intervals

texts:
For example, some car owners have to wash their cars every weekend.
I have to sweep the floor every night.
These are the things that can be boring but we can not avoid but have to do it.

Are there are any words that can describe or refer to the above examples?


texts: Word choice - Have come to understand / have understood

texts:
I didn't understand a friendship between a guy and a girl, but now I have come to understand the relationship.

I didn't understand a friendship between a guy and a girl, but now I have understood the relationship.

Which one is the more natural way to say?


texts:
dexterity (uncount): skill in using your hands or your mind

  You need good manual dexterity to be a dentist.

  mental/verbal dexterity

  skillful (adj): (of a person) good at doing something, especially something that needs a particular ability or special training

  a skillful player/performer/teacher

Ok, say you and your child were playing a game of stacking toys.

He tried but didn't succeed. The stack fell off every time he tried.

Do we say "you need good manual dexterity" or "you need to be skillful"?


texts:
I travel to the Binhai New Area by light railway every day, as do many businessmen who live in downtown Tianjin.

In the above sentence, does "as do many businessmen who live in downtown Tianjin" serve as a manner clause or relative clause?

Thank you very much!


texts: Can I say "When I become advanced level"?

texts:
Is this a right expression to say?

  "I'll study it again, when I become advanced level."

The situation was like that, a native speaker explained about the grammar of Thai, but as a beginner I thought it's better to put it off until I can understand better.

How would you say in this case like this?


texts: What is the correct preposition for environs?

texts: According to Oxford Dictionary, environs is "the area surrounding a place". I am writing a text about Barsian - a small city which is located around Isfahan. Can I write Barsian is located in Isfahan environs? Is in the correct preposition here?


texts:
A friend of mine asked me once what he could say if he was asked about a colleague or a friend not being able to attend a meeting or a party because of, for example, confidential health or family problems, or any private matters. What he wants to say -without being specific or giving any reasons-is something like

  He has some personal circumstances"

It's unlikely that the phrase "personal circumstances" sound natural. So what would native speakers "vaguely" say in a situation like this. I hope it is clear that the question is not about how to give any suitable answer but rather about giving an idiomatic one that is as close in meaning as possible to the matter at hand.

You could ask for more clarification in the comments if I was not clear enough.


texts:
The pattern depth in courses is dependent upon the number of feeds with selection facilities and whether the selection can be changed during knitting.

This sentence has been recited from Knitting Technology by David J Spencer. If the above sentence was written in the following way, it could make sense to me.

  ........whether the selection can be changed during knitting or not.

I don't know when only whether is used, and when whether is used with or not. When only whether is used, please say, what does it mean?


texts: How to read "next request" if read fast? Will the t and r will be put together, so it's sounds like: nex tre quest, and the tre here is the same as in string?


texts: I know modal verbs like  want, can, should etc. However, Which is the better way to ask with these verbs? I use 'Do you can?', 'Do you should' etc. Are there better way to ask with modal verbs and ask a request?


texts:
Social problems can no longer be solved by class warfare any more than international problems can be solved by wars between nations.

I think 'any more' is redundant because there is already comparative degree 'no longer', so it seems better that 'any more' has to be deleted as in Social problems can no longer be solved by class warfare than international problems can be solved by wars between nations.

Is my thinking correct??


texts: Is this sentence grammatical, 'Are you saying, in your usual circumspect manner, that it isn't be a good idea?'?

texts:
Are you saying, in your usual circumspect manner, that it isn't be a good idea?

(from here)

Why does it have two be's?


texts:
I am confused about the usage of Present Simple in these sentence.

Sorry in advance to anyone whose name i pronounce wrong.

You can assume that he is just telling a fact but it is said in an particular youtube video.

I think "pronounced" should be used instead of "pronounce". Why the present simple is used in these sentences?


texts: Is the term "Particle physics in cancer treatment" correct?

texts: I have to give a talk about how methods of particle physics are applied to cancer therapy. Is the title "Particle physics in cancer treatment" or "Particle physics for cancer treatment" correct ?


texts: How to intensify the structure: "someone is jealous of someone else"

texts:
How you would intensify the following sentence:

  He is jealous of me.

I'm not sure, but which one of the following sentences works here:

  He is a serious jealous of me.
  He is a real jealous of me.
  He is a severe jealous of me.

I was wondering if you could help me to discover what sentence is in common use to be said here.


texts: I used to use from time to time but I got recently corrected to use from-time-to-time (actually it's from time-to-time but I think both are effectively the same). It seems like from-time-to-time is also on a dictionary and I guess both are interchangeable, but since someone corrected my writing to the latter form, I wonder if there is a sort of idiomatic preference where one of them is preferred in some situation.


texts: "The manufacturer maintained/has maintained good material quality in the past"

texts:
I am confused about the usage of Present Perfect and Past Simple Tense. An example:

We are expecting normal results since the manufacturer maintained/has maintained good material quality in the past.

Which should be used here?


texts: "For background on .." vs. "for a backgroun on .."

texts:
This is somewhat tricky articles case:

  For a background on X, see ..

vs.

  For background on X, see ..

By background, I mean background about a specific topic to build knowledge on it.


texts: Ways to say "to take something by hand" in English

texts:
I would like to know how to say "to take something by hand" in these contexts. For example, we have: Pick, grab, take, etc. And I wish to know which word would fit the best in these sentences

  I took/grabbed/picked,... the book and sat on a chair.

  Ok. So, I pick, took, grab,... the flashlight from the shelf and give to one of you?

  I picked,grabbed,took.. the stick from ground!

I just would like point out an observation first:

  Please, do not think that this is a question regarding only the difference between these 3 words. I would like to know more words/ phrasal verbs that mean the same thing as "to take something by hand" and know their differences between each other (for example: I want to know the difference between grab and pick, take and pick, etc...). And I want to use them correctly.


texts: Is there a term for numbers with the same tens digit?

texts:
I want to know if there's a certain term or a way to call numbers with the same tens digit as a group, just like we call someone whose age is between 20 to 29 "in his/her 20s".

For example, if I'm playing bingo and I want to say something like, "Does anyone have a number between 30 and 39?" Is there any other way to say it?


texts:
I have an assignment and one question confuses me a lot. the question is:

  The words below have a literal as well as an extended meaning. Write the literal meaning of the words. Use the following words in sentences of your own using the ‘extended’ meaning.

  angry
  train
  mouth

What does "an extended meaning" mean? And how can I use extended meaning to form a sentence?


texts:
What are the shades, nuances, and/or differences in meaning between "reached me" and "came to my hand" as in the following sentences:

  The paperback book reached me,
  The paperback book came to my hand.

It seems to me that 2. indicates that the book is not that important, or that I came across it inadvertently.


texts:
Nowdays farmers are _____________ mushrooms.

Options-
a. rising
b.grow
c.has raised
d.raising.
My Approach:
I am confused between these two as i am not able to differentiate  after looking at their meaning.

rising:going up, increasing, or sloping upward.
raising:increase the amount, level, or strength of.

@Edit
Also i found the difference here.Is it correct?
Source:
http://www.grammar-monster.com/easily_confused/raise_rise_raze.htm
Ans will be rising please correct if i am wrong.


texts:
Please take a look at this passage:

It is due to a misunderstanding that most modern sculptures are
monochromatic. When ancient sculptures were exhumed years ago, they
were discovered to be uncolored. No one at that time had reason to
believe, as we now do, that the sculptures had originally been
colorfully painted, but that centuries of exposure to moisture washed
away the paint.

I can't tell exactly what's the usage of "but" in the last part of the passage. When seeing it as a conjunction, it seems wrong because it should not be preceded by a comma. This is as far as I could go.
So, then, is it an adverbial clause "but + noun clause" meaning "only"? Also, what does the second sentence really mean?
I would really appreciate any helps!


texts:
For example -Of uses with...
‘S uses with...
I thought ‘s uses with only abstract noun ,but on my test, the right answer  said  Should it be the surface of rock?? May you guys explain me about this? Thanks


texts:
What is the difference between Validation and Verification?

  An event pass must be verified.

  An event pass must be validated.


texts: Why does the spellchecker think this sentence is wrong?

texts:
Microsoft Word's spell (and grammar) checker makes the italic part of the following sentence sentence light up in green:

  Considering how both of the rotation vector sensors seem to have trouble handling vehicular motion, be it from static magnetic fields or accelerometer misinterpretations, using the gyroscope with a custom filtering solution seems like the most compelling alternative.

To avoid misunderstandings, here are some facts about what I'm trying to convey:

There are two separate sensors that fall under the "rotation vector" type
Both of them are having trouble with vehicular motion
The reasons they have trouble can be interference from static magnetic fields (one or many) and/or making misinterpretations of accelerometer readings.
Even if it's just one sensor, the accelerometer misinterpretations should be plural (since they keep making them).

The suggestions that come up are the following:

The first one seems plain wrong. The second one is also wrong, since there are many misinterpretations happening. The third one is just... no.

Now, to my knowledge my sentence is correct, and my guess is that the spell checker misinterprets the part following the last comma sign to be a subordinate clause of the middle part. When I read it out loud, I get the feeling that both the second and last parts ("part" defined as something between punctuation signs) are both subordinate clauses of the first part.

A tip I learned somewhere was to reduce the sentence (remove the "fluff") to see the structure more clearly. In this case that could be something like:

  Considering A (noun, plural) seem to B (verb), be it from X or Y (nouns, both plural), using C (noun, singular) seems like D (noun, singular).

I don't see anything particular that would be wrong with this, but at the same time it feels a bit strange. English being my second language, I'm not entirely sure what to think.

Should I just ignore the spell checker and leave it as-is, or is there something wrong with my sentence that I should correct?


texts:
I am an English learner and i am confused in a sentence. The sentence

  The bricks are keep in a kiln.

This sentence is about a process. This sentence seems absurd to me. So i wrote

  The bricks are kept in a kiln.

I want to know if it is a present tense. Why past participle form looks more accurate in this sentence.

If this sentence is in passive what will be its active voice.


texts: what is the correct way "brought" or "brang"?

texts:
My son uses the word brang all the time and my wife saying that it is ok.
I was taught that the proper past of "bring" is brought.

Who is right here?


texts: What is the connection between the words "ambitious and "it" in this text?

texts:
I am an easy going and laid back person, I love life and try to live to the fullest. One of my favorite activities is to smile and make people laugh, I feel there is so much negativity being projected into our lives that I want to bring happiness and light. There is so much that this life has to offer and I have chosen to be happy in it and be grateful for all the blessings that have been bestowed upon me. I lead my own experience and don't follow trends and/or people. I am an ambitious person and I believe I can have it all love, family, friendship and a career and I want someone who shares that same view and who encourages my success, as will I with them and not be intimidated by it.

What if we remove the word it ?
...I can have all life, family, friendship and a career...  this seems to be awkward, doesn't it?
...I can have it all love, family, friendship and a career...   this seems better, but I can not understand the use and meaning of thd word it .


texts: About the sentence structure "Do you see where the sign is?

texts:
This is from a textbook for ESL students.

  At the information desk, a lady asks, "Where is the restroom?"  A man says, "It's just behind you.  Do you see where the sign is?"

Is this sentence structure "Do you see where the sign is?" the same as, for example,

  "Do you know where the restroom is?"

If I take this sentence as a relative clause, does it work?


texts:
I often get confused when I want to distinguish the nouns as adjectives from possessive nouns.

For examples, these phrasings make me think and unsure.

The syllabus highlights.
Relationship problems
Admission requirements.

Aren't we saying here that in 1. the syllabus has these highlights. 2. This relationship has these problems. 3. the admission has these requirments, which means they should be possessive nouns?

Please tell me how you have learned to distinguish between them easily.


texts: The meaning of "consider" in this paragraph?

texts:
Newborns come into this world believing that they are the center of it, because they really are the center of their own world. Then social conditioning kicks in, and they learn that the world is full of other people and that they are no better than anyone else. They are told not to consider only themselves, and since they are told this so many times, they end up putting themselves last; hence, their natural self-esteem is worn down day by day.

I've searched on oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com and find that "consider" means "to think about something carefully, especially in order to make a decision" or "o think of somebody/something in a particular way", but I think both meaning is not true meaning of "consider" in the sentence, so I guess "consider" mean "make a judgement", and  "They are told not to consider only themselves" means "They are told judge only themselves", right? Can you help me to explain the meaning of it?


texts:
They turned and followed her past a deserted playground, one of them bump-bumping a stick along an iron fence, the other whistling: these sounds accumulated around her like that gathering roar of an oncoming engine, and when one of the boys, with a laugh, called, “Hey, whatsa hurry?” her mouth twisted for breath. Don’t, she thought, thinking to throw down her purse and run.

Source: T. Capote: "Master Misery"
http://www.sheilaomalley.com/?p=6786

What is the exact meaning of the last sentence? I guess that it could be paraphrased in this way: Initially she wanted to throw down her purse and run and in the end she decided not to do that. I suppose that this the sort of creative writing that does not follow the grammatical rules but is there some grammatical pattern from which this for me very unusual sentence is derived?


texts:
I don't completely understand the word yield, but I've heard it in my Finance class. I want to use it, but I am afraid of using it an incorrect way.

Can I say

  Telling lies yields bad consequences.

Is it correct? I think yield means result in, doesn't it?


texts:
I had an exam yesterday. There was question involving the changing of voice.

We shall have finished our work by March next.

The answer to this is apparently

Our work will have been finished by us by March next.

My question is: Is the following also correct?

By March next our work will have been done by us.


texts: What do "high sea" and "carry" mean in this sentence?

texts:
This is a line from Google's definition of "poop":

  (of a wave) break over the stern of (a ship), sometimes causing it to capsize.

  "carrying a high sea, we were badly pooped"

This line doesn't make sense to me. What do "high" sea and "carry" mean here? "High sea" doesn't seem to refer to the high seas. The verbal usage of "poop" here comes from the noun "poop" (in nautical terms refers to the raised area at the rear of a ship).


texts: Correct plural usage for "hundreds" and "thousands"

texts:
I'm having problems with hundred and thousand.

If someone asks you, How many trees are in this forest? Would you answer seven thousand or seven thousands, because thousands are countable?

I know that you usually say seven thousand, but I also know that thousands are countable, so wouldn't that make it seven thousands?

And when you are talking about multiple countable nouns, you would make it plural, but the plural isn't thousand, it's thousands, so it couldn't be that thousand is the plural.

Why isn't it a few thousands? Is it because of an exception in English? Any help would be appreciated.