texts: usage of "all of the tasks" and "all the tasks"

texts:
which of the following sentences is the most common in English?

"all of the tasks were performed well."
"all the tasks were performed well."


texts: Help to understand the metaphor: *this letter* --> *something felt like a freight train*

texts:
CEO Kevin Meuret told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that the hacking was probably committed by an ex-employee. “I’m a father of three daughters, and that young lady getting that [response] is horrible,” Meuret told the paper. “That young lady opened something that must have felt like a freight train, and that’s unacceptable.”

According to the previous context, the [response] is:

  “Thank you for your interest in careers at Mantality Health. Unfortunately, we do not consider candidates that have suggestive ‘ghetto’ names. We wish you the best in your career search.”

I don't get the analogy: this letter --> something felt like a freight train. Maybe, it leverages the big and heavy nature of a freight train? I'm really not sure about it.

The full source.


texts: The past tense instead of the past perfect tense

texts:
I have seen a sentence, where, for my part, the past tense is used instead of the past perfect tense. Here is the the sentence:

"I am able to let go of who I thought I was supposed to be"

Must it not be "I am able to let go of who I thought I had been supposed to be"? Tell me please if I am wrong.


texts:
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), adopted by the United Nations in 2016, all have one goal: by 2030, all inhabitants of planet Earth should be able to live in dignity.
  The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), adopted by the United Nations in 2016, all have one goal: by 2030, all inhabitants of planet Earth should be able to live with dignity.

I am wondering which preposition is the right one here.


texts: Can '-ing' form replace 'to infinitive' in the following sentence?

texts:
Here are three sentences. A) and B) are okay, but what about C)?

I want to know if C) is also possible.

  A) My blister made it a problem to walk.
  B) My blister made walking a problem.

  C) My blister made it a problem walking.(?)


texts:
Which of the following is correct?

  There has to be rules and regulations.

  There have to be rules and regulations.


texts: Present subjunctive: Verb tense after when

texts:
I have seen two related questions. This one here has an answer trying to give some general explanation, but I don't understand it well. Let me try with a simple example:
Text me back when you (be) back at the office.
The context I am thinking of is: I have just been to your office but you were not there and I want to meet you in person. Is it clear?
In my mother tongue that would be a subjunctive,  but unfortunately English does not have.
How about when you be back at your office?


texts:
I understand the quotation from poem "If" by Rudyard Kipling, but I don't understand the meaning of the word "turn" in its context

  If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew to serve your turn long after they are gone


texts: Is it proper to use "optics" in "a matter of optics"?

texts:
Maybe it’s a matter of optics. Take cars, for instance. Put a Porsche next to a Kia and it’s easy to spot the former’s superior design and engineering and understand (to some extent) its inflated price tag.

optics  : the scientific study of light and the way we see.
It has nothing to do with scientific study here, isn't it?
Another :

Obama dropped by an Orlando campaign office Sunday night before bailing on the Central Florida event with President Bill Clinton (who showed up with U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson) and instead returning to the White House to monitor Hurricane Sandy threaten much of the Northeast.
“The president…has real responsibilities. Those responsibilities come first,” Axelrod said. “We’re obviously going to lose a bunch of campaign time but that’s as it has to be. We’ll try to make it up on the back end. It’s not a matter of optics. It’s a matter of responsibility.”


texts:
In mobster movies, the criminals always refer to a secret drop-off where they make illegal transactions.

What does a secret "drop-off" mean?
Does it mean a secret "place"? Because it relates to mobster movies I think it could have a special meaning that I do not get it yet.


texts:
Does "strict library" mean a library that is strict about its rules and law and order? Can "strict" be used with regard to places or organizations?

The context:

  A tinkling bell rang somewhere in the depths of the shop as they stepped
  inside. It was a tiny place, empty except for a single, spindly chair
  that Hagrid sat on to wait. Harry felt strangely as though he had
  entered a very strict library; he swallowed a lot of new questions that
  had just occurred to him and looked instead at the thousands of narrow
  boxes piled neatly right up to the ceiling. For some reason, the back of
  his neck prickled. The very dust and silence in here seemed to tingle
  with some secret magic.


texts: I had a test yesterday. There was a question about fraction number and it's way of writing. What is the right form of spelling of "1/2 ton"? A half of ton, half of a ton or half a ton?


texts: "Go in the front door", "go through/by the front door", or "go inside through/by the front door"?

texts:
Could you tell which of the following sentences sound the most natural.

Let go in the front door. The back one is locked.
Let go in through the front door. The back one is locked.
Let go in by the front door. The back one is locked.
Let go inside through the front door. The back one is locked
Let go inside by the front door. The back one is locked.

What I'm trying to say is let's get inside the house by way of the front door. Are all natural and correct? If none of the sentences sounds particularly idiomatic, how would you say that?


texts:
In the following sentence:

  The newspaper expects its editors to check the facts.

What is the grammatical role of "to check"? Why can it not be replaced by "checking"? I thought they were both verbs. How does the verb "expects" modify what verb "check"?


texts:
does "of which" refer back to "spirit land" or "happier ones in the spirit land"?

And when the earthly years have ended may we continue to spend still
happier ones in the spirit land, glimpses of which I am occasionally
getting.


texts: "go to look for somebody in the place" vs "go to the place to look for somebody"

texts:
Given sentence:

  Off they went to look for the astrologer  in the forest.

Question:

  Where did they go to look for the astrologer?

Possible answers:

  They went to the forest to look for the astrologer.
  They went to look for the astrologer in the forest.

I am so confused with the verb in this sentence is
went or went to look for.


texts: What does 'wattage of doctoral graduation' mean?

texts:
I was reading an online article and come across some phrases that I couldn't clearly understand.

Several months on, the wattage of doctoral graduation has dimmed. To put it simply: I feel kind of lost and empty. There’s something anticlimactic about post-doctoral life that has left me feeling directionless and with a sense of unarticulated potential.

First, what is the meaning of 'wattage of doctoral graduation'?
Second, what is the meaning of 'unarticulated potential'?
I think those are some kind of figurative expression and I vaguely get the meaning. But I want to know the exact meanings of them.


texts:
A post says

  In short, the reason sounds better, because in life as we and John know it, there is usually only one reason given by, or on behalf of, a murderer. This is true, whether John has heard about this specific case, this specific trial, this specific murderer, or not.

"This is true, whether", what grammar pattern is it?

I understand this simple conversation

  A: Is this true? Did you really win that competition?

  B: This is true.

I also understand another case

  ... this is true, no matter John has heard about ...

I don't understand the structure and the meaning of the whole sentence "This is true, whether John has heard about ..."

I understand the basic form of subordinate clauses, the part starting with whether is the object of the preceding verb.

  I can’t decide whether to paint the wall green or blue. (or to paint
  the wall blue)

  She didn’t know whether he was laughing or crying.

I guess "whether John has heard about ..." is a subordinate clause, but I can't tell what is the main clause. Could someone please give a hint? Thanks in advance.


texts:
I was in New York.
  I have been in this armchair for 4 hours.
  BTS is temporarily in the USA.

Does this usage of be-verbs actually mean 'exist'?


texts: Does this sentence make sense? (I reformed the cloth into a dress.)

texts:
When I want to express that I reformed the cloth and made a dress, can I say like 'I reformed the cloth into a dress?

If I am wrong, What is the best answer for it?


texts:
I need to know the reason why the idiom "bend over backwards" has
the meaning of "To work very hard to accomplish something for someone".

  He will bend over backwards to help you.

we usually bend over forward when we work hard, because we need hands.

Why does the idiom use "backwards" instead of "forwards"?


texts:
The two examples are taken from OALD:

  We have extrapolated these results from research done in other
  countries.

  The results cannot be extrapolated to other patient groups.

Could I substitute infer for extrapolate here? I think they are synonyms. Any nuances implied?


texts: Is "down" not meaning "below" (e.g. "down the line") formally acceptable?

texts:
One of my biggest issues when learning the language was when I heard people saying "down there" or "down the line" when referring to a counter or a line in a bank, respectively, for example.

That just didn't make sense to me. Translating the words, it never would, but in informal language, this is one of the most common expressions used in the English language.

Is that usage of the word down formally correct?


texts:
I have been having troubles recently, related to vocabulary.
While writing essays or whatever writings in English, I recognized that my sentences were mostly consisted of 'simple' words. Such as 'become better' or 'become longer,' which can be replaced with 'improve' or 'lengthen.' Not sure whether I should call them 'simple' words, but it was the best I could thought of. And since I am living in a country where English is not being spoken as native language, there's a low change of encountering such 'improved' words.
So, my question is that would there be a way to learn and practice better vocabulary?


texts:
I have the following sentence:

  These files are often vulnerable to a class of viruses known as xx
  viruses which targets their structure format.

The word targets refers to the class of viruses. What is the right verb in this case: target or targets?


texts: Regarding the dropping of the article "the" in this context

texts:
In this answer to a physics question, the responder said,

  "The current J in a material is a combination of conduction current and displacement current".

Is it permissible to drop the in the above case? shouldn't it be:

  The current J in a material is a combination of the conduction current and the displacement current.

or even:

  The current J in a material is a combination of conduction currents and displacement currents.

?


texts: Can a sentence have clauses in two different tenses?

texts:
I have the following idea, The first part is written in a present form as it is more general. As I explained what I did in the second part, it is written in past tense. here is my example.

  The proposed graph analysis method is based on a correct segmentation
  of point data.
  The work in this study mainly focused on the modeling
  process.

And I join them using and as follows.

  The proposed graph analysis method is based on a correct segmentation
  of point data and the work mainly focused on the modeling process.

Now, I am doubted whether we can keep two tenses within a one single sentence. Any idea please.


texts: What do you say to bus driver in this situation?

texts:
Let's say you're on the bus and you ring the bell one stop earlier and bus driver's going to stop the bus. You want to say to him or her that you rang it by accident. What is the most natural way to say it?
Thanks in advance.


texts:
Having therefore consulted with my Wife, and some of my Acquaintance, I determined to go again to Sea. I was Surgeon successively in two Ships, and made several Voyages, for six Years, to the East and West-Indies; by which I got some Addition to my
  Fortune. My Hours of Leisure I spent in reading the best Authors,
  ancient and modern; being always provided with a good Number of
  Books; and when I was ashore, in observing the Manners and Dispositions of the People, as well as learning their Language; wherein I had a great Facility by the Strength of my Memory.

One of the meaning of the "Facility" is "Talent" but I don't think here it is in this meaning.

Dose the whole phrase in bold mean: because of my good memory I easily learned many things?

Source: Galliver Travels


texts: Are in vs are included in vs are featured in

texts:
Would you explain the difference in meaning between the following sentences.

  Is it okay that several scenes with Dana are in the movie?
  Is it okay that several scenes with Dana are included in the movie?
  Is it okay that several scenes with Dana are featured in the movie?


texts: Difference Had been Twins and Were Twins

texts:
What is the meaning of below sentence ?

a) I asked if he and my father had been twins.

Does it mean

b)  I asked if he and my father were twins.

If Yes , then when to use a) and when b) ?


texts: How to say the results of something in the past

texts:
In the following sentences I try to state the result of something in the past. I'm not sure if they need would or not, or if I use the right tense

  Unfortunately, I had bad teachers who never tried to teach me math in an easy and sweet way so that I became attracted to it

  Unfortunately, I had bad teachers who never tried to teach me math in an easy and sweet way so that it attracted me


texts: Does altering the structure of an interrogative sentence change the meaning?

texts:
When we change the structure of an interrogative sentence, such as:

  Am I not supposed to go there?

like this:

  I'm not supposed to go there?

Does the meaning stay the same? If not, are there any cases it might make a difference?


texts:
It is from Crash Course World History. It is at around 7 minute and 36 second. Here it goes:

  "Though ten out of twelve had fallen, still the last two, as sure as death, were to be found on the first evening of rest over the bottle drinking a silent health to their dead companions.


texts: What means the phrase "Record what you are drawn to"?

texts:
I don't understand the meaning of the phrase "Record what you are drawn to", can you explain it properly? The entire extract is the following:

  You are an explorer your mission is to document and observe the world around you as you've never seen it before. Take notes. Collect things you find on your travels. Document your findings. Notice patterns. Copy. Trace. Focus on one thing at a time. Record what you are drawn to.


texts:
For example, is the following sentence correct?

  All is well!

If it is correct, then it means that "all" is singular.

Then how come the phrase

  All hail Caesar

is used because it suggests that "all" is plural that's why it takes hail and not hails.


texts: What form is not yet in the example below?

texts:
Girl: "Can I eat it now?"

  Mom: "Not yet"

Is it even correct to use not yet this way?


texts: What is the difference between "respective" and "corresponding"

texts:
Before you begin please connect your laptop's power adapter and an
  Ethernet cable to their respective outlets.

I found this sentence on Northwestern University's website. Every time I find this type of usage of "respective", I am confused why "respective" is used and think "corresponding" is more suitable. That is, Longman dictionary defines "respective" as follows:

  used before a plural noun to refer to the different things that belong
  to each separate person or thing mentioned

  We all went back to our respective homes.
  the respective roles of teachers and students

So, I think "respective" is used to describe the relationship "of" not "for".  In my example, the outlets for the adapter and the cable, not the outlets of the adapter and the cable.

Is my understanding correct?


texts:
What do you call fireworks that are bought for the sound they make when fired? Formally and especially colloquially?

I have found some names like firecrackers and bang snaps. However, I don't know if they are what I am looking for. What I am looking for are those explosives that are as big as a cigarette or smaller.


texts:
What is a word to describe a speech that is quick and continuously spoken without stopping?

I need a word for this.


texts: "with eyes and curiosity" vs. "with curious eyes"

texts:
It is a great list, which would tempt anyone with eyes and curiosity. As all prizes should, the Turner gives the appearance of rewarding achievement, when what it is really doing is luring in the unsuspecting audience with outrage, spectacle, fun, and something amazingly new. (The Independent)

Source

Is it proper or idiomatic English to say "with eyes and curiosity"?

Obviously, as to say, from the context it is clear what the journalist would say—i.e., "with curious eyes"—,but I'd like to know if that construction is commonly used, at least in parlance. Is it?


texts:
I still want to use the sentence "I'm really sorry" but replace "really" with a bigger word, what can I use?

Thanks!


texts:
Cargo container-shaped homes in Texas
What do you call this type of house?


texts: "each one having/has its own advantages and disadvantages"

texts:
Consider followings:

  In recent years some new models have been proposed, each one has its own advantages and disadvantages.

  In recent years some new models have been proposed, each one having its own advantages and disadvantages.

I used "has" but my editor changed it to "having". Should really I use "having? Why? Can you explain it from grammar point of view?


texts:
It is from this video. It is at 2 minute and 56 second. The contex is a coach eplains how to correctly do dumbbell press.

  A lot of times you can cast your thumbs because you are trying to get a little extra cheat.


texts: Tense agreement: "confirmed it is" v.s. "confirmed it was"

texts:
Google:"confirmed it is"
Google:"confirmed it was"

Both have >400k hits but from what I learned in school, the former is ungrammatical. Or is it not?

  IBM confirmed it is building more data centres in the UK - Business Insider

  Mini Confirmed It Is Developing Its First Plug-In Hybrid Model

How about "has confirmed it is/was" ? (I understand the former searches include hits for the latter.)


texts:
It is the best movie I have watched before!
  It is the best movie, I have watched before!

I think there is a big difference between the 1 and the 2.
I suppose the difference would be that the 1 means the movie (I am watching now) is the best among the movies, which I have ever seen before, but different from the 1, the 2 means the movie is the best movie and I have watched the movie before once or several times.

Is my thinking correct?

( I know you guys would think that the 2 is absolutely odd because the movie cannot be the best in that I have never seen any other movies except that. That is to say how I estimate the movie is the best one not having seen any other movies. But the aim of this question is not for it but for the punctuation, so please overlook the odd point in meaning.)


texts:
the students had learned some stuff before this lecture, and now the lecturer is talking about the content again.

the lecturer himself is saying

  we'll start with the 10 minute recap on ...

how do I describe what they are doing? is this a proper expression? "they are in a recap"


texts: Is the word, 'later' in this sentence idiomatic?

texts:
I wrote this sentence:

The data is deleted by comparing it with the open timestamp. This means that some of the
data whose close timestamp is later than the input time can be kept.

In the sentence, I want to express that the data with a timestamp greater than the input timestamp can be kept. But I feel bit awkward using 'later' in the sentence. Is the sentence idiomatic?


texts:
The following is from The African Queen by C. S. Forester

  For a moment it appeared as if he was explaining the failure of his
  life to the tribunal before which he was so soon to appear.

  "The poor mission," he said, and - "It was the Germans, the
  Germans."

  He died very soon after that.....

Does the bold mean the mission which doesn't meet the expectation or the mission for the poor?


texts: "It's the antithesis of everything a good historian is supposed to be"

texts:
It's the antithesis of everything a good historian is supposed to be.1

The meaning of this sentence is clear. But I have a question whether the word "what" is not missing there by chance. It's the antithesis of everything what a good historian is supposed to be.

1. Source: http://revolution-fr.livejournal.com/88475.html


texts: Is there any "official" level test focused on American accent?

texts: The courses and level tests which I know are only focused on British English, like Cambridge or Oxford, especially for the listening tests. Just for curiosity, I would like to test my level of listening against a test focused in the American accent. Do you know something "official" (i.e. widely accepted) like that?.


texts:
I found this quote on the internet: "“He is putting by some money for a car".
Can you explain me if "putting by some money" have the same meaning of "save money"? is it synonyms?


texts: Am I right in interpreting the sentence in bold?

texts:
At night I lay awake looking at the darkness, listening to the silence,
prefiguring the future, picking out of the past the scraps I had overlooked,
those rejected events which now came to the foreground, large and
important, so that the weight of destiny no longer bore on the current
problems of my life, whatever they were at the time (for who lives without
problems every day? Why waste the nights on them?).
Often, it is a far cry from Kensington and the early 1950s, this scene of
my night-watch. But even now when I return to London, to Kensington, and
have paid the taxi and been greeted by the people waiting there, and have
telephoned the friends and opened the mail, that night I find again my hours
of sweet insomnia and know that it is a far cry from that Kensington of the
past, that Old Brompton Road, that Brompton Road, that Brompton
Oratory, a far cry.

I found two meanings for the "far cry" in the dictionary:
1:a long distance
2:something notably different
So I get somehow confused about the meaning of the sentence in bold. I think it mean: At night she think of somewhere very different from Kensington and the early 1950s. Am I right?
Source: A Far Cry From Kensington by Muriel Spark


texts: The order of adjective with a "pair of" something

texts:
I was wondering where put adjectives used to describe a pair of clothing items.

Which is correct:

  A pair of black pants or a black pair of pants?
  An expensive L-sized pair of pants or a pair of expensive L-sized pants?

I would very much appreciate your answers and explanations.


texts:
They acquired Tai-me, the sacred Sun Dance doll, from that moment the object and symbol of their worship, and so shared in the divinity of the sun.

(emphasis added)

I do not know what this so is used as. Is it used as a conjunction denoting an effect, or used as kind of a complement serving the purpose of so in the sentence "it seems so"?

If it is the latter, is so inverted in some way? Would the uninverted version be "and shared so in the..."?


texts: Is "check it out again" correct? How can this be simpler?

texts:
I encountered this sentence then I confused about sentence structure, I know the Y example is incorrect, but I don't know why? (The problem is I don't know exactly what I must look for about this grammar).
X- check it out again.
Y- check out it again.
and the second question, how can we write this sentence simpler?!


texts: Ellipsis of modal verb with two subjects and two main verbs

texts:
Is it correct and appropriate to omit the second modal verb in the sentence below?

  At this scale, objects can be identified and models [can] provide excellent answers.


texts:
I'm uncertain which is the proper writing for x/y/z-coordinates :

With a space, like so : X Coordinate? Or with a hyphen (X-Coordinate)?
Capitalize X or leave it lower case? I tend to choose lower case.
Capitalize "Coordinate"? I guess no.

My favourite until now is "x-coordinate".


texts: Generic plural. I need to know if there is a rule about it

texts: We say "the poor"  but then we say "the Italians". If both are correct, I wonder why is not possible to say "the poors". Can you tell me the rule please?


texts: A comma before "because" in a sentence like "This effect happens(,) because of this cause."

texts:
In this sentence, should there be a comma before because:

  A file was excluded because it cannot be updated.

Part of me thinks cause and effect should have a comma.

  This effect happens, because of this cause.

However, this would also be a defining clause.  See: Comma before "because"


texts:
I am not sure about the difference between "for" and "in" with perfect tenses. Is there a difference in meaning?

  1- She hasn't taken her eyes off her phone in two hours.

  2- She hasn't taken her eyes off her phone for two hours.

  3- We haven't talked in 10 years.

  4- We haven't talked for 10 years.


texts:
Context : form referencing our customers experiences

While the overall goal is crystal clear (describe our experiences, what we did, solutions used, problems solved...), I got a couple fields I don't really understand.

Customer Engagement Title
I'm not sure whether it's about the nature of our relationship with this client, the client itself, his level of involvement in the design of the solution, or something else.

In my case, We developped and deployed a website/software, and had to communicate a lot with our client (with validation cycles and so on).
Is that what I should be speaking about ?  I wouldn't call us "partners", but guess I could find a word for that, since the field asks for a "title"

I checked out Google and Wikipedia btw, but it wasn't enough this time.

Customer Engagement Short Description (300 Chars)
If I got the 1st field right, I guess I should just tell about the work we did together.
Is that it, or am I completely wrong ?

EDIT : Got precisions : in that specific case, one should just read this as "project title" and "project description".
The guy whom I talked to confirmed me a lot of people get confused with those fields.


texts: "Why would he have stolen the car?" vs "Why would he have to steal the car?"

texts:
I'm trying to feel the difference between the sentences:

"Why would he have stolen the car?"
"Why would he have to steal the car?"

I'm feeling that both have a common idea of asking the reason behind the assumption of him stealing a car.


texts: Meaning of the phrase "get something up on still store"

texts:
That was in Crash Course Astronomy. The sentence it was used in is at around :26. The speaker is showing a meteorite in his hand to the camera.

  Cambot, can we get this up on still store?

What is still store and what does get up mean there?


texts:
John yanked at the arm.

John yanked the arm.

I am confused about the meaning of these sentences. What’s the difference between them?


texts: Can "deliberation" mean "act consciously"?

texts:
I found the word "deliberation" (and the verb "to deliberate") in a strange context. To explain the behavior of deliberating, the author of the book says:

When you decide to do something, get it done. When you set an appointment with someone show up. When you say “yes,” mean “yes”...

Can "deliberation" mean "act consciously", in this context?
Thank you


texts:
Recently, a proofreader suggested an edit for my story:

  a laughter laugh escaped my throat.

The New Oxford American Dictionary suggests:

  laughter
    noun
   [mass noun]

  the action or sound of laughing:he roared with laughter

and

  laugh
  noun

  1 an act of laughing:she gave a loud, silly laugh

Following the definitions it would seem as if the correction goes in the opposite side here. What's the difference in usage between the nouns laugh and laughter? Are there some subtle differences in connotations, associations, undertones, usage patterns I failed to notice?


texts:
Can the verb fresco be used to describe points out or represents, or this verb can only be used to describe paint in fresco.
Example:
The President frescoes the innovative suggestion during his inaugural speech.
If it can be used in the context of the above sentence, would it sound awkward to the English native speaker?


texts:
Charles C. Boycott was an English land agent whose difficult duty it was to collect high taxes from Irish farmers.

I can't understand how it works in this sentence. Does it antecedently refer to "whose difficult duty."


texts: What does "past year" turn into in indirect speech?

texts:
1) I know that last changes to previous but what does past transform to for this example:

Direct Speech: Some strange things happened during the last/past year.

Reported Speech: On October 25, 1842, he said that some strange things had happened during the previous/(?) year.

I can change "the past year" with "the previous 12 months". Is there a better choice?

UPDATE:

2) I do not want to open a new topic. This is another question I have.

Text from 1881: "The two inventors are said to have increased the stability of their machine."

I made an attempt to convert the sentence above to, I do not know how to call this because it does not look to be pure reported speech, but I am not sure especially about "to have increased". Does its form change or not.

In 1881, the two inventors were said to have increased the stability of their machine.


texts: it’s every bit as possible to loop reliably - don't really get this

texts:
While I applaud your work ethic, you do realize that it’s every bit as possible to loop reliably and predictably without all that formal initializating and updating stuff ? Besides, I often repeat code in situations where there isn’t a need to initialize anything, and the updating takes place right there in the action code. So I’m content to do without the formality and just focus on the looping.

I can't make sense of the part in a bold type.


texts:
Which one is correct

  This is the last November of our college life.

  This is the last November in our college life.


texts:
I'm studyng the content found on another question on this site and the expression "therethen" is used on some sentences in the answers. In one of the examples it's explained as being related to "spacetime state" but it doesn't help me to understand it. I have alread spent some time doing researches but I just can't understand what it really means. Here are some of the sentences I'm talking about:

  B could have stop the accident from moving to therethen

  B could have kept therethen away from the accident

  B could have stop therethen from moving to the accident

  "The accident could have been prevented by driving carefully." =
  "Driving carefully could have stop the accident from moving to
  therethen."


texts: Which definition for 'agency' in 'moral agency'?

texts:
2. agency =  [mass noun] Action or intervention producing a particular effect
2.1 = [count noun] A thing or person that acts to produce a particular result:

How do you determine/deduce which definition applies to moral agency?? Please explain the steps or thought processes; I’d like to try to resolve this myself in the future?


texts:
A lapidary style is polished and cut to the point of transparency.

(It is about Hemingway's writing style)


texts:
I have played football yesterday.

is it Correct?

we can say : I was playing football yesterday.
I played football yesterday.

but in this sentence "have played football"
 has the general sense of "played football on one or more unspecified occasions in the past", and does it go with "yesterday"? which is a specific occasion.


texts:
As far as I know,

  every other day = every second day

and I think (but I'm not sure) that they are both common. Is every two days also correct and common to use instead of them? I am also wondering whether

  every three days = every third day

and if they are used commonly?


texts: Should I use "it" or “one” in “...living in {it/one} is more uncomfortable...”?

texts:
Here is the context:

I looked it up to see what it feels like to live in a castle. It seems like living in it is more uncomfortable than I thought. Firstly, castles aren't designed for dwelling purposes--they are fortresses to fend off enemies.

"It seems like living in it is more uncomfortable than I thought."
In this sentence, can I use "it" to refer to a castle that I mentioned before?
Or, do I need to use "one" because it's not specific enough?


texts: Should I use ratio, rate, fold, or increase?

texts:
The amounts of ingredients a, b and c in A (solution) were 1, 2 and 3, respectively.
I have prepared B, C and D solutions with the ingredients as below.
The amounts were multiplied by 1.5 for solution B, resulting in a,b,c having the amounts of 1.5, 3, 4.5, respectively.
The, the amounts were multiplied by 3 for solution C, resulting in a,b,c having the amounts of 3, 6, 9 respectively.
Also, the amounts were multiplied by 0.5 for solution D, resulting in a,b,c having the amounts of 0.5, 1, 1.5 respectively.
As above, based on the amounts of ingredients of solution A, the amounts of the ingredients of B,C,D were determined by multiplying a specific number to A.
Then, how can I express these changes collectively regarding the preparation of solutions B,C and D?
How about:

B, C and D solutions were prepared according to the recipe (composition?) in which the amount of each ingredient was increased or decreased at a specific rate as compared to A

B, C and D solutions were prepared according to the recipe in which the amount of each ingredient was changed with a specific fold increase or decrease as compared to A

B, C and D solutions were prepared according to the recipe in which the amount of each ingredient was changed by (with? according to?) a specific ratio in relation to A

I would like to know your better answers as well as your opinions.


texts:
To request someone to eat his food completely, can we say:

Please finish your food
Please finish your meal
Please finish your dish
Please finish your cake, please finish your sandwich

If yes, which are correct, if no, what should I say.
What about to say:

Please finish your plate


texts:
So, I just came across a sentence in a summary I'm writing, where something has me stumped:

Consider the sentence: "A (intense) pulsed field is applied."

If I just wrote "A pulsed field is applied.", that would of course be correct. Same with "An intense field is applied". As intense starts with a vowel, an is used.

But what would I use in the context that intense is a not-so-important quality of the field? I could write "an intense pulsed field"; but want to convey that the pulsed character is more important, and the intensity is secondary. Does setting intense in parentheses call for a because it refers to pulsed? This does of course generalize to other descriptive adjectives that start with a vowel and consonant, respectively.

For context, this is a homework assignment for a physics lecture.


texts: Is it possible to use an online corpus to prove how infrequently the expression “good morning” is used in conversational English?

texts:
I’ve been reading up on corpus linguistics and was thinking about a conversation I had with some students about the infrequent use of the expression “good afternoon” in every day speech. Would it be possible to use an online corpus such as the COCA or BNC
to shed some light on the frequency and register of this greeting?
If it is possible and someone is familiar with one of those databases could they provide some steps on how to begin that search?


texts:
I'm trying to figure how to reduce my use of words like 'is', 'are' and 'being'.

A dog is lying on the floor.

A dog lying on the floor.

Why should I always write "A dog is lying"?  I think the second one gives the same meaning and is short and sweet.


texts: It felt like "I'm going on an adventure"

texts:
I have been working on a software that it looks like an adventure (it's hard).

In the last three weeks, I have worked on new software, and I finished it just now. I want to say to my co-workers "working on TICKET-X was a real adventure. It felt like: https://giphy.com/gifs/running-adventure-movie-HVr4gFHYIqeti.

Can I use the sentence It felt like?


texts: What is correct "Your father just told me" or "Your father has just told me."

texts:
In Oscar a 1991 American slapstick crime comedy film directed by John Landis, I heard: "Your father just told me".

Why do not correct to say "Your father has just told me."?

Because in "How English Works" page 172, 16:

  They (just discover) a new fuel - it's half the price of petrol and much cleaner.

The correct answer is by the book:

  They have just discovered a new fuel - it's half the price of petrol and much cleaner.

Is there any connection with the fact that the book "How English Works" is by Oxford University Press UK, but the movie is by Hollywood in the USA?


texts:
Do I say

How many years have you been speaking English?

or

For how many years have you been speaking English?

And why?


texts: "I am going to see what I can dig up" meaning

texts:
I am going to see what I can dig up

I want to know what the above sentence means. However, I know the meaning of "dig up", but  I am a little confused about what the speaker really meant in that sentence.


texts: Does "an oil painting" have some slang meaning?

texts:
From "The Running Man" (1987)

The TV Show has a big success and the producer says to his team.

  Listen up, everybody. I want you to all to consider yourselves picked
  up for the rest of the season, okay?

  *people look at him remaining silence although he obviously expected they'd be glad. Producer continues:

  What are you, my people or an oil painting? We're up nine points!

I don't know what does "an oil painting" mean in that context. I know that "not an oil painting" means unattractive person, but I got something different here, right?


texts: She must be sick again / she must have been sick again

texts:
She is absent, she must be/ must have been sick again.

What is the difference in the meaning of the two sentences and which one is correct to use here ?


texts:
I am aware that landing means

  the fact of an aircraft arriving on the ground or a boat reaching land

"landing on the ground" is a typical usage, for example

  The plane made a safe landing on Lake Michigan beach.

It sounds like the video is saying (a video link with a time stamp) (sentence_1)

  In Africa, my parachute ripped at 17,000 [feet].
  I blacked out, and on landing broke my back.

The official transcript fits what I heard, there is an "on" in front of "landing".

the question is,

Does the "on" in front of "landing" indicate a very short time when something happened, which refers to "broke my back" here? If yes, could someone give more examples about this meaning of "on", such as on time?

I'm a bit confused, It seems that **on landing ** plays a role of subject.

on landing [subject] broke [verb] my back [object].

why is that?


texts: "I wonder what his favorite word is" vs "I wonder what's his favorite word"

texts: These both sound off to me. Ending a sentence with "is" just doesn't read well in my opinion, though neither does shoving it somewhere earlier in the sentence like in the second example. This is just based off sense, I can't explain why I feel neither example works for me. Still what do you all think? Which one is more palatable for you? Would you word it differently?


texts: How to negate 'being the first' using 'second'

texts:
How do you negate the phrase

  If this is the first row ...

to a phrase like this:

  If this is the second or __ row

What is the word you insert in the gap? Is it 'later'?

Is there a better way to negate aboves phrase?

I don't want to write something like this:

  If it is at least the second row

  If it is not the first row


texts: "While I think" or "while I will think"?

texts:
Tell me please which sentence is correct.

  Kate, could you make a sandwich while I will think of it?

  Kate, could you make a sandwich while I think of it?

What I have definitly heard a native english speaker say was this:

  I have not decided yet, so roll the intro while I think of it.

I suspect the speaker was talking about the future because if he was talking about the present, I guess, he would say something like while I am thinking of it. Tell me please if I am wrong.


texts: "Oh, that’s nice!" vs "Ooh, that’s nice!"

texts:
What is the difference between the following two sentences:

Oh, that’s nice!
Ooh, that’s nice!

I looked it up in several dictionaries and the definitions were similar, the pronunciation is different though:

Word
definition and pronunciation
on Youglish

oh
oh
oh that's nice

ooh
ooh
ooh that's nice


texts: “The most something” vs. “most something”

texts:
It might be Procter & Gamble that makes the most washing powders.

Do we need “the” here?

It seems to me that the sentence means the number of washing powder trademarks offered by Procter & Gamble – not superior properties of these washing powders, and therefore “the” is redundant here.

Source: “Objective IELTS Advanced” ("Grammar folder" - So the sentence comes without context.)


texts:
Is it standard English to write some task takes "until some time later", like:

  1a. The work could take until next week.

where a point in time is used, instead of:

  1b. The work could take a few days.

, where an amount of time is indicated?

Edit:
How about these:

  2a. The work would need until next week.
  2b. The work would need three days.

  3a. The work could require until next week.
  3b. The work could require three days.


texts: Noun used as an adjective in "passenger seat"?

texts:
A friend of mine (a native speaker of Japanese) wrote "passenger's seat", which a native speaker of English corrected to "passenger seat".

Onelook.com has entries for the latter but not the former, but I wouldn't be able to explain the grammar of it. Is a noun being used as an adjective?


texts: what kind of teacher vs what kind of a teacher

texts:
What kind of a teacher!

We cannot use article after what kind of but we have exclamation mark  in the sentence above.

And  in  arihant it is written in exclamations with what and how use an article before singular countable nouns.


texts: Are as and while interchangeable in this sentence?

texts:
The taxi driver waits as/while Troy loads his luggage in(to) the trunk.

Is as and while interchangeable here?

Should it be in or into?

Would you assume from the sentence that it's his own luggage Troy is loading in(to) the trunk?


texts: I have qualified some exams. Now I need to send those certificate to a recruiter. Can I refer to those certificates as Qualification certificates?


texts:
I want to know that: does the perfect tense function it proper usage when it preceded by “to” infinitive.

I was taught that we couldn’t put “ago” with present perfect.

So, I came across a sentence such as the following:

  These lions seem to have existed 70 years ago

Isn’t the same as?:

  These lions have existed 70 years ago. incorrect

Warning: Cambridge Dictionary

We normally use ago with the past simple. We don’t use it with the present perfect:

I received his letter four days ago.

Not: I have received his letter four days ago. Incorrect

The source

  Luskin’s team found that there are now only two habitats with viable populations, down from the 12 thought to have existed 70 years ago.


texts: Is "mistakes are caused because of…" redundant?

texts:
In this B2 exercise the student had to complete the second sentence so that it had a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given in block capital letters. The student must not change the word given and they can only use between two and five words in the space.

36. ‘Sometimes tiredness causes the machine operators to make mistakes.
BECAUSE
Sometimes mistakes …………………………………………… the tiredness of the machine operators.

A student of mine wrote

“Sometimes mistakes ARE CAUSED BECAUSE OF the tiredness of the machine operators.”

The textbook, published by Cambridge, says the following are the correct solutions

36 are made OR occur/happen | because of

I understand that Cambridge solutions work better, but I'm not sure why my student's solution is wrong. Is caused and because in the same sentence redundant? And yet, the Internet has many many examples of sentences containing the string: “caused because (of)”
Googling yielded these examples:

More specifically, the operator should be held strictly liable when environmental damage is caused because of a malfunction in the operation of the activity or when the damage is caused by an accident.
Official Journal of European Communities

The physical phenomenon Condensation is caused because the air in the room contains a certain amount of steam which can come from various…

No sustainable and avoidable damages shall be caused because of service works

This situation may be caused because of the dimensionality of the feature vectors.
EEG Analysis Techniques and Applications

Symptoms are caused because of too much stomach acid and include: Acid reflux;...
University of Rochester Medical Center

Seasons are caused because of the Earth's changing relationship to the Sun.
Ducksters.com

Sadly, more than a year later and Stephanie is dealing with the aftermath of the virus. It’s what she calls an onslaught of symptoms that were caused because of the virus.
clickondetroit.com

I suggested that the following worked better without "because" and that the preposition by was necessary.

Sometimes mistakes ARE CAUSED BY the tiredness of the machine operators.

However, can someone please explain why the student's solution was inappropriate.


texts:
What does "do more with less" mean in this context?

  Raising money before Aha is difficult and money is expensive. Before Aha, VCs usually demand control and recruit a professional CEO. This means that entrepreneurs, who want to control their dream and the wealth it creates, need to know how to get to Aha with control and how to grow after Aha with control. Most of the billion-dollar entrepreneurs controlled their venture. To control, you need to do more with less – especially before Aha. Mark Zuckerberg got VC after Aha and controlled his venture and the wealth created.

source: Forbes, Aug 4,  2016


texts: Is it possible to rewrite “who had” to “having”?

texts:
Is it possible to say this?

  He married a woman who had once committed adultery.
  He married a woman having once committed adultery.

The latter uses "having" as an adjective clause, like a box containing ten apples.

A real life example:

  Nextcoin, or commonly known as NXT, is a relatively new altcoin having been released in December of 2013.Source: cointelegraph.com, NXT

I want to know whether it is ambiguous or not. I want to know about the grammatical felicity of this.


texts: Proverbs similar to "We're not rich enough to buy cheap things"

texts: I'm looking for other proverbs similar to "We're not rich enough to buy cheap things". This is because I want to use it for a similar but a little bit different purpose. I want it to be meant that to get something valuable you must pay more than the price that is common place.


texts: "For many years now" and "For some years now" meaning

texts:
I want to know the meaning and the differences of these particular phrases:

for many years now / for many times now
for some years now / for some times now

can anyone also provide an implementation of these in sentences?


texts: What is the meaning of “In case the talents will be ignored, a person may take one step back and thus get a Karmic Debt.”?

texts:
In the paragraph below, the meaning of boldfaced line isn't clear.

  Power brings responsibility and freedom to choose. In case of acting responsibly and using lofty powers, a powerful person will find reward in choice itself. In case the talents will be ignored, a person may take one step back and thus get a Karmic Debt.

Any interpretations please?


texts:
So when you ask someone

  Do you watch X?

you ask if X is still running, right? If it has stopped premiering, then does the question rephrase to

  Did you watch X?

?


texts: Can we use either "Reduced vocabulary" or "Low Vocabulary" to describe "limited vocabulary"?

texts: A friend of mine told me that he believes that young people in his country have a reduced vocabulary, that is, their knowledge of their language is limited. Do "reduced vocabulary" or "low vocabulary" describe this situation or is there a better term?


texts:
On went her old brown jacket; on went her old brown hat. With a whirl
  of skirts and with the brilliant sparkle still in her eyes, she
  fluttered out the door and down the stairs to the street. (From: The
  Gift of the Magi. by O. Henry)

What is the intention of "on went" in the sentences? Does it mean "wear"?


texts:
Some people after you help them, just go away.

Or

Some people after you helped them just go away.

Or

Some people after you’ve help them just go away?

Thanks


texts: Difference between find objective adjective vs. find that clause

texts:
I was wondering the difference of meaning the following sentences:

I found him interesting.
I found that he is interesting.


texts:
I came across this sentence:

  "The biggest risk you will ever take is not taking one at all."

I am unable to understand what does one at all mean in the statement context.


texts: How to understand stanza 2 in the poem 'Follower' by Seamus Heaney?

texts:
From "Follower", a poem by Seamus Heaney:

An expert. He would set the wing
And fit the bright steel-pointed sock.
The sod rolled over without breaking.
At the headrig, with a single pluck

I have difficulty understanding this stanze, because I do not have a picture in my mind depicting what is described. My questions:

What is meant by 'set the wing'

What is meant by 'fit the bright steel-pointed sock'? Is the 'sock' referring to the one we often wear on our feet? Why does the author describe the 'sock' as being 'steel-pointed'?

What is meant by 'at the headrig'?

The full poetry can be viewed here:
http://englishwithhume.weebly.com/uploads/1/0/7/2/10723048/follower.pdf


texts: "alternative for this library that is open-source and free" - Is this relative clause appropriate?

texts:
I wrote this post in another website, I look for a software library. Is my usage of relative clause to describe it correct?

I use Aforege.Video.FFMPEG library in a C# project to create a video from a series of bitmaps. Recently for a weird reason the project doesn't work and gives an error on this library when I call WriteVideoFrame method.
Anyway, I decided to find an alternative for this library that is open-source and free. What do you recommend?

Could I say

I decided to find an alternative for this library to be open-source and free. What do you recommend?

Please note, I don't want to use adjectives because the description could be like

I decided to find an alternative for this library that works in Windows and has designed for .Net Framework 4.5. What do you recommend?


texts:
Can you give me a simple definition for this without using: as it were, .....

I'm having problem finding an equivalent.

  In that relationship it's very much Lorna who wears the trousers, so to speak.

  We have to pull down the barriers, so to speak, of poverty.


texts:
In the sentence below:

  The photos may cause offence to some people.

The preposition 'to' is confusing. I think there are three possible meaning of 'to'.

In the direction of sth
To show the person or thing that receives sth
Concerning sth/directed towards

Please let me know what is correct answer.

Source 'to' : enter link description here


texts:
Accidentally I've come up with a sentence where the contraction cannot be used, here it is:

  *I can't tell you how excited I'm.

Obviously, any other sentence with similar structure (i.e. having a contraction of the verb be at the end of the sentence) falls prey to this as well.

I was wondering if there are other cases where the corresponding contraction (not necessarily of the verb be) cannot be used?


texts: Could you teach me for 2 questions from Trump's words on climate issue (possibly) in the debate(?) with Biden?

texts:
Actually I would not like to talk about Trump's words because previously it went into HNQ for nothing but I can't run away from asking because simply I would like to know if I like Trump or not.
Currently reading this article,
There is a head line saying,

Ocasio-Cortez Lets Loose On 'Unhinged' Trump Name-Dropping Her At The Debate

Question 1, What would this line mean. My guess is the republican Ocasio Cortez set her tone free (kind of wildy) on Trump after she was called by Trump at the debate? Am I correct?
Question 2 : Trump said,

They know nothing about the climate. I mean she’s got a good line of stuff, but she knows nothing about the climate, and they’re all hopping through hoops for AOC plus three. Not a real plan. It costs $100 trillion.”

What does this bold phrase mean?


texts: "will have to'" , "have to" and "have had to"

texts:
I can’t understand and distinguish the necessity of using “will have to” instead of “have to”. I think both are giving the same meaning and both are giving an indefinite hint of future. For example,

  If you want to learn about your own treasure, You will have to
  give me one-tenth of your flock.
  If you want to learn about your own treasure, You have to give me one-tenth of your flock.
  You will have to do hard work.
  You have to do hard work.
  I have to do the math.
  I will have to do the math.

I want to know the difference among them.

Another thing is, “Have had to”

What is the meaning of “Have had to”? I want to know its meaning clearly so that it won't be able to puzzled me anymore. For example,

  I have had to learn other arts, such as the reading of palms.
  I have to learn other arts, such as the reading of palms.


texts:
Is it okay to use:

  Why is she sleeping so late? (Does this mean: "Why is she still sleeping?")

To mean: >Why is she still sleeping?

It is afternoon, so a person wants to ask:

  Why is she sleeping in the afternoon?

(Does this sound okay to mean "why is she still sleeping"?)

Do the two sentences (the ones in the yellow boxes sound natural?)

And what will a person exclaim:

  I slept late at night so I ended up sleeping late. (I.e. I woke up late.)


texts:
I know that in the sentence "the computer was invented in 1947", the use of "the" there is generic. Also, I understand that we often use "the" this way as generic for nouns of animal, plant, and inventions.

My question is, is the generic use of "the" only limited to nouns of animal, plant, and inventions? Or, can we use "the" as generic as long as when we want to mean a specific genus among other genera?

To expand on my question above, the following is an extract from an NY Times article. "Another corporate structure being exploited now more than ever is the master limited partnership." Here, the author put "the" before "master limited partnership" even though the concept was first introduced. Is it also a case of the generic use of "the"?


texts: "Starve a fever, sleep a concussion". What does it mean?

texts:
I'm watching an American Dad episode (S9E17), and one of the characters (Francine) say this sentence:

  Well, come on. With a head trauma like this, you should get right into
  bed. It's like they say, "starve a fever, sleep a concussion"

I really don't get the meaning of this joke (i think it's a joke...), can someone help me to understand, or to translate it in French?


texts:
Are these two sentences interchangeable?

My question is whether 'I have a good stomach' is the same as 'I have a good digestion'.

There are many idioms relating to 'stomach', and I am afraid my sentence will be understood in a very different way.

http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/stomach


texts: 'an introduction of' or 'the introduction of'?

texts:
If I want to say that a problem can be solved by means of introducing some constraints, do I use a definite or an indefinite article for the word introduction ?

(a) The problem can be solved through the introduction of additional constraints.
(b) The problem can be solved through an introduction of additional constraints.

To me it doesn't look like a possessive form which would require a definite article, however, the sounds more familiar to me with the word introduction. I am not sure though.
I have the same doubts about a phrase removal:

(a) This entails the removal of element 47 from X.
(b) This entails a removal of element 47 from X.


texts:
She was awarded the Member of the Order of the British Empire 12 years ago for her contribution to the Women’s Royal Voluntary Service, a charity that provides a range of services for vulnerable people who might otherwise feel lonely.

  She still helps out at her local WRVS shop at Hope Hospital, Salford,
  which raises money for the charity so that it can offer services from meals on wheels for elderly people to welfare centres for soldiers in the Army.


texts:
Taiwan leader says protest-hit China trade pact vital for economy.

My perception : protest -hit is an adjective meaning be attacked by protest.


texts:
He's made it an imprisonable offense to connect this house to Floo Network, place a Portkey here, or Apparate in or out. (From Harry Potter)

Does the meaning of it derive from to connect this house to Floo Network, place a Portkey here, or Apparate in or out?

And does the sentence mean that:
connecting this house to Floo Network, placing a Portkey here, or Apparating in or out are imprisonable offenses?


texts: "Survivors clinging to a raft." Is this sentence right?

texts:
"Survivors clinging to a raft."

There is no verb in this sentence.

I know this sentence is not the present progressive/present continuous.

But can this sentence be used independently?

I found this sentence here.
Definition of cling verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary


texts: is it legal that if a "few" is more than "half?

texts: IIUC, a few means not a large number, which is ambiguous. I wonder is it valid that if a few is more than half?


texts: Correct form of writing hints for math charts

texts:
I have a math chart (there are multiple curves btw) and want to write some hints below.

Here's a sentence that describes what it means when one (or many) of the curves is/are green:

"green - parameter is within optimal range for the current condition."

Should I put any article before the "parameter" word? Is the sentence correct if I omit any article at all?


texts: Would you please throw a light on "with whom VS. with who"?

texts:
Would you show me if they mean the same thing? or, which one is incorrect?

A. Whom did you go with?

B. Who did you go with?


texts:
Example:

  Four of our days of the week - Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday were named in honour of Anglo-Saxon gods, but they didn’t bother with Saturday, Sunday and Monday as they had all gone off for a long weekend.
  While they were away, Christian missionaries stole in bringing with them leaflets about jumble sales and more Latin.
  Christianity was a hit with the locals and made them much happier to take on funky new words like ‘martyr’, ‘bishop’ and ‘font’.

What does stole in mean?


texts: What were you doing/have you been doing [does one have a negative connotation?]

texts:
I have been debating with my wife (she is American) over the correct use of each phrase. She doesn't know anything about grammar and also grew up with a lot of immigrants so she suggested I just post and ask.

When and how should I use each phrase apart form the grammatical guidelines of a specific/unspecific time?

For example could one be more polite/rude or do they suggest something else, e.g. the person was waiting all day or just for a few minutes?

Could I say 'What were you doing last week' because I'm interested in what they were doing or should I say what have you been doing last week to sound more polite which in turn would contradict the rule of not using a specific time with 'have been' since 'last week' is a specific time, or should I ask 'What did you do last week?'


texts: Should have + several verbs, are they all using the same past participle form?

texts: Would it be correct to say: "He should have gone past that place, turned right, and gone to the pub." (when explaining that someone went the wrong way)? The verbs are homogeneous and thus I believe supposed to appear in the same form, but for some reason I have a feeling that it should be "...and went to the pub". I'm struggling to find the rule or at least examples of similar sentences.


texts: Can "both" change the meaning of a sentence?

texts:
Is there any difference in meaning between:

  Both my two friends moved the heavy table.

and

  My two friends moved the heavy table.

?


texts:
Does the phrase "Hours from inauguration" make you think that the inaugural address has been delivered hours ago? It did for me until I searched it to find that people around the world are still expecting to see it.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hours from inauguration, President-elect Joe Biden paused on what might have been his triumphal entrance to Washington Tuesday evening to mark instead the national tragedy of the coronavirus pandemic with a moment of collective grief for Americans lost.

Source: Associated Press


texts:
From a movie. Two cyclists talking after a short race.
A: How is that for slow?
B: You gotta give me a second chance! I'll race you through the tunnel.
A: You're on. Hadn't had enough? (meaning I outraced you.)
Why is it "hadn't had enough?" It only happened 10 seconds ago. Why not "didn't have enough" or "haven't had enough"?


texts:
I haven’t seen you in a million years.
I haven’t seen you since a million years.

Which is correct and why?


texts:
As Cambridge Dictionary says, "proper" means: "real, satisfactory, suitable, or correct". Also, it is said that, "suitable" means: "acceptable or right for someone or something". An finally, "appropriate" means: "suitable or right for a particular situation or occasion".

As you see, they have lots of semantic overlaps which makes a person who lacks the requisite intuition fall into doubt when it comes to use each case. This is why I decided to provide you with some examples to discover how and when to use each case. I would appreciate it if you kindly let me know about the wrong choices for each case. Here are my examples:

  Such movies are not ........... for children.

a. suitable
b. appropriate
c. proper

  Two out of five people lack a .......... job in that country.

a. suitable
b. appropriate
c. proper

  Such small studios are ............ for young couples who have no children.

a. suitable
b. appropriate
c. proper

  I can't come to the ceremony tomorrow! I don't have any .............. clothes.

a. suitable
b. appropriate
c. proper

  It is not a/an .............. time to ask her about this matter.

a. suitable
b. appropriate
c. proper

  We will take .......... actions when it comes to.

a. suitable
b. appropriate
c. proper

  They dont consider him a/an ............. husband for their daughter.

a. suitable
b. appropriate
c. proper

Please note that, to me as a non native, all choicea work for all cases above.

I have already visited the similar thread on the forum.

Some useful links:

https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/fitting-suitable-appropiate-proper.2313993/

https://hinative.com/en-US/questions/3204687

https://www.englishforums.com/English/SuitableProperAppropriate/bbcnwp/post.htm

https://www.italki.com/question/191255

https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/threads/96774-what-is-difference-between-approperiate-and-proper

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/learnit/learnitv108.shtml

https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-difference-between-proper-apt-and-appropriate


texts: What does "Who's for another round of toast" mean?

texts: I heard it at a meal in a movie but I couldn't understand it. Can somebody tell me what it means, please?


texts: what is the meaning of mnemonic and mimic exactly?

texts:
I'm reading a book about programming in C and have seen this two words for the first time mnemonic and mimic. so what means these words from programming perspective.

  The declaration of the pointer ip ,
  int *ip;
  is intended as a mnemonic; it says that the expression *ip is an int . The syntax of the
  declaration for a variable mimics the syntax of expressions in which the variable might
  appear. This reasoning applies to function declarations as well


texts: an eternal verity "which, attending," has planted

texts: Forth from the age-yellowed pages (of the book) there leapt an eternal verity; which, attending, has planted new seeds of wisdom in the soil of my mind. (an internal meditation on the Holy Bible 1890)


texts: Why no definite article at the start of "Seating capacity in the cinema is for approximately 1,400 people."?

texts:
Seating capacity in the cinema is for approximately 1,400 people. The interior of the theater was remodeled during the period of the late 1940s to early 1950s. (from Wikipedia)

Why 'the' is not used in first sentence, while it is used in the second?


texts:
So you open the door and see your friend and say "Come on in" that means you are asking him/her to come in, okay?  But then I read in a book that it was wrong English but it did not mention what was the correct form.So that is my question.

What is the grammatically correct English phrase or sentence having the same meaning as "Come on in" and according to which particular rule this one is wrong ?

EDIT: This was from a story book written in my native language and it's from a conversation between two characters. One says "Come on in" and the other thinks to himself "speaking wrong English." This might seem strange but I really wanted to know what would be the right English and hence this post.


texts:
According to the sequence of tenses in the following sentence, which should be used, 'is' or 'was'?

  She got a well-paid job as she is/was proficient in both English and Chinese.


texts: an idiomatic definition vs. an official definition

texts:
I am writing some technical docs. There is a technical term that has no official definition, as there is no definition for that term in any formal specs. However, there is a widely-accepted definition for that term in the tech community. In this case, can I refer to that definition as "an idiomatic definition", as in

There is no official definition for what X is, as you cannot find it in the spec. However, there is an idiomatic definition that the community has been using over the years


texts: How to start a sentence with "To name a few"? or any alternative phrase for an academic document?

texts:
How I can start a sentence with "To name a few"? I have read this post.
I am writing a paper and for saying how important is the topic, I want to add a few examples. I do not want to list everything and want to just mention two examples with emphasizing on this point that these two are just examples and there are a lot of usages for the topic. I chose "To name a few" but it is usually used at the end of sentence. How I can use it at the beginning or any alternative phrase?


texts: Omission of the verb ''to be'' in some sentences?

texts:
I've noticed many native speakers omit the verb To Be in some sentences such as ''where you from?'', ''what you on about?'', ''what you doing?'', etc.
Is it standard or just a regional thing? I know speakers of African American English often omit their ''be's'', but I've seen people of all races and backgrounds do it too.


texts:
Suppose that in a conversation, our conversational partner just said something completely new to us, and we want to express that we didn't know (or haven't known) about it before. For example,

A: Some dictionaries will tell you whether a noun is countable or not.
B1: Oh, I didn't know that.
B2: Oh, I haven't known that.
B3: Oh, I didn't know that until you mentioned it.
B4: Oh, I haven't known that until you mentioned it.

Which responses are possible? (I think all are possible.)
Which one is the most likely response by a native speaker?


texts: Either of those teams or either of the teams

texts:
Let's say you are a referee in a match, with team A and team B. Furthermore, you can't side...

  Either of the teams

OR

  Either of those teams

Can I use either of them interchangeably or is there any difference?


texts:
How and when is the phrase "How I wish I could..." used?

I came across this phrase at at least two instances:

How I wish he could question the Indian powers!
How I wish I could. But I have a real job. I think you should go, the cool, fresh air of Kashmir will do you a world of good.


texts: What does 'over' mean in this idiom 'pull over'?

texts:
I'm not a native english speaker. In our language we have no preposition so it is very difficult for us to understand it.
for example we discuss 'pull over' all day long. we know what 'pull over' means but anyone doesn't know what 'over' means in this idiom.

meaning in dictionary: To bring a vehicle to a stop at a curb or at the side of a road: He pulled over and jumped out of the car.

What does 'over' mean in this idiom 'pull over?'


texts: This sentence is grammatically correct if I use "skills to do sth"?

texts:
there:

Could you tell me this sentence is right: In this position, I have developed strong customer service skills to deal with disputes and communicate with customers in a calm and professional manner.

"in this position" and "skills to do sth" are two of my concerns. Do you have any idea for the sentence?

Thanks!


texts: Which of either of "too" and "so" to use in "His eyes were ...... bad that . . . "?

texts:
I got this question from the Cambridge website.

  His eyes were ...... bad that he couldn't read the number plate of the car in front.

  such
  too
  so
  very

I answered too, but the answer was so. Can anybody explain why please?

As far as I know too and so have the same meaning and the only difference is too can be used in negative.

too+ adjective / adverb (no noun)

so+ adjective / adverb (no noun)


texts:
Follow instructions given to you when referred for medical treatment
  for any injury and retain documentation. (https://cmpahandbook.com/all-important-safety-rules/)

What does "referred for" mean? I searched dictionary, but couldn't find the meaning. Does it mean "when given medical treatment"?


texts: How to say that the draft is short of details?

texts:
I have made a draft specifications about some materials. But it is not fully complete. still more information needs to be provided. in the email, how to say this?

I wrote it like "Still draft is short of details." is it grammatically correct and conveys the meaning?


texts: "on", "at", "in" as preposition of location

texts:
I have found the following usage of "on", "at" and "in" on the internet. Is there any other exception and/or rule for that?

Preposition of Place
Use in for

Enclosed place: in a room / in a building / in the garden / in a box / in a car / in a taxi / in a helicopter / in a boat / in a lift (elevator)
Water: in the water / in the sea / in a river
Line & Queue: in a row / in a line / in a queue
Countries: in France / in the US / in Iran
Cities: In Paris / in New York / in Tehran

Exceptions: in the newspaper / in the sky / in the bed / in the street (= in the middle of the street, standing on it. e.g. Watch out! There is a tire in the road)
Use at for

general Places: at the bus-stop / at the door / at the cinema / at the end of the street (for address. e.g. I live at 21st street)
Point: at the top (bottom) of the page / at the back (front) of the class / at the corner / at the door / at the entrance / at the front desk

Exceptions: at home / at work / at school / at university / at college / at the top / at the bottom / at the side / at reception
Use on for

Surfaces: on the ceiling / on the wall / on the 2nd floor / on the table / on the menu / on a bicycle / on a motorbike / on a horse / on an elephant
Small Islands: on Maui
Directions: on the left / on the right / straight on the main street

Exceptions: on a bus / on a train / on a plane / on a ship / on the radio / on television / on the way / on the internet / on Facebook / on my weblog / on the street (e.g. Ikea have a big new store on Oxford Street)
No Preposition

home / downstairs / downtown / inside / outside / upstairs / uptown

She went upstairs / He comes home / They both are outside


texts: Tomorrow we will announce a winner! Or "the winner"?

texts:
The voting is running now, so we don't know yet who is a/the winner.

Tomorrow we will announce a winner!
Tomorrow we will announce the winner!

Which one is correct?


texts: May I use "usually" with a past-tense verb?

texts:
Usually means in most situations or what most people do.  Is this sentence correct, with the verb in past tense?

  I usually went home late.


texts: What is the difference between someone and somebody?

texts:
Should I say:

  [•] I'm thinking about someone.

Or

  [•] I'am thinking about somebody.


texts:
Where is the proper placement for the adverb "previously" (are any of these incorrect usage?)? Do each connote a subtly different meaning?

It had been set previously.
It had been previously set.
It had previously been set.
It previously had been set.

Edit: Thanks for the comments. It would be helpful if you guys can give some scenarios where one would make sense over another.


texts:
What does it mean do a little voodoo? I have seen this expression in the answer by Bryan Oakley on StackOverFlow:

  To use these, though, you need to do a little voodoo to get this
  information passed to your validate command.

Intuitively, this expression could possibly mean for me:

Do a workaround (cheat)
Do something that is hard or tedious (or both)


texts: What does "per protocol" mean in this context?

texts:
It's a quote from the TV drama Manifest. Here are the lines:

  -Per protocol, climbing to penetration altitude.
  -Per protocol, adjusting flight path to storm center.

The drama is about a bunch of passengers and crew of a commercial airliner who suddenly reappear after being presumed dead for over five years.

The plane captain as the speaker of this line is trying to fly up to the sky and looking for some dark lightning to prove his own theory. What confused me is the meaning of per protocol. It seems like a regular term of airplane.


texts: How to rearrange hyperbaton in 'Say Not the Struggle Naught Availeth'?

texts:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperbaton exemplifies with Say Not the Struggle Naught Availeth:

  [1.] For while the tired waves, vainly breaking,
  Seem here no painful inch to gain,
  [2.] Far back through creeks and inlets making,
  Came, silent, flooding in, the main.

  [3.] And not by eastern windows only,
  When daylight comes, comes in the light,
  In front the sun climbs slow, how slowly,
  But westward, look, the land is bright.

How do you determine/deduce the correct order of words? I tried to reshuffle the bolded as follows:

1. For while the the tired waves + seem + vainly breaking + here, no painful inch to gain.

2. Did I reconstruct [2.] correctly as follows?

The main +  Came, silent, flooding in + Far back through creeks and  + making + inlets.

3. How do you reorganise the last four lines?

When daylight comes, + the light + comes in + And not by eastern windows only,
+ I'd keep the rest the same. Is this right?


texts:
It was not until his third match that Mendoza won.
It was until his third match that Mendoza won.

What is the difference between two sentence？


texts:
In the following sentence, is the verb refer can be used in both way as "referring " and "referred"? For me , when is "referred" used as if people refer it. On the other hand if "referring " is used , the verb is used in active voice; the subject "meaning" refers to something itself.

  The term spam have developed a negative meaning ........to abusive use
  of electronic communications.


texts: I will be able to start working vs I will be able to join the company

texts:
I have to write one of the following phrases into a formal correspondence (job application) in order to ask a confirmation:

  Could you please confirm that I will be able to start working on that date ?

  Could you please confirm that I will be able to join the company on that date ?

Which sounds more natural/appropriate in that context ?

This is the context :
I would therefore assure you that I accept the terms and I am willing to start on 10 th of June. I just wanted to be sure that I understood it correctly, before booking the flight. Could you please.....


texts:
Which preposition is proper here?

The protagonist died at/in the ending of the story (or movie).
The antagonist was laughing loudly at/in the ending of the movie.


texts: Why is it not past perfect for the word 'left'?

texts:
Check this paragraph:

  I had been working in the garden for an hour when I heard the phone ring. It  was Jamie. He was driving down to London on business. I had gone out in the garden when he left, so he had only been gone an hour. I knew he had some problem.

My question : why "left"? To me all verbs in the last sentence  "had gone out", "left" and " had been gone" happen before I heard the phone. So all should be in past perfect because I heard the phone is the reference time.

I know sometimes with since, you don't use past perfect:

  I saw  Peter yesterday, I hadn't seen him for a while since he left for Germany."

The word 'since' in that case indicates the beginning of the action. But when is not since and in that paragraph, first the person went out in the garden then Jamie left. Or may be I should understand the sentence like this:

  He had only been gone for an hour since he left  and at the time of the leaving I was already in the garden.


texts: "I don't know who is Sophie" vs. "I don't know who Sophie is"

texts:
I still have problems with these type of things.

I think I understand well that between "I know where the house is" and "I know where is the house" the correct sentence is the first one (I hope so). But in the title's case I'm not sure at all.


texts: Which is correct in this sentence - 'to inhibit', 'inhibit', or 'inhibits'?

texts: What this medication does is (to inhibit / inhibit / inhibits) the reproduction of the certain kinds of bacteria.


texts: Does the construction "not only ... but also" require a comma?

texts:
Example sentence:

  She had not only lost her job(,) but was also about to fail
  university.

A quick search on Google Books told me that most people put a comma in this type of construction.

  The knowledge that he had not only ruined her, but had also been the
  very first man to kiss her, was all too fresh in his mind.

However, I can't think of any punctuation rule that says there should be a comma there. Is there any?


texts: How to make interrogative sentence with word 'Doubt'?

texts:
For example

  Do you doubt whether/that he will help you or not?

Which is the correct grammar form?


texts:
Which one of the following versions is correct?

arms-length negotiations;
arm's-length negotiations;
arms'-length negotiations;
arms length negotiations;
arm's length negotiations;
arms' length negotiations.


texts:
Is is like 'as they are?'

War is inconceivable without some image, or concept, of the enemy. It
is the presence of the enemy that gives meaning and justification to
war. ‘War follows from feelings of hatred’, wrote Carl Schmitt. ‘War
has its own strategic, tactical, and other rules and points of view,
but they all presuppose that the political decision has already been
made as to who the enemy is’. The concept of the enemy is fundamental
to the moral assessment of war: ‘The basic aim of a nation at war in
establishing an image of the enemy is to distinguish as sharply as
possible the act of killing from the act of murder’. However, we need
to be cautious about thinking of war and the image of the enemy that
informs it in an abstract and uniform way. Rather, both must be seen
for the cultural and contingent phenomena that they are. Rather, both
must be seen for the cultural and contingent phenomena that they
are.

The Ethics of War: Shared Problems in Different Traditions


texts: How do you use "thing you can imagine X"?

texts:
I am not sure if the phrase "thing you can imagine X" can be used like I tend to used it in the past.

Here are some examples I thought of"

  This is the last thing I can imagine doing.

  This plane is the last thing I can imagine flying in the air.

The first one seems correct, because "doing" is attached to "I", but in the second one "flying" is attached to "plane", and this construction seems to be awkward and ungrammatical for that very reason. There's no apparent link between the two. Am I wrong?


texts:
Unless I have any breakfast, I will be hungry at work.

Can I change this sentence, using "without"?

  E.g- Without having any breakfast, I will be hungry at work.

Is it natural for using "without" to rephrase the "unless" structure?


texts: What noun describes one's manner of walking ("gait"?)

texts:
Can I apply the word "gait" when I describe someone's manner of walking? What is the appropriate term? For example:

He walked with a slow stiff gait.
Larry David walks with a teenagerish gait.


texts: Use of so called for...to complementizer with certain adjectives

texts:
We can use "for...to" construction with many adjectives.

  I am happy for you to be admitted to college.

  I am glad for you to have finally found a job.

  I am willing for you to go ahead and try it.

  I am honored for my son to receive the award.

So I thought this construction can be used with EVERY adjective that can take to-infinitive as an adjective complement. But it doesn't seem like it.

  *I am sad for you to do it.

  *I am afraid for you to try it.

Even though these two adjectives can take to-infinitive as an adjective complement, it sounds strange when I use "for" to introduce a new subject of the infinitive.

Why can some of the adjectives have "for...to" construction and introduce a new subject of the infinitive while the some can't? And is there a category of adjectives that are able or prohibited to have this construction?


texts: What is the difference between 'secure' and 'secured'?

texts:
I have seen usages of both words, 'secure' and 'secured'. The fact that highlights that the two are different is that they have different antonyms:

'secure' has the antonym 'insecure'.
'secured' has the antonym 'unsecured'.

They're both adjectives, that much I know.

What is the exact difference between the two?


texts:
doubt

Is it correct to say

  alive once alive forever

meaning one who feels alive once lives forever?


texts: Meaning of 'I'm about as angry as I've been in a long, long time'

texts:
I saw this headline somewhere.

  FBI Director Wray on shutdown: 'I'm about as angry as I've been in a
  long, long time'.

But I got confused what the quotation means. How to analyze it?

I haven't been so angry for a long time.
The shutdown is too long and irritates me.
I've been angry for a long time.

Which is correct or anything else?


texts:
I have bought the new car while having the serious problems.

My question is : what subject is for "having the serious problems"

How should I interpret the above sentence, as

  I have bought the new car while I had the serious problems.

or

  I have bought the new car while the car had the serious problems.


texts: A single word for "merely reporting a fact"?

texts: I am looking for a single word to express the idea "merely reporting a fact" in a context such as "I am not saying this complacently but X" where X is the required word representing "merely reporting a fact". Alternatively, X can also be a word simply for "reporting a fact".


texts:
Why is "the" used in this sentence?

  What are the unique challenges of keeping mobile devices secure?


texts: Why 'a' is not used here for a countable noun?

texts:
Of all the places I saw on holiday, the most exciting was Milford Sound.

Why is it not?

  Of all the places I saw on a holiday, the most exciting was Milford Sound.

I can count the holiday, so why is 'a' not required in this sentence?


texts:
The addiction of drugs is bad for both mental and physical health.

Or it can be written as

  The drugs' addiction is bad for both mental and physical's health.

Is the second sentence using apostrophes is a correct replacement for the first sentence. I'm a little confused; in which manner or situation the possession of nouns using apostrophes are needed to take care


texts:
Are these all considered comma splices. I wasn't sure as they refer back to the clause before the comma directly as apposed to just similar ideas. In which case a semi-colon would be used.

Any exceptions to this rule.

Space: What it is, what it isn't.

Every time I close my eyes I remember his laughter, his infectious smile.

I won't win it, I just want to get through it.


texts: "I know it seems very simple- and it is."- what does "and it is" mean?

texts:
I know it seems very simple-and it is.

What does and it is mean in this context?


texts: How to explain a general topic? Using A or Plural Form or Plural Form Plus the?

texts:
Consider:

  A strict constraint on the power consumption can severely affect performance of electronic devices.
  A strict constraint on the power consumption can severely affect performance of the electronic devices.
  Strict constraints on the power consumption can severely affect performance of an electronic device.

I don't know when should I use (1), (2) or (3). Is there any difference ?


texts:
Time ________ and they still hadn't heard anything from their son.

A. Passed
B. Passed by
C. Went
D. Went on

I think it can't be C or D. But I also don't know if it's A or B.


texts:
I am wondering which of the following sentences is more used or even correct? What is this called? Word-choice, collocation or something else?

  I work on a team.

  I work with a team.

  I work in a team.


texts:
My eyes are red and need to put on eye drop.

  "Help me put one eye drop."

  "Help me drop an eye drop"

How to ask to drop an eye drop into eyes?


texts: Why are the vowels in "sense", "nonsense" and "nonsensical" pronounced differently?

texts: I'm a bit confused by these words. Since "nonsense" derives from "sense" but the vowel in "sense" is /ɛ/ and it reduces to /ə/ in "nonsense". BUT "nonsensical" derives from "nonsense" and the vowel in it is the same as "sense". Please explain.


texts:
He went to prison a frightened entrepreneur. He left a hardened criminal.

It's not written by me. I read it somewhere, and I just wonder if it's grammatically correct.


texts: why is this sentence wrong? "I really don’t like this meal. whatever money in the world wouldn’t get me to eat it."

texts:
The answer was "I really don’t like this meal. All the money in the world wouldn’t get me to eat it."
I think it means "Even though I can get all the money in the world, I am not going to eat this disgusting food " so I can understand why this is the correct answer.

However, somehow this sentence also make sense to me "I really don’t like this meal. whatever money in the world wouldn’t get me to eat it."

Can anyone please explain me why this sentence does not make sense? Is it the grammar mistake? or is it just simply does not make sense at all?


texts:
I don't know when to put definite and when to put indefinite article so I have few questions.

"This is a true story about a man who chose the worst possible time for his crime. It happened in London in the summer of 1972. The man stole a barge on the River Thames (in case you don't know, a barge is a river boat used for carrying goods). The owner of the barge soon discovered that it was missing and immediately informed the police so that they could look for it."

I thought definitions are written with zero article like:
in case you don't know, barge is a river boat used for carrying goods.(only barge not a barge)

Why is there the owner when we are only now introduced to him. Shouldn't there be an owner?

Why is there the police and not just police?


texts: Is the sentence natural and grammatical?

texts:
The wise man who knows justice can stop quarreling or argument.

In the sentence, I'm confused with the phrase 'quarreling or argument'. Instead, can I rephrase it as :

  'a quarrel or an argument.'

for comprehension purposes, without changing the meaning?


texts:
Meanwhile, China can help counterbalance Pakistan's arch-rival, India,
  including in Afghanistan.

I'm not sure about the function of "in" in the above sentence.

If I write 'including Afghanistan' instead of 'including in Afghanistan', is it grammatically wrong? It there a difference of nuance between these two different phrases?


texts:
Today I've seen following sentence:

  Note: You must redeem your free Psychonauts key by 10AM Pacific on Saturday, September 30th, 2017!

When I read it at first I thought that it should be done exactly on September 30th but before 10 AM. But the actual meaning is "at any time before Sept 30, 10 AM".

So I'd like to find out, is this sentence well-formed and means exactly the thing they wanted to say (so my first understanding was wrong), or there is a better way to say such phrase.


texts:
Are both sentences correct or start below sentences with "here" is impossible and "here" at the beginning of positive sentences is used only in sentences like "Here is your key" and it's all?

  Here were too many tourists in summer.

  There were too many tourists here in summer.


texts:
It’s a humble landmark named for a man who tirelessly explored, documented, and fought to protect_____would become the most visited national park in the United States.

Filling "what" into the blank that I know would make sense, but why can't I insert "it, which" to make it a relative clause?


texts: Which one is correct definition in the phrase?

texts:
There is an exemple of phrase below.

  With great attention to detail.

And there are two definiton on preposition of 'to'.

1) reaching a particular state.
2) to show the person or thing that is affected by an action.

Which one is correct definition?
enter link description here


texts: Where did I go wrong on this test question comparing film and novels?

texts:
I was given a test, and asked to complete this sentence:

  On many college campuses, the study of film has become ________ .

With one of these five choices:

  A. as common as that of the novel
   B. like the novel, as common
   C. common, as is that of the novel
   D. as common as the novel's study
   E. just as the novel's study is common

I picked choice D, but was told the  correct answer is A. Can someone explain why?


texts: Participles- what are the differences in the meanings of the given sentences?

texts:
Rising out of the sea in front of us, the sun started to warm our faces.

The sun started to warm our faces rising out of the sea in front of us.

The sun started to warm our faces, rising out of the sea in front of us.

Do all the above sentences mean the same?
Are they all grammatically correct?


texts: is this a correct use of the word feasible

texts:
"Having all these traits is infeasible."
Is this sentence correct?
I'm not sure if this is the right use of the word 'infeasible'.


texts: Is past simple ever justified with 'by'?

texts:
Can anyone shed some light on the following aspect?

By 5 PM I gave him the book.

By 5 PM I had given him the book.

In both the sentences the book was given before 5 PM and no later than 5 PM. But I can't understand then what the difference between them is. a Also is it right to use simple past with 'by' at all? If yes, then why and if not, then why is it incorrect to use simple past with 'by'?


texts: "Begin with the end in mind" alternatives?

texts:
Is there an alternative word/phrase (preferably shorter) to describe "begin with the end in mind"? I am looking for a term for that approach or style of doing something. Let's ignore that it is actually one of the seven habits of bla bla bla. I am trying to find a term like "reverse calculation" — a step-by-step approach, but from the end to the start.

I started working on the car from scratch, taking a begin with the end in mind approach.

I want to replace that with something shorter:

I started working on the car from scratch, taking a [ABC] approach.

Compare the commonly used, although different in meaning, the "STAR" method, which basically is short for "Situation, Task, Action, Result".

The STAR method is a structured manner of responding to a behavioral-based interview question by discussing the specific situation, task, action, and result of the situation you are describing.

Yeah, I don't think I can write "BWTEIM".


texts:
Consider the following sentence:

We got to make sure we get the most use out of our money, and out of
our time.

From the context, I believe to get use of means the same as to make use of.
Is that correct?
I don't think I have heard to get use of before,
is it frequently used?


texts: when to use yet/still with 'though' in a sentence

texts:
I recently came across this sentence:

  Though, he is good yet he is mischievous

Should we use 'yet'or 'still' here and why?


texts:
I have a question about using present tenses;
would it be said that:

  Robots are being developed
  Robots are developed

I would say it is present progressive because the process is not finished and robots might fail and need to be rebuilt...etc. Am I correct?


texts: auxiliary in inversion without a negation

texts:
I thought we must use auxiliary verbs in sentences with inversion only when we have an explicit (not, never) or implicit (only if, hardly, little) negation. But I have come across the next sentence:

1. Dearly do I love you.

Why must we use "do" here?

Why can't we say:

2. Dearly love I you.

Thanks!


texts:
Can we use article before sense?

  There is sense of urgency in locating alternative sources of water to augment the dwindling supply.

Find error in above sentence.


texts: What does “I intend to address these challenges head-on” mean?

texts:
I heard something from one of the candidates on election day:

  I intend to address these challenges head-on.

What does this mean?

Specifically, I’m not sure what it means to address something head-on.


texts: What is "complemented" in this sentence?

texts:
In about half of the Sstates we find one or another type of
referendum for parliamentary laws, often complemented by a financial
referendum.
- Swiss Democracy by Wolf Linder

I want to know what does "complemented" belong to? To "one or another type of referendum" or "parliamentary laws".
If the former is the case, is there two referendums for a parliamentary law? One about introduction of law, and other is financial?
If not, does the author intends to say that "one or another type of referendum" is often a "financial referendum"?


texts:
What difference does "completely" make in the following?

  The species died out completely in the 18th century.

I'd appreciate your help.


texts:
Is "Eavesdropping" and "Listening in on" different? and if they are in which context should I be using each expression?

listen in (on something) — phrasal verb with listen us  /ˈlɪs·ən/ verb [ I ] to listen to someone's conversation when the person does not realize you are doing it:

  She thinks her boss is listening in on her phone conversations.

eaves·drop

to secretly listen to a conversation.

  "she opened the window just enough to eavesdrop on the conversation
  outside"


texts: Past Simple vs Present Perfect difference

texts:
Help me, please, with this extract

  Two elderly couples were enjoying a friendly conversation in the garden when one of the men asked the other, "Fred, how was the memory clinic you went to a month ago?"

  "Outstanding," Fred replied. "We (teach) visualization, association."

I suppose there we need Passive Voice, but will it be Present Perfect or Past Simple?

We were taught or We have been taught.

I understand the difference in meaning. I just want to know whether both of the answers work good in that context.


texts:
1- On any type of formal school exam, these sentences would not be
  considered "correct" they are never written as such.....they're
  only spoken as such.

  2- Do not behave as such.

  3- Doing things as such will bring about disaster. Try to do
  things a better way.

I have seen some speakers use "as such" this way. Are these sentences valid? Can I use "as such" to mean "like that"?


texts: " is polluted": adjective or passive form?

texts:
What's the role of "polluted" in the sentence?Is it passive form of the verb "pollute" or an adjective to describe the status of the air?

  There is much evidence to show that the air we breathe is polluted.

the meaning depends on the role of the "pollute" in the sentence..correct me if I'm wrong.


texts: Restrictive or non-restrictive use of Where?

texts:
I'm not sure if I should insert a comma after "Christmas." Should it be like this:

  The good news was that with all financial matters resolved, the producers finally decided to release the film Stella at Christmas, where it opened to great critical and commercial success.

Or can I choose to keep the information restrictive?

  The good news was that with all financial matters resolved, the producers finally decided to release the film Stella at Christmas where it opened to great critical and commercial success.


texts: What is the difference in meaning among these sentences?

texts:
Walking is good exercise.
Walking is a good exercise.
Walking is a good form of exercise.

I'd like to know the difference in meaning among these sentences.
Thanks a lot.