texts: If you could be any age, what age would you be? Conditional

texts:
The question is:

  If you could be any age, what age would you be?

How can one answer this grammatically correct?

  If I could be 12, I would play more because I couldn't play when I was younger.

To set up the condition, should one not answer:

If I could be any age, I would be 12 because I couldn't play then.

or could you answer

If I were 35, I would be a doctor because I could/can help people.

Why is this wrong?

  If I became 60, I would be happy because I can/could retire.


texts:
On this view the law’s goal should be to make a rule that gets the
  owner of the ballpark to think the way a single owner would when he decides
  what precautions to take. Making him pay for every window broken
  by his baseballs (whether or not he builds a fence) might do the trick;
  that would be known as strict liability. Making him pay only if he fails to
  think like a single owner—that is, making him pay only if he doesn’t build
  the fence, and it’s found that the fence would have paid for itself in the
  broken windows it would have prevented—probably would do it, too.
  That would be called liability for negligence.

Source: p 53, The Legal Analyst, Ward Farnsworth

I guess that here, in the = by means/reason of. In other words, the fence would've prevented the broken windows and the cost of fence is less than or equal to that of the windows.

Is this right? If so, please explain more about the use of in the here? Is there a term for it?


texts:
Learnenglish.britishcouncil says:

  “I work in Italy” Reported speech: He told me that he works in
  Italy.

  It isn’t always necessary to change the tense. If something is still
  true now – he still works in Italy – we can use the present simple
  in the reported sentence.

That is simple present tense, what about other tenses such as future tenses?

Let say today is Monday & at 1 PM, A says "I will have lunch with Susan tomorrow".

Ok, at 2 PM, the time is still true,

Can B say "She said she will have lunch with Susan tomorrow"?

or B must say "She said she would have lunch with Susan tomorrow"? ("will" must be changed to "would" no matter the time is still true or not)

The problem is that when we say "She said she would have lunch with Susan tomorrow", we break the law of the future in the past.

This site said:

  The future in the past is used to look into the future from a point of
  time in the past. However, this "future" event still occurred at a
  time before the present time.

  E.g. I woke up (1) at 8am yesterday. I was meeting my boss (2) at ten
  o'clock that morning, so I wouldn't be able to have lunch (3) with
  Susan. I wasn't going to get home (4) again until late that night.

(2), (3), (4) are all the future in the past & they had to occur before now.

However, if B says "She said she would have lunch with Susan tomorrow", then the event has not happened yet.

Note: Cambridge Grammar said:

  We don’t need to change the tense in indirect speech if what a person
  said is still true or relevant or has not happened yet. This often
  happens when someone talks about the future, or when someone uses the
  present simple, present continuous or present perfect in their
  original words:

  He told me his brother works for an Italian company. (It is still true
  that his brother works for an Italian company.)

  She said she’s getting married next year. (For the speakers, the time
  at the moment of speaking is ‘this year’.)

  He said he’s finished painting the door. (He probably said it just a
  short time ago.)

  She promised she’ll help us. (The promise applies to the future.)

So, Does the sentence "She said she would have lunch with Susan tomorrow" break the law of the future in the past?


texts: what is the meaning of "hereditary scheme of religion" and "the broad platform"?

texts:
what is the meaning of these phrases? "hereditary scheme of religion" and
"the broad platform upon which his beliefs were constructed"?

One of the chief mouthpieces of the spirit was a certain Robert Baxter
—not to be confused with the Baxter who some thirty years later was
associated with certain remarkable prophecies. This Robert Baxter
seems to have been a solid, earnest, prosaic citizen who viewed the
Scriptures much as a lawyer views a legal document, with an exact
valuation of every phrase —especially of such phrases as fitted into his
own hereditary scheme of religion. He was an honest man with a
restless conscience, which continually worried him over the smaller
details, while leaving him quite unperturbed as to the broad platform
upon which his beliefs were constructed. This man was powerfully
affected by the influx of spirit—to use his own phrase, "his mouth was
opened in power." According to him, January 14, 1832, was the
beginning of those mystical 1,260 days which were to precede the
Second Coming and the end of the world. Such a prediction must have
been particularly sympathetic to Irving with his millennial dreams. But
long before the days were fulfilled Irving was in his grave, and Baxter
had forsworn those voices which had, in this instance at least, deceived
him.


texts:
to indemnify and save harmless the Purchaser from and against all liabilities, claims and demands in connection with the purchased business existing or incurred as at the time of completion and not shown on the financial statements provided to the Purchaser or in the statement delivered pursuant to the Bulk Sales Act or expressly agreed to be assumed by the Purchaser in this Agreement.

This is a vendor covenant from a contract, I am trying to understand what it is saying, I guess it is talking about protecting the buyer from some liabilities. I also have difficulty with its sentence structure, for example, what it means to put "as" in front of "at the time of"?


texts: Should there be a semicolon before "and" in this sentence?

texts:
Can someone help with me with punctuating this sentence correctly?

  I attended several symposiums, workshops, and summer schools, and
  presented my work at various conferences.

Should the comma before "and presented" be a semicolon? Or should I consider rephrasing?


texts: "Spending more time TRYING....." and "Spending more time TO TRY....."

texts:
Is there any difference in meaning between "Spending more time trying to....." and "Spending more time to try to....."?
Below is the headline of an online news article I just read this morning, and I am wondering if the "trying" in the sentence is interchangeable with "to try" without changing any meaning of the entire sentence. If not, what's the difference?

"Spending more time trying to fall asleep rather than actually
sleeping? You're not alone."


texts: In a word, A stressed syllable is unstressed and An unstressed syllable is stressed - Why is that?

texts:
Usually, to stress a syllable we should say it louder, longer and higher in pitch than the rest syllables of a word. However, the following words in these below sentences such as California, talented, emotional, relationship, lying, traveling and welcome don't seem to follow the rule of rising high in pitch when it comes to the stressed syllable. So What causes them to sound strange like that? Like the speaker want to specially emphasize the word, then they lower the pitch of the stressed syllable and raise the pitch of the unstressed syllable, or they mean something else?

  Jill's moving to California next week

"For" goes down instead of rising in pitch to emphasize the stressed syllable. Why?

  2.1 "You know, you're so very talented"

"Ta" should've got the highest pitch to emphasize the stressed syllable, but "len" wins. Why?

  2.2 "So she was like hyper but also really emotional"

"Mo" goes down instead of rising in pitch to emphasize the stressed syllable. Why?

  2.3 "Really it's the relationship between her and her mother" and "And it really is just about those relationships
  in her life"

"La" goes down instead of rising in pitch to emphasize the stressed syllable. Why?

  2.4 "I felt like I was lying to everyone around me"

"Ly" goes down instead of rising in pitch to emphasize the stressed syllable. Why?

  "we were traveling up the west coast in a rental car"

"Tra" should've got the highest pitch to emphasize the stressed syllable, but "ve" wins. Why?

  "Welcome to Hollywood" and "Welcome to Hollywood"

"Wel" goes down instead of rising in pitch to emphasize the stressed syllable. Why?


texts: is that an erroneous use of "steppes": "the high Himalaya in the northern steppes.."

texts:
A quote from a page about Bhutan:

  The rugged east, visited by few Western travellers, the high Himalaya in the northern steppes separates the kingdom from Tibet.

Isn't that an erroneous use of the term steppes? A steppe is a region characterized by plains. How could high mountains be "in the steppes"?


texts:
Please charge me for the book as if I lived  in Australia .

Is this sentence correct? Does it mean that I am not living in Australia?
Would it better  to write "as if I was living"?


texts:
What's the difference between the following sentences:

1 It's known as the most dangerous part of the city.

2 It's known to be the most dangerous part of the city.

3 It's known for being the most dangerous part of the city.


texts:
It has been a while since I watched you sleep.

Is watched or saw more correct in sentence above? What is the difference in meaning between the two choices?


texts: Can present perfect be used instead of present perfect progressive?

texts:
I was attending a course lecture about grammar and during a tense review lecture they stated that following sentences have same meaning.

Julie has studied French for two years.
Julie has been studying French for two years.

I feel the first mean she studied for two years and that is completed now, she is not studying it in present but the second one says she studied for two years and it is still in progress, not stopped.

I want someone to explain if they can be used interchangeably and why is it possible?


texts: "it has been been…today" vs. "It was…today"

texts:
Edited
Is it correct to the say:

It has been been attempted to deliver today.

My concern here is that I have mentioned “today “ so I think I have to use past simple always. Is it?

It was attempted to deliver today morning; however, nobody has responded

I used past simple first. I know specifically when delivery was attempted. That’s today. While knowing that, is it correct to say nobody has responded?

Thank you and much appreciated for taking your time to read and respond.


texts:
All he had were bruises and cuts.

  All he had was  bruises and cuts.

What are the differences between these sentences? Are they both grammatical and, if so, which one is more natural?


texts:
All success with no failure often leads to a person to an arrogance.

All successes with no failures often lead to a person to an arrogance.

Two sentences are both correct or one of them is wrong?
If two both are possible,  how they are different?


texts: Do we say "the rope, the hair or the rubber band are broken or cut or split"?

texts:
This is a rubber band

And this is a rubber band that was cut

Also, look at the picture

Do we say "The rubber band / rope is broken or cut or split"? or do we have other specific terms to express it?


texts:
Which one of the following is correct?

  You can pay by credit card or by cash.
  You can pay by credit card or cash.


texts: What they mean when they say "Off season April's fool joke"?

texts:
Do they mean "An annoying prank that maybe okay in April's fool, but not right now."

Or do they mean "A prank that's more fitting to be done in April's fool, but it's welcomed nonetheless."


texts: Function of "Just" and Current Relevance in Present Perfect Tense

texts:
When I do a quick research all internet sources state there isn't simply any difference between using time adverb "just" with simple past tense and present perfect tense therefore saying "I just finished my homework" and "I have just finished my homework" or "I just ate" or "I have just eaten" mean the same. (Almost each source state simple past use with just is preferred in American English much more, some sources say "just" can be only used with present perfect tense)

I have a couple of questions with regard to function of "just".

If we use present perfect tense with time adverb "just" do we only imply the action happened in recent past or do we also imply there is a current relevance?

I believe there must be a reason to use perfect aspect of present tense with just.

I had asked similar contextual questions before on Ell Stack Exchange, allow me to wrap up my new question with context below.

In a context where I have been looking for my concert ticket for the last a couple of minutes is it correct to use below answers? (My friend informs me where the tickets are and I reply)

My friend: The ticket is on the desk.
Me: I've just thought the same thing.

My friend: The ticket is on the desk.
Me: I just thought the same thing.

I believe thinking is discrete event without strong current relevance and using present perfect with "just" is confusing.


texts: I posted something related to this, but I doubt something is strange. I understand sentences like 'red juice turned blue' can be true, but I think, when it comes to a stative verb, 'red juice was blue' is a nonsense other than 'juice, which is red, was blue' becauae juice cannot be both red and blue at the same time. Moreover, we don't say, even though a candy, which is blue, was red, 'I stepped on the blue candy,' but 'I stepped on the red candy.'


texts: What is "spot duty" in American football?

texts:
I know "spot duty" is used in baseball to talk about spot starters, but what does this term mean in football?

  That's the kind of contract typically given to veteran backups (think Nick Bellore, who saw spot duty at linebacker and fullback for the Lions last year), and puts him squarely behind Wiggins in the offensive line pecking order. (Detroit Free Press)

  Tebow not thrilled with spot duty (NBC Sports)

"Spot play" also appears in the same NBC article:

  I think spot play is fun because you’re in different roles, but at the same time it’s hard to get a feel.  Sometime even if it’s just a few plays on a drive, it gets easier.  Sometimes that’s the harder part of spot playing, but it is fun.  I just love playing period.

What do "spot duty" and "spot play" mean?


texts: Is it correct to say "pastime activities"

texts: When I looked up the word pastime, it is defined as "an activity for pleasure" by Cambridge Dictionaries. Therefore, it already include a meaning of "activity." Besides that, Longman Dictionaries gives the word hobby as a synonym and there are not the word "activity" in its example sentences. However, I can see that in Google Ngram, these two words are used jointly. What do you think? Is it grammatically correct or is it non-standard English of writing?


texts:
I am confused with the use of "the article" in the following sentence:

In the mouth there are gums with teeth, the tongue and the palate.

Why "the" before gums and teeth is omitted? If consider gums or teeth as a single organ in this case, should not they be accompanied by "the", like in:

We breathe with the lungs.


texts: nutritionist versus dietician, what is the difference?

texts:
Is there a difference between a nutritionist and a dietician. I take it both studied nutrition in university, but a dietician works as a doctor, whereas a nutritionist could do... ?

What?

If someone could kindly help me disambiguate these...

Thanks.


texts: "see + Noun + Adjective" or "see + Noun + Verb"?

texts:
Everyone, I am an English learner. I had a question when I was reading the following article from the publication of Minneapolis FED:

  The Affordable Care Act has come under much scrutiny since its passage in 2010. The program recently concluded its second annual sign-up period, and while the ACA continues to see enrollments increase, there are a lot of nuances that make the rollout and impact of this law a bit different in every district state.

I am wondering if the "increase" following "enrollments" is a verb, and whether between the verb "see" and the noun "enrollments" there should have been a "that" that is being ignored for simplicity?

By the way, if I want to revise the phrase to be in the verb + object (noun) structure, is it correct that all I have to do is to remove the "s" from enrollments? In doing so, I think the plural noun "enrollments" is reduced to "enrollment" and becomes an adjective.

Thanks.


texts:
What would you hear in this sentence?

  Thank you for your contribution, in any capacity.

a) Thank you for your contribution, no matter the size ("for both big and small donations").

b) Thank you for your contribution, no matter how negligible (there's a connotation of "even a small help helps") .

c) Thank you for your contribution, no matter if you put your time, money or ideas into it (no matter the way you helped).


texts: A word to describe "a curve and inaccurate road"?

texts: Is there a word to describe "a curve and inaccurate road"?


texts: Could you tell me what the preposition "off" mean?

texts:
The forum is located on Musavi St. off Taleghani Ave.

I am wondering what the bold part could mean here.


texts: The use of bullet points in formal writing

texts:
I have encountered a problem when I was proofreading one of my essays. The example is as follows:

"To help you make a decision, I have found five possible locations for you to consider.The specific information on these locations can be found xxx website.

List item
List item
List item
List item
List item"

I think I have to use a colon before the first bullet point, but it seems like that I can't in this example. Can someone provide some help on how to fix this example. Thanks very much!


texts:
Which one is correct to say?

  I work in downtown.
  I work downtown.


texts:
Consider the following English sentence (from The Science of Power by Benjamin Kidd):

In the social struggle he has trained himself to see, in the devouring tyrannies closing on the worsted, the natural law of efficiency.

Does "the worsted" stand for efficiency here, as it removes unevenness from wool cloth?


texts: what does "I'll be back in 3 days" mean?

texts:
I'll be back in 3 days

Does it means

  I'll be back after 3 days.

or

  I'll be back within 3 days.

or

  I'll be back 3 days later precisely.


texts: Using the word "profiteer" in noun and verbal form

texts:
What verb do you usually use to describe the action of a "profiteer"?
I know that the word "profiteer" can be used in both noun and verbal forms, but I think that the verbal form is used very rarely. This is why I opened this thread to make sure whether if I use this word in the noun form, it would sound unnatural to a native speaker because of some better alternatives or it is OK.

Examples:

  1) Many food merchants were charged with profiteering in that period of time.
  2) Almost all the government officials are taking advantage of people's financial problems. They are profiteering in many ways. They embezzle, take considerable amounts of money from the country's treasury, take big bank loans and do not pay them back etc.

I wonder if the above usages are correct. If they don't then what shall I use yo avoid sounding unnatural?


texts:
My books says the following sentence is error free.

  This is the boy who I think had won the gold medal in the dance competition.

But Is it really error free? We use past perfect when there are two actions but in the given sentence there is only one action i.e. he won the gold medal so shouldn't this be the correct sentence This is the boy who I think won the gold medal in the dance competition. ?


texts: 'He left his cave aboard a mountain top' - is aboard used correctly?

texts:
Someone entered a contest I am sponsoring and a line reads:

  He left his cave aboard a mountain top

"Aboard" is the word in question here - Aboard is a required word as the contest has 10 given words that must be placed in a story or poem. The person makes great use of 9 out of 10 words. I do not believe 'aboard' is used correctly in this circumstance. I do not believe a cave can be aboard a mountain. Yes or No? The story written is really well minus this blip. Any feedback would be appreciated.


texts: What does the following sentence mean? Could anyone please explain its organisation to me?

texts:
For example, were all politicians to fully disclose every personal foibles, character flaw, and detail concerning personal life, few honest politicians would ever by elected.

Source: GRE Answers to the Real Essay Questions


texts:
Is the noun clause an appositive or object complement? Is there any rule or test to identify the noun clause as appositive or object complement?

  I have often declared the problem that most students do not understand grammar.


texts: What is the difference between often and oftentimes?

texts: What is the difference between "often" and "oftentimes"? Is there any difference between the two?


texts: What does "take-away" mean in this context?

texts:
This is a passage quoted from the article Moderate exercise not only treats, but prevents depression:

  Mammen acknowledges that other factors influence a person’s likelihood of experiencing depression, including their genetic makeup. But he says that the scope of research he assessed demonstrates that regardless of individual predispositions, there’s a clear take-away for everyone. “It’s definitely worth taking note that if you’re currently active, you should sustain it.  If you’re not physically active, you should initiate the habit. This review shows promising evidence that the impact of being active goes far beyond the physical.”

What does take-away mentioned in this passage mean? I've looked it up, but couldn't find a definition for it.


texts:
They know that we can't break this, that's why they gave it to us.
  They Knew that we can't break this, that's why they gave it to us.

Which one is correct? I know, knew is past tense of know but I'm confused in this context.


texts:
I'm developing a 3D printing software, where people can color different layers before printing, so it gets printed in colors they want. But I don't know how to name these "parts" in the user interface.
For a better understanding imagine a lighthouse:

How is a single white (or red) "part" called correct?
I found different synonyms online (slice, fragment, section, piece,  segment, etc), but I'm not sure which to use.


texts: On/in/at in regards to lines of a program

texts:
Say I have a program that swaps two variables:

1)read a
2)read b
3)buf=a
4)a=b
5)b=buf
6)print a
7)print b

I want to say that I swap the values of a and b on (or should it be at or in?) lines 3-5 of the program.


texts:
This quote is from Ridley Scott: A Critical Filmography:

  While it can be argued that The Duellists is a complete film—and it certainly is—the dozen-year interval between it and Alien must be regarded as a period of consolidation in which the director cast a cold eye on the entire filmmaking process.

What does cast a cold eye on mean in the context?


texts: Verb Tense to use with the phrase "so far"

texts:
What verb tense should we use when we have the phrase, "so far" in the sentence?

  How was your day so far?
  How is your day so far?
  How has your day been so far?


texts: To refer to some state after somehting action has completed

texts:
I want to refer to some state after somehting action has completed. For instance,

  I will be at home after I've completed all of my work.

Is the present perfect common in the case?


texts:
Miss Temple passed her handkerchief over her lips, as if to smooth
  away the involuntary smile that curled them; she gave the order,
  however, and when the first class could take in what was required of
  them, they obeyed.  Leaning a little back on my bench, I could see the
  looks and grimaces with which they commented on this manoeuvre: it was
  a pity Mr. Brocklehurst could not see them too; he would perhaps have
  felt that, whatever he might do with the outside of the cup and
  platter, the inside was further beyond his interference than he
  imagined. He scrutinised the reverse of these living medals some five
  minutes, then pronounced sentence.  These words fell like the knell of
  doom— “All those top-knots must be cut off.” Miss Temple seemed to
  remonstrate. “Madam,” he pursued, “I have a Master to serve whose
  kingdom is not of this world: my mission is to mortify in these girls
  the lusts of the flesh; to teach them to clothe themselves with
  shamefacedness and sobriety, not with braided hair and costly apparel;
  and each of the young persons before us has a string of hair twisted
  in plaits which vanity itself might have woven; these, I repeat, must
  be cut off; think of the time wasted, of—” (Jane Eyre)

Does ‘seemed to remonstrate’ mean (1) it seemed she remonstrated or (2) it seemed she was going to remonstrate?


texts:
HOME COMFORT
  It was a lazy Sunday afternoon, the lull before the storm
  of Monday morning madness of alarm clocks, traffic jams and deadlines. The clock struck three and Rebecca’s elbow still rested on the arm of the tapestry-covered sofa. With her fingertips she began caressing the rough piping that ran along its seams. Simultaneously, the toes of her left foot moved back and forth across the edges of the sheepskin rug.
  (Source: https://www.flo-joe.co.uk/cae/students/tests/read3pr1.htm)

I understand the word-by-word translation of the sentence but it makes no sense to me. I think it somehow related to the sofa which was previously mentioned but I don't understand in which way.


texts: Grammar of titles - wh-clause vs. question

texts:
I found an article with the title:

  Why We Listen to Music

This seem somewhat incomplete to me, because "why we do something" is usually used as the subject of dependent clause like "This is why we listen to music."

I found another article titled as follows:

  Why Do We Listen to Music?

The second one sounds fine for me. My questions are these:

Is "Why We Listen to Music" grammatically correct?
What's the difference between "Why We Listen to Music" and "Why Do We Listen to Music"?

Thanks in advance.


texts: "You will be informed of this by email" - or is it "informed of that"?

texts:
From a lang-8 post:

  Once the necessary documents have been received, your account will be activated and you will be informed of that by email.

I've recommented to change the pronoun that to this. But why exactly? This signals greater proximity relative to that, and sometimes emotional proximity, according to this answer.

Is the 'emotional distancing' conveyed by that the main obstacle? Or is it also technically wrong to use that in "you will be informed of __ by email"? Are there instances where we can use that in this phrase and be sure that it sounds natural?


texts:
He was taking her octopus doll while I reading him a story.

"Put aside. Play your doll after this."

I was asking him to put his doll aside.

Does it sound natural to a native speaker.


texts: Can two verbs be used one after another?

texts:
I noticed a sentence today in an article:

  The index counts start from 1 instead of 0.

I'm not sure if this is a grammatically correct sentence and just want to confirm. As I remember, you can't use two verbs one after another. Here count and start are all verbs. So, is it correct? If not, what the correct way to express the same meaning?

BTW, the original article is talking about a programming structure array and how the indexing of it works.


texts:
Still, dislike him as they might, Abu-'Ali's neighbours and kinsmen also held him in fear. The children of the hamlet were always careful to be discreet when they mimicked him: they would look up and down the lanes to make sure that neither he nor his burly eldest son, 'Ali, were in sight...

My question is how is might used here? Wouldn't it be better to say instead disliked him as they might have because the writer is talking about the past here? Also, shouldn't it be was there instead of were?


texts: May I say: "The jackal relates to the dog as the tiger to the cat"? Or must it be "corresponds", or anything else?


texts: differentiating between" more and more" and" further"

texts:
UPDATED:
Could you possibly show me in which circumstance you would distinguish between the following? when or where not?

more and more
further

Cheers,
nima


texts: Is there some simple word/phrase instead of "render"?

texts:
English is not my native tongue, so it's actually hard to explain the problem here. It seems like in my language it's hard to explain "render" in a single word. So I need some alternatives for the following example:

  User processes, in opposite, do not "trust" themselves. This is why a "true" spinlock, which renders a process as uninterruptible for an infinite time, is not provided for user processes. At most, OS provides hybrid version of a spinlock and a mutex: during the short period of time the process, which tries to grab a spinlock, is actually rendered as uninterruptible. But if the time expires until the process acquires the spinlock, the process is moved to the waiting state, allowing other processes to be run on the same core. So "fairness" is provided.

My current candidates are:

Make (it become something)
Turn (it into some state)
Is considered as (something)

are these correct? Or what's a better solution?


texts: what does "______, thy name is ______" mean?

texts:
No only can I not get what the following sentence means, I fail to understand the concept of the bold part, as well.

  Frailty, thy name is woman

"______, thy name is ______"


texts: The exact meaning of "must+have+past participle"

texts:
Are these sentences interchangeable?

  I think I have left my keys at home.
  I must have left my keys at home.
  For example: If somebody asks us "where have you left your keys?" which answer would be correct to this question, 1 or 2? and why?


texts:
In a novel, two men speak about a good-looking lawyer in Antigua island
One says to the other :

  When you said she was a lawyer I was thinking of someone playing on a rubber tyre at the end of a chain.

I must admit I'm not sure of the pun intended here. Tyres mounted on chain may be used as a swing of sort, but what else could it be ? Meaning she's a dog ?


texts:
Can "done" be added in these sentences in the end?

  She just had a plastic surgery done.

  She just got a plastic surgery done.

  I'm planning on getting a plastic surgery done.

  I'm planning on having a plastic surgery done.

I know that these sentences are used without that "done" in the end, but do they sound fine with that "done" included?


texts:
... so that the cost of such a broadcast stays zero.

Is this sentence correct ? or should I omit the a?

Thank you!


texts: ‘Is’ or ‘are’ for two uncountable nouns/subjects

texts:
In my last ask, I got to know that we use ‘is’, not ‘are’ if we say “Why is there so much violence in that movie?” because there is only one noun/subject (violence) and it’s an uncountable noun. Now, if we say “Why is/are there so much violence and nudity in Game of Thrones?”, which one should I use? ‘Is’ or ‘are’? There are two nouns/subjects(‘violence’ and ‘nudity’) and both of them are uncountable.

I’m writing the sentences below:

Why is there so much violence and nudity in Game of Thrones?
Why are there so much violence and nudity in Game of Thrones?


texts: ‘a slip of tongue’ or ‘a slip of the tongue’

texts:
I see both in one book, and I feel it is weird why there were two phrases.

You made some slips of the tongue.
Are you sure that it was just a slip of tongue?

I guess the former is right.


texts: Which of Below sentence is correct and Why?

texts:
What did you play?/What did you eat?
What you played ?/What you ate?

I am confused between above type of sentence, can anybody help me out.  Whit proper grammatical explanation.


texts: Should I use 'nor' or 'neither' in this sentence?

texts:
Please see these two sentences:

  I am not your slave, nor do I have to follow your advice.
  I am not your slave, neither do I have to follow your advice.

Which one is correct?  If neither is correct, please do not divide the sentence into two parts using a full stop; please give only one sentence.
Can I also use 'and' and say:                                                           "I am not your slave and I do not have to follow your advice."?


texts:
If I had to teach someone English, I'd probably start with the alphabet, some pronunciation for interaction, and that'd be a first basis to learn the language, along with a few basic words (objects, colors, numbers).

That being done, building a few sentences, the most common verbs (be, do…) and adjectives,  probably some adverbs, conjugation, negation, syntax, grammar, etc., and both our heads are spinning in face of the overwhelming difficulty of all that's to come.

How would you plan such a teaching? I know of the Oxford3000 list of most common words, but where should I start, where should I insert what grammar points on the way, and in what order?

Would you make a difference for self-learners?


texts: “Since the train was delayed for more than an hour, passengers were given a full refund.” – Why is there no article before “passengers”?

texts:
After all, we are talking about very definite passengers – the ones that were on that train. Can it be gathered from the sentence that not all of the passengers were given a refund?

P.S. The sentence comes from a grammar book.


texts: tense mismatch for a reported fact with "there was"

texts:
There was a lady who spit at me yesterday.
There was a lady who spat at me yesterday.

Is the first one ungrammatical? I am thinking it is, but I am wondering if there's any situation where the first one is ok grammatically.


texts: Where are you heading (to)? Why can TO be omitted?

texts:
My Japanese friend asked me why "to" can be omitted in "Where are you heading?"

He asked me if it's because "where" is an adverb but I don't think that's the reason ...

Can someone please help me explain the reason?


texts:
Galactic Republic will deliver large payloads to orbit inside a composite fairing, but the rocket can also carry the manned spacecraft.

Does inside a composite fairing function as an attributive or adverbial phrase?

Can I use in a composite fairing instead?


texts: Can adjuncts be put between a verb and its complement?

texts:
I think he knows more or less everything that goes on here, you know.
  (Harry Potter)

I’ve heard, in English, adjuncts cannot be put between verbs and their complements. For instance:

  *I think he knows usually everything that goes on here.

If this is right, shouldn’t ‘more or less’ be put after ‘everything’?


texts:
I'm not sure whether you can say, although I have some confidence in my English skills:

  I traveled the whole of Germany. (or just:) I traveled Germany.

It sounds vaguely wrong to me. I guess the better way would be to say:

  I traveled all over Germany.

But I don't think you can say:

  I traveled over Germany.

Right?


texts: Present Simple vs Future Simple vs Present Continuous vs "Going to" vs Future Obligation for events in near future

texts:
Grammar tells us that Present Simple, Future Simple, Present Continuous, Future obligation, and "Going to" can all speak about the events that take place in the future. But for near future events what is better to use and what is correct?

The shop opens at 8am tomorrow morning.
The shop will open at 8am tomorrow morning.
The shop is opening at 8am tomorrow morning.
The shop is going to open at 8am tomorrow morning.
The shop is to open at 8am tomorrow morning.

What about Present Continuous, Future obligation, and "Going to"? Can we use them for objects and things? I've known so far that this is wrong.

The bus is leaving in ten minutes. (Wrong)
The bus is going to leave in ten minutes. (Wrong)
The bus is to leave in ten minutes. (Wrong)
The bus leaves in ten minutes. (Correct)
The bus will leave in ten minutes. (Correct)

Edit. A few more sentences add to the list:

The bus shall leave in ten minutes.
The bus should leave in ten minutes.


texts: “No sooner had I...” vs. “No sooner did I..."

texts:
What is the difference in meaning between the following sentences?

  No sooner had I closed my eyes, I fell asleep.
  No sooner did I close my eyes, I fell asleep.


texts: How do I use "don't be the one" in sentence?

texts:
Can I use in this way:

For example I'm advising a girl:

  People say girls are mean. Well don't be the one.

Is this correct? Or should I write "... Well don't be the mean girl"?


texts: I'm having trouble understanding a "fronted concessive clause"

texts:
Well-intentioned though many people may have imagined that the CIA probably thought they were, their foreign-policy operations were
  confused, duplicitous failures.

I do understand the basic structure, "Well-intentioned though they were"

But, I can't parse clearly "Well-intentioned though many people may have imagined that the CIA probably thought they were".

It just doesn't seem to be a relative clause though.
Could you help me to understand the parenthesis?

My parsing is as follows:

The CIA probably thought (that) many people may have imagined [that they were well-intentioned]


texts:
Hey, Would you beat your friend for 100 dollars?

What does this mean?
a) Requesting someone to beat his/her friend for 100 dollars?
or
b) Asking whether they would beat his friend for 100 dollars ?


texts: Are "aside from" and "besides" exchangeable in this case?

texts:
This is one of the examples from cambridge dict

  Do you play any other sports besides basketball?

Oxford dict consider "besides" and "aside from" are synonyms.

Assume the guy being asked loves basketball and baseball, are "aside from" and "besides" exchangeable in the example sentence?


texts: "want to figure out" vs. "work on figuring out"

texts:
I am preparing for IELTS test, in which advanced words and expressions get higher score. consider this

  I have been wanting to figure out the meaning of that math term.

Is the meaning of the following close to the above?

  I have been working on figuring out the meaning of that math term.

Is there any other options?


texts:
I don’t want to go on knowing you.

We have here a modal element (want),a phasal part (go on) and a gerund (knowing),so probably it is the modal aspective predicate, or I'm much mistaken?

  Suddenly, without any real change in her, she ceased to be beautiful.

The first component is expressed by a phasal verb (cease), the second part by a link-verb (be)  and the third - by a predicative – (adjective - beautiful).
As a result - the aspective nominal predicate.


texts:
Newton postulated a law of universal gravitation according to which
  each body in the universe was attracted toward every other body by a
  force that was stronger the more massive the bodies and the closer
  they were to each other.

I have never seen "which" which is used after "according to." I've consulted a dictionary and reasoned that "which each body" means "every body." Is it right?

AND

I completely don't understand why the phrase, "the more massive the bodies" is right. I think it must be "the more massive body."

Tell me, please!


texts: What structures do stand behind the expression the movies (we're going to the movies)? It confuses me that it is plural (movies) and with the definite article (the). It seems that in the same way you say the woods (we went camping in the woods).


texts:
If I want to ask the reason why something is not red, which sentence is the correct one?

"Why is it not red?" or
"Why isn't it red?"

Thank you!


texts: Why is this choice for a definition of a "civil society" the least controversial one?

texts:
Passage: p 154, Mastering the National Admissions Test for Law by Mark Shepherd
= Consider only 'The civil society puzzle' &  only the 1st para under 'Civil society – gaining some clarity'.

Question 41, p.155:
Which of the following aims could be inferred to be the least controversial
inclusion in a defi nition of civil society?
(a) Reducing state intervention in politics
(b) Reducing conflict
(c) Improving the quality of a particular society
(d) Promoting democracy
(e) Increasing individual freedom

From the answer key, p.242: (a) INCORRECT. Although Cato appears to support this view, other defi nitions
are put forward which state the opposite, suggesting that this would be a
controversial inclusion.
(b) INCORRECT. Reducing conflict is implicit in some, but not all, defi nitions, as
is the idea of promoting democracy. These are, however, relatively specifi c
ideas and are not consistent with an all- encompassing defi nition.
(c) CORRECT. The majority of conceptions of civil society are implied to promote
various ideals or benefits for that society, and few would suggest that
improving the quality of society was not a widely accepted aim.
(d) INCORRECT. See (b).
(e) INCORRECT. Increasing individual freedom will again be an aim championed
by the followers of some ideologies, but will be opposed by others and is likely
to be controversial at least to some extent.

Why are the wrong answers wrong? The answer key doesn't quote from the passages, to show which definition(s) helps and opposes a choice. Since this is a hard passage for me, I'm struggling to find them myself. For example, what definition(s) oppose(s) (a), (b), (d), (e)?
Are choices  (d) and (e) the same? If so, then a cheap trick is to eliminate them both instantly?


texts:
I've got the following text from a friend via whatsapp:

  "I already was about TO going class tomorrow morning."

When I read it I'm not sure about its correctness, it says, if the preposition TO should be here or not, since it's not clear if this "to" function as a preposition or as a part of infinitive, but both don't make sense to me, because infinitive form is "to"+ "base verb" (without "ing") and the using it as preposition also doesn't make sense since in other cases we say (verb)+ing directly after saying about. (Maybe I would say instead, "I already was about to go to the class tomorrow". Isn't it better?)


texts: One likes to do it oneself. (Who is one?)

texts:
One likes to do it oneself.
Who is "one"?

I

one of people in general


texts: Which subject/object does "their" refer to in this sentence?

texts:
Consider "their" in the following sentence:

  Existential psychologists differed from others often classified as humanistic in their comparatively neutral view of human nature and in their relatively positive assessment of anxiety.

Is their referring to existential psychologists or others?
Is there any general rule for such cases?

I didn't know what to search for, so an external link or even a name to search for would also be good.


texts: Can we use appositives before the subject?

texts:
Good vocabulary, knowledge of grammar, sense of style--all are basic writing skills.
Basic writing skills--good vocabulary, knowledge of grammar, sense of style-- can be learned by almost everyone.

In (2) the series of appositives are "good vocabulary, knowledge of grammar, sense of style". So by definition "The appositive is a noun or noun phrase that modifies another noun" so it means appositive comes after the subject right?

But my doubt is can we use appostives before a subject like in (1) and in (1) which is the subject(i.e noun) that
modifies the noun phrases "Good vocabulary, knowledge of grammar, sense of style" ?


texts: 'They would be looking at a week Monday' - what does this mean?

texts:
They would be looking at a week Monday - does that work for you?

Does it mean?

I should be available on Monday next week.

or

I should be available on any working day in the next week.


texts:
I guess English learners use some phrases like "I don't know" and "I don't understand" frequently. To emphasize that, people would use some adverbs, e.g. really.

Adverb usually comes after the auxiliary verb and before the main verb, so, that expression becomes

  I don't really know ...

However, another option seems to be used as common

Do they mean the same thing? Are they interchangeable in any cases? Could someone please give a hint? Thanks in advance.


texts:
What is meaning of the sentence :     The book fell open at a page of illustrations.

The sentence doesn’t have subject ( it is passive ) for example somebody has opened the book and the book is open now so speaker describe present situation of the book and he or she uses of   fell open  instead of   has been fallen open.
In my understanding of English the sentence must be passive why it isn’t  and  whats meaning (concept) of the sentence  ?
Ehsan


texts: Meaning of ‘I suspected her motives in offering to help.’

texts:
I suspected her motives in offering to help.

What does it mean? As I Know here 'I' subject 'suspected' verb 'her motives' complement 'in offering to help' is modifier. But the comprehension is not clear to me.


texts:
Obi-Wan: Anakin did not take to his new assignment with much
enthusiasm.
WINDU: It's very dangerous, putting them together. I don't think the
boy can handle it. I don't trust him.

Who exactly is "them" here? I am pretty sure grammatically, that 'them' could refer to "assignment" and
"enthusiasm".
Source: Star Wars Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)


texts:
It’s necessary that I not be lazy?

Is this sentence correct? Because it sounds odd - but due to the structure of subjunctive:

  It’s important /(un)necessary /essential + that + Subject + (should) + V.inf without to.


texts: Can I note "country of origin" about people?

texts:
I'm writing a report and I have to write the personal data (such as full name, address, and the place where the person was born). Now I thought about writing "country of origin" but then I checked it on google and found that article on Wikipedia which states:

  "Country of origin (COO), is the country of manufacture, production,
  or growth where an article or product comes from."

From this article it seems that I can use it for everything except for people. Isn't it?


texts: Is "leave" natural to use in this context?

texts:
Let's say a friend of mine has just gotten divorced. It was his ex-wife's decision. So now he has moved out while his ex-wife is staying in the house with their children.
If I have just learned all that, could I say this: "How could she just leave you, after all those years?"? Would "leave" be the most natural word to use even though the consequence of her decision is that he's the one who had to move out/leave while she's staying in the house with their children? Or would you steer out of it and phrase the question differently?


texts:
“Her hand and wrist were so finely formed that she could wear sleeves not less bare of style than those in which the Blessed Virgin appeared to Italian painters”

The sentence is from George Eliot's Middlemarch. "Not less bare of style", what does it mean?


texts: The bigger the sales and the higher the sales /are

texts:
Let's say you are asked about how teamwork can affect the sales of a company. You say:

  I believe the stronger our team is, the bigger our rewards and the higher our sales will be. (My construction)

Or

  I believe the stronger our team is, the bigger our rewards and the higher our sales. (Corrected by omitting the last 2 words)

My newest construction:

  I believe the stronger our team is, the bigger our rewards and the higher our sales are.

My point here is, which is correct here. It a set phrase BUT I don't know how to construct it correctly to mean what I am trying to say.

P.S.: I believe that the corrected sentence2 is wrong...


texts:
Am I right or not :

Sentence (1) says that, in general and often, That acts unfairly.

Sentence (2) is saying that, right now -- some specific thing we are already talking about is not fair

  Sentence (1) :That's not fair.

  Sentence (2) :That's not being fair.

Can you explain them more for example are these sentences like these ones :

1) He is clever
2) He is being clever


texts: Word for a politically corrupt world/universe

texts: I am searching for a word that describes a politically corrupt world/universe in  particular an antonym to the word cosmos. I have searched thesaurus.com and came up with nothing. I have considered the word dystopian but discarded it as it does not imply being politically corrupt.


texts:
From here, I saw this sentance

But this way a new dummy commit is added. If you want to avoid spaghetti-history you can rebase:

Google spaghetti-history only shows the history of spaghetti.
I think there may be two meanings in original context :

spaghetti is long -> tedious , we want to avoid long  tedious thing.
the history of spaghetti is long -> tedious , we want to avoid long  tedious thing.

Or is this spaghetti-history from some famous story/allusion ?


texts: Whether + simple present or present continuous?

texts:
I was writing a comment that briefly describes what a function actually does in my source code, and stumbled upon a grammar question below.

  This function verifies whether the data is abiding by the pre-defined format.

I felt somewhat awkward to write the idiom abide by in present continuous tense, but I also thought writing it in simple present tense is as weird. Which one is more preferred tense that I should take when it comes to a whether clause?


texts:
In this youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=40&v=iWDKsHm6gTA

It says:

  Groups of people that shared a single language and culture
  often split into smaller tribes,
  going separate ways in search of fresh game and fertile land.

Why they don't search fertile lands? Is it ok to use lands there?


texts:
What is the synonym for "Buckle up your seat belt"?

Is it "Take off your seat belt"?


texts: 'Any' + plural nouns vs 'any' + singular nouns

texts:
Are both the following sentences correct?

1- Hi everyone, ask me any question. I will answer it to the best of my ability.

2- Hi everyone, ask me any questions. I will answer them to the best of my ability.

I think the second one using plural noun is correct. I am not sure.


texts:
That is used as a restrictive form and can be used with people, animals and things.
Who is mostly used with people.

I am confused where to use these two in the following particular situation:

Examples

The child that came here yesterday is dead.
The boys who were watching the match clapped heartily.

What is difference between these two sentences?


texts:
The fiscal state: Paying taxes in Switzerland
Every year, each household gets a tax form from the cantonal or local tax office. The
responsible persons in the household are required to declare the
salary earned last year and their fortune by the end of it. On the
basis of their own declarations and after control by the authority,
taxpayers get their bill. The commune or canton not only collects its
own taxes but is mandated to also collect those of the other two
levels. This demands much trust in the taxpayer and the collecting
authority but is considered to be efficient for all parties involved.
Swiss Democracy by Linder Mueller

What does fiscal state means in the heading? Does it mean "circumstances" or "nation"?
I have found some examples of the word "fiscal state" in the internet but they are ambiguous too.
Can please someone explain?


texts: "Means [...] is" versus "means [...] are"

texts:
The most effective means of control is immediate removal of pods from harvested plants, but this is not always possible at a time when other farm activities are at their peak, so one possible option is the use of cheap dryers. (The Guardian)
The most effective means of prevention are protection against contact with the disease-carrying mosquitoes and mosquito control. These include using insect repellents with substances such as DEET (N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide; also known as N,N'-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide or NNDB), icaridin (also known as picaridin and KBR3023), PMD (p-menthane-3,8-diol, a substance derived from the lemon eucalyptus tree), or IR3535. Wearing bite-proof long sleeves and trousers (pants) also offers protection. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chikungunya)

As a learner of the English language, I instinctively read "means" as if it were plural, but searching on Internet, and - obviously - selecting only reliable sources, I found both singular and plural usages.
Examples above are confusing, at least to me, because I'm not able to understand the reason why in the first case is used is while in the second one is used are.
Can anybody explain when we should use "means" in singular or in plural sense?


texts: What does "landing" mean in this context?

texts:
The manager shall assess the fall area for building infrastructure, (i.e.,
  fire escapes, landings, access ladders) that could impede the fall path.

What does "landings" mean in this context? It seems to be a place for landing, but it's still vague. What does it exactly refer to? I searched a dictionary, but the definition is just "a floor between two sets of stairs or at the top of a set of stairs".

And I have one more question. How should "for" be interpreted? Does it mean that:

  the manager shall assess the fall area "of" building infrastructure

or

  the manager shall assess the fall area "regarding" the building
  infrastructure (which means that the manager inspects the fall area,
  and the inspection is about building infrastructure)

?


texts:
Excerpted from Did Burke Betray The Cause Of Liberty?:

  All these works can be situated historically by reference to the excellent chronology provided.

I have a few questions:

Provided there is pretty odd to me, provided what? All these works can be situated historically by reference to the excellent chronology is already itself a complete sentence to me, I don't see how the original structure works.
What does this sentence mean exactly? (a) All these works can be situated historically because they mention some reference to time and events in other excellent documents(chronology), or (b) All these works can be situated historically provided you use other excellent chronology as reference.


texts: 'Two litres' as one thing (the form of a verb)

texts:
There is/are two litres of milk in the jug.

Which form is preferable?


texts:
I'm a foreigner student who I am about to do the final college degree project at an English speaking country.

I have seen that a lot of professors' project proposals for the students are formulated with the following structure, for instance:

  On the construction and application of implicit factored schemes for conservation laws.

I have been studying English for years and I can understand it really good. However, what attracts my attention here is the structure: "On the computation..."

I had never seen before this structure until now that I'm seeing it very often and I'm just curious about when it is used and why.

I understand the meaning but I would not say it that way. When is it used or in which context is frequent this structure?


texts:
Do we get-up of / from / the bed?

Examples:

  Pleaee Jon, get-up of / from / the bed.

  When he got-up of / from / the bed,  he saw his frriend waiting next to the door.


texts: "Don't let dog out" vs "don't let the dog out"

texts:
Don't let dog out.

  Don't let the dog out.

Are those sentences both valid, or is only the latter a valid one?

Is the needed for non-proper nouns?
Is "Don't let Mike out." valid?


texts: Can a subjective relative pronoun be omitted?

texts:
(1) It was you [ that ] I wanted to meet. (relative pronoun: objective)
(2) It was you that told me to say so. (relative pronoun: subjective)

I understand you can definitely omit the objective relative pronoun that in sentence (1).   Can you also omit the subjective relative pronoun that in sentence (2)?   I do not think so.   Could you help me clarify it?  Thank you always.


texts:
In his Democratic National Convention speech on 27 July, Barack Obama said:

  Let me tell you, eight years ago, you may remember Hillary and I were rivals for the Democratic nomination. We battled for a year and a half. Let me tell you, it was tough, because Hillary was tough. I was worn out. She was doing everything I was doing, but just like Ginger Rogers, it was backwards in heels. And every time I thought I might have the race won, Hillary just came back stronger.

The link for the transcript

What is it meant by "it was backwards in heels"?


texts: What does "reflect on" means in this context?

texts:
Political parties engage strongly during a campaign. Popular votations
are an opportunity to highlight themselves, reflecting on concrete
issue against the background of their basic ideologies and programmes,
and pointing out the presumed interests of their voters and their
affinity to interest groups.
*- Swiss democracy by Wolf Linder

"reflect on" has two meanings according to Cambridge Dictionary:
1 (as a phrase) - to influence people's opinion of a person, group, or organization
2 (reflect alone) - to think carefully
I don't know which meaning is right for this context? Or is there any other meaning?


texts: What is a word for changing yourself to reflect the changing world? I'm looking for something else other than update and its synonyms, since they don't quite fully seem to explain what I want to say.


texts:
What is the meaning of the following sentence

  Punch is distinguished from its hunchback.

Is Punch name of a person?


texts: How do you say "letting music play in a random order"?

texts:
You know people use playlist to listen music at a particular order, what do you call the act of listening to music in a random order and letting the computer choose songs randomly?

For example:

  Instead of making a playlist off the songs I like, I let it play
  itself randomly.

I am looking to replace the bolded part with a sort of idiom.


texts: Difference between "if + negative" and "if + positive" in this context

texts:
Any semantic difference between the two following sentences?

  See if there isn't any room for improvement.

  See if there is any room for improvement.


texts: a bit of culture clash -- what does that mean?

texts:
Each subspecialty within information technology also has its own jargon that isn't shared by computer people outside that subspecialty. In the same way that a bit of culture clash is occurring as the language of computers enters the language of everyday life, so a bit of culture clash is occurring as the language of software internationalization enters the language of general computing.

I don't understand that phrase. Does a bit mean what it usually means, like a small part of something?


texts: What does "it will be recalled that.." mean?

texts:
it will be recalled that this working group was established pursuant to a decision of the security council.

The phrase also appears here as:

  It will be recalled that the laureate has made it known that he did not wish to accept the prize.

Given that recall means remember, the phrase should mean it will be remembered that. My suspicion is that it is used to remind rather than to remember, as in "you should remember that" or "it should be noted that" or "I'd like to remind you that". Does it mean any of these, or does it mean "everyone will remember that"? or something else? And is it good English? because it seems to me not straightforward.


texts: "I prefer riding to walking" VERSUS "I prefer to ride than to walk"

texts:
Original question: I prefer riding than/to walking
I came across this exercise question in a book.
The correct statement according to the book is:

I prefer riding to walking

Why is it to instead of than?
Answered by Jack O'Flaherty

The new version of this question is suggested by Lambie

I prefer riding to walking
VERSUS
I prefer to ride than to walk

Are both correct? If so, when do we use which?


texts:
I'm looking for a adjective to speak about things related to the far west. And more generally about multiple-words nouns.

Would far-west-ness or something like that be acceptable ? Is there a rule behind ?

Example for the main question : Red Dead Redemption is a [...] game. in order to say this game is full of references to the far west (but not that it was invented at that time).

Example for the general question : let's consider cook book as a noun. Can we build an adjective based on it ? This library is a [...] place. ?


texts: Why is the expression 'at work' not 'on work'?

texts:
It is written everywhere that the person is "at " work. He is "at" work.
So why we can't use  "on" instead of "at" there?
We use on Monday ,on Tuesday etc
I know this is the rule but what if we use "on" work.
Why it is wrong?


texts:
In this article:
https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/australians-stuck-abroad-covid/index.html
the word CAP is present, what does it mean?
Example:

Sunday marked two months since Prime Minister Scott Morrison
introduced cap of just 4,000 international arrivals per week.

So what did the sentence say?

The citizen of Australia came back is by amount of 4,000 people

or:

The possible amount of people that their are citizen of Australia is
4,000 can be allow to came, so the overhead of people is 4,000.

Can somebody help me?


texts: They spoke with one another or to one another?

texts:
Which of the following sentences is correct?

They spoke to one another.
They spoke with one another.


texts:
Is it possible to write if it is not possible let me know why

  To our surprise the car was intact when we had reached the top of the hill.

Or is it better to write

  By the time we had reached the top of the hill, the car was still intact.


texts:
Why does the word "it" mean "everything", "all" or "whole" in these expressions?:

  1.-That's it!

  2.-‘Dr Kernohan said: ‘If this fails we're going to have to do some hard thinking, and one option is just to move on and say, that's it.’’

  3.-‘If you have so many complaints against your name then that's it.’

  4.-‘I might have a cuppa and a biscuit but that's it until my evening meal, and by then I'm past it and don't want anything.’

Why does this pronoun work as a noun in these expressions and other else?


texts: What is the meaning of "disquieting suggestion"?

texts:
This is from the story named: Desirée’s Baby by Kate Chopin

  When the baby was about three months old, Desiree awoke one day to the conviction that there was something in the air menacing her peace. It was at first too subtle to grasp. It had only been a disquieting suggestion; an air of mystery among the blacks; unexpected visits from far-off neighbors who could hardly account for their coming. Then a strange, an awful change in her husband's manner, which she dared not ask him to explain. When he spoke to her, it was with averted eyes, from which the old love-light seemed to have gone out. He absented himself from home; and when there, avoided her presence and that of her child, without excuse. And the very spirit of Satan seemed suddenly to take hold of him in his dealings with the slaves. Desiree was miserable enough to die.

Dose it mean that At first she just thought that something might have been happened but she was not sure?

I looked it up but I dont get the meaning of "disquieting suggestion." Actually I dont get the meaning of “suggestion" – "suggestion" has several meanings but I dont know which of them to use here.


texts:
I was typing something, and found my grammer tool correcting me on the following sentence –

  They makes a nice couple.

The correct sentence suggested was –

  They make a nice couple.

When googled more on it I found that –
Subjects and verbs must agree in number. If the subject is singular, the verb must be singular too. And if the subject is plural, the verb must also be plural.

Now that added more to my confusion, I thought verbs ending with “s” should be considered plural and not ending with “s” should be singular.

Some more examples –

  Incorrect: She write every day.

  Correct: She writes every day.

  Incorrect: They writes every day.

  Correct: They write every day.

  Incorrect: He fix the car when it break down.

  Correct: He fixes the car when it breaks down.

And then, why I love you is correct and not I loves you is incorrect, when "I" is also singular, as "He" and "She"?


texts: Describing a Concept as "Delusional" or "Illusional" Here?

texts:
So I wonder if there is any chance for such a use of the term "delusional" to make sense (even for exaggeration): We will show that such-and-so concept can be delusional. If not, would "illusional" be a better fit here?

What I would like to convey is that this such-and-so concept is usually unquestioned, but, my research shows that this concept may not be entirely reliable in certain situations.


texts: You are the best mom anyone could ever had/have

texts:
Which of these is better?

  You are the best mom anyone could ever have.

  You are the best mom anyone could ever had.

I am a bit confused with these and if they are in a different tense then kindly elaborate that too.
And if it wrong in any other way, please mention what.
Thank you.


texts: Is "Where do I understand wrong?" proper English?

texts:
In this question, I used "Where do I understand wrong?". No matter it is proper or not, I think you understand what I want to express.

So, is it proper English? If not, how to improve it?


texts:
How different are the following two sentences:

  I am not allowed to sleep during the day.
  I am not allowed to sleep in the day.


texts:
What are the differences between using simple present and present perfect in a before clause?
(1)

You can't understand a culture before you learn the language.

(2)

You can't understand a culture before you have learned the language.

To me, (1) sounds like once you start learning the language, even with getting to a high level, you can understand the culture. (2) sounds like you can understand the culture only after the completion of the learning of the language, which implies getting to a high level of proficiency.
Is my understanding correct?


texts:
I was about to write an hilarious tweet, that goes

I change my mind as often as I change underwear, not very

Am I correct in thiking that the word often is implied at the end? or do I have to spell it out, like

I change my mind as often as I change underwear, not very often

In the latter I get the feeling that the often is forced, so, when is a word implied?


texts: What does this noun phrase plus a clause mean?

texts:
My studies were meticulous and intense, although not particularly
  fruitful. At first, I planned to take a degree in psychiatry as many
  manqué talents do; but I was even more manqué than that; a peculiar
  exhaustion, I am so oppressed, doctor, set in; and I switched to
  English literature, where so many frustrated poets end as pipe-smoking
  teachers in tweeds. (Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov)

I can’t understand the highlighted part at all. Starting with a noun phrase, then a clause, and a noun, and a participial or a verb phrase, it makes me only confused. Would you show me the clear sight into the structure?


texts:
I wonder if the word flood can be used as a flood. I think the word like water cannot be used as a water because it is a collective noun.

In my dictionary, it writes both countable and uncountable. But I'm not sure how I can use them apart. All the example sentences use the flood or floods or a [adjective] flood.

So when can the word flood be used as a flood and if so, when should I use it, instead of the uncountable form flood?


texts: "an example of use" OR "an example of usage"

texts:
I was answering a question on StackOverflow, I wrote a code snippet and provided an example of how that piece of code should be used.

I was going to write

  Here's an example of usage

Then I was wondering if I could put "use" instead "usage"

  Here's an example of use

What I was trying to say is

  Here's an example of how you can use it.
  Here's an example of how to use it.

I looked up the definitions, I googled them, but I am still not sure which one is correct and whether they both are acceptable in this particular situation.

This ngram brought nothing but more confusion. See that surge? What does that even mean?

Could you please clear it up for me?


texts: Sentence structure - Then up pops Netflix with

texts:
Please have a look at the quote below borrowed from the Guardian:

  P.A. must have thought the pandemic had pushed his association with the convicted sex offender, the late multimillionaire J.E., out of the news cycle. Even though the [law enforcement agencies] were still pressing him to talk to them. Even though the famously non-sweaty [...] had made such an armpit-gushing mess of that Newsnight interview. Now the public was otherwise engaged.

  Then up pops Netflix with the documentary series [J.F.:F.R.].

Why doesn’t it follow the conventional sentence structure like ”subject + verb + [object]”? In those structures as quoted above must prepositions forming part of phrasal verbs be always (or otherwise as a rule) positioned before the core verb like ”pop” in the example? The questions revolve around the sentence in bold.


texts: How Gerund affects subject verb agreement?

texts:
Eating sweets __________ (is/ are ) tough.
Contesting elections ______ ( is / are ) tough .
[ Which one is the subject Eating/ Contesting or sweets / elections ?]
According to Cambridge Grammar of English [ by Carter or Mccarthy ]
Gerund : A  word derived from a verb which ends in ing  is used as a noun.
Smoking is hazardous to health.
My Answer
Eating sweets is tough.
Contesting elections is tough.
But the nouns are in plural form ???????????


texts: Is the Passive voice of the sentence is grammatically correct?

texts:
Active voice -The teacher taught her English.

Passive voice-English was taught her by the teacher.

Should i use 'taught to' instead of 'taught'


texts: What is the word to be used to refer a person, who defends his actions is correct?

texts:
The situation is this "In an email, I wrote about the person due to his incorrect information, he wasted my time. for which he replied that his information was correct with some supporting reasons (which is actually not acceptable by me. because it is not true) and put the blame back on me." his reply is just to protection himself from the higher officials in the email cc. they are just going to take the decision or react based on the information in the email.

It is common character of most of the people. but some people they don't correct their mistakes at all. Always They will use this strategy and escape from their faults.

What is the proper phrase or word to be used while referring this type person or his actions?

Can I say, "he just trying to defend" or "he just blames" or is there a different way to express it?


texts: Should I use a comma before a reduced and defining relative clause in this sentence?

texts:
A simple linear relationship between force and displacement known as
Hooke's Law was discovered in the 1600s.

I wrote this sentence and intended to use a reduced and defining relative clause, "known as Hooke's Law".
Its long form is:

A simple linear relationship between force and displacement that is
known as Hooke's Law was discovered in the 1600s.

Basically, "known as Hooke's Law" defines the whole noun phrase "A simple linear relationship between force and displacement".
The question is whether or not I should use a comma before "known", although it is a defining relative clause.
Which one do you think is correct?

A simple linear relationship between force and displacement known as
Hooke's Law was discovered in the 1600s.
A simple linear relationship between force and displacement, known as
Hooke's Law, was discovered in the 1600s.

I think the first one (without commas) is correct as it is a defining relative clause.
Thank you.


texts: Is this a commonly used expression, "awfully hard to do"?

texts:
could some please help to listen what the professor is saying?

it sounds like xx awfully hard to do.

is this a commonly used expression?


texts:
(1) You cook well.
(2) You cook good.

When an adverb follows after a verb as in (1), it sounds, I guess, smoother than (2). Yet (2) would not be not proper for there are predicative adjuncts in English. Do you use (2) expression actually? If you do, ‘good’ might show the subject’s property in the activity of the verb, I guess; so this is the difference from (1)?


texts: "If I knew what you want/wanted to eat tonight"

texts:
Context:

I am talking to my friends, trying to find out what she wants to eat tonight.

  "What do you want to eat tonight?"
  "You know what I want to eat."
  "If I knew what you wanted to eat, I wouldn't be asking you what you wanted to eat."

I am wondering about "wanted" and "wanted" should they be in the present tense? Maybe this is better:

  "If I knew what you want to eat, I wouldn't be asking you what you want to eat."


texts: Should I use 'the' before language names?

texts:
In following sentences, should I use the:

Persian is sweet.
(the) Persian language is sweet.
(the) Contemporary Persian language is sweet.
(the) Contemporary Persian is sweet.


texts: What is the difference between all night and all the night? Can I use ‘the’ if I am referring the night specifically as last night

texts: people say night is singular and the night is seen as plural and night is usually singular so it should be all night not all the night. What if I want to talk about last night or the listener understands which night I am talking about.


texts: How to explain parameters written sequentially and separated by commas , correctly and without ambiguity ?. ( a,b,c,... )

texts:
I am confused of using plural or singular form to explain some parameters listed sequentially and separated by comma. compare:

X,Y, and Z are length,  width, and  height (, respectively)..

X,Y, and Z is length,  width, and  height (, respectively).

Now questions:

  Plural or Singular ? Is there any difference?

  Is the adverb respectively essential to avoid confusion ?

Regards

Edition: Adding Context


texts: What is the difference between ‘The meeting is/has finished’ and "meeting over" or "meeting done"?

texts:
What is the difference between ‘The meeting is/has finished’ and "meeting over" or "meeting done" and can use like "meeting completed"?
Could anyone please advise which is more natural and when should one use over the other with sentences?


texts:
When do we use a collection of uncountable nouns? Which form of the verb should we use? Singular or plural?
E.g.:

"Water and milk is/are essential."
"Courage and bravery is/are slightly different."


texts: How to prevent someone from entering into a subject you dislike in a conversation?

texts:
Please suppose in a dialogue between you and your friend he/she is going to start talking about a matter that you feel bad about it and you want to ask them not to enter that subject. Does the sentence below work naturally in this case:

  We’d better not to enter this subject.

I was wondering if it doesn't sound natural, someone lets me know what is said in this case usually?

Added:

Case one:

  Professor: We were talking about the theory of relativity during the last session. We also proved these equations (pointing out to the written list which is appeared on the Video Projector curtain.) There are some related equations too that I like to bring them all up and discuss about them, but we are short of time. We'd better not enter this subject at least now.

Case two:

  Maria and Denis are in love. Once when they are talking about their past evidences, Denis starts to talk about one of his ex-girls and it sounds a bit upsetting to Maria to hear about it. She just says: "If you don't mind, please don't enter this subject please Denis."


texts:
Which sentence is the best

The records ordered had not been released yet so the label decided to send some free records to make him  wait.

At that time the records ordered  were not released yetso the label decided to send some free records to make him wait .

So in which cases is it possible to use yet with past simple


texts:
Well technically, it can, but would it be bad to use it in narration in the context of:

  After loading his gun, he aimed at the bird, and he pulled the trigger. With a bang, the bullet flew through the air, and a dark shadow could be seen falling down from the air. He actually shot the bird from a thousand meters away!

The "actually" in that context implies "unexpectedness". However, for some reason (no idea why), it sound...off. In fact, I think I would prefer to remove the "actually" from the paragraph above, making it:

  After loading his gun, he aimed at the bird, and he pulled the trigger. With a bang, the bullet flew through the air, and a dark shadow could be seen falling down from the air. He shot the bird from a thousand meters away!

I think the second one sounds a bit better, and even with "actually", the unexpectedness is already there.

So, questions: 1) Which example is better? 2) Is the first example "proper", grammatically wise? 3) Is "actually", in terms of "unexpectedness", should only be used in conversations and not narration?


texts:
Which of these sounds more natural in English.

All the questions are explained "by their categories" or "according to their categories"-
Can I also express it in another way?


texts: How to interpret the meaning when someone tells me that a particular building is down the street? Is it at the end of the road, middle or at the opening?


texts:
After Chelsea's defeat in the last round of the PL by Liverpool, there appeared a banner in the Chelsea fan section with this text:

  Jose, you are one off us.

Is it some kind of a wordplay based on similarity of/off? An ironic teasing that wants to say that the manager of Chelsea should be removed?


texts:
on the need, at the need, in the need, for the need

What is the difference?

  There is no daylight between the United States, the Republic of Korea and Japan on the need to continue to isolate North Korea economically and diplomatically until they abandon their nuclear and ballistic missile programme


texts: What is the meaning of "did enough and more" in following context?

texts:
Donald Trump did enough, and more, to mess up his meeting with Vladimir Putin.

Donald trump has done more than enough. Is this the meaning of this sentence?


texts: "During period of fermentation" vs. "during the period of fermentation" - can we use the definite article?

texts:
From a book published by Cambridge University Press:

  In a batch operation, all necessary medium components and the inoculum are added at the beginning and not during period of fermentation. Therefore, their concentrations are not controlled but are allowed to vary as the living cells take them up. The products, be they intra- or extracellular, are harvested only at the end of the run. Basic controls for pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, and foam are applied during the course of batch culture.

Can we use "the" before "period of fermentation"?

This would then refer to "the period of fermentation that you're undertaking (the fermentation you're undertaking)". I'm accustomed to see "the" then there's an "of-phrase" involved. Maybe here it's okay to either use or omit "the"?


texts: Is "take a long time to wait" grammatical?

texts:
Would it be grammatical to ask:

  "Did it take you a long time to wait for us yesterday?"

Some Russian guy on another forum is insisting that he has researched this and that it's grammatical and idiomatic. To me it sounds downright ludicrous.

My version is "Did you have to wait long for us yesterday?" and he claims that's incorrect! (I'm American by the way)


texts: Comma before which ( result relative clause)

texts:
Is it necessary to add a comma before a result relative clause? For instance consider these sentence
John slipped in front of the bank, which was embarrasing.
You have to write thesis in the end which is cumbersome and lengthy process.
It is very confusing sometimes to know when is which being used as a result relative clause and when otherwise.


texts:
#1 below is an instance of inversion, i.e., the subject "great responsibility" follows the verb "comes."
I'd like to know whether this inversion is optional; is #2 correct?

  With great power comes great responsibility.
  With great power great responsibility comes.

And I am wondering whether the pattern of #1 can be generalized to the following example.

  With a (or his) knife came (or rushed) a (or the) man.

I'd appreciate your help.


texts: "secure access corridor disengaged" - meaning?

texts:
i heard this announcement somewhere in a video game(half life) where freeman runs somewhere.

what does it mean?

that the corridor is now open?
that the secure access in the corridor is not secure anymore?


texts: inspire a feeling of sympahy in / from us

texts:
There is a question on my English test paper:

  What the poor man did actually inspired a feeling of sympathy __ all of
  us.

  (A)in (B)from

The answer is (A). However, I don't know why and what difference between the both choices in this sentence.

Therefore, I turned to my teacher for explanation,but my teacher just said
that "from" should be connected with  a more "moving" verb like "go".

From my perspective,it didn't ring true at all because the word "from" didn't modify the verb "inspired"  but the noun "a feeling of sympathy".

So, could you tell me why the answer should be (A) instead of (B)?


texts: Why do we say, "where is the bathroom?" But, when we ask, "could you tell me where the bathroom is?" we end in a verb?

texts:
Ex without "could"

  where is the bathroom?

Ex with "could"

  Could you tell me where the bathroom is?

Ex with "could" improper use of "is"

  Could you tell me where is the bathroom

So why do we move the "is" when we use the "could"


texts: What is the difference between "Bid welcome" and Welcome

texts: I have recently watched Lord of the Rings and mouth of Sauron is saying " my master bids thee welcome. So I was wondering why just not simple "welcome".


texts: Why is 'might' used in interrogatives for the present?

texts:
User 'jlovegren' : 'Might' is the preterite form of 'may', and both can be used as present tense modals. It originally meant "to be strong, to have power".

Source:  p 123, Line 660; Antigone, Oedipus the King,  Electra; by Sophocles, E Hall et al

  TUTOR [to the chorus]. Might I inquire of you if I have
  come
  To the royal palace of the lord Aegisthus?

Is the use of might here right? The Tutor's question isn't past in any way; so why would you use the preterite might, as per the grey above? I also read this.


texts:
On a presidential debate analysis program on KCRW yesterday a guest gave his  thoughts on Andrew Yang's sweepstakes pilot and labeled it a ploy. The host then followed by saying:

  I think it goes to an interesting thing about Andrew Yang's
  support, which is that even though he is running for a democratic primary
  he has a lot of supporters who would identify as libertarians..."

Does "It goes to..." here mean it explains/says an interesting thing about...?

Why is this not in the dictionary and when did this usage enter the American language?

Can I borrow this and use it in my everyday conversation?


texts: oral instructions vs verbal instructions

texts:
I was given an assignment to correct any mistakes in some given sentences. I saw no real mistake in the sentence below:

  Preparing to parachute from the airplane, Cameron received verbal instructions instead of written ones.

But the answer says that it is oral instructions, not verbal instructions. However, I think people also say "verbal instructions" and cannot find the difference between these two phrases (even though I've googled). How are they different?


texts: "One" can request a tax return transcript by completing the Form

texts:
What does one mean in the following context:

  One can request a tax return transcript by completing the Form ... link

Does it mean "anyone"?


texts:
Can we consider comparative form of adjectives as adjectives, grammatically? I mean, in the following sentence, is "thinner" an adjective?

  "You look thinner."


texts: Meaning of 'on the ball' and "scream" in football (soccer)

texts:
What do the words in bold means in football (soccer) context?

  Southampton on the ball, not a lot of hustle from the United midfield. Sofiane Boufal has a shot blocked, Sam McQueen screams an ambitious effort wide.


texts:
I am not sure if I can use the combination "which I interpret that" in this example:

  The font used is old fashioned which I interpret that the text was printed before 1750.


texts: how to understand a sentence composed of a bunch of nouns+propositions + participles without a main verb?

texts:
Figures 1 and 2 show, for each of 6 of the isotopes listed in Table 1, the change over time in the number of the nuclei remaining, N, in a sample initially containing 1,000 of the nuclei.(From ACT)

What does the bold text mean? I don't think there is a predicate/main verb for the sentence, and the meaning is just elusive to me.


texts:
According to the Dictionary.com, stunned and astounded can be used interchangeably:

  Astound: to overwhelm with amazement; astonish greatly; shock with wonder or surprise.

  Stun: to make senseless, groggy, or dizzy by or as if by a blow; to shock; overwhelm.

Is it correct to say that Astounded is usually stronger and is a little bit about feelings and mental conditions whereas Stunned is often used with a physical situation?


texts: Meaning of "...Manny, who liked a bit now and again and again."

texts:
Context: Female student Manny locked the door & say this words to her professor before she kissed him.

  Student: I'm not a student anymore.

  Professor: I do not think I want to know what that means.

  Student: There once was a girl named Manny Who liked a bit now and
  again, Not now and again, But now and again And again. Cute?


texts: What happens if have come after modals with "each"?

texts:
Each user can have or
Each user can  has ?
which one is correct I have seen them both


texts: Interpretation of "My dream is becoming an English teacher."

texts:
My dream is becoming an English teacher.

Do native speakers not think that the person who says that wants to become an English teacher?

And, by any chance, do native speakers think that he/she went to bed and had a dream, and in the dream he/she became an English teacher?

In dictionaries, all examples I could find were:

  My dream is to become an English teacher.


texts:
The person who will come tomorrow is the chairman of the committee.

  (1)The person to come tomorrow...

The book which will be sold tomorrow costs £10.20.

  (2)The book to be sold tomorrow...

Are the above reduced clauses correct? If not, please show me how to reduce them.


texts: Two consecutive prepositions--- in below

texts:
Students studying in {below 6th grade} are not allowed to go on this trip.

Here in and below both are working as a preposition.

Is the sentence natural?

What are the other ways to say this?

Thanks in advance.


texts:
This sentence is written in my textbook.

  Korean restaurants are probably still the most popular in Korea, and the vast majority of dishes involve rice, soup and an accompaniment of side dishes.

Here, I am wodering why there's no definite article 'the' with the dishes. The reason I think this way is because dishes refers to 'Korean dishes', and that is particular enough to use 'the'. So, following sentence would be better. Am I wrong to think this way?

Or is it possible to omit 'the' if something is so obviously particular and everyone knows what it refers to that there's no need to intensify using definite article?

  Korean restaurants are probably still the most popular in Korea, and the vast majority of the dishes involve rice, soup and an accompaniment of side dishes.


texts: Is the word "broken" here adjective or verb or both?

texts:
I have three sentences:

A: This is a broken window.
B: This window is broken.
C: This is broken window.

I know break is a verb, because it represents action. But broken also adds meaning to noun window, so it should act like adjective. I also doubt the third sentence cannot be used in any context as it is ungrammatical.


texts: Can I say Family affairs to mention as reason for leave?

texts:
My question is very similar to this where I want to communicate the reason why I won't be able to join the call/party or come to office but without giving any impression to my colleges that there are some issues.

Often I have to take leave for the family reasons and not necessary is family issue like someone fell ill or met with accident similar serious reasons but I take leave for attending Parnet-teacher meets or I have a party at home etc.

Can I just mention. "Family affairs" as a very broad reason?


texts:
What does "surface area for technical and functional debt" mean in the following context?
I know what technical and functional debt means, but I don't understand what surface area for technical and functional debt means in the following context. As far as I know, the surface area is literally the outside of something or sometimes something superficial:
As we saw in the last chapter, an IT leader’s goal is to groom the EA asset to enhance its flexibility and agility. The leaner the asset is, the more flexible it will be. We don’t want to carry extra baggage in our asset—it adds weight that makes it harder to roll. It presents more surface area for technical and functional debt. It has more defects.


texts: Inexact time periods (with the first point being known)

texts:
I wonder how English-speaking people can describe time periods in this particular case. The amount of work to be done is big and will surely take three days but how many days after it is not known. Supposing, there are two situations: when asked privately (1) and when as an employee (2). Can you say:

1 a. I'll be doing this (for) more than three days.
1 b. I'll get it done after three days.
1 c. The job will be finished in about three days.

2 a. We can do this for you in three days.
2 b. We're working on it from three days.
2 c. The task will be complete in more than three days.

It is also interesting if the expression is natural or at least understood: “It takes three-plus days”. Do you use it and how is it good stylistically then?


texts: Is it right using of the word 'like' in the movie Pulp fiction?

texts:
I found this sentence in the movie Pulp Fiction:

  Then why are you trying to fuck him like a bitch, Brett?

In this case, I consider the Brett is a bitch

like+noun

  Then why are you trying to fuck him as a bitch, Brett?

In this case, I consider the Brett is trying to (use) fuck him as a bitch, albeit it sounds weird for me

as+verb  ; use as+noun; work as+noun


texts: How to say that I have spent a great time in Dubai?

texts:
If I want to say that I have spent a great time in Dubai then how can I say it in an idiomatic way?
Can I say the following?

  I have spent a great time in Dubai?

Is it idiomatic?


texts: The teacher HADN'T informed us BEFORE the class started

texts:
Let's say a teacher surprised his students by a quiz without informing them beforehand. Then, one of his students reacted and say:

  (Student to student talk): The teacher hadn't informed us before the class started that we were going to have a quiz.

Is this correct? Can we use the tenses above? It sounds odd to me, due to the word "hadn't" itself, it's an uncommon usage in my case, particularly "didn't" is the verb tense I'm familiar with. So, to ascertain if my "hadn't" is grammatical, I am asking a helping hand to check it.


texts: Wondering if the two sentences below mean the same

texts:
Earlier on his arrival in Warsaw the president had met US and Polish air personnel from a detachment of F-16 fighter jets. Obama also stressed that more sanctions were being prepared against Russia if the West decided it ( Russia) engaged in activities which were destabilising to Ukraine.

Source: http://euronews.com/2014/06/03/us-to-step-up-military-presence-in-european-reassurance-initiative/

If I want to make a mixed conditional out of the sentence, it would be something like:

  If new sanctions were going to be imposed on Russia in future, it would be because of further possible destablising activities in Ukraine.

Which one is more grammatically correct?

I would also be very greatful if you could simplify both sentence one and two, please, so that it would be more easy to get the differences between them.

Many thanks in advance.


texts:
We approached the edge of the cliff and peered down. It was completely
  dark, except for a faint, almost invisible white foam.

Should it be

  a faint, almost invisible white foam.

Or

  faint, almost invisible white foam.


texts:
You can't stop me loving myself.
  You can't stop my loving myself.

Which one is more grammatically correct?


texts: Explore doing something or explore to do something?

texts:
Would you say "explore doing something" or "explore to do something"?

For example,

  I explored to build a model for the data.

  I explored building a model for the data.


texts:
Andy acts as though he knew everything

Andy acted as though he knew everything

Andy acted as though he had known everything

I know that the first sentence is correct. But what about the next two? Should I use past perfect tense in the clause following 'as though' if the clause before it is in past indefinite?


texts: Subject + v-ing at the beginning of a sentence

texts:
A: I will help you to get your girlfriend out of jail.

  B: That makes him very happy and says this: "My dreams are coming
  true. You and me saving my lady together. "

I saw this dialogue in a tv-series. The punctuation was as is. I wonder if the marked phrase is a full sentence?

Are this versions acceptable?

  1- My dreams are coming true, you and me saving my lady together.

  2- My dreams are coming true, which is you and me saving my lady
  together.

  3- My dreams are coming true, with you and me saving my lady
  together.


texts: What do you think (of/about) the service?

texts:
If I wanted to know the opinions of people about the quality of service in the context of  hotels/banks/restaurants, what should I use: "think of" or "think about"?

According to my Google search:

  What do you think about the service?

is more common than:

  What do you think of the service?

At first I thought "think of" is more fitting because that is how I used to ask about people's opinions, but now I am not sure anymore!

Does it matter when you ask people about the service in general, and when you ask them about an instance of the service, I mean, a particular occasion?

Have a look at "think of sth/sb" from Cambridge's Dictionary

to have a good opinion of someone or something:

  She thinks very highly of her boss.

This one is related too think of/about sb/sth


texts:
After buying a record on the net, I received this message from the artist "hope you like it". I was wondering why it is not "hope you will like it", as I have not received the record yet, so it is future, I don't have the record right now.

Is it because as it was bought on the net, I had the possibility to listen to it before buying it.


texts: How to write an abbreviation of a plural form of the term

texts:
If I am writing text which contains plural form of a term that I include its abbreviation in brackets, should I include the s in the term itself inside the brackets or outside or not include the s in the term at all? Example:

  The devices' Random Number Generators (RNGs)

Or

  The devices' Random Number Generators (RNG)s

Or

  The devices' Random Number Generators (RNG)


texts: Can you paraphrase the last two sentences of this passage please?

texts:
Hesse’s sheltered lifestyle could hardly serve as an inspiration for the European intellectuals to whom he directed his writings in the interwar years. Dropping out of society is impractical when society is in chaos, and barely imaginable in a totalitarian regime such as Soviet Russia or Nazi Germany. The studied impartiality Hesse adopted towards the mass movements of his time was impossible in countries where they had taken control. In reality, his pose of independence was more a psychological stratagem than a principled stance.

What does it refer to by saying “... where they had taken control” ? Where and who?


texts:
What you are saying is that you could have chosen a peach instead of
  chocolate cake just then, as things actually were. You think you could
  have chosen a peach even if everything else had been exactly the same
  as it was up to the point when you in fact chose chocolate cake.

  Thomas Nagel - What does it all mean? p.48

What did Nagel mean by saying "you could have chosen a peach even if everything else had been exactly the same as it was up to the point when you in fact chose chocolate cake"?
Does "everything else had been exactly the same as it was" mean "remained unchanged"?

Does "up to the point" mean "until the time"?

Thanks


texts:
I got him to go to the shop

Here, we know that "to go the shop" is an infinitive clause. But we all know that clause has subject-verb combination. So my question is where the subject and verb in this clause?

Please explain in  grammatical way.


texts: Does the gerund clause 'finding money' indicate passive meaning?

texts:
1.It wasn't easy Finding the money.

in The gerund clause above sentence, Does it have a passive meaning?
like,'money being found'


texts:
The dictionary has the noun "splint" but doesn't have the verb "to splint". However some technical medical sites say "he splinted his broken legs".

splint noun  /splɪnt/
a long piece of wood or metal that is tied to a broken arm or leg to
keep it still and in the right position

And the dictionary also has

set [transitive, intransitive] set (something) to put a broken bone
into a fixed position and hold it there, so that it will join together
again and get better; to get better in this way
The surgeon set her broken arm.

Are "to splint his broken legs" and "to set his broken legs" the same and can they be used interchangeably?
Or do we have different words that people often use in everyday conversations?


texts:
Can these two expressions be used interchangeably? I'm not sure but if I'm not mistaken "in which way?" is not correct, or maybe I just can't come up with an appropriate sentence.Also I've just checked the definition of "which" and it says that it specifies things from a definite set, so it would be more natural to use this word in an expression like "Which way did he go?" I'm almost sure "In which way is he better than me?" isn't grammatical, at least I don't think I would ever use it over "In what way is he better than me?"
I would appreciate if someone corrected me if I'm wrong or otherwise confirm my assumption.
Thanks in advance and sorry for any possible mistakes.