texts: "act as peacemaker" - why is there no article?

texts:
Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-27713847

  And on Ukraine there's one message - that the violence in Eastern Ukraine is all Kiev's fault, that Ukraine is crawling with Russian hating neo-Nazis and fascists, and that it's the US government which is fuelling the crisis behind the scenes while Russia tries to act as peacemaker.

I asked a native English speaker and he said that it made perfect sense to him as written. Though he was not sure how to explain it. So, I'm asking you guys here, why do you think there is no article in front of peacemaker?


texts: "Gather", "Gather together", "Get together" and "Assemble"

texts:
Edited:
I need to ask about the following sentence where I doubt whether both verbs make sense and can be used interchangeably or not:

  1) Every year all people ............ in this square at Christmas and celebrate this day.

  2) ............. all the staff in my room for an urgent meeting. (said the directing manager to one of his colleagues)

a) get together
b) gather together
c) gather
d) assemble

For me, in both sentences, all the verbs work properly, naturally and interchangeably. I need your confirmation on my take.


texts:
In English, especially in a poetic description, ships and cars are  referred to as "she".

Maybe their owners compare their beauty and elegance with those of women, but what if a female owner wanted to describe her yacht or car?

Would she also say, "She is a real beauty", or it might be "he" then?

Does the choice of a pronoun depend on whom she is giving the description of it to — a man or a woman?

What about a man-o’-war or a merchantman? Being ships, are they also referred as "she"?

P.S. There's a post on the use of "she" in reference to ships, but there seems to be no answer to my question there.

P.P.S. My question wasn't pulled out of a thin air. I came across a book by a prominent Russian linguist, G.Veichman, written in 1990, (Novelties in The English Grammar is my translation of the title), where I read that the rule of personification of vehicles may be added regarding a female owner talking about her car using the preposition "he". Period. No further explanation or reference examples.


texts:
Context:

  Popup and pop-back ads annoy many web surfers. So do web sites that open a seemingly endless number of windows when the surfer enters a home page. The secret to this madness is using JavaScript to control the browser window. You’ll see how this is done in Chapter 9.

I know what a pop-up ad is. It's a type of browser window which all of a sudden pops up on screen with those annoying advertisements when you're surfing the net. But what is a pop-back ad?


texts: Meaning of "highlighted" in the given context

texts:
I am not sure about the meaning of the word " highlighted" in the following sentence:

  A number of offers from the best restaurants, with set menus,
  discounts and seasonal savings all highlighted.

The text is a description of the restaurant offers seen in the dining advertisements.

Thanks for your help.


texts:
I have just read an article from a life coach. And it says:

(Excerpt)

  ...I've identified 5 themes that cause us to talk ourselves out of pursuing our dreams.

Mine is:

  to talk myself out of pursuing my dream.

Is my sentence still correct?


texts: How can I be more specific with mushroom names?

texts:
As far as I'm aware there are no concrete names for mushrooms, except… well, mushrooms.

How do you then, for example, warn children that they cannot pick this and that type of mushroom? Do you just describe it to them? In Poland, all mushrooms have very specific names (and I do not mean the Latin ones) so when we go to a forest we can easily communicate which mushrooms we have found.

Speaking of a gourmet in a restaurant — how do you differentiate between mushrooms listed on the menu?


texts: What's the meaning of "Quills and Sofas"

texts:
I've just read this (from https://area51.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/10950/why-this-bundle):

  I really don't understand this "Quills and Sofas" style of bundling
  the two significantly distant domains into one proposal. Can you
  explain why the two together?

Is the phrase used correctly? What does it mean? Please give some examples when it would be appropriately used.


texts: What are other alternatives for "Look..." or "Listen..."?

texts:
Example sentence:

  "Look/Listen," I began, "if you don't leave my apartment, I'll drag
  you out of it."

I thought of Listen to this/me, but I wonder if there are other words/phrases that are shorter or more common.


texts: Difference between "enquire whether" and "enquire about whether"?

texts:
This answer claims that enquire whether differs from enquire about whether. So what does the latter mean?

Here are some indications that enquire about whether is correct usage of some sort.

Source: p 4, Pragmatics and the English Language,    By Jonathan Culpeper Ph.D  in  Linguistics (Lancaster  Uni), Associate Prof in Linguistics Michael Haugh PhD  (University of Queensland)

  What this joke illustrates is that the whole utterance Do you have any firearms with you? can have more than one meaning: is it an enquiry about whether the driver has firearms or a request for firearms?

Source: p 70, The Phraseology of Administrative French,
by Wendy Anderson PhD in French linguistics (University of St Andrews)

  In response to a query about whether a corpus of written
  academic prose in the disciplines of commerce/economics and natural
  science/history should be called specific registers or genres, the four linguists who commented all proposed different solutions, ... .

Here's another quote by Prof of Linguistics, Frederick
Newmeyer.

All that said, what distinguishes enquire whether and enquire about whether?


texts:
Robespierre walks into his new office, once the Queen's parlour: "So this is where she powdered her cheeks?" he remarks. A fellow revolutionary replies: "All four of them!" and they all collapse in raucous laughter. Kenneth Williams would have been proud.

Can you please explain to me the point of this joke. What is it meant by the reply "All four of them"? Is there some sexual connotation contained? I am not able to figure it out.


texts:
Which way is correct to say this:

but not every classifier is capable of ...
but every classifier is not capable of ...

I want to emphasis that just some classifiers are capable of doing something not all of them (many of them are capable but not all of them).


texts:
"Ah, if Harry Potter only know!" Dobby groaned, more tears dripping onto his ragged pillowcase. "If he knew what he means to us, to the lowly, the enslaved, us dregs of the magical world! Dobby remembers how it was when He Who Must Not Be Named was at the height of his powers, sir! ... ..."

As I understand, "to the lowly, the enslaved, us dregs of the magical world" explains the preceding "to us". But I'm not sure what the second 'us' really does there? How should we understand the whole phrase correctly?

-- From Harry Potter.


texts:
I wrote

  A pallet car is designed to carry and sintering the pellets by the air-sweeping through the charge layer during the sintering belt movement

A pallet car carries some materials which pass a sintering process, then I avoid using "to carry and sinter" because the pallet car doesn't perform sintering, I may could say "for carrying and sintering", but I thought "to carry" is shorter.

How can I write it in a better way? Is it correct as it is?

How about

  a pallet car is designed to carry and for sintering the pellets by the air-sweeping through the charge layer during the sintering belt movement

I know this is not a good and clear sentences but is it gramatical?


texts:
The war between Iran and Iraq lasted under a decade and caused a great deal of bloodshed.

Is this under usage equal to by, some, nearly ... etc, or throughout, through ... etc, or else none of them ?


texts:
Most words with 'g' read as 'g'

Geek
Goose
Goods
Goal

But sometimes 'g' reads as 'j'

Gymnastics
Genesis
Genius
Genetic

And in the middle of a sentence, compare:

Log
Logistics

Or

Frag
Fragile


texts: I had vs I have neglected English writing skills

texts:
Since I started learning English, I have neglected English writing skills.
  Since I started learning English, I had neglected English writing skills.

What's the difference between these sentences??


texts:
If not, please tell me the alternative.

  These types of issues cannot be haphazardly assigned opinions/judgements/views to them
  without first taking a methodical approach to studying them.

I am not sure that the word "assigned" is appropriate here. Can it be replaced with "given"?


texts:
The context of this part of text is Chaos:
Prophets foretell if its coming... Historians record its passing.
And the only ones who can fully understand it are those who have survived its reign...

Could you please explain the phrase who have survived its reign...

I understand it in this way: The chaos conquered on the planet, and somewhere ages hence after it has gone, people who survived are the only ones who can fully understand it.


texts:
You cannot see Henry and not be amazed. Each time you see him you are
  struck afresh by him, as if it were the first time: a massive man,
  bull-necked, his hair receding, face fleshing out; blue eyes, and a
  small mouth that is almost coy. His height is six feet three inches,
  and every inch bespeaks power. His carriage, his person, are
  magnificent; his rages are terrifying, his vows and curses, his molten
  tears.

  — Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel

What is the meaning of the 'molten tears'? Shiny tears? Thick tears? Intense tears?


texts: What does “be dialed in to someplace/somebody” mean？

texts:
President-elect Donald J. Trump’s transition was in disarray on Tuesday, marked by firings, infighting and revelations that American allies were blindly dialing in to Trump Tower to try to reach the soon-to-be-leader of the free world.

After consulting some dictionaries, I can't yet get the exact meaning of "American allies were blindly dialing in to Trump Tower".

  be (or get) dialled in

  Be or become so focused that one is able to perform to the best of one's abilities:
  ‘I didn't really get dialled in until the final qualifying session’

Does it mean they were blindly focusing on the president-elect's recent movements? But that's not "be dialed in to", but "be dialing in to". Could it mean "visit Trump Tower online"?


texts:
In the following paragraph I talk about extension I am developing and I also mention PostGIS, which is an extension of PostgreSQL. It might be confusing so I would like to rename one of the two but I cannot think of anything better than "extender" which is still kind of the same word.

Being aware of these advantages, the main goal of this thesis is to design an extension that implements database storage for output data derived from geoprocessing services run within the PyWPS framework. They typically produce geographical data, so appropriate software must be used that is capable of dealing with this type of data. In this thesis, PostgreSQL is used together with its spatial database extender PostGIS. The extension is written in Python.


texts:
Insofar as (also in so far as/in as far as) means to the degree that. However, it is not as unequivocal as it sounds when it comes to using so I have a few example-questions to make sure I use it correctly?

Could you check my sentences if  "insofar as" is used correctly in the following sentences and if it is not, could you rewrite the sentence while keeping the original sense. If my are sentences are completely wrong or not re-writable, you can state that.

  1.It was Black Friday. There was  huge discounts on candies that insofar people tried to buy them/ people bought them.

(What I mean : There was  huge discounts that people tried buy as much  candy as possible)

  2.We went to the museum of chocolate last weekend but chocolate brands were so expensive only people could buy some insofar as their
  income.

(What I mean : Chocolate brands so expensive , the more people are rich the more could buy them.)

  3.I feel happy insofar as I can help people in need.

(The more I help people in need, the more I feel happy.)

Apparently, there is a difference between "I feel happy as long as I can help people in need" because there is no degree in that sentence. My happiness is kept in some level when I can help but if I cannot I will be sad.

  4.The noise coming from outside was pretty distracting but insofar as I kept on focusing the lecture.

(What I mean : I tried to keep on focusing the lecture as much as I can even though there was a noise coming from outside.)


texts: Can 'good for you' have a neutral or negative meaning?

texts:
My interest comes from the fact that similar expressions in my native language have positive literal meaning, so it's impossible to express disapproval with them while being sincere.

Can this idiom have neutral or negative meaning and interpreted as a statement that the situation is good for a person but not necessarily anybody else?

  A: He framed Roger and got a promotion.

  B: Good for him.

  A: Indeed. Poor Roger.

Does decomposing the idiom help to interpret its literal meaning?

  B: That's good for him.

Can interpreting this idiom literally and not as a compliment be considered rude?


texts:
In Russian, there's this slang word which means "to steal something from someone by force" like a business or a cell-phone. "Отжать бизнес" or "Отжать мобилу". The verb is "wring out" - i. e. "to wring out a business" or "to wring out a cell-phone" respectively.

What's the English word for that? I mean a well-known slang word understood by both the Americans and the British.


texts: Does "get" have a more active or urgent meaning than "have"?

texts:
We can think below sentences mean the same thing. But, I think, when I watch an action movie, I hear a lot more "get" than "have". So, I think "get" has a more active or urgent meaning than "have."

  He got you admitted to the hospital.
  He had you admitted to the hospital.

  He got his days mixed up.
  He had his days mixed up.

  I got myself certified as soon as I got in the program.
  I had myself certified as soon as I got in the program.


texts: "Part" can be used as an adverb meaning to some extent, and I have observed that when it is used with nouns then articles are ommited. For example: "Mike was part teacher, " or "The city was part slum." My obsevation based on "the Oxford dictionary," so is it correct to omit articles in such construction, or It would be better to say "Mike is part a techer"?


texts:
This is a passage from the song Hero by Enrique Iglesias:

Would you swear, that you'll always be mine?
Or would you lie? Would you run and hide?
Am I in too deep? Have I lost my mind?
I don't care you're here, tonight

This is the fourth paragragh and in the third line "Am I in too deep? Have I lost my mind?" What does deep mean here? I looked up OALD and it seems like definitions #10,11 and 14 are all closely related, but I'm unsure which meaning is most appropriate or does it mean something else that's not included in this dictionary?


texts:
Sally: Tech-49, enter at headway speed.
Jack: Entering at headway. You buck up, Bob. Don't go all shaky on me.
Sally: Jack, I can't help notice your respiration and heart rate have increased.
Jack: I'm just excited to finally meet you, Sally.
Sally: There's been a pattern of insubordinate behavior recently.
Jack: Yeah. I feel bad about that.
Sally: Voice analysis indicates you are lying to me, Jack. Tell me why you are here. You have five seconds.
--Oblivion(movie) 2013

I have googled this. The result shows it is not an idiom.
Does "go" mean "get" here?
Does "all" function as an intensifier modifying "shaky"?
Does "on" mean "in the direction of" here?
More context:
Bob is the toy placed on the dashboard in the aircraft. When Jack flies the aircraft, Bob will get shaky because of the unsteady movement of the aircraft.
Sally is the evil alien space station orbiting the earth.


texts:
I wrote:

  The underlying assumption is that the web designers utilize visual cues such as horizontal or vertical lines, colored panels, boxes, special fonts or background images, to discriminate different regions of a web page.

Does "web designers" here needs "the". I don't know why, but I feel with "the", I can read it easier!!? Moreover, I just thought by using "the" I can distinguish a type of people!


texts: Can I say 'a shoe pair' instead of a pair of shoes?

texts:
Is it grammatically incorrect to say 'a shoe pair', or 'a shoes pair', instead of 'a pair of shoes?'

If it's OK, can I say 'two shoe pairs' or 'two shoes pairs' instead of 'two pairs of shoes'?


texts: "Because" with past perfect or past simple?

texts:
This is from a newspaper:

  The real reason he was arrested was because he smeared poo all over the walls.

Shouldn't the past perfect be used:

  ... he was arrested because he had smeared poo all over the walls.

The smearing occurred before the arrest, a past event that precedes another past event, so why use the past simple?


texts: Can someone explain this phrase from Sense and Sensibility?

texts:
She [Marianne] was perfectly disposed to make every allowance for the colonel [Brandon]'s advanced state of life which humanity required.

In particular what is meant by advanced state?
And what exactly is required by humanity?


texts: "bullied as a kid" vs "bullied in your childhood" - any difference?

texts:
Do following sentences imply same thing and Is there anything wrong with the first one?

1) Were you bullied as a kid?
2) Were you bullied in your childhood?


texts: Curious use of the definite article with body parts in dictionary definitions

texts:
I've come across the following definition of plectrum in the Oxford Dictionary of English, which can be found at https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/plectrum:

  A thin flat piece of plastic, tortoiseshell, or other slightly flexible material held by or worn on the fingers and used to pluck the strings of a musical instrument such as a guitar.

This isn't an isolated use of the definite article with parts of the human body in this context. Other examples include definitions of
shoe,

  A covering for the foot, typically made of leather, having a sturdy sole and not reaching above the ankle.

thimble, hat, and so on.

What's the reason behind the use of the definite article in worn on the fingers, covering for the foot, and so on?

From what I know, the definite article is used when the reader is expected to know and recognize its referent – but I don't know what or whose fingers the definition makes reference to; the fingers don't seem unique or well-known, and neither they nor their possessor (the person or very adroit animal) is mentioned or implied – something that would otherwise help infer their existence. The same goes for the foot, etc.

Body parts are an example of something usually inalienable (courtesy of snailplane), the fact which might be of help when answering this question.


texts: Confused between usage of Was or Were when referring to "number of push ups"

texts:
I want to say that on Wednesday the number of push ups were/was 20.

Is the above mentioned line correct?


texts: What are some better way to say “without any exaggeration”?

texts:
I wrote a sentence:

  Without any exaggeration, this book is one of the most popular ones in Sweden.

Is there a better expression than "without exaggeration", it sounds too formal and not natural to me.


texts:
Is there any idiom or phrase to better express sadness in the context of the following sentence

This is a sad and unfortunate murder case which involves the death of a two-year old child.


texts: Not in compliance with the answer sheet - IELTS listening section

texts:
In Cambridge IELTS 2 Test 1, in the 10th question you hear the narrator expressing that "Louise's card will be ready until next week."
The question asks you "when will Louise's card be ready?" I wrote down "until next week", but the book gives the followings as the correct answers:
next week/ in a week/ in one week/ the following week.
Would i get a mark for my answer?


texts: "I would hate anything to happen to her" vs. "I would hate if anything should to happen to her"

texts:
I have a question regarding the sentence found in the song "Girlfriend in a coma" by The Smiths, and the song goes:

  There were times when I could have strangled her
  But you know,
  I would hate anything to happen to her
  Would you please let me see her...

Shouldn't the structure look more like this? :

I would hate if anything should to happen to her

Or is this just a shortened version of what I feel is correct?
(I know that these are song lyrics, and it might just be that Morissey wanted the words to fit the rhythm of the song).


texts:
Sometimes a teenager may do some childish things. I want to know how to describe a teen with tendency of doing those. Is there an noun particularly be coined for this kind of teens? An daily conversation usage example is appreciated!

For childish things, I meant those things with the following condictions:

The starting point of doing so is that he/she just wanted to get attention from others, but doing it wrong. (So it in some rare condition it could be dangerous, but that's not my focus here...)
Since he/she doing it wrong, it is funny on the perspectives of other people, but they themselves didn't notice that.
It's not a bad thing, since he/she didn't hurt anyone, but I won't said it's a nice thing, since the motivation is to get attention. So it's just plain dump i think.


texts: Future meaning of "going to". What does it exactly mean?

texts:
She  is going to spend her vacation in Hawaii.

Does it mean that the speaker knows for sure that she has decided to go Hawaii ? OR does it mean that the speaker just guesses or speculates that ?


texts: What is the semantic difference between 'bizarre' and 'ridiculous'?

texts: What is the semantic difference between words 'bizarre' and 'ridiculous'?


texts: What's the correct frequently-used word/phrase to describe the whole 'bullet'?

texts:
Though the word "bullet" is often used incorrectly in colloquial language to refer to a cartridge round, a bullet is not a cartridge but rather a component of one.[5] A round of ammunition cartridge is a combination package of the bullet (which is the projectile),[6] the case (which holds everything together), the propellant (which provide majority of the energy to launch the projectile) and the primer (which ignites the propellant). This use of the term "bullet" when intending to describe a cartridge often leads to confusion when the components of a cartridge are specifically referred to.

According to this Wiki article, the word bullet only refers to part 1. The whole is called "a cartridge round" or "A round of ammunition cartridge". But those terms sound more technical and I guess they probably would not be used in day-to-day conversations.

So, what's the correct word to describe the whole thing(including part 1,2,3,4,5)? Is it just "bullet"?


texts: How to express "to hit someone or something with a string- or wire-form object such as a belt, rope, whip, cable, etc"?

texts:
whip: 1 [transitive] to hit someone or something with a whip

  He whipped the horse into a canter.

Now, I will change the above definition a little bit to "to hit someone or something with a string- or wire-form object such as a belt, rope, whip, cable, etc".

Which verbs express that action?

I am not sure if I can say "He whipped me with a belt / cable" because the verb "whip" is to mean "to hit with a whip, not with other string-form things such as a belt or cable"?


texts: What does this part taken from the text below mean?

texts:
Australia, which is coordinating the search in the southern Indian Ocean, said it had established a new body to oversee the investigation and issued countries involved in the search a set of protocols to abide by should any wreckage be found.
..................

I am wondering if my perception is correct?

My perception: ** it had stablished a new body to oversee the investigation and issued countries involved in the search a set of protocols to abide by should any wreckage be found** really means " it had determined a new boss to oversee the investigation and issued countries involved in the search a set of rules to be obeyed if any wreckage would be found.


texts: Can I figuratively use "jump" when talking about conclusions?

texts:
In Italian, saltare ("jump") is a verb that is figuratively used in many cases, such as in saltare a certe conclusioni, which is used when somebody, basing on some known facts, deduces something that somebody else doesn't see as an obvious conclusion.

For example, if somebody is the last person seen with somebody else who died, and they have been seen fighting between each other, that person could be investigated for murdering. His lawyer would say that thinking he is the murder would be saltare a certe conclusioni, since his customer has been seen with the person who died 24 hours before he died, and it is still not clear if that person was killed, or died because an accident.

What is the equivalent of saltare a certe conclusioni I should use in English?


texts: The right answer for the following question in a passage

texts:
I'm reading Intermediate Comprehension Passages, page 1. In the following passage,

  It was already late when we set out for the next town, which according
  to the map was about fifteen miles away on the other side of the
  hills. There we felt sure that we would find a bed for the night.
  Darkness fell soon after we left the village, but luckily we met no
  one as we drove swiftly along the narrow winding road that led to the
  hills. As we climbed higher, it became colder and rain began to fall,
  making it difficult at times to see the road. I asked John, my
  companion, to drive more slowly. After we had travelled for about
  twenty miles, there was still no sign of the town which was marked on
  the map. We were beginning to get worried.

There is a tricky question which is

  The travellers had a map but

  1- they did not know how to use it.

  2- it gave them the wrong information.

  3- they could not see it very well in the dark.

  4- the town they were looking for was not clearly marked.

Three and four are clearly not the best answers. To my understanding, since there is no clue about anything wrong with the map, I've chosen the first one as a best answer that fits the context. However, at the end of the book, the story is paraphrased and clearly states that the second option is the best answer. My question is why the second option is the best answer? Which clue(s) I can use to support my answer. Thank you.


texts:
Do these have the same meaning:

Their perspective about me is...../ of me is.....

The perspective of theirs about me is...../ of me is.....

His book was on the table yesterday.

The book of his was on the table yesterday.

My name is Guri.

Guri is the name of mine.

Students' number present here is 20.

Number of students present here is 20.

His mistreatment is bad.
Mistreatment of his is bad.

And more sentences with structures like these. Could you specify the reason and the grammar rule. Thank you.


texts:
I don't understand why the author used "It is" rather than They are in the following sentence.

  It is threads, not processes, that are the units scheduled by the
  system for execution on the processor.

Why don't we say the following?

  They are threads, not processes, that are the units scheduled by the
  system for execution on the processor.


texts:
In Fight Club (1999), two technicians lead Narrator to the burnt out shell of a
Wrecked automobile.  Narrator sets down his briefcase, opens it
and starts to make notes on a clipboarded form.

Narrator: I was a recall coordinator. My job was to apply the
formula.
Technician #1: The infant went through the windshield. Three points.
Narrator: A new car built by my company leaves somewhere traveling  at
60mph.

What does "Three points" mean?


texts: Can the word "genocide" be used as a verb? If it can't, what are the alternative verbs?

texts: Here, on Wiktionary, it says we can use "genocide" as a transitive verb to mean "To commit genocide (against); to eliminate (a group of people) completely." In other dictionaries though, I couldn't find any descriptions that define "genocide" as a verb. In all of the dictionaries I looked at besides Wiktionary, there is not a definition of "genocide" as a verb. So I need to ask you if you think it is okay or usual to you to use "genocide" as a verb to mean "To commit genocide (against); to eliminate (a group of people) completely" like in "The bla bla bla nation genocided the bla bla bla nation." And if you think "genocide" is not okay as a verb, what verb should I use instead of it to mean that? You can provide alternative verbs for me even if you think it is okay to use "genocide".


texts: "... business card with the writing facing the recipient..."

texts:
What does the highlighted part mean in the following passage please?

  In Japan, there are strict norms involving the exchange of business
  cards. One person presents his or her business card with the writing
  facing the recipient, who looks at it for a moment and asks a
  question about some of the information on the card. The question may
  be irrelevant, but it tells the giver that the recipient has read the
  card and acknowledges the person and his or her company. A Japanese
  executive who receives a business card and does not take the time to
  look at it and ask a question would be considered deviant.


texts: Prepositions at the beginning of a sentence, not all of them work!

texts:
This has been discussed millions of times I guess, however, I have noticed, in years, that not all prepositions can start a sentence but feel just fine at the end of it. My teacher never liked us placing a preposition at the end. She always tried to correct us, however, I always preferred placing a preposition at the end of a sentence.

However, I wish to examine a few sentences about which I am not sure:

Where are you going to?
Where to are you going?
To where are you going?

Are both the second and the third possible or is only the first sentence possible?

Is it impossible to use about, on, for, at, in at the beginning?

About what are you writing? (What are you writing about?)
On what does this depend? (What does this depend on?)
At where is he? (Where is he at?)
For who are doing this? (Who are you doing this for?)

However, there are prepositions that can't be used at the end of a sentence, like "until, by, from, out of, onto and into", right?


texts: Is there a name for a type of letter where the writer asks an institution to provide a service?

texts:
In my country, it happens quite often that a citizen needs a service from a government agency, but there's no exact form for the service that the citizen wants. In such case, in Serbia, we'd write a letter type which we call молба. The direct translation would be "request". It usually looks something like this:

  I kindly request that the  Agency for Y issues me а certificate of YY.
  I need the YY certificate due to J, K and L reasons. Attached are the
  proofs of my YY-ness. Best regards, Andreja

I've been trying to find a name for such a letter type in English, but I can't seem to figure out how it could be called.


texts:
The word Abound means to be present in large numbers or in great quantity. I was checking its usage and found it somewhat odd. Why don't they use 'be'(is, am, are, was, were) with abound. Like in these examples

They live in a region where oil abounds.
a city that abounds with art museums and private galleries.

What I think the sentences should be like :

They live in a region where oil is abound.
a city that is abound with art museums and private galleries.

These examples are from this link. Examples

Isn't the word abound similar to excessive and abundant?


texts: His school tardiness is improved or his school tardy has improved since last meeting


texts:
I'm reading Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, and a quote from Alan Perlis really confuses me:

  What's in your hands, I think and hope, is intelligence: the ability
  to see the machine as more than when you were first led up to it,
  that you can make it more.

The context can be found here. I wonder what does the clause "that you can make it more" mean. This clause seems odd to me.

Note: I've found another sentence written by Alan Perlis:

  It is possible that software is not like anything else, that it is meant to be discarded: that the whole point is to always see it
  as soap bubble?

This quote comes from his Epigrams on Programming. I suppose the "..., that ..." structure in both sentence have similar meaning, for they are written by one author.


texts:
I come across the following sentences-

He deserves to pass.
He deserves to be pass.

Would anyone tell me .. which is the correct one


texts:
"Don't put your toy in the stairway."

  "Don't put your toy in the stairs."

I told him not to put his toy in the stairs because others won't see it and might fell down.

Do they have different meaning?


texts: how to understand "getting drawn into it despite myself"?

texts:
An excerpt from "Elba" by Marly Swick:

"She didn't mention any husband at all," I said, getting drawn into it despite myself.

the Dic says "draw into" means "to involve someone in a conversation or situation, often when they do not want to be involved." So here does it mean that the author is unwilling to be involved in the conversation she has with her mom?
And the phrase "despite myself" really eludes me, does that mean "despite the fact that I don't want to get drawn into it"?


texts:
Vincent: You just can't walk into a restaurant, roll a joint and start
puffin' away. I mean, they want you to smoke in your home or  certain
designated places.
Jules: Those are hash bars?
Vincent: Yeah. It breaks down like this. It's legal to buy it. It's
legal  to own it.

What does "breaks down" mean?
Source: Pulp Fiction 1994


texts: How do I make these sentences more natural?

texts:
I'm stuck with finding a more natural way of saying the following sentences. They are translations of Japanese sentences. I'm helping a Japanese guy with these.

( 彼女があなた達の中でもっとも年上ですか？)
Is she the oldest in you?
Yes, she is the oldest in us.
No, she isn`t the oldest in us.

( 彼女が姉妹の中でもっとも年上ですか？)
Is she the eldest in your sisters?
Yes, she is the eldest in my sisters.
No, she isn`t the eldest in my sisters.

I think it's wrong to use "in" so I suggested to switch to "among/out of".
I'm leaning towards using "among" but I'm not sure if it's the most natural way of saying this. I feel like the entire sentence is a little bit unnatural.

As in "Is she the eldest among your sisters?", "Yes, she is the eldest among/out of my sisters".

What do you guys think?


texts:
I am not sure this is the right place to ask, but I give it a try anyway.

I am reading a book about how to write math. At some point the author shows the grammar rule for the possessive case: e.g. one usually writes 'Stokes's theorem', 'Bliss's book', 'van der Corput's lemma', and so on. He does not mention the so called 'Jacobi identity'. According to the general rule, I would write 'Jacobi's identity'. Is there a specific reason why we do not do it?


texts: What is the appropriate word in "He [slides/puts] a ring"?

texts:
What is the appropriate word for this situation:

  He slides a ring on my finger

or

  He puts a ring on my finger.

?

I can't obviously say:

  He made me wear a ring.

that would mean I myself wore it by being compelled with him, and that's not what I mean.


texts: What does "best placed to achieve" mean?

texts:
If the USA has become a nation of interest groups, it is the very
task of politics to blend divergent interests into great governing
coalitions. This, in Cronin’s view, parliament is best placed to
achieve.
- Swiss Democracy by Wolf Linder

I have a question about the sentence I emphasized. I interpret that sentence like this: "Parliament is best placed to achieve this".
But I think this sentence may have two meanings in my opinion:

Parliament have the best position to achieve this. (So it is the
parliament who achieves)

The parliament is best place for achieving this. (So someone
achieve this in parliament)

Which one is right?


texts: Is the phrase neutral, like "you need to know", or it has some negative connotations?


texts: She [ could / was able to ] understand what I said

texts:
Is my interpretation correct?

She could understand what I said.
She was able to understand what I said.

So like, both sentences are grammatical and interchangeable. But the former is more like meaning that she already had enough ability or intelligence to understand it, whereas, the latter not only could mean the former but also that even if she lacked some ability or anything, she understood it.
Is this interpretation good enough?


texts: Do we often say "to feel itchy on + a part of a body", for example: "I feel itchy on my nose"?

texts:
itchy (adj): having or producing an itch on the skin

  an itchy nose/rash

  I feel itchy all over.

Most dictionaries say "I have an itchy nose", "My nose is itchy" or "I feel itchy"

But, no dictionary that has this kind of examples "to feel itchy on + a part of a body"

For example: "I feel itchy on my nose"

Although, I saw many results when searching "itchy on my" on the internet.

Is it idiomatic to say "I feel itchy on my nose"?


texts: What is the meaning of "There is nothing so bad that it couldn't be worse"?

texts:
What is the meaning of "There is nothing so bad that it couldn't be worse" ?

Does it mean "The situation is not so bad. therefore, the situation couldn't be worse" or "The situation is so bad. therefore, the situation could be worse"?

For example,

  A: I have no money.

  B: The situation where you do not have money is not a bad situation.
  Therefore, it will not get worse. You have no debts!

Does "The situation where you do not have money is not a bad situation. Therefore, it will not get worse. You have no debts!" mean "There is nothing so bad that it couldn't be worse" ?


texts: Does "A is connected near B" sound natural?

texts:
I am trying to describe the structure shown in the image below. My first example is as follows:

  The green bar is connected to a portion of the blue bar near the right
  end of the blue bar.

I think this is redundant a little. My second example is as follows:

  The green bar is connected near the right end of the blue bar.

I am not sure whether this clearly describes that the green bar is connected to the blue bar. I would like to know how to describe the structure clearly and simply.


texts: I'd like to know which tense is appropriate

texts:
I'm confused which tense I should choose in the following sentence. I got an announcement from my school that I would be in charge of an additional class from next month. In this case, what should I say?

  I was assigned to another class from next month.

  I'll be assigned to another class.

  I've been assigned to another class.

Could you tell me which sentence is appropriate in this case?


texts:
Here is a conversation from this movie Venom 2019:

  What do you say, Mr. Drake, we just start at the beginning? - Born to British parents. - Mmm-hmm. And then at 19, you discovered a gene therapy that literally doubles the life expectancy -of pancreatic cancer patients. - Well, actually, it tripled their life expectancy. But it's okay.

Is this sentence common in American and /or British English?

  Born to British parents

Are there any other ways to express that idea?

I can't find any similar phrase and born to means something else!


texts:
I just read this typo in a document at work

  Customers call XYZ Company to do something
  Customer call XYZ Company to do something else

and realised I had no idea why it is
Customers call  and Customer calls?

Sorry about the vague tag, but I had no idea about the others suggested.


texts:
What does the following sentence mean?

  All I want is for you to be happy.

Does that mean that the speaker wants to be happy for someone or that the speaker wants that person to be happy not him?


texts:
What is the following question asking about? general or now?

  Do you like going shopping?

Is it mean now or in general. which one of the following is correct?

  Do you like going shopping (now)?
  Do you like going shopping (in general)?

Can I write it as following?

  Do you like going shopping tomorrow?

Update:

Is the same apply on the following? or the verb will change the intended meaning time?

  Do you mind going shopping?


texts: What is the difference between "He comes from the U.S." and "He is from the U.S."?  Can you always use them interchangeably, or is there a subtle difference between them?


texts:
Is my interpretation of these correct?

  I am not older than 6.
  I am no older than 6.

(I am 6 and under)

  I am not much older than 6.

(I am older than 6, but not very different from being 6)

  I did nothing much more interesting than playing golf.

(What I did was more interesting than playing golf, but not by a huge extent.)


texts:
Does "a neighboring building" sound natural and should I use "was on fire" instead of "started to burn"?

"I woke up and saw that a neighboring building started to burn."


texts: Touching glasses with first fingers extended

texts:
He poured two glasses and we touched them, first fingers extended. The grappa was very strong.

It's from A Farewell To Arms.
Does it mean that they toasted with their index fingers extended or they expressed one shot drink to each other after the toast? If it's the former what do that gestures mean?
EDIT
Grappa is strong alcohol but its glass is long like a champagne glass. I found 2 cinematized ones in Youtube but there was not any scene which describes the sentence in both movies.


texts: Are "condition" and "situation" interchangeable in the context?

texts:
1) He has been in a coma for three months. His condition/situation is still very complicated, but we're not ready to give up on him yet.

2) He has been in a coma for three months. His condition/situation remains unchanged, but we're not ready to give up on him yet.

Are "condition" and "situation" interchangeable and equally natural in the contexts above?


texts: Is this the right expression when I first meet someone?

texts:
I am making a video which explains my business. In my video, I would like to say "hello" to someone who watches my video.
Is it rude to say "hi, there"?
If this is a rude or an unsuitable expression, what is the right expression in this situation?


texts:
According to this source the verb 'recommend' can be used only with a gerund, but I've found some examples with an infinitive:

  1) We recommend you to update your browser

  2) We recommend you to use REGULAR ELICINA that does not contain any moisturizers, which is good for it will avoid the greasiness of the skin

  3) We recommend you to check the privacy policies of such service providers to understand how they process your location data

  4) If your plans are to apply for a permanent visa, Escalar recommend you to contact with Arrive Australia Migration Services for additional information

  5) To avoid the Megaproject Paradox, we recommend you to study the points described above, and report your management and Sponsors

Question:

  Can I use an infinitive with the verb 'recommend'?


texts: For this sentence should I use "reflect" or "reflects"

texts:
Should I use "reflect" or "reflects" for the following sentence?

  The theme of [Book 1] and [Book 2] ultimately reflects/reflect how family units are fluid.


texts:
Generally, patterns are produced in weft knitted structures either in the form of selected colours for face stitches or surface relief patterns based on a choice of different types of stitch.

This sentence has been taken from Knitting Technology by David J Spencer. Which is modified by based on? One may think that without an expert of knitting technology it is not possible to say actually which has been modified by based on. I will request him/her to consider it from the point of grammatical view. In my opinion, based on is modifying both face stitches and relief patterns. It is not modifying only relief patterns. If the writer hoped to indicate only relief patterns, he might write the sentence in the following way:

Generally, patterns are produced in weft knitted structures either in the form of selected colours for face stitches or surface relief patterns that is based on a choice of different types of stitch.

But this is wrong. Because we cannot use that is or which is, because relief patterns is in plural form. If we use which are, still now it is ambiguous. Because which are is capable to refer to both face stitches and relief patterns. I don't know how to rewrite the above sentence if I wish to refer only relief patterns or face stitches, and how to rewrite if I want to refer both of them.

If I write the sentence in the following way, based on refers only patterns (patterns are produced...) that is the subject of the above sentence.

Generally, patterns are produced in weft knitted structures either in the form of selected colours for face stitches or surface relief patterns, based on a choice of different types of stitch.

OR

Generally, patterns are produced in weft knitted structures either in the form of selected colours for face stitches or surface relief patterns, which is based on a choice of different types of stitch.

Please give your valuable opinion.


texts: "Meanwhile" in present continuous sentence

texts:
How to use "Meanwhile" in a present continuous sentence?
For example,
"Meanwhile, China laughing at all the superpower nations"
Is this sentence correct?


texts: Can i change the order of participle clause of "a reason for the action in the main clause" without effecting the meaning

texts:
OP's participle clause "Having nothing left to do , paula went home = Since paula had nothing left to do,she went home"

would the meaning not be different if i change it into "paula went home ,having nothing to do"? or it's my preference whether i precede it or not,right?

another example:" i gave him a bunch of flowers , thinking he will like me more" Does it euqual "thinking he will like me more , i gave him a bunch of flowers


texts: Can "in the ground" or "underground" substitute for "in the earth" in this phrase?

texts:
Here is an explanation for the word, "lode".

  lode -a vein of metal ore such as gold or silver, that is found in the earth

I wonder whether in the earth in the text can be replaced with words from the below list of choices.

on the earth
on the ground
in the ground
underground


texts: most interesting or the most interesting

texts:
a. Most interesting was what we saw on the fifth day of our stay in Paris.

b. What was most interesting was what we saw on the fifth day of our stay in Paris.

c. What we saw on the fifth day of our stay in Paris was most interesting.

In which case:

'Most' means 'extremely

and in which case:

We have a real superlative

Can one say

a. The most interesting was what we saw on the fifth day of our stay in Paris.

b. What was the most interesting was what we saw on the fifth day of our stay in Paris.

c. What we saw on the fifth day of our stay in Paris was the most interesting.

?

Many thanks.


texts: The word 'like' before a verb and after a noun

texts:
I'm reading a book by Salman Rushdie (Shame) and came to such a sentence, where I'm not sure to which word the phrase with like refers.

  ...while that wind like the cough of a sick giant burned away her eyebrows (which never grew again)

Does it mean

The wind was like the cough of a sick giant, OR
The wind burned away her eyebrows in the same way as the cough of sick giant would do.


texts:
Wash your mouth

  Used as a response to an obscene statement, this phrase recalls
  unpleasant childhood memories wherein mothers would "wash out" a
  child's mouth with soap as a punishment for using curse words or crude
  language.

  Cristobal: Dude, Jenna was being a total bitch last night. She broke
  my goddamn Death Star model. That shit was fucking to scale too.

  Geraldo: Hey man, I don't care. Wash your mouth.

  watch one's mouth

  informal: be careful about what one says.

It seems like they are used in similar situations. But I don't know When to use "watch your mouth" & when to use "wash your mouth"?

In which situations should we use each of them


texts:
Which one is the correct preposition?
gain knowledge in/at/through school.

If I use the verb acquire instead of gain,which preposition is correct?


texts:
An excerpt from the lyrics for a song called "Mountains of Makkah" sung by Zain Bhikha

  Oh Mountains of Makkah, what can you say
  Of the day that Ibrahim passed your way?
  And He was instructed by God to build
  A House of peace where people will pray

How do you understand passed your way?


texts:
I sometimes come across Japanese speakers using the phrase "My [nationality] friend".

For example, something like "I met my German friend in Kyoto and we went to  Kiyomizudera yesterday."

(The name of the friend isn't mentioned, but that's normal because it's from something written on the internet)

This feels strange to me, but I'm not sure why.

I don't know whether it's because it implies that she has one and only one German friend. In which case "I met a German friend of mine ..." would be better.

Or maybe it's because there's too much emphasis on her friend's nationality. It reminds me of the quote "Some of my best friends are Jews". Can emphasizing nationality too much be offensive in some circumstances? If emphasis on nationality is a problem, maybe "I met my friend, who is German ..." would work.

Is "My [nationality] friend" natural and appropriate English?


texts: "unleashed a torrent of bullets at/on/toward the man"

texts:
Does any of these prepositions tell anything about whether any of the bullets hit the man or not?

The police officer unleashed a torrent of bullets at/on/toward the man.


texts: Why is "not only... but also..." wrong in this sentence?

texts:
He could not only understand it but also I could review the problem again.

I'm Korean.
My teacher said two subjects can not be used in "not only...
but also..." sentence so he said my sentence is wrong, but I can't understand why my sentence is grammatically wrong.


texts: Can I say "suffers from diarrhea?" even if the person does not experience great pain or suffering?

texts: This prank taught me a lesson. I'm a healthcare provider and was talking to my friends who are known to play with words. While describing a case I said, "Eight out of ten suffered from diarrhea." My friend jumped in between and said "That means those two enjoyed it!"


texts: “with an estimated 311,000 deaths..”. why use "an"

texts:
I can not explain why "an" is used in the phrase "with an estimated 311,000 deaths".
The word “deaths” is plural... but why add "an" in the sentence?

The full sentence is below:

  With an estimated 570,000 cases and 311,000 deaths in 2018 worldwide, this disease ranks as the fourth most frequently diagnosed cancer and the fourth leading cause of cancer death in women.

Can anyone explain the grammar?


texts: Formal way of asking "When are you in Berlin?"

texts: The question "When are you in Berlin?" sounds, somehow, strange to me and informal. Is it OK to ask this way in a business environment or is there a better way?


texts:
Step out from the background, get ahead of the numbers, and put a name, face, and some personality behind your effort and you will see increased engagement.  (source: The Power Of Storytelling By Andy Smith)

What does the phrase "put a name, face, and some personality behind your effort" mean? I think it means you make an effort to well describe a name, face & personality (in the story telling).

Can the phrase "put A beyond your effort" mean "make an effort to support or assist A"?  What about the word engagement?  Does it mean some kind of interests or being appealing as a story?  Could you help me clarify it? Thank you always.


texts: Change into indirect speech - use of infinitive

texts:
I have this sentence:

He said to the interviewer, "Could you please repeat the question?"

Which one of the following is better as its indirect speech?

  He requested the interviewer to repeat the question.

Or

  He requested the interviewer if he could repeat the question.


texts: do we repeat the preposition "of" after as well as between objects?

texts:
I thought of the puppets as well as of their doll house.

  I thought of the puppets as well as their doll house.

Can we omit the preposition in the second part, after as well as?


texts: What is the correct verb for wire in this context?

texts:
Let's say I am trying to install or plug something with wire() at my place with my friend. So he is holding one end of the wire(and other one being plugged in) and I will give him instructions.

For example, there is a laptop the room and I need to connect it to a multi plug. Assuming the laptop power socket is on the right, there are two possible arrangements : wire in the back of the laptop to the plug or wire going in front of the screen.

So How do I specify the wire arrangement?

Should I say tell my friend

  Bring the wire in the laptop's back/front.
  OR
  Don't run the wire in the front of the the screen, it will block the view.

I think both of them are incorrect, but I am not very certain.


texts: How do you express your family, 'Smiths' or 'the Smiths'?

texts:
I want to express my family in English. As far as I did research, plural form of family name has that meaning. However, I do not fully understand how 'the' works here.

Suppose the family name is Smith, are there any differences between 'the Smiths' and 'Smiths'?


texts:
This is one of Robert Lowell's answers given during an interview:

Interviewer:

  "Can I get you back to Harvard for a minute? Is it true you tried out
  for the Harvard Advocate, did all the dirty work for your candidacy,
  and then were turned down?"

LOWELL:

  I nailed a carpet down. I forget who the editor was then, but he was a man who wrote on Frost. At that time people who wrote on
  Frost were quite different from the ones who write on him now; they
  tended to be conservative, out of touch. I wasn’t a very good writer
  then, perhaps I should have been turned down. I was trying to write
  like William Carlos Williams, very simple, free verse, imagistic
  poems. I had a little group I was very proud of which was set up in
  galleys; when I left Harvard it was turned down.

Can you explain what "I nailed a carpet down" means?


texts: Modal Verbs in First & Second Conditionals

texts:
Here's my understanding about first and second conditionals.

  If Tom has time, he will visit us.

It's an open narrative. If Tom has time, he will visit us. If he doesn't, then he won't.

  If Tom had time, he would visit us.

It's unlikely Tom will have time, but there is still a slight chance he will visit us.

  If Tom has time, he would visit us.

If Tom has time, his visiting is likely to happen. But he might decide to do something else. The speaker is just not sure.

  He can catch the train, if you give him a ride.

The speaker is just narrating the truth.

  He could catch the train, if you gave him a ride.

Not very likely the person can give him a ride. The person got something else to do.

  He could catch the train, if you give him a ride.

If you give him a ride, it is possible he will catch the train, but not that likely.

Could anyone tell me if I understand the modal verbs and use them in conditionals correctly?

Because someone told me the verb and the modal should be in the same tense, like using "had" with "would" or "has" with "will".


texts: How to understand "those wreckers of all but the best laid plans" in this context

texts:
"I have been careless, and so have been thwarted by luck and chance, those wreckers of all but the best laid plans. But I know better now. I understand those things that I did not understand before. I must be the one to kill Harry Potter, and I shall be.

  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

What does "those wreckers of all but the best laid plans" mean exactly? Are "those wreckers" referring to "luck and chance"?


texts: trouble/busy/at home/... doing something

texts:
I have a grammar question about the role of these bold "doing" in the below sentences and why they have "ing" form?

I am busy doing my homework.

I have trouble doing my homework.

I am at home doing my homework.


texts:
Which is correct or better:

  Anyways, I hope they do whatever that is for the benefit of them and the region.

  Anyways, I hope they do whatever is for the benefit of them and the region.


texts:
I have a few questions related to the below sentence.

Are "describing" and "having" main verbs of this sentence?
If so, should they be preceded with "be" (is or was) verbs?
If not, what type of verbs are they?

  First, only 35 percent maintained a web presence. Of those
  that did, only 4 percent had accurate information about their plan broken down by country and describing their society building initiatives, while still having no information on local advocacy efforts.


texts: How can I point to the one shoe of my father's shoes?

texts:
Is it correct to say:

  My father's shoe

I want to point to the one shoe of that pair of my father's shoes.


texts: What's the meaning of "throw a pallet at her"?

texts:
Please tell me the meaning of "throw a pallet at her" in this context:

  Teachers might be using the Unit Organizer and the course map and starting to see kids that normally don’t respond, responding. Even with that, they’ll use it for a while and then stop using it because they need a lot of support or because they’re very busy at home, and eventually they revert to the old way of take out your book and let me do round-robin reading. Then they become angry because I suspect they know that’s not what they really want to be doing. And here comes Jean Clark and I’m going to throw a pallet at her.


texts: How can i find verb on the subordinate clause?

texts: On their migrations birds sometimes frequent very different environments from those in which they nest, and a study of the migratory birds alone might be very misleading to one endeavoring to classify birds ecologically.


texts:
Adam adapted the drum ( ) the use in the concert

What will be used in the bracket?   I have already tried to, from and for.  Any suggestions?


texts:
Let's say there is a person in a room who has a blue pen in his hand. Can I say something like this:

Whom should I ask from?
The one having a blue pen

Or I only have to answer like this

The one who has a blue pen


texts: When do you say "informed from" instead of "informed by"? Is there any difference in nuance?

texts:
When we describe something in a passive voice sentence, we often add in it "by" + "someone/something" to indicate who or what the doer of the action is.
Example
(Active Voice) The hunter killed the lion.
(Passive Voice) The lion was killed by the hunter.
"By", however, is not the only preposition to refer to the doer in a passive voice sentence.
Example

Famous American TV host Larry King has died at 87, ARMENPRESS was
informed from King's official Twitter page.

The Embassy was informed from reliable sources that ...

In my Ngram Viewer search for the two phrases "was informed by" and "was informed from" tells that the former is much popular.

Is there any difference in nuance between the two phrases?


texts:
Would you show me if these mean the same thing?
Other than that, would you show me other(s) way to express following?

1.John is ten times as intelligent as David.
2.John is ten times more intelligent than David.

Thanks in advance


texts:
It's form the first episode of the eight season of Friends. Here is the context:

Phoebe: Calm down. Maybe you’re not pregnant. Rachel: What?! Phoebe:
When I got pregnant with the triplets, I took that test like three
times just to make sure. Monica: Yes! Maybe it’s a false positive. Are
you sure you peed on the stick right? Rachel: How many ways are there
to do that? Phoebe: I’m-I’m just saying, don’t freak out until you’re
a hundred percent sure. Rachel: All right, I’ll-I’ll take it again
when I get home. Monica: You-you gotta take it now. Come on, do it as
a present to me. Rachel: Okay. Thank you. Monica: Okay. Phoebe: I’ll
run out and get you one. Rachel: Oh, you guys are so great. Monica:
Oh, wait a minute! Who’s is the father?! Phoebe: Oh no, she won’t tell
us. Monica: Oh, come on it’s my wedding! That can be my present.
Rachel: Wh—Hey, I just gave you peeing on a stick. Phoebe: See? This
is why you register.

What does Poebe mean by this why you register?


texts:
Is it possible to use past continuous tense and tell a long-term action after when?
Is it possible if I say

When my sister read the novel, I was watching a movie.
When my sister ate ice cream, I cooked for dinner.
When I was running, I broke my leg.


texts:
I wanted to say that chocolate which I did not like to eat earlier when I was 5 year old I like to eat it now?
Then is it correct to say

"I did not like this chocolate earlier but now I like it very much"
Or
"I was not liking this chocolate earlier but now I like it very much"


texts:
Is "shave the money" actually "save the money"? Or is the former a humorous way of the latter?
DuckDuckGo tweeted:

"You should take steps to limit Facebook’s data collection. While you can shave the money FB makes selling ads targeted to your interests, this tactic isn’t as effective as spending less time—or no time at all—on the service."

Source: Twitter


texts: What is the difference between an hour’s commute to work and a two hour drive to work?

texts: Why can’t I use an hour commute to work or two hours drive to work.If the word drive in the phrase a two hour drive is a countable noun how is it counted? Please explain


texts:
Medicine or pills are often stored in boxes like the above picture.
Is the above box called "a pill box" or "medicine box"?
And to close the box, we have to fold its flaps in a certain way.
Is it natural to say "tuck in the flaps of the medicine box to close it"?


texts:
a. You are going to work five hours from Monday to Friday.

b. You are going to work five hours, from Monday to Friday.

Do the above sentences mean that you are going to work five hours per day from Monday to Friday or five hours in all?

Does the presence of the comma affect the meaning in any way?

Many thanks.


texts:
Which of the following instructions is correct?

Solve the following equations:

1-5 equations

or

Solve the following equations.

1-5 equations

I'm not sure if I need to use a colon or just a period.


texts:
Your child is standing on an empty carton box.
Because the box is not strong enough to support the child's body so his leg might get in the box.
Is it natural to say "don't step on that empty carton box as you might get your leg caught/trapped in it"?
I think "caught" or "trapped" are way too much for a carton box.
In other situation, "caught" or "trapped" are suitable, for example,  “I accidentally got my leg stuck/caught/trapped in the drain grate.”


texts: "I do can..." - is this valid (even informally)?

texts:
While talking to my daughter yesterday, I challenged her that she cannot get ready in 10 minutes. We were, actually, going out. She's keen in learning English, and she surprises me with either her answers or her questions!

Now the general case:

We emphasize our confidence by putting do (verb) as in...

  You don't see that ~ Ah, I do see!  You don't care ~ I do care!

But, the conversation went like:

  Rhyme, leave it! You cannot get ready in 10 minutes  Dad, I do can!

Now, grammatically, it could be plain wrong. I know this. But, my question is by any chance, even in an informal language ...is it correct?


texts: Is the expression "confound it" a euphemism?

texts: I've sometimes heard people say, 'confound it'. So, I'm wondering whether this is considered a euphemism.


texts: Is it allowed to use adjective clause inside the other adjective clause?

texts:
Original problem:

Understanding and using English Grammar 4th ed. By. B. S. Azar p. 291
Complete the sentences with your own words. Use adjective clauses.

In my apartment building, there are twenty apartments, several of __________

I'd like to use "whose" to express something that possessed by twenty apartments. In this case I chose people who live in those apartments.
Then, here's my sentence:

In my apartment building, there are twenty apartments, several of
whose people who live in are friends of mine.

Is this sentence grammatically correct?


texts: Do these sentences have the same meaning: "I don't think he is a student." and "I think he is not a student."

texts:
1-"I don't think he is student."
2- "I think he is not a student."
The speaker has the opinion that "he is not a student". But in order to say this in English, we make up the sentence like this ""I don't think he is student."
Because I am not a native speaker, from my logical point of view, both sentences seem to give the same meaning". Either way, the speaker has the same opinion about him, which is "He is not a student".
And what is interesting is that this structure is true for these types of sentences that start with "I think, I suppose, etc". These parts of sentences turn into "I don't think...., I don't suppose ...." to make it negative, whereas the negative situation is actually in the second sentence -not in the first one.
So I wonder why can't we form such sentences like this: "I think he is not a student." Why do we really have to make the first part negative in such sentences, whereas the situation in the second part is actually my opinion.
And I really wonder, what would it sound like if such sentences starting with "I think, I suppose, etc" are formed in the other way around - a bad english, a funny english, a small mistake or completely unacceptable?


texts:
1). A majority of voters approved changes to Russia's constitution that would allow president valdmir putin to hold power until 2036

2). A majority of voters approved changes to Russia's constitution that will allow president valdmir putin to hold power until 2036

Which of the following sentences is correct?? If both are correct, What is the difference in meaning between these two sentences???
I know as the sentence is in past tense we should use "would". But as the constitution is still allowing and will allow for some time in future , can't we use "will"???


texts: Putting the antecedents after the pronouns!

texts:
Is it right to place a pronoun and then place the name: as is shown in the below sentence:

  A few weeks before he died, my father gave me an old cigar box filled with faded letters.

Or it should always be put this way:

  A few weeks before my father died, he gave me an old cigar box filled with faded letters.

Are they both right and acceptable?


texts:
I get up at 6 o'clock in the morning.
I get up at 6 in the morning.

Can I use sentense 2?  When can I use only number without o'clock am pm etc?


texts:
In given text I don't understand what does than belong to.
Suppose? If not, and if it belongs to any more, then what does any more means in this context?


texts: "see the example below for understanding" versus "see the example below to understand"

texts:
Which sentence would sound more natural? Are both of them grammatically correct? Which do you think is more correct?

See the example below for understanding how it works.
See the example below to understand how it works.


texts: Which one of these sentences is standard English? ["own their homes" or "have their own homes"]

texts:
Which one of the following sentences is standard English?

  Two-thirds of them have their own homes.

  Two-thirds of them own their homes.


texts: How to say sarcastically "Wait for a long time (perhaps forever)"

texts:
Which one of the following phrases can be used in the context below in natural English:

  A) Let me go! I won't come along with you. I don't like the company of such people.
  B) But believe me; they love you; I don't know why you're spiting me, but I'm sure you'll enjoy it. You just try once.
  A) I won't come. I'll stay right here!
  B) Ok; suit yourself! ........................... (said sarcastically)

1) Stay / wait there untill grass grow under your feet.
2) Stay / wait there untill cows come home.

I need to indicate: "stay / wait there for a long time (figuratively forever)"

Unfortunately, dictionary definitions couldn't help me to distinguish these two similar phrases and also they do not show me whether these are archaic or not!


texts: In a 'what' fused relative phrase, do you pause after 'what'?

texts:
Somehow, the interior of Tithebarn House increased Robin’s unpleasant sensation of vertigo. No walls divided its vast interior. The first floor, which was reached by a steel and glass spiral staircase, was suspended on thick metal cables from the high ceiling. Chard’s huge double bed, which seemed to be of black leather, was visible, high above them, with what looked like a huge crucifix of barbed wire hanging over it on the brick wall. Robin dropped her gaze hastily, feeling sicker than ever. (The Silkworm, by Robert Galbraith)

There is a relative word, which, which is the subject in the clause; and a fused relative phrase with what. What I would like to know is if you put a pause between ‘what’ and ‘looked.’ If ‘what’ can be a equivalent to ‘the thing that,’ in which ‘that’ would be a subordinator not a relative word (CGEL,p.1056). Then a gap would be the subject of 'looked' in ‘with the thing (i)  that __ (i)  looked like a huge crucifix.’ So recently I pause whenever I happen to come across 'what' fused relative phrases. Is my view proper?


texts: Expressing disappointment in a disarmed way

texts:
Regard the following sentence.

  Oh, you can't make it? That's disappointing.

It's clear and to the point but it also expresses a certain portion of negativity of the experience. I'd like to use another word that will lower the negative connotation. It's still supposed to be there but not as the main flavor.

Instead, I'd like to feel the recipient included in my "pain" and not feel as the root cause of my disappointment. Please note that I know how to explain in in a next sentence or two but this question is for a single word or at most an expression.

I'd like to cause the recipients empathy for me feeling dismissed and ignored as I'm disappointed that, despite my efforts to accommodate the other's schedule, they won't attend. They are indeed to blame as the main reason but I want that to be disregarded (or at least not pointed out by me explicitly) and focus on my (or rather our unhappiness).


texts: Why is it more natural to say "when I had opened the windows, I sat down and had a cup of tea" than "when I opened...?

texts:
The book Practical English Usage by Michael Swan says that the sentence

  When I had opened the windows, I sat down and had a cup of tea.

is more natural than

  When I opened the windows, I sat down and had a cup of tea.

because the first action is separate from the second. But I cannot see how it is separate. The same is with

  When I opened the window, the cat jumped out.

  When I had opened the window, the cat jumped out.

In this pair of sentences, however, it says that the first one is more natural.
And it also says that it should be

  When I had answered my emails, I did some gardening.

not

  When I answered my emails, I did some gardening.

Why? Help me please to see the difference.


texts:
I have to do an exercise where I must use the present tense to fill the gap in this sentence :

Kim ----------- (never /be) abroad. She'd love to visit other countries.

Is my answer correct if I say "Kim has never been abroad"? I used the present perfect to answer?


texts:
Oprah played a big role in my understanding of what it meant to be
  female and to really step into your own power. I wouldn’t even call
  her a role model; she was literally a reference point. You have the
  dictionary, you have the Bible, you have Oprah.

  https://www.colorlines.com/articles/lupita-nyongo-named-glamours-woman-year

What is the difference between "role model" and "reference point" here? They seem similar to me.

  role model: a person who someone admires and whose behaviour they try
  to copy (the Cambridge Dictionary)

  https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/role-model

  reference point: something that is used to judge or understand
  something else   (Merriam Webster)

  https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reference%20point


texts: what does "practice" mean in this contex?

texts:
One criticism of Piaget's theory is that culture and education exert
  stronger influences on a child's development than Piaget maintained.
  These factors depend on how much practice their culture provides in
  developmental processes, such as conversational skills.


texts: The plain English justification of the use of "such that" in mathematics?

texts:
In mathematics the phrase "such that" is used to specify conditions on objects. For example, "There is an integer x such that x + 3 = 5" is a typical mathematical statement.

However, since the example sentence is equivalent to "There is an integer that plus 3 equals 5", I have been tempted to boldly assert that the example sentence is also equivalent to "There is an integer such that this integer plus 3 equals 5". Then, we can in turn say "There is a girl with a big bag" to mean "There is a girl such that this girl has a big bag".

Is the above argument right? I am not sure, since I am not a native speaker in English, if the use of "such that" is consistent with plain English grammar?


texts:
According to this dictionary, the verb "force" seems to have these two usage patterns:

  p1. force somebody into doing something
  p2. force somebody into something

Examples from that dictionary illustrating the two usages are:

  e1 The President was forced into resigning.
  e2 Ill health forced him into early retirement.

Example sentence e2 suggests that pattern p2 can only be used with a state noun (in retirement) and not an action noun (resignation).   So, does that mean that this:

  The president was forced into resignation.

is wrong?


texts:
No further back than 1834, Professor William P. Dewees assumed the first chair of obstetrics at the University of Pennsylvania.

What is the meaning of 'assume' here? What does 'to assume the first chair' mean?

My assumption is that he took a leading role in the field at that university. Is it accurate?


texts:
Basically as a greeting for an interview, I want to say something like

  Thank you for the opportunity to be interviewed for this scholarship.

However, after doing a little bit of research, I found a user of an English language forum, WordReference, asking similar problem.

According to it, the proper greeting is

  Thank you for the opportunity to interview (for the programme, for the position, for the scholarship, etc.)

My concern is that I believe instead of using to interview which means you are interviewing someone, I should use the phrase to be interviewed.


texts: Accepting a request: I'd be glad to show

texts:
A colleague is asking to have a look at my teaching material for one of my classes that he'll be teaching next term.
What's the best answer to his request:

  I would/will be glad to show? you the/my teaching material.
  I'd be glad to show you the material (I'm using).


texts: How do I ask questions to sentence with few subjects parts of speech?

texts:
Example sentence:

  I worked hard yesterday but she didn't work at all.

Where could I place another sentence in a question when I'm asking to a part of speech of another one?

Is this question to first subject correct?

  Who did work hard yesterday when she didn't work at all?


texts:
House Cut Potato Fries

It's a  name on menu, and what does it mean? Does it mean that it's sliced in the restaurant, or does it mean that it's grown/harvested in the restaurant or in it's farmer (not sourced from third-party)?


texts: What does 'that' belong to and how to determine?

texts:
The decisive difference is that in today’s international arena there are huge obstacles to forming global political institutions that have no analogues from the era of national state-formation, namely powerful national governments whose leaders command both widespread political legitimacy and coercive resources.

Moral foundation of politics by Ian Shapiro
My question is what does 'that' belong to (emphasis mine)?
To 'huge obstacles' or 'global political institutions? And how can I determine this in other similar sentences please explain to me.


texts: I consider him irresponsible VS I consider him to be irresponsible

texts:
Which prase is correct?

I consider him irresponsible
I consider him to be irresponsible


texts: Describing the past events with proper tense choice

texts:
I want to describe a past incident. Like, a few months ago I faced a bike accident. I tell the story to one of my friends. I describe the story in the past tense. Like,

  I wanted to buy groceries. So I went to the supermarket. I was on my bike. Suddenly, another biker turned into my bike lane from a side street. He sped up and tried to overtake me. He lost control of his bike and skidded.

Now my question is when I describe a past situation, should I describe it totally in the past tense or I should combine past and present tense?

Like,

  He speeds up and tries to overtake me. He loses control of his bike and skid.

How would a native English speaker express this last example?


texts:
Zur Situation Von Konstruktionen b/w Les Mots Ètranges is Les Trucs first 7″ on fettkakao.  well – at least a very own 45. they have had a split out in 2010 w/ Sex Jams and contributed a song to the last Fettkakao compilation that was released early this year.

I think it should be either past perfect or past simple for both verbs:

  They had had . . . and had contributed (past perfect)

or

  they had . . . and contributed (past simple).

I don't understand why have and contributed are present perfect as both events relate to the past. Don't you think the writer should have added so far or up to now to justify present perfect?

And if it is the reason why is release not present perfect, as the year is not finished?


texts: On the use of 'even much' in this context

texts:
Now, though, Sanders has evidently decided that progressives will no longer accept impurities — or even much tactical vagueness.

I think the part in italics means that tactical vagueness won't be accepted in the same way impurities are not accepted. How should even much be interpreted in this context? Shouldn't be there a comma after even much?

Source: 11th paragraph of this NYT article.


texts: that looks an interesting book; they look good guys

texts:
That looks an interesting book. (OALD)

‘Look’ can take an NP for its complement by OALD. Now what I’m wondering about is if a person/people could be a subject in the structure, for instance, “They look good guys.” If we can’t, does it have to be “They look like good guys”?


texts: Present Perfect usage when specific time is implicit

texts:
Is it correct to use present perfect when specific time is implicit?
For example.

  Jack has already been to Paris. He has liked it a lot.

  I have already tasted sushi. I have hated it.

  We've had an awesome wedding party. Several long time friends have come.

Or should I use past simple for the second sentence, as the specific time was implied in the first sentence? (meaning that the second sentence occurred when he was to Paris; when she tasted sushi; and when we had the wedding party.)

  Jack has already been to Paris. He liked it a lot.

  I have already tasted sushi. I hated it.

  We've had an awesome wedding party. Several long time friends came.

You see, in my opinion, I should use the second option as the specific time is implied but, maybe, grammatically speaking, it does not matter. Take the third example: it is my understanding that everything I tell about what happened in that party should be reported in past simple tense. Am I wrong?


texts:
I read a sentence.

I want to know if I got that question right!

I am not sure if the word right is an adjective or an adverb.
And the meaning of get is also unclear to me.
I looked up dictionaries from which there are some similar examples.
right/wrong are Adjectives. And get means cause.

Example A. Lots of people got the questions wrong.

Example B. He got all his calculations wrong.

These two examples A and B have a structure of [VERB noun adjective]
So I guess the the meaning of get  is cause.
Because example C has the same structure of [VERB noun adjective]

Example C. I don't know if I can get it clean.

right/wrong are Adverbs. And get means understand.

Example D. You've got it all wrong.

right/wrong are Adverbs. And get means make a mistake with.

Example F. I must have got the figures wrong.

These question I have are a bit complicated. I try to use analogy to explain what I did not understand.
Sometimes it was helpfull.


texts: Why did the journalist choose past perfect? (only to emphasize)

texts:
Stormtrooper, a little known and struggling  band from London, had formed and disbanded  in a space of 10 months  in 1975, two years before punk rock had risen out of the ashes of glam and pub rock . They had formed in the bar of the famous Marquee club in Wardour Street in London's West End...
Once they were a band, and had run through a few rehearsals in the cellar of the Marquee, they were ready to record a demo......

(http://nigelgoodall.co.uk/albums/stormtrooper/im-a-mess/)
why did this journalist choose past perfect for" form and disbanded?".I think He could have used past simple .It is not because it happens before the demo recordings (they disbanded after releasing their demo )
is it only to emphasize the moment the band existed  (from the creation to the split) .
Or may be that it is not past perfect for disbanded but past simple. But if it is the case  it is obvious that the creation of the band happened before the split so there is no reason to use past perfect .
ps I understand the use of had risen ( because of the completion of the action) and had risen gives the impression that punk rock did not come in one day but took some time to arrive


texts: Why is an article used in "for the better" in this sentence?

texts:
What's the reason for using the article in the following sentence?

  University is seeking to transform people's lives for the better.


texts: Why with the "as..as" construction and the future tense in one part we use the present in the other?

texts:
I met such an offer:

I'll get back to you as soon as I have the information you need.

I wonder why/by what rule in part 2 of the sentence:
"as I have the information you need" we don't use the future "as I will have (maybe get) the information you need". We are talking about when (then) I'll get this info.


texts:
I'll be 18 tomorrow.
I'm turning 18 tomorrow.
I'll turn 18 tomorrow.
I will be turning 18 tomorrow.
I'm going to turn 18 tomorrow.

Are these all idiomatic phrases regarding turning to a certain age and do they mean the same?


texts: Present/Past perfect with 'Recent'/'Yesterday'

texts:
Which sentence is correct?

  Recently they have watched a new film and now we are expecting their mind about it.
  Recently they had watched a new film and now we are expecting their mind about it.
  Recently they watched a new film and now we are expecting their mind about it.

It seems at least 1 and 3 both are correct and mean the same thing.

And what if we replace ‘Recently’ with ‘Yesterday’?
Present Perfect tense doesn’t use with ‘Yersterday’ but Past Perfect use as well.

  Yesterday they had watched a new film and now we are expecting their mind about it.
  Yesterday they watched a new film and now we are expecting their mind about it.


texts: I am wondering if this sentence is grammatically correct? Can I use this line in a letter?

texts: This letter is to inform you that the gender information of Rebecca and Thomas is already updated as female and male in our records.


texts: A name or adjective for a shop/store/bar/exhibition which placed outside

texts: I saw a picture where a guy sells carpet outside. I think he has a normal shop too but most of the his merchandises are seen without coming into the store. So I was just wondering how can we name these kind of places which are not inside a building. It could be a bar , a shop or even an art exhibition. What I mean here there is no wall. Everybody can see when they go by..I thought the word open but it is associated a lot with a meaning that a shop   open for business..


texts:
I was thinking, is it grammatically correct to say, "I feel like such a fool"?

In my opinion it can be either "I feel like a fool" or "I feel such a fool".


texts:
What does this sentence means?

The winds and waves are always on the side of the ablest navigators.


texts:
From "Printing Technologies for Medical Applications":

  In proton therapy, for example, cancer cells and tumors are radiated directly by a beam of protons[67]. The physical concepts of the proton beam distinguish this method from other external radiotherapies. The physics of protons allow this technique to distribute energy only on cancer cells, reducing side effects.

Is this a proper use of 'concepts'? I would understand 'physical features', 'physical characteristics', 'physical aspects' but 'concepts'?

A concept is what a scientist can have in his mind.

Does the phrase intend to mean "because the physical concepts describing the behaviour of the proton beam tell us that it behaves differently from other beams.."?


texts: What should I use (Past perfect or Past Simple)

texts:
I have the following sentences. And must choose on of the tences (Past Simple, Past Perfect, Past Continuos, Past Perfect Continuos):

Sally Deedes was walking home late one night. She (be) to a dinner party at her friends' house.
Her friend Mark (offer) to walk home with her, but as she (live) only a mile away, she (tell) him that she would be OK.
She (stop) and (turn) around, but she couldn't see anyone and the footsteps (stop) as well.
She (begin) to feel afraid.
He tried to explain that he (be) worried about her and (decide) to follow her home.

I put next options:

had been
offered, lived, told
stopped, turned, stopped
began
was, decided

But the answers from the keys differ from my:

had been
had offered, lived, had told
stopped, turned, had stopped / stopped
began / was beggining
had been, had decided

Which are correct (are my items possible)? Would you my explaining it to me?


texts:
Who knocks at the door?

Who does knock at the door?

I am confused here. Usually, first sentence is acceptable. But I did not read about the 2nd one. Is it correct? Is it an emphatic sentence of present indefinite tense?


texts: Can I use the expression "Back at" to refer to some event that took place some time ago?

texts:
Back at our summer convention all the girls were using blue dresses.

  Back at our graduation party all the boys got together to sang her favorite song and most of them ended up crying like children.

Does these phrases make any sense?


texts:
Consider a task (a computer science term), which can have three states:

not yet started (queued)
started (running)
finished running

What word would be more correct for third state: "complete" or "completed"?

UPD: this word will be used as a table cell value in a column named "state".


texts: Using the zero conditional to talk about one instance

texts:
Can't the zero conditional talk about one instance?, maybe I want to say:

If I want to get a job, I'll have to study a lot.

my intention isn't to use the first conditional in the above example, because that would mean the condition concerns the future, I want the condition to talk about the present, because I may have more knowledge in the future than now. I also don't want the sentence to express something that is always true, for the same reason, I may have more knowledge in the future that qualify me for a job. So, does the sentence above talk about one instance/case?, and does the condition talk about the present?, and is that what is meant by the paragraph below?, from wikipedia:

Contradiction between the zero and first conditional: There is a
problem when the condition refers to the present, but the consequence
to the future, as in these examples:
If you are young, you will like that book. (I do not know how old
you are.)
If you are already so good at it, you will be a master in one year.
If he is already here, you will find him.
Formally, every sentence above looks like the first conditional, with the condition
having future meaning,[5] which was not our intention. Generally,
context and auxiliary words like "already", "at present", etc.
sometimes are enough to inform us that the condition has present
meaning, but sometimes are not, which leads to ambiguity, for example:
If you do it now, you will not have to do it later. The word "now" can
be interpreted as "at present" or "in the immediate future". Hence,
the condition can refer both to the present and future.
wikipedia page.


texts: "come to" usage : later I come to that question, is it correct?

texts:
The context is:

  In this answer I see people mention xxx , then I follow a link in the
  accepted answer and come to another answer: xxxxx.

What's the appropriate word to use here? turn to another answer ?

Is come to correct here?

Becasue I check the dictionary and it says that come to only has 1 meaning, which I think it's a not a good fit literally:

  come to

  PHRASAL VERB When someone who is unconscious comes to, they become
  conscious.

    When he came to and raised his head, he saw Barney.


texts:
Is there a way to say 'lack of appetite' in one word? (for instance: 'disappetite' which I found a very few results of it and I'm not sure how much is acceptable).
Context:

The patient had disappetite(?).


texts:
How would you say the phrase locked out?

I believe the word locked by itself is pronounced with the t sound. So like lock + t.

However, I hear people saying it with the d sound, like lock + d out


texts: Preposition for - "written by me ___ a branded pen"?

texts:
Sentence: The exercise was written __ me __ a branded pen.

Problem: Fill in the blanks with apt. preposition.

Attempt: First blank is "by" 100% sure. Second one is either "by" or "with". I don't want to use "by" because it becomes repetitive. But, the use of "with" sounds like collaborating with a person in writing the exercise. I would say: "The exercise was written by me with Mr. John Doe" than "The exercise was written by me with a branded pen"

Have I interpreted basics of "by" and "with" wrongly? And what's the correct answer here?


texts: What preposition should be used with "course"?

texts:
What is the right preposition for the following sentences:

  Did you learn about things like that in\on your course.

  He is in\on the math course at college.

  I'll meet you in\on\at the course.


texts: What is a good connecting word for "First: the list of properties, ____ A, B, C, ..."?

texts:
I am listing some features for a software system and in one of the list items, I wrote:

  First: the list of properties, which are parameters required by the framework.

Now, I want to list these parameters, I can't use such as, because I want to list all of them and such as indicates some of them, and I can't use which are because I already used which. So, what is the correct word here?

I want to say something like:

  First: the list of properties, which are parameters required by the framework. and they are ...

I think can't use and directly after the ellipses,
which is what I know in grammar, but maybe I am wrong?


texts: "malefactors are depraved on accounta they’re deprived" - the meaning of "on accounta"

texts:
The romantic notion that all malefactors are depraved on accounta
  they’re deprived has worn thin among experts and laypeople alike.

I found this sentence in a Steven Pinker's book (The Blank Slate). I struggle to understand the meaning of "on accounta", I did not find any definition.

Any idea what it could mean?

EDIT: StoneyB found the context of this expression which has been used few pages before.

  In a New Yorker cartoon, a woman on a witness stand says, “True, my
  husband beat me because of his childhood; but I murdered him because
  of mine.” In the comic strip Non Sequitur, the directory of a mental
  health clinic reads: “1st Floor: Mother's Fault. 2nd Floor: Father's
  Fault. 3rd Floor: Society's Fault.” And who can forget the Jets in
  West Side Story, who imagined explaining to the local police sergeant,
  “We're depraved on accounta we're deprived”?


texts: Does this sentence mean "much like" or " don't much like"?

texts:
Firstly sorry for my bad English.

I'm translating an article about wearable Smart Watches, but there is something I'm curious about. Does the bold part of the following context mean that the author likes to know what all these new products do, or the author doesn't like to know?

  If 2014 was the dawn of wearables in the sense that it represents the
  largest inroads made for a new product category, then I hope 2015 will
  be the year that really prompts me to really go all-in with the
  technology. As much I like what it all does so far, I have not kept
  any of the new “smart” wearables on my wrist for longer than a couple
  weeks.


texts:
Is the word "cram" here a noun? Does it mean "learning a lot in a very short period of time"?

LearningatCisco tweeted:

Join some of the top thought leaders in DevNet for a FREE exam cram webinar series; hosted by Du'An Lightfoot
@labeveryday

We are here to help you get ready to join the #DevNetClassOf2020, register now ***(the link removed)

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texts: I am struggling with a one line of lyrics. Can this line stand on it's own: "She knows she's nowhere near" - in a sense of nowhere near to change herself.


texts: room temperature water or room-temperature

texts:
Do we say 'room temperature water'? Is the phrase 'room temperature' an adjective? Do we use this with a hyphen? Which of the following is correct?

I like to drink room temperature water.

I like to drink room-temperature water.

I like to drink water at room temperature.


texts:
Could you explain me why in this sentence "drop" or "dance" are past simple?

Here is the sentence:

  "If Satan had a pool party, the F.P would have be playing loudly in the background while everyone dropped acid and danced like it was 1969."

I would write "Would be dropping and would be dancing" or "would drop and would dance" as it is not a real situation I would use "would".


texts:
Everybody complains against callous treatment of the the police.

I believe we do not use against with the word complain because complain in itself means something against.
Can you please clarify this doubt.
Thank you.


texts: would you tell me in which situation would you prefer to apply this?

texts:
When/where or in which situations would you rather use such a word?

Absenteeism

Hooligunism


texts: Gerund or infinitive what is better to use in a sentence?

texts:
Can I say such a sentence? - TO BE an only child is a bit boring.
Or I have to say - BEING an only child is a bit boring?
Is there difference between them? Or if I use TO BE I must say - TO BE an only child IT is a bit boring?
Thank you!


texts:
Yesterday I read the book you gave me. (You gave me the book yesterday, too.)

Is it correct? And what would change in the meaning of the whole sentence if the verb "give" took the form "had given"?


texts:
Her stepmother made a Princess a Ladily Worm by her spell. Three kisses of the princess's brother could make her return original shape. This was said when her brother was going to fight a Ladily Worm, which is the princess.

  "O, quit your sword, unbend your bow,

  And give me kisses three,

  If I'm not won ere set of sun
  ,

  Won never shall I be."

This is from a English fairy tale "The Laidly Worm of Spindrestone Heugh". Why is this sentence "If I'm not won ere set of sun" passive form?


texts:
I have the following question:

Do cat fanciers do anything but go to shows?

What does it mean? Does it mean:

Do cat fanciers do anything else other than going to shows?

Or,

Do cat fanciers even go to shows?

What should an apt relply be (I mean grammatically correct, regardless of whether it is factually true)?

Should it look like:

Cat fanciers do go to pet shops to search for lingerie.


texts:
I was engaged in some informal but I hope grammatical conversation with a friend who is less fluent in English than me (so I didn't want to confuse them!). It went:

  So why are you so upset?
  You really want to know?
  Sure!
  Well, you know how I was telling you how I sold my car?
  Yeah
  I was excited about driving up to Manchester...
  OK.
  But, I later realized, have no car.

Is "But, I later realized, have no car" grammatical?

I think maybe, and with the following reason.

"But, I later realized, have no car"? sounds better than "But I later realized, have no car". I think the former sounds better due to the grammar, and one answer for why that is, is that it's grammatical (rather than, say, more rhetorical or I'm not interested in their reply).

I am concerned with the elided "I" in what would be the independent clause "have no car", and so I'm guessing it may be grammatical because in the latter the phrase "I later realized" is parenthesized (so that the conditional conjunction 'but' belongs to the independent clause "[I] have no car"), if that's not a misunderstanding.

Or perhaps it's because the conjunction 'but' in the former, used, example need not be read as set off with a comma.

The question seems a difficult one, as wikipedia says:

  the dropping of pronouns is generally restricted to very informal
  speech and certain fixed expressions, and the rules for their use are
  complex and vary among dialects and register

I would be asking for BrSE, at least foremostly.


texts: The right preposition in the mentioned sentence?

texts:
They all share the ethical intention ------ safe transference.

What preposition is the most idiomatic to put in the blank? "to", "of", "for", etc.?


texts: Is "invoke" synonymous with "have" in this sentence?

texts:
I'm confused about the sentence below, is it correct? Please help me clear the confusion. I don't understand the meaning of Invoke; is it synonymous with have?

  I invoke the right of parley = I have the right of parley.