texts: Can these two words 'While' and 'though' be used in the same sentence?

texts:
This is a paragraph describing a computer security software, in order to help you understand more of the context.

  Panda protects its Registry entries against illicit modification, so I
  couldn't just set "firewall=disabled" in the Registry. I also couldn't
  terminate its processes using Task Manager. However, a somewhat
  complex series of actions allowed me to disable its essential
  services. My Panda contact indicated that it is designed to recover in
  this situation, but I didn't see that happen. While a malware
  coder could write code to disable protection in this way, though
  it would be a complex task.

  Source: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2429594,00.asp

The last sentence contains both words 'while' and 'though'. Is the word 'though' necessary in this case? Will the sentence sound natural to native speakers if I keep only one of these word (either 'while' or 'though')? Could you give me more examples of using both these words in the same sentence?


texts: Does "in fair health" actually mean "unhealthy"?

texts:
http://us.movember.com/mens-health says:

  12.1% of men 18 years and over are in fair or poor health.

What is the meaning of "in fair health" here?

For me "in fair health" sounds like "healthy".
But it makes no sense that healthy+unhealthy people would make only 12.1% of the population.

So, does "in fair health" mean "unhealthy but not as unhealthy as poor health"?


texts: What does "a singularly sh*t strategy" mean in "Showing images is a singularly sh*t strategy"?

texts:
Is the phrase "is a singularly shit strategy" a rude way of expressing "is the only reliable strategy"? The use of the word "shit" appears to be self-effacing, trying to be as humble as dirt and negating the effectiveness of the strategy. I am not sure.
What exactly does the phrase mean?

Andy North tweeted in replying to Richard Dawkins:
Unbelievable arrogance. Some of us actually work in schools teaching science and you know what? We think just showing children images that insult their faith is a singularly shit strategy for actually educating them about science, religion, or anything else


texts: "choosing one method from a, b, or c" OR "choosing one method from a, b, and c" OR choosing among a, b, or c

texts:
What would be best to write?

choosing one method from a, b, or c
choosing one method from a, b, and c
choosing among a, b, or c

or any other better option


texts:
The others figure it was Rocket that took them, and they're all pissed
  off.

Source

I always say, they took my pen or they took my umbrella.

but here that sounds like: non living being came to life and took something.


texts:
To split hairs is a known idiom that means to argue about petty things. I looked into the etymology of the idiom but could not get to grips with the literal meaning. The comments assume the reader knows the literal meaning.

So does split hairs mean:

Arrange hair to make visible lines on the head?
Cut individual hairs?
Split one hair into two pieces either horizontally or vertically!

Edit:

split hairs

  to argue about very small differences or unimportant details

  It's splitting hairs to tell people that they cannot lie but it is all right if they exaggerate.

Split hairs:

  Make small and overfine distinctions:

  - one of those medieval disputes which split hairs endlessly

  - Yes, I do see the distinction and am perhaps splitting hairs over the delivery of the message.

  - One sentence in the manual required that lawyers participating in the recount should ‘have the courage to voice disagreement and must
  split hairs trying to find faults.’

  - I'm perhaps splitting hairs, here, but there has got to be a difference between drawing influence from various sources and
  plagiarizing.


texts:
It was an abrupt turnaround from the January through March quarter, when the economy shrank 6.8 percent, the first contraction that China has acknowledged in nearly half a century.
Can i rewrite this clause to the first contraction China has acknowledged in nearly half a century
I thought we are taught to omit "that" if it's not part of the subject?
Such as:
This is the country i admire  instead of this is the country THAT i admire.


texts:
What does "That's O.P." mean?  It's an achievement in a game.  The abbreviation "O.P." obviously doesn't mean "Original Poster" in this context.  I think it may stand for surprise.

Can somebody give me an accurate explanation?


texts: "I will invite him to the meeting on a lower/lesser frequency/basis?"

texts:
I would like to ask for help: I am organizing a meeting for X people on a weekly basis. Now, there are some less involved stakeholders that should be invited only once a month. It occurred to me that I am not sure how to say:
"Some will be invited on a lesser/lower frequency/basis" is certainly wrong but I cannot think of anything better.
I am not looking for another means to express that, I would like to find out what would be the proper adjective and noun to use in a sentence like this one.


texts: Is the sentence "How is " localised to game-specific forums?

texts:
I keep seeing people say "How is X", where X is the name of a game or a band. I think the implied question is about the entertainment quality of the thing in question, e.g. "Do you find this game fun?", "Are X a good band in your opinion?", "What do you dislike about X?".

Most of the time sentences of this form don't even parse in my head, especially when the name of the game is a character's name them I'm especially confused. e.g. "How is Batman?". (Well, when a mummy and daddy love each other very much...)

I've mainly seen this usage on reddit. The main place I see it is in the gaming related threads, but I don't know if it's localised to either of those two things.

Is this common usage in some part of the world or is it localised to the game playing community on a certain internet forum? Does anyone know how long has it been going on for? Do and of you personally use this form?

Some reddit links hastily obtained via google:

http://www.reddit.com/r/Metal/comments/2bssy0/how_is_mastodon_live/
http://www.reddit.com/r/GameDeals/comments/1i39qc/steam_summer_sale_day_1/
http://www.reddit.com/r/GameDeals/comments/27del7/uplay_e3_sale_daily_48h_deals_up_to_75_ac_iv_se/
http://www.reddit.com/r/Games/comments/22d2uo/how_is_the_elder_scrolls_online/
http://www.reddit.com/r/elderscrollsonline/comments/2b9zse/how_is_the_game/
http://www.reddit.com/r/Terraria/comments/276tk6/how_is_this_game/


texts:
This evening, I was out with my friend, and during our conversation he said, “It's very long time since we last came this far” and to which I replied, “I wish we don't do that again in the future”.

Following this we had a debate. He said, my comment, “I wish we don't do that again in the future” was wrong, and it should have been, "I wish we would not do that in the future".

Could you please tell me which sentence is correct in this context?

“I wish we don't do that again in the future” or “I wish we would not do that in the future".


texts: Difference between "done with me" and "done to me"

texts:
Could somebody tell me what is the main difference between these two:

  What have you done with me?

or

  what have you done to me?


texts:
I'd prefer to do it myself rather than you doing.

  I'd prefer to do it myself rather than that you do.

  I'd prefer to do it myself rather than that you did.

Is using a pronoun after the phrase ''rather than'' (as in the first example) proper? Which one of them would be grammatically correct?


texts: What does "we have a go plotting in" mean?

texts:
It sounds like the lecturer is saying

  going
  back to a more complex place. let's just
  talk through what we should expect
  before we have a go plotting in

plotting is easy to understand, the lecturer is going to show a new plot. And so, what does the whole expression "we have a go plotting in" mean?


texts: beat somebody to 'a' pulp ( why is pulp countable here?)

texts: I just stumbled over this phrase and I'd like to know why the rule of countable/uncountable nouns doesn't seem to apply here? Pulp is not a countable unit.


texts:
I open the door.

  "Marlena!" I say,
  swinging the door farther open than I intend to. "What are you doing
  up? I mean, are you okay? Do you want to sit down?"

  "No," she says. Her face is inches from mine. "I'm all
  right. But I'd like to speak to you for a moment. Are you alone?"

  "Uh, no. Not exactly." I say, glancing back at
  Walter, who's shaking his head and waving his hands furiously.

  "Can you come to the stateroom?" Marlena says. "It won't
  take but a moment."

  “Yes. Of course.”

  -- Sara Gruen, Water for Elephants

What does but mean? (The sentence seems like it won’t take time except that it takes only a moment, I suppose.)


texts:
Which is the correct way to construct sentence to tell past routine?

He slept most of time whenever I visited him.

He would sleep most of the time when I visited him


texts: How to invert "He was never silly." to emphasize the negative adverb?

texts:
What is the correct sentence if you want to make inversion for the following sentence to emphasize the negative adverb?

He was never silly.

Never was he silly.

This is recommended as correct form in my grammar book, but I feel kind of awkward about the 'silly' which is left behind and separated from the 'never'.

Never silly was he.

I feel this is correct.

Never silly he was.

My friend thinks this is correct, because there should be no inversion in case the subject is a pronoun. But I heard that the be-verbs or do-verbs and subjects should be inverted in case the negative expressions are placed in the head of the sentence.
Please help me make correct inversion.


texts:
I read the following sentence in today’s newspaper :
Which trader will invest in large warehouses if the government suddenly imposes stock limits that make him a criminal?
I have two questions-
1)I have read about differences between usage of that and when, and according to me, in the above sentence, which is more appropriate than that.
2)If instead of make, the author had used the singular verb makes, would it have changed the meaning of sentence? I think it would (or would have?). The sentence in the present form implies that the stocking limits will make the trader a criminal. If we replace make with makes, the sentence would start to imply that the government’s imposition of stocking limits will make the trader a criminal, rather than the stocking limit themselves. Am I correct?
3)I have this another little, unrelated question about whether my usage of themselves after stocking limits (as an emphasising pronoun) in the above question is correct. Can we use emphasising pronouns to emphasise nouns?


texts: For "social justice", can I write (..........is just socially or ......is fair socially)

texts:
Despite the fact that some people believe that imposing wage ceiling might be more just / fair socially, I believe that removing any restrictions on people's income is good for the economy.

Is it correct phrase in formal writing "just socially", I am trying to talk about "social justice" term.  I prefer "...just socially" because it is little bit uncommon and the examiner of IELTS might give more more marks for it,
but I need to know whether it is correct.


texts:
Those phrases are pretty similar. I often hear people say "cut down on sugar/coffee/soda/ (anything related to food) ". But in other contexts, are those phrases interchangeable?

For example:

  The country cut down on waste production last year.
  The country cut down waste production last year.

Are both phrases correct in that sentence?


texts:
As far as I know, when two action happen at the same time, I can combine these two sentence into one sentence by using participle form for the one of the actions.

The thing what I am trying to ask is that in the first two examples, why we don't use comma before participles in the first two sentences, but we use comma in the other two sentences?

  1- A man ran out of the house shouting.

  2- Kate is in the kitchen making coffee.

  3- A gift from the Magister Illyrio,” Viserys said, smiling.

  4- They had lived in the magister’s house, eating his food,
  pampered by his servants.


texts:
Smoke from the engine drifted over the heads of the chattering crowd, while cats of every color wound here and there between their legs.

It's from Harry potter and I definetely looked up the definition of 'wind' as a verb in the Cambridge Dictionary and a lot more, but I couldn't find one that fits in that sentence.

I can picture that scene through the context but I wanna know the exact definition of the word. Can anyone help me?


texts:
what's the meaning of "if not"

For example:

  One has his father-in-law as well as his daughter-in-law living with him, or his own child if not his step-son or step-father.

(source)


texts:
Should I put an auxiliary verb ('is') in this case?

I've never understood what is the difference between subject A and
B.

or it should be

I've never understood what the difference between subject A and
B.

(omitting the auxiliary verb 'is')
Somehow the latter choice looks more natural to me but I'm not sure.


texts:
sure(adv): used to emphasize something that you are saying

  Boy, it sure is hot.

  ‘Amazing view’. ‘Sure is.’

  I sure hope you are right about that.

  That song sure as hell sounds familiar.

  He sure looked unhappy.

  Working in technology sure beats flipping burgers.

  I sure do agree with that.

I often hear "sure is" or "sure do" but do people use "sure" with other kinds of auxiliaries such as "sure won't", "sure can", "sure couldn't", etc.?

For examples,

  A: I won’t do it for free.

  B: Sure won't

  A: I can lift this heavy box.

  B: Sure can

  A: I couldn't do it.

  B: Sure couldn't

  A: They sang very well.

  B: Sure did

  A: They have been very nice to us.

  B: Sure have

  A: Do you cook for me?

  B: Sure do
  ...


texts: How to use 'get lost' to mean 'get lost'?

texts:
Undoubtedly, I have heard this zillions of times since my childhood.

  get lost -  used to tell someone forcefully and quite rudely to go away

Now, look at this campaign sentence -

  The soothing music of subliminal language takes you to the eternal journey of your soul. It's mind refreshing and rejuvenating. You get lost into the world of serenity and divineness.

Get lost... huh? I literally mean that you really lose yourself into the world...

Is it proper to use get lost there? Still, I want other alternative that should mean one loses themselves into that world.


texts: How to pronounce negative exponents related to physics

texts:
How would you read (pronounce) the ending part of the following sentence:

After purging the measuring chamber with nitrogen gas at a rate of 0.15 L/h the count rate was reduced to 0.021 s–1 x kg–1.

Namely, these symbols are the question: "0.021 s–1 x kg–1". How do you read them correctly?


texts: Is there any difference in meaning between the expression "go on a drinking binge," "go on a drinking spree" and "go on a bender"?

texts:
Is there any difference in meaning between the expression go on a drinking binge, go on a drinking spree and go on a bender? For example:

  Around Christmas many young people go on a drinking binge.

  Around Christmas many young people go on a drinking spree.

  Around Christmas many young people go on a bender.


texts: Why musn't there be two 'third conditionals' in an 'if'' clause?

texts:
[1.] "If I would have known about the party, I would have gone to it."
This is INCORRECT, although commonly used, especially in American English.
The correct form is: [2.] If + had + past participle, would + have + past participle
[For the above example:] [3.] "If I had known about the party, I would have gone."  This is CORRECT.

I accept that [2] is correct, but exactly how and why is 1 wrong? I've never heard it before, because this is an argument from personal experience, which can be a fallacy.  If the apodosis is a 3rd cdtl (abbreviation for 'conditional'), why must the protasis also NOT be a 3rd cdtl?


texts: Does the noun "stable" have meanings other than "place for animals"?

texts:
I came across a Japanese person noting that an English term for the Japanese word "heya" (部屋), the training area of Sumo wrestlers, is "sumo stable", and that "stable" is usually a word used for horses. She found it a bit funny. I'm not sure whether she meant "funny" as in "haha", or "funny" as in "strange".

Wiktionary doesn't have any definitions of stable other than a place for animals, or the horses from a stable.

Do English-speakers really view sumo wrestlers as being like domesticated animals, or is there a meaning of "stable" that I'm unaware of?


texts: Mnemonic for remembering the difference between 'while' and 'until'?

texts:
My mother almost consistently uses "while" when she means "until", and vice versa. (This is because in her native language, those are the same word.) Obviously, I can't simply tell her, "whichever word you were about to say, choose the other one", because that would just make her second-guess herself all the time, even when she happened to choose the correct word in the first place (see above about almost consistently). What I need is a mnemonic or other device that will unequivocally help her determine the right word to use in a given situation.

Does anyone here teach English to native speakers who encounter this issue? What device or trick can you suggest for keeping these two words straight?


texts:
Is the word 'minority' offensive? While in academic writing, it's very common to specify the special group with less number of people with the term, is it considered offensive especially in the US, Australia and the UK? I'm more concerned about the term being spoken in routine/day-to-day conversation.

This is about the culture as I'm not sure how native speakers take this, by chance, I speak this in front of them (quite similar to 'ma'm' which I never thought to be an offensive remark).

This question hails from this very good question.


texts:
This is from this article.

  He rightly said "the sky is the limit now", while Joshua will look back on a US bow which was wrecked.


texts: "Sit down and rest a 'while'." Shouldn't while be a noun in this case?

texts:
Now, I know this is really weird since they should've italicized a while and not just while in this specific sentence, but since they've only italicized while, and since it comes after an article a, shouldn't it be considered a noun?
My teacher says that it should be an adverb since a while is collectively considered to be an adverb, as it describes about the verb rest.


texts: How could I interpret this? That denied us that privilige in this context?

texts:
My perception is that the word "privilege" here has something to do with "gift" , as if being able to mourn freshly for somebody after many years he or she had died is like a gift , it is an advantage but because they were used to this pain so it was no longer a surprise for them , they could not cry. Emmotinally disablled,
The thing is that is all my perception, I was not able to find it in any dictionary, except for denying a privilege that was like ignoring something important.

  ...photograph of my mother, larger than life and draped with a tuberose garland, hung on their living-room wall. “She’s not with us, Didun,” I said, and it was only then that both my grandparents broke down, grieving freshly for my mother as neither my father nor I had done. Being with her through her illness day after day had denied us that privilege.


texts: Use of preposition in in question a sentence

texts:
Which of the following sentences are correct regarding to know the preference about car.
What is your preference to car?
OR
What is your preference on car?
Please let me know the meaning of both sentences.


texts:
In Russian and we have a lot of different softening suffixes. Are there any in English? Like how would you rephrase as one word the following: a lovely chair, a most favorite small chair, a small lovely chair, a chair that is most comfortable.

I was thinking of using some suffixes like in the word "starlet" - one of the meanings of which is a small star but the words seem very odd and unnatural then.

a lovely chair - a chairly
a small lovely chair - a chairlette with -ette as a diminutive (makes something smaller)
a most favorite small chair - a chairestetteous
a chair that is most comfortable - a chairfyious

I think many English suffixes can't be used with nouns and change the words to an adjective, verb, adverb or e.t.c.

I looked here https://www.learnthat.org/pages/view/suffix.html#up for the proper suffixes.


texts:
What word "request" or "ask" is more appropriate if we are talking about formal letter?

  I am writing to request few days off.

  I am writing to ask about few days off.

Thanks.


texts: One word synonym for "this element is going to be deleted"

texts:
I have a form. This form has an element.
So element can have states:

normal,
ready to be deleted (prepared for deletion),
deleted.

I'm trying to find good one-word synonym for this intermediate state (some sort of "hammer cocked").

This intermediate state when you still able to decide are you going to delete it forever or cancel deletion.

For example, email almost deleted:

What do you think about state names like: valuation, evaluation?


texts: Is there a word that means holding your gun low?

texts: Is there a word that means holding your gun (rifle, handgun, machine gun, etc.) low? By that holding a gun under the belt in order to "aim inaccurately", "shoot" a gun towards any direction (back, upward, front, left, right, bottom). I see some people do it. It's mostly some cowboys firing the gun low to shoot faster. I am not sure if there's a word for it.


texts:
I found this question in a grammar textbook while studying for an exam.
This is the sentence:

“Whatever the justifications/justification’s for your attitude…”
Circle the correct answer.

The correct answer is apparently justifications and not justification’s but it still doesn’t make any sense to me, anyone know why?


texts: Reported speech (back shifting of tense) query

texts:
I've been asking a lot about backshifting of tenses for quite some time and I come across many articles/blogs where this so called rule is not always followed unlike notable grammar books.

  The spokesperson said they have received a video evidence of their being "alive" as recent as September 27 and they were making all efforts to secure their release.
  (Source)

My question is, since the main verb is in the past tense 'said' don't you think that it should be 'had received' instead of 'have received'?

You see this is one such link. I can provide multiple links having same error (if I can call this an error). So my question is, if journalists are using such grammar then isn't it acceptable?


texts:
I can't figure out what the difference between thru and through is. I'm working on a text for a website. I described some process and used this sentence:

  [...] when guiding the user through the order process.

Is that correct, or should I instead use the following sentence?

  [...] when guiding the user thru the order process.


texts:
The officer walks down the hallway. He notices that one of the doors is ajar. He pushes it open silently. And enters.

Questions to this:
Is the part in bold okay? Would you phrase it differently?
I'm asking because pushes sounds forceful to me but maybe adding silently makes it okay?


texts: Does 'Good Try' always mean good efforts but ultimately you didn't succeed at it?

texts:
It's quite common expression (condolence?) we hear from others when we don't succeed in what we wanted or made an attempt toward. It's a kinda motivating gesture and to encourage the person by telling good try... you surely worked harder for it but...

Does the word try always mean the task/target/aim remained incomplete? In a dictionary, it is defined as..

  try (v) - make an effort to accomplish something

But then, it simply leaves it halfway by telling 'make an effort'. What about the result?

By any means, may I greet someone with Good try when they succeed?


texts: How to properly analyze the grammatical structure of this sentence?

texts:
The original sentence is, "Looking back, it's embarrassing to recognize the degree to which my intellectual curiosity those first two years of college paralleled the interests of various women I was attempting to get to know."
I have a general idea of what this sentence might propose to mean (intellectual curiosity PARALLELED interests of women), but not as much in its grammatical structure.
Intuitively I feel like there's a lack of verb in the clause. For example, "the thing to which you're referring" has same meaning with “the thing which you're referring to”, but it seems that this method does not apply in this case.
What is "degree" referring to? Why is "to which" used here? What's the main verb of the clause?
Many thanks!


texts: "function models ONLY two variables at a time" vs. "function ONLY models two variables at a time" - place the adverb correctly

texts:
I read about using only in English. From my understanding, only is a modifier that it is placed next to a verb, a noun or a subject that need to be modified. I also learn that changing the place of only will change the meaning of the sentence. This helps me a lot but I am still confused about my sentence.

I have a function which can model more than two variables at a time. However, I used this function in a method where only two variables are allowed to be modelled at a time. I would like to say that in my sentence, i.e.,

  In method A, function B only models two variables at a time.

or

  In method A, function B models only two variables at a time.

Which one is correct? For me, the correct one is the first sentence, but I am still not sure.


texts: Is the phrase "It is the only city FROM Latin America that I have visited" correct?

texts: I don’t know if it is okay to use the word "from".


texts:
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/function
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/functionality

How do you differentiate these two nouns, especially in the context of "function(ality?) of component X" ?

Are there any cases where they are not interchangeable?

Edit

Here are modified versions of examples taken from http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/function . What might possibly be odd with them?

  bridges perform the functionality of providing access across water

  But it does play on social mores and our embarrassment about natural bodily functionalities, albeit in a crude way.

  This is because, the article argues, they are a similar frequency to the type of electrical activity natural to cellular functionalities and so may cause interference.

  When a breast can't perform its natural functionalities, many women find it difficult to accept it as part of their body.

  building designs that prioritize style over functionality

  Motorcycle exhausts are designed with style and functionality in mind.

  The reasons for docking originated in aesthetic design, functionality, early medical theory and even tax minimisation.

  The idea of functionality sounds very practical, very sensible, whereas beauty sounds a bit airy-fairy and a bit off in the clouds.

A few more taken from http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/function (all occurrences of "function" were originally "functionality")

  I like the feel and function of this bakeware

  Everyone recognizes that we have come a very long way in bringing superior quality and function within reach of the masses.

  People want function and quality, but also want to make a statement; they want to be cool.

  Aesthetic quality and function were the decisive criteria for the choice of materials.

  manufacturing processes may be affected by the function of the product

  Our patent pending headset is unique in design and function.

  That is, truly elegant design incorporates top-notch function into a simple, uncluttered form.

  We also know that we need to do something like that where we can combine design with function and flexibility in an emotional package.

  new software with additional function

  The opt-in function and quality subscriber database have been found to be important elements in wireless advertising.

  It's akin to cell phones adding all sorts of new functions and services.

  With a little bit of practice, you should be able to add extended CD function to your repertoire of technology tricks.


texts: What is the difference between romance and adventure?

texts:
The word, "romance" in my question refers to the cases where "romance" is used in the following examples:

There's a touch of romance about the sea, given that seafaring created the economies and history of the region before the skies took over as the main means of transport.
Oh, and there is the fact that I no longer travel the world attending academic conferences in search of adventure and romance.

  To put simply, I would like to know more about the pronounced
  differences between "romance" and "adventure". Any examples to
  illustrate the same will also be greatly appreciated.

Examples are referred from: https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/romance


texts: Settle an argument {by, amongst} yourselves?

texts:
Sentence:

  You, boys, must settle it __ yourselves

Problem: Fill in the blank with an appropriate preposition.

Attempt: I am thinking of "by". My friend is thinking of "amongst". I suggest "by" because that means that those boys have to settle their dispute on their own. He suggested "amongst" because they are a group so they can divide or share the settling amongst themselves.

Question: Which answer is correct and why? Thanks!


texts: Is it unpleasant to be called English when you're Scottish?

texts:
“the English: people from England, or sometimes from all of Britain”
   (Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English) “the English: infml the
  people of Britain” (Longman Dictionary of English Language and
  Culture)

When I first learned English, “he is an English” meant he is a man who comes from the island country that is located on northern part of France, from whichever part of the country he may come. But after knowing that the England soccer team does not represent the whole country - more than one soccer team from UK participate in the World Cup qualifier, I mean, I become hesitated to call whoever from the island or the northern part of Ireland, English. For if any foreigner doesn’t call me Korean but one of any wrong part of my country, I would be not pleasant, although it was from her ignorance - but that would be okay because it was from her very ignorance. Do the people not from England would be unhappy to be called English? (There would be a big probability, I guess, for I heard a Scottish interviewee say, in the referendum for his country's independence from the UK, that his heart wants to be independent from UK, but his head wants to remain in the UK on YouTube, but I want to hear the voice of Scottish, Welsh, Irish, etc.)


texts: "Tank needs 8 minutes less" or "8 minutes lesser"

texts:
Is this question correct?

  Tank needs 8 minutes less to empty the tank than it needs to fill it.

Should we use 'lesser' here as 'than' is used for comparison. Please clarify it.


texts:
What is the meaning of the sentences:

The bailer's on a jip (= the harvester, combine has got some troubles, stopped working?)

That's the whole harvest shot clean to buggery right there (?)

These come from The Ferryman a 2017 play by Jez Butterworth about a family in rural Northern Ireland.


texts:
I have a simple at first sight question, but it seems confusing for some of my collegues. There is the sentence, where we need to insert Past Simple or Past Continuous, please help to fill these gaps

  Scott and his friends were playing a game of volleyball on the beach. The boys [ threw / were throwing ]  the ball over the girl's heads into the sea and the girls [ laughed / were laughing ]


texts: What is the common everyday term for people with front teeth moving forward?

texts: What is the common everyday term for people with front teeth moving forward as shown in the above picture, for example, "she is buck-toothed" or simply "her teeth stick forward"?


texts:
Once you use past perfect, do you have to use past perfect even for an action that happened simultaneously?

  I sent you an answer yesterday. Remember? It's the answer to the question you had asked me about since you had trouble answering it.

For this "had", should I use past perfect or is past perfect implied here because I said "had asked"?

EDIT: I don't think I made this edit very noticeable.

For example, in "I have checked your email and forwarded it to X," the "have" is implied, right? Both in writing and speech, people will understand that you are saying "I have forwarded it to X". If I were to write my first example instead of saying it, is the "had" implied in the "had trouble answering it" part? (Once you backshift, do you no longer need to backshift or do you have to backshift every single time you mention a past perfect action?)

I mean, how can I distinguish between 1) the person first had trouble answering a question, so he/she asked me a question and 2) the person having trouble answering a question and he/she asking me happened around the same time. Or is this distinction not very necessary since I'm not writing a book or anything?


texts: How do we say 56789 year and other dates?

texts:
I read we could say years differently:

  1475 - fourteen hundred and seventy five

  1475 - fourteen seventy five

Will it be a mistake if I say:

  1475 - fourteen hundred seventy five

Then it was hard with 2019, for instance:

  2019 - two thousand nineteen

  2019 - two thousand and nineteen

  2019 - twenty nineteen

  2019 - twenty and nineteen

But what to do if we have 56789 year.(5 numbers)

  56789 - fifty six thousand seven hundred eighty nine

  56789 - fifty six thousand AND seven hundred eighty nine

  56789 - fifty six thousand seven hundred AND eighty nine

  56789 - fifty six thousand AND seven hundred AND eighty nine

  56789 - 567 hundred AND eighty nine

  56789 - 567 hundred eighty nine

Or how will it be...?


texts: Is it natural to say "the most popular mode of transportation"?

texts:
Consider this sentence

The subway is the most popular mode of transportation in my city.

Is it natural to say that?
I choose "mode" because it is the most common one in the possibilities I can imagine.

However, I'm not sure whether all the phrases shown above mean the same thing. Could someone help me on this?


texts:
What expression is more natural for native speakers?

  I'm tired, more every day.

Or

  I'm tired, every day more.


texts:
Alex told Katie to go away after knowing what she is, Katie packing her things without explaining to Jo. Jo asking her.

  Jo: Look, Katie, if you run now, you're taking the easy way out.

  Katie: The easy way? You think this is easy for me?


texts:
Here is the quote from Friedrich Nietzsche:

  He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.

I don't quite understand it, especially this phrase almost any how. Can somebody please shed light onto the meaning?


texts: How to turn English sentence into question formation

texts:
How do I convert basic sentence ("There remains one question.")  into a interrogative sentence? I appreciate your answer in advance.

Is it  "Does there remain one question?"  Or   "Does one question remain there?"  .


texts:
Heck, the CRO case studies CopyHackers, Unbounce, and ContentVerve have published over the last few years are enough to make a startup owner downright salivate:

What does "downright salivate" mean here?


texts:
He did not only teach at school, he also wrote novels.

In this sentence, should we use "didn't" instead of "did not"? Is it natural or common? Thanks a lot.


texts: Looking for a proper term for "rail freight surcharge"

texts:
From a text I'm translating:

  The current export freight rate that covers a range of shipments, including mineral fertilizer shipments, includes a 13.4 % surcharge.

Russian Railways officially charge the same rate as they charged back in the beginning of 2014. However, in late 2014 they increased this rate "temporarily" by 13.4% for a range of goods, to mitigate the losses caused by the fall of the ruble.

In Russian the word for this increase is "надбавка" ("an add-on", probably, when rendered literally). The Multitran dictionary offers a bevy of possible translations: надбавка.

Is surcharge a good option here? If not, what could be a better one?


texts: Is "petrol head" used for people who love vehicles?

texts:
I have heard people saying petrol head for people who love vehicles. Is it actually correct ?

Also, what word is there for people who love watches?


texts:
I'm translating an article about finance. Can you help me explain what "deposit facility" means in this context?

  In December, the euro zone central bank decreased the rate on its deposit facility by a further 10 basis points to minus-0.3 percent and extended its asset-purchase program until March 2017 at the earliest.

By the way, does it mean that we have to pay money to have "something (= deposit facility)" kept (because the rate is -0.3%)?


texts: Using the present continuous or "going to" in "He is sure that he will be working for them next year"

texts:
This year he has flown over 60,000 miles for his job. He has been working for Crossinglives & Co. for almost two years now. He is  sure that he (work) will be working for them next year as well.

Could it be possible to use present continuous instead of "will be working"?

  He is sure that he is working for them next year.

Because of "next year" there is no confusion, we are talking about future.

If it is possible to use the present continuous, what does that change in meaning (certainty, planned or not planned, only intention...)?

Same question with "is going to work": can it be used instead of "will be working", like this:

  He is sure that he is going to work for them next year.

And if the above is possible, what's the meaning of this sentence with respect to the original?


texts: Does this sentence below mean what I try to say?

texts: Does 'an adult was a baby' mean 'an adult is a person who was a baby'? For example, 'a red apple was green' may make sense according to 'Good Girl Gone Bad,' isn't it paradox?.


texts: "How many minutes are left to LA?" vs "How many minutes are left to get to LA?"

texts:
Are these sentences correct and interchangeable?

"How many minutes are left to LA?"
"How many minutes are left to get to LA?"

Context: Let's say I am on a bus that goes to Los Angeles and I wonder how many minutes later we're going to get to LA.


texts: Your money is tight or Money is tight on you

texts:
(1) You don't have enough money this month.

(2) Money is tight on you this month.

(3) Your money is tight this month.

I am sure (1) is correct. Are the next two sentences also correct?


texts: What's the difference between "in winter" and "in the winter"?

texts:
Reading an old XKCD comic I found this sentence (you must hover the mouse over the picture to see it):

  There are probably children out there holding down spacebar to stay warm in the winter!

I've never heard "in the winter", only "in winter". I've found a discussion on WordReference, where they seem to say that there is not much difference and it comes down to personal taste, but they don't sound like they are sure. The user that asked the question suggests that this might be a difference between American English and British English, but at that point no one answered.

So, what's the difference between "in winter" and "in the winter"?


texts:
Many people use the phrase "whether it is" to introduce lists or alternatives at the beginning of sentences.

Can we also use "whether it is" in this way in other sentence positions such as in the following sentence:

  Unfortunately, human beings have limited ability to prevent an unhappy experience from happening in life, whether it is disease, injury, or the death of a family member.


texts: Is it natural and correct to say "get into an embarrassing situation"?

texts:
Could you tell me if it's correct and natural to say get into an embarrassing situation? For example:

The other day I got into an embarrassing situation, but now I'm over it.

What I'm trying to say is that something awkward happened to me. If it's not natural, what would a native English speaker say?


texts:
I often see two-handed used with weapons. But have never seen two-hand.

However, with a weapon that needs only one hand I've met both one-hand and one-handed.

Are they both correct?


texts:
Most sources say that "dissatisfactory" and "unsatisfactory" are interchangeable, however, wiki-diff says that "unsatisfactory" is inadequate, substandard or not satisfactory whereas "dissatisfactory" is causing dissatisfaction. If this is true then the two words aren't interchangeable with respect to meaning.

The game was dissatisfactory/unsatisfactory (especially the plot), but I still enjoyed the level design and the atmosphere too.

  I want to say that the gameplay didn't satisfy me in this game; it's not interesting and the plot is poor.


texts: Can the phrase "want to decide" be followed by declarative clause?

texts:
Independently we can use "decide" with both declarative and interrogative clauses:

a. I have decided that I will marry John.

b. I have decided who I would marry.

And it's quite salient that "want to decide" can be followed by questions too:

c. I want to decide who I will marry. (something like, don't tell me who to marry.)

But is it natural to say (d)?:

d. I want to decide that I will marry John.

Thank you!


texts: Omitting "who is" in "I would like to date a girl [who is] at least of my intellect"

texts:
Instead of

  I would like to date a girl who is at least of my intellect.

can I say

  I would like to date a girl at least of my intellect.

by dropping the phrase "who is"? What I try to mean is:

  I would like to date a girl whose intellect level is at least the same as mine.


texts: "This can make us think the concepts are related, which in fact they are not."

texts:
This can lead inexperienced mathematicians to conclude that these concepts are related, which in fact they are not. Source: Wikipedia.

I would expect the bold part to instead be "which, in fact, are not".

It seems to be the case that the which does not refer to the concepts and it appears to me that there's something omitted. If so, what is omitted here?

I've seen this usage a lot and so I don't doubt about its correctness now and wish to know about its grammar aspects.


texts: How to make imperative sentence in past perfect tense

texts:
For example  I ordered my student to complete their homework before their parents come to the home. In this case Would it be correct if I say sentence below by using past perfect tense?

  Had already completed your homework when your parents come to home.

I think it is not correct but I couldn’t find better way than this.


texts: Can 'It does “to” subject' be used in this context?

texts:
Wealth does not make you happy, but it does “to” me.

I don’t want to repeat the phrase “make subject happy” as seen below, so can I say “it does to me”?

Wealth does not make you happy, but it does make me happy


texts: Mnemonics for learning the days of the week

texts:
I can't memorize and repeat quickly the days of the week even though I studied English for several years (I always need to count with my fingers).
How are the name of the days taught to children? Is there a song, a doggerel or something else?


texts: Which article should I use to refer to a noun in general. Is it “a car”, or “the car”?

texts:
I have a simple question. I wondered what article I should use to refer to a noun in general. Which one is the right form?

The story of the inventor of a car.
The story of the inventor of the car.

And I'm not sure other usages of definite articles in the sentences above were right, either. Thanks in advance


texts: Would any of these phrasal verbs seem odd to use in the context?

texts:
Would any of these phrasal verbs seem odd to use in this context? Also, which one is the best option according to you?

The bank robber handed the stroller back to the female hostage, who then crying picked up her baby and gave it a big hug.

The bank robber gave the stroller back to the female hostage, who then crying picked up her baby and gave it a big hug.

The bank robber returned the stroller to the female hostage, who then crying picked up her baby and gave it a big hug.

The bank robber rolled the stroller back to the female hostage, who then crying picked up her baby and gave it a big hug.


texts:
She is feeling her tummy hurt from lunch time.

Or

  Her tummy is hurting since her lunch time.

Which one sounds more clear?


texts:
This is the quote (from ccn.com):

  "We are operating in a market economy, not one with state-owned oil companies,"

Is this an usage of "at one with [someone]"?

Should I interpret this as

"We do not agree with state-owned oil companies"

or does it have a broader meaning like

"We do not feel compelled to agree with state-owned oil companies"?

Thanks!


texts:
Eat less greasy food and high calorie foods.

Does the it mean that, eat high calorie foods and eat less greasy food?


texts: The word "await" used instead of "Wait for" in many dictionary meanings and thesaurus synonyms

texts:
Why the word  "Await" preferred to any dictionary meaning or thesaurus synonyms even though there are innumerable synonyms in thesaurus.

The front cover of a magazine published:[ a small magazine,economist,given free with India-Today magazine] perhaps in 2003

  "ABHIJIT BAGCHI SANYAL [MY NAME] THE WORLD AWAITS YOUR DECISION"

Why the word "await" chosen instead of any other dictionary meaning or synonym?


texts: Meaning of the phrasal verb "set out" in context

texts:
I have stumbled upon it in this article.

  The nationalists are unconvinced by Mr Zelensky's promises to safeguard Ukraine's interests and not to cross his "red lines", set out in an urgent news briefing after the deal was signed:


texts: this is be determined by... -- use of "be"?

texts:
Source: UNIX System Administration—A Beginner's Guide by Steve Maxwell (2002)

Example:

  We would like to define this partition for the purposes of creating a new
  file system. Also, notice that approximately 4 GB of storage is available for this new partition. This is be determined by examining the total amount of space reported with the backup partition (2) and comparing this information with the existing partition’s total disk space sizes.

I'm not sure how to understand that. What's specifically strange to me is how be is used there. Looks suspiciously like a subjunctive, but I'm not entirely sure, to tell you the truth. Would you agree that this is determined without be would sound equally fine?


texts: I want to know "for'is necessary in this sentence

texts:
This is the sentence here.
I urge (  ?  ) anyone to take a look at the fact that he was a prince in a small kingdom.
Is the 'for' necessary in this sentence in the blank(exclamation mark)?
And what is the difference between the two sentences (with for and without for)in meaning?


texts: Inversion from "[past verb] so adverb" to "so adverb did"

texts:
One of London Zoo's recent advertisements caused me some irritation, so patently did it distort reality.

I don't know what to do to understand this phrase..

I guessed this sentence as "The advertisement caused me irritation. It distorted reality." I'm not sure.

But I don't know how it can be 1 sentence. And What is the meaning and usage of "so patently did"? I know 'patently' means 'obviously'.


texts:
Consider:

  The network suffers from additional users.

I think It declares that if the number of users exceeds a specific number, the network will have to deal with some problems.

I have used the adjective "additional" several times. I want to imply the same connotation but, it really bothers me to overuse a word in a piece of writing. I came up with:

  The network suffers from increasing numbers of users.

Can I use increasing in this context if I have to avoid using adjectives like extra, excessive, further.

Personal Statement:

I think increasing would convey the general sense of growth no matter how much this expansion is  big. something similar to ever-growing.


texts:
Which is more appropriate? number or quantity?

  This recipe requires a large number/quantity of eggs and a generous amount of butter.

I'm a bit inclined to use quantity because it gels well with "a generous amount of butter".

  a large quantity of eggs and a generous amount of butter.


texts:
Is use of "induce" in the following sentences correct grammatically and conceptually? could you please suggest some word to replace "induce" and "strongly"?

  It indicates that the stall condition of the turbine is induced strongly
  by the flow around the tip which is due to the tip leakage flow and
  also separation at blade tip.


texts:
I know the present tense should be used for an adverbial clause starting with "When," as in: When I become an adult, I will be a responsible person. But, I've read comments about exceptions, particularly involving "to be" in a when clause. So, is the following acceptable?

When I will be an adult, I am going to be a responsible person.


texts:
In a chatting, a friend asked me, "What are you cooking?"
I'd like to know whether it is a natural greeting. Is it an idiom? When should it be used?


texts: should I use "the" when talking about city features

texts:
In Does "make 3 predictions" sound natural? I make up a sentence

I'd like to make 3 predictions about the future of New York City, which are about population, housing prices and crime rate. First of all, the population of New York will increase ...

Should I use "the" there?

I'd like to make 3 predictions about the future of New York City, which are about the population, the housing prices and the crime rate. First of all, the population of New York will increase ...

Those features are specific to New York City and a tutorial says

Don’t use "the" with names of streets or other city features

However, when talking about the population of a specific place, people usually use "the"

the population of New York

the population of China

Which rule should I apply?


texts: What does the expression "I'm deal" mean?

texts:
I cannot understand this phrase
The complete sentence where I came across it is as follows: "I'm deal, I always wanted to be a daddy".


texts: Is the sentence "I think you should capitalize formal titles before a name" grammatically correct?

texts:
I think you should capitalize formal titles before a name.

or

  I think you should capitalize formal titles before names.

Regardless of the above statement is true or not, my question is should I use a name or names?
What I want to express is that you should capitalize titles like: Doctor Johnson, Uncle Robert, Mr. Johnson, President Johnson, etc.

I am confused. Should I use names because "formal titles" is plural? I think I should use "a name" because it sounds right.

What part of the grammar should I look to learn more about it? There must be a name that I can use to search more about the topic.


texts: "I've seen all of Tarantino's films" vs "I've seen all Tarantino's films"

texts:
I encountered the sentence "I've seen all Tarantino's films" in a book I was reading. I found the writing odd since I would normally write it as "I've seen all of Tarantino's films" (because I've heard people say it this way).
I looked into the different use of "all/all of" but only undertood explainations for when you use pronouns.
Can anyone explain if the use is correct, incorrect, or optional and why?


texts:
According to Merriam Webster, the word "below" can function as an attributive modifier. (I doubt, however, it is an adjective):

  Below adjective
  Definition of below (Entry 4 of 4)
  : written or discussed lower on the same page or on a following page
  the below list

The phrase sounds off to me. I always say "the list below" as in "you can find everything in the list below". The sentence "you can find everything in the below list" is understandable but will certainly strike me as unnatural.

This is also pointed out in CGEL (pp. 1555 -- 1556):

  Unlike above, below has no special discourse-location use: it belongs only to the preposition category, so we have either the discussion below (location within this discourse) or the room below (ordinary spatial location), but not *the below discussion. [bold mine]

So the questions are:

i. Is Merriam-Webster wrong?
ii. If it is. Why can't we use "below" as an adjective?
iii. Is this just a matter or BrE vs AmE?


texts: what is wrong with "You hope you can live in a world which could exactly match your own value"?

texts:
I got a auto-spell fix hint in Microsoft word saying that

  You hope you can live in a world which could exactly match your own value.

should be

  You hope you can live in a world, which could exactly match your own value.

or

  You hope you can live in a world that could exactly match your own value.

Do I have to change this? Is there any materials to read for reference?


texts: Usage of "above" to refer to a previous item in a text

texts: If I want to refer to a previous remark in a text, do I write "the remark above" or "the above remark"?


texts: Name or word for the edges in the side of the buildings

texts:
What is the word for the edges in the side of the buildings which are marked in the pictures? In some building which is big where a person can stand or even sit.
Not I'm not referring balcony or porch.


texts: "Trouble to pronounce words" or "trouble pronouncing words"

texts:
Do these sentences have exactly the same meaning?

  Young children often have trouble to pronounce words right.

  Young children often have trouble pronouncing words right.

I can't understand the difference between to+verb and verb+-ing.


texts: What's the difference between "I didn't sing the song" and "I had not sung the song"?

texts:
I wanted to ask that what is the difference between the following sentences:

  "I didn't sing the song."
  "I had not sung the song."


texts:
...but where do you go to learn what is under the hood

  Trying to understand the operating system is unfortunately not as easy as just opening the bonnet

So it seems like hood is equivalent to bonnet...? But what's the difference?  Is that opening the bonnet has other usage?


texts: Does "I took a swing at him" tell anything about whether I hit him or not?

texts:
1)

I grabbed a bat and took a swing at him.

Does this tell anything about whether I hit him or not?

2)

Then I took another swing at him.

If I have just taken one swing at him with a bat, could I say the above or would I have to make it clear that it was the bat I used again and say something like...

Then I took another swing at him with the bat/Then I swung the bat at him again.

?


texts: Unlike from the resistive screen, the capacitive one has greater clarity

texts:
From a test:

  Unlike the resistive screen, the capacitive one has greater clarity.

Unlike is correct, why different from is bad answer ?


texts: It made me really laugh. vs. It really made me laugh

texts:
Someone asked me, "What is the difference between these two sentences?"

  It made me really laugh.
  It really made me laugh.

I'm a native speaker, and I feel like either one is grammatically fine. However, I am not exactly sure how to describe why "really" can go in either place.

So, here's my question. Are both of these grammatically correct? If so, what are the rules that apply that explain why "really" can be put in either place in that sentence.


texts: What does 'go' mean in 'go show', 'go say', 'go want' etc and why no 'to' between?

texts:
What does 'go' mean in 'go show', 'go say', 'go want', 'go do' etc and why no 'to' between?
What the difference between these pairs of words without 'to' and with 'to' as with the infinitive?

There are million examples in the internet:

  Several positive trends go to show this.  Let's go show them how it's
  done. Go show them how great you are.

From old song:

  She go say anything man do himself fit do.  She go want take cigar
  before anybody


texts:
8 May - I began to fear as I wrote in this book that I was getting
  too diffuse*; but now I am glad that went into detail from the first, for there is something so strange about this place and all in it that I cannot but feel uneasy.

I understand "was getting" the action must have begun at the beginning of his diary but why "wrote"? It means that the fear began after he had written this passage in his diary, not at the time he was writing it. Could "was writing" be possible if he thought to the fear when he was writing his diary?

Excerpt from Bram Stoker's Dracula
Jonathan Harker is an estate agent from London. He is visiting Count Dracula in Transylvania in order to sell him some property in London. We know that Count Dracula is a vampire, but he doesn't — although he is getting suspicious in this excerpt from his diary.

* giving too many details


texts: "Far common" means "very common" or "not common"?

texts:
My dictionary says far can mean a lot or very much. I have been trying to figure what it would mean if I say:

  This word is far common.

To me,  far common sounds like the word is far from being common, that is uncommon. But according to the definition from my dictionary, it could be interpreted as the word is very common.

So, what would be the right interpretation? Thanks!


texts:
Which one is correct?

Their quitting on you is their loss.
Them quitting on you is their loss.


texts:
As regards the word pain being uncountable, which of the following is correct:

  I had a severe pain last night.

  I had severe pain last night.


texts: Word order of asking questions using auxiliary verbs

texts:
To me the sentence: "To whom, might I ask, am I speaking?" is a changed word order of "Might I ask to whom am I speaking?", and it's not grammatical.

I think it should be: "Might I ask to whom I'm speaking?"
Agree?


texts: "Meanwhile" Vs "In the meantime" Vs "At the same time"

texts:
I wonder which choice works and which doesn't work in each example and why?

  Jim went to answer the phone. ............., Nancy started to prepare lunch.

a. meanwhile
b. in the meantime
c. at the same time

  You go to do the shoping. ................., I'll clean the house.

a. meanwhile
b. in the meantime
c. at the same time

I think, in example #1, choices "a" and "c" and for the example #2, the choice "b" work. This is because to me, "meanwhile" in this sense is interchangeable with "at the same time". In addition, "meanwhile" is used when we are talking about the past events, whereas "in the meantime" is future-oriented.


texts: What are the parts of sentence in example?

texts:
Navigation available in Bootstrap share general markup and styles, from the base .nav class to the active and disabled states.

My guess:

navigation - noun;
available - adjective;
Bootstrap - noun;
share - verb/noun?;
general - adjective/noun?;
markup - noun;
styles - noun.


texts: Do you say "A robust type horse" or "A robust horse type"?

texts: What's the correct ordering of words: "A robust type horse" or "A robust horse type" ?


texts:
**I will available up to 1.00 pm PST.

So, you can knock me between 9 am to 1 pm PST.**

I am a little bit confused about my mistakes.

Please help me

Thanks


texts: Two-word verbs and different noun/phrase placements

texts:
I'm confused as to where I should place nouns/phrases when using two-word verbs. I've seen both of the following, so I'm unsure.

  Why is no one picking up the phone?

and

  Why is no one picking the phone up?

Also,

  Why isn't anyone picking up their stuff?

and

  Why isn't anyone picking their stuff up?

I was taught that I should use verb together + noun/prhase if the phrase or the noun that accompanies a two-word verb is long, and that I should use first part of the verb + a short noun/phrase + the second part of the verb if the noun/phrase is short.

But I have no idea just how much is considered long/short.


texts: Looking for opposite expression to "She looks twice her age"

texts:
She looks twice her age.

How to express the opposite of the sentence above, i.e. the fact that she has youthful appearance. Is it "She looks twice less her age"?


texts:
In my class, my teacher told us that, we should find the differences between "make" and "do".

I'm Vietnamese so I'm confused with this question! Can you help me?

And the similar between them is the meaning? Right?


texts: What does "He has insurance, but Christ" mean?

texts:
He has insurance, but Christ.

Could you please tell me what the meaning of phrase above is?

I think that if the writer said "He has no insurance, but Christ" it would be correct.

The full text is here:

  James scrubs the frying pan in the big kitchen sink and ponders how to
  rejig things so that he can feed his guests adequately without any
  electricity. The refrigerator isn’t working. At least he can cook with
  the gas oven. But he’s without a dishwasher. Breakfast was easy
  enough—eggs and pastries, and nobody much felt like eating anyway,
  from what he could see, after that poor girl fell down the stairs.
  He’s lost his appetite too. He feels terrible for that man’s loss. And
  the whole thing makes him sick with anxiety. It’s the kind of
  situation every hotel owner loses sleep over—an accident in his hotel,
  a fatal accident at that. He has insurance, but Christ. What a thing
  to happen. He knows he’s not to blame. His carpets aren’t loose—he’d
  gone up to the landing and checked over that carpet himself the first
  chance he got. It was fine. She must have stumbled for no reason.
  There’s absolutely no way anyone can blame him or his hotel.

An Un Wanted Guest by Shari Lapena


texts: "Should both 'subjects' conform" in this context

texts:
I got the sentence from a recipe book titled ............................... by ....................

  Pour the sugar into the milk while on the fire.

Here the subjects of the two clauses do not seem to conform.

As a learner I suppose it might have been:

  ...while the milk is / it is on the fire.

To me, otherwise it seems like:

  (You) pour the sugar into the milk while you are on the fire.

Please help.

Thanks in advance.


texts: What is the meaning of "It feels opaque to me"?

texts:
While trying to resolve a problem, there were several proposed solutions. Refering to one of these solution, someone said:

  It feels opaque to me

I know this person didn't agree with that solution but what does it precisely means?

Update:

I know the meaning of the word "Opaque" but I couldn't understand how a "solution" could have been "opaque"


texts:
I was at an English lesson and I said “a live organism”, but the teacher immediately interrupted and said “you should have said “a living organism””
“I didn’t catch that” said I. and a classmate of mine said as the teacher had done. Then I told them that “ a live something and a living something are both correct because they are both adjectives”
What is the difference between these ones?
I know that there has already been another question, but an answer has not been chosen, I have  also seen some answers which are different from the ones in this website.


texts: Are there any professional words given to the place where you were born but not raised

texts:
I know a girl who was born in Melbourne in 199x but she was raised in Japan. Then she moved to China and has been living there for a few years.

Before she went back to Melbourne, one of her school mates asked the question, "Why must you leave".  The girl told him, "I miss the place where I was born".

I have searched the Google web, which returned: hometown, place of birth.

Place of birth is alright, but it is long and somewhat mouthful, I don't know why.
According to online dictionary, the meaning of hometown can be either the town or city in which a person lives or was born, or from which a person comes, so, hometown, can not fully describe the situation in my question.

Thank you.


texts:
In "Breaking bad" the recorded answering machine says:

  Yo, yo, yo, 1, 4, 8, 3 to the 3 to the 6 to the 9 representing the ABQ. What up, beyotch? Leave it at the tone.

What does "to the" mean in the phrase in bold?


texts: What is the difference between "object" and "objective"?

texts:
Who knows exactly the difference between objective and object?

For instance:

  The government whose object/objective is the good of people...


texts: Is it grammatically correct to say 'interrupting the perspective'?

texts:
The context I want to use it in is as follows:

  There were no partitions separating one division from another either.
  The only things interrupting the perspective in places, were the
  columns supporting the ceiling.

I'm trying to say that 'the office was wide and there were only the columns supporting the ceiling that cut the perspective in places.'


texts: What exactly is the difference between "cool" and "cold"?

texts:
We usually hear "He is a cool guy" when referring to some hippie or a funky person. However the tone changes dramatically when cool becomes cold. We say "Her behaviour was cold" to mean someone who is unfriendly.

What is the exact difference between the words in different contexts, say, temperature, demeanour, etc? Why have they developed a semantic difference despite their similarity?


texts: It's a book of my mother's VS It's my mother's book

texts:
Am I right about this:

It's a book of my mother's - it proves she has several books and this one

It's my mother's book - it doesn't prove the other books' existence. It proves only this one's one, doesn't it?


texts: Distinguishing between although and while

texts: What are some circumstances in which "although" and "while" are semantically interchangeable? When are they not?


texts:
Does it mean "was discussed after the Gleneagles agreement"?

  Developing country debt moved down the international agenda following the Gleneagles agreement in which the G7 industrial countries agreed to spend £30bn writing off the debts owed to the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank by the 18 poor countries.

Source: The Guardian: Developing countries at risk from US rate rise, debt charity warns


texts:
a night playing games?

Anyone who has hosted a game night over video chat or ordered groceries to be delivered at home for the first time understands how profoundly the COVID-19 crisis has changed our behavior as consumers. But which of these changes will stick? We see several that are key:

Source


texts:
The idea of a rock that gets lonely is interesting because it prods the user to interact with the rock without guilt overload, and it rewards the user with a positive response from the iRock. The challenge is to somehow use JavaScript to change the emotional state of the iRock over time. The idea is to wait for a certain amount of time, and then change the iRock’s state if the user hasn’t clicked it and the time elapses.

What does that mean?


texts:
I have come across it in the second episode of the seventh season of Friends. The context is
Monica, Chandler, and Phoebe's, Rachel and Monica are pretty much telling Chandler what the wedding plans are.

  Monica: All right, so I haven’t cleared the budget with my parents
  yet, but tell me how this is for music.


texts:
On closer examination, the investigators found out the blood type didn't match that of hers.

I would like to know what on means here.

I think it seems to mean either on the basis of closer examination or during closer examination.

And is it incorrect to use in instead of on?
I think it's not incorrect though the intent of the sentence would be different from the original and suppose in could be used though not usually collocated and sounding so unidiomtaic that no one would write in this way below.

  In closer examination, the investigators found out the blood type didn't match that of hers, but not in normal examination.

I'm feeling that I need to add but not in normal examination in order to compare the counter-situations if I must use in.


texts: Using 'shame', 'pity', and 'honor' as countable and uncountable nouns

texts:
Sometimes "a" is used with shame/pity/honor, sometimes it's not. What's the difference? How to understand when it should be used.

  Have pity!  Please have a pity on the helpless.
  Shame on you!  What a shame!
  Please show honor to your elders.  It is an honor for me to be here.


texts: "Such are his usual responses..." or "Such is his usual responses..."?

texts:
I was confused by Grammarly which keeps saying that I have to use is instead of are in the example below.

  Such are his usual responses to every question he is being asked.

Can someone clarify  which form of to be I should use and why?


texts: What is difference between "so that" and "in order to"?

texts:
What is the difference between "so that" and "in order to" in the following sentences?

I am saving money so that I can buy a new home.
I am saving money in order to buy a new home.

Is there the slightest difference in meaning?


texts: Where do I find word meanings' rarities?

texts:
I memorize words' meanings, not all but the ones that are used reasonably often.

Let's take the word virulence as an example.  According to Cambridge Dictionary, it has two meanings.

How do I find the rarities of these meanings? It can be that the second meaning is astonishingly infrequent, so I shouldn't bother about memorizing it.

Ngrams are of little use, and, as I understand, Sketchengine, even though having lots of stuff, can only offer some use cases for me, where I can manually parse the meaning and then give very rough and unreliable results.


texts: Is it more appropriate to use **feet** here, "the dog has lain at his master's **foot**"?

texts:
This tutorial gives an example

  the dog has lain at his master's foot

Is it more appropriate to use feet here?


texts:
Which sentence is correct?

It was very easy for us to adjust to our new home because we were already used to living in a big city.

It was very easy for us to adjust to our new home because we had already been used to living in a big city.


texts: What is the difference between "Improve" and "Improve upon"

texts:
Reading the following sentence:

  The 20th century presented a large number of inventions to advance US society by improving upon the status of 19th-century society

I wonder why it's neccesary to use "upon" next to "improve". Why not only use "improve"?

The full context is:

  For example, if your general assignment is to write about the changes in inventions over time, and your specific thesis claims that “the 20th century presented a large number of inventions to advance US society by improving upon the status of 19th-century society,” you could brainstorm two different lists to ensure you are covering the topic thoroughly and that your thesis will be easy to prove.


texts: singular vs plural : role and responsibility or roles and responsibilities

texts:
Customer focus is at the heart of everything we do, regardless of our roles and responsibilities.
Customer focus is at the heart of everything we do, regardless of our role and responsibility.

Which should I choose?


texts: What is more appropriate- "like" or "as"?

texts:
Let's take an example-

  We have to face the problem like a family.

Can we replace the like in the example sentence with as? Will it change the meaning of the sentence anyway? Is there a does implicitly present as the end of the sentence? Like "We have to face the problem like a family does".


texts: An adjective meaning something is imposed in a country by another country?

texts:
This coup was run in this country by another country. It is a -----
  coup.

What word to put in the blank? I want an adjective meaning that the something, such as a coup, is imposed/run/planned in a country by another country. Is foreign-made a good choice here? Any better suggestion?


texts: I 'still not' speak Russian or I 'still don't' speak Russian?

texts:
Which of these sentences is the correct one?

  I still not speak Russian

  I still don't speak Russian?

Even though normally I know that verbs that describe usual or routine things get the structure of present simple, in this case(?) I have doubt that when using "still" it is like a "modal verb", but I'm not sure.


texts: They used to think we are/were siblings?

texts:
I happened to see this sentence the other day:

They used to think we are siblings.

Is this correct usage? I have a feeling that it is wrong. But If it is correct, Is there a meaning difference if I turn are to were (which I think is the right usage) in this construction:

They used to think we were siblings.

Here is an other example:

I used to think I am the fittest.

I used to think I was the fittest.

Are there any situations in which the present form of the auxiliary verb is used after we use "used to"?


texts: The meaning of either in following sentence

texts: The Queen was enjoying being queen and what better way to remain so than to merry the prince herself.  The prince however did not like the idea either


texts: What does "all the more so" mean in the following context?

texts:
Hello I'd like to know what "all the more so" means in the following context?
My understanding is "it becomes more certain that the lifetime of the system is endless if we never replace ...". Is my understanding correct?
To confuse the accountants more, the current system of capitalizing and depreciating the value of the system requires gauging the expected life of the system—the period in which we will use it to generate profits. But if we continue to “maintain” the system in a way that avoids a Big-Bang transformation, then its lifetime is effectively endless. All the more so if we never replace the system, just slowly change it piece by piece until it no longer resembles the original.


texts:
I’ve been thinking about the subtle differences in these three sentences

  1-I’ve been reading books for years
  2-I’ve been reading a lot of books for years
  3-I’ve been reading five books for years

From what I understand

The first sentence is the most common one and it means that I’ve read books and I still read books.
Basically you finish one and move to the next.

The second isn’t common and it can also mean that , say lot is 100 books
So you’ve been reading 100 books together and you still haven’t finished any of them?
Or I’ve just finished all of them

The last one means that I’ve been reading five books and still haven’t finished them
Or I’ve just finished all of them

Is my understanding correct here?
My brain hurts after thinking of all of those interpretations.


texts: What's the meaning of "If you get a dish, I'll serve you some cold"?

texts:
I came across this sentence in the TV-series The Big Bang Theory (S11E09 16min46sec) and I'm very confused. Is it an allusion? But I can't find anything relevant on Google. Here's the context:

  “Sheldon, what did you do?”

  “I plotted my revenge.”

  “If you get a dish, I'll serve you some cold.”

  “What? You stole our Bitcoin.”


texts:
Are there any differences in the meaning of or when we use the idioms 'out of sorts' and 'down in the dumps'? The definitions in the Cambridge Dictionary are:

out of sorts : in an unhappy mood
down in the dumps : unhappy


texts:
Is it wrong to say

  He is sitting at the backside of the classroom

or

  The desk is at the front side of the class .

When can we use at the backside and at the front side?!
What about these two sentences? Are they wrong?!

  He is sitting on the left side of me

If yes, how can I use on the left side and on the right side in a sentence?
I'd really appreciate it if you help me with these sentences because it's been a long time I've been thinking about them but I couldn't find any suitable answers.


texts:
Which one of five options fit best in the blanks in the following sentences.

  A : I ........... not ............ the new shop.Would you like to
  check it out?

  B : No. I ........... already ............. there.

have gone (to)
have been (to / in)

I wouldn't say "I have gone to the new shop" if I were outside but in a negative sentence like above, it sounds  a bit OK  to say " I have not gone there". In the end "you have not been there" because you have not gone to the shop.

The second sentence is likely that " I have already been there"


texts:
For some unfathomable reason clown nose seems to be absent from every monolingual dictionary (at least on the Internet), so I have to come up with my own definition for a flashcard.

Does

  A costume accessory worn by circus clowns on top of their nose,
  typically spherical-cap-shaped and made from red foam or rubber.

sound right?


texts: 'I find it surprising seeing so many people here.'?

texts:
This is an example sentence from Cambridge Dictionary.

  I find it surprising to see so many people here.

What I want to know is whether to see can be replaced with seeing.

  I find it surprising seeing so many people here.


texts: How to pronounce correctly final Y in words such as "city" or "story"?

texts: I am interested in pronunciation of the letter Y at the end of the words, such as city, story, belly, penny and so on. Wonder what sound it denotes. I understand it is some kind of [i] sound. But is it a tense or a lax vowel?


texts: Is "I called cousin and told him that you would call him by tomorrow." correct?

texts:
My uncle asked me to telephone my cousin and tell him that he (my uncle) will telephone to my cousin. So I sent a reply to my uncle saying:

  I called cousin and told him that you would call him by tomorrow.

Is the statement correct?


texts: What do you call a coined term like "Cobra effect"?

texts:
Looked on wiktionary:

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cobra_effect

and it just says it's a noun. How do you look for coined words on Wiktionary. I want to search for coined words instead of ordinary word like abdomen, which might have been coined by someone, but can be found on a dictionary. Is there a word for composite words? I can only use the category noun to search for coined composite words, but that means I will end up with regular words like abdomen in the search result and it's a problem. I want to be able to search for composite coined terms like Cobra Effect.


texts: Can a gerund phrase serve as an appositive?

texts:
I had problems starting the car this morning.

I had no difficulty passing the exam.

I had no trouble finding a place to live.

We all had a good time dancing last night.

The children have a lot of fun playing together.

In the above sentences, can I take the gerund phrases (in bold) as the appositives of the previous nouns?


texts: The meaning and origin of the phrase "trying to make a spoon spoils a horn"?

texts:
I was reading a letter written by T. H. Huxley, when I encountered such a paragraph and was stuck by the phrase in bold:

  Nothing is less to be desired than the fate of a young man who, as the Scotch proverb says, in “trying to make a spoon spoils a horn,” and becomes a mere hanger-on in literature or in science, when he might have been a useful and a valuable member of Society in other occupations.

I can surmise the meaning of it in that context. Huxley was convincing the young man to strike a balance between commercial work and academic pursuits. To avoid ruining his job while pursuing something he might not deserve.

I have searched the Google, only to find this: "make a spoon or spoil a horn", which is relative to but different from this phrase. Then my question is, what is the origin and the exact meaning of "trying to make a spoon spoils a horn"?


texts:
Do not be surprised to see the same apprehension surface inside the EU itself.

(Source: The Economist: Eastern Europeans think Western food brands are selling them dross)


texts: "Bacteria bud off vesicles that contain specific genes and then fuse with another bacterium" - structurally misshapen sentence?

texts:
Just to make sure: isn't this an erroneously structured sentence?

In addition to conjugation, transformation and transduction, other less well recognised mechanisms of DNA uptake occur in nature, while other mechanisms of HGT are probably yet to be elucidated, in particular, DNA uptake by eukaryotes:
Vesicle-mediated translocation by a range of gram-negative bacteria such as Neisseria gonorrheae, E. coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which can bud off vesicle structures that contain genetic material (e.g.antibiotic resistance and virulence genes) and then fuse with another bacterium (Dorward et al., 1989; Kadurugamuwa and Beveridge, 1997; Yaron et al., 2000).

(From "Risks from GMOs due to Horizontal Gene Transfer", by Paul Keese)
As I understand, it's the vesicles (that have genetic material) that fuse with another bacterium - but the sentence makes it look like it's the bacteria that fuses with another bacterium.
And why it's plural "bacteria" in the first instance but singular "bacterium" in the second? Maybe this implies that after all it's bacteria that fuses bacteria... but why mention vesicles then..
In short, I'm uncertain which verb phrases does the conjunction and unite, and which it should unite.
If the union is "contain and then fuse", this seems illogical, since "contain" is not a verb denoting action, like "fuse". "Contain" seems to carry the sense "have" in this excerpt, and this does not combine with "fuse", IMHO.

(asked a parallel question at Biology SE)


texts: Meaning of "no telling whether good or evil."

texts:
As I stood there telling my parents that I had returned and what I meant to
  do, I noticed a movement among the bushes. I was ready to run back to the
  truck when Kanoro stepped out. Or I thought it was Kanoro, the Kanoro
  whom I recalled from my childhood.
  “Bibi Rachel?” He backed away from me as if I were a spirit, and no
  telling whether good or evil.

Dose it mean:  I didn't know he had seen good sprit or evil sprit??

Source: Listening for Lions by
Gloria Whelan


texts:
When an adjective is used to describe an action, a verb, it becomes an adverb and is added a -ly. And so, these two sentences should be correct:

  It was an intended act.

  I intendedly did it.

Now, the word ill-intended basically refers to something being done with bad/malicious intent, with an evil motive. Can I use the same grammar on this word - can the word ill-intended directly replace intended in a sentence?

  It was an ill-intended act.

  I ill-intendedly did it.

I can't find descriptions and definitions of ill-intendedly when searching, but it seems to be a proper sentence. What is your view on this?


texts:
Is the following sentence grammatically correct?

The size and number of red stains on the metallic tray became higher

I wonder if 'higher' could be used for both 'size' and 'number'.

Second of all, shouldn't it be modified to "The size and number of red stains on the metallic tray became bigger and higher, respectively."


texts: "hear about it" vs. "happen to hear about it"

texts:
I want to know the difference in meaning between the two sentences:

  How did you hear about it?

and

  How did you happen to hear about it?


texts: Is this a subjective complement or an adverbial clause of comparison?

texts:
He is as clever as I am.

Is 'As clever as I am' an adverbial clause of comparison functioning as an adverbial adjunct, or is it the subjective complement to the verb 'is'? If the last case is true, what would be its category?

Because I know that in the sentence 'He is clever' clever is an adjective functioning as subjective complement, because the verb 'to be' always takes subjective complement. That's why I think that 'as clever as I am' is a subjective complement, but I read in a grammar book that it is actually an adverbial clause of comparison.

And if it is actually an adverbial clause of comparison, it cannot function as subjective complement, because adverbial clauses always function as adverbial adjunct, so I'm really lost here.


texts:
Suppose that in a computer application you hear a word that is spoken by the computer and you must spell it. Now if you can click on a button to hear the word again what do you say:

You can click "Say again" button to listen to the word again. Or
You can click "Say again" button to hear the word again.


texts:
But the more I played with the idea, the more I thought, What better
  way to ward Juli off? What better way to say to her, “Juli, you are
  not my type”?

I read the above sentence in the book FLIPPED. I am not sure why there is no verb in the sentence 'what better way to ward juli off? and 'What better way to say to her'. I think these two are phrases rather than a clause. I believe that they are objects of thought, so is it possible to rewrite it as what is the better way to ward Juli off? What is the better way to say to her?

The only reason that I can think why there is no verb is that because of the parallel construction in English. Is that right?


texts: Is it okay to have the same preposition/pronoun consecutively?

texts:
If I write a phrasal verb or an idiom (what do you call it?), is it okay to have the same preposition after?

  I don't fit in in this world.

"Fit in" is a phrasal verb, right? Is it okay to have another "in" after it?

And, for the pronoun case.

  There's no limit if you think about it it exists.

A lyric I wrote, is it okay to have "it it"? Or should I put a comma between them? Which I doubt.


texts:
A quick snippet from a particularly humorous exchange:

Bruce Banner: “I don’t think we should be focusing on Loki. That guy’s
brain is a bag full of cats. You can smell crazy on him.”
Thor: “Have a care how you speak! Loki is beyond reason, but he is of
Asgard. And he is my brother.”
Natasha Romanoff: “He killed eighty people in two days.”
Thor: “He’s adopted.”
-- The Avengers

I would think "in" can be used instead of "on" in the bold sentence.
The 24th entry for "in" in the Macmillan explains:

used for saying the person or thing that has the qualities needed for a particular job or situation:
In Nelson Mandela the people had a leader that they could respect and admire.

Am I right about this?
Besides, why use "crazy"? "Crazy" is not a noun. I would think "craziness" or "nut" should be used instead. What do you think?
Can I use "see" in place of "smell" there?
Is "of" omitted between "care" and "how" in the second bold sentence?


texts:
Is the use of results in the sentence below correct? Should higher quality have article the or not?

  X results higher quality of products.


texts: Is the phrase "if it had been for you" useable?

texts:
I tried looking for the answe in Google, but there was nothing.
Can I say if it had been for you as a snynom for If I had counted on you? And is it used by native English speakers?

Do these 2 sentences have the same meaning?

  If I had counted on you, I would have been killed by now.
  If it had been for you, I would have been killed now?


texts:
Thus there is no near-contemporary source of Anglo-Saxon origin. The
reason is obvious enough: the Germanic peoples were illiterate during
their first two centuries in Britain. So their early fortunes can only
be glimpsed through the hostile eyes of Britons, through the
ill-informed eyes of foreigners, and by means of their own
half-remembered traditions. Until the late sixth century, informed
guesswork must make do for history.

In the last sentence, I don't understand what does the phrase 'must make do' means. Is it an unformal expression?


texts:
While googling, I have encountered 'too much stimuli.'
'stimuli' is the plural of 'stimulus.' And 'too much' is for uncountable whereas 'too many' for countable, right?
I just don't get the grammar behind it. Is it only an idiom like that?


texts:
lay by, 1 : to lay aside : discard, 2 : to store for future use : save, 3 : to cultivate (as corn) for the last time (Merriam Webster)

Considering that Merriam Webster's definition of "lay-by" as a verb is the above, can we say, for example, "I'll lay-by it for Christmas"?

I'm asking because it is not difficult to find "lay-by" used in reference to buy goods, albeit there are no referenced sites that I can show; rather it seems a colloquialism.


texts: difference between "along the corridor" and "in the corridor"

texts:
I have read this sentence in a novel:Along the corridor, boys and girls were bursting out of other classrooms, laughing and chattering noisily."

I would like to know : if I write , "in the corridor" instead of "along the corridor" how would it change the meaning here.


texts: What is the correct tense in this context?

texts:
Consider these expressions:

This is one of those days when nothing (I am doing) is working out for me.
This is one of those days when nothing (I do) works out for me.

Which tense should I use in this context? Or are both of them correct?


texts: Form of art/work of art/ artwork/art forms

texts:
Is my understanding of the words work of art, artworks, forms of art and art forms correct?

Mona Lisa is an artwork or a work of art.

"Dancing, singing, music, literature, poetry are works of art art forms or forms of art, but not artworks.
But Is Mona Lisa a form of art or an art form? I don't think so, but I may be wrong. It's a painting and that's a form of art or an art form but not the painting itself. The painting is a work of art or an artwork.


texts: Is this structure acceptable: "After D comes E."

texts:
"After D comes E."
I know that we don't use this structure very often but I see such structures (the subject is preceeded by the verb (...comes E instead of ...E comes), which is completely the opposite of what we are taught at school.
If this structure is not specific to some special usage-like poetry or scientific facts-, and is acceptable in contemporary English, can I also apply it to other everyday conversations without sounding weird or funny, eg telling about something in the past.
For instance if I mention about who arrived first and the last in the workplace yesterday;
"After the accountant, came the secretary and then came the boss".
Can I invert the verb and the subject of a sentence like this in formal or contemporary english?


texts:
I have a few questions on the word "grounds".

1) Is it correct to us "grounds" with is? Or is it not correct but still acceptable in colloquial speech?

  Is there any grounds to do that?

2) Is there any significant difference between:

  Is there any ground to do it?
  Are there any grounds to do it?

3) Is using the article "a" with "ground" wrong?

  Is there a ground to do it?


texts:
What does ' mean in English reading and How to pronounce it and when to put it
For example: ba'sabim(made up word)


texts: To do, or not to do: that is the question

texts:
I came across the following sentence structure:

  But 15‐year‐olds, on average, probably take more risks than adults do.

I would rather write

  But 15‐year‐olds, on average, probably take more risks than adults.

Is my version wrong or are both equivalent variants? If the latter, is one version preferable?


texts: "washer and dryer" vs "washers and dryers"

texts:
It is a shared laundry facility where money is needed to use the washer and dryer.

vs

It is a shared laundry facility where money is needed to use the washers and dryers.

Which one is correct and why? How do you call this rule in English grammar?


texts: Is it right to say "to have the maximum speech perception"?

texts:
We have conducted the speech intelligibility test. Is it right to say:

  The test was performed at an intensity level that the individual can easily have the maximum speech perception.


texts: "I've been to London recently" vs "I went to London recently"?

texts:
I've been to London recently

or

  I went to London recently?

I was asked which of the two is correct and after thinking about it a for a bit I think I prefer the simple past version because "recently" tells us, more or less, when the action took place.

Is my reasoning sound?

Thanks guys and girls!


texts: What is difference between Ill and Sick, How do I say "sick people" or "ill people" to refer to people not feeling well?


texts:
What's the difference between these two sentences?

1- You can take any book you want.

2- You can take any books you want.


texts: What does "I wasn’t even sure why I’d come." mean in this context?

texts:
I would like to know what "I wasn’t even sure why
I’d come." means in the following sentences:

‘No,’ I said to the man’s stony face. ‘I don’t have any names.’
It wasn’t easy – he was determined to get what was his. But I knew to
persist, knew to take his mounting threats as a sign of progress. I
ignored him when he said I would never leave the country in my life
and never find a job if I didn’t comply. I ignored him when he turned
aggressive and called me a pervert and a sick fuck. To my own
surprise, I was unable to accept the shame he wanted me to feel. It
was too familiar to be imposed: I had produced it myself for such a
long time that, right then, I found I had no space left for it any
more. Instead, I used the truth. I said that I’d been drugged the week
before and that my mind was addled, the past like a blur. I don’t know
whether he believed me. But finally, I can’t be sure why, he told me I
had two days. Two days to come up with names. Before he released me,
he put his hands on his desk and said, with a voice measured and sharp
like a scalpel, that I would regret it for the rest of my life if I
didn’t turn up. I nodded and walked out, feeling nothing. Outside,
night had fallen. I breathed in the winter air. I knew where I had to
go.
The tram rumbled across the bridge. The trees lining the banks of the
river were naked, their leaves having fallen into the water, swept
away by the current. The Madonna in the courtyard was covered with a
layer of frost, the yellow gladiolas gone. Every step on the staircase
was an effort. Every creaking one, I thought, would alert you to my
presence. There were no children playing, no people outside – just me
and the dark old wood of the house. I knocked on your door, my body a
mere shell. My heart beating as if I’d climbed the Tatras range. I
wasn’t even sure why I’d come.
You opened the door and a ripple passed over your face. As if it
didn’t know what to express. Right then it showed nothing but
determined strength. You looked at me. I looked back, trying to gauge
the moment, feeling out of control. You seemed so much taller then,
standing above me, looking down.

Tomasz Jedrowski, Swimming in the Dark, Chapter 7

In this novel which is set in the 1980's in Poland under the socialist regime, where homosexuality was socially unacceptable, the protagonist Ludwik left Poland in 1981 to live in the United States of America. And he remembers what it was like back then in Poland, where he decided to leave the country after trying hard to stay in the country. And he went to the Passport Bureau to get his passport. But the officer at the Bureau blackmailed him with the fact that he was a homosexual and refused to give him his passport unless he provided names of other homosexuals he knew. But Ludwik refused to give names despite the threats. So he was given two days to come up with the names and left the Bureau. He knew "where I had to go," and went to the flat of his lover Janusz. But, arriving at the flat, he "wasn’t even sure why I’d come."
In this part, I wonder what the boldfaced sentence means. I thought that he knew where to go because of the italicized sentence in the preceding paragraph, but then, at the next paragraph, he was wondering why he had come to his lover's flat, so I think I am missing something here.
By "I wasn’t even sure why I’d come," would it be alright to understand that he did not know the reason that he came to Janusz's flat, even though he knew where he had to go, which was Janusz's flat?
I am struggling to follow the logic here.


texts: Using "have had " and "had" to answer the question

texts:
My friend asked me, "Why don't you drive your car?"

Should I answer with "I have had a car accident." or "I had a car accident."?


texts:
What is the difference between:

You can better wait for tomorrow.
You can better wait until tomorrow.

Context examples:

"It is cloudy today. You wanted to go to the beach, but you can
better wait ... tomorrow."
"It is 8pm. I think the supermarket is
already closed. You can better wait ... tomorrow."


texts:
Being about the same size as a domestic chicken, the kiwi bird lays eggs that are very large in proportion to its body size.
A) The eggs of the kiwi bird are much larger than those of a domestic chicken although both birds are almost the same size.
B) The eggs of the kiwi are very large for its body, which is about as big as that of a domestic chicken.
Key says answer is A. I think "in proportion to its body" makes a comparison between eggs and the kiwi. But option A makes comparison between eggs of the kiwi and eggs of a chicken. Am I wrong?


texts:
UPDATED:

Do you still live in the same place or have you moved? (How could we understand whether the time has elapsed?)

Are the following correct?

Do you live in the same place yet or have you moved?

Don't you live in the same place yet or have you moved?


texts: People all over the world / People from all over the world

texts:
An example in Collins Dictionary:

  ...the letters she received from people all over the world.

But if I write:

  ...the letters she received from people from all over the world.

Is it correct?

Further, I often come across these phrases:

  doctors from all over Europe.

  news from across the world.

Please explain.

Thank you.


texts: The meaning of the sentence: "His slouch said as much about his Iago as his lines."

texts:
Mr Kinnear (now 40) has some of that mime-artist’s ranginess. His slouch said as much about his Iago as his lines.

I can't get the meaning of the bold part from an article. Does it mean that we can see Mr Kinnear's ranginess through his slouch said, his iago and his lines?