texts: Meaning of "conjured out" in this context

texts:
Here is the paragraph that contains the words:

  As Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels saw clearly, the 19th-century
  business class

    created more massive and more colossal productive
    forces than all preceding generations together. Subjection of Nature’s
    forces to man, machinery, application of chemistry to industry and
    agriculture, steam-navigation, railways, electric telegraphs, clearing
    of whole continents for cultivation, canalisation of rivers, whole
    populations conjured out of the ground—what earlier century had even a
    presentiment that such productive forces slumbered in the lap of
    social labor?

What does "conjured out" mean in this context? What is it that the whole populations conjured out of the ground?


texts:
Can I put "on" after a verb "influence" in a sentence?
I've come across a sentence below.

Many researchers have completed a range of studies to evaluate the relationship of intrinsic, extrinsic and amotivation, particularly on how it influences on a student's academic achievement.

I think the last part of the sentence should be "how it influences a student's academic achievement".
I mean, grammar-wise.
Am I wrong?


texts: Why is "preventing" correct in this sentence?

texts:
I have read this sentence

  In 1868, Sioux leaders signed a [a]treaty [b]preventing whites from [c]travelling through the Sioux [d]territorial"

I know the answer is territorial, but I thought it had to be preventing. Could you explain to me? Why is "preventing" correct?


texts:
What part of speech is "for" in "For those who don't know, today is my birthday"?
I'm 99% sure it's a conjunction.


texts: Parenthetical phrase or subordinating conjunction?

texts:
I've learned that starting a sentence with a subordinating conjunction such as "if" there must be a dependent and independent clause.  So to me the sentence,

  If not, we do not need to start its procedure.

is ungrammatical.  I'm getting tripped up by the fact "If not," could be a
parenthetical phrase.

I was hoping someone would help me differentiate.

Note: The referenced example is found in an ETS dataset "of sentences with ordinal labels for grammaticality." https://github.com/EducationalTestingService/gug-data/blob/master/gug_annotations.tsv


texts: Can "straightforward" be replaced by "straight" in this case?

texts:
Their ‘complexity’ is relatively straightforward. (Woolhouse The
  empiricists, p. 88)

I check a dictionary, it says that “straight” can also mean “straightforward”. Do you think that here I can replace “straightforward” with “straight”?


texts: "allow for a little leeway" or " allow a little leeway" which one is correct?

texts:
"allow for a little leeway" or "allow a little leeway", which one is a right expression?

Maybe both expression are correct?


texts: Does it sound weird when you listen to the sentence?

texts:
Once my teacher let me translate a sentence into English, and after I did that he said it sounded weird and native English speakers would never say like that. I want to know whether it sounds weird to native speakers and what is the idiomatic way to express it.

My translation is "the worst terrible dream that I am afraid of having is going to toilet''


texts: Is "sketchy" appropriate for an IELTS Academic essay?

texts:
While preparing for IELTS Academic, I was practicing Writing Task 1.
In the task it is said:

  Below is a map of the city of Brandfield. ...

Commonly, the first sentence of an essay should rephrase the task, so I came up with:

  The map presents a sketchy scheme of ...

By sketchy I mean something that contains few details, as according to Cambridge definition.

But I'm afraid that sketchy is not the appropriate word for the formal writing, and I am certainly sure that IELTS Academic essays should be formal.

Research before asking:
1. Google responds to "sketchy meaning" with 2 slang dictionaries out of 3 top results.
2. In 4 out of 5 first not slang dictionaries that Google gave (Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com, Cambridge, The free dictionary, Macmillan) the word sketchy has an informal meaning among others.
3. However, in SkELL there are 126 entries of sketchy in British National Corpus.

The question: Is this appropriate to use sketchy in this case?


texts:
Is there any difference between these two sentences:

    He explained to her what he meant.
    He explained what he meant to her.

I feel 'what he meant' should be treated as the direct object and 'to her' as the indirect object, thus the latter one should be correct and the first one incorrect?

Or maybe the latter is correct because you explain SOMETHING to SOMEBODY and not the other way around? I have a feeling the latter one is correct but I just need a confirmation, possibly with an explanation, Please.

Also, in this sentence:

    We had some great scenes in the series with Elizabeth.

Would it be possible to change the place of the adjunct( that is 'with Elizabeth', I believe it's an adjunct) and
say:

    We had some great scenes WITH ELIZABETH in the series

Is the place of the adjunct fluid and does it depend solely on the speaker where to use it? Is there a general rule?


texts: What is the difference between 'book' and 'books' in this sentence?

texts:
There is a sentence like ' I have book that brags about life.'

I learned that when there is a restricted phrase, we should use 'the' in front of the noun signified.
So, I think that ' I have the book that brags about life.'is right.
What do you think about that?
And what is the difference between 'book' and 'the book' in this sentence in meaning?


texts: Can "mislead" be accompanied by "that-clause"?

texts:
"The fallacy of false choice misleads that the choices which have been made explicit exhaust the sensible alternatives."
Q1. The structure of the above sentence is "Subject + misleads that-clause". I know S misleads 'you' or 'us'. But can S mislead 'that-clause', too? If possible, what does that above sentence mean?
Q2. What's the exact meaning of "exhaust" here? Does it have any other meaning than "to make tired" or "to run out of something"?
Q3. Would you rephrase that sentence for me to understand easily?
Q4. Just to double check, suppose I put it this way, "He is misleading that she is an honest girl." What does this sentence mean?
Is he misleading people by saying that she is not honest, even though she is honest? Or  Is he misleading people by saying that she is honest, even though she is not honest? Or something else?


texts:
What does it mean exactly when an Australian sends a greeting by "Bo" in daily conversation?

Does it just mean "hello"?

Does it have different meaning if it is said by a person from the native tribe in Australia?

Note 05/18/16

To appease my curiosity, I have asked the person and got this answer:

Bo is addressed to the opposite sex.
To emphasize, it is even said with double O --> Boo.
When I was listening to the explanation, I was supposed to believe that Bo is more than just a mate.

Thank you everyone for your responses. Have a great day!


texts: Which is correct: "had gotten along with" or "had got along with"?

texts:
I once texted a sentence like "It reminded me of a friend whom I had got along with," and someone pointed out that I should use "a friend whom I had gotten along with."
It's a bit hard for me to comprehend their difference and how to use them correctly. As I was checking, I noticed the answer from a website (link), which sounds to me that both of them are correct, I guess. So, what are your opinions?
From comments:
I know what "get along with somebody" means, but have no idea what "get" means in this phrase. I was told that with those idioms like "get along with," "come about," we can't try to figure them out by understanding the separate word itself.
The links seem to suggest: it depends on the meaning of "get". When "get" means to "become," I should say "have gotten." When "get" in a sentence means to "receive, obtain," I should say "have got", for example, I've got a cake. Am I right in understanding this way?
But I don't know what "get" means in the idiom "get along with somebody." Does it mean to "become along with somebody"? Seems that it doesn't make sense. Does it mean to "obtain along with somebody"? The rules contain so many details that I can't grasp. Maybe you can tell me the answer directly, I guess?


texts:
I feel that it sounds weird although it should be ok.

Is "I put it inside quotes" better? Why?


texts:
Is my understanding of the phrase a lot less now too in below context correct?

  I go to stadium a lot less now too.

means

  Now also, I go to stadium very rarely.


texts: "There will call upon you to-night" British late 19th or early 20th expression?

texts:
I apologize sincerely as if I am asking here about the Holmes' series quotations.

Now, I stumbled upon a "new phrase" to me.

Excerpt

  The note was undated, and without either signature or address.

  "There will call upon you to-night, at a quarter to eight o'clock [it said], a gentleman who desires to consult you upon a matter of the very deepest moment. Your recent services to one of the royal houses of Europe have shown that you are one who may safely be trusted with matters which are of an importance which can hardly be exaggerated. This account of you we have from all quarters received. Be in your chamber then at that hour, and do not take it amiss if your visitor wear a mask.

The "standard" English I have learned for so many years, when you would like to express the existence of something, ( in the future case, )

  There will be + noun.

Is this as I am asking at the title, the 19th or 20th century British expression or the reflection of the age?


texts: Why the adverb "lately" is sometimes used with the present progressive?

texts:
The following example is from this video. It is at 5 minutes and 48 seconds.

  You are killing it lately.

I am confused because as this dictionary says the adverb is usually used with perfect tenses, shouldn't have the teacher said the following?

  You have been killing it lately.


texts:
I've got a question which comes from my possible not understanding the following sentence.

  He hated using his hands, and he hated bending down, which was always liable to start him coughing.

In this sentence there's "he" who starts coughing when he bends down. So bending down makes him start coughing. In author's words: bending down is liable to start him coughing.

It is my first time I see "liable". Is it correct to think about "make sb do sth" as synonym of "be liable to do sb sth"? I don't really know if my feeling about this sentence is connected with "liable" or a strange usage of "start". I don't think "start sb do sth" is a very common construction, in fact I don't even know if it exists and if it's correct.

There's also a third thing which I maybe misunderstand. I know we can say "I don't mind your starting your job at 5am". Here it's "your" and not "you", but in the primarily quoted sentence they wrote "him", not "his". Why?

All in all, I can see three paths of research when it comes to trying to understand this sentence and I don't know which path I should take. Could you help me figuring it out? I mean grammar, because I think I understand perfectly this sentence semantically.


texts:
How to say in English "a bunch of coriander plants or fenugreek plants or any other bunch of leafy vegetables bunch which we see at greengrocer?

2.Is there any other name for the hard peel of ground nut or almond in English?


texts:
Consider this sentences:

  This is the best ever song that I've heard.

  This is the best song ever that I've heard.

Which of them is correct? How should we combine "best ever" and a noun in general. I searched on the internet and only found "best song ever" combination.


texts: What word describes the woman who behaves like the man?

texts: I want to know what word could precisely describe the woman who behaves like the man, doing his behavior, moving like him, getting interested in what interests


texts:
According to one dictionary, "to this day" means:

  up to now : continuing until today

But according to some other dictionary, "to this day" means:

  even now, after a very long time

The first definition suggests a period of time, but the second suggests a point in time.  Is one of them wrong?

Example Usage:
link

  They started appearing even before his death on 17 August 1786, and they still crop up to this day.


texts: "The hardest thing is to+verb and to+verb" grammar structure

texts:
For example if I say:

  "The hardest thing is to get out of an air conditioned room and to walk into a hot kitchen."

would that be OK?  I mean to use "to+verb" repetition in a sentence?


texts:
I hope you are not up to any tricks.

  What is he up to?

What are the meanings of "up to" in the above two sentences?


texts:
What is difference between uses of although, though and however?

e.g.:

  However/Although  Khan Abdul gaffer Khan was a devout Muslim who had declared his allegiance to Pakistan despite initial opposition to the partition.


texts: What does "can't get a beat on you" mean?

texts:
In family guy, season 12 episode 4 the handicapped cop gives grimace a ride a along. While driving the car he stares suspiciously at grimace and says "I can't get a beat on you".

What does that expression mean?


texts: What are the meaning of "There you got", "Here you are", "There you are" and "There you go"?

texts:
I would like to know where and when we use these phrases.

  There you got
  Here you are
  There you are
  There you go

Can anybody explain?


texts: Online English dictionaries which group words with identical roots together

texts:
I am wondering whether there are out there online English dictionaries which group words with identical roots together to simplify learning.

For example when I learn verb "subdue" it would be great to know immediately that the related noun is "subdual", and probably there is an adjective which I do not know yet.

Cambridge Dictionary does list related words together (e.g. in the case of sardonic it also let me know about sardonically) but not in all cases (e.g. in the case of purpose no mention of purposive can be found).


texts:
A couple of days ago, my friend and I were both reading and analyzing a Newsweek so we came across a some kind of strange grammar that I couldn't find a reason to justify. Here's the quote (the Newsweek, back in June 15, 2009):

  Steven Cook, who asserts that the Bush administration's funding of democracy programs in Egypt not only failed etc.

As far as I know names like Bush, Steve and so forth they wouldn't start with a the before the name itself. And surprisingly about administration's apostrophe. Would we also use apostrophe with other nouns beside names?

In some paragraphs later, we found another strange one as quoted below:

  The Obama administration should learn from the fair but tough incentives built into the Helsinki etc.

The contrary as you see, the Obama administration here differs slightly in a apostrophe. why not using the Obama's administration?

To sum up the questions, what I'm confused about are:

1st, Why Bush and Obama got added a 'the' before the nouns like the Obama and the Bush, why not simply Bush and Obama?

2nd, I'd like to know why the writer didn't use something like
 Bush's funding administration or Obama's administration, rather than that the names started with the?


texts:
Help + in + v-ing or Help + on + v-ing?

Example:

  I used to help my friends in coding C++

or

  I used to help my friends on coding C++


texts:
Is the using of "neither" in this dialogue correct?

-I haven't seen the film yet.

-My friend neither.

It could be "Neither has my friend." But I want to find out if that using is also correct.

What about this one?

-Neither has my friend seen the film, nor have I.


texts:
The paragraph I have a question with:

If I were in a position where I were a principal hiring teachers, I would definitely hire Leah. She would be an asset to any teaching staff, and judging her by her work ethic and ability to get along with others, I would hire her for any job that she applied for.

It is from a recommendation letter on LinkedIn.
(https://www.linkedin.com/in/leah-thomas-24393568)

Question:
(1) Why is the phrase "applied for" used in the past tense here?
(2) Does the past tense use of the phrase "applied for" here have anything to do with the second conditional use in the paragraph?

Why I think the original phrase is a bit weird:
I think the phrase should be "applies for" in the present tense because it can mean a general idea of her applying for jobs.


texts:
Google Flights explains its reasoning for 'best' flights with the following:

  We chose options that give you the best trade-off between price and convenience, based on factors such as duration, number of stops, and airport changes during layovers.

  To select these results, Google Flights compared offers from over 300 travel partners, including airlines, online travel agencies, and aggregators. Results may not reflect all available offers.

  Google may be compensated by some of these travel partners, but this doesn't affect the ranking of results.

I'm curious about the first and second sentences. How is the "..., based on..." justified in grammatical terms? The second sentence begins with "To select these results, ..." That also seems off.


texts: I'm organizing the weaknesses and strengths of my research project, and suddenly an idea came up to my mind that it'll be fairly handy to summarize the weaknesses and strengths using some standardized values. I would like to call these in concise terms, but I cannot find appropriate terms to describe 'the (significance) level of weakness/strength'. Could anyone recommend some terms suitable to use in this situation?


texts:
I've just watched this video and I was just wondering if there is an idiom "to poke someone in the heart" which could mean "you get me to fall in love with you" or something?

Or does the sentence "you poked my heart" imply only physical motion?


texts: meaning of "about us" in "about us for that"

texts:
We will need our full wits and strength about us for that

This is the first time I saw "about us" which was put in a strange place in the sentence like this. And Is there any grammar structure of this?


texts: How to understand "The alarm went off while I was asleep"

texts:
I see a sentence which is "the alarm went off while I was asleep", but I'm not quite sure the meaning of it. Because I see the explanation of the phrase "went off" in my dictionary seems in contradiction: One is running suddenly，another one is stop running

So in this sentence, is the alarm ringing or not?


texts: Is this indirect object an archaic phrasing?

texts:
The housekeeper packed them up a provision of bread

  — From The Odyssey

In modern English, I think it would be "packed up a provision of ....for them."

Is this an archaism?


texts:
This paragraph is taken from an English coursebook, from a lesson called "Dangerous Jobs". The entire article is called "Smoke jumper".

  I am parachuted into areas where there are forest fires. Once I am there, I have to cut trees down and clear plants to stop the fire spreading. It is risky, because fire and smoke can kill you, but we wear special protective clothes to stop the heat and smoke from affecting us. If we do our job well, we have the satisfaction of saving people’s lives and protecting forests.- "English for Starters - Students' Book" by Julia Starr Keddle & Martyn Hobbs

Why did the author choose to use the passive voice "I am parachuted" instead of the active voice "I parachute" in this context?


texts: "to stop is important" or "stopping is important"?

texts:
Do the sentences below sound normal to native speakers?

  To stop him now is important.
  Stopping him now is important.
  To argue is useless.
  Arguing is useless.
  To help these people is my duty.
  Helping these people is my duty.


texts:
so called or so-called?

Which one is the more appropriate way to indicate that you are going to refer to something using a description that you doubt the validity of?


texts:
I was looking for the definition of a six-pack and Google definition states it is:
 a carton containing six bottles or cans. From OALD, I noticed that a carton can have several kinds:

  a light cardboard or plastic box or pot for holding goods, especially food or liquid; the contents of a carton, or
  a large container in which goods are packed in smaller containers

So, how does a carton look like in this case of a six-pack?


texts:
I was chatting with a friend on Twitter, and I asked what the profile photo was, and he asked me to guess, and then I guessed it right. He said, "Good guess, yes, congratulations" and I replied with "lol", so he said, "Make it happy in small things.." I am not quite sure what "it" refers to here. Is it standard English?
According to my research, it can sometimes refer to the situation or circumstances (no one can stay here - it's too dangerous now). And it can refer to "to do" like "it's dangerous to do so". However, neither fit into this context.


texts:
Can one say

a. I sent her my son to teach him French.

b. I sent her my son to learn French.

(Let us say I sent my son to a cousin of mine who is a native English speaker so that she would teach him English/ so that my son would learn English.)

c. He gave me his dog to teach it some tricks.

d. He gave me his dog to learn some tricks from me.

e. He gave me his dog to learn some tricks.

MEANING: He gave me his dog so that I would teach it some tricks.)

?

Many thanks.


texts: How do you call the act of missing class/lectures/lessons and cheat on a test?

texts:
Imagine a student that is not taking school seriously and misses or skips classes on purpose and cheat on tests.
In Portuguese, missing/skipping a class/lesson/lecture is called 'matar aula' ("to kill a class") and to cheat on a test is called "colar na prova" ("to glue on a test").
How do you call those in English?


texts: "A good news-reader can become a good newsreader!" Is this correct?

texts:
Is this sentence correct?

  A good news reader (or news-reader?) can become a good newsreader

To get my point, look at these sentences -

  If you are a good cricketer, the upcoming season is really good for you.

Here, I'm talking to a person who plays cricket well. The upcoming season is good for him in some ways.

  If you are a keen learner, this tutorial is really good for you.

Here, I'm talking to a person who is quite good at learning things and thus, the tutorial is helpful to him.

SO...

  If you are a good news reader, you can become a good newsreader.

Here, I'm talking to a person who reads news quite interestingly with perfect intonation and pronunciation. In other words, he's good at reading news.

Note: I'm not looking for an alternative sentence. Just want to discuss whether or not the sentence in concern is correct with some clarification of using two same words that make a noun (newsreader) as well as an (?)adjective (news-reader).


texts: Is anything wrong with putting verb inside this sentence?

texts:
Sentence: "I love creativity and problem solving here"

My questions are:

Is this sentence right or wrong grammatically?

Putting "problem solving" verb inside statement is not allowed in English?

or It should be like : "I love creativity and solving problems here"?


texts: The difference in meaning between "Have someone do something" and "Get someone to do something"

texts:
I would like you to clarify if these causative forms mean the same.

FORM 1: Have someone do something, MEANING: someone requests someone else to do something
FORM 2: Get someone to do something, MEANING: someone persuades someone else to do something

I took the meanings from the book "Understanding and Using English (fourth edition)" by Betty Azar. Are the meanings correct?

I'm interested to know whether both forms mean the same or not. I'm confused because I heard some people who teach English say that they mean the same. But if they both don't mean the same, they don't have to be enchanged.

Let's look at the following example sentences:

1.

  1a. I have John clean the windows. (I request that John clean the
  windows - It makes sense) 1b. I get John to clean the windows. (I
  persuade John to clean the windows - It makes sense)

2.

  2a. I have a painter paint my house. (I request that a painter paint
  my house - When talking about the job of someone I think this
  should be the normal form to be used - What do you think?)  2b. I get a
  painter to paint my house. (I persuade a painter to paint my house - I
  think that this is not the normal case but it may happen)

3.

  3a. The boss had his secretary make copies of the report. (The boss
  requested that his secretary made copies of the report - I think this
  is the correct way to say it because the boss just orders what he
  wants someone to do)  3b. The boss got his secretary to make
  copies of the report. (The boss persuaded his secretary to make copies
  of the report - I think this doesn't make sense)

4.

  4a. I had the kids eat the broccoli. (I requested that the kids eat
  the broccoli - It makes sense)  4b. I got the kids to eat the
  broccoli. (I persuaded the kids to eat the broccoli - It makes sense)

As you can see, according to what I have pointed out both forms don't convey the same. Therefore, they don't have to be exchnged (If the meanings I provided are correct).
Also, I wonder if nowadays native English speakers are using interchangeably giving the two meanings to each one.


texts: Is it correct to say "I became interested in programming"

texts:
If I want to tell someone that "I became interested in programming". is it correct? But it doesn't seem to be correct?

My doubt: Became interested does't sound good. It should be something else.

Became--2nd form.
Interested--2nd form.

Please clear my doubt?


texts: Have I had known about the lack of security

texts:
Is it correct to say "have I had known"?
Thank you all.


texts: where structured data is concerned, the flat file is as simple as it gets

texts:
Example:

  Where structured data is concerned, the flat file is as simple as it gets. No, a flat file isn’t a folder that’s been squashed under a stack of books. Flat files are so called because they have minimal structure.

I'm not sure how I should understand the part in bold. Things that are of great importance when it comes to working with structured data are not at all important when dealing with flat files?


texts:
Where I spend most of my time these days.
or
Where I spend the most of my time these days.

Property is theft.
or
Property is a theft.

Google ngram favours "Property is theft," but why?


texts: Should I say "where does" or "where did"?

texts:
Which is more appropriate to say?

  Where does Yuji buy the guitar?

or

  Where did Yuji buy the guitar?


texts:
Is the word "songs" properly used in the following?

  By the 1700s, European glass harp masters could play songs by Mozart and Beethoven on the instruments.

I'd appreciate your help.


texts:
What is the meaning of "in" when it comes before "which" in the following example?

  An inverted sentence is a sentence in a normally subject-first language in which the predicate (verb) comes before the subject (noun). source


texts: How to describe one event that preceded the other with "was" or "had been"?

texts:
I know there are a lot of similar topics, but I couldn't find the exact answer for my question.

I need to describe a situation in which one event preceded the other and I couldn’t do it with simple past and past perfect tenses.

E.g. “I have received my order, unfortunately one of the items is damaged. I don't know whether it was damaged during the transportation or had been defective from the beginning.”

I know that the second event is preceding the first; therefore I should use past perfect tense, but I can’t understand how to implement it in abovementioned sentence. Instead I used “was” because the action is over, and past perfect progressive tense (“had been”) because even thou the action is over it is still have a result as the damaged item.

So is it a correct sentence, or should I rewrite it? And is it possible to use with simple past and past perfect tenses in it? If not, how to show the sequence of events?


texts:
I heard this sentence..."Making pizza are we?"

I 'm not sure what structure it is. Does it mean "are we making pizza?"

I don't understand why we can put helping verb and subject at the end of a sentence.

And when should we use the sentence like that?

And should I put a comma (,) like this  "Making pizza ,are we?"

Could you explain me?


texts:
I found this statement,

  The paper presents an automatic approach to reconstruction of 3D objects from point cloud data.

But I feel like this is wrong as I learned with to "should be infinitive". Now I am confused. Can anyone clarify this.


texts: "should I" or "do I need to"? which one is more appropriate?

texts:
I asked a question on this post

  should I put ... at the end?

in case someone is not familiar to sequence-of-sets, this could be viewed as a punctuation at the end of a sentence (bad analogy).

following expression, which is more appropriate?

expression_1:

should I put ... at the end?

expression_2:

do I need to put ... at the end?


texts: How are numerical prefixes chosen for words?

texts:
There are many numerical words, such as:

Primary, Secondary, Tertiary
Pentagon, Hexagon, Heptagon
Billion, Trillion, Quadrillion
Unity, Duality, Trinity
Methane, Ethane, Propane

How are the prefixes chosen? Why are there so many prefixes for each number? For 1, there is:

Prim-

M-

Un-

Meth-

And that's only some of them. When do you use which prefix? This has always confused me.


texts:
I often commit mistakes like this:

  What a terrible thing [it] must be for an earthquake to hit right on
  your birthday.

Is there any rule to tell me when to add "it" to a sentence?


texts: Is "if one day I had something to say I would write a book" correct?

texts:
is the sentence correct to express something that could happen or not in the future:

"If one day I had something to say I would write a book"

Thank you all.


texts:
Do not try outrun a bear.

  The bear is more afraid of you than you should be of it.

What does "be of it." here mean?


texts:
In , the formal dictionary,

  Unicorn:

  1-(in stories) an animal like a white horse with a long straight horn
  on its head-

  2- a new company valued at more than a billion dollars, typically in
  the software or technology sector

  The report examines the ascent of start-ups and how unicorns are
  changing.

But in Urban dictionary,

  A Unicorn can refer to a man or a woman and is often used to describe
  the perfect catch or perfect partner. A Unicorn is a mythical
  creature, someone amazing who is hard to catch or simply a very rare
  find. The term is often describing someone who is remarkably
  attractive (above a 7.9), but not at all batshit crazy, amazing at
  sex, and has a great personality. This definition is used more often
  to describe this scenario than in reference to LGBT themes. Gay or
  straight however you can be a Unicorn because you're beautiful,
  amazing, fuck like a god/goddess, not crazy as fuck, awesome to be
  around and even going somewhere with your life. Hot but down to earth?
  You may be a Unicorn. People will try to catch the Unicorn as if
  hoping to bring this magical energy in their life but the Unicorn
  knows only to reveal themselves to the worthy. This makes the
  encounter all the more magical because it's not a trick of the light
  it's a mystical mythical magical babe that makes you feel so lucky
  because you never thought you could find someone amazing as them.
  Careful, these folks can make the hard of heart easily fall in love.
  What made you stop messing around with multiple ladies at once?

  Man: Because I met a Unicorn. Her name is Lindsay.

  Did you meet a Unicorn at the Gay bar tonight?

  Cool gay guy: Yes I did, but it's not because they are gay, but
  because they are amazing.

  What level of hotness and personality do you go for Sarah?

  Sarah: Unicorn level.

  Amy who is your favorite mythical creature?

  Amy: John is.

  You're girlfriend is crazy amazing!

  Girl: I found out she's actually a Unicorn.

And in American movies, people often say "he / she is my unicorn"

But can we say "he /she is a unicorn" (he or she is perfect for everyone)?
or "I want to go on a date with a unicorn"?


texts: What is a "suburban valley (belly) street"?

texts:
I heard in the movie description of the film The 40-Year-Old Virgin:

  In a helmet, he pedals his mirror-equipped bike along a suburban belly street.

The scene shows the protagonist pedaling a bike in a quiet and scenic neighborhood, along a straight residential street lined with trees. It does not make much sense to me. Does belly street mean anything? It could also be "valley street". It doesn't sound like a proper name to me either. As far as I can find, the setting doesn't specify a city/state. I am putting the audio clip here for reference.


texts: "I 'will'/'would' wager he 'has heard'/'will have heard' I have dismissed"

texts:
“I will wager he has heard I have dismissed the duke and the
  comte. He thinks he has me, and because he does, he has dared to
  ignore me. Oh, I just hate his arrogance!” She stamped her foot
  irritably.

  (Quoted from the book "Intrigued" by Bertrice Small)

“I will wager he has heard I have dismissed ” does not seem to be "standard" English in reference to the "will" usage and in correlation with the subsequent past forms of the verbs "to hear" and "to dismiss".

So, as far as I understand, I would have said that the grammatical phrases, or a best wording, could have been:

  A. “I would wager he has heard I have dismissed ”

  B. “I will wager he will have heard I have
  dismissed ”

Is this a not real question? Or, am I right in observing what I have observed? Can anybody explain?


texts: He mustn't / couldn't have been hungry, part 2

texts:
having read the thread "He mustn't / couldn't have been hungry" He mustn't / couldn't have been hungry, I am still unsure whether or not there is such a wording as "mustn't have past participle".

Situation: I saw Peter and Jane holding hands. Speculation (my choice): They must have been lovers. The opposite of this would be: They can't/couldn't have been lovers. Incorrect: They mustn't have been lovers.

What is the situation with "mustn't have past participle"? Is there such usage, and if yes, in what context?

Many thanks for explaining this once again.

Melinda


texts: Is "deck" always on the back of a house? I know that a porch is always in the front. Thanks!


texts: isn't "knowledge society" a concept that is being abstract to ears of most people?

texts:
Q: Isn't the expression ‘knowledge economy or society’ a concept that is in danger of being abstract to the ears of most people?
A: But the knowledge economy is the one we are already living in. Science and its relationship to society relate to every political issue, such as health, the battle for the environment, education, jobs, food security, energy and transport. We are emerging from a period when power and leadership depended on material resources and entering a knowledge economy. Innovation, research and education are the three factors that cause the economy and society to evolve towards this new paradigm of knowledge. This requires us to change our way of thinking and our approach.

I did not understand the answer. Isn't the knowledge society in danger of being abstract? Yes or no, and please explain why?


texts: Past or Present form of the verb when using "Hypothetically speaking" in sentence?

texts:
When making a hypothetical statement, do I have to use the past form of verbs or the present form in the main clause?

For example,

  Hypothetically speaking, if I finish my homework by dinner, I will be able to ~.
  Hypothetically speaking, if I finished my homework by dinner, I would be able to ~.

Are they both correct in different situations?


texts: What is the difference between the following sentences?

texts:
I was waiting for you for 3 hours

and

  I waited for you for 3 hours

I don't consider Present Perfect, because I want to describe a situation that ocurred in the past and completed in the past. I doubt which tense to use,because the situation was in the past and took some time (3 hours), so, logically, I think I should use Past continuous, but I saw this sentence in Past Simple on Internet too. So, how would you explain it? I need an opinion of a Native English Speaker.


texts: Translations of older or historical professions from German

texts:
Should the German term "Bauernvogt", literally meaning "peasants' bailiff" be kept as "Bauernvogt", translated to "peasants' vogt", "vogt of peasantry" or literally translated as given first?
Should the German word "Landesgevollmächtigter", literally meaning "empowered of land" or "entitled to the land", both in the regional sense of "Land", be translated as "regional representative", "entitled of region" or "empowered of region"?


texts: a better phrase for: I am running very fast

texts: I want to write a book and wanted some help deciding the words I could use to enhance it. So the guy is running really fast. How can I make it sound better?


texts:
Is it correct to use go through in the sense passing something. For example:

  On my way home I will be going through the grocery store, so I can get you something.

What I am trying to say is that I will be going past the store in my car.


texts:
What does of mean when it comes at the beginning of the sentence, for example:

  Of pride of remembrance of the encounter with the bear on that hillside in the early spring.


texts: Why isn't "satisfactory" considered a correct answer to this question?

texts:
The following question is from a practice test:

  Tentative, fearful even, his first forays into the theatrical arts were hardly __________.

I have to "Select exactly two words that best complete the sentence and produce sentences that are alike in meaning" from this list:

  auspicious
  commendable
  unpropitious
  satisfactory
  favorable

The correct answers are given as auspicious and favorable.

It seems to me that the clue in this sentence is where it says “tentative, fearful”.  If his attempts to enter were tentative and fearful, then they were hardly promising.  And two similar words to promising are auspicious and favorable.

If we find them to be hardly promising then why isn't satisfactory a correct answer?


texts: What are idioms that are antonymous to "don't skimp on"?

texts:
The idiom "don't skimp on" means don't be shy and put as much as necessary. I am now wondering if there are idioms that mean the opposite of that. I am sure there are many, but it's hard to look for idioms since you can't look them up on a dictionary unless you know them.

For example:

  Please, don't skimp on the butter. It's good stuff!


texts: Is it correct to say "It is a time to get up!" when I mean a very specific time or is the only correct way to say it "It is time to get up!"?


texts:
let's talk about the country where you come from.
  let's talk about the country where you come.
  let's talk about the country which you come from.

I am not certain which one is right.


texts: Certainly not all shirts people have be part of some collection

texts: Is it correct to say "all <somethings> be part of <something>"? The word "be" is sounding a bit wrong to me.


texts: Order of adjectives: "thick ugly brown sweater" or "ugly thick brown sweater"?

texts: Usually we put an adjective that gives an opinion in front of an adjective that is descriptive. If so, why is "He was wearing his thick ugly brown sweater.", considered correct? If I say, " He was wearing his ugly thick brown sweater.", am I making a mistake?


texts: Is there any difference in 'Present Continuous' and 'Present Participle' And 'Past Perfect' and 'Past Participle'?

texts:
How do i know whether it is a 'Present Continuous' or 'Present Participle'
For example
1.He is reading a book.
2.When I came, she had left.


texts:
Example with a context (audio):

  Yeah, when you don't know somebody very well and they just unload all this information on you, you don't really know how to deal with that situation. Do you be supportive, do you back away? It's awkward for everybody.

Do you think it is grammatically alright to say do you be? Doesn't that sound kind of wrong to you? Or, maybe, this is some sort of colloquialism that's ungrammatical, but people still use it in an informal setting?


texts:
Is the following sentence suitable for a formal letter?

There are some points which I believe that the case officer could take into consideration while reviewing the case:


texts: Is there any difference between being ill and sick?

texts:
I can say I'm ill or I'm sick. But what is the difference between the usage of these terms?

I've heard that one can use sick for longer-term and ill for shorter-term, but is that really correct? How are these terms different for native speakers?


texts: Should there be used two prepositions after a verb?

texts:
Now,I have an issue.
There is the preposition "away" in English and the phrasal verb - be away.

Which sentence below is correct -

I am away the meeting
I am away at the meeting ?

SHOULD I use either two preposition in this case or one is enough?


texts: Is there a word or expression when you are thinking too much?

texts: When you are thinking too much and creating situations that will never happen when solving a problem, is there an expression or word for this? What is a better way to express this idea without using "thinking too much" or is this fine?


texts: Past Simple and Present Perfect Usage in Daily Life

texts: I have been searching for the differences between these two tenses. I thought I finally understand them but when I watch a movie, the usage of simple past tense is different than I expected. Most of the time, past simple is used without a time expression. I thought that present perfect should be used if time is not given. (unless you are telling a story about the past) For example in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzFWI8KvGmE&ab_channel=linguaclips I would use present perfect instead of simple past. For example: (Instead of saying Where did everyone go? I would say Where has everyone gone? because there is nobody at home)


texts: How to explain the pronunciations of brother and breakfast

texts: My nephew is 4 and start reading a lot in English,his mother language is not English., he asked me why  the “o” in the word brother is “∧" not "⊃" sorry I can't find how to type the letters, and another one is breakfast, when he was reading it was literally sounded like "break fast", but it's not right,I said just look at the symbolic phonetics,but he still ask me why? How to tell him? Thanks.


texts: Preposition at the end of infinitives vs. no preposition

texts:
You need a pen to write.

  You need a pen to write with.

Are there any differences between the two sentences above? Which is more commonly spoken?


texts:
They couldn’t go as fast as they would have liked, for fear of
  attracting too much attention.

If I change the "would have liked" to "liked". What's the difference between the meanings?

  They couldn’t go as fast as they liked, for fear of attracting too
  much attention.


texts:
What is the meaning of in the margins in the following sentence

The Left has joined the Congress in the margins, and it will be a contest between the aggressive Hindutva agenda of the BJP, and the incoherence of the AITMC which is often seen as indulgence of Muslim communal politics, in West Bengal.

Does it mean in very small amounts?


texts: The difference between ‘The later train’ and ‘The next train’

texts:
The next train will also get you to work on time.

Can I replace the ‘next’ with ‘later’ ?


texts: "Harry enjoys traveling around" vs. "Harry enjoys to travel around"

texts:
Harry enjoys traveling around.

Why can't I use "to travel" instead of "traveling"?

I heard that "Harry enjoys to travel around" is wrong.


texts: Why do we say "I love cake" but "I love cars"?

texts:
Why do some nouns need to be in the plural for that structure to work, while some are ok in the singular? E.g.: I love pizza, I love beef, etc.

I always thought it was a matter of countable x uncountable, but "cakes", for example, is countable.


texts: Using of "would" when "if" is not present

texts:
Is this sentence correct?

  He would help you in difficult days.

In this sentence "if" is not used.
Instead, it is conditional because of "in".
Is it appropriate to use "would" in this sentence?


texts:
Never one to mince his words, Antonio was the perfect dissembler; even an outright fabrication was delivered with aplomb.

Bold part is OK. However, I am really struggling to understand other parts.

"Never one to mince his words": What is the subject of the sentence? What is the tense used? What does "to" stand for in the sentence?

"even an outright fabrication was delivered with aplomb": Why the sentence is passive past? Does passive past makes the sentence sarcastic?


texts:
Does 'You can certainly try' mean, I already know that what ever you are going to do, is not going to work, but you are free to try it(a negative tone) ,or it just means go ahead and try(a positive tone).

Thanks


texts: Is there a word for "negative/declining trend"?

texts:
Is there a word for that?

Example sentence:

  The sales declined to 10 in November, and to 5 in December. This __ repeated the following year.

Note: I checked the synonyms for trend. But none of them imply a negative/downward trend.


texts: Is the sentence 'I can be doing the work' correct?

texts:
Suppose, I am doing a work. I am having the ability to do the work. Can we say:
I can be doing the work.
Is the structure can+be+present participle correct?
Again, suppose, I have done a work. Can we say:
I can have done the work.
Is the structure
Can+have+past participle correct?
Though we use the structures 'may+be+present participle', 'may+have+past participle' in many cases.
Please let me know with explanation.


texts:
Their rejection of what he stands for was fully exhibited on Sunday
  when Trump joined world leaders in Paris to mark the centennial of the
  end of the World War I, only to hear French President Emmanuel Macron
  who said under the Arc de Triomphe that “nationalism is a betrayal of
  patriotism.”

What does "only to" mean here? Or what did the author want to express?


texts: How is it grammatical that 'begrudge' admits three objects?

texts:
Source, penultimate para: p 2 of 2, 'Against YA', by Ruth Graham, slate.com

1. I do not begrudge young adults themselves their renaissance of fiction.
begrudge [with two objects] = D1. Envy (someone) the possession or enjoyment of (something)

I`m guessing D1 (D for Definition) above as the right one, but the grammar for  begrudge still confuses and shocks me. ODO's Example Sentnces also follow this strange construct. Would someone please elucidate and explain? I tried to replace begrudge with its synonym 'envy', then 1 becomes:
2. I don't envy young adults  themselves their renaissance of fiction.
Yet 2 is ungrammatical, because it involves 3 objects and no prepositions? Instead, you must write:
3. I don't envy young adults  themselves [FOR] their renaissance of fiction.
4. I don't envy young adults' themselves their renaissance of fiction.
However, now 3 and 4 differ from 1, a contradiction, so what happened?


texts: "Let's hear it for these ..." Why use "hear" rather than "listen", does that mean the audience do not need to pay much attention?

texts:
This is Kid's Box Quiz.

It sounds like the audio is saying (link with a time stamp corresponds the following)

  Let's hear it for these two clever kids in today's big final:

per this post,

  Hear means that sounds come into your ears whether you want it or not, while listen means that you consciously pay attention to what you hear, that is you want to hear something: ... – I'm listening, but I can't hear anything. – We heard a terrible noise when the cars crashed in front of our house.

Question

In the case of Kid's Box Quiz, why does the announcer use "hear" rather than "listen", does that mean the audience does not need to pay much attention?


texts:
Please refund to our customer. (This is talking about the receiver of the action, in this case the customer.)
Please refund for our customer. (This is talking about the reason of the action)

I am not sure I understand it right. Can the second sentence also be used to indicate the receiver of the action?


texts:
Sometimes, some good ol' solitude feels good man.

What does good old mean, and how do you usually use it in context?


texts: How to comprehend the sentence, "courage is fear walking."

texts:
I saw the sentence on the TED videoed lecture delivered by Ms. David.
This is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDQ1Mi5I4rg&feature=youtu.be

At 15:35,

  "What he showed me is that courage is not an absence of fear,"

said the lecturer, and at 15:40 comes the sentence:

  "Courage is fear walking."

I am not sure what walk means here. Does it mean the same as Oxford Dictionary's sixth entry as (literary) (of a ghost) to appear? Or, does it mean fear walks on foot in a metaphorical way? (Then what does it compare to if it is the case...like walking away, or walking with the person?)


texts: What does "pluck" mean in football/soccer term

texts:
What does "pluck" mean in football/soccer context?
Steffen plucks a free-kick from the left, awarded for Bernardo's foul on Pulisic, out of the heavens as it drops. One more minute at most.


texts:
I am bit confused between  the Possessive adjective and Preposition

  I got a car from India for my brother and its one wheel are made from Germany.
  I got a car from India for my brother and one wheel of it made from Germany.

My concern is which sentence is correct in the view of the position  "its one wheel" and "one wheel of it".


texts: Which of these two sentences is grammatically correct?

texts:
He begins to know his surroundings.
I have begun understanding this lesson since first session.


texts:
I saw in the book "essential grammar in use" (Cambridge publishing)  the following sentence:

  I cleaned my teeth three times a week.

Is it talking about brushing teeth?  I'm not sure about that because I've never saw cleanining teeth as a synonym of brushing teeth. Also wikipedia shows the article "tooth brushing" without noticing that there's a common synonym as usual wikipedia does.  Is tooth cleaning and tooth brushing are the same or cleaning is about other means that cleans the teeth?


texts: Shouldn't it be like "as opposed to doing sth/in opposition to doing sth"?

texts:
Good education encourages students to think critically, as opposed to force-feed students.

In the example above, why does the author use "force-feed" rather than "force-feeding"?


texts: to lock out vs to lock in vs to lock down

texts:
Give, please, a detailed explanation between the next phrasal verbs:

to lock out
to lock in
to lock down

I am especially confused between the meanings of "lock out" and "lock in", they are similar by meaning but have different prepositions, "get in and get out" - it's ok they differ by opposite actions...


texts: What's the correct term for "gating criteria"?

texts:
In project management for software development our bosses have introduced quality gates. The idea is to reach a certain level of quality before the project can continue in the next phase.

Now, the criteria for that are called gating criteria and I wonder whether gating is a good choice. Looking up the Oxford dictionary, there's no such word.

The most likely reason for that is the German origin of our country and no native speakers are involved.

If gating criteria is not a valid word, then what is the valid word for what I described above?


texts:
I wrote:

  I recognized issues that America's civilization has not went deep enough to them yet.

One of the online grammar assistant tools suggests changing my sentence to "has not gone". Is my sentence correct? I am not sure if the whole sentence requires restructuring.


texts: Correct verb tense for describing a movie

texts:
Let's say someone has asked you to describe a movie you had recently watched.

What tense would you use to describe it, past tense because it already happened, or present tense because it is a fact?


texts: Why do the British use the word "flipping" for emphasis?

texts:
In the English (British) TV drama, Coronation Street, the word "flipping" is often used to stress a situation, so much so that it feels like a swear word to me to some degree:

I've got a flipping headache
That flipping moron

I think usually people from US like to use the word "freaking" or "fricking" instead.

I know "freak" is a very strong word, but can't understand why "flipping" can be too. Is it because the term "flipping someone off" (a term I just learned while searching for answer myself)? And I am still a bit confused why "flipping someone off" has the meaning of, you know, "flipping someone off".


texts: What's the meaning of "not so much" in these sentences?

texts:
What does Not so much mean in the following expressions?

  Pete is tall; his brother not so much.

  Pete is very tall; his brother not so much.

Does the first one mean?

  that Pete's brother is short
  that he is average
  that he is not tall

How about the second one?

  that he is not really tall (maybe a little tall)
  that he is not very tall


texts: What does 'being' mean at the first of a sentence?

texts:
My question is what does 'being' mean at the first of a sentence?

Here are some examples.

  Being rich doesn't mean you are happy.

What does being rich mean?

  Being a successful person in life is a big challenge.

What does being successful mean?

  Being a doctor doesn't mean you are smart.

What does being a doctor mean?

I appreciate your effort and I am looking forward to the answer.


texts:
Let's say you just met a stranger, and you say:

  1.I never would have guessed.

To

  2.I never thought of that.

What is their meaning and difference.

In a movie I am watching at the moment, the main character(after a short introduction amongst themselves) said ''Really? I never would have guessed'' after meeting another stranger.

why did he just said ''Really? I never would have guessed'' instead of ''I never thought of that'' is this cultural or something? Thx.


texts:
Rohan is _________ or perhaps faster than Suresh.
a)as fast as
b)as fast

now I think as fast as should be the answer, but the answer given is as fast.

can you help me out, please?

thanks in advance.


texts: Why don't foreign phrases such as "mot juste" get anglicized when used in English?

texts:
English has borrowed (or stolen?) a lot of vocabulary from other languages such as Latin, German, Italian, French and Spanish etc. Most words that are borrowed are anglicized and are pronounce the way English prefers. There are many examples out there.
But nowadays when English borrows words from other languages, it does not always anglicize those new words and pronounce them the way they are pronounced in the language they are borrowed from.
Examples: bon vivant: /ˌbɔ̃ːŋ viˈvɑ̃ːŋ/, mot juste: /ˌməʊ ˈʒuːst/, au fait: /ˌəʊ ˈfeɪ/, pas de deux: /ˌpɑː də ˈdɜː/, c'est la vie: /ˌseɪ lə ˈviː/
Most of them have some silent letters. There are many more.
Why doesn't English anglicize them and give them its own (anglicized) pronunciations?
Is there any specific reason for that or it's just a respect for the language English borrow words from? Also, most of them are marked as "formal", why is that so?


texts:
I think I didn't understand auxiliary verbs. What is the difference between is(main verb) and is(auxiliary verb), have or do? Or I should ask this: Does have the common mean these verbs(auxiliary and main)?
Take a look:

Present simple    “Hanna is at home.”
Auxiliary verb: none
Full/mainverb: is (base form: to be)

Why "is" don't acknowledge as auxiliary verb?

Present continuous: “Harold is waiting at work.”
Auxiliary verb: is (to be)
Full/main verb: waiting (to wait)

Why "is" acknowledge as auxiliary verb?


texts: Which is correct? : Recommend some routes to take or to be taken

texts:
I would like to know which of the following sentences I created is correct. I first created the second sentence, but after googled, I found some sentences like the first.

  This navigation system recommends some routes to take to (reach) your destination.
  This navigation system recommends some routes (need) to be taken to (reach) your destination.


texts: What does "it makes too much sense" mean?

texts:
There's two possible and opposite ways to complete the popular expression "it makes too much sense" and thus give meaning to it:

It makes too much sense to be true, it must be false
It makes too much sense to be false, it must be true

Which one is it?


texts:
Although the importance of the bacteria in water sea has often never been realized/ was not realized, it has been found/ it is found that they are useful.

I would like to use an adverb in the first part that explain the realization has been so far(always in the past up to now).

In addition, would you please show me which of the bold tenses are logical? and what about the adverbs?

Any comment would greatly be appreciated


texts:
One should value that which perceives value above all else:
  consciousness.

I've come across with the sentence above and I didn't understand the meaning.
I searched online resources and found the link below:
https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/66453/that-which-used-together

It was partly helpful but I still don't understand the exact meaning of the sentence.

So, could you please explain it to me?

There is no need to Philosophical Explanations, just to explain
simple meaning of the sentence.

The fuller text:

  There’s a subtle contradiction here. Kant sought to develop a value
  system that existed outside the subjective judgments of the Feeling
  Brain. Yet the desire to build a value system on reason alone is
  itself a subjective judgment made by the Feeling Brain. Put another
  way, couldn’t you say that Kant’s desire to create a value system that
  transcended the confines of religion was itself a religion? [...] So,
  technically, yes, Kant’s ethical system is another form of faithbased
  religion. But I also think that in the same way that science, and its
  belief in putting one’s faith in what has the most evidence, produces
  the best belief systems, Kant stumbled upon the best basis for
  creating value systems—that is, one should value that which perceives
  value above all else: consciousness.


texts:
Consider this expression

  I will be off tomorrow at work, I am going back to my college to pick up a few documents.

Is pick up correct in this context? I have seen it being used in the context people only

for example

  I need to pick my friend up at the airport.

If it is not correct then what word should I use in the given expression?


texts:
“What day is it today?”

For the same meaning, can you say “what is today’s day?” Consulting a definition of Merriam-Webster’s for ‘day’ –– one of the seven time periods that make up a week –– there seems no wrongness to use the sentence.


texts:
In the list of examples for the verb spark I found usages of spark off and spark:

This proposal will almost certainly spark another countrywide debate about immigration.
The visit of G20 leaders sparked off (= caused to start of) mass demonstrations.

It's not clear the difference between them. I mean, can we replace spark with spark off in the first example and spark off with spark in the second one?


texts:
"The pen which my friend gives to me is black"

Actually I have two questions regarding this:
1. Is the verb in this tense ok to use?
2. Is 'to' ok to use?


texts:
Still, the scandal was there, and during the months that followed Arendt's critics seized on it as evidence that she was intellectually untrustworthy. Her defenders, who have made her into an object of passionate hagiography in recent years, were not slow to respond but did little to raise the tone.  (source)

What does exactly "did little to raise the tone" in the context of the above excerpt? I lean towards the interpretation that the defenders of Arendt reacted in more defensive way than her critics and that their voice was not so audible but I am not sure.


texts: What is the term that describes someone who is not interested in sex?

texts:
He or she is not infertile. They have normal sex hormones but just they don't find it interesting.

To clarify,

For instance, compared to a man (who is not this) who'd stare at a blonde in a swimsuit, this guy will simply turn his face.

Any term (including slang) would work.


texts:
I have seen this sentence somewhere.

  she came undone

I take this in as putting together an intransitive verb and an adjective(or a participle) so as to describe state of a subject.

and likewise, I tried a few other variations,

so are followings weird in your sense?

If it sounds weird, can you explain the reason?

  she arrives dry.

  she walks wet.

  she lived stealing.

  she drinks unsatisfied.

  she sits angry.

  she stands hungry.


texts: "entered the room" or "entered into the room"?

texts:
I'd like to say that "I went into the room" using the verb "enter".
What's correct in the following context?

  "I entered the room."

or

  "I entered into the room."


texts: "to be prejudice towards/against someone" vs "to be prejudiced against/towards someone"

texts:
Which one is the correct form?

  He's prejudice against/towards women.

  He's prejudiced towards/against women.


texts:
What's the meaning of "skims" (in plural)? I have just bumped into the name of this video clip named   The Skims and Shaves of Bean

I've looked through the whole video and through all meanings of the noun "skim" in Webster. I don't understand which meaning of "skim" is used in the video title. While Mr. Bean does shave in the beginning of that video, there are no scenes, in which he would do anything involving skims.


texts:
The current teleport sector consists of four primary types of service
  providers, all with different strategies:

  •
      In-house broadcasters - a limited number of broadcasters that have internal content distribution and management capabilities, which they
  continue to use. Because these in-house operations serve only one
  customer, and the customer's primary focus is producing rather than
  distributing or managing the content, these operations have limited
  capabilities. Dedicated in-house operations represent an expensive
  solution that is not cost effective and not easily scalable.

  •
      Telcos - telecommunications companies, some with business units focused on satellite services. Many of these companies are relatively
  minor players on a global basis because they concentrate on a specific
  region, and are tied to their own terrestrial network. Due to a lack
  of focus on the satellite and broadcasting sectors, these companies
  have had difficulty reacting to the dynamic needs of the industry,
  although some have carved out specialized business units to focus on
  satellite services.

  •
      Satellite fleet operators (hybrids) - satellite carriers that had typically offered only transmission, but which have recently begun to
  either acquire or partner with teleports and terrestrial fiber network
  operators to create a global hybrid network. These carriers are
  typically limited to their own satellite fleet, which means that they
  are limited geographically, are not network neutral, focus on
  providing transmission capacity and generally cannot offer content
  management services, and are reticent to compete with their customers
  who provide value-added services.

  •
      Independents - traditional teleport operators founded by entrepreneurs to exploit the liberalization of satellite services in
  major markets. Traditional teleport operators have continued to
  innovate and prosper by reacting to the changing needs of customers,
  but generally do not offer a comprehensive solution via hybrid
  satellite-terrestrial fiber networks. Many of them are relatively
  small, resulting in less than global reach, inability to scale to
  meet customer needs, only limited savings for their customers, and a
  lack of resources to invest in supporting emerging technologies.

  -- Prospectus: RRSat Global Communications Network

Can I use "less global reach", "narrower than global reach" or "shorter than global reach" instead?


texts: "4 hours each session" or "each session will last for 4 hours"

texts:
Which one is clearer and grammatically correct?

  The course will commence on December 2 every Mondays and Wednesday, 4 hours each session, for 4 weeks
  The course will be scheduled every Mondays and Wednesdays starting on December 2, which will be for 4 weeks; each session will last for 4 hours.
  This 4-week course will start on December 2 and each session runs for 4 hours every Mondays and Wednesdays.

I have a follow-up question:

  1 The course will start on December 2 and *will run for 4 weeks with 4-hour session every Monday and Wednesday

  2 The course will start on December 2 and *run(s?) for 4 weeks with 4-hour session every Monday and Wednesday


texts:
For these:

It happened that he did not attend the party.
As it happened, he did not attend the party.

Do "it happened that" and "as it happened" mean different things?


texts: Usage of "stand for" and "stand up", which one is correct?

texts:
I came across this sentence somewhere and could you tell me which one is correct?

It takes a lot from within to stand for who we really are.
It takes a lot from within to stand up for who we really are.


texts:
This is from 'Mothers and Sons' by Colm Toibin.

Nancy(mother) tells her two daughters and her son, Gerard that they are moving to Dublin.

  The girls made jokes about the move, and asked further questions over
  the weeks that followed. They found out about schools and even wrote
  to one girls' school and received a brochure in the post. Gerard did
  not mention it, and grew grimly silent if the subject were raised
  in his presence. Nancy realized that he had told no one because he had
  no one to tell as he was no longer very friendly with any of his
  schoolmates and he was not close enough to any of the businessmen in
  the town to whom he looked up so much.

I could have just read it without much thought, but this somehow got my attention.

The Italic sentence is not hypothetical (unreal conditional). It is past real conditional.

I understood the sentence as 'Gerard did not mention it, and grew grimly silent when the subject was raised in his presence.'

So my logic is that 'the subject' being singular, 'was' should be used instead of 'were.'

What do you think?


texts:
I saw this sentence from a news article. Is it ok to use 'on' here? If yes, are there any differences compared with 'in'?

  "We’ll continue to work closely with our partners in the international community in identifying, tracking and countering any cyber threats.”


texts: Meaning of "The rain would drum with as sweet a dullness nowhere but here"

texts:
This passage is from a short story, "Home", by Gwendolyn Brooks.

She knew, from the way they looked at her, that this had been a mistake. They did not want to cry.
But she felt that the little line of white, sometimes ridged with smoked purple, and all that cream-shot saffron would never drift across any western sky except that in back of this house. The rain would drum with as sweet a dullness nowhere but here. The birds on South Park were mechanical birds, no better than the poor caught canaries in those “rich” women’s sun parlors

Does "The rain would drum with as sweet a dullness nowhere but here" mean that the sound of rain anywhere but here is sad?
What is the meaning of "cream-shot saffron"? Is it just a metaphor? I don't know what is like "cream-shot saffron".


texts: "Have" or "had" in "She told them to raise their hands if they HAVE a question"?

texts:
My problem is regarding indirect speech.

  She told them to raise their hands if they have a question.

Is this sentence grammatically wrong?

If this sentence is correct, is there basis or evidence?

Many students learned in their academy 'had' instead of 'have'.

So I must show them why that sentence is correct.

But I don't have any evidence or basis.


texts:
What are the rules on the use of articles after the proposition of AT?
I'm asking because I can't conclude why in the case of age, THE is used and in the case of speed or altitude, A/AN is used:

  Tracy left school at the age of sixteen.

and

  We are now flying at a speed of 800 kilometres an hour and at an altitude of 9000 metres.


texts: Can benefit be used with the preposition with?

texts:
Can benefit be used the preposition WITH?

For example,

My participation in this program will benefit me with a head start on my medical education.

Is it consider grammatically correct? If not, why?

(I know it may sound awkward, but can it be written that way.)

I cannot find the answer anywhere.


texts: What is the difference between robbing and stealing?

texts:
In a song (The Troubles by U2), there is this:

  Somebody stepped inside your soul
  Somebody stepped inside your soul
  Little by little they robbed and stole
  Till someone else was in control

I was curious about this line:

  Little by little they robbed and stole

It made me wonder whether there was any (subtle?) difference between robbing and stealing?


texts: what does 'I'm not for pretending' mean?

texts:
What does this sentence mean?

  I'm not for pretending.

Also, is this a correct sentence?

  I don't get used to it.


texts: What does "talking about the same things in the same manner no matter what" mean in this paragraph?

texts:
I have a book which is about women and how to approach them. The writer said that after approaching women, they will:

  Some women will be so interested in you that they cannot stop talking, while some will be shyer or less open. Their initial reaction does not matter that much, as long as they stay where they are, and if they are smiling, they are obviously happy that you approached them. You should be talking about the same things in the same manner no matter what. The only difference really will be the pace of the conversation and how much effort you have to devote to making women feel comfortable enough to loosen up.

I don't understand the sentence "You should be talking about the same things in the same manner no matter what", especially the expression "no matter what", despite searching it on oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com. Can someone explain this sentence and the expression for me please? Thank you!


texts:
When I cut myself, I have a panic attack, and I believe that I have a phobia of it. Is there a name of a phobia where I have a fear of my own cuts?

Other people's cuts and blood do not have the same effect on me, it is just my own. I don't have aichmophobia (a fear of sharp objects)

I do not have a fear of blood, so it's not haemophobia.

Injections are fine, I've had loads.


texts: Where to put time expressions in passive sentences?

texts:
I want to know where to put time expressions in passive sentences?
Which sentence is correct?

  The room is cleaned every week by Joe.

or

  The room is cleaned by Joe every week.


texts:
I wonder why do we say

  Is there any mail for me?

rather than

  Is there any mails for me?

As far as I know, whenever the word any is used, we have to add an s to the end of the next word.


texts:
In this newspaper article on sentence phrasing in a primary school (Grade 3) science examination, this question came up:

  WHAT is the difference between a bird and a lion? If your answer is
  "the bird has feathers but the lion does not", your answer would have
  been marked as incorrect for the Primary 3 science paper.

  The correct answer prescribed by the teacher was: "The bird has
  feathers but the lion does not have feathers."

Is the teacher wrong to state that the sentence must contain the redundant "have feathers"? If so, what grammatical/stylistic rule does this redundancy violate, and if not, why not?


texts: "She had grown up, and it was said that she became a barmaid, kind and generous." - is it awkward to use Past Perfect here?

texts:
From a lang-8 post I was proofreading:

  A long time ago, there lived a little girl. ... [some things happen: the girl meets a travelling priest etc.] ... The wisdom of his words changed the girl forever. Since then, when someone asked about her father, she said with a smile, "I am a child of Luck". She had grown up, and it was said that she became a barmaid, kind and generous. One rainy night, a young man clothed in rags came into her tavern.

I changed the bolded phrase to grew up, but could it be that the Past Perfect is possible here? If the PP is erroneous here, it's hard for me to come up with a nice explanation why.

What could be the main obstacle to using the PP in this sentence? The conjunction and?

Maybe "it was said" is too diffuse in duration too? I also guess that "it was said" occured after she became a barmaid, this complicates the picture.

What if we delete "it was said":

  She had grown up and became a barmaid, kind and generous.

Would this be okay?


texts: What does 'opposite view' mean? (Picture)

texts:
I mean to ask about the "opposite view" of picture that is presented. How is it supposed to look like? Can I have an example please?
For example, if I would point on this arrow, what is the opposite view of this arrow?

I looked for an answer on Google and I saw a lot of different pictures in different positions. Maybe here I can clarify the issue.


texts:
Difference in meaning:

  "I wouldn't make it "
  "I didn't make it"

where using the first phrase to express something that wasn't done instead of the second phrase confuses me.


texts:
You can take a short ferry ride from the city of Surabaya to Madura for a heart-stopping bull race, filled with excitement.

In the sentence, is the phrase "filled with excitement" adverb phrase or adjective phrase? Thanks in advance.


texts:
I'm a bit confused about writing the correct sentence:

It is we whose flat was robbed.
It is us whose flat was robbed.

The context is this, A family was robbed and they are in a police department waiting when the police officer calls, "Who's here about the robbery?"

What bothers me is that both sound okay with whose but I somehow feel that "we" is incorrect although it corresponds to "whose" much better than "us".

It is we whose flat was robbed. - We are the family whose flat was robbed.

Here are examples from google search:

Or maybe it's we whose lives are impoverished. Before we parted ways, Philip told me he'd very much like to have a wife just like me someday ... (Source)
It's we whose eyes can fill with tears, We yet can be aggrieved. We're prone to all our human fears; It's we who feel bereaved. (Source)
It's we, whose destiny it is to serve others, who are There were shouts, a confusion of commands and of hands of their filthy wishes. (Source)
But it's we whose meager earnings are at stake that get caught. I call it an outrage." Miss White snapped on the radio, tuned in on Babson's reports, and went on: ... (Source)

and

It is us whose flat was robbed. - It is us, the family, whose flat was robbed.

Here are examples from google search:

“Our guys know that going over there it's us whose back is up against the wall because I give Westfield a lot of the advantages..." (Source)
It's us that he 'walks with purpose' towards and it's us whose senses he 'overwhelms with his passion'. Ergo, the many thousands of female authors with... (Source)
It's us whose freedoms are at risk. And it's MPs who retire on a generous, safe pension. Most politicians are not venal - and we need them. (Source)

I'm unsure whether a comma is needed after "it's we/us"!

Edit: In all your duplicates it's who/whom which does differ from whose. Not one of your duplicates explains the pronoun to use with "whose".


texts: Why isn't there an article before "conflict"?

texts:
Why isn't there an article before conflict in the following sentence?

Difference in the pronouncement leads to conflict.


texts: Using the 2nd conditional with present tenses

texts:
I know I ask a lot of questions on conditionals here.
It's probably because how they work interest me a lot.

Suppose someone says

"If I was a bacon company owner, I'd see to it that you get a lifetime supply of free bacon."

Is it grammatically correct, the construction?

Does it mean the same thing as, "...., i'd see to it that you got a lifetime supply of free bacon."


texts:
Are there any common rules for creating / figuring out the meaning of phrasal verbs, knowing the meaning of base verb?

Ex.
'out' particle can obviously refer to something outside.

leave OUT - omit something = leave something out of range
miss OUT - overlook something = not include something in considered range
move OUT - leave the area = move outside
rule OUT - separate = place some of items outside the area

But:

sort OUT - resolve, neaten. Nothing to do with 'outside'?


texts:
I was looking though a list of ready-phrases for a shopping situation and encountered this one:

  It is on sale.

What does it mean?


texts: A better word than desire in this context?

texts:
My desire to heal, educate, and advocate for patients coupled with my hunger for knowledge align with the qualities of a physician, ultimately cementing this career choice as the perfect match for me.

A better word than "desire" in this context?


texts: countable and uncountable at the same time. What does that mean?

texts:
In Cambridge online dictionary there are nouns which can be countable or uncountable at the same time.  Example https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/society?q=Societies

1)
What does that mean?

2)
Also which of the following sentences is grammatical :-

Media has a double-edged effect on society.

Media has a double-edged effect on societies.


texts: Ways to say 'get smaller', 'decrease in size' in one word

texts:
What are the proper ways to say that something gets smaller (decreases in size) in one word?

I am not asking about cases when what we discribe represents a measure of something (price, volume, weight, height). In those cases I know that it is correct to say, for example

The price decreases
The volume reduces

I am asking about cases when real material things get smaller.

For example,

A baloon gets smaller (deflates)
An apple gets smaller (when somebody eats it)

The goal is to replace 'gets smaller' with one word (verb).

Can I in these cases use words such as 'decrease', 'reduce' without adding 'in size'?

What are the most commonly used words or phrases?


texts: Couldn't or couldn't have in this sentence

texts:
You couldn't have met my grand mother; she died before you were born.

  You couldn't meet my grand mother; she died before you were born.

Are these two sentences grammatically correct?


texts: What is the meaning of “what has come” in the given context?

texts:
I have listened to the song "Goodbye" by Avril Lavigne, where I noticed the phrase what has come.

  Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye my love

  I can't hide, can't hide, can't hide what has come

What is the actual meaning of the given sentence in this context?


texts: What do you call a scammer who sell products through the phone?

texts:
I am not sure if there's a word for it, but I am almost positive that I heard a word for it. It might be a noun or it might be a verb, but there was definitely a word for it.

For example, let's take the following example:

  The ___ sold me some insurance product that didn't suit my need at
  all, which led me to financial ruin.

The only word I can think of are telemarketer and scammer, but those two words are too general.


texts: How to word it when you are asking for corrections

texts:
Let's say I'm asking a coworker to review a proposal. I say:

  Could you find and fix mistakes, if any?

Should I put the article “the” before the word “mistakes” in that sentence?

  Could you find and fix the mistakes, if any?

Also, does “if any” sound natural? I mean to say “if there is” (if mistakes exist).

  Could you find and fix mistakes, if there is?
  Could you find and fix mistakes, if they exist?


texts:
Can I use "I am relishing my work" or "I relish my work"?

Which one is correct? If both are incorrect what would be correct sentence using the word relish?


texts: Is there a word for the front seats in a car? I can think of "the driver's seat" for the driver's seat, and "first row of the car" to refer to the front seats, but it's an awkward phrase, so I am wondering if there are better alternatives. I can't really think of one.


texts: What do these [Greek alphabet] forms in the OED signify?

texts: I underlined them in red beneath. Screenshot:


texts:
In the sentence:

it made me happy.

I'm pretty sure that happy is an objective complement.
But in:

it made me realize something.

Is it correct to assume that "realize something" is an objective complement? If not then what's the part of speech of "realize"? Is it even possible to have a verb as an objective complement?
Am I missing something?
Can someone  grammatically analyze this sentence please?


texts: What tense is used when we talk about future with "I wish" structure?

texts:
1) I wish I get to go to the first day show of Endgame.

Is the aforementioned sentence correct or do I need to change the verb from "get" to "got" as it done in the subjunctive mood.

  2) I wish I got to go the first day show of Endgame?

How would a native speaker say the same thing using the "I wish" structure?


texts:
I have to describe a technical system with several pipes. If I want to describe the location of leak, do I say:

  The leak is located in/on/at pipe number one?

Which preposition is correct?

There is this ELL question: "on", "at", "in" as preposition of location

Maybe "in line number one" ("in line" is given there) is similar to "in pipe number one", but I am not completely sure.

Is there any native speaker who can help?


texts: Verbs which are always followed by an object

texts:
They required the information to be sent as soon as possible.
They required to sent the information as soon as possible.

I think the first one is more acceptable than second one. It seems to me that require needs an object after it. I don't know which verbs are always followed by an object. I also think when passive construction of such kind of verbs is used, a to be is compulsory, i.e to be will follow the object that follows such kind of verbs.


texts: Which one is correct: "...-ing the ... " or "...-ing of the ..."

texts:
The following phrase sounds to be incorrect for my ears.

  "... to avoid bending of the rules."

Shouldn't it be either

  "... to avoid the bending of the rules."

or

  "... to avoid bending the rules."*

The last two seem to be definitely better than the original. Is it so? If yes, which one sounds better?


texts:
I found this question in an exercise book and unsatisfied with the provided answer:

Her writing is better than ____.

A. he

B. she

C. yours

D. me

The provided answer is D but I answered C. Help, please. Thank you.


texts: The use "that is it" and "that is all" in context

texts:
Tell me please if there is any difference between that is it and that is all in the following sentence.

  I have only done half of my homework, that is all.

  I have only done half of my homework, that is it.


texts: Using the hypothetical and non standard word "manywhere"

texts:
I have frequently used "manywhere" to describe "many places" instead of "everywhere".

In increasing order: nowhere < somewhere < manywhere < everywhere

It seems to be an elegant and logical solution to a missing language element, doesn't it?   The following fictional dialog demonstrates my thinking. (This is not factual):

"Have you heard about the ritual of hanging a voodoo doll on buildings under construction to keep away negative energy?"

"Yeah, I saw that somewhere in my home town of New York City."

"Well in India, you can find that manywhere."

"Manywhere?"

"Yes. That's a logical word I made. Not everywhere. Many places have it! That better describes the meaning, does it not?"

"Hmmm.  I guess it does.  I never really thought about it like that!"

Manywhere has some modern and historical usage:

Google Search: manywhere
Google Ngram: manywhere.

So my questions are:

Why is this missing in English?  What if someone wants to say more than somewhere but less than everywhere?
Are there situations when/where this word could be used?
What would be good/bad right/wrong effective/ineffective in "introducing" manywhere into standard English? (If one actually could do such a thing.)
I think it would be a great word! Am I missing something?
It seems to me that the opposite of somewhere (at some places) is manywhere (at many places) and NOT nowhere. It broadens the scope.  Does that make sense?

(Credit to @CoolHandLouis for editing help.)


texts: Is there a dictionary, that describe a slight difference between synonyms?

texts:
For example, there are three synonyms "concern", "relate to", "be about".

Is there a dictionary, that describe a slight difference between them?


texts: What do you call a smart man who says things like they are without being diplomatic or PC. I'm looking for a word that have a positive meaning.


texts:
Is there any difference (or wrong) among the following:

It's heart beat has stopped.
It's heartbeat has stopped.
It's heart beating has stopped.
It's heart has stopped beating.


texts: Is this a wrong sentence "Heidi Montag is probably more famous for the plastic surgery that she has had carried out than for her TV Career"?

texts:
This sentence is literally copied from an English textbook (Solutions 2nd Edition -Intermediate)

"Heidi Montag is probably more famous for the plastic surgery that she has had carried out than for her TV Career"?

Does it say "She has had the plastic surgery carried out"?


texts: What does "Stone walls do not make a prison" mean?

texts:
What does the following idiom mean

Stone walls do not make a prison.

Can anyone tell me situations where the given idiom can be used?


texts: Omitting "the" before the nouns that derives from verbs and the word "of"

texts:
Would the following sentences sound well if I droped "the"?

1 " Let us talk about (the) protection of the environtment."
2 "(The) protection of endangered animals is important."
3 "This program is not just (the) redistribution of wealth."
4 "That has led to (the) election of senators

Is "the" optional before the nouns that derives from verbs? If yes, then which types of sentences(with "the" or without) sound stylistically better and why?


texts:
Is it grammatically correct to use the words "adept" or "whiz" for describing a person that is an expert in a domain, for example:

This is a computer safety whiz.
This is a computer safety adept.
This is a health adept.
...

Thank You!!


texts: This period saw them ACCEPT expensive projects and SIGN an agreement

texts:
This authoritarian period saw the Maldives accept highly expensive infrastructure projects as part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative and even sign a free trade agreement with Beijing.

Is the above sentence correct with respect to the words in bold? I think the verb tense used here accept, sign is incorrect.

Still I am confused about using present continuous or past tense in the above sentence. Please help me with correct construction.

This authoritarian period saw the Maldives (accept/accepted/accepting) highly expensive infrastructure projects as part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative and even (sign/signed/signing) a free trade agreement with Beijing.


texts: Does the sentence "the computer on the desk broken by my little sister is mine." have two meanings?

texts:
This is the main sentence, "The computer on the desk broken by my little sister is mine."
Does it theoretically have two meanings?
What is broken by my little sister is the computer, or the desk?
It seems to me that both are theoretically possible.


texts: What does standardization among texts mean?

texts:
Prior to Gutenberg's invention, which involved the use of moveable type, books were expensive and relatively scarce, as each text was painstakingly copied by hand over a period of weeks or months.  As a result, the transmission and preservation of knowledge relied heavily upon oral, or spoken, communication and memorization, particularly among the vast majority of people who could not read or write.  For those with access to manuscript books, the lack of standardization among texts and the time-consuming process of duplication limited the accuracy and speed.  ("The Birth of Print Culture: The Invention of the Printing Press in Western Europe." Science and Its Times, edited by Neil Schlager and Josh Lauer, vol. 3, Gale, 2001. Student Resources in Context)

What on earth does the phrase "standardization among texts" mean?  Does it refer to double space, single space, etc OR literally space between words in a sentence?  Could you help me clarify it? Thanks.


texts:
I know that grammatically "I sat on the couch", or "I set the cup on the table".
I know that if you are doing the action yourself then it is 'sat'. Why doesn't this apply to the sun? The sun is doing the action

So couldn't you say "I watched the sun sat" rather than "I watched the sun set?
Maybe there is a simple answer.

I mean really, the sun doesn't do either right? The sun doesn't move. If anything the earth is what does all the moving.    Thanks


texts: What objects are these: auto, mobile, automobile

texts:
Is it true that an auto is always a car, and a mobile is always a phone?

Is an automobile exactly the same as an auto?

Does auto / automobile refer to a car with automatic transmission, a self-driving car, or just any car in general? Put it another way, is a human-operated manual transmission car still an auto / automobile?

If an intelligent robot can move around, answer phone calls, drive cars, is that an auto, mobile or automobile?


texts: Are "did" and "used to" two ways to express the same meaning?

texts:
Excuse me, I know that my question is probably duplicate in this forum, but as a beginner of English language, that's important for me to know the difference(s) between these words. I'm sorry if my question make you disappointed or angry.

Is there any difference between did and used to, considering these two dialogues?

Dialogue 1

  Did you use to teach art?
  No, I didn't teach art. I taught history.

Dialogue 2

  Did you use to have a dog?
  No, we didn't. What about you? Did you have a dog?

It seems to me that did and used to are basically two ways to express the same meaning and there is not any main differences between them. Am I right?


texts: Using "the" with this mode of transportation

texts:
If I want to refer to the Mass Rapid Transit as a means of transportation that I used to get to a zoo in the city, do I need to use the article "the" then?

In short, should it be:

  1) I took MRT to get to the zoo.

or

  2) I took the MRT to get to the zoo.

?


texts:
From the Cambridge Dictionary

householder: the person who owns or is in charge of a house

Suppose Anthony just bought a house, I guess he is always the owner of the house in the following contexts.
context 1
When Anthony rents the house to Kevin, is Kevin the householder? Is Anthony still the householder?
context 2
When Anthony hires Kevin as his housekeeper, is Kevin the householder? Is Anthony still the householder?
Are there any other contexts where someone else could be the householder?


texts:
The production of wine will be divided into a 50% given by X and Y, a 20% given by W and V, and a 30% given by Z

Each percentage contains one or two kinds that make it up. I am unsure whether the usage of divided into and given by sounds weird or not. I am not even sure whether putting a before the percentage is fine. Bullet lists are not an option, but radically restructuring the sentence is fine.


texts: The most important things which show that an speaker is not native

texts:
I know that there are many things which reveal that, for example, I am not a native English speaker. But I'd like to know the signs that native people use to determine if an speaker is not native.

We are told in the class that accent is very important but I know that there are many accents in both USA and England. So, why is it still so easy for a native speaker to know that someone is not native?  I mean, how can we be like native speakers? is it just about accent?


texts:
Please let me know if the word "occurrence"can be replaced with "happening" in the following example without any change in meaning?

If not, please let me know about the reason. Dictionary definitions do not seem to be quite to make any noticeable defference between these two words.

  In late October 1929 the stock market crashed, wiping out 40 percent of the paper values of common stock. When the stock market crashed in 1929, it didn't happen on a single day. ... But over the weekend many investors lost faith in the stocks and decided to sell their shares. All those happenings on the stock market could be interpreted in various ways.


texts:
I guess this is too much for one subject.

  The image of a barbaric mother who commits infanticide to conceal giving birth to a bastard child avoiding stigmatization or legal punishment is reflected in this pamphlet´s case.

Is all of this 1 subject ("The image...legal punishment") or is it 1 smaller subject "The image of a barbaric mother" and a not-essential who clause " who...legal punishment".

It should be the latter, shouldn´t it?


texts:
What is "He edges past the body" means in the last paragraph?
The living room. Alice hangs in the open doorway to the bedroom. Billy sits at the table with his
back to her. Screwed papers on the table and floor. He draws.
Billy (screws up a drawing) Cant do the feet right. They’re the wrong way. (Draws.) Why
don't the men come?
He picks up the handwritten list. Reads it. Puts it back on the table.
If I hadn't broken my crayons. Makes it hard. Won't break the new ones. (Draws.) The lady with
the chair’s got your face. (Picks up two drawings. Compares them.) Only hers is a puddle. (Puts
the drawings down. Draws.) P’raps she was your mother. Might’ve been.
He stops drawing. Stands. Goes towards the door.
’Scuse me, please.
He edges past the body. He touches it accidentally. It sways slightly. He goes into the other
room. Pause. He comes back. Squeezes past the body. Doesn’t touch it.


texts:
Please see the second response here.

  You should try xelatex which is almost a drop in replacement for
  latex.

Leaving aside the technical part, which of no interest to the general audience here, I am interested in knowing what does this "almost a drop in replacement" mean?

I have a general feeling that this means something which will eventually/easily replace something, but I may be wrong.

We have other questions (A, B) here on "drop", but they seem to be different.


texts: Use of Tense -Situation :- a 35 yr old man explaining to his son how he is so good at football

texts:
I have played a lot of football in school.

Or

I played a lot of football in school.

Situation :- a 35 yr old man explaining to his son how he is so good at football.

Well,  football that he had learnt in school, still has its connection with the present (he is still good at it) so I think we should use Present Perfect, but  he left school way before, so I also think we should use simple past. Which one's correct ? Please explain!


texts: I would like to know why we can say you are the most boring person I have ever met but it is incorrect to write you are the most dancing person I have ever met.


texts: Using reported speech, should I use "having passed" or "passing"?

texts:
Using the reported speech, I would change the following sentence in these ways.

  "You have just passed your exam. Congratulations!" Tom said to me.
  Tom congratulated me on having passed my exam.

  "Congratulations! You passed your exams." they said to Maya.
  They congratulated Maya on passing her exams.

Can I write Tom congratulated me on passing my exam?


texts: Why is it "How you love to hate me?" instead of "How do you love to hate me?"

texts:
How you love to hate me?

This is not a subject question, but why is it correct and we don't say

How do you love to hate me?

I have same problem with this question:

Why she said that?


texts: Shouldn´t would only be used for hypothetical ideas or statements?

texts:
I recently visited a concert where the singer (an American) said something that puzzled me. He talked about the fact that it was great to be on tour and to having  made it this far and then said that he had always wanted to say something from a stage and that: "these words would be: Thank you...etc."

Shouldn´t he have said, "These words are..."?

It is actually a special (or legendary) kind of stage concerning metal bands. Famous bands had played there before they played their gig.


texts:
In her akward TED talk, Christen Reighter talks about physiological exams for her bodily autonomy. She mentions:

  I wanted to give that doctor every piece of evidence that I was not
  the date of birth in that file. (5:38)

Can you explain what she meant? Is the phrase idiomatic?


texts:
In the film "Basse Normandie" of Simon Regiani and Patricia Mazuy, I saw this subtitle, is it possible

  I have been working while I wait for you

I think it should be:

  while I was waiting or while I waited

Because when the character said that sentence the wait was over but the character was still working.


texts: Can both gerund or infinitive make it in this case

texts:
He never remembers 1. _______ his mother a birthday card. It has been so long since he did it that she can't remember ever 2._RECEIVING_one from him

Could it be in 1 sending: I know the solution is to send but I  think sending could make it too because he did send... may be  a long time ago but he did it.

I know the difference between "remember to" or "remember gerund" but in this particular case I think both can fit. I don't see a real difference.

https://www.dailystep.com/en/blog/remember-and-forget-gerund-or-infinitive-how-does-the-meaning-change