texts: "I gave it everything I've got" or "I gave everything I've got"

texts:
Last day, I read this sentence " Nice game, the team gave IT everything they've got"
to give is a transitive verb therefore An object must follow the verb; however I consider "everything they've got" the object of the sentence so there's no need to put IT in the sentence....

so what's going on here ?


texts: Using infinitive instead of perfect infinitive

texts:
Here I see below sentence:

  We hope to have finished the building works by the end of March

My question is if I write this sentence using infinitive instead of the perfect infinitive then will it be wrong? And why?

  We hope to finish the building works by the end of March

UPDATE 1: I want to know from strict grammar point of view.


texts: Is it correct to say "I was born on the 2nd of August of 1996"?

texts: I would like to know if it is correct to say "I was born on the 2nd of August of 1996" and if there are other ways to say when a person was born.


texts:
I'm not a native English speaker, and I have specific concerns about the following text:

  After starting my education in Veterinary Medicine and beginning to know diseases and issues that cause problems for animals and their owners**,**  I have learned that poisoning was one of the most common problems which we had to deal with it. The interesting thing about poisoning is its diversity. It seemed surprising to me that beside of famous and notorious toxins, many essential elements and substances like Calcium, Sodium and even water can be considered toxins."

Is it correct to use a comma in this situation (for animals and their owners, I have learned...)?
Does it make sense to use surprising in this sentence? ("It seemed surprising to me that beside of famous and notorious toxins...")
Shouldn't water start with a capital letter? ("...many essential elements and substances like Calcium, Sodium and even water can be considered toxins.")


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

texts:
I have been trying to translate an article about wearable smart watches. The meaning of "shortage" in the text below is unclear to me: Does it mean lack of quantity or lack of quality or lack of facilities ?

  There is no shortage of wearable gear out there, and really what I’m
  writing about here is the latest crop of smartwatches, most of which
  run on Android Wear. In the grand scheme, I know it is but a portion
  of what many of us may use, be it Jawbone’s UP, or Fitbit, or
  Samsung’s Tizen powered Galaxy Gear, and for me, it really comes down
  to a single issue. As I thought about that single issue though, I
  examined other factors that leave me feeling pensive about what lies
  ahead.


texts: "My concern is with the rhythms of nature I work inside out, like nature."

texts:
My concern is with the rhythms of nature I work inside out, like
nature

Jackson Pollock
Is the word "with" in the quote necessary? Would the quote change its meaning without the word "with"?


texts: We push and pull like a magnet "do" (or "does")?

texts:
Ed Sheeran sings in his Shape of You:

  ...we push and pull like a magnet do

Shouldn't that do be a does, since magnet is a singular noun?


texts:
Dears,

pls advise the difference in usage of the following prepositions with DISTANCE. There is little info in grammar, I'd be glad even just to hear the ideas of native speakers as they feel it.
(My assumptions in brackets)

1)In the/a distance (mostly vague remoteness)

2)On (a) distance (of) (physical figure with usually accurate figures, km, m..)

3)At the/a distance of (the same? physical figure with km, m..)

*e.g.

1)On a clear day you can see the temple in the distance./In a distance of 300 meters a number of tents housed a radio operator and helicopter pilots whose helicopters MI-8 stood motionless not very far away.

2)a picturesque valley of East Carpathians' foothills at a height of 350 m above sea level on distance of 105 km from L'viv./On a distance of 100 meters there is a concert hall Dzintari located and close to the lat is a Jomas street.

3)credit for land purchase is provided for land located in Kyiv or at the distance of 40 km.*/Particularly at a distance of three feet.

The examples are taken from the web randomly.Maybe some sounds unnaturally?

pls also advise when to use articles A or THE with DISTANCE.

Thanks in advance.


texts:
Can 'close your mouth' mean 'shut your mouth'?
I know that 'shut your mouth' is a rude way to say stop speaking. But I need to know whether 'close your mouth' can indirectly mean 'stop speaking' or not?


texts:
Will it be grammatically correct to say "How long more must I wait?" instead of "How much longer must I wait?". Do they convey the same meaning and stress?

I just wish to avoid the most common phrase.

Are there any more examples?


texts: what's the meaning of "Smash office hit"?

texts:
I searched "Smash hit" meaning:

an unusually successful hit with widespread popularity and huge sales (especially a movie or play or recording or novel)

I'd seen a speech where they used "Smash office hit". I am not sure if it makes sense to add a noun word btw "smash hit". And what will it mean if it does make sense?


texts: "are the same thing" vs. "mean the same thing"

texts:
In one of my posts (Are "passive participle" and " Passive voice" the same thing in Modern English?) I said

  Are "passive participle" and " Passive voice" the same thing in Modern English?

The pattern used there is A and B are the same thing.

Per one of my posts ("mean the same" vs. "mean the same thing"), "mean the same thing" is more preferred than "mean the same" and it is not just stylish thing. According to which, I guess "A and B are the same thing" is more preferred than "A and B are the same".

The question is which one of the following is more preferred? Is it just stylish thing? Are they interchangeable in any cases?

  A and B are the same thing

  A and B mean the same thing


texts: Can the sentence "Do you know if Jason ------ French before moving to France?" ever be asking about something that has already happened?

texts:
Consider the following sentence,

  "Do you know if Jason ------ French before moving to France?"

Which of the following options best completes it?

a.has studied
b.has been studying
c.will have been studying
d.will be studying

Is it possible that the sentence refers to an event that already happened, that is, Jason already has moved to France, or it can only be used, the way it is phrased, to refer to an event that is still to happen?

How would you rephrase it in the case that Jason has already moved to France?

Explanation:To my non-native ears, at first it seemed like the question could be referring both to event that already happened, and also to an event that is still in the intent phase.

However, after reading native speakers discuss a similar question, they think that choices a. and b. sound immediately wrong, therefore ruling out the possibility that the sentence refers to something that has already happened.

What is the truth then?


texts: Can "attached with " be used in the same way as "provided with"?

texts:
Is it possible to rewrite example 1 into example 2 ?

  The plate is attached to the wall.
  The wall is attached with the plate.


texts: One sentence with both "could" and "should"

texts:
The envoy could potentially seek Chinese commitment for future support
  should North Korea’s talks with rivals fall through.

In this sentence, what does the "should" mean for?

Here's the source.


texts:
Using 8va and 16va in music notation makes music sheets tidier and reading them becomes a lot (simpler/more simple).

Which sounds better and is more common?


texts:
Imagine a situation, when you are trying do something, give up and then trying again, and repeat this many times. You do this just because you can't imagine your life without something and desperate to get it, but nothing seems to work. You stubborn in your goals, but flexible in the ways. You want to be perseverant, but you don't have enough energy to be perseverant for a long period of time.

What is the best positive word to describe it? I tried Perseverance, Persistence, Sedulity, Stubbornness, Willfulness, but none fits good enough. Or may be I misunderstand them and they do? Desperation fits well, I guess, but I would like to emphasise a positive side of the situation/person.


texts: Difference between an adviser and supervisor

texts:
As far as I know, an adviser is the one who offers an advice.

A supervisor is the one who makes sure things are done correctly.

In a media channel a person who checks things at the final stage to make sure that nothing is aired that contradicts the policy, or shouldn't be aired due any factor, is called an adviser or supervisor?

Why this question revolves in my mind because I saw somewhere the word 'adviser' being used for a person on the job I've mentioned. I think: an advice can be turned down. But whatever the man on this job says is accepted; i.e. cutting the video, editing, blurring, etc. None of his words is rejected since he is the authority and is responsible too.

Do I have the right position that this person shouldn't be called 'an adviser'?


texts: It has been known since long time that / Since long, it has been known that

texts:
I need to start a sentence by saying that something has been known for a long time. What is the most elegant way of writing that? Two possibilities that come to my mind are:

  1) It has been known since long time that ...

  2) Since long, it has been known that ...

Personally, I prefer the second option. The first sounds ugly to me. But since I'm not a native English speaker, I would like to ask for suggestions of what would be the best way of saying that. Please feel free to suggest other forms.


texts:
My friend has a translation business. He inquired if I could assist him for this: He posted on a job-search site to look for employees:

  “We look for some more people**,** to take on-board…”

Does he have to put a comma, there? He said he did it as a secondary clause. And, with on-board, would he have to hyphenate this?


texts:
Irwin Shubert was nineteen, a tall bronzed boy with curly black hair,
  sleepy black eyes, and a mouth too lavish for his face.

  -The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz by Mordecai Richler -

Does 'lavish' here mean 'big'?


texts: the subject of "taking an endless pleasure "

texts:
Next to motherhood, sisterhood is what they value most, taking an endless pleasure in the daily, common place society of one another.

Isn't "sisterhood" the subject of the participle "taking"? But I don't think it makes much sense.


texts:
sound track
I'm practicing this listening stuff. It seems to be "in a fact" or "in the fact" at the beginning of the sentence. I'm not sure. I searched both. They're all not so common.


texts: Using "thereof" to refer to people, in my case to "staff"

texts:
Somehow I feel like the word "thereof" doesn't fit well, but I can't put my finger on it. Can you help me decide between the following formulations (or find a working alternative)?

  Target is organizational and technical managerial staff, and representatives thereof.

First, I'm not sure if I'm starting the sentence correctly. Would it perhaps be better to write something along the lines of

  The target group consists of organizational and technical managerial staff, and their representatives.

or even to insert the word "respectively"? The sentence should describe the target group of an application we wrote, that is, the end users of the application. Any input is very welcome as this is the first time I have to write a business-related text in English.

Edit: Though I'm mainly interested in the American English view on this, I'm also glad for suggestions regarding British English.


texts:
The noun "question" has two meanings: "doubt" and "possibility."
I'd like to know when "There is no question of . . ." has one meaning but not the other.


texts: How to translate "tu as toute ta place ici" from French

texts:
I am actually writing my first song in English and was wondering how to translate "tu as toute ta place ici" from French to English. It means "this is your place, yours, truly yours, you can stay".

My attempt: You've got a whole place here?


texts: "An almost any question" vs "Almost any question"

texts:
I'm trying to understand the difference between these two sentences:

"Google can provide an answer to an almost any question." vs "Google can provide an answer to almost any question."

I understand that articles can sometimes be omitted for desired meaning like "It brought us little comfort" vs "It brought us a little comfort," but why should or shouldn't I use one in the examples above?

Thanks.


texts:
Source

  Kid is reluctant at first, saying he did not complete the combat
  training needed, only for Mifune to tell him, "Neither did I."

What is the meaning of this sentence: only for Mifune to tell him?


texts: Can "on" indicate repetition on itself? For instance, does the sentence the planet spins on express the same thing as the planet keeps spinning?


texts: Usage of past/perfect past tense verb to describe noun

texts:
I have been learning English for several years now, but I cannot explain properly the reason that past tense verbs can describe nouns.

  The data presented in the above graph suggests that ...

  The written evidence found was illegible.

I believe the above sentences are grammatically correct.

Here, in the first example, 'presented' describes the noun, 'data'.

In the second example, the noun 'evidence' is described by 'written' and 'found'.

To express the above sentences alternatively, I think they can be written as:

  The data that was presented in the above graph suggests that ...

  The written evidence that was found was illegible.

So, can I assume that 'that was' is omitted in both of the sentences?

How would you explain effectively and correctly the construction of this type of sentences to a student?


texts: 'you will be receiving an invoice' - why the continuous?

texts:
Could you let me know why future continuous is used in this sentence:

  You will be receiving an invoice from Thomas in a few days.

Is it because it relates to a routine, or is it because of the duration (in a few days), or is it because the man who wrote the email is a different person (neither Thomas nor the man who will receive the email) and his willingness cannot influence Thomas' action meaning maybe Thomas can forget….


texts:
My logical programmer brain made me write "had had made" in a sentence like

  John talked about a spare key that he had had made and which turned out not to work when he actually needed it.

My language sense lodged a protest but could not pinpoint any actual fault, apart from suggesting the use of more human-digestible constructs like "a spare key that he had arranged to be made".

And so my logical programmer brain - which is hung up on precision and formal semantics by way of occupational hazard - still needs to know if the "had had made" construct is grammatically correct. Can you help?

Note: the crux is that "a spare key that he had made" (only one "had") would imply that John made the key himself, instead of having someone else make it.


texts: Why is it not OK to use the Present Perfect here?

texts:
Michael Swan, in his grammar book, says that in this context the Present Perfect tense is not to be used.

  1) Why are you crying? – Tony hit me.

  2) This picture looks great. Did you paint it yourself?

I don't understand why the following are wrong, in his opinion. Could you shed some light on the factor I am missing?

These are apparently wrong. Why?

  3) Why are you crying? – Tony has hit me.

  4) This picture looks great. Have you painted it yourself?


texts: What would be the passive version of "I am having the knowledge"?

texts:
This question was asked in some exam. I am not sure whether "Have" should be converted to "had" or the sentence itself has no passive form. I think,

  Active: I am having the knowledge.
  Passive: The know ledge is being had by me. -- Incorrect.

I think is and had can't go together.


texts:
Good idea;
Good point.

Is there any difference in meaning between the above expressions?

For me they seem to be quite similar and interchangeable.

Would you please let me know your opinion?


texts: would rather can be used as a cover term instead of the other phrases or verbs for stating preferences

texts:
Speakspeak exercises
Having taken into consideration the link above, could we use the following to talk about either a general statement or a specific one?-- I mean just the following has the capacity for showing either of the previous statement, not the other ones such as prefer, would prefer, and so on.
would rather
Please feel free to ask me any question, so that you can get what I really want to know.
Any help would be appreciated
Updated:
I would rather go swimming-- as a general statement, i.e., as a habit or favourit activity.
I would rather go swimming now.-- as a specific statement, i.e., at the time of talking.
Basically, my question is the fact that we could use the phrase would rather to show either of the situations. Nonetheless, we could not use the other phrases like prefer and so on  to show such a function at the exact time


texts:
6 The fused relative construction

  ▓ Classification An initial illustration of the range of
  constructions belonging to the fused relative category is given in
  [1]: [1]         SIMPLE SERIES                        -EVERSERIES
  i a. I spent what he gave me.         b. I spent whatever he gave me.
 ii a. I gave him what money I had.     b. I gave him whatever money I had.
iii a. I’ll go where you go.            b. I’ll go wherever you go.

  On one dimension we have a contrast between the simple series and the
  -ever series, the latter being marked by a relative word ending in -ever. Cutting across this is the major category contrast: the fused relatives are NPs in [i-ii], PPs in [iii]. And within the NP category
  we have a further distinction according as the relative word is a
  pronoun, as in [i], or a determinative, as in [ii]. (CGEL,p.1068)

Considering that they are calling before in this sentence, I saw him before he left, a preposition (p.58), I can tell why they are calling the clause, where you go: in [iii], prepositional. What I want to know, now, is, if there are any persons other than the CGEL’s writers who call this where usage a preposition. Are there any others?


texts: Granted, the plastic envelopes that encase computer components challenge the most avid box shredder. - I don't understand what this sentence says

texts:
Source: Sams Teach Yourself Networking in 24 Hours, 4th Edition by Uyless Black (2009)

Example:

  If you're opening the case and the top doesn't come off easily, don't force it. Forcing a computer case may damage the box and its contents. Granted, the plastic envelopes that encase computer components (and other modern electronic products) challenge the most avid box shredder. Nonetheless, force will merely strengthen the case against you... so to speak.

I pondered what that might mean for a while and finally gave up. Any idea as to what exactly the author means by plastic envelops and avid box shredder? What does all that have to do with shredding cases made of plastic? I don't understand the joke.


texts: Do "for" and "since" change what the sentence implies in the present perfect tense?

texts:
When someone says
"I have lived in this house."
and finishes the sentence right there, does it mean they still live in that house or do we need more context to know that?
What if the sentence is
"I have lived here for 10 years / since 10 years ago."?
Does this remove all the doubt and clearly imply that the person is still living in that house?


texts: "it is a tedious process" vs. "it is tedious"

texts:
Adapted From the Cambridge Dictionary

Learning a new computer program is a tedious process.

I am aware the meaning of the whole sentence. I'd just like to know the difference between the sentence above and the one below.

Learning a new computer program is tedious.

Does the former convey a stronger feeling? Is the latter more common as it is shorter?

From the Cambridge Dictionary

process: a series of actions that you take in order to achieve a result


texts: I will call somebody else, not neither him nor you

texts:
I have a sentence
I will call neither you nor him
I guess it means
I won't call neither you nor him
Out of it it's not clear whether I will call anyone at all but I want to say that I will call but among the people I will call there will be neither you nor him. Can I say it like
I will call somebody else, NOT neither you nor him
or should it be like
I will call somebody else, neither you nor him
I am worried NOT neither you nor him = 2 negations which is a bad grammar.


texts: Do native English speakers always pronounce `th` correctly?

texts:
I’m currently trying to learn correct pronunciation of th phonemes
(/θ/, /ð/) since with my th-fronting I can’t pronounce words like
thorough or thief.

Basically every online lesson states that I should stick my tongue
between the teeth. For example, this video.

I tried that approach and after some struggling I was able to somehow
pronounce single words like think, that, or the.

However, I can’t pronounce these words in the middle of the sentence
as they break my breathing. I watched that video more closely and
noticed that the woman did stick her tongue on the when she tried
to emphasize correct pronunciation at 0:20, but she did not do this at 0:40
(or at least I didn’t notice it).

So the question is, are native English speakers actually able to
pronounce in single breath phrases like at the beginning or what the
heck “correctly” — that is, with sticking their tongue out?

I also found an article that proves my suspicions. It states

  Don’t Place Your Tongue BETWEEN the Teeth – It’s WRONG!

but it’s too “unpopular” (video has only 1k views), so I’m not sure
whether I can trust it.

Also, does UK/US make any difference here?


texts: Is the use of "either" in the following context, good english and grammatically correct?

texts:
A: I don't like apple, what about you? Do you like it either ?
B: No, I don't like it neighter. ( me neither )


texts: Default meaning of "Korean" (without North/South)

texts:
A user sent me an e-mail stating that he/she is Korean, without further details about which Korea. In English, is it the default that Korean means from South Korea? Is it always the case?

For extra background:

The person is currently living in the US. From this information, I infer that it is very likely that the person is South Korean. However, given that the person did not specify this, either:

They assume that South Korean is the default, hence no need to specify it;
They want to hide the fact that they are North Korean, hence they chose to omit it.

Both explanations would seem plausible to me.

Also note that, in the context of the message, only nationality would be relevant, not ethnicity.


texts:
"The dorm looked like a prison. (For) how long would he have to live here?"
As far as I know, both are grammatical. But which is more common?


texts: "She is my only friend" or "she is my friend only" - place of "only"

texts:
I have a female friend called Alice (fake name). Someone else asked me if she is my girlfriend. I want to tell them that she is not my girlfriend but only friend. By "only" I want to mean that the only relationship between us is friendship. But the sentence below is ambiguous:

she is my only friend

It means two things to me:

she is the only friend I have (that is, I don't have any other friends)
she is my only friend (she is not my *girlfriend but only friend)

How can I remove the ambiguity? If I want to say that the only relationship we have is friendship.


texts: What's the difference between "deal" and "treaty"?

texts:
Mohammad Javad Zarif, foreign Minister of Iran, had a talk with Charlie Rose months after JCPOA (commonly known as Iran nuclear deal) disccussing the agreement and other related issues. In this talk, Zarif refers to the agreement as:

  It was a deal not a treaty.

Consulting various dictionaries, no clear difference can be found between the two words. I would appreciate it if you could clarify this for me.

The link to the talk is provided below:

Iranian Foreign Minister in Conversation with Charlie Rose


texts: Industrial Agriculture or Intensive Farming?

texts:
Look at the following paragraph and fill in the blank.

So can the true cost of food be brought down? Breaking away from industrial agriculture as the solution to hunger may be very hard for some countries, but in Britain, where the immediate need to supply food is less urgent, and the cost and the damage of intensive farming have been clearly seen, it may be more feasible. The government needs to create sustainable, competitive and diverse farming and food sectors, which contribute to a thriving and sustainable rural economy, and advance environmental, economic, health, and animal welfare goals.

  It is realistic to suggest that Britain should reduce its reliance on ..................... .

What I get from the paragraph is that

Breaking away from industrial agriculture as the solution to hunger may be very hard for some countries, but in Britain, it may be more feasible.

So I choose Industrial Agriculture. However, the answer sheet says that it should be Intensive Farming.

Can someone shed some light on this for me? Am I misinterpreting the paragraph?


texts: What is the meaning of the word 'but' here

texts:
Science will continue to invent more things, but most significant improvements in people's lives are done by science.

What is the meaning of 'but' in the above sentence?  I am having difficulty understanding this question. Please tell me what is the first portion of the sentence is saying and what is the second.
Please break down the sentence while explaining.

If you had given the same task to do, how'd you start your essay? How'd you agree and disagree with the essay?


texts: Do we say "The police confiscated his car" in everyday conversation?

texts:
Do we say "confiscate" in everyday conversation?
For example,
A robber stole a car and "The police confiscated his car"
A student brought a knife to school and "The security man confiscated his knife"


texts: What are the differences between "check it" and "check it out"?

texts:
"Check it" makes sense to me. But I don't understand the meaning of "check it out". It is not the only case. In many cases, the addition of "out" makes the sentences/phrases awkward to me, though this type of sentences/phrases are available in English movies, such as "David held the box" makes sense, but if I add 'out' after the word 'held out' (David held out the box) does not make any sense, i.e I can not understand the meaning.

Please, help me to get rid from this problem.


texts:
A: They are not going to school today.
B: They don't go to school today.
C: They haven't gone to school today.
D: They didn't go to school today.

Which one is correct if I want to use today


texts:
I came to the conclusion that I use "I have" too much and I think I'm making a lot of grammar mistakes when doing so.

For example, I write " I have sold " a lot. and " I have told " etc.

Is it right to use the "have" here? or can I just say " I sold, I told " what is the rule behind it?

Thank you!


texts: How do you read the differential mark aloud?


texts:
I wonder if some verbs can not be passive voice.
I was writing a sentence.

The top case split off from the rest of the parts.

I was thinking that the case doesn't do it itself, So I looked for the passive voice of split off from the internet,but I couldn't find any. So I wonder if some verbs can't be passive? Or it is doesn't matter passive or not.


texts: Oxford Dictionary online (ODO) doesn't have a definition for the verb but a few other dictionaries have it. Should I use it as a verb? Is it common nowadays to use it as verb?


texts: Meaning of "in the like name of that love of ours" (and specifically of "like") in a poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

texts:
A sonnet translated by Elizabeth Barrett Browning from Portuguese:

  Beloved, thou hast brought me many flowers
  Plucked in the garden, all the summer through
  And winter, and it seemed as if they grew
  In this close room, nor missed the sun and showers,
  So, in the like name of that love of ours,
  Take back these thoughts which here unfolded too,
  And which on warm and cold days I withdrew
  From my heart’s ground. Indeed, those beds and bowers
  Be overgrown with bitter weeds and rue,
  And wait thy weeding; yet here’s eglantine,
  Here’s ivy!— take them, as I used to do
  Thy flowers, and keep them where they shall not pine.
  Instruct thine eyes to keep their colours true,
  And tell thy soul, their roots are left in mine.

I don't understand the meaning of the word "like" here and of the whole phrase generally. Does "like" here mean "similar"? Similar to what? To flowers? "In the flower-like name of that love of hours"? I don't get it.


texts:
Did they ever hold a police sting in this establishment?

I am not sure if I am correct, but "hold" doesn't seem to be the correct word or the most appropriate word to use. It seems passable, but I think there's a more commonly used word in this context.


texts:
Money can be exchanged for goods or services that fulfill people’s needs and wants which in turn bring happiness.

Is the usage of "which in turn" correct in this sentence?


texts:
This year we have economic crisis deepen in our country.
  This year we had economic crisis deepen in our country.

Are they both grammatical and sensical? If yes, then how do you read both examples? I am interested in your interpretation.


texts: Definite article for not specific things

texts:
This is an extract from an exercise on indefinite articles from an English text-book:

  ...

  Gary works in a restaurant. He brings the food to the tables. He is a waiter.

But my question is about the definite articles here (selected):

We don't know which food and which tables. Why the definite articles are used here then?


texts: Use of 'the' after preposition for describing people's outfit

texts:
Which one is the correct answer and why? I don't know what the difference is between "in striped shirt" and "in the striped shirt":

  She is the woman in striped shirt.

  She is the woman in the striped shirt.

  She is the woman with striped shirt.


texts: In this sentence what it means (on his record)

texts:
Democratic presidential contenders got their first chance to confront
  Mike Bloomberg on the debate stage Wednesday night in Las Vegas.
  Bloomberg spent much of the night on the defensive as the five other
  candidates repeatedly pressed the billionaire on his record. CBS News
  political contributor Molly Hooper joins Anne-Marie Green and Vladimir
  Duthiers in the CBSN studio to break down the debate.

In this sentence what is it means (on his record) ?


texts: "Simple past" vs "present perfect" in an intermediate test

texts:
The following two questions are taken from my younger sister's test on English (Apparently they are made up by non-native speakers):

  -- I wish I had succeeded in the final exams.

  -- Yeah, I know. But _____ hard?

  A. do you study B. did you study

  C. had you studied D. have you studied
  -- I'm very disappointed with my neighbor. She said she would keep her cat off my grass, but she _____.

  A. didn't  B. hasn't  C. wouldn't  D. hadn't

Both of the answers are B. Although I understand the grammar rules which the test is intended to challenge young students on, I don't think these two questions work well for language learning.

In the given contexts, I think D and A works fine as well respectively.

The present perfect tense in Q1 would sound like more of a rhetorical question, saying the hearer haven't studied hard at all.

The simple past tense in Q2 would sound more natural to my ears, for it would follow the normal tense sequence. I know the original answer is trying to tell students "she hasn't (kept her cat on a leash until now)."

I would like to hear some opinions from a native speaker.


texts:
This is the context:

  Well, that’s very odd. I’m in a minority because for some reason I’m one of those people who
  never got myself completely fascinated by this question. And in part this is because I
  never could imagine what an answer to that question would be. I find it difficult to conceive of a question
  without having some idea of the structure of an acceptable answer. If there is a structure, I don’t know
  about it.

  source: The enigma of human consciousness.New York Academy of Sciences.

What is the meaning of "conceive" in this context? Does it mean to think about it?


texts: What does this phrase mean here: "it may be considered to be agreed"? Is the thing agreed upon, or not?

texts:
In the case of individual self-defence, the exercise of this right is subject to
the State concerned having been the victim of an armed attack. Reliance on collective
self-defence of course does not remove the need for this. There appears now to
be general agreement on the nature of the acts which can be treated as constituting
armed attacks. In particular, it may be considered to be agreed that an armed attack
must be understood as including not merely action by regular armed forces across
an international border, but also ‘the sending by or on behalf of a State of armed
bands, groups, irregulars or mercenaries, which carry out acts of armed force against
another State of such gravity as to amount to’ (inter alia) an actual armed attack
conducted by regular forces, ‘or its substantial involvement therein’.


texts: Green eyes / green eyed / eyes vocabulary

texts:
I am wondering what's the most usual to say between

  he got green eyes
  his eyes are green
  he is green eyed

Does it depends on the English speaking country?
I am also wondering about the eyes vocabulary, for example hazel (which means brown and green eyes) does not exist in French.


texts: Can I write, "The two best things about the party was the food and the music?"

texts:
The two best things about the party was the food and the music.

Is the statement right or not?
If it is not right then what is the right statement?
I am not clear about if we are using plural noun "things" and using single form of verb "was"  and the single noun in the next sentence.
With which plural in first part of sentence is used with single form of verb in the second. Is there any general rule?


texts: How is "at that" used in British and American English in the end of sentences?

texts:
Are there any rules on how "at that" should be used in the end of a sentence?

  Not only was he discriminatory, but even quite rude at that.

  He was very discriminatory and even quite rude at that.


texts: Is the phrase, "the vending machine was broke" acceptable?

texts:
Is the phrase, "the vending machine was broke" acceptable, or do we have to say "the vending machine was broken"?

It seems perfectly legal to say, "the vending machine was restocked"; both restocked and broke are past tenses (of restock and break, respectively), so I would think "broke" is correct too.


texts:
It would also be doing a big service to the honest business community and country, should that interest the president as well.

Source: http://www.fsfinalword.com/?page=archive&show=1&day=2015-05-26

What is the grammatical structure in the second part of the sentence ("should that interest the president as well"). Some kind of inversion? Could you rewrite that into a more comprehensible form?


texts:
I know that live has several meanings, and two different pronunciations (/lɪv/ and /laɪv/), but I don't know which pronunciation I should use in each case.
Can anybody clarify this?


texts:
She finally called a solicitor, by which time the hotel had been closed down

What does the the relative clause in the above sentence exactly mean?

Does that sentence have the same meaning with this sentence: By the time she finally called a solicitor, the hotel had been closed

In relative clause, except the word "time", Do we use other nouns together with "which"?


texts:
Are following sentences correct?

1- Where all those stuff have disappeared "to"?

2- Where all those stuff have disappeared "into"?

In dictionaries for disappear I see into as a preposition but I'm not sure it can be used in above contexts.


texts: Can the verb "sandwich" be used in an active voice?

texts:
Longman Online Dictionary takes the following example sentence to explain the verb "sandwich":

  A layer of transparent material is sandwiched between the pieces of
  glass.

Is it possible to rewrite this as follows?:

  The pieces of glass sandwich a layer of transparent material.


texts:
Visa, like many other neutral gender Latin words with a singular ending in -um, is the plural form of visum.
Visas is thus the plural form of the plural form, comparable to
mouse - mice - ‘mices’ or
goose - geese - ‘geeses’.
Same goes for quotum - quota - ‘quotas’.
What is your expert opinion on this matter?


texts: How to analyze and understand the expression "embodying and imagining community together" in this sentence?

texts:
I came across a long sentence in today's NYT.

>...reminding us that theater and performance are powerful resources for embodying and imagining community together.

I find it an ambiguous expression by using the word "together" here. Here are my questions,

Does it refer to "powerful resources together" ,"both embodying community and imagining community"or "community together"?
What does "embody and imagine community" mean?
I can't grasp the accurate meaning of the sentence. What does the whole sentence mean?


texts:
Dialogue:

  — Did you do your homework?
  — Taken care of.

Is this a normal response or rarely used?


texts: I have been taking these pills for 3 days

texts:
I have question about using this phrase. For example my doctor told me to take 1 pill every day. Then after 3 days he asked me: how long have you been taking these meds?

I was taking them the 1st day, 2nd, 3rd and today 4th day I took them too in the morning and doctor asked me on 4th day how long have you been taking them. I said

  I have been taking them for 3 days

but I am not sure since I took the pill today too so shouldnt have I said 4 days?

Should I count the on-going day or still not until its fully finished?


texts:
Context: "And you, you little liar, if you..."
Should there be a comma between "you" and "little liar" and if no, why?


texts: What is the difference between "in" and "at"?

texts:
While I know very well the difference between "on" and "in", or even between "on" and "above", I didn't get what the difference between "in" and "at" is, that many specific things strictly get just one of them (such as "at the university", "in the building", "in / at the morning".).

Is there a clear rule where to use this one (at) and where to use the second one (in)?


texts:
I want to order something on the internet. I realise that I have lost my password, I have asked for it but it has not reach me yet.
I want to order something on the internet. I realise that I have lost my password, I ask for it but it has not reach me yet.

Please let me know if "ask" should be present perfect as it relates to the loss of my password or present simple. I think present perfect is better. Maybe "realise" should be present perfect too?
Now the same scenario in the past:

I wanted to order something on the internet. I realised that I had lost my password, I  asked for it but it had not reached me yet.
I wanted to order something on the internet. I realised that I had lost my password, I had  asked for it but it had not reached me yet.

Same question for "ask" past simple or past perfect. I think past simple is better.


texts:
following this article

I don't understand what is snarl of bramble from

  If you draw many loops containing a large number of points, most of
  the loops will overlap and tangle like a snarl of brambles.

from the context, they are talking about sets of points that intersect each other.  snarl means like contorted? and brambles is like brushes?


texts: understanding words in a passage about Caning

texts:
this conversation is about caning, but I have a problem with the meaning of this line:

  "Take this firmly in both hands and bend and you could snap it in
  two."

the context is about "snap" the meaning is breaking cane or is about beating with the cane?

Here is the context from The Cane by Mark Ravenhill:

  Maureen: It’s actually really rather puny.
  Edward: I suppose when it was first fashioned everyone was very much
  smaller. Both teacher and child. Everyone in the past was shorter. Without the
  nutrition. Even thirty years ago, the children were by and large scrawny. The
  children now are great big tall fat. And to the child at the time – you’ve got to
  imagine from a child’s perspective at the time it wasn’t so tiny.
  Maureen: Did a cane never snap?
  Edward: Never.
  Maureen: I would have thought such a puny
  Edward: The strength lies in the flexibility.
  Maureen: But even so it must be very easy to break
  Edward: It’s a lot stronger than it looks.
  Maureen: Take this firmly in both hands and bend and you could snap it in
  two.
  Edward: No, actually no.
  Maureen: How do you know? Have you tried? Do it now. Take it and snap it
  in two.


texts:
What is the difference between "I saw Sam playing." and "I saw Sam was playing."?
If first 'playing' is a gerund what is it expressing ? How is it different from the second sentence ?


texts:
    The envelope was thick and heavy, made of yellowish
  parchment, and the address was written in emerald-green ink. There was
  no stamp. Turning the envelope over, his hand trembling, Harry saw a
  purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion, an eagle, a badger,
  and a snake surrounding a large letter H.        "Hurry
  up, boy!" shouted Uncle Vernon from the kitchen. "What are you doing,
  checking for letter bombs?" He chuckled at his own joke.
       Harry went back to the kitchen, still staring at his
  letter. He handed Uncle Vernon the bill and the postcard, sat down,
  and slowly began to open the yellow envelope.
  Uncle Vernon ripped open the bill, snorted in disgust, and flipped
  over the postcard.        "Marge's ill," he informed Aunt
  Petunia. "Ate a funny whelk. . ."        "Dad!" said
  Dudley suddenly. "Dad, Harry's got something!"
  Harry was on the point of unfolding his letter, which was written on
  the same heavy parchment as the envelope, when it was jerked sharply
  out of his hand by Uncle Vernon.        "That's mine!" said
  Harry, trying to snatch it back.        "Who'd be
  writing to you?" sneered Uncle Vernon, shaking the letter open with
  one hand and glancing at it. His face went from red to green faster
  than a set of traffic lights. And it didn't stop there. Within seconds
  it was the grayish white of old porridge.  (Harry Potter and the
  Sorcerer's Stone)

(1) If the sentence were ‘who’d write to you? (A)’, it could imply serial multiplicity of writing. So (A) is not proper for the case indicating just an occurrence. Is this what the original meaning?

(2) If the sentence were ‘who is writing to you? (B)’, it could imply Harry already know who they are. So (B) is not proper, for he doesn’t know who they are. Is this what the original meaning?


texts: Translate "Soroban" as "abacus" or "Japanese abacus"?

texts:
While "soroban" can be used as a word in English, I wouldn't use it in everyday conversation - I'm a Japanophile and I didn't know the word!

While googling the word, I came across Wikipedia's entry defining it. Before reading its entry on soroban, and its entry on abacus, I didn't realize that there were other kinds of abaci.

Would I use "abacus" or "Japanese abacus" for the soroban?


texts: Tricky sentence-poor knowledge-need help

texts:
"The Contractor shall make allowance for instruction of personnel to run the works using a staffing structure equal to that of the Contractor's staffing structure for the Works".

My poor English didn't help much when this sentence appeared in a
    contract I am now studying. I think the meaning of it is " the contractor should think about showing the "personnel that is about to run the works" by using the same staffing structure they (the contractor) have already used to run the works (Works here means "the factory")

Please help me by correct my understanding if it is wrong and showing me where have I misunderstood this sentence


texts: What's the difference between "Both at" and Both for"?

texts:
I was wondering if there's a difference between "Both at" and "Both for" in standard English as used when quoting the prices for two different items.
There was a misunderstanding when I hurriedly replied "Both at $100" meaning to say they each cost $100 but was misunderstood as "Both for $100", the two together cost $100.
Am I right in making such distinctions, or do they not exist at all?


texts: 16:00 o'clock afternoon or 16:00 o'clock evening?

texts:
Should I refer to 16:00 o'clock as afternoon or as evening?

In winter, when the days are short, and it becomes dark already at this time already in many countries, and therefore it is not clear to me how people in the UK for example, where this phenomenon also common, refer to this time.


texts: I could not interpret this sentence properly.


texts: What does "put a bag on the side of..." mean?

texts:
Then he went to people one at a time, telling them the bosses liked
  the idea and asking them to come on board:“They say,‘Ah, it sounds
  like you’re just gonna put a bag on the side of the Eclipse,’ and
  Tom’ll give ‘em his little grin and say,‘It’s more than that, we’re
  really gonna build this fucker and it’s gonna be fast as greased
  lightning.’ He tells them,‘We’re gonna do it by April’” (p. 44).

Does "put a bag on the side of" here means to "expect something unrealistic"? I googled it but couldn't find anything.

Source: Linked here


texts:
I understand "come right out" as "come out unchanged". Am I on the right track? Some nuance here seems to be elusive to me. Are "come right out" and "come out right" interchangeable?

The New York Times tweeted just now:
@nytimes
“Anything that goes into a toilet would come right out.” Two former employees of New York Waterway filed a complaint in federal court alleging that the company dumped unfiltered wastewater into the Hudson River for years. The firm denies the allegations.


texts: How to describe various kinds of average?

texts:
The particular problem that I am having is I don't know how to describe the "average" in the following two situations:

1) I have a parameter that is recorded on a certain day every month from 2000 to 2010. I average the data for the same month over 2000-2010.

2) I have another parameter that is recorded every day from 2000 to 2010. I obtain the monthly average for each year and then I average the monthly average over 2000-2010.

Is it correct to call the calculated values of the two cases above as follows?

1) Average of monthly data between 2000-2010

2) Monthly average of daily data between 2000-2010

All ideas are welcome. Much appreciated if you could share me the guidelines or books to teach how to call different kinds of average.


texts:
Do we say the least number of tourists or the fewest number of tourists?

When I searched for it, I found the least number of tourists but I also found the fewest number of pages then I was confused I don't know why we use the least and the fewest followed by the same word "number".


texts:
I googled "auxiliary verbs" just in order to  check if there is something I do not know about them and I found this site.But I think there is misleading information on the site.

For example it is written on the site:

  Do / does / did Do is common for forming questions and making
  negatives.

  Did is used for do and does in the past tense. Do and does is never
  used for the past.

  In statements

  I do my homework.

  You do the laundry.

  We do the washing up.

  They do yoga.

  He/she does the cleaning.

But I don't think these  "do/does" in the example sentences are auxiliary verb, they are main verb.Could you check the page please? or am I the one who reads wrongly?

http://www.ecenglish.com/learnenglish/what-are-auxiliary-verbs


texts:
I want to marry a girl in outer nation there.

Is the use of 'there' is justified?

  I would like to establish a position preferably without him getting a grain of sand in his face.

When it says 'in', we are specifically talking your parts in which sand can go in-mouth,ear,eyes,etc.When I say, 'I slap you on your face',I mean parts -like chick,forehead,etc.Am I right  or the sentence has a problem?


texts:
I have a question that we use "Book rent" or "money spent" as nouns. So I think that noun (2)= noun (1) + past participle form of verb. For example, money spent (noun 2) = money (noun 1) + spent (past participle of rent). But there is drugs/subtance/alcohol USE as a noun, which is noun (2)= noun (1) + simple form of verb. Why it is not drugs/subtance/alcohol USED as a noun?
Thank you very much.


texts:
I'm writing a text about how much the website is going to charge for ads and don't know which phrase is the better one. I checked it with some websites but everyone is doing it differently.

What should I use?

Fees & Information: The fees for banner ads are based on the run time […].
Price & Information: The price for banner ads are based on the run time […].


texts: Can "short of" be used with a specific amount (cash)?

texts:
In another question regarding a difference between short on and short of, the answer says the following:

  ... But this is not always the case. A person can be short on/of money,
  but lacking a specific amount, someone can only be €10 short or short
  €10. This construction never uses a preposition.

but is that really true? I can see sentences like "I am short of 10 dollars" quite often.


texts: a generic way to refer to a word or an expression?

texts: Is there a term that I can use to generically refer to a word, an idiom or any other kind of linguistic entity related to vocabulary? vocabulary unit is what I can conceive of at the moment. Does that sound okay to you people? To my ears, it sounds someway okay but, at the same time, it reminds me of an English grammar textbook that has chapters, often called units, dedicated to learning vocabulary.


texts:
Why can we use 'dad' and 'mom' standalone, but should use a pronoun or an article with 'father' and 'mother'? For instance when brother and sister are speaking.

Do you understand mom?
Do you understand your mother?

'Do you understand mother' sounds like bad English.

The same works for other examples:

Give dad this book.
Give your father this book.

'Give father this book' sounds really bad.


texts: In the sentence: "Drinking and driving IS dangerous", why does the verb "to be" need to be singular?

texts: In the sentence: "Drinking and driving is dangerous". Drinking and driving are both subjects and the word dangerous is the object (I think) but why do I have to use the verb to be in singular?


texts:
Jason goes to cinema every Friday.

Or

  Jason goes to the cinema every Friday .

Which sentence is correct ? The is used with specific or particular noun but here it doesn't look like it's a specific subject , the sentence is conveying here that it's Jason's every Friday routine to go to cinema  . It can be any cinema.
It was asked in my exam and the solution has to the cinema as answer but I think its an error. Am I right?


texts: "MathJax so slow and stuck when editing in SE."

texts:
MathJax so slow and stuck when editing in SE.

How do I rephrase this sentence?

Maybe when I'm editing is the right choice. Is my using wrong?

Is the following preferable / more correct?

  MathJax is so slow and so stuck when I'm editing in SE?


texts: Is it correct to say "I allowed my son go to the movies" instead of "I allowed my son to go to the movies"?


texts: Which of these are correct ways to ask what something is?

texts:
If I want to know what something is called, for example a book, would I ask it in which of these ways:

What book is it?

What is this book?

What book is this called?

What is this book called?

Are all of the above correct and mean the same thing? or mean different things while all being correct? Could explain it a bit, please? THANK YOU.


texts:
Could someone enlighten me and explain the grammar behind this sentence:

  The chair was donated to the Museum on the condition that no one sit
  in it.

Why isn't it 'on the condition that no one sits in it' or 'on the condition that no one can sit in it' ?

Is this the same structure as when using words like 'demand' as in 'I demand he not sit in it' ? I don't really get the grammar here as well and have been using it like that because I read it a few times. So, I would be more than happy if someone could explain this as well.

Thank you in advance!


texts: Preposition "to" in "...accept the consequences of to..."

texts:
I'm doing a test from a Cambridge book. There's a sentence that reads like this:

  Children need to learn to accept the consequences of to their actions.

Is the preposition "to" in above sentence needed? Is it correct to have it?


texts:
Is there any rules for referring to the name of a river, such as the river + name?

For example, when referring to the Danube River, should I say "the Danube River", "the Danube" or "the River Danube"?

Ngram Viewer shows "the Danube" is the most common, which is no surprise, whereas "the River Danube" is the least.

The names of some organizations like Commissions of the Danube River uses the pattern the name + river. I understand we need the "the", because there’s only one Danube in the world. How about the place of river?

For the Seine, "the Seine river" is the least.

"the river Thames" is triple the use of "the Thames river"


texts: The densities of alkanes increases gradually down the series as the molecular mass increases

texts: Why the "increases" used as a plural? But before this "alkanes" had used as a plural.


texts: What is the meaning of "from" in the following sentences?

texts:
What is the meaning of "from the boots up" and "from the mane down" in the following sentences(Source: Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa Written by Erica Silverman ),

  " 'Are you a real cowgirl?' he asked. 'I am a cowgirl from the boots
  up,' she said. 'Well, I am a cowhorse from the mane down,' he
  said. 'Will you work hard every day?' the cowgirl asked. The horse
  raised his head high. 'Of course,' he said, 'a cowhorse always does
  his job.' 'At last,' said the cowgirl, 'I have found my horse.' "

Does it mean "I am a cowgirl with the boots up" and "I am a cowhorse with the mane down"?

Does "from" in the sentences mean "with" ?


texts: "Swooping out of the clear blue sky, the blue jay appeared on the branch."

texts:
Swooping out of the clear blue sky, the blue jay appeared on the branch.

What does "swooping out of the clear blue sky" mean?

Does it mean "to float in the air"  or "to descend to somewhere"?

I also saw "swooping out of sight" and "women swooping out of a 1911 Baker Electric" on the Internet. Is it different usage?


texts:
‘the glowing redness of the sun’

https://www.lexico.com/definition/redness
Is it possible to say ‘glowing redness,’ not ‘glowing red’?
I’ve never seen it before. It seems like saying ‘red brightness’ instead of ‘red light’


texts: What is "lucid enough in our minds to be ambiguous"?

texts:
None of us are clear as yet upon some of the most vital questions
before us, we are not lucid enough in out own minds to be ambiguous,
and a mumbling tactfulness and indirect half-statements made with an
eye upon some censor, will confuse our thoughts and the thoughts of
those with whom we desire understanding, to the complete sterilization
and defeat of every reconstructive effort
*bolds are mine

- The new world order by H.G. Wells
I want to know the word 'ambiguous' belongs to what? To "lucid enough to be ambiguous"? Is this reasonable in a sentence?
My other question is, where does "to the complete sterilization" part belong to? Does it mean "tactfulness will confuse us until the world is sterilized from every reconstructive effort?


texts: What's the meaning of "entertain" in this definition?

texts:
To wine and dine (somebody) is defined on OALD as:

  to go to restaurants, etc. and enjoy good food and drink; to entertain somebody by buying them good food and drink.

What does entertain mean stated in the above definition of wine and dine? Does it mean as defined on OALD:

  1 to invite people to eat or drink with you as your guests, especially in your
  home, or

  2 to interest and amuse somebody in order to please them?


texts: Singular noun with the word "difference"

texts:
There was a sentence in an IELTS book written by Mat Clark:

  Understanding a culture has more implications. Differences in social
  background, cultural values and religious belief might make the
  discrepancy of foreigners and local inhabitants on some issues
  indelible.

Differences are at least between two things, for example, two beliefs or two backgrounds.

Shouldn't all the bold words be plural?


texts: Is the "ankle" on both sides of the foot?

texts:
A little above of the foot, in both sides there are projections. One is from the inside of the led and the second is from the outside of the leg (I attached examples). My question is if the both sides are called "ankle" or just one of them?

I tried to get the information by googling but I didn't find clear answer for my question.

This picture shows the outside projection (of left leg):

[![and this picture shows the internal side projection:


texts: I would like to know what this sentence means

texts:
What does the sentence in bold mean? I have given my thoughts under the paragraph

Advances in technology are creating the next economy and enabling us to make things/do things/connect with others in smarter, cheaper, faster, more effective ways. But the price of this progress has been a decoupling of the engine of prosperity from jobs that have been the means by which people have ascended to (and stayed in) the middle class.

I think what the author is saying is that as technology continues to improve, jobs that millions of middle class people do (truck driving, day care, cleaning etc) may become useless or obsolete.


texts: Enjoyed your dance vs enjoyed your dancing

texts:
I absolutely enjoyed your dance.

Vs

  I absolutely enjoyed your dancing.

/If I were to ignore the word performance./

What’s the difference?


texts: With the words sequencing the actions, do we have to use "past perfect"?

texts:
Here's the sentence.

  I just arrived home last night when I remembered that I had left my keys in the office.

and...

  I think just doesn't work here because of last night.

Just could mean a relatively short while before the other action happened or an approximately short while before the other action happened, which are not specified.

So, Just can't be compatible with "last night", which is quite specific time.

  And I think arrived(past perfect) is not a good choice

The words like when, just, before, after, as soon as, by the time are used to sequence the actions.

So, when we want to speak past actions that happened one after the other with the words when, just, before, after, as soon as, by the time,

we have to use past perfect instead, which makes sure that one happened before the other did.

.

As a result, I think the original sentence should be chanced like...

  I had just arrived home last night when I remembered that I had left my keys in the office.

or

  Last night, I arrived home and remembered that I had left my keys in the office.

Am I right to think this way?


texts:
Consider the three sentences below:

  Sentence 1: "She loves every child with an equal amount of love."
  Sentence 2: "She loves each and every child with an equal amount of love."
  Sentence 3: "She loves each child with an equal amount of love."

Do the three sentences have equal meaning? Do all of the three sentences mean that, for example, if there are three children (A, B and C), she loves child A with X amount of love, she loves child B with X amount of love, and she also loves child C with X amount of love?


texts: Starting a sentence with "would that..."

texts:
In one of my favorite episodes of the TV show Community, "Conspiracy Theories and Interior Design", one of the characters says the following line:

  Would that this desk were a time desk.

In the context of the episode, the meaning is clear: "I wish this desk were a time desk." The character is quoting a terribly written novel, and part of the humor is the combination of the attempted literary language ("Would that this desk were...") and the awful subject matter ("a time desk").

Here's my question:

  Can you actually start a sentence with "Would that..." to mean "I wish that..."?

Is this phrase actually literary, or does it just sound literary and is actually incorrect?


texts: memories of Cold War fact and fiction -- what is "fact and fiction"? an adverbial phrase or a noun?

texts:
Source: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2014-10-21/the-rest-is-mystery-as-swedes-chase-possible-russian-sub

  Is it a submarine? Is it Russian? And what’s it doing off the coast of Sweden?
  The swirling nautical whodunit in the Baltic Sea brought back memories of Cold War fact and fiction, fueling the hypothesis among jittery neighbors that President Vladimir Putin’s Russia is making more regional trouble.
  That is, if the vessel is one of his.

How do you grammatically understand that phrase?


texts: Help understanding the articles in "There is A picture over THE crib." and "She's putting A blanket over THE baby."

texts:
Can I get another explanation?

I was watching a video on English prepositions, I came across this sentence. Unfortunately, the video raised more questions than answers on the articles.

  There is a picture above the crib.

  She is putting a blanket over the baby.

I wonder why it’s not 'there is a picture above A crib', and ‘she is putting a blanket over A baby'.

The picture and the cot in the first sentence and the blanket and the baby in the second sentence are equally introduced for the first time, so they all must be preceded by the indefinite article.

However, the author used the indefinite article for the first nouns and the definite articles for the second two nouns in the above two sentences. Please help me understand, why it is so?


texts: "collect a residence permit" or "get a residence permit"

texts:
I said

  I've just collected my residence permit.

and then hesitated because I'm not sure if collect precisely conveys the meaning of get or obtain.

  I've just got my residence permit.

I am wondering if there is any difference between these two and which one a native would prefer.

Other idiomatic alternatives would be welcomed.

Thank you.


texts: It was a maneuver to do; it was a maneuver doing; doing was a maneuver

texts:
Why is "It was a maneuver to participate in the annual soccer competition at school" wrong and "It was a thrill to participate in the annual soccer competition at school" right?

Wouldn't "Participating in the annual soccer competition at school was a maneuver" and "Participating in the annual soccer competition at school was a thrill" be right? If so, what about the first pair of sentences?


texts: Do BrE speakers ever 'wait in queue'? Or 'wait in a queue'? Or do they simply 'queue'

texts:
Do BrE speakers say, in good, idiomatic BrE, 'wait in queue'? (= AmE: 'wait in line')

Do BrE speakers say, in good, idiomatic BrE, 'wait in a/the queue'? (= AmE 'wait in the a/the queue')

Or do BrE speakers use 'queue' instead? Johnny queued for three hours (where 'queued' means 'waited in line' AmE).

Thanks in advance, I know you are really busy, and I would really appreciate it if you would designate if you are a native BrE speaker when answering.

I've looked in five dictionaries and cannot get an answer.


texts:
He fell down and got a swollen bump.

I put a ice pack on it.

How do we say if we use other thing such as cold fruit to do swelling?

My son took a cold orange and pretend to do a swelling on my knee.

  "Daddy, let me do swelling on you."

Does it sound natural to a native speaker?


texts:
Difference between transitive and intransitive sentence

1) Is the sentence below transitive or intransitive?

  Suburban train services on Central Railway were disrupted after derailment.

A) If intransitive as per my knowledge it should be like.

  Suburban train services on Central Railway disrupted after derailment. (Omit were)

B) And if it is transitive then there should be agent and sentence like this:

  Suburban train services on Central Railway were disrupted after derailment because of broken track by agitators (Agent).

Please explain how to identify transitive and intransitive sentence from below.
2)  Three people were killed.
3)  Trees were broken.
4)  Water level was increased.
5)  Money was transferred.


texts: How to avoid double repetitive words usage?

texts:
In my native language, it's common to call a tool's property and then reiterate it's function in successive. Example:

"Kita memiliki membran pelindung yang melindungi otak dari zat kimia."

Which translates to:

"We have protective membrane that protects the brain from chemical substance."

But for me, I don't know why, but the phrase "protective membrane that protects" is bothering me. I feel like I rarely heard that form of phrase, just like all of these phrases below:

Enhancer substance that enhances.
Burning sensation that burns
Delivery service that delivers

And btw, "protective membrane that shields" sounds a little bit better, but I still feel that something is missing, something is off, like there's part of that repetition that we can omit, because, well, it's repetitive in the context. People know that protective membrane protects/shields, and delivery service delivers. I just don't know how to put it in sentence. Or maybe this is a common usage in the daily English language and I just don't know or think too much?


texts: What are alternatives for "may" in past sentences?

texts:
Sometimes I make sentences like these:

I may couldn't convey my meaning.
You may didn't consider the point.
you may misunderstood my point.

I think after "may" I must use the bare infinitive form of a verb, so the above sentences are not grammatical. So, what are the alternatives for such sentences so that I can add probability or uncertainty to an event in the past?


texts: On the meaning of 'anyways' in "What Exactly Is a Quartz Crystal, Anyways?"

texts:
I couldn't really find the meaning 'anyways' takes in this specific context:

  What Exactly Is a Quartz Crystal, Anyways?

Each of the four definitions of anyways listed in this dictionary, for example, seem to have a meaning that's different, at least I couldn't easily match, to the one used in the  above sentence.

Source: The heading of this electronics article.


texts: Is **Grab your passport and my hand** an imperative?

texts:
In Taylor Swift's song Blank Space, I am wondering if the bolded line below is an imperative phrase or not:

Nice to meet you
Where you been?
I could show you incredible things
Magic, madness, heaven, sin
Saw you there and I thought oh my god
Look at that face, you look like my next mistake
Love's a game, wanna play
New money, suit and tie
I can read you like a magazine
Ain't it funny rumors fly
And I know you heard about me
So hey, let's be friends
I'm dying to see how this one ends
Grab your passport and my hand
I could make the bad guys good for a weekend
So it's gonna be forever
Or it's gonna go down in flames
You can tell me when it's over
If the high was worth the pain
Got a long list of ex-lovers
They'll tell you I'm insane
Cause you know I love the players
And you love the game


texts: When a car or a human body gets riddled severely

texts:
Please imagine you in a gunfire a car / someone's body gets riddled with bullets as the linked pictures. As you will notice at first glance, you will see a big difference between the amount of the hit bullets to the target [a car or even a human body.]

Who would a native speaker differentiate these two from one another in English:

What I can say here would be something like:

  They've riddled the car.

Or

  The car got riddled.

Which can be used only for the first picture. But what about the second one which has gotten much more riddled?


texts:
...One of the earliest and biggest, at the time, use of the battery was enlightening the world’s Columbian exposition with 250,000 light bulbs in 1893, but we might have used the batteries way before that...

I wrote this and the "we might have used..." part feels wrong for me. is it? is there any better way to express that?

here I wrote "might" to express that I'm not sure


texts: Sentence Stress: I'm sort of busy right now

texts:
I heard this phrase in a TV show: "I'm sort of busy right now". You can listen it here (I cut out the phrase): https://clyp.it/4khla44l

Phonetically  it looks like: [ɑɪm soərt əv bɪzi raɪt naʊ]. The words "sort" and "of" can be linked together, because of the consonant + vowel. But this is not what I'm interested in.

I can hear some stress on the word "sort" and "busy". I think "busy" gets the most stress when pronounced. Am I right? But what about the ending words "right now"? It seems to me they don't get any stress, or there is little stress on the word "now".

I would be grateful for any suggestion! Thank you.


texts: Usage of correlative conjunction "not only ... but also"

texts:
Would anybody possibly tell me which one is correct, colloquial, or official?

  Problem children not only interrupt their classes, but also prevent themselves and other from learning.

  Problem children not only interrupt their classes, but also they prevent themselves and other from learning.
  ......

As I know the followings are used for more emphasise rather the esentences above, so would you tell me which one is colloquial, official or right?

  Not only do Problem children  interrupt their classes, but also they prevent themselves and other from learning.

  Not only do Problem children  interrupt their classes, but also prevent themselves and other from learning.


texts: What is the real meaning of "Speak English"?

texts:
I am a non-native speaker of English so I am trying to get used to every phrase I come across while hearing and reading. As a result, I have watched many American movies and so I have heard the phrase "speak English" plenty of times. Nevertheless, I still don't get the meaning of it.
For example, here are several quotes from the movie "The Avengers":

"Bruce Banner: Well, if he could do that, he could achieve heavy ion fusion at any reactor on the planet.

Tony Stark: Finally, someone who speaks English."

and

"Steve Rogers/Captain America:  Hey, speak English.

Tony Stark: You see the red lever? When I tell you to, pull it. That will give me enough time to get out."

Aren't they speaking English? Or is there another hidden meaning behind it that I don't catch?

Thanks in advance.


texts:
This is a passage from Shelley's preface to The Cenci which I do not understand, so I need someone to explain the meaning:

"...it is in the superstitious horror with which they contemplate alike her wrongs and their revenge, that the dramatic character of what she did and suffered, consists."

"she" refers to the heroine, and "they" refers to the reader/spectator.


texts: How to say that you are available on weekday except one day (e.g., Tuesday)

texts:
My boss is arranging a meeting with no specific date and I want to say to him that I'm available any day from Monday-Friday except Tuesday. But I want to sound gramatically correct.

So I was thinking of saying "I'm available on weekday but sadly not on Tuesdays."
But this doesn't sound correct to me, what do you think?


texts: Position of {submodifier + adjective} before vs after the noun

texts:
[Source:] Chief Justice Earl Warren's opinion for the unanimous court held that:

Marriage is one of the "basic civil rights of man," fundamental to our very existence and survival.... To deny this fundamental freedom on so unsupportable a basis ♦  as the racial classifications embodied in these statutes, classifications so directly subversive of the principle of equality at the heart of the Fourteenth Amendment, is surely to deprive all the State's citizens of liberty without due process of law. ......

1. I can't pinpoint why; so please advise, but I find strange and wrong the placement of the bolded {submodifier + adjective}?  2. What are some other formal terms describing this issue?
3. What are the similarities and differences between situating the bolded before or after the noun? Please beware that I ask in general for all syntaxes like the above, just for 'so unsupportable a basis'.


texts:
The decision to leave the 47-nation body was more definitive than the lesser option of staying on as a nonvoting observer. It represents another retreat by the Trump administration from international groups and agreements whose policies it deems out of sync with American interests on trade, defense, climate change and, now, human rights. And it leaves the council without the United States playing a key role in promoting human rights around the world.Washington Post

Could you please help me with the meaning of "the lesser option"?

I guess it might mean that the option of staying is lessdefinitive than the decition to leave. Is it correct?

If not, when I looked for lesser in Longman, it says

  not as large, as important, or as much as something elseLongman

Then, does the lesser option means the less important option?

Thank you in advance.


texts: What does "take my word on anything" mean?

texts:
I have stumbled upon it in this video. It is at 11 minutes and 22 seconds.

  I am not asking for your trust. I am not asking you to take my word on anything. In fact, I urge you not to take my word on anything.


texts: Usage of "at" in "... at the cottage just over my shoulder is where they had been growing cannabis"

texts:
Here's a British news report:

And this is what I've transcribed:

  Well, last August when it was found that Neil and Yvette Hartley had...had been growing almost 90 cannabis plants, little did their neighbours know that in this quiet corner -- this quiet pretty little corner in the Kent countryside, at the cottage just over my shoulder is where they had been growing cannabis.

I do hear at before the cottage, but in that case, I don't know how to figure out the structure of the that-clause.

Is this some kind of inversion?


texts:
I'm surprised to see, that there is no complete agreement on the interwebs on which form is correct. Do we place the based after the nation or the country? E.g. is it

South Africa based company or South African based company?

America based company or American based company? etc.

I'd think it's obvious that we want to express the home-country of the company, so we use the country.


texts:
There's no doubt in my mind that most people reading this will have been faced with this most tedious question: should I use maths as a singular/plural noun in the following sentence?

  [random mathematical equation featuring multiple sums]...And yes, we're aware the maths don't work.

I understand that 'don't' is used when speaking in both the first/second person plural/singular and the third person plural (I, you, we, and they), and that 'doesn't' is reserved for the third person singular (he, she, and it); the way I see it, 'maths' functions as a singular noun in this sentence, if only for the reason that you'd refer to 'maths' as an 'it', not a 'they'.

I also reference the phrase 'the maths doesn't add up' as a point of comparison.

Doesn't = third person singular. If maths is plural in form, why is it so often used as if singular? E.g. 'maths is my favourite subject). 'Is' is singular?

Also, disclaimer: I'm from the UK.


texts: Using a whole sentence as a subject to another sentence with gerund

texts:
I encountered this following sentence in an article.

  The upper critical field Hc2(T) is strongly temperature dependent, indicating a multiband superconductivity in this system.

I cannot understand its structure. Is it correct?


texts:
I wanted to know should I use "the" before "Internet of things" or "IoT" in sentences? For example, in this sentence:

It is an important issue in ... IoT network.

should I use the before IoT?


texts:
This famous Japanese war quote is:

  I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and  fill him
  with a terrible resolve.

What does it mean, "fill someone with a terrible resolve"?


texts:
I do not really understand what nationality is.

The table is from
https://keydifferences.com/difference-between-nationality-and-citizenship.html

If nationality represents a place of birth of an individual, so can I say that Vitaliy Klychko has Kazakh Nationality? He was born there and lived there for some period of time, but he does not have any connection with that country.

Info from wiki about Vitaliy Klychko  (Ukrainian famous boxer)

  Nationality   Ukrainian

  Born  19 July 1971 (age 47) Belovodskoye, Kirghiz SSR, Soviet Union (now Kyrgyzstan)

Wiki says Nationality: Ukrainian


texts: In/on - which do we use talking about episodes or seasons of a tv series?

texts:
What episode does that happen on?
What episode does that happen in?

When talking about episodes or seasons of a tv series, do we use in or on?

They have the fight on or in the second episode?


texts: Could you please explain the sentences for me?

texts:
She will never go back to her husband, she has done with him for good.

What does this sentence mean?  What does 'do with someone' means?

  He is a strange fellow, I just can't make him out.

What does the second part mean?


texts:
Can I use appositive clause (in bold) in the following way:

The merits of technology should never be denied, that they eliminate the inconvenience of attending events in person, be it traffic congestions or clash in schedule.

I want to use a appositive clause to help explain what is the merits of technology, is this the acceptable way to do that?


texts:
From the Cambridge dictionary "calve" means:

Calve: When a cow calves, it gives birth to a calf (= a young cow):

But I've read somewhere that:

Humans have encroached on open seas and eradicated calving areas of
giant marine animals.

Is the phrase "calving areas" used correctly in this sentence? According to the dictionary, calve means giving birth to a calf, but in this sentence it talks about whales.
Do all mammals calve, or only cows calve?


texts: explanation about the construction "doubt no that..."

texts:
"... I doubted not that I might one day, by taking a voyage, seewith my own eyes the little fields, houses..."-- Charlotte Brontë

I am wondering as to the bold part construction, as I failed to find such a structure in any dictionary. Or would you please show me a rephrased or synonym word pr phrase rather than it?

Extracted from the book Vocabulary for the high school students


texts:
Tom is at a party, hanging at the bar. A guy he knows, Matt, comes up to him to say hi. They talk, then -
Matt: Well, it's good to see you again. Enjoy the party.
Tom: Thank you.
Matt moves off/heads off/leaves.
Matt doesn't leave the party just Tom. Which of "moves off", "heads off" and "leaves" should I use? Or maybe all of them would be okay?


texts: What is wrong with "the result FROM" in this sentence?

texts:
In my English book, there is a sentence like this:

  "Tidal waves are the result of an abrupt shift in the underwater
  movement"

and another sentence that is quite similar to the first one (in my opinion)

  "Tidal waves are the result from an abrupt shift in the underwater
  movement of the earth."

My teacher said that the second sentence is wrong because of "the result from" using, but I don't find it wrong and my teacher didn't explain me much about this.


texts: How much difference between "I am afraid ..." and "I am sorry ..." at the beginning of an apology?

texts:
I'm confused that there are two ways to say sorry.

I am sorry ...
I am afraid ...

But are they exactly the same?

I want to know the difference between the two.


texts: is there a legal term to refer to "public right prosecution" which is a fine charged by the public prosecution in the case a complain was filed against a drawer of a bounced cheque.. the drawer is subject to criminal charges and a fine for the public right prosecution? thank you


texts: Meaning of 'we are not treating each other like we should be'

texts:
After children were fighting, the teacher said:

  "When the chips are down, we are not treating each other like we should be."

I can't understand the meaning of this sentence in context.
 Is the phrase 'like we should be' mean 'as usual'?


texts:
which is the correct use of preposition with border?
1.The ceasefire agreement is now alive only in the breach, with violations intensifying in number and much damage to life and livelihood on/along the border.
2.Peace on/along the border is difficult to achieve at the tactical level by military leaders.


texts: Does the "up" in my example mean "along"?

texts:
My own example:

  There are several beauty parlors up the street.

Does "up" in that context mean the same as "along"?


texts:
I've been reading Busman's Honeymoon again and came across the sentence:

  I put it down first of all to the effect of gold lamé, but, on consideration, I think it was probably due to "lerve".

Where a don of the female college Harriet Vane went to is talking about her "looking like she stepped out of a Renaissance portrait". What does the word lerve mean here?


texts: A possessive / jealous man / woman and a person who lacks these feelings

texts:
I'm looking for two words:

1) when in my mother language we call someone (especially a man), "possessive" or "jealous" (towards his / her spouse), it has a positive connotation and it is a sign of being a real and reliable lover (man or woman). If e.g. a man gets angry when his wife wants to kiss or shake another man's hand warmly (with sexual approach), a real man should be angry because of their possessiveness / jealousy. Actually, these two above-mentioned words (which both have negative connotations) are the only words I found to explain such a sense. I would be really thankful if you let me know whether there is another word to convey a more positive sense.

2) What do the natives call someone who lacks these feelings and it doesn't make any difference for him / her that if their spouse has any type of out of convention / sexual relationship with another opposite sex?


texts:
I was reading a book and there was a sentence in it  :

  Are you into me?

It was like a romantic dialog but i don't know the exact meaning.    So i have 2 questions:
1. What does it mean?
2. I think it means "Do you love me?" . If this meaning is right, which one is more polite? "I love u" or "I'm into you" ? What's the difference?


texts:
Direct Speech

Police said "We have arrested the terrorist"

Indirect Speech/Reported Speech.

a) Police said they have arrested the terrorist

b) Police said they had arrested the terrorist

In indirect/Reported speech we use the past tense. This is to describe an incident that happened in the past. But I read some news where the reporter has used have arrested instead of had arrested.

Please help me to understand when to use sentence a) and b) in reported speech?
According to me sentence b) is incorrect.


texts:
Harry kept quiet. He did not want to express the doubts and uncertainties about Dumbledore that had riddled him for months now.

  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

I feel 'riddle' here is used metaphorically, because I don't expect it would  pierce Harry with numerous holes. What does 'riddle' mean exactly?


texts: How does a person use the word behooves in a sentence correctly?

texts: Word is behooves how to use the word behooves in a sentence correctly


texts:
A sentence:

These are the books so written that it can bewitch the readers.

Does this mean the same as:

"These are the books written in such a way that it can bewitch the readers."?

Is there any variation in formality?


texts:
Do the tenses match in the following context?

I have done as much as I can/could do to get selected for the job, still I have failed.

Should I use can or could there?


texts: How the removal of ING from lingering affects the given verse

texts:
I have an English tutor who gave me some homework the other day. And I found a poetry of some sort in the homework I was supposed to do. (it's his notebook)

  "In my burnished throne I sit,
  thinking of all that could've been,
  perceptions of death lingering in my head as I wait to die."

  "In my burnished throne I sit,
  thinking of all that could've been,
  perceptions of death linger in my head as I wait to die."

Does removing the -ing from lingering make any significant difference in the verse? Does it make any difference meaning-wise?


texts:
From an article of the Daily Beast about the MAD Magazine:

  FURSHLUGGINER! POTRZEBIE! GANEFS! MAD is KAPUTNIK!

  Okay, maybe not quite. Physically and editorially speaking, the
  self-proclaimed “Number One Ecch Magazine” still exists.

What does "ecch" mean here? I could find a definition in the Urban Dictionary, but don't know if it fits here. (I am aware of the many neologisms created by the MAD Magazine; I used to be a reader of the German edition after all.)


texts:
I have trouble with the repetitive usage of 'of' and this is how the sentence goes:

  X and Y make the unbeatable team of strategic essentials of good XYZ.


texts: Is it appropriate to say "try all this tasty food" when referring to lots of tasty food?

texts:
"I wish I had the chance to try all this tasty food."
Is it appropriate to say "try all this tasty food" when referring to lots of tasty food mentioned in the previous context?
What about "try all the tasty food" , “try all these tasty food" or “try all these tasty foods" ?


texts:
Is this sentence grammatically correct?

  When would you let me know have I been accepted?

I felt doubt because it seems there is two questions.


texts: Using an adjective form instead of the verb form

texts:
Many of the concepts covered require the reader to abandon
  comfortable modes of thought

In the above sentence, the word "covered" is a verb. I was wondering could that sentence be rephrased like this - so that the word "covered" becomes an adjective:

  Many of the covered concepts require the reader to abandon
  comfortable modes of thought


texts: What is the active voice of the given sentence?

texts:
The concentration of harmful gases get increased in the air slowly.

What is the active voice of this sentence?


texts:
Let's say an elderly person is asked if they have been doing any physical exercise that day and they answer: "yes, I've been walking around the house, pottering in the garden and climbing the stairs".
Does "I've been climbing the stairs mean they have repeatedly climbed the stairs that day or could it be just once and they are mentioning it as one of the activities they have been doing?


texts: "a feature that was located more broadly within wider policing of ideal Olympian femininity"

texts:
From an article titled "I think gorilla-like back effusions of hair are rather a turn-off": 'Excessive hair' and male body hair (removal) discourse.:

  For instance, many of the German male athletes, much like their female compatriots, had completely hairless armpits; an observation that seems more than simply anecdotal, having been evidenced in some academic work (e.g., Brдhler, 2011). In contrast, the majority of male athletes from Great Britain and the United States (US) sported a full, bushy look, suggestive of not shaving their armpits – although the same could not be claimed of their chests, backs and abdomens. These cultural differences in depilation appeared almost a reversal of female Olympic athletes’ hair removal practices (or lack thereof) during the 1970s (Lenskyj, 2012). In this earlier period, a number of East German female athletes had hair growing in their underarms, a feature that was located more broadly within wider policing of ideal Olympian femininity, and was viewed as indicative of some-thing being ‘wrong’ with these women (Rosen, 2008). Negatively associated with performance enhancing drugs and differing ideals around feminine athletic embodiment, an ideal image of the female athletic body based in Anglo-gendered-norms was noticeable (Lenskyj, 2012). This criticism was combined with what was already considered a European sensibility (Basow, 1991), still used in negative stereotyping of European women today (see, for instance, Fahs, 2013a).

I don't understand the meaning of this phrase. I have some vague ideas as to its possible human-speak alternative, but I'm not sure.


texts: Why communication skills and not communicative skills?

texts:
I was looking for an answer to this question for a long time but didn't find any.

why is communication skills used instead of communicative skills?


texts: The use of the definite article in this sentence

texts:
Why is the definite article used in this sentence?

  An alternative in international commercial arbitration (whether or not the underlying dispute relates to construction) is for the parties to agree that the tribunal can appoint the expert or experts.

Shouldn't the indefinite article be used here? Or is "the expert" referring to some idealized abstract generic expert, so to speak? The word "experts" surely isn't, because there is no article at all before it.

P.S. I've also seen this construction (e.g. "the X or X's" where X is a noun) used with nouns other than "expert" a few times.


texts: What does 'over-sentimentalized femininity' mean?

texts:
Traditions of feminine inferiority had been meaningless in pioneer life:
  freer attitudes developed among early immigrants who had escaped from
  religious and political oppression in Europe. (The Quakers, for instance,
  accepted the equality of men and women, and had made education available
  to girls as well as boys since the seventeenth century. Quaker women did not
  promise to obey their husbands and were encouraged to speak in public at
  religious meetings.) Men and women facing hard-ship and danger together had
  wrested farmlands and homes from the wild country. Even when pioneering
  days were over, self-reliance, rather than over-sentimentalized femininity,
  remained the quintessence of many American women. They were becoming
  real partners in marriage, no longer dominated, pampered or hoisted on to
  pedestals.

Would someone please explain the bolded? I understand the words separately but not their opaque combination. I can guess that 'rather than' implies that the bolded opposes self-reliance and connotes negativity.

Yet why's the bolded negative? Wouldn't it help these women to shield against gender inequality?


texts: Which is the correct word choice, "with" or "that has"?

texts:
Which should I use in my sentence, "with" or "that has"?

  "I bought a new car with the color black."

  "I bought a new car that has the color black."


texts:
In indirect speech, if the reported words are true at the time of reporting, can I say that like the following.

  John asked me if I shall help him.


texts:
Could someone help me to understand when I should use think of and when think about in sentences?

What is the difference between using one or the other?


texts: Placement of the phrase 'throughout history'?

texts:
Can the phrase 'throughout history' only be found at the beginning or at the end of a sentence? If both are possible, is there a difference in the meaning?

The sentence: Women have been known for being strong throughout history.
    Throughout history, women have been known for being strong.

Is any of the above correct?


texts: "The theory of organic architecture: that structure should appear " VS "the theory of organic architecture that structure should appear"

texts:
In the sentence below:

The other theory underlying Wright's design is that of organic architecture: that structure should appear to be an extension of their surroundings. ( From an ACT test)

Question: I know the first that is referring to "theory," but what I am confused is that why colon is used here? Because I think the second "that" is leading an apposition clause explaining what the preceding " the theory of organic architecture" is.


texts:
Are the two constructions above correct or one of them is incorrect? Which one then?

Both of these images resemble an ocean.
Both these images resemble an ocean.


texts:
largely, From google's Dictionary:

  to a great extent; on the whole; mostly.

largely seems quite like virtually and almost.

Here diffs virtually and almost: difference between virtually and almost

What about largely? When should prefer largely over almost and virtuallyj


texts:
"The availability of agricultural residues and animal fat in China were studied".

In above sentences I have a little doubt that it should be Were or Was
in the same way, can be IS studied or are studied?
which one is correct?


texts: what is the meaning of "In an average week last year" in this paragraph?

texts:
In an average week last year, three people were killed while defending
  their land and the environment from industries such as mining, logging
  and agribusiness, the report said.

I think in the above paragraph the meaning of "In an average week last year..." is:  "every week 3 people killed in average(So in the whole year almost 156 people)". Is my guess true?


texts:
Everything has broken right for England at this World Cup. It sauntered through a top-heavy group with Belgium, conveniently dropping its final game against the Red Devils in a barely-contested 1-0 loss. Because that put the unappreciated but savvy England manager Gareth Southgate and his team in the soft half of the incredibly lopsided knockout stage bracket.

I saw the paragraph here.

There are a few things that I don't understand from the paragraph.

"sauntered through a top-heavy group with Belgium": What does a top-heavy group mean? Is that top-heavy group referring to Belgium?
"conveniently dropping its final game against the Red Devils in a barely-contested 1-0 loss": Who lost? England or Belgium?
"Because that put the unappreciated but savvy England manager Gareth Southgate and his team in the soft half of the incredibly lopsided knockout stage bracket.": This doesn't look like a complete sentence. What does it mean "in the soft half of the incredibly lopsided knockout stage bracket"?


texts: "Benzodiazepines can impair that experience by.." - could we say "this experience"?

texts:
From a news report on Science Daily:

  "Evidence-based trauma-focused psychotherapies require that patients experience and then master anxiety," Dr. Guina and colleagues write. "Benzodiazepines can impair that experience by numbing emotions, decreasing learning efficiency, and inhibiting memory processing of material learned in therapy."

Can we use this instead of that:

  "Evidence-based trauma-focused psychotherapies require that patients experience and then master anxiety," Dr. Guina and colleagues write. "Benzodiazepines can impair this experience by numbing emotions, decreasing learning efficiency, and inhibiting memory processing of material learned in therapy."


texts: What does "As counter-intuitive as it may seem" mean in this sentence?

texts:
I have a sentence:

  As counter-intuitive as it may seem, some fruits and vegetables get a nutritional boost upon cooking.

I know the comparative idiom "as...as", but "As counter-intuitive as it may seem" still hard for me to understand. What is "it" here? Does it mean "some fruits and vegetables"? And if I want to rewrite this expression, how can i write it?


texts: "was will was" - Is this grammatically correct?

texts:
As I grew it was interesting to discover how much of what I had thought was will was affected by the flesh.

Is this grammatically correct?  I am confused about the part that was will was Is this correct? I think it should be like this:

  ...how much of what I had thought was affected...


texts: Correct use of passive voice in "His mobile phone is turned off"

texts:
The following sentence has written in the passive voice, but Grammarly took an error as a "Passive Misuse", I would like to know what the problem has it?

His mobile phone is turned off

According to the passive voice's form: Subject+to be (conjugated)+ past participle + rest of sentence It should be correct.


texts: How to understand this sentence? (... "denied" the more intelligent and mature.)

texts:
Actually the grave digger conforms, for the most part, to a third role – that of the proletarian…believed to possess an intuitive wisdom…which could yield insights denied the more intelligent and mature”

So "denied‘ in this case is passive? But why there isn't a "by" after it?


texts:
How can experience be cathartic?
Is there any metaphoric meaning here?


texts:
In Michael Swan's Practical English Usage I come across the sentences:

  We can use the future perfect to say that something will be completed,
  finished or achieved by a certain time.

and

  The future progressive can be used to say that something will be in
  progress at a particular time.

Why should we use by in the first case and at at the second? Can we replace it with each other?


texts:
I was wondering whether you use "direct" speech or "indirect" speech in everyday conversation.

Example:

  Statement: My mom told me to study.
  Direct speech: He said, "My mom told me to study."
  Indirect speech: He said (that) his mother had told him to study.

I think the casual speech doesn't require being formulated this way, but I need to know what is the correct case from English experts point of view.
Shall O use indirect speech also in daily conversations or ot is used only in formal / written occasions?