texts: Is the phrase "Every man, every woman, and every child" singular or plural?

texts:
I've come across this sentence:

  Every man, woman, and child in this line is required to sign the forms in order to complete the registration process.(From Longman Preparation Course for the TOEFL test: The Paper test)

I see that the noun phrase Every man, woman, and child acts as a singular noun.

But I wonder how about the noun phrase Every man, every woman, and every child?

I've heard that these two noun phrases are interchangeable; it's the same thing but just written differently.

But I've also heard that when noun phrases are connected with and, it's then considered as a plural.

So, what is Every man, every woman, and every child considered as? Singular or plural?


texts: Is it correct to use “to” in “recommend to me studying”?

texts:
I am writing this to my manager.

I’ve found a new job, and I won't start working there for two months.

  I would like to ask you if you recommend to me studying specific things, so that when I start working I will already know them.

Is it correct to use “to” in this context?


texts:
I was reading poetry.

or

I did reading poetry.

What the option is right and why?


texts: Verbs describing a state or situation: passive form

texts:
"English Grammar Today" book says that "We don't usually use the passive with some verbs that describe a state or situation." If this is an actual rule, why, for example, have I found a lot of occurrences of "lunch was being had"?

Is the book wrong?


texts: Difference between gerunds and another type of names

texts:
Lets us consider 2 types of names:

type 1 (that I do not know its name): issuance - advice   - completion - confirmation

type 2 (gerund): issuing  - advising - completing - confirming

What is the real difference between those 2 groups? I am very lost because when I translate each word of type 1 to my native language (Arabic), it gives me the same meaning of its corresponding in type 2. And what is type 2 called?


texts: Acceptability of the conjunction 'that' after the noun 'statement'

texts:
I am not sure whether you use 'that' as a conjunction after the noun 'statement'.

The statement [that] A is more than B is false.
I do not agree with the statement [that] John often shirks the work. This is a slander.

Are they grammatical?


texts:
I read a book the author wrote that /æ/ sound like the words cat, rat and so on means /ɑ/+/e/ sound. Is it real?

I wonder this sound is a single vowel or a dipthong.


texts:
I'm not a native English speaker. But I'm working with a native speaker. She used the phrase,

  I would rather educate you and have to go back and fix it

because I'm learning some stuff from her.
But I really don't know the meaning of this. Could you guys help me out with this and how can I reply to this?


texts:
There is a bar under the news on TV on which the important news is written and is moving slowly.

What is called? I thought of headline or subtitle bar, but I am not sure about them.


texts: What can be the correct preposition over here?

texts:
A recent chat conversation led to the following sentence:

  One of the link in/on your profile is dead.

I am not sure about which preposition would be the best fit for this sentence.
I feel that on is a better option since the hyperlink is displayed on the user's profile page.

(profile : SE user profile.)
(The answer could be something else too.)


texts:
Source: Understanding and Using C Pointers by Richard M. Reese (2013)

Example:

  The Mudflap Libraries provide a similar capability for the GCC compiler. Its runtime library supports the detection of memory leaks, among other things. This detection is accomplished by instrumenting the pointer dereferencing operations.

Is it correct to say it like that? Can we really say instrument A B to mean that we are going to equip A with B?


texts: "had been wanting...because I was" or "wanted...because I was"

texts:
The following action is occurring in the past tense:

  It was then that it hit me: Maria had been wanting to commit suicide, but
  didn’t because we rang the bell.

  It was then that it hit me: Maria wanted to commit suicide, but
  didn’t because we rang the bell.

Which one is correct?

EDIT:

How about:

  It was then that it hit me: Maria had wanted to commit suicide, but
  didn’t because we rang the bell.


texts: "By this time next week, I" + "will have worked" or "will work"?

texts:
By this time next week, I will have worked on this project for twenty days.
  By this time next week, I will work on this project for twenty days.

Do they both mean the same? If not, what is the difference?


texts:
Experimental vaccine can now be deployed to the epicenter of an
  outbreak, given to people in contact with the infected and their
  contacts.

Why did the author use "given" here? Is it a form of reduction?

Source: http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1806/01/sn.01.html


texts:
He was participating in every community from which he wasn't banned
yet.

I am wondering if you should use from, in or something else. I am not sure if it's grammatical or not.


texts:
Devon no longer has the book that the teacher had given him because he was leaving it in the library.

Which tense is correct about the last part: "was leaving"?


texts:
What is the difference between opportunity and chance?
How do I use them?

I always use opportunity. As I know, opportunity is an occasion to do anything or an occasion which appropriate to do something. Chance is an occasion which gets one of two results: gain or lose something. Is this exact?


texts:
What is the difference between before/ after to refer to the past, present, future.
if there are ones which are common in BrE, say to me.
1(a) I always have breakfast before going to university.
(b) I always have breakfast before I go to university
(c) I always have breakfast before I have gone to university .
2(a) I had breakfast before going to university
OR
(b) I had breakfast before I went to university
OR
(c) I had had breakfast before I went to school
3(a) I always go to university after having breakfast.
(b) I always go to university after I have breakfast.
(c) I always go to university after I have had breakfast.
4(a)I went home after watching GOT.
(b) I went home after I I watched GOT.
(c)I went home after I had watched GOT.


texts: I've lost my key, but I found it just now

texts:
Are the two sentences correct?

  I've lost my key, but luckily I've found it again.

  I've lost my key, but luckily I found it just now.


texts: Gerund vs infinitive while asking question

texts:
Which one should I use gerund or infinitive while asking a questin like below?

  Which one does it cost more , to repair it or to buy new one ?

  Which one does cost more ,repairing it or buying new one?


texts: What does `'s` mean in "What CPU's will it run on?"?

texts: Does it indicate a possessive adjective or just a plural noun? If noun, why it is not CPUs (without apostrophe)?


texts:
Please clarify the situations we use "might" & "might be" in this sentence:

  Since they have mentioned about [cargo] securing/lashing on trucks also it might useful for ADV project team who directly get involved with lashing but not us.


texts:
I would like to know if saying "my learned things" could be correct or not.

For example :

  I want to save my learned things in a file

I searched the exact words "my learned things" in Google, and only got 27 results, so I'm very unsure.

If it is not correct, could you advise me with any other correct form to say "the things I learned".

Thanks you !


texts: Difference between -decker, -tier, shelf and level (see picture)

texts: How would you describe the number of shelves of the growing trays in the image below? Four-leveled, four-tier, four-shelf or four-decker? Are all these ways correct and interchangeable?


texts: "Could care less" or "could not care less"?

texts:
In the following sentence, should I say "could care less" or "could not care less"?

  I could not care less of what you think.

Sometimes I have seen written "could care less" and sometimes "could not care less." Since it happens in informal contexts, I am not sure if "could not care less" is the right phrase, or if both are correct and they have slightly different meanings.


texts:
According to government data released last month, the country may have as many as 110,000 pathological gamblers that account for 1.2 percent of the total population, or nearly the average number of gamblers per capita in other European Union countries.

Source: http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2016/08/czech-republic-dangerous-gambling-addiction-160829110812215.html

I would like to ask what "as many as" means in the context. Is it possible to change it into "at least". So the mentioned number of gamblers is probably larger.


texts: Are there tools or techniques to stop translating literally?

texts:
My girlfriend speaks English as her third language, but not yet fluently.

Her vocabulary is quite extensive, especially due to the fact that she reads a lot (fiction and non-fiction) and regularly watches movies and news channels in english.

The main problem she's facing is that she can't stop translating too literally from her mother tongue (namely Armenian). I've noticed at least three patterns that lead her to make mistakes:

Wrong use of prepositions. For example she often says "look on" for "look at".
Wrong use of verbs. For example she would use "enter" in lieu of "get in", "stop by", "visit", etc.
Wrong word order. E.g. putting the subject after the verb in a statement, failing to invert or use the auxiliary "do" in questions.

All the phrases that sound awkward (or plain ungrammatical) would make prefect sense in her mother tongue if translated back literally. Also, she knows she is making a mistake and no matter how many times I correct her, she can't help but make the same mistake again.

If she still manages to convey the meaning of her sentences when speaking, things worsen when she has to write something (say a report for her classes). In this latter case it's difficult to find a phrase that makes complete sense or at least that doesn't sound odd.

To come to the point, I'm looking for tools and techniques to overcome these difficulties and improve her fluency.

The first thing that would come to my mind is to increase her exposure to the language but, as I said, she already reads in and listens to English a lot. We also communicate in English with each other and we live in a country where English is not the first language, but is more or less everywhere spoken at a decent level.

Edit (after reading the comments): from my question it might appear that she's in the process of learning English as a new language. Rather the opposite: she learnt it many years ago, probably taught by incompetent teachers. The errors sedimented and now form habits that are difficult to break. That's why I say that she knows she's wrong, but she keeps making the same mistakes over again. My question would then be: are there techniques apt to change these automatic behaviours when speaking and writing?


texts: Which prepositions to be used? up to, as far as, until or maybe something else?

texts:
In a conversation between two students who are speaking about their progress on studying the same book which prepositions are usually used?

I mean for example I would say to my friend: "I've studied Physics up to / as far as / until lesson 5, what about you?"

Are these usages true?

About "until" I heard that it's related to speaking about a specific time, so using it here maybe is incorrect?

and in general which one is better, or maybe is there a better one stands for


texts:
What are the differences between "during" and "in"?

Recently, I send an e-mail to complain about game(haha). I wrote

  I understand the point that this game is during construction

or should I write

  I understand the point that this game is in/under construction.


texts:
How can I change this sentences to wh question form please

The change was for 5$.(how much)
The car is across the street from the house.(where)


texts:
I want to say to my school friend that:

  This is the same bench on which we would seat in our school days.

Or should is say,

  This is the same bench on which we were sitting in our school days.


texts: “the assistant nurse” vs. “an assistant nurse”

texts:
Which article (an/the) is correct in this context?

This is an exercise we had to complete in our grammar class. I filled it up like this:

  Write the missing articles, if one is needed.

  A: Who is the man talking to C?
  B: I'm not sure. I think he is a doctor.
  A: He looks familiar. Do you know where he works?
  B: I think he was the doctor who looked after C when she was in __ (zero article) hospital.
  A: No—he is the assistant nurse.

My teacher said that all of it is correct, with only one exception. He says that it should have been an instead of the in the last blank. His reasoning is that ‘assistant nurse’ is being mentioned for the first time. And there are thousands of assistant nurses; we're talking about no one in particular.

But, I think that a particular ‘assistant nurse’ is in question—the one who looked after C when she was in hospital.

So which one of us is actually correct?


texts:
Sentence:
"Having started at the position of a teacher, I was later promoted to holding the role of the coordinator of the school."

I wonder if this sentence is correct.

The idea is that "holding the role" is a promotional responsibility and that is why I prefer using the gerund. Thoughts please?


texts:
"It's rather cold outside"

I've recently heard this expression in a movie, but I didn't get the meaning of it. I've searched it on the Internet and found that different sites explained its meaning in different ways. I am a little bit confused what the speaker is trying to say using the word "rather"

It could be

  "it is a little bit cold outside"

or

  "it is too cold outside"

I think that it mainly depends on the situation when the speaker uses this word. Therefore, I would like to ask what are most common ways of using the word "rather".


texts: When someone is described as "a career official", what does it mean?

texts:
Does the term "a career official" mean that they are especially eager to be continuously promoted and get higher and higher positions or what? An example of that phrase can be found in this Washington Post article:

  The president and his aides also regarded her as a career official and consequently suspicious, according to officials with knowledge of the president’s views.


texts: What is the meaning of "slip out of contact" in this context?

texts:
This is the context:

  This happens in Alzheimer’s disease all the time, right? This is something everybody’s familiar with: an
  elderly person who’s slowly slipping down out of contact. If we had some way to bring them back so they
  could talk to their grandchildren for a year, this would be a very important thing. And while it may not
  save the person’s life and might not mean that they wouldn’t slip out of contact at some point in the future,
  it would be important.

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

What is the meaning of "slip out of contact"? Does it mean that the person loses the ability to be aware of it's surrounding? or we can't communicate with him anymore?


texts: What does it means "The strength of any business network is essentially its weakest link."

texts:
On a website, I saw a line that said:

  In Information Technology, the “network” defines the layered infrastructure by which information is moved. Given the vital nature of a well-functioning, properly executed network, it is also acknowledged that the strength of any business network is essentially its weakest link.

What do they mean by "the weakest link"?


texts:
Which one is correct/appropriate to ask

  How many vowels are there in the English alphabet?

Or

  How many vowels are there in the English Language?

Or are they both correct/appropriate?


texts:
I've been told that we can't use would for future events(expect in conditional sentences). But I have encountered many situations where native speakers use would to express future possibilities. Like in this song (Like I would)

  He won't touch you like I do

  He won't love you like I would

  He don't know your body

  He don't do you right

  He won't love you like I would

  Love you like I would


texts: Does "none" have the same meaning as "nobody / no one"?

texts:
Does "none" have the same meaning as "nobody / no one" ?
Example sentences:
Nobody (of us) can accomplish this.
or
None (of us) can accomplish this


texts: "x thinks it's people"--why "people" and not "a human"?

texts:
If I understand correctly, the phrase "x thinks it's people" is used to say that something (usually an animal) behaves like a human being. An example:

  Wherever you turn your head, you can see a tabby in a party hat or a Siamese cat ‘playing chess like it thinks it’s people’.

From: Oxford Dictionaries Blog

But why do we have here "people" instead of "a human"? I mean, to me the structure of this expression looks like this: one entity (an animal) is many entities (people). Or maybe "people" is not a noun here?


texts: "I have a thought" vs "I am having a thought"?

texts:
Tell me please if it's correct to use have in the progressive with thought.

  I am having a thought that there might be something wrong.

If it's perfectly grammatical, then how would it be difference in meaning than the following one?

  I have a thought that there might be something wrong.


texts: Is it correct to use "that" in "the man that saved the girl" or should it be "the man who saved the girl"?

texts:
Can you help me find the man who saved the girl?
  Can you help me find the man that saved the girl?

The teacher did not use "that" in this case when she corrected the exercise, so I thought it's incorrect.

Is it correct to use "that" instead of "who" in this case?


texts:
She wonders if Riley will ever be put back together again.

I cann't recognize which one is the phrasal verb:

put back
put together
put back together

And What does it mean: Riley will ever be put back together again?

The full text:

She glances at Riley, whom she recognized the night before as a war
correspondent for the New York Times. She’s got the look. Not the look of the
hardened journalist who has necessarily grown a thick, protective skin. She’s
at the other end of the scale—she’s broken wide open, raw. She wonders if
Riley will ever be put back together again. She can recognize PTSD when she
sees it; she’s seen it before.


texts:
The below is a sentence from my English textbook.

'We need to develop a system whereby workers and management can communicate more effectively.'

And the book shows an alternative using 'in/by which'.

'We need to develop the system in/by which workers and management can communicate more effectively.'

I know general grammatical rule about articles but I can't understand why 'a system' is replaced by 'the system' in the second sentence.


texts:
When I went to school, I was taught that "to see" = "to understand", but if you want to speak about eye-vision, you should say "can see". For example: I can see a cat on this tree. This would be wrong: I see a cat on this tree.

Is it really wrong? I have a hunch it might be a British-American difference, could someone confirm it? At school we always learn the British version of English. Do British say "I see a cat"? Do Americans say it? Which one is used more often?

I read: "I see" or "I can see" and "I can see someone " vs "I see someone" - but here the answers consider an obvious case where you put stress or not on the ability of seeing.
"Can you see it?" vs "Do you see it?" - here they write about how similar are these two forms and that both seem correct. I'd be interested about regional differences, if they exist.


texts: What I meant was... was that correct or not?

texts:
Is there any difference in meaning among the 3 following sentences?

  What I meant was whether that is correct or not.

  What I meant was whether that was correct or not.

  What I meant was whether that would be correct or not.

If so, an explanation will be great.

Also is the 1st sentence semantically/grammatically correct? (could using "is" & "was" in the same sentence make the meaning of the sentence ambigous here?)


texts: How should I understand the word "impressive"?

texts: I often hear native speakers say "it is impressive", I think they want to say it is something which leaves deep impression on them,  but is it a commendatory or derogatory or neutral term? Is it true different people have different views of this word?


texts: Her research centres/is centred on the social effects of unemployment

texts:
When it comes to the sense of making something the central person/thing, the verb "centre" bothers me. I'm not sure if this verb would change the meaning of a particular sentence when the verb takes turn to be in an active voice and to be in a passive voice or it would remain the same meaning.
At first, I thought that...

Subject(a) centres on/around object(b) would mean Subject(a) makes
object(b) the central person/thing.
and Subject(a) is centred on/around object(b) would mean Subject(a)
is made as the central person/thing by object(b).

... but now I think my explanation was wrong because the following two pairs seem to go against my understanding.

1a. Her research centres on the social effects of unemployment
1b. Her research is centred on the social effects of unemployment.

2a. Leisure activities largely centred around the family
2b. Leisure activities were largely centred around the family.

What are the meanings of the above four sentences?


texts: which words is the best choice here? (What I mean by that is / I mean ) / the way (that / in which) /

texts:
Q: Do you prefer to listen to other's opinions or to make a decision on your own?
A: I feel I have to say that I'm a person who doesn't listen to other's opinions. (What I mean by that is / I mean ) I have live in the way (that / in which) I think I should not others think I should in my whole life, which I think is not always good. I think I need to fix (this side / this feature / this characteristic) of me.

Here, I'm perfectly comfortable using I mean, but I'd like to know if the other one is also possible here.

And I'm more comfortable using that, but at the same time I feel in which is better grammatically. what would you choose?

I think all of these are possible but I feel side is better than the other. What do you think is most natural?


texts: What is a polite way to return a greeting like "Happy holidays and blah blah". A flat: "Likewise"?

texts:
When someone wish you good things like "Happy holidays and blah blah" Is a correct and polite way to answer a flat:

  "Thank you, likewise"

Or It should be better to respond:

  "Thank you, I wish you the same"

A teacher taught me the "likewise" one, but really I never have heard it in real greetings.  Thanks in advance.


texts: Definite article before adjective + noun phrases

texts:
This question may seem very elementary, but because I have very problem in using "the", I like to get an admission

I have the following sentence:

  We try to simulate the way a user finds the desired data by scanning and blocking the page based on [the?] textual delimiters.

Can we use "the" before adjective noun phrases with this reason that the adjective makes the noun specific? Is it such a rule?

I mean for example "the textual delimiters" (not other type of delimiters). However, I guess it could be sated without "the" too, in that case what it means which would be different with its meaning with "the"?


texts:
The word 'menu' as we all know is mostly used to list the food items in a restaurant. It is also used in computers where we have a 'drop down' lists.

Merriam Webster gives an example of...

  a menu of television programs

I wonder whether we can use this word instead of 'catalog' or the like.

Say...

  Here's our menu card listing all pieces of furniture we sell


texts: Usage of "XXX like YYY". Why "Companies go through drivers like oats go through a horse"?

texts:
In this NPR news:

  TODD SPENCER: Companies go through drivers like oats go through a horse. I mean, drivers are considered very much a disposable commodity.

Isn't it unsymmetrical before and after "like"? Horse consumes oats and excreted eventually, shouldn't it be "drivers go through companies" based on meaning and symmetrical?


texts:
here will be nobody else. No formalities are necessary, you know. It
  will be a good idea if you drop by my office around six o'clock on
  Friday so that we may both go to my place together.

I wonder whether the pronoun "it" in the sentence "it will be a good idea" could be replaced with the pronoun "that"? And in this sentence what does the pronoun "it" refer to?


texts: Is there no conjugation needed in this specific sentence?

texts:
Today I read this sentence somewhere on stackexchange.com (I don't add a source because I don't want to blame anybody):

  The [...] postulate [..] is that there is no experiment that determine the state of motion of any inertial frame relative to the outside world [...].

Initially I thought that it shall be "determines" instead but I'm uncertain since it got written by a native English speaker.

Who's right?


texts: I can not figure out what the "is used to being" here mean?

texts:
Marie is used to being the queen bee within her circle of friends.

Is it a typo? Shouldn't it be like used to be or something?


texts: Is it an idiom or slang: holy mac and cheese?

texts:
I came across this phrase: Holy mac and cheese

What does it mean actually? Is it a slang term or an idiom?


texts:
When we are not sure about the past situation, how do we use if-clause?
I'm not sure whether he came to London last night. If he did, today will be a perfect day.
I'm not sure whether he has come to London last night. If he has, today will be a perfect day.
Which one is correct?


texts: Is it okay to use "to present" to mean "to make a gift" in informal setting?

texts:
I'd like to say:

  I was going to present you another book.

Meaning, "to make a gift." But from what I can see, "to present" and "to gift" are used in this sense in rather formal contexts. I could probably say "to give," but that doesn't sound like "making a gift." How do you say that?


texts: "How old were you when you *went to the pen*?"

texts:
This is from the movie Stagecoach (1939):

  – Say, kid. How old were you when you went to the pen?

  – I was about 17.

What does it mean? I guess it might mean 'to go to prison' (penitentiary) or 'to have sex' (he went to the pen full of hens).


texts: Shouldn't there be "loath" instead of "loathe" in this sentence?

texts:
I read a sentence in "The Hindu" which was:

  As an "iron brother", China would have been loathe to let Pakistan down and endorse India's claim that Pakistan was complicit in the attack.

No dictionary define "loathe" as an adjective or noun. And it was "loath" which was adjective, so I think "loath" should have been there instead of "loathe". Could anyone confirm it?


texts:
LABOR UNITY HAS BEEN SHORT LIVED. GRUMBLING HAS now BROKEN OUT WITHIN
  OPPOSITION RANKS OVER THE ROLE PLAYED BY FACTIONS IN CHOOSING THE
  FRONTBENCH.  (ABC)

It seems like ‘over the role’ is the complement of ‘grumbling’. But I’m not sure what ‘played by faction’ and ‘in choosing the frontbench’ are respectively modifying or what role do they take in the sentence. Would you parse them?


texts: is it correct to say "Can my spouse be covered under my health insurance?"

texts:
In an email I want to ask about health insurance of my spouse by my company. What is the correct way to ask about it?

Is it grammatically correct to say under my health insurance in the following question:

  Can my spouse be covered under my health insurance?


texts:
Can anybody tell me what U.S.-centric prints means in this Bloomberg article?

  Policy makers should be prepared to consider raising rates next month despite recent volatility, Kansas City Fed President Esther George said on Tuesday, citing her outlook for solid growth this year.

  “Although global economic conditions still remain relatively austere, U.S.-centric prints remain hopeful, especially on the labor front, while inflation is likely to tick higher in second half as transitory effects from low oil and import prices dissipate,” Gan said.

("Top Forecaster Says ‘Gold the Superhero’ May Rally to $1,400" by Ranjeetha Pakiam, Feb 24, 2016)


texts: 'A more sophisticated method is really what we wanted'

texts:
I am always confused with the tense.

The context is as follows. Some friend found a naive solution to a problem. But his method is not I want. I want a more sophisticated and more powerful method.

Is it okay to mix the tense in a single sentence?

Or, is it okay to use the present tense in one sentence, and then use the past tense in the next sentence in the same paragraph?


texts:
Please, could you explain the difference of these sentences:

  What building is there?

vs

  What is that building?

What meanings are there? In what situations can I use them?

TIA


texts:
I was beginning to get confused on this sentence structure. I wager a noise is not singular or is it?

  Stop making a noise
  Stop making noise

Which of these is a good way to present this situation?


texts: “the mathematical writings of Archimedes” – what if the definite article were removed?

texts:
Unlike his inventions, the mathematical writings of Archimedes were little known in antiquity.

Would the meaning of this sentence change if the definite article were removed:

  Unlike his inventions, mathematical writings of Archimedes were little known in antiquity.


texts:
In The Economist: As face-recognition technology spreads, so do ideas for subverting it:

  And a number of British police forces have tested the technology (face-recognition) as a tool of mass surveillance in trials designed to spot criminals on the street.

What is the meaning of the word trial?

My understanding is experiment but it seems that the meaning duplicates with the word test. Now I'm confused.


texts: Can I use the combination "to-infinitive and relative clause" for the same noun in a row?

texts:
Can I use "to-infinitive and relative clause" in a row for the same noun?
I have an example about it.
The main sentence:

The idea to make children happy that I always cared about, is something people usually consider unimportant.

I would like to focus on the part "the idea to make children happy that I always cared about". I meant that "I always cared about the idea to make children happy and this idea is not usually considered important by people".
Does the main sentence have my indented meaning?


texts:
I watched a movie last night and one of the scene was about a man pulling out the other man through the car window forcibly.
Then, the man that was being pulled out started screaming,

Hey, relax. ow, ow, ow.

What does relax mean in that condition? Is it like a command to ask somebody to Be careful?


texts:
Consider this sentence

  If I’d had more time, I could have finished everything.

I am aware that "could have" could be used in a hypothetical situation, e.g. imaginary past. Although I don't known whether the apostrophe in apostrophe + d represents "could", "should", "would" or have, could someone please give a hint? Thanks in advance.


texts: How to understand "Like we'd say anything else surrounded by that lot" in this context

texts:
"Ah, why shouldn't we show our colors?" said Mrs. Finnigan. "You should see what the Bulgarians have got dangling all over their tents. You'll be supporting Ireland, of course?" she added, eyeing Harry, Ron, and Hermione beadily. When they had assured her that they were indeed supporting Ireland, they set off again, though, as Ron said, "Like we'd say anything else surrounded by that lot."

  "I wonder what the Bulgarians have got dangling all over their tents?"
  said Hermione.

  "Let's go and have a look," said Harry, ...

I can't figure out what Ron meant by saying "Like we'd say anything else surrounded by that lot". It seems to me that it isn't relevant to the context at all. How should we understand it in this context?


texts: what's the difference between track and trail

texts:
When track and trail refer to following something, are they identical?

For example,

  I followed him, tracking him in the snow until finally he got tired.

  I trailed her to a shop in Kensington.


texts:
No one cares about what you look like.
  No one cares what you look like.

  I don't care about what they say.
  I don't care what they say.

Is "about" optional, necessary or wrong?


texts: A lecturer or the lecturer an exam or the exam

texts:
I have two questions about these sentences. What other prepositions can I use instead of "at" in my sentence? Can I also use "in" "during" and "on"? and if I mention the lecturer and my exam for the first time, however it's the lecturer who was asking me questions and it's one of the exams I had, should I use the definite or the indefinite article before "lecturer" and "exam"?

"I answered the lecturer's question at/in/on/during the exam".

"The lecturer asked me questions at/in/during/on the exam." Would it be possible to use "a" before "lecturer"?


texts: Meaning of "would lead him to Esmeralda"

texts:
A few weeks later, Frollo’s studies were
  disturbed by a loud knock on his chamber
  door. “Enter!” he called out.
  It was his brother Jehan. He had come, as
  he often did, to borrow some money. Frollo
  was not surprised. “Dear brother,” said Jehan.
  “I am so sorry to bother you. But I need to
  borrow a little money—for my studies.”
  Claude Frollo knew his brother well. He
  knew that Jehan liked to spend time in the
  taverns, drinking with his friends. “Are you
  sure you will buy books with it?”
  “Yes, of course, dear brother! But if any is
  left over, I may have a small glass or two with
  my good friend Phoebus.”
  “Who?”
  “Oh, Captain Phoebus, a gentleman. We’re
  planning to meet tonight at the tavern. But
  only for a short time. After that, he’s meeting
  with a young lady called Esmeralda.”

  The priest saw an opportunity. He would
  give his brother the money to have a drink
  with Phoebus. Then he would follow him.
  Perhaps Captain Phoebus would lead him to
  Esmeralda.

Dose it mean: by following the Captain he would see Esmeralda.


texts: what is the meaning of getting ahead of oneself

texts:
I read this sentence in a book:

  I'm getting ahead of myself

I was wondering what is the real message author would have sent to his readers. Does it mean, I wrote something incredibly clever or smart that I have to congratulate with myself. So, Is it a way to say: "I've done my best and I had a proof about that, going further my known boundaries" or a simple link sentence to carry on with some items to talk about?

Thanks for your help


texts: What is the difference in meaning between "in church," "at church", "in a church" and "at a church"?

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

  I am in church.

  I am in a church.

  I am at church.

  I am at a church.

I am aware that in a church means being inside the building called church. And being at church can mean  near a church or inside church. And being at church means being in attendance in your local church. What is the difference between in church and at church?


texts: What is the difference between "I haven't gone" and "I haven't been" in the below context?

texts:
Studying English today, I see the following question:

  A: Do you often go to the cinema?

  B: No, _______ a long time.

The answer was "I haven't been to the cinema for", but I did't know why "I haven't gone to the cinema for" is wrong.

Could you tell me that? Thank you in advance.


texts:
In exam (Egyptian GSEC English exam)

If you are a well-organized person, you (manage/will manage)

This question was in my exam, I already answered it "will manage", I want to know the difference between these two answers in this sentence.


texts:
In examining the grammar of this sentence:

Also, paragraph frames could be used with graphic organizers as
appropriate.

is the verb 'used' transitive, or a linking verb?


texts:
I saw this in business letter :

We are doing business with you since the year 2000 to date.
our branch has sold through the partner X since its creation more than 10 unites and we are proud of it as partner in this business representing our brand.
I have committed to observe the R regulations, in accordance with w

All my confused tense and usage in Bold, please kindly answer this question.


texts: Meaning of "and yet" in the middle of this sentence

texts:
From this passage in the Harry Potter series:

  He bought Harry a hamburger and they sat down on plastic seats to eat
  them. Harry kept looking around. Everything looked so strange, somehow.
  "You all right, Harry? Yer very quiet," said Hagrid.
  Harry wasn't sure he could explain. He'd just had the best birthday of
  his life -- and yet -- he chewed his hamburger, trying to find the
  words.
  "Everyone thinks I'm special," he said at last.

Does "yet" mean "still" or "in spite what has been said"?


texts: Will you still love me when I'm no longer young and beautiful?

texts:
The title comes from the song Young and Beautiful by Lana Del Rey (YouYube).

"Will you" == future, "I'm" == present.

Is that sentence correct? It does sound a little weird to me, since in italian we usually have accordance between different parts of the same sentence.

 Will you still love me      when          I'm no longer...
 Mi amerai ancora           quando         non sarò più...
      ^^^^                                      ^^^
     future                                future again

This would be wrong:

 Mi amerai ancora           quando         non sono più...
      ^^^^                                      ^^^
     future                                   present


texts: Could you simplify the highlighted sentence , please?

texts:
A U-turn is turning your vehicle around in the street to go back the way you came. To make a U-turn, signal and use the far left lane or the center left turn lane. You may make a legal U-turn:

  Across a double yellow line when it is safe and legal.
  In a residential district:
  If there are no vehicles approaching  you within 200 feet.
  Whenever a traffic sign, light, or signal protects you from approaching vehicles.
  At an intersection on a green light or green arrow, unless a "No Uturn" sign is posted.
  On a divided highway, only if an opening is provided in the center divider.

(Source)


texts:
I was watching the TV series of 'Running wild with Bear Grylls' who is a survival expert in the wild. In the show, he goes the wild with celebrities. The show goes to the extreme of eating worms, bats, snakes, etc to survive. This is a conversation between Bear and the celebrity.

Bear: So did you ever do this sort of thing?
Male guest: Man, please.

So the guest obviously doesn't have experience with this sort of survival thing. But I'm not quite sure why he has to answer with 'please' there. He can simply answer 'I haven't had'. What's his attitude by putting 'please' with his answer there?


texts: Enumerating singulars mixed with plurals

texts:
Suppose we have a picture with several objects that we have to enumerate them. First, is this enumeration correct?

  There is a little girl, two boys, an old man and a pen.

Second, how would we enumerate them if we have to omit the articles? Can we enumerate them like this:

  There are two boys, an old man, little girl and pen.


texts: What does "leave somebody free to do something" mean?

texts:
The context is as follows:

  MILLER: I see. But wait. I believe my problem is that I simply forgot a main tenet of my theory. The correlation can be established in my own case. I know that my soul and my body are intimately and consistently found together. From this one case I can generalize, at least as concerns life in this world, that sameness of body is a reliable sign of sameness of soul. This leaves me free to regard it as intelligible, in the case of death, that the link between the particular soul and the particular body it has been joined with is broken.

  -- from a dialogue on personal identity and immortality


texts: What does the metaphor 'bad blood' mean?

texts:
On reading an academic paper, I encountered the following sentence:

  "Between the neighbors runs bad blood".

This sentence is treated as metaphorical, but I can't guess what it means since no context has been provided.


texts: What's the function of "a" in "a mere three years later"?

texts:
The Supreme Court overruled this decision a mere three years later. (source: Wikipedia)

Is using an indefinite article "a" to determine three years grammatical? If so, why? Also, is a used here as part of a collocation with "mere"? Can I replace mere with a different adjective?


texts: decade, century, millennium, what is next?

texts:
The title of this question says it all.
Are there nouns for longer periods than a millennium ?

I mean words designating a specific number of years.

Era, age and epoch don't count as they just indicate a period of time (possibly quite long) that is not counted in years, but that is defined by of a characteristic of that period.
(E.g the "Age of the Dinosaurs" was a fair number of millions of years, but not a specific number.)


texts: Omitting noun in the phrase 'like normal'

texts:
I have a question regarding the phrase 'like normal' in the sentence ' Why didn't you dress like normal.' In this case 'like' is a preposition, which should mean it has to be followed by a noun or pronoun, but the word 'normal' is neither. How does one explain this?

I came to believe is that the noun after normal is omitted, and the full sentence should be 'Why didn't you dress like normal people.' Is my conclusion correct? Or perhaps 'like normal' is an adjectival phrase?

Many thanks for answering.


texts:
What is "most" correct - and is there a grammatical difference - between these to sentences?

"You can join us later."
"You can later join us."

To me, the first seems more correct... but I'm not a native English-speaker...

Also, is one "more" active and the other passive?  Is there a term for this?

BTW, would may fit better than can in the above examples?  I know "can" is more for being physically able to, while "may" is more for being allowed to - and maybe wanting to...


texts: Connection between what-that and it-that as clauses emphasized subject or object in sentences

texts:
I am in a dilemma about whether the sentences are correct.
Any tips about this would be welcome.

What made us upset was that you did not come in time for our meeting.
It is you did not come in time for our meeting that made us upset.
What we find a good habit is that you came in time for a meeting.
It is you come in time for a meeting that we find a good habit.


texts: They don't want HER to think THEM not to appreciate

texts:
I've got such task. My friend said that the first variant is better. But I supposed the second one to be more clear. In my country the english constructions like these are called as "complex objects". Please tell me what you'd use and why?

  1.They wouldn't want her to think them not to appreciate what she has done for them.

  Here are two "complex object": "her to think" and "them not to appreciate" going one after another.

  2.They wouldn't want her to think that they don't appreciate what she has done for them.

  Here is one "complex object": "her to think".

Also:

  3.Maybe for fun, can I add many complex objects one after another? It's not convinient for perception of course but I wonder whether it is grammatical or not.

  I don't want her to consider me to want her to make me do my work better for our kids to have a lot of toys.

  4.And can the complex object be in the perfect or continuous forms?

  I don't want her to have done that work. I want her to be hearing me (or her hearing me).

Note that the second sentence was originally the following when one of the answers was given:

2.They wouldn't want her to think that they don't appreciate that she has done for them.


texts: Example of XYS university [graduate/graduates]?

texts:
Shall I use
I will endeavor to be a good example for XYS graduates/graduate?
Which one should I use?


texts: What does "it made practical the necessary without hindering joy." mean?

texts:
I bumped into this sentence reading THE MAGIC BARREL by bernard malamud.

[it made practical the necessary without hindering joy.]

Can anybody help me understand what this phrase means? Contextually, 'it' seems to refer to matchmaking, but I cannot grasp the meaning of the sentence itself.

The following is the original paragraph. The brief situation here is, a rabbai has called in a matchmaker, and asking for help, he is talking highly of matchmakers.

Thank you.

He at once informed Salzman why he had asked him to come, explaining that his home was in Cleveland, and that but for his parents, who had married comparatively late in life, he was alone in the world. He had for six years devoted himself almost entirely to his studies, as a result of which, understandably, he had found himself without time for a social life and the company of young women. Therefore he thought it the better part of trial and error—of embarrassing
fumbling—to call in an experienced person to advise him on these matters. He remarked in passing that the function of the marriage broker was ancient and honorable, highly approved in the Jewish community, because it made practical the necessary without hindering joy. Moreover, his own parents had been brought together by a matchmaker. They had made, if not a financially profitable marriage—since neither had possessed any worldly goods to speak of—at least a successful one in the sense of their everlasting devotion to each other. Salzman listened in embarrassed surprise, sensing a sort of apology. Later, however, he experienced a glow of pride in his work, an emotion that had left him years ago, and he heartily approved of Finkle.


texts: Nutritional counselling -> Nutritional counsellor?

texts:
The person who provides nutritional counselling is

  a nutritional counsellor/consultant/specialist

or something else?


texts:
I'm wondering about how to, in one phrase, say, 'Waiting for the classroom to be full'. I was talking with someone who was an international student just like me. So the full conversation was:

  Me: Hey! How are you doing?

  Him: I'm in my classroom. But we are waiting for the classroom 'to be
  full'.

I can tell right away it's not natural to say that. However, I've come up with alternatives that can be used in that situation:
'

  We will start as soon as the remaining students come'

  'We are waiting for the remaining students to come'

  'We are just waiting for 'everyone' to come' (everyone in this case
  includes

  'the people who are already present in the classroom' + 'people who
  will later come to the classroom'

I feel that my expressions are still long. Are there any brief English expressions/ phrases that I can use in this case?

Thank you


texts: I am made to shut up or I was made to shut up

texts:
I'm watching a video about Passive Causative;as of the minute 2:07
there is a sentence written on the board that it's read as:

  I am made to shut up

Given that he is using the present form of the verb to be, should no be using make instead of made?

Also I found that the construction of make as a causative is

  [make + person + verb]

and in this construction I don't see the "person".

So my question is Is am correct or must be was and why?


texts:
Can both sentences be used?

  I need a bed to sleep in.

  I need a bed to sleep.


texts: "Computers are as essential as mobile phones for us" or "Computers are as essential for us as mobile phones."

texts:
Computers are as essential as mobile phones for us.
  Computers are as essential for us as mobile phones.

Which place is better for " as essential as" ?
What kind of adverb is "as adjective\adverb  as " in a sentence?


texts:
In a novel called "Pattern Recognition" by William Gibson is the paragraph:

  Seated, not bothering with the menu, Cayce orders coffee, eggs, and sausage, all in her best bad French.

  The girl looks at her in amazed revulsion, as though Cayce were a cat bringing up a particularly repellant hairball.
  "All right," says Cayce, under her breath, to the girl's receding back, "be French."

What does "be French" mean here?


texts: How to translate German “auswalzen / breitwalzen” to English?

texts:
German has the very vivid words "auswalzen" / "breitwalzen" for "elaborating on a detail much more than necessary in the given context". Literally it means "roll into a laminar shape".

Is there a reasonably short and similar figurative translation to English?

LEO has roll sth. for "auswalzen", but does not highlight figurative use, and has nothing for "breitwalzen". WordReference.com has "thrash to death", which to my ears is too harsh. "To expound" has also been suggested to me, but I think this also does not hit the spot.

(This question has been asked on german.stackexchange.com first, and it has been suggested to move it here.)


texts: Do I need a comma in "in today's case" in the following sentence?

texts:
I visited my school's dwarf garden whenever I felt down (or fell down [,] in today's case). Eyes closed, I would touch my nose to the flowers and let their musky fragrance wash away my murky thoughts.

Do I need that comma there? Why or why not?


texts:
Is there any situation/circumstance that a native speaker would differentiate between these?
My specific questions is traced back to the dictionaries such as Oxford, as there has been written that they are synonym.

bring up
raise

Any help would be appreciated


texts:
What is the subject of the sentence "complete clown show morally speaking, incoherent, arbitrary"? If the verb "show" is in a plural form, then the subject should be plural, but "complete clown" is singular.

Sam Harris (the author of the End of Faith) commented on the following tweet by elizabeth bruenig:
as a society we have absolutely no coherent story — none whatsoever — about how a person who's done wrong can atone, make amends, and retain some continuity between their life/identity before and after the mistake. complete clown show morally speaking, incoherent, arbitrary.


texts:
"By the time i got my hands on the phone, the phone had stopped ringing."

""By the time i got my hands on the phone, the phone stopped ringing."

In similar contexts, and in the sentences above, how important is the usage of had ?
Is it okay to not use it, and just go for using the simple past instead?


texts: How do you correctly use the word "shipment" in a sentence?

texts:
If I have a shipment with X products, which is one the correct usage:

At the first shipment we got X products
On the first shipment we got X products
In the first shipment we got X products
or is there something better?


texts: Is the article "a" justified in "they are wearing a cape"

texts:
You can't cast aspersions on someone just because they are wearing a cape.

Shouldn't it be capes instead of a cape? "a cape" means one cape, "they are" implies it is a group of people, a group of people can't wear one cape.

The only way I see it grammatically correct is when they stands for "he or she" to avoid sexism. Like in the sentence I saw in one video game: "The player doofos killed you with their AK47."


texts: What do you call the walking lanes in lecture rooms? You can't call it a stair, because it's not really a stair, you can't call it a corridor either. The only word I can think of is walking lane, but I doubt it's called that. Isn't there a more specific word I can use?


texts: With the phone ringing: "I don't know who it is" or "I don't know who they are"?

texts:
Your phone is ringing and your daughter picked up the phone but she hasn't answered the call. Then do you ask her:

  Who is it?

or

  Who are they?

And when she tells you, would she say:

  I don't know who it is"

or

  I don't know who they are?

If none of the above isn't natural, then what is it?


texts: How to respond to questions "Have you got it" in checking for understanding context

texts: I'm studying English and I am confused how to respond "Have you got it?" in checking for understanding context. Is it "Yes, we got it?" or "Yes, we've got it?"


texts: "World and its colours" (or colors) makes sense?

texts:
does this phrase makes sense:
"World and its colours?
I would like to use it as a username, but is it correct?


texts: Can I use "that" in two different senses in the same sentence?

texts:
I'm writing an essay comparing and contrasting various culture differences between American and Japanese culture via personal account and I want to use this sentence to help describe the food. Is this sentence grammatically correct?

  Many other meals in Japan were similar in that they had a larger variety of food than that of many American meals.


texts:
When an absolute phrase is described as a phrase/clause (as was in the below example) what is meant by this. Is it not clearly one or the other ? I'd imagine phrase as there is no subject.

The winter is set to be very cold this year as temperatures are set to plummet, the cold temperatures risking taking the lives of many.

How would you describe this bolded part of the sentence ?

The vehicles handling was smooth and the breaks sharp, but the cars interior is dated in style, a regular fault in these models, that despite having its fans, just doesn't work for me.


texts: What is the difference between giving up and giving in?

texts: What is the difference between these two words? It seems the both mean "to surrender". Can anybody explain the difference?


texts: When should I use a gerund and when an infinitive with 'like' or 'love'?

texts:
Do you like to cook?

Do you like cooking?

Do you love cooking?

Do you love to cook?

In which one we should use gerund?


texts:
The saddest part is that notwithstanding the government’s grand
  announcement — increasing the number of workdays to 150 in the nine
  drought-affected states — all these states have a negative cash
  balance. It’s hardly surprising then that only 5 per cent households
  have completed 150 days of work. This is conclusive proof that the
  government is ignoring the two most important legal requirements of
  the MGNREGA — work on demand, and full and timely payment of wages.

In this article they used then that only 5%. Is it correct or should it be than that of?


texts: repeating prepositions in a sentence sounds more or less natural?

texts:
Does repeating prepositions in a sentence sound more or sound less natural?
For example in the following example, What sounds more natural?

  This dog likes to yawl and hiccup.

or

  This dog likes to yawl and to hiccup.


texts:
These were the problems I remember having at home

Hi, this sentence is right? My reasoning is as follows.

These were the problems.
＋
I remember having the problems at home.

So, two sentences are combined by relative clause.
⇒ These were the problems (that) I remember having at home.
Right?


texts:
I have two sentence:

Diurnal fluctuation of temperature exists at the downstream location in River A.
Diurnal fluctuations of temperature exists at a location in River B.

I combine them into one sentence:

Diurnal fluctuation of temperature exist at the downstream location in River A as well as in River B.

Howerver, I was wondering if "sentence 3" are ambiguity? That is, in the original "sentence 2", the location is not designated (maybe it is in downstream, upstream, etc). But in "sentence 3", does it mean that the station is "in downstream of River B"?

If it is, what should I do not to misdirect the location?


texts: -ing forms of verb. Gerund or participle? Adverb or Adjective?

texts:
I try to figure out these "-ing" forms in the following examples. They appears to be participles but not used as adjectives, and more like adverbs (complementing the action of the verbs).

She came in running.
I feel good paying high rent.
I went back walking.
She crossed the garden dancing.
I came down the stairs jumping.

Thank you for helping me out.


texts:
Which of in/for should be used in a context like this:

  A document may be published by more than one publisher. For example, in/for a scientific paper, each of the authors can be considered a publisher of the paper.


texts: "...saw someone out...": grammatical role of "out"?

texts:
Sentences:

  My dad is out on vacation.

  I saw her out on a bicycle.

Is the word out an adjective in this context?

Or is the word out the short form of out of home?

Thanks in advance.


texts: Is this correct? "Were these activities being done on the basis of the instructions on the textbooks?"

texts:
Were these activities being done on the basis of the instructions on the textbooks?

I'm doing a questionnaire, does this question make sense? Perhaps the 'being' is wrong?


texts: Meaning of the phrase "at range" in context

texts:
It is from this article.

  "He is happy to be at range but anyone who gets in there and thinks 'let's have it', they bring out a different Lomachenko. The man is a serious body puncher. Not many people talk about it but he has taken people out that way.


texts:
Jones’s red carpet style falls on the feminine side—think breathy frocks from Dior, Gucci, and Valentino—peppered with eye-catching pops. (source)

I am not sure this sentence makes sense to me. A frock, I think, just refers to a fancy dress. Breathy, according to dictionaries, means "producing or causing an audible sound of breathing, often related to physical exertion or strong feelings." How can a dress be breathy, namely, producing the sound of breathing?


texts: Finding something "through" the internet or "in" the internet?

texts:
I write this context:

Dear Sir or Madam,
I am XXXX from Italy.
I am a Software Engineer. I have graduated from XXXX University, Faculty of XXXX, Department of XXXX on month, day, year.
I am looking for a job in XXXX.
I found your website through the internet.
Could you please find the attached CV.
I appreciate your help and efforts.
Thank you very much.
Yours' Sincerely,

Is it correct to use through ? or it would be better to use in ?
Thanks


texts: *It is twenty years since Arsene Wenger has become the manager of Arsenal

texts:
It is twenty years since Arsene Wenger has become the manager of Arsenal.

It is twenty years since Arsene Wenger became the manager of Arsenal.

I am in doubts which sentence is correct. Given the fact that Wenger is still the manager I would use the sentence with the present perfect. But on the other hand I know that the sentence  "It is two years since he has left the country" is wrong. So may be "becoming the manager" is understood as a one-time act. But I am not sure.


texts:
What is the tense and part of speech of "come up"?

  Once you have come up with potential solutions, the goal then is to make a plan as what ones will be put into action


texts:
This sentence:

  I took his word for it.

I know the meaning of the sentence:

  I believed what he said was true.

My question is "why". Or, in other words, how to interpret this grammatically, especially the part "for it". How does the preposition "for" work here? What does "it" mean?

Thank you for your help!


texts: Do we do something IN or AT a certain country (i.e. Spain)?

texts:
Do we do something in a country or at a certain country?

For example:

  I'm marketing this program 'in' Spain.

or

  I'm marketing this program 'at' Spain.


texts: the devil you know / all the money we have

texts: In the noun phrases "the devil you know" and "all the money we have" what do we call you know and we have nowadays beyond "modifier"?


texts: Active voice to passive voice. Ditransitive verbs

texts:
I  was asked to change voice of these sentences:

  He decided to sell the car.

My answer: He decided the car to be sold.

Book answer: He decided that the car should be sold.

  My teacher gave me a journal to read.

My answer: I was given a journal by my teacher to read.

Book answer: A journal was given to me to read by my teacher.

Why am I wrong? In same book they change She wants to insult me to She wants me to be insulted - so why am  I wrong in 1st sentence?

In 2nd case there are two objects I and A journal, so I believe we can choose either as a subject, so what is wrong there?


texts: In the sentence "There is no possibility of going out in this rain". Why was "going" used and not "go"?

texts: I can see why "going" was used, but I can't explain it to someone else. Is there a rule? is there an explanation to as why sometimes I can replace the base form of the verb "to go" for "going"? Thanks in advance.


texts:
Source

  I will burn the heart out of you.

We could also say as

  I will burn your heart out.

But we say, "your heart" as "heart of yours",and "your son" as "son of yours".

  I will burn the heart of yours.

Do they all mean the same thing in different manners of writing?


texts: All the previous statuses but including the current one

texts:
We're looking for a term to describe a list of statuses. The term should convey that it's all the statuses that's been effective for the entity throughout time but also that the list encloses the current one.

Extra bonus if there are two terms like that - one implying that the current status might or might not exist, and another guaranteeing that there's such current status.

Former excludes the current one, as does previous. Not future and its alikes is too weird and vague. Finally, current and earlier and such constellations is too long.

Optimally, the term should bear the following properties in that order of significance.

It consists of a single word (at most two).
It sounds formal.
It is short to spell.


texts: Using parenthetical phrase in this sentence

texts:
Is my usage of parenthetical phrase correct int the following sentence? I think as it can be removed from the sentence, can be placed in parenthesizes or commas.

  We return the whole context structure, including the context node, to the calling point in the ``for" loop.


texts:
I'm translating a book about behavior. What does  "Clocked their goal" mean in the following context:

  They agreed to delegate more of the “old work” to sub-ordinates. They even clocked their goal: 30 percent fewer hours per team member on paperwork.

I guessed it means "set their goal". Is that correct?


texts: The meaning of "publicity blitz" in this text?

texts:
Thus, in the Spring of 2017, just as The New York Times began a
  publicity blitz that touted its commitment to the truth ("Truth: it
  needs your support") and that would greatly boost its number of online subscriptions, it headhunted Bret Stephens, a climate-denialist
  op-eel writer, from The Wall Street Journal - all in the name of
  editorial 'balance" (presumably between facts and non-facts).


texts: "who are a part of" vs "who are part of"

texts:
I saw a comment on instagram that said

  We're extremely worried about thr natural disasters that have been happening in Japan. We as in who are a part of the entertainment industry in Japan."

What's the purpose of having indefinite article "a" before "part" in the second sentence?

Will it be grammatically wrong if it was "...who are part of..."?

I understand the difference of use of indefinite and definite articles but I do not understand when I do not need any articles.

When do you not have to use articles before nouns? (other than uncountable nouns, I know that for words like "water" does not need an article)


texts:
In my mother language, when someone buys something from a supermarket or..., a religious sales person habitually and as a way of appreciation would say:

  May God / Lord bestow his blessings on you.

I would be thankful if you let me know if this translation of mine would work in modern English these days and then tell me whether it makes any sense to you or it is something odd. Finally, I  would appreciate it if you do me a favor and let me know if there is an equivalent for what I mentioned in modern American English.


texts:
Let's say I frequent Starbucks, and there a particular song gets played so often that I start to associate Starbucks with that song. Would saying

  I like Starbucks'/Starbucks song.

or

  Do you know the actual name of Starbucks' song?

be idiomatic and acceptable in that case, even though that song was not composed by them? If so, should I say Starbucks' song or Starbucks song?


texts: Please break down a complicated sentence

texts:
“And so, finally, this: A third gift of darkness is a more intimate
  connection with the natural world. When light falls away and darkness
  comes on, when killdeer fall silent and the hedgerows begin to
  breathe, when stars blink on, only Arcturus and Aldebaran at first,
  then the whole wash of the Milky Way, when the wind stills as the moon
  rises; then the structure of the built world begins to vanish.”

  From Let There Be Night: Testimony on Behalf of the Dark by
  Paul Bogard

Could you please help me break down the sentence in bold? Where is the main clause? What is the logical relations among all these clauses?

Edit:  As userr2684291's comment indicates, it is when A, when B, when C, D.  However, I am confused how "when the wind stills as the moon rises; then the structure of the built world begins to vanish" is connected to "only Arcturus and Aldebaran at first, then the whole wash of the Milky Way".  Could you help me please?


texts:
The following sentence is in an email from Google: “Analysis is run daily.”
Please let me understand, why it isn’t “analysis runs daily” or “analysis does run daily” or “analysis is running daily”? Is this sentence correct?


texts: Should I say "My son's friend's birthday party" or "My son's friend birthday party"?

texts:
I am trying to say the following:

  I went to a birthday party. That birthday party was for my son's
  friend.

What possessive form should I use if I want to write it using the 's form?

  My son's friend's birthday party

or

  My son's friend birthday party

I know that this gets overly complicated and I am planning to use the initial, long form, but I am now curious to know what should be the correct way.


texts:
Look at the picture

This is a string that is knotted a card at 1 end. The card could be a swiping card or ID card (like some reporters often wear around the neck when they are on duty, they will be allowed to get in if they have the card for example).It is not a piece of jewellery. I am not sure if I can use the word "necklace".

  necklace: a piece of jewellery consisting of a chain, string of
  beads, etc. worn around the neck

  a diamond necklace

What is it called: a card necklace?


texts:
2. Goodwife Used formerly as a courtesy title before the surname of a married woman not of noble birth.

Although I have studied the explanation, in fact, I couldn't make a head or tail of it! Especially, what is the concept of the bold part?


texts:
There's a sentence: I think I must do it before he has finished / he will have finished his project.

What's correct?

Or maybe does it need another tense?


texts: Talking about an achievement - "one of the harder thing's I've done"

texts:
Is it correct, when talking about an achievement, to say something was:

  "...one of the harder things I've done."

I know I should probably say:

  "...one of the hardest things I've done"

But for some reason it almost feels correct to just say it in comparative.  Any thoughts?


texts: What is the basic difference between an adjective complement and an adjective phrase?

texts:
Adjective Complements

Adjective phrases

I read about both of them, but what's the basic difference between them? It's too confusing.

Edit:I have completely understood prepositional phrases:adjective phrase and adverb phrase. In adjective complement, an eg - of spiders, seems to me that it is indeed an adverb phrase.


texts: "There is/has got to be an explanation." -- which verb to use there?

texts:
I just came across the following sentence;

  There has got to be an explanation.

I think has has been wrongly/mistakenly used there and should better be replaced with is.


texts: what kind of speech of part does OFF stand for in the following sentence?

texts: (This song is a rip off to DEA LEPPARD "pour some sugar on me")  it's actually a random comment i saw under a music video. And i still don't get both meaning and grammar..


texts:
As discussed yesterday, this numbers have to increase..

In the above sentence, Is it correct to use have instead of has. Numbers are always described as singular. In this sentence have is used and what are the different scenario to use has and have.

In case we re frame this sentence to as discussed yesterday, this number ....to increase


texts:
What's the difference between "appear like" and "look like"?

Known officially as the National Aquatics Center, the building's design and its translucent, blue-toned outside skin make it appear like a cube of bubbles (Haici Cidian)

It looks like a saddle


texts: differences between "by" and "through" on a network

texts:
This is my first question.

I am an IT pro and would like to learn the differences between "by" and "through" in the context of files and networks.

For example, I want say:

  I copy a lot of files through/by another server.

In this setting, the first server goes through the second server, and this last one makes the copies of a third server.


texts: Use of "would be" in conditional(mixed conditional)

texts:
"If I’d won the competition I’d be going to Florida next week."

Explanation : She didn't win the competition (past)
She isn't going to Florida (future)

Here in original sentence "would be" uses to express future possibility.  Can we use "would" here because we use "will" for future action?. We use "would" in past sentences.

So it should be like this : "If I’d won the competition I will be going to Florida next week." (But it seems unnatural to me)

Can you explain me this?


texts: The difference between we proceeded and we have proceeded to

texts:
I would like to know the difference between we have proceeded to study something and we proceeded to study something knowing that this action was already finished in last time.

Which one is correct and would be written in scientific article ?


texts: What is the difference between "at the time" and "in the time" when they refer to a period of time?

texts:
From the page about Oscar Wilde on OALD:

E1. In 1895 he was sent to prison for his homosexuality, which was illegal at the time.

And here is a chunk from my post on Lang-8. No one has changed in to at so far.

E2. This year, I received a Bachelor's degree in biology, and now I am studying for a Master's degree. I am doing the same research I did in that time.

What I have found on the topic:

In that time suggests during a period of time: e.g. in that time I managed to undo the knot.
At that time suggests at a particular moment, or period: e.g. at that time I was fond of talking Esperanto.
Source: at that time / in that time -- WordReference Forums

To be honest, after that explanation I don't see any difference between at and in in the examples I wrote above, since both are referring to a period.
Do these uses differ from each other when referring to a period, and what is this difference?
After a little thinking: should I have written the exact years of my study to use at in E2?


texts: Analysis of "Amelia and Jessie are a great team when they play tennis together"

texts:
Amelia and Jessie are a great team when they play tennis together.

Is this sentence correct or not? Team is a collective noun but the phrase "are a great team" seems to be out of order. How to deal with sentences like this in which there is "and" as in "Amelia and Jessie" so one expects it to have a plural linking verb but then there is a collective noun team which should expect a singular.


texts:
As a general rule

If the verb is am/are/is/was the adverb never is placed after the verb

Example -

  I am never late for school

But in the following sentence

  I am determined never to yield this point

never is used after determined

I think the sentence should be

  I am never determined to yield this point.

Am I right in this analysis?


texts:
besides has two definitions in the dictionary

one is apart from (except)

and second is in addition to

I was wondering aren't these two antonyms??


texts: How to understand "That is more or less all there is to it"?

texts:
That is more or less all there is to it.

This is a sentence quoted from "Double Preposition"(https://www.ultius.com/glossary/grammar/prepositions/double-preposition.html)

I don't get it.

By the way, in the same article, there is another sentence:

  here are a could basic guidelines for you about the double preposition

I think "could" is the typo of "couple". Am I right?


texts:
What is the proper way to speak about the action of carrying out sign language without being repetitive?

to speak sign language
(seems to imply using voice and mouth)
to sign sign language
(is repetitive)
to sign
(people might just think one was making just a one-off specific gesture as opposed to being engaged in the process of speaking a full language)

Thanks.


texts: How to say to a cashier that I want this stuff to get delivered to my home?

texts:
A supermarket near my home offers the delivery service.
How should I tell the cashier that I want these items to get delivered to my home?
I usually say "It’s for delivery" but it doesn't sound natural.  How should I say that?


texts: What's the difference between "to remark" and "to remark on"?

texts:
The teacher remarked on how quickly the students were learnig.
  The teacher remarked how quickly the students were learnig.

No1 is an example sentence of the verb "remark".

If no2 is correct in grammar, what's the difference between the two in meaning?


texts:
My question is how to answer when somebody asks this question?

Since my baby is 10 months, I just replied she is 10, and we laughed out loud. Then I said, of course, 10 months.

What is the correct way?


texts: a parallelism problem - the most interesting garment

texts:
Is there a parallelism issue with the following sentence?

  Prize money will be given to the best dressed, the worst dressed, and the most “interesting” garment.

I'd appreciate your help.


texts:
This hotel or pub is hi-fi ?
Is that a correct sentence ?
What are other good words one can use for a good quality pubs/clubs ?


texts:
Can you say:

  "The new one-way system is considered by most rather to be an impediment than a help."

using "rather" to mean

  "The new one-way system is considered by most to be more of an impediment than a help?"


texts: What does percentage mean in this sentence?

texts:
I am wondering what "percentage" means in this sentence:

  Our competitor orders a high percentage of its equipment from foreign companies.

Does it mean "quality" here? Could someone please help me to explain this? Thank you in advance.


texts: it usually starts now or it is usually starting now

texts:
what´s right? Use present simple or present continues.

It usually starts now or It is usually starting now?

Thank you


texts:
How to understand the land distance when it is referred in “blocks”?

Example sentence: I seldom travel more than a block or two by foot.

I came across this word many times in books and in videos. However, I don’t know how I should understand it. I am from an Asia country. We don’t measure distance in “blocks”. And also, do you think non-native speakers of English shouldn’t use these types of words because these are jargons which should be avoided?


texts:
I see this cool key chain in my friend's house, Jackie. I pick it up and tell her, "Cool key chain. Why don't you give it to me?" She wants it back, we casually struggle for a while, and finally she gives up because it's not really expensive and we're friends although she didn't want to give it to me in the first place. The next day I see another friend. He asks me where I got that and I say,

  I cadged this key chain off Jackie.

I made some important parts of the context in bold. I came across the word cadge and I'm not really sure this is the right word. I need to check it with a native speaker. Also is cadge (if it's the right word) common in American English, too? If not, how do Americans make the meaning in English?


texts: Do a subject at a university (is it used in AE as well?)

texts:
"Do a subject" means "studying a subject". But the Dictionaries said it is used in the UK. So my question is whether it is used in AE? So is this use common in America,is it used?

Like:

  I did Science at XYZ University.

And can it be used for particular field like medicine?

  I did medicine at XYZ University.

So is the use of "did" in this context natural in AmE?


texts:
I am not sure when to choose X with a purpose or X for a purpose.

For example, when describing serious games, I don't know which one of the two following options I should use:

games with educational purposes
games for educational purposes

I am aware of Is there a difference between “for this purpose” and “to this purpose”?, but I feel it addresses a different situation.

I also wonder without the singular form is acceptable as well:

games with an educational purpose
games for an educational purpose


texts: Which of the following sentence about 'of noun' as an adj. is correct?

texts:
I have two objects A and B, A is of color green while B is of color blue. Are the following sentences correct?

  A and B are of different color.

and

  A and B are of different colors.

If not, how to correct it?

The above is a bad example, but my point is that when I have to use of Noun as an adjective and
A, B each has(or belongs to) a different one, would I have to append s to the Noun?


texts:
While I was in school we were explained (I think it was a physics class) that:

"direction" is just a line (infinite) between two points, going either way;
"sense" is the definite way of traveling, either from A to B, OR from B to A, on a certain direction.

I know that in my language "direction" is used (in everyday speech) to encompass both meanings of "direction" and "sense". Is that the same in English?

As example, the Cambridge Dictionary provides the definition:

  direction = the position towards which someone or something moves or faces

But I did not find a definition in the restricted sense I mentioned above.


texts:
Where Went My Empty Nest?

Why does this question have no auxiliary verb?

Is this question grammatically incorrect?

[The phrase is used as title of a New York Times' article]


texts:
How banks are defined in America has changed over time.

Where is the subject for the verb "has"? How is this type of sentence formed?


texts:
This is from an article in The New York Times: What Russian Revolution?

  The Kremlin could not simply gloss over the Russian Revolution, so Mr.
  Putin has played it down. The official government order for
  commemorations referred only to “the revolution of 1917 in Russia” —
  not Great, or Russian, or Socialist, or October, or any other
  adjective that would imply glorification or disparagement.

I've looked up a few dictionary for the word 'order', but the only thing I can think of is 'order' as 'instruction.' What is the definition of 'order' here?


texts: To go hitch-hiking or to go for hitch-hiking

texts:
Which one is correct to use ?

  The bank manger was given a holiday and he resolved to go hitch-hiking.

Or

  The back manager was given a holiday and he resolved to go for hitch-hiking.


texts:
It was wise of you to buy the secondhand product.
  1-2. You were wise to buy the secondhand product.
  It was wise for you to buy the secondhand product.
  2-2. For you to buy the second product was wise.

Can we use both expressions?
What is the difference between them?

1 can be changed into #1-2.

2 can be changed into #2-2. Isn't that right? Because of 'of' and 'for', what difference do we have?


texts: When can I use "derisive laugh"? What does it mean? Is it the way when a villain in movie laughs at hero who almost lost the fight?


texts: Can 'Well' be used to mean "very" or "really". Can it be an adjective

texts:
My in-laws are from the Caribbean, and they use phrases such as:
"The soup is well good."
"She's a well good woman."

By 'well', they mean 'very', 'really', or even 'extremely'.  At least that is my interpretation from context.  It usually seems to be used in a positive sense.  That is, I have not heard anyone say, "He's a well bad man" but perhaps they are just positive people!

Are these sentences grammatically correct?  For those tempted to just blurt out, "No, they sound wrong", please consider the following sentences which I hear around my home town (San Diego) all the time.

"Your shot was well long of the hole."
"He fell well short of his goals."
"She's a well fed woman."

What part of speech is "well" in the previous five sentences?  I think in the first one at least it's an adjective modifying the noun "good".  Usually, 'well' is an adverb as in:
"He did well on the test".

Thanks,
Dave


texts: Does "strike to the marrow" exist in English?

texts:
I found "strike into the marrow" in one book The Journey by Clyde V. Collard (here)

  May I enter from out this penetrating night whose chill strikes me to the marrow?

This phrase can mean that bad weather outside, including a biting wind, a steady drizzle,dank and dark streets has both physical and psychological adverse effects on somebody.

I get 8-10 hits on Google for this phrase.


texts:
Here, I pose the same text in two ways; with (the) and without it by using empty brackets (). I pose the original text first and the non-original text second and I need to know the difference .
1- in many respects, (the) American character has been shaped by the moral convictions of (the) English puritans. many historians feel that the puritan ethic of thrift contributed to the success of capitalism. founding a new society in north America was a business venture as well as a spiritual one. for (the) puritans, (the) physical world and (the) spiritual world are intertwined. because (the) puritans believed that wealth was a sign of ( ) God's favor, they strove to attain it.
2- in many respects, ( ) American character has been shaped by the moral convictions of ( ) English puritans. many historians feel that the puritan ethic of thrift contributed to the success of capitalism. founding a new society in north America was a business venture as well as a spiritual one. for ( ) puritans, ( ) physical world and ( ) spiritual world are intertwined. because ( ) puritans believed that wealth was a sign of (the) God's favor, they strove to attain it.


texts: Which is correct: "A group of kids was punished" or "A group of kids were punished"?

texts: The first sentence sounds grammatically correct but really weird. Meanwhile, the second sentence sounds grammatically incorrect but much better.


texts:
In a book I read a line  if you will forgive us, our lunch is growing cold
I know that in 1st condition of English, we use present simple. Then why "will" is being used here.


texts: What's the meaning of "to brace ... for impact"?

texts:
Could you please tell me what the meaning of "together we brace a hundred times for impact" is?

The full text is here:
It’s three in the morning, and we are making our way from southern to northern Utah, when the weather changes from the dry chill of the desert to the freezing gales of an alpine winter. Ice claims the road. Snowflakes flick against the windshield like tiny insects, a few at first, then so many the road disappears. We push forward into the heart of the storm. The van skids and jerks. The wind is furious, the view out the window pure white. Richard pulls over. He says we can’t go any further. Dad takes the wheel, Richard moves to the passenger seat, and Mother lies next to me and Audrey on the mattress. Dad pulls onto the highway and accelerates, rapidly, as if to make a point, until he has doubled Richard’s speed. “Shouldn’t we drive slower?” Mother asks. Dad grins. “I’m not driving faster than our angels can fly.” The van is still accelerating. To fifty, then to sixty. Richard sits tensely, his hand clutching the armrest, his knuckles bleaching each time the tires slip. Mother lies on her side, her face next to mine, taking small sips of air each time the van fishtails, then holding her breath as Dad corrects and it snakes back into the lane. She is so rigid, I think she might shatter. My body tenses with hers; together we brace a hundred times for impact. Educated by Tara Westover


texts:
This is the context:

  Paulson: Dave, I want to come back to you. Do you agree with what the rest of the panel, or some of the
  panelists, is saying, that basically some of these questions are not relevant because science has no handle
  on some of the larger philosophical questions about consciousness?

  Chalmers: I'm not saying that Niko should give up his day job . . . But I do think it is a meaningful question
  whether jellyfish are conscious, whether or not the discussion goes further. And there is a fact of the matter
  about it, which maybe we’re not in a position now to understand or describe—maybe not ever. However,
  there may be ways eventually to get at this through scientific methods, if indirectly.

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

What is the meaning of "if indirectly" in this context? And can you explain what is the meaning of "if" when it comes in a situation like this?


texts: Hadn't/haven't- difference in meaning in the given context

texts:
Life would be so much easier if people could anticipate your needs and work to satisfy them.
  Like, if somebody got you that cup of coffee you hadn't asked for yet.
  Life would be so much easier if people could anticipate your needs and work to satisfy them.
  Like, if somebody got you that cup of coffee you haven't asked for yet.

Are both hadn't and haven't usable here?
Does either affect the meaning of the sentence?
Are both grammatically correct?


texts:
Is this sentence grammatically correct? Supposing that the one who speaks is not sure if something happened in the past.

  If you actually did it, you will pay for it.

And if it's grammatically right, is it possible to omit "will" to say the same?

  If you actually did it, you pay for it


texts: What does this "which" refer to in this sentence?

texts:
The following sentence is from Il Principe by Niccolò Machiavelli. What does this 'which' refer to in this sentence? And what does this sentence mean?
I thought this 'which' might refers to punishment, and this sentence might mean  'fear preserves you by a dread of non stopping punishment.

but fear preserves you by a dread of punishment which never fails.

And also I'm happy if I find the way how to paraphrase this sentence.
...........
The following is the whole sentence.

And that prince who, relying entirely on their promises, has neglected other precautions, is ruined; because friendships that are obtained by payments, and not by greatness or nobility of mind, may indeed be earned, but they are not secured, and in time of need cannot be relied upon; and men have less scruple in offending one who is beloved than one who is feared, for love is preserved by the link of obligation which, owing to the baseness of men, is broken at every opportunity for their advantage; but fear preserves you by a dread of punishment which never fails. (source)


texts: Differences between continuous and simple

texts:
I have been wondering if one could use the Present Progressive to express what is really going on when something happens. For example: "When you present something to the class, you are expressing your ideas, which is why public speaking is good".
Do I need to say: "You express your ideas"?


texts: "shut down lanes" vs. "close lanes" Are there any differences between them?

texts:
News Report:

  "..which means all eastbound lanes of Interstate 70, shut down for
  roadwork, will remain closed until Monday."

I think, the news report means "The eastbound lanes of Interstate 70 are closed now.", but other people say it doesn't.

In this case, who is right?

One more question:

  "The project will continue 'until' Monday."

Does this sentence mean "The project will be completed 'on' Monday." or "The project will be completed 'before' Monday."?


texts: Using hyphens between numbers and units before long and wide

texts:
I think the single dashes (hyphens) should be placed between the numbers and units in this sentence:

  ...in a cylinder of 3-inch radius and 24-inch length.

Is that correct and should hyphens be added to this second sentence?

  ...making a trench nearly 15 feet wide and more than 30 feet long.


texts:
I want to tell that 'If the question would not have had that statement then your answer is correct'.

Is the usage of would not have had correct here ? How do I frame the sentence?


texts:
I know that the "s" becomes "z" when it comes after a voiced sound. And it is pronounced as "s" when it comes after a voiceless sound. I also know rules about possessives but I don't know how natives pronounce a word when it ends in S and "apostrophe S" is added to it.
For example: "Stannis's army".
Do you add another syllable to it? Like Stannisiz? or just Stannis and ignore the possessive S?
I really have difficulty in pronouncing words that end in S and possessive S is attached to it.


texts: better had or had better. Which is correct?

texts:
How does the first sentence differ from the second in the following sentences?

1) I had better zip my jacket up.

2) I better had zip my jacket up.


texts: Question about meaning of "accept commerce" , "spur" and "inland"

texts:
By 1860, Houston had emerged as a commercial and railroad hub for the export of cotton. Railroad spurs from the Texas inland converged in Houston, where they met rail lines to the ports of Galveston and Beaumont. During the American Civil War, Houston served as a headquarters for General John Bankhead Magruder, who used the city as an organization point for the Battle of Galveston. After the Civil War, Houston businessmen initiated efforts to widen the city's extensive system of bayous so the city could accept more commerce between downtown and the nearby port of Galveston. By 1890, Houston was the railroad center of Texas.

Could you simplify the words spur and inland here. ( I know inland means interior and spur has to do with encouraging, but in context the definitions in my mind are incompatible with the context, presumably, am i right?

I also would be greatful if anybody could tell me what does the phrase ** could accept more commerce** means.


texts: What do I say to draw back someone's attention?

texts:
Suppose two people are playing an indoor game (billiards) and there's a television installed nearby where the normal TV channels are being aired. While the two players are deeply engaged in the game, an advertisement (a risque one such as a condom or some such product) comes up where some hot chicks are shown and one person's attention gets diverted towards the TV instead of playing the game. The other person says

  Attention!! We have a game to finish

But this sounds really weird. How do I draw back his/her attention back in a preferably humorous, colloquial and mocking way?


texts: limericks you say you have written. (relative clauses question)

texts:
"I know," Matilda said. "I've tried quite a few times but mine are never any good."
"You have, have you?" Miss Honey said, more startled than ever.
"Well Matilda, I would very much like to hear one of these limericks you say you have written. Could you try to remember one for us?"            (from the novel Matilda)

I know that this sentence is relative clauses:

limericks you say you have written

Is this right sentence?

limericks (which) you have written (which) you say.


texts:
Is the world "trolling" used in a negative way or positive way?
As I use it in chat and people ignore me.


texts: Correct synonymous to expression "still into you"?

texts:
In the USA there is Paramore band. They have wrote nice song Still into you in 2013. In lyrics clear all for me except title. "Still into you" what does it mean in this context?

Context

  Yeah after all this time

  I'm still into you.

Question:

Please, give me correct analogy. Is it "fall in love" or sort of sex or something other?


texts:
In restoration ecology, we see statements like,

  Roads will be re-contoured, ripped, or seeded if there is evidence of
  excessive erosion.

What is the meaning of contour here? I looked up some dictionaries (e,g, here), but I still don't understand what it means in the context.


texts:
I am considering this sentence which I found from an SAT preparation book:

Although some designers are employed by companies, most work on a project-to-project basis, with each project taking anywhere from several weeks to several months.

The right answer was provided with this explanation below:

correctly uses the construction "with ... -ing" to join the final clause to the rest of the sentence smoothly.

If it joins the final clause to the rest of the sentence then it should be a subordinating conjunction, right?
But why in this site  almost everyone claims that "with" can't be a conjunction Or maybe they are referring to a conjunction as a coordinating conjunction?


texts:
Suppose I have a dictionary but I can't find it at this moment. I ask myself a question. Which of the following is the most suitable form and how is it different from the other forms?

1. Where can it be?
2. Where could it be?
3. Where will it be?


texts:
I am confused about this:

Can I use Must and Have to together like:

  You must have to do it.


texts: Should "a/an" articles be used before general concepts?

texts:
Let me give you some examples from my textbook, that were confusing for me.

How many strings does ___ bass guitar have?
How many players can be on court in ___ basketball team?
Which European country hasn't fought in ___ war since 1815?
Is __ spider ___ insect?

I "feel" that they can be spoken in either way, i.e. with article or without, but I'm not sure.

And by general concept I mean some class of common objects, like biology taxon... Now, when I've mentioned it, I'm starting to think that taxons cannot be singular words.

In these examples I can consider guitar, team, war, spider and insect as objects in general or as some "one" object. It's hard to explain, but I think it's an influence of my native language and Japanese. I suppose, any singular countable noun in English should be preceded by an article (or other specifying word). And general entities should be used in a plural form. Please, correct my conclusions if I'm wrong.


texts: May attributive "church" always be replaced with "ecclesiastical"?

texts:
Trying to translate church tradition in Italian, I noticed that I would translate it as tradizione della chiesa (literally, "tradition of the church"), or tradizione ecclesiale (literally, "ecclesiastical tradition").

Is using ecclesiastical instead of church as attributive always correct?


texts: Student of Industrial Engineering or Student at Industrial Engineering?

texts:
What is the correct choice of preposition here:

  Student of Industrial Engineering

or

  Student at Industrial Engineering

or anything else?


texts:
What do you call something that's the inverse of something? I am asking, because there are many different ways something can be the inverse of something, but what if inverse meant for example "opposite of X and opposite of Y" as in "tall and arrogant" versus "short and humble"?

For example:

  The man is tall and arrogant and the ___ of that would be much better
  for this movie role.

I think "inverse" and "opposite" can fit here, but is there a more serious word or phrase for it? I am thinking of writing an essay and I can't remember a phrase or a word that can substitute it. "Opposite" and "inverse" sound too informal, although the example sentence is informal too when it should have been formal.


texts: I want to say that I work using OS Linux. In Russia we say "I work UNDER Linux" or "I work IN Linux". What is the corresponding phrase in English?


texts: "not permitted" vs. "not allowed" vs. [something else] in a table of permitted bacterial counts

texts:
Let's say I have a document, a specification for a vitamin mix for addition into animal fodder. This document has a table listing the maximum permitted contents of bacteria in the mix.

The first line reads: "Maximum overall bacterial count, in cells/g: 500 000".

The second, third, and fourth to tenth lines read "E.Coli and coliform bacteria", "Proteus", etc. The column value is "not allowed" for each of these, meaning that it's a no-no to have any such bacteria in the mix.

Is "not allowed" a proper combination of words? I came up with "not permitted" as an alternative, but there could be more idiomatic word combinations.

The Russian original is "не допускаются" ('are not admitted', in a blunt translation; meaning the very existence of such bacteria in a sample of the product is a no-no)


texts: Does it make sense to have 'but of course' as the start of a sentence?

texts:
I have this text-

  The whole purpose to this "selective breeding" is simply to improve a humans, and in doing so usually the dogs, way of life. If we carry the example of the border collie then it's clear that these dogs have simplified the lives of farmers by rounding up their flock for them in an efficient and highly effective way, saving the effort of doing it by hand. But of course the ways that human life has been improved by the selective breeding of dogs, doesn’t end with herding.

I was wondering if it is correct, grammatically, to start a sentence with a conjunction in this instance?