texts:
Here are some sentences about someone's routine:

  1) I go to a cafe twice a week.

  2) I go to a restaurant three times a week

  3) I read a book four times a week.

Should he/she use "plural" noun to talk about general stuff?

I'd like to know if these sentences are right and whether they convey the message of the speaker .


texts:
I wrote

  In our proposed system, a wrapper is constructed mainly on the basis of the anchors identified by the user on a representative page.

What means "on the basis of"? Did I use the phrase correctly? what is your understanding from the sentence above?

In dictionary I found "on the basis" as "because of a particular fact or situation", but here I mean anchors are core or fundamental parts on which my data extractor (wrapper) is based.


texts:
Is 'working' a gerund in the following sentences?

My mobile was not working
He is working hard to pass the examination


texts: What is the meaning of ring in spy ring?

texts: Why is a espionage network called a spy ring? What does ring means in this context?


texts: What is a non-vulgar synonym for this swear word meaning "an enormous amount"?

texts:
How do I say "shitload" or "shit-ton" without cursing?

Ideally, I'm looking for a term for casual conversation but without any cursing, the word you can use with kids and teens, or just adults you want to be friendly with without being vulgar.

I found words like "enormous amount" but it feels a little too formal and dull (and doesn't work if the word needs "number").

How appropriate is "buttload"? Would it be an acceptable synonym?


texts: Is letter Y in "Guyana" a vowel or a consonant?

texts:
Despite not being perfect, I do have some basic knowledge about consonants and vowels. From textbooks and internet, I know that, for example, C, Q and X are always consonants; A, E, I, O, U are always vowels; and Y is ambiguous, it can be either of two.

Can anyone please indicate if Y in the word "Guyana" acts as a vowel or as a consonant and why? Guyana is the name of a country in South America. Thanks.


texts: Tone in spoken questions: [Do] your friends call you John or Jack?

texts:
I could not tell if the woman in the exchange pronounced Do or dropped it when she asked the man about his name; I could not hear the word Do at all. For all I know, whoever transcribed the conversation might have added Do. Then it came to mind whether there is any difference in tone/stress between:

Good, strong name. [Do] your friends call you John or Jack?*
Good, strong name. Your friends call you John or Jack?*

The sentence is part of the exchange below from Vertigo 1958.

  Thank you But I don't know you, and you don't know me

  My name is Madeleine Elster

  My name's John Ferguson

  Good, strong name. Do your friends call you John or Jack?

  Oh, John, mostly

Vertigo 1958

Edit:

Bold Do was replaced by [Do] between brackets to help improve readability. No intention of adding stress to the sentence.


texts: Give it a read, read it once, go through it once

texts:
If a child doesn't understand a certain topic a teacher sometimes says:

  Just give it a read and come to me tomorrow if you don't get it.

Is "give it a read" natural in this context? Does it sound too slangy for a teacher or is a teacher likely to use it?

What about:

  Just read it once.

  Just go through it once.

Does "read it once" sound better than "give it a read"?


texts: What is the meaning of this phrase - "So take aim and fire away" in Alan Walker's 'On My Way'?

texts:
So take aim and fire away

I've never been so wide awake

No, nobody but me can keep me safe

And I'm on my way


texts: Does "I have been meeting many people for the past few days" imply I will continue to meet people?

texts:
I've read that the sentence "I have been meeting many people for the past few days" implies I will continue to meet people.
Why is that the case? To me, the sentence means that I have been meeting many people for the past few days until today, but it says nothing about the future.
Does anyone agree?


texts: When each of objects is respectively responding to different subjects, should I use "and" or "or"?

texts:
The lecturer is saying

  we
  talked in the last video about
  horizontal lines having a gradient of
  zero whilst upwards and downwards
  sloping lines having positive or
  negative gradients respectively

mathematically, upwards sloping lines have positive gradients, downwards sloping lines have negative gradients.

consider "upwards and downwards sloping lines having positive or negative gradients respectively" as a separate sentence, how to re-write it in a non-confusing and concise way, expression_1, expression_2 or some other else?

expression_1

upwards and downwards sloping lines have positive or negative gradients respectively

expression_2

upwards or downwards sloping lines have positive or negative gradients respectively


texts: Would this be the correct way to refer to two authors' separate books as one book, "Author 1 and Author 2's Books"?

texts: Say I have two authors that each wrote a book (not together) and I want to refer to both of them in one sentence while lumping their books into one noun, should I put an apostrophe right after the second author?


texts: Some questions about Simple Past and Past Perfect Tense

texts:
I have some blank fillings here making me mad and confused.

__he__(know) her for a long time before they __(get) married?

My answer is: Had he known her for a long time before they got married ?

He __(drive) down the hotel where they __(spend) their honeymoon years ago

My answer is: He drove down the hotel where they had spent their honeymoon years ago.

When we __(get) to the station the train __(already/leave)

My answer is: When we got to the station, the train has already left.

He __ (sit) at a table by the window where he __(have) a meal with Jane.

My answer is: He sat at a table by the window where he had had a meal with Jane.

I wonder if I had done them correctly, or there're some mistakes. Please help and thank you for much!


texts: Can "which" indicate a noun which is not the head of noun phrase?

texts:
Hermione always liked to go through their exam papers afterward, but
  Ron said this made him feel ill, so they wandered down to the lake and
  flopped under a tree. The Weasley twins and Lee Jordan were tickling
  the tentacles of a giant squid, which was basking in the warm
  shallows. (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

Though the head of noun phrase before 'which' is tentacles, 'which' seems to refer to squid, because of the singular verb ‘was’. Can 'which' refer to the closest noun before it, not the head?


texts:
What are the differences between "of noun" and "adjective"? They are the same thing? e.g.,

  This work is of great interest and value.
  This work is greatly interesting and valuable.

  The software will be of interest to schools and museums.
  The software will be interesting to schools and museums.

  Warrington council has recognised the building as being of historical interest.
  Warrington council has recognised the building as being historically interesting.

  The story was of particular interest to me as a New Zealander living in Australia.
  The story was particularly interesting to me as a New Zealander living in Australia.

And how about below sentence? Is it possible to change below "of noun" sentence to "adjective" one?

  Many of the calls were of a difficult nature from distressed families with moving reports of missing people.


texts:
I know "give sth back" means "to return something to the person who gave it to you", and "take sth back" means "to return something you have bought to a shop", according to "https://dictionary.cambridge.org". But I am wondering whether it is possible to use the latter one in lieu of the former one. I mean one can say:

  Make sure you take me the keys back when you've finished.


texts: The meaning of "floored" in: "he was floored when they told him he was 'going viral'"

texts:
I need to confess I am a Limahl fan and my feeling goes with this story.

It's a bit long article, so that please forgive me if you need to read to the line I would like to lead to, which is

  Limahl, whose real name is Chris Hamill, confesses that he’s never seen Stranger Things (though he plans to enjoy a binge-watching session soon), and he says he was floored when his nephew informed him that he was “going viral.”

According to Merriam Unabridged, the verb floor has 3 definitions.

  1 a :  to cover with a floor :  furnish with flooring

  b :  to form the floor of

  2
  :  to strike down or lay level with the floor :  knock down; broadly :  silence, defeat

  3
  :  to put, send, force, or display on or toward the floor

None of these seems fit, but I found the bold verb which I think would be the one. Would the line "to be floored" mean "to be silenced" or rather "go to the point where he can not utter a word ( by a sudden news )".

P.S

By the way, is this way of use of the verb or word "floor" usual and ordinary in Britain or even in the U.S?

Kindly confirm, thank you.


texts: I am keen to discuss further (with you) about how I can contribute to your company

texts:
I am feeling 50/50 about whether I should add 'with you' in this sentence.

  I am keen to discuss further with you about how I can contribute to your company.
  I am keen to discuss further about how I can contribute to your company.

Are they both correct? Which sentence is better? Thank you!


texts: What does the 'won't in "Won't somebody help me chase the shadows away" mean? Is it supposed to be 'want'?

texts:
I have a question about the lyrics of "Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight)" sung by ABBA.

I wonder about a sentence "Won't somebody help me chase the shadows away".
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/abba/gimmegimmegimmeamanaftermidnight.html

What does the "Won't" mean?
When I first saw this sentence, I thought it was a mistake for "Want".

If the "Won't" is correct, what is the meaning and the nuance of the sentence?
If the "Won't" is incorrect, what is the true word?


texts: Indefinite article with a noun in the plural: "(a?) dedicated 4 years"

texts:
Which is the correct version (or are both correct?):

  accrued through dedicated 4 years in IB

or

  accrued through a dedicated 4 years in IB


texts: Definite article between name and a nickname

texts:
Is that true that I can use that phrasing:

"my first(given) name" the "my nickname" ?

What exactly do native speakers think when they hear such phrasing?
Is it appropriate to use as a whole nickname?

I am assuming that a nickname is a single word. I am considering something like "Ender", but I am also interested about using adjectives in the phrasing this question is about.
For example, can I use "Alex The Ender" as a nickname? Would the last word in it considered a nickname by itself?


texts:
I have been reading a novel (The Bridge Across Forever) for the last two days. I read a sentence which I thought was a part of if conditional. I understood what exactly the writer wanted to tell but I do have some grammatical problems which the sentence. So I have posted it here. Please go through it and answer my questions.

A still from the novel-

  What would Donald Shimoda tell me, if he were sitting here under the
   wing tonight, if he knew I had not found her yet?

Can we use yet with the past perfect tense?
Was it an example of second if conditional?


texts:
1. Don't do it until instructed by me.
2. Don't do it until you are instructed by me.
3. Don't do it until being instructed by me.
Are the above sentences same in meaning? I think 1. is the shortened form of 2. 'You are' is omitted in 1.
But 3 is something awkward. It seems like incorrect. Does it mean same as the above two?


texts: Is "pending for her return" grammatical?

texts:
Is it valid to use:

  We will be pending for her return

instead of, for example:

  We look forward to her return


texts: She did more than just go against the grain. Why "go" in its base form?

texts:
In the sentence

  "she did more than just go against the grain" ,

why is the verb "go" used in its base form?
And if "she" is the subject, "did" the predicate, "more" the object, what grammatical role is "than just go against the grain" playing?


texts:
Is it okay to write "draw my feelings on paper"?

The original text is "When I feel depression, I often draw my feelings on the paper and it makes me feel better."


texts:
What should be the punctuation at the end? Should it be a question mark or a full stop? Please explain.

  Have you ever got involved so much in a book that you could hear their voices in your head; you could imagine the whole scene in front of your eyes and it feels magical


texts:
There is a debate I'm having with someone over whether something can just be aesthetic.

Such as:

"The dog is aesthetic."
"The world is aesthetic."
"That tree is aesthetic."

It's starting to sound a little more correct as I read it but it sounds so incorrect.


texts: Is it correct to say "don't lie on/in my spot, get off/out please" and "don't step on/ in that spot"?

texts:
There are a few people sharing a same bed.
Is it correct to say "don't lie on my spot, get off please" or "don't lie in my spot, get out please"?
There is an area on the floor of a room that has some dirt.
Is it correct to say "don't step on that spot" or "don't step in that spot"?


texts: How to use preposition "like" in a question?

texts: Which one is correct: What was the weather like in Toronto?" or "What was the weather in Toronto like?"


texts:
In the following sentence is the usage of of idiomatic?

  Mr. Bhat of Shopian in south Kashmir, the largest apple producing area in J&K, says he cannot betray his trade partners of several decades in Lucknow and Delhi. He fears the government’s offer can damage the age-old social and economic ties the Valley have with the rest of India.

I think in place of of from should be used because from shows the origin of time/place

I think there is something wrong with have too. Because valley is singular noun and hence has should be used in place of have


texts: How can I decide if there should be subjunctive mood in an if-clause?

texts:
For example, there are two sentences:

If she lived in a mill town, the choice was more or less made for her.
If she lived in a mill town, the choice would be more or less made for her.

What the difference between them? And is it necessary to apply subjunctive mood in the first sentence?


texts: Why can't the indefinite article be used with words that indicate places?

texts:
For example, although I didn't decide to which shop to go, why can't the sentence "I will go to a shop" be accepted.

And what's the difference between these sentences :
1) I left my purse in a car
2) I left my purse in the car


texts: "I see nothing " vs "I don't see nothing"

texts:
As far as I understand, both of these sentences imply that the speaker is unable to see anything.

Is one sentence more correct than the other or can they be used interchangeably everywhere?

Also, why doesn't a negative word "don't" have any effect on the resulting meaning of the second sentence in the title?

For eg.

  I see her

and

  I don't see her

are pretty different.


texts: Do I need a comma in the following sentence containing two independent clauses?

texts:
That day Mary looked tired; her eyes looked small for the first time(,) and her mouth contorted into a yawn every five minutes.

I'm confused because I found similar constructions on Google Books. Some of them have commas and others don't. Maybe the comma is optional in cases like these?


texts: the usage of comma, and what part of speech is "each" here?

texts:
I have recently read a sentence in a story .

  The four of you may be proficient, each in your
  own subject.

I wonder why is the comma used before  each.
Is the word  each  adverb or pronoun
in this sentence ?
Looking forward to your wisdom replies  ---


texts: How to understand "with" in the sentence "It's a very busy time with us at the moment"?

texts:
"It's a very busy time with us at the moment."

How to understand the prepostion "with" here?

Why use "with" not "for" here.
If they have similar meaning, what are their nuances?


texts: The verb "tune out" and the whole meaning of a headline

texts:
Currently reading this article now,

The headline says,

  Pound Forecasters Tune Out BOE Cut Calls to Sound Upbeat

Now after googling and looking up dictionaries of both the English-English and English-my country's language, the verb "tune out" turned out to be, sort of

  silence

  decrease the volume of

Now, the meaning of the headline is a bit complex to me.

Does the headline try to say,

"The currency forecasters (seemingly) ignore the BOE's rate cute to see the bullish pound in the future"?

Thank you for your support in advance.


texts: Correct use of simple past and past perfect

texts:
I received a call which was for my colleague. he was not at his seat at that time hence I told caller I will inform him about his call once he returned to his seat.

How should I inform to my colleague?

Xyz had called you, Please call him

Or

Xyz called you, Please call him

I know there is one more way to say this

Xyz's call for you Please call him

According to me simple past is enough here because I want to refer only one past event.

Please help


texts:
Context :

"Do let us know"
I know the meaning of let us know but what is the meaning of the sentence when "do"  is used before let us know.


texts: "three cities that might, among them, contain no hospital"

texts:
Please take a look at the following sentence from an LSAT:

if one of the cities contains exactly two hospitals and exactly one
university, then which one of the following lists three cities that
might, among them, contain no hospital?

After checking some explanations of this sentence, they all mention that the sentence actually asks to identify three cities that none of which contain a hospital.
I thought that "among" means "one or some of a group", so this sentence should be read as asking to identify three cities that some of which could have contained no hospitals.
I would really appreciate your help.
Thank you very much for your time.


texts: Why is it "half as much" and not "a half as much"?

texts:
Why is it acceptable to say
"It is half as much"
but not
"It is a half as much"
When you can say:
"It is a third as much"
but not
"It is third as much"
What is different about "half" here compared to other things like quarter or third?


texts:
I think, I can use Present Perfect Continuous(as it can express repeated action too) as well as Present Perfect Simple and they have similar meanings in this case. Am I right?

(I got confused because I have to choose ONE between these two tenses :/ )


texts:
That has led to a reduction of CO2 emissions by approximately 425 tonnes per year
  That has led to a reduction in CO2 emissions by approximately 425 tonnes per year.
  That has led to a reduction of approximately 425 tonnes per year in CO2 emissions.

I remember reduction/increase is always followed by "in" to mean something is reduced or increased. But here I see reduction of, which is a puzzle to me. I tried my best to offer 2) and 3).
I am wondering which is the right one.


texts: Does `sour bunch` mean unusual in some cases?

texts:
This mathematical blog post says:

  Statisticians can be a sour bunch. Instead of considering their winnings, they only measure how much they have lost. In fact, they consider their wins as negative losses. But what's interesting is how they measure their losses.

I searched sour bunch on m-w and Cambridge, didn't find a match.

Does sour bunch mean unusual here?


texts:
Even though Nikonov did not add what many already knew, … …

I saw the phrase in a book.  I'm wondering if there is any difference if we replace "what many" with "how many" here? Is there any difference in general between "how many" and "what many"?


texts: Difference between phrases "be the same something" and "have the same something"

texts: Why have the speaker used "be" instead of "have" in the following sentence? "Stars are not the same brightness." I am confused because it seems to me that the word "brightness" has been used there as an adjective. What if the speaker had used "have", for example, " Stars don't have the same brightness", would it mean the same? If not, what is the difference then?


texts:
Is there a shorter way of saying "turned up in a timely fashion" or "turned up just in time"?
As in:

The DJ turned up just in time to appease the crowd. If she didn't come
in time, it would have degenerated into a full-blown riot.

I think there's a way of saying this, but I can't remember the right word or phrase.


texts: Nice interpretation of "be in a position to"?

texts:
Having googled the phrase "be in a position to" and examined its usage, I temporarily conclude that "be in a position to" is equivalent to "can if willing to".

But I am not quite sure if my interpretation is proper. If not, I would like to know a nicer interpretation so that I can more appropriately manipulate it.


texts: What "verb" to use for "stop flowing" in this context

texts:
Do not let the rain water (...blank)... otherwise mosquitoes can emerge as a big problem.

Can I use the verbs like:

  gather or accumulate?

I would like to know both the spoken and formal.

Thanks in advance.


texts: Difference between Past Simple and Past Continuous in a sentence

texts: I was running a test and made a mistake in the sentence "They lived in Germany when they were young." I used Past Continuous instead of Past Simple, that is "They were living in Germany when they were young.". I am wondering if Past Continuous can be used here. If it can be used, what is the difference between the sentences? I was guided by this source: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/past-continuous-or-past-simple which says that I can use Past Continuous to show an event as ongoing at a time in the past.


texts:
The definition of upwardly mobile is "moving or able to move to a higher social class". However, this meaning doesn't make sense with word equity, which means "the value of a company, divided into many equal parts owned by the shareholders", or "the value of a property after you have paid any mortgage or other charges relating to it". Because the combination is confusing to me. How could valued thing get a higher social class?

So what does upwardly mobile equity mean?


texts:
Look at this example below

  I prefer to choose money over happiness

In this example, prefer is the main verb which takes 'to' appropriate preposition.  with it. Now if we use 'choose' (as an infinitive in this case) or any other verb after it, the next preposition will be used according to that verb or according to 'prefer' as it is the main verb?


texts: What is the verb describing flagging down a car and getting a ride?

texts:
Imagine someone's car broken down on the side of road or someone who had no money with himself needed to take a taxi and then he started flagging down towards cars passing ,a car came along and stopped by him and he went wherever he wanted to go. what would  be the verb of getting in a car in this way? what did he do in English?

Thank you in advance.


texts:
I was watching Suits S02E02, and here's the dialogue.
The plot in short is that Harvey and Mike were trying to close another senior partner Paul's client and this client denied filing bankruptcy (even though he should), which was giving Paul a hard time. Harvey and Mike tried to think of some clever yet not 100% illegal ways to tackle the problem but was found out by Paul.

  Harvey: That's doubtful. He got wind of our little maneuver.
  Mike: [laugh].
  Harvey: What?
  Mike: You said "got wind".

I knew that "got wind of sth" means to find out about sth secret or private but I don't get it why Mike laughed at the phrasing of Harvey right here.


texts:
What does 'mortgage one's future' mean in this context?
I am aware of the literal meaning of 'mortgage' as a loan taken out from a bank to buy a house.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary gives the following definition of the phrase:

chiefly US, disapproving
: to borrow a large amount of money that will have to be paid back in the future
The city has mortgaged its future to pay for the new stadium.
—sometimes used figuratively
Some critics say that she has mortgaged her political future on a program that is likely to fail.

They don't specify what exactly the figurative meaning is about. The second example means something like 'to put her future at stake'.
The phrase occurs quite often in political contexts like this presidential address where it as I understand means 'to use some of the money now which has to be paid back later to future generations'.
What synonyms would you suggest? Is it close to 'put one's future at risk/jeopardize one's future'?


texts: "functions of {intensity/the intensity/intensities} with respect to wavelengths" Which option is correct?

texts:
What is the correct option from the three below, please? Is it better to use plural or singular? Should be there the articles?

... are functions of intensity (or flux) with respect to wavelength.
... are functions of the intensity (or the flux) with respect to the wavelength.
... are functions of intensities (or fluxes) with respect to wavelengths.


texts: Does the English language have a word explaining a song in your head that you can't stop singing?

texts: Sometimes after listening to a popular song you can't stop repeating it in your head. Is there any term for this in English? You can't say the same in Russian using one word.


texts:
Which of these sentences sounds more natural?

  1- We just cooked fish

  2 - We just finished cooking fish

Usually I would use "We just made fish", but I want to use the verb cook.  Which one should I use?


texts: I just saw this sentence on the internet

texts:
there is a sentence below..

  "no politician in history, and I say with surety, has been treated worse, more unfairly."

I don't understand this sentence grammatically

no politician and I together are the subject with plural form

so has must be changed to have.. IMO


texts:
Which of the following sentence is correct? If both are correct, what is difference between them?

I take a taxi/bus/train to work.

I get a taxi/bus/train to work.


texts: In this comparison, how, according to the writer, does Latin relate to French rap?

texts:
The Arabic of “Frozen” is frozen in time, as “localized” to contemporary Middle Eastern youth culture as Latin quatrains in French rap.
— Translating “Frozen” Into Arabic by Elias Muhanna

Please explain what this comparison means. What does the writer want to convey here; how does Latin relate to French rap?


texts:
Moses survived floating down the Nile in a basket, being in the presence of Yahweh, the ten plagues of Egypt, a jaunt across the Red Sea, and 40 years in the desert.

My question is: What does "being" as a present participle mean in the above sentence? /Would anyone please explain the use of  "being" in the sentence above?


texts:
I have been posed with a question in an economics class at college which I cannot decipher:
"Explain how an increase in the price level affect the real value of money. Give a real world example."

I emailed the instructor to ask for clarification, asking if he missed a plural somewhere or made a typo, and he advises me as follows: "It is not missing a plural – simply read it as price level affects."

Would it written as “Price level affects” not be plural? Is it possessive rather than plural? Slippery slope? I want to write him back, but worry I may not truly have a full grasp of the grammar and English complexities involved. Is there is some grammatical rule I do not know which dictates that words (or specifically, the word affect) no longer need to be made plural to be read as plural? Is adding an "s" to affect to make it affects in this case not making it plural? What am I missing?


texts: Looking for a common term for “non-circular pipe”

texts:
In Russia, there's a special term for a pipe that is not circular in its section: "a profiled pipe" (профильная труба). There's even a Wikipedia page for it: профильная труба. Such pipes come in a wide variety of sizes and usually have an oval, square or rectangular section ("profile" in Russian), but other kinds of sections are possible.

I wonder what is the common cover-all technical term describing "any kind of non-circular pipe".

Example of usage:

  Pervouralsk New Pipe Plant produces a range of non-circular pipes, including pipes of variable cross-section.

(Also asked on Engineering SE)


texts: meaning of the phrase "make a break" in context

texts:
It is from this video. It is at 13 minute and 30 second. The context is the teacher made a spelling mistake. When he notices it he correctes it and says:

  Sorry about that, guys. I made a break there.

Did he say sorry for making a pause or by the word break he was referring to the mistake. It seems to me that he mean a pause. If I am right then what is the word there there for?


texts:
What can I say instead of "I'm very tired, I guess I'm sick"?

  I don't feel good.
  I don't feel well.
  I feel bad.
  I'm not good.
  I'm not well.


texts:
What is more common in the game of "Rock, Paper and Scissors"?

  She drew out scissors.

  She threw out scissors.

  She tossed out scissors.


texts:
Is the following sentence ambiguous in terms of meaning because him can refer to either the teacher ( if we assume that the teacher is male) or someone who is known by the speaker, the teacher and you  without any further context.

  Did the teacher tell you to see him

What is your first impression/perception when you read the sentence.


texts:
Can we give answer in perfect tense when question was asked in simple tense?

E.g.1.

a) Where did you go this holiday?

Ans: We went to my India this holiday.

I am not sure about below conversation. Both the answers give idea that I was not at home.

E.g. 2

b) I visited your place yesterday, but you were not at home,  where did you go?

Ans a) : Sorry, I went to the mall.

Ans b) : Sorry, I had gone to the mall.


texts:
Middle School

  High School

  Trade Studies

  College  Graduate

  Post Graduate

In terms of level of education, what does "trade studies" mean?


texts: How do I complete the sentence "If it's no trouble, ____"?

texts:
I'm trying to learn the sentence structure and I had a few thoughts about the possible structural continuations of the sentence. I was wondering if you could introduce any new possible continuations to the sentence to me.

"If it's no trouble, I'd like (you) to stay with him this afternoon"

"If it's no trouble, I want/ask/wish (you) to stay with him this afternoon"

"If it's no trouble, I'd appreciate you staying with him this afternoon"

"If it's no trouble, I'd appreciate your help/assistance/helping hand with this"

(I'm always looking to improve on my English; so, I'd greatly appreciate it if you would point out any grammatical mistakes I've made in describing my question)


texts: "It is to be questioned" versus "it has to be questioned"

texts:
Which sentence is correct?

  In general it has to be questioned [...].

  In general it is to be questioned [...].

I am not sure which is correct, but I think "it has to be" is correct.


texts:
Which preposition should I use when I want to covey the meaning of 'until' (defining the end of an extent or an action from a certain point) but not referring to time but an actual stuff?

It's so confusing since in my native language we just use the same preposition no matter if it's time, page, or place.

Which preposition should I use in the place where I used 'until'?

For example:

  I read until page 50.

  I solved until question number 6.

  You need to fill out (the form) until the 5th box.


texts: The use of the phrase "be almost there" in context

texts:
Let's say a teacher have a student build a sentence with the present perfect correctly and the student can't get it right but he is very close. Is it natural to say you are almost there meaning you almost got it. For example:

  Try one more time! You are almost there.

If it doen't quite convey the message, then what would native English speakers say?


texts: "I bought this shirt offline." Is this correct usage of the word 'offline'?

texts: "I bought this shirt offline." Is 'offline' okay to use to refer to something that was bought at a brick-and-mortar store? If not, what's the preferred way to say it in everyday conversations?


texts: using of above as prep and after veb to be

texts:
is the using of above always prep?

I mean the word above goes with and should be using only with verb to be?

The sky is above the cloud.


texts: What is best approach for learning language?

texts:
I was banned in Stackoverflowas mentioned in I and II posts.

One of major issues due that, is my English knowledge. Therefore tripleee guided me here in a comment.

With regard Free live online English assessment test for IELT/TOEFL, Online Resources for Learning English and Software for learning pronunciation posts, I'm looking for suitable approach for learning English.

As I have using www.freecodecamp.org courses service for learning programming, is there a same opportunity for learning English language?

For an example as an assumed approach, (if this approach is true):
Is there any non profit resources, which is available as a online learning English Language (English Accent) free website?

Thanks.


texts: What does the butcher's (meaning the butcher's shop) become in the plural?

texts:
If the sentence in the singular is:

  The butcher's and the hairdresser's are closed on Sunday.

What happens to the genitive if I want to make it plural?

  Butcher's and hairdresser's are closed on Sunday.

  Butchers' and hairdressers' are closed on Sunday.

  Butcher's shops and hairdresser's salons are closed on Sunday.

In British English they call it the butcher's, because "shop" can stay implicit. My question is: if I want to say all the butcher's shops are closed, can I still leave the word "shop" implicit and therefore say: Butcher's are closed on Sunday? Meaning "butcher's shops"? Why would I loose the genitive in the plural if I had it in the singular? If I drop the apostrophe and I say the butchers (plural) does it not mean the butchers = the people who work in those shops?


texts:
This package - do you want it sent today?

This package - do you want it to be sent today?

Does sentence 2) sound correct?


texts: He was elected president. VS He was elected as president

texts:
He was elected president.

  He was elected as president.

Which one is better to teach English language learners?
What would you tell them is the difference between the two?

Why add as before president?

Thank you!


texts:
Phrase:

The goal of this project is to translate to English and make more accessible the resources: resource1 and resource2, which are descriptions ...

The punctuation on this phrase is correct? Do I need to add/delete any commas or add a comma here?

accessible, the resources:...

Sorry, this is a really important paper for me.
Thanks in advance.


texts: what's the meaning of “not even a twist”?

texts:
It appeared in the following conversation.

  A: It's about time you went home, don't you think?

  B: You plan on saying "I'll take you" again, and coming with me, don't you?
   Well, I was going to go home even without you telling me. It's late.

  A: Ah, I'll take you home.

  B: Uwah,not even a twist.

    B is a brother of "A"'s girlfriend.
    A want to go out,but don't want his girlfriend knows where he exactly go.
    So he make that excuse.
    And he did it the other day.

I referred to a dictionary. The closest meaning is:

  A twist in something is an unexpected and significant development.

But it seems that it doesn't match the context of the sentence well.


texts: For example, plural nouns like 'clothes' and 'pants' actually are singulars, but we call them 'plural nouns.' If it's true, what words is appropriate to describe these cases? 'Formal'?


texts: Would you say "to face the screen of the smartphone downwards" or " to turn the smartphone upside down"?

texts:
right side up (North American English) with the top part turned to
  the top; in the correct, normal position

  I dropped my toast, but luckily it fell right side up.

  upside down: in or into a position in which the top of something is where the bottom is normally found and the bottom is where the top
  is normally found

  The canoe floated upside down on the lake.

  face [transitive, intransitive] to be opposite somebody/something; to
  have your face or front pointing towards somebody/something or in a
  particular direction

  face somebody/something She turned and faced him.

  Most of the rooms face the sea.

  They face each other across the aisle.

  face + adv./prep. The terrace faces south.

  a north-facing wall

  a south-east-facing garden

  to face outwards/inwards/upwards/downwards

  Lie with your palms facing upwards.

  Which direction are you facing?

Now, You just want your kid to listen to songs in Youtube videos and don't want him / her to look at the screen of the smartphone because it is not good for his / her eyes.

You don't want to leave your smartphone facing up like this

You want to leave your smartphone facing down like this

What would you say "I'll face the screen of the smartphone downwards on the table" or "I'll turn the smartphone upside down, don't leave it right side up"?


texts: Can I say "voted polls" to mean the polls I have voted in?

texts:
How can I correctly identify polls I have voted in?

Is “voted polls” right? Or there is a better way?


texts:
would some one tell me when we use ” how much time ” and when we use ” how many times ”
Thank you in advance.


texts:
Is it correct to say

  "It was he I was talking about"?

If it isn't, how should I say that? I also suppose it would be correct to say

  It was he (him) who I was talking about.


texts: Question about meaning of "painted-on hair and dress"

texts:
When I was a child, I had a family of doll people. They lived in a red shoebox painted to look like a house, with a dark-brown roof and yellow awnings. Inside the house, there was a set of plastic toy furniture, plus some random household items: a matchbox television, a mirror crafted from a piece of foil, and a thick rug secretly cut out of my old sweater. I also had a few plastic farm animals—a cow, a pig, a goat, and a very large (larger than the cow) chicken, which lived outside the shoebox.
The family itself consisted of the following individuals:
One pretty little doll, made of soft plastic, with painted-on hair and dress , who, in my games, represented me.
One naked, bald, vaguely female doll, made of hard shiny plastic, whom I designated the mother. I made her a Greek-style tunic out of an old handkerchief and glued a lock of my own hair to her head.

With this assumption in mind that painted-on dress means thight dress, according to this link:
http://onlineslangdictionary.com/meaning-definition-of/painted-on
What does it means when saying with painted-on hair and dress ?

with colored hair and colored dress ( colored with ink or sonething )

with colored hair and thight dress

it is difficult for a little girl to color a piece of clothing.


texts: Are English consonant sounds [p], [t], [k] aspirated before another consonant?

texts:
Most sources which I encountered say that English consonants [p], [t], [k] are aspirated before a vowel but not after [s], and become unaspirated after [s]. Canonical example: [p] is strongly aspirated in "pear", but unaspirated in "spear".
My question is: what about the position of [p], [t], [k] before another consonant, notable before [r] or [l]? Examples: plane, pride, train, clue, crow etc. Are [p], [t], [k] in these cases aspirated or not?


texts:
When is the bank open?

When is the bank opened?

When does the bank open?

I want to ask what time the bank opens. I thought the last one (#3) is correct, but I saw in a book that the first one (#1) is correct. Is it possible the second one (#2) would be correct?
Basically, my question is: Which one or ones are correct?


texts: I know highway and aerial highway, the above-surface one. However, I do not know how to say aerial "subway" in the US. Thank you very much.


texts: Is there any difference in meaning between "go easy on someone" and "make it easy on someone"?

texts:
Is there any difference in meaning between go easy on someone and make it easy on someone? For example:

You shouldn't do all the work in one go. Go easy on yourself.
You shouldn't do all the work in one go. Make it easy on yourself.


texts: Which phrase should I use in connection with accreditation?

texts:
What is the difference between accredited status vs. accreditation status?

What is the difference between test laboratory vs. testing laboratory?

Are they both correct?

Context: The accredited/accreditation status of the test/testing laboratory shall expire at 1 January 2015.


texts: Can the word "exposure" be used to mean something positive?

texts:
I want to say something along the lines of: "I believe that the exposure I would gain through being involved in such a wide range of tasks would enable me to..." (that's not the exact sentence, so ignore any potential grammatical issues with the rest of this sentence)

To me this seems fine but doing some searching, it seems "exposure" normally has a negative connotation whereas here I am using it in such a way that it would be positive - i.e. I would gain experience through (being exposed to) a variety of things etc.

Is this acceptable?


texts: Might have been caught/ Might be caught （In a traffic jam)

texts:
If someone hasn't shown up, I'm guessing it is because of the traffic. Which word form should I use?

Considering that "was caught" Is an action in the past, thus:

  He might have been caught in the traffic jam.

Considering "is caught" is a state, which he is still in:

  He might be caught in the traffic jam.

Which one do you think is more likely to be used?


texts: What is the meaning of the phrase "provocatively elliptical"?

texts:
The following line can be found in the novel We by Yevgeny Zamyatin:

  a laconic
  language that frequently lapses into the provocatively
  elliptical and imparts a sensation of breathlessness.

The line talks about the style in which the novel is composed: to the point (laconic) language that makes the reader fall into the "provocatively elliptical."

What does the phrase provocatively elliptical mean in this context?


texts:
The sentence

  I would rather walk than take the bus

refers to the present-future.
Which of the following sentences, that refer to the past, is the correct one?

I would rather have walked than take the bus.

I would rather have walked than have taken the bus.

I would rather have walked than taken the bus.


texts:
Is it grammatically correct "I'm really enjoyed..."? If it is not, can you please correct it?

I want to know why is it wrong, because someone told me, that's incorrect grammar but doesn't want to point it out.


texts: Because Delhi has almost 20 million inhabitants, to make it sustainable is a challenge.


texts: What is the meaning of 'the bus doesn't run out here ?'

texts: Could you please provide any similar examples ?


texts: What does the adverb "out" in the sentence "We lease the land out to the forestry people" mean?

texts:
According to the dictionary:
We can say "to lease something to somebody" or "lease something out to somebody"

  Eg:

  We lease the land to the forestry people.
  We lease the land out to the forestry people.

SO, what are the differences between the two.

Are they the same or almost the same?

Does the adverb "out" mean "completely" or "given to many people" in this case?


texts:
Why is "is" used rather than "are" as the form of "be" in this sentence?

  ...carrying out attacks on the VC's residence, office, vandalism as well as disrupting classes and university activities in the name of movement is also one kind of terror act.


texts: Does laughing have any other connotation?

texts:
Got a photo-comment (meme) from a person reading this:

  Now I am at a stage where when someone says "I am leaving", it doesn't
  affect me anymore but when someone says "I will always be there for
  you", it literally makes me laugh.

What is it that makes him laugh? It appears to me that the person doesn't believe this lie but why 'laugh'?


texts:
1- I was walking home from the coffe shop.  I have a job bussing
  tables there.

What does the marked phrase mean? I look it up in a dictionary and it says that "a job doing something" means "to have difficulties doing something". But ıt doesn't work here I think.

Extra question : About use of participle in those sentences.

  2- I work at the coffee shop bussing tables.

I think the second one okay to me.  My interperation is something like that for the use of participle:

Bussing tables is part of working at the coffe shop.". In the process of working at the coffe shop, I am bussing the tables.

But I can't understand the use of the participle in the first sentence. ( I have a job bussing tables there.)


texts: Is “stop believing that your current state is anything but temporary” a mistake in meaning here?

texts:
Accepting that you are homeless is a pretty hard pill to swallow, said Horvath. Maybe seeing yourself as "not homeless" is a good thing, added Pruss. When you stop believing that your current state is anything but temporary, the going gets a lot tougher, he said.
  Source: Brenoff, Ann. 7 Myths About Homeless People Debunked.

I think it is supposed to be "when you start believing that your current state is anything but temporary, the going gets a lot tougher" since the context is that accepting homeless is permanent makes people sad. What do you think? Is this a mistake?


texts: "There's someone's at the door" or "there's someone at the door"?

texts:
"There's someone's at the door"
  "There's someone at the door"

What does the second "'s" stand for, "is", "has", or it is a possessive or third person singular s?

Is it incorrect to say "there is someone at the door"?

Ps. I came across it in Touchstone 2 book. Sceenshot below:


texts:
Can anyone help me about the correct usage of nd and th ?

  The nth best grade
  The n'th best grade
  The nnd best grade

What are they called in the grammar ?
Which one of them is grammatically correct ?

Thanks in Advance


texts:
An order is placed by one and taken by another. It seems appreciate to call a person who takes an order a "order taker", but I don't know how to refer to the one who place an order.

Possible choices:

order placer
order submitter
order putter

Either a word or a phrase is OK.


texts:
Please tell me whether this sentence is correct.

  The first step to correcting a mistake is patience.

I think that after to the verb must be in its infinitive form. Am I mistaken?


texts: Is it right to use “instead of” in this way?

texts:
This is an excerpt from AP news article.
Shouldn’t the latter sentence be “She died dehydration instead of the virus”?
In the end, 59 residents at Gurwin would be killed by the virus, but Best’s mother never contracted it. She died instead of dehydration...
Thank you!


texts:
The bird feels the breeze all around it when it's in mid-air.

Is it "mid-air", "mid air" or "midair"? I have seen all three of them in various context, so I am not sure if all of them are valid.


texts: What are the differences between "all year / day / month.." & "all the year / day / month..."?

texts:
We often hear:

I have been working hard all year / day / month

When should we say this sentence?

Say at the end of 2017, I say: I have been working hard all year

Does it mean: I have been working hard for the whole 2017?

When should we say: I have been working hard all the year?

What are the differences between "all year / day / month..." & "all the year / day / month..."?


texts:
There is a song by Larry Graham (It ain't no fun to me) with the following words:

  October sun is shining
  These tears they cause the pain
  It simply make up
  Only just to break up, oh baby

What do the words in bold mean? If it is the subject, then why make up and not makes up?


texts: Can any one explain to me what is the meaning of "quiet destination"?

texts:
Here is the phrase which I am reading

  As a result, for years, it’s been a quiet destination for Northerners looking for jobs, schools and business deals.

What does "quiet destination" mean?
I searched for it on google but found no answer.


texts: What does the word "residents" in this sentence refer to?

texts:
SOURCE  (N. Y. Times)

I'm not sure what the word "residents" mean in this sentence.

  The brutality of the ambush gave even the most hardened residents and detectives pause.

I assumed at first it means people who live nearby, but now I wonder if means doctors. The word is in parallel with "detectives", and the word "resident" has a meaning in the US of "a doctor who is training in a hospital".

What does the word "residents" in this sentence refer to exactly?


texts:
They sound the same to me. Are they interchangeable?
I hear people say "in a group," but when I use it in my writing, the auto-correct changed it to "of a group." I checked the grammar book and think they are both grammatical, so I'm wondering if there is a difference between these two.
For example:

Please notify the members in your group or the members of your group


texts: ”Answerers". What is the correct term for these who answer the question?

texts:
Ever since I participated in the ELL, I've been wondering why red mark ( indicating it is misspelled ) is always attached to the word "answerer" which, according to our own language dictionary, is the correct word.

  回答者 <回答> ( answerer )
  an answerer;

What is the correct term? who makes the answer in English?

It looks like I am a fool when I think I ask this kind of question now but thank you for your support.


texts:
In this example, is was the correct verb?

  Few years ago, a company went bankrupt. The issue was/is that the staffs were corrupt.

If I understand correctly, the issue remains the issue today and in the future, so "is" can also be used. However, I am not sure if it should actually be "was" because the event happened in the past.

Thanks!


texts:
One in four of those questioned said they did not know nor had any view on the matter.

What does view mean in the above sentence? Does it match the first sense or the second one in Oxford Learner's Dictionary?


texts: Using "advantageous to" with things instead of people

texts:
See the definition of "advantageous" here. The definition of the word includes "you", and it gives impression that you cannot say advantageous to something. In the examples "advantageous to" is used with people or group of people like this:
advantageous to the company or advantageous to the team

you can say something like advantageous interest rates, and I guess it means that certain interest rates are good for someone or group of people.

However, I wonder whether you can write something like "advantageous To the economy" or "advantageous To the employment level", and I need the opinion of a native English speaker or teacher.


texts: What's the difference between "Don't fight me." and "Don't fight with me."?

texts: I want to know the difference between "Don't fight me." and "Don't fight with me.".


texts: I have watched a cool movie with the title 'The Houses October Built', but I cannot understand the name. What does houses October built mean?


texts: Struggling with Comma Usage in Essential and Non-Essential Clauses

texts:
I asked this question before, and I accepted a well explained answer. However, I am still struggling with the problem. In the meantime, I did my own research which further led to more confusion.

My problem concerns the use of commas. Others, who hold esteem positions in the usage of English Language have suggested that the commas are necessary. [shown in square brackets].

  According to Sautter (1980), authorities feared that the end of the war would leave thousands of workers from the weapons industries [,] and at least half a million demobilized soldiers [,] out of work and out on the streets.

Note: I feel that the bold part together, joined by "and" is essential to the meaning of the sentence. Putting "and at least half a million demobilized soldiers" within a pair of commas makes it nonessential. But it is not nonessential information and without this, although the sentence would make sense, the meaning of the sentence would be significantly different. "Essential clauses are necessary to identify the person or thing that is being described. They are essential to understanding the sentence. They restrict the meaning to that specific person/thing." According to this, the part about soldiers limits the meaning of my sentence, and it is thus essential.

Also, according to this: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/punctuation/commas/extended_rules_for_commas.html Point number 14 says Don't put a comma between the two nouns, noun phrases, or noun clauses in a compound subject or compound object.

NOTE: Link to the first question for complete context. Comma usage and placement


texts:
The last sentence evades me. What does the clause, 'they've committed to~'
mean?   I've referred to a number of dictionaries in vain.

  But these influxes of renewable energy were achieved during extremely
  favourable conditions, and right now there's no way to store this
  energy for later use, which makes it hard to completely cut out fossil
  fuels. If Sweden has success in developing new energy storage
  technology, as they've committed to in their new budget, they could
  well lead the way. Let the race begin.

    Sweden Sets Its Sights on Becoming The World's First Fossil Fuel-Free Nation


texts: Why we say "I am doing the shopping"? why not "I am doing shopping" like "I am going shopping"?


texts: Passive construction of a sentence that starts with "no sooner"

texts:
We had no sooner started the work than he closed the door.
The work had no sooner been started than he closed the door.
The work had no sooner been started, when he closed the door.

The last two sentences are the passive constructions of first one, though I don't think that the meanings of last two are same. Please say what you think. Which one from last two is more common?

If I write the following sentence, is the meaning of it same to the first active construction?

No sooner had we started the work than he closed the door.


texts: Is the second part of the sentence a dangling modifier?

texts:
In the following sentence, is the second part a dangling modifier? The sentence is from an English Textbook for students.

First, a shallow pan is smeared with a tiny amount of edible oil, using a makeshift brush so that the pancake won't stick to the pan.


texts:
I'm looking for an adjective to refer to the space available on SD cards or USB sticks (the amount of Gigabytes available, to be clear). Specifically, a shorter version of this:

  You need an SD card with a lot of space.

That's still kind of ambiguous. I'm not sure what adjective would be correct here:

  You need a large/big/high capacity SD card.

When I use large or big, it sounds as if I'm referring to the physical dimensions of the medium. High capacity is my best guess at the moment, but it still sounds wrong. Is there an accepted adjective for this meaning? If not, what is the best short phrase that I can use instead?


texts: Villages and hamlets in US native parlance

texts:
How common or uncommon are the words village and hamlet in US native parlance? In the small discussion following this comment, one user said that the word village is not a word we use here, but another one said There are villages in the US! I live in one, and it is inside a town.. There is a Wikipedia article Village (United States) that discusses some of the formal issues.

I've always taken village as a translation of the Dutch word dorp, a concentration of human settlement ranging from a few dozen people to a few thousand, in a rural area, not connected to any town or city. Here is a nice example with the village of Rougon in the French Alps (photo from Wikimedia Commons):

What would such a settlement be called in the US? Do such settlements even exist in North America? Can a place with between 10 and 1000 inhabitants be called a (small) town rather than a village? From this Wikipedia article comes the quote Eighty-nine percent of the cities in Nebraska have fewer than 3,000 people.. Are those really cities?

P.S. I'm pretty sure the word village in the UK and Ireland matches the meaning that I'm thinking of pretty much.


texts:
What is the meaning of "For reasons of sentiment"?

This is the full sentence:

  “For reasons of sentiment, I would like part of my ashes to be mixed up with Mama’s, and both her ashes and mine put side by side in the columbarium. We were joined in life and I would like our ashes to be joined after this life.”


texts: A proverb to convey: "There is always someone better"

texts:
I am wondering whether there is any routine, English proverb which is used to imply there is always someone better; so you have to prevent from being too proud of yourself.
I came across the metaphorical phraes a long time ago, however I had not enquire about it from native speakers and that's why I'm not quite confident whether it is an idiomatic and natural English saying which is understood and used by the majority of natives or not. It is:

I saw a saw that saw a saw.

Where:

I saw (past tense of the simple verb see) a saw (an instrument) that saw (verb) a saw (an instrument.)

First, please let me know whether it is a common English proverb.
Second, please tell me if there is any better proverb/idiom/expression to imply that specially in AmE.


texts: Is there any necessity to use "once" or "when"?

texts:
I am wondering if we could say the original sentence as the revised ones, and if there is any difference in meaning among them?

A.  When he broke his leg, he made a crutch for himself.
B. Once  he broke his leg, he made a crutch for himself.

Original:

Once, when he broke his leg, he made a crutch for himself.


texts: Can we add "more" with an adjective to convert it into comparative degree?

texts:
We say "more beautiful" to refer to someone's beauty as being greater than another person's or other people's beauty. Here we use more because beautiful has no comparative form. When we deal with the words that have a comparative form, we use the comparative, e.g., "he looks happier today"; here we are using happier because happy has a comparative form.

But even if an adjective has a comparative form, can we use more to compare with others? Do sentences such as "John is more tall than Jack", instead of "John is taller than Jack" sound odd?


texts:
It might not be possible to continue the relationship as it used to be.

It might not be possible to continue the relationship the way it used to be.

It might not be possible to continue the relationship like it used to be.

I'm not sure whether each sentence means the same thing as the other does. I would really appreciate it if you could help me.


texts:
I've noticed you tend to say "just trying" when asked what you're doing. Would that work with 'just' omitted?
A: What are you doing, Tom?
B: Just trying to cook something.
A: What are you doing, Tom?
B: Trying to cook something.


texts:
I have a question.

I know 'a number of ' means 'a lot', and 'the number of' means 'the quantity of'.

so.. I say, 'a number of apples.' and then, I want to repeat the phrase 'a number of apples' wherein the apples are the same apples.

Then should I say 'a number of the apples' or "the number of the apples.'

I mean, when repeating the same thing, definite article is used, like an apple-> the apple.

should I put 'the' in front of 'apples'? or should I change 'a' to 'the'?

Thanks in advance


texts: What is the best one word reply to "a bit late" message?

texts:
My manager and I have a scheduled one-on-one meeting and just before the meeting time, he sent me a message, "a bit late".

I do not care if he is late and it is very courtesy of him sending me this message, I immediately replied, "sure".

But now I think that is the wrong word, or at least there should be a better one.

For sure I can say, "no worry", "no problem", etc., but I am looking for an one-word reply and I think "ok" is just too plain.

Any suggestion?

[UPDATE]
I am not angry or upset, on the contrary the message I'd like to deliver is, do not worry, I am not bothered by your being late at all. Or maybe even a little bit of "take your time".


texts:
A sentence from a Wikipedia page reads:

  At the middle of the film, Scorsese turned to Bauer and told him, "You guys are great – but be prepared, because they're going to hate it in Hollywood... because it's about them."

I thought it should be in the middle of the film. Several online posts also suggest that the preposition used with the middle should be in not at. Is it a mistake in the sentence at issue?


texts:
What is a "judicial divination" in next sentence? I quoted it from the book "Human rights written by Andrew Clapham".

  They considered the matter was better left to national legislators than to a judicial divination of overriding human rights principles

According to my dictionary, "judicial" refers "relating to the law, judges or their decisions"  and "divination" refers "the ability to say what will happen in the future". I could understand each word but I could not understand the compound form "judicial divination".


texts: "I only bought that because / I bought that only because"

texts:
I want to say that the item I purchased was only my second choice, and I bought it because my first choice doesn't ship to my country.

A or B?

A:

  I'll start by noting that I only bought the [item name] because my first pick — [first choice name] — doesn't ship to [country].

B:

  I'll start by noting that I bought [item name] only because my first pick — [first choice name] — doesn't ship to [country].

And while we're here: is it grammatically correct today "because item doesn't ship to.." (meaning the company doesn't ship it to..)


texts:
Longman cites an example with 'on' but it probably has a different meaning (part of the town lies on the one side of the border, the other part on the other).

  a market town on the border of England and Wales

Here's a sentence from the Guardian, 'at' is used. This is a completely different context, though.

  The establishment of supervisory mechanisms to ensure the humane treatment of migrants at the border [...].

Here's my example I need advice on.

  South Ossetia is a small partially recognized country on the Russian South-Western border.

I think 'at' should be used (because it adjoins the border, not lies on it), but I'm not entirely sure.


texts: Using a plural possessive pronoun for a singular noun?

texts:
I am aware that this structure is called "distributive plurals". However, after much research, I feel no closer to the answer. I am writing for a website where the gender of the Members is not known.
I wrote:

How can Members change their password?

This sounds right to me. It doesn't indicate to me that there is one collective account. If I wrote:

How can members change their passwords?

doesn't that indicate there is more than one password for each member?
I should say I have been using this style throughout, but I am not sure it is correct. I have read that a plural pronoun should be followed by a plural noun.
The client wants the site to be impersonal, so I cannot write,

How can I change my password?

Should I write:

How can a Member change the Member's password?

or should I use the plural pronoun here?
Any help in solving this for me would be much appreciated. :)
Edit: Sorry, I am actually referring to using plural possessive pronouns for singular nouns.


texts:
If a person comes to some special place and stays there to rest for a while and does so often, several times a day, what appropriate word can I use for such multiple stays?

This place can be a cantina or a bar for instance, or even a club.

Visits isn't what I am looking for.


texts: I have heard about “in/on the news”. What about “at the news”?

texts:
I know that we commonly use “on the news” or “in the news”. However, I came across a sentence which is:

  They were overcome by a wave of horror at the news.

As far as I can understand is that “at” in this context is referring to a specific piece of news.

Though, is “at the news” interchangeably used with on the news, or it has a different meaning?


texts: Is trait used to describle only mankind?

texts:
cambridge gives these explanations about trait

  a particular characteristic that can produce a particular type of behaviour

  a characteristic, esp. of a personality:

  A trait is also a characteristic of an organism that is passed from parent to child.

It seems that trait is used to describle only mankind, is my understanding right?


texts:
Armani's move into hotel business is considered the boldest by a luxury goods company, but "it" is not the first.
For what does it in "it's not the first refer to?


texts:
Sometimes, I've seen sentences like this:

  Copies of 14th Finance Commission report being unloaded outside the Parliament in New Delhi on Tuesday

in which VERB is not used, so, could anyone please tell that here writer is omitting VERB purposefully or is this another way to write a sentence?


texts: 'The money Will transfer tomorrow' or 'the money will be transferred tomorrow'?

texts:
Which one is correct:
'The money will transfer tomorrow' or 'The money will be transferred tomorrow'?


texts: What are some words that are more all-encompassing than universe?

texts:
I thought universe was all encompassing, but then I thought about multiverses, and then I thought about parallel universes, so what's a word that's more all-encompassing than an universe, and what's the ultimate word that encompasses all things?

For example:

  The ____ contains all universes including parallel and those from
  other dimensions.


texts:
What does a "finish line" mean in English? Is it the line that the runner must be the first one to cross in order to win the competition? If yes, then how is the last straight leg of the racing route is called?

I am a bit confused here because in my first language the term "finish line" refers to the final straight stretch of the route that the runner must pass before completion, that is, the straight road having no turns (usually a route would contain many turns) and leading to the very end of the route.


texts:
If we use a prepositional "by phrase" then it is passive form but if we use other prepositions such as "to, with" etc., then is the verb in passive or active form?

For example:

Actives:

They told me a secret
He tells me to come.

Passives:

A secret was told to me by them = I was told a secret to me by them.
I am told to come by him.

My question is without the "by phrase" for example in

I was told a secret to me
I am told to come.

Are these in passive or active voice?


texts: When you want to say: "There is a way to everything"

texts:
Imagine someone is going to open a locked door by using force. You see that the guy is slamming into the door and you want to prevent him from doing that and tell him that there is a way to every task. If I were the speaker, I probably would say one of the sentences below:

  Everything has its own procedure.
  Everything has its own way.
  There is a way to everything.

Do they sound idiomatic and natural?

Meanwhile, if there is a better way to say it, I would appreciate if you let me know about it.


texts: Is "If we'd all work together" past or future tense?

texts:
If we'd all work together, I think we could accomplish our goal

What tense is it? Past or future?

The goal has been failed because they didn't work together, or
They will have a chance to accomplish them goal if they work together.


texts: What is the meaning of the noun "magoo" as in "conservative media magoos"?

texts:
In a recent article on washingtonpost.com, I came across the following passage (my emphasis):

  On Friday […] an accusation that the New York Democrat [Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez] was employing her boyfriend as a member of her staff made its way around the Twitter pages of various conservative media magoos. Gleeful outrage ensued.

I've never encountered the word magoo before, and in the given context, it could mean anything, for example "pundit" if I want to go for a neutral reading, or e.g. "hypocrite" as a more loaded interpretation. The OED doesn't list the word, and a web search was also not very conclusive. I did come across the the cartoon character Mr. Magoo, but as I'm not familiar with that character, I don't know whether the present use is a reference to him.

So, what is the meaning of magoo?


texts: Have you been scared vs. were you ever scared

texts:
Let's say someone has asked you about gun-related crime. It goes like this:

  Were you ever scared of gun crime in the world?

Vs.

  Have you been scared of gun crime in the world?

What is the difference between these two? To my understanding, the occurence is still happening in the present.


texts: Commas around introductory phrase which is part of subordinate clause

texts:
Example sentence:

  The army was barely ready when, in February 1794, the war broke out.

Are the commas around "in February 1794" correct?
Could I leave them out?
Or should I rather move "in February 1794" to the end or to the main clause?


texts: Can "It is a shame that ~." and "It is a pity that ~." be used to describe the feeling when in a soccer game our ball misses the target by an inch?

texts:
I wonder whether I can use the expressions, "It is a shame that ~." and "It is a pity that ~." when during a soccer match our ball misses the target by a tiny distance.

For example, can I say "It is a shame that our ball missed the target by a tiny distance! We almost scored!" or "It is a pity that our ball missed the target by a tiny distance! We almost scored!"?

Thank you.


texts: present, past, passive and perfect participle usages

texts:
Which is correct grammatically?

Beaten severely, he died immediately. [past participle]
Having been beaten severely, he died immediately. [perfect participle)

I would like to put my understanding of the sentences. please correct me if I am wrong. According to me sentence 1 implies that "He was beaten severely. So, he died immediately" a case of" cause and effect".as per Past participle definition. Sentence 2 implies that "He having been beaten severely. he died immediately".(or) "After he was beaten severely. He died immediately." A case of perfect participle which indicates completion of first action before start of second action. I request you to give me explanation if I am wrong or I am correct


texts: What preposition I should use here: "a job at/in/on/another Junior-engineer position"?

texts:
Speaking about a job.

  I've found a job at/in/on/another Junior-engineer position.

What preposition would be appropriate here?


texts: What is the meaning of "on the cusp of being under 30"?

texts:
I came across this dialogue between two members on here:

A: Are you under 30? [...]

B: I'm just on the cusp of being under 30 so [...]

This got me confused because it's unclear if the person is almost 30 or a little over 30.
I've also asked around and got mixed answers from native speakers -- some say under, some say over.
So I'd like to know what people on here think.
Could you please explain what the expresion means?
How is it different from just "on the cusp of being 30" ?
And because there are different opinions, is there any chance it is intended to be ambiguous?
Thank you!


texts: "they were getting called the n-word" is this correct?

texts:
I have the next sentence

    They didn't change their content, they kept tweeting the same as usual, but suddenly, the white guys noticed they were getting called the n-word all the time and they were getting the worst kind of online abuse, whereas the black women all of a sudden noticed things got a lot more pleasant for them.

Is "they were getting called" correct or a author made a mistake and he should have used "they were being called"?


texts:
In my company, we often need to write requirements for our customers. They are pretty much recommendations (i.e., we do not impose anything), but given a certain baseline, some are stricter than others: they can be mandatory, desirable or optional. To avoid misinterpretation, we use the terms defined by RFC 2119. This question focuses on the first definition:

  MUST   This word, or the terms "REQUIRED" or "SHALL", mean that the
  definition is an absolute requirement of the specification.

So, in principle, either of the three words could be used exchangeably. I tend to use must, whereas some colleagues tend to favor shall. For example, I'd write

  Every car MUST have a key.

and others

  Every car SHALL have a key.

However, the latter (shall) resonates odd, unnatural and even pretentious to my ears. From other questions in the site and my previous experience, I get different ideas:

It sounds refined, but old fashioned.
As a question, it is just a proposition (shall we go later to...?).
It is seldom used, but in laws and other official documents.

So my question is: is there something that speaks in favor or against using one or another option (i.e. MUST or SHALL)? And slightly related: am I being too critical of this usage of SHALL in modern English?


texts: What does "it" refers to in this context?

texts:
Whenever democratic theory makes its normative point about equality in
society (Dahl 1989, 323ff.), it rests mostly on a moral appeal that is
unconvincing because of its essential point that democratic procedures
by themselves have an equalising effect
- Swiss Democracy by Wolf Linder

This sentence has three "it". The first and second one refers to "democratic theory", but I'm confised about the third one. Does it refers to "democratic theory" or to "moral appeal"?


texts: undestand the meaning vs understand by the meaning

texts:
1.''What do you understand the meaning of better life?"

2"What do you understand by the meaning of
      better life?"

I want to know whether  these two questions are different in meaning.


texts: Transform the sentence "As soon as the child sees the mother, it begins to smile."

texts:
As soon as the child sees the mother, it begins to smile.(Change it using "No sooner..... than").

Please help me to transform the sentence.


texts:
what's the meaning of "as" in the following sentence

  An awful way to finally unite Iraqis as they fight for their country's future to be in their own hands.


texts: Who are supposed to be "the part of people"?

texts:
Others in the GOP have raised concerns that their legislative hopes under unified Republican control could fade, given the confusion over Trump's priorities on issues such as tax reform and trade. "There are a lot of questions on the part of the people who took the President home after the dance," explains Republican Senator Pat Roberts of Kansas.

It says there are a lot of questions on the part of people who took the President home after the dance

I have a good guess what those sentences should mean but  I have no idea who they supposed to be. I don't know much about American politics.

Source: http://time.com/4672974/donald-trump-white-house-chaos/


texts:
While reading a book I stumbled upon the following sentence:

  He was too young to call it quits.

I can perfectly understand the gist, he was too young to be done with something, but what leaves me a bit baffled is the structure of call it quits. I am familiar with the phrase call it a day, for example, but never encountered a verb instead of a noun before. Why is it constructed this way? Are there other examples of call it <verb>?


texts:
How to mention other people in general explanations such as the following?

You must be able to explain yourself to opposite side clearly.

Can I use "opposite side" and "other side/ people"?


texts:
He jumped onto the bed. Does this sentence mean that he jumped from the ground to the bed?
He jumped aboard the bed. Does it mean same as "he jumped from the ground to the bed"?

Do these sentences mean that?

Does "he jumped onto the bed" mean same as "he jumped aboard the bed"?

If not, then what is their meaning?


texts: This is the most candid photo among all those directed photos

texts:
So I was kind of going to make fun of my friend's friend because it looked candid but was actually fully directed.

In this case should I say

  this is the most candid photo among all these directed photos
  this is the most candid photo among all directed photos

I'm not referring to any specific directed photos, but the second sentence sounds a bit odd to me for no reason. Let me know what is the best way of saying it! Thanks in advance!


texts: past perfect progressive vs past perfect simple

texts:
Do these sentences have the same meaning and can they be interchanged?

Workers have recently worked on the system.

Workers have recently been working on the system.


texts:
Is it correct to write a noun after so + adjective like in this example
" She has so beautiful eyes".


texts:
Where is the verb in this sentence below?

  No Small Business Brands On YouTube

Does this sentence mean "There are no small business brands on YouTube"? If so, then why does the sentence "No smoking" mean "Don't smoke"?


texts:
What is the differnece between "quickly" and "rapidly"?

Here is an example:

  The technology is improving quickly while demand for the product increases rapidly.

Is it often intended to vary adverbs like this, or it is just a decoration?


texts: Differences between "of a degree that" and "to such a degree that"

texts:
It would be very helpful for me if someone discuss the differences between of a degree that and to such a degree that.

Sorry no context is available.


texts: Difference between reflexive pronouns and by + reflexive pronouns

texts:
I'd like to know what's the difference between for example myself and by myself.
it would be great if you made some example to be easier to understand.
Thank you everyone.


texts: Is it OK to use "now " with the present continuous

texts:
The phrase

  I'm reading the book.

means that someone is reading the book at the moment of speaking that phrase, "now" is assumed in the phrase. So is it OK to say

  I'm reading the book now.


texts:
I wonder if this adverb-adjective fits well

  There should be an ultimately comprehensive solution to global warming, or else, we will definitely suffer in the end.


texts: Does the question sound rude? how to ask in English?

texts:
How to form a question without sounding rude. If I see someone coughing, should I say:

Is it rude to wear a mask?

or

Is it rude if I wear a mask?

And is it rude in the American culture?


texts: "two thirds" or "two third (of members)"

texts:
Two thirds of the members are needed to pass the resolutions for the impeachment of the president.

The verb are needed is according to the plural noun members.

But why did we use two thirds here?
Can't we use two third because we generally say, "Two third of the students are absent"?


texts:
Is it correct to say, "Where did you throw the ball?"?
I thought it was a very simple question to ask, but as I ran several Google searches (including ngram searches), just for precaution, I couldn't find the number of results I was expecting. And that made me wonder if the question might actually be grammatically incorrect.
To give some context. Imagine you're out in a park with your little children. You give them a ball to play with, and at some point, they return without it, so you ask them this question wondering if they threw the ball somewhere hidden, such as a bush. Is this the question you would ask them?
Or, if you want to use a slightly criticising tone,
"Where did you manage to throw the ball?"


texts: “fun off this game” vs “fun out of this game”

texts:
Considering I'm having casual a conversation.
Which one should I choose? Are both correct?

We've had a lot of fun off this game

Or

We've had a lot of fun out of this game


texts:
I came across the term boilerplate somewhere in a documentation (can't find the link/page right now). On coming back to my room and opening up my dictionary, I saw the following definitions:

  Noun: boilerplate

  Standard formulations uniformly found in certain types of legal
  documents or news stories
  Thick plate iron used in the production of boilers

While I completely understand what the second one ("Thick plate iron used in the production of boilers") is referring to, can someone still explain to me the first one (possibly with some example which can be applied/noticed by everyone and not restricted to a small community)?

To repeat my own question, what is meant by the following:

  Standard formulations uniformly found in certain types of legal
  documents or news stories


texts: Business conversation by emails: should I say hello in each email?

texts:
I received this email from a company interested in my product.
I did not know them beforehand.

  Hello,
  ...
  John Doe

I replied like this:

  Hello John,
  ...
  Nicolas Raoul

And got this reply:

  Nicolas,
  ...

What salutation should I use in my next reply?
Can I just use John,?


texts: Why wouldn't/don't I share this? Which should it be?

texts:
So I was about to write something on my Facebook wall then I find my old post then I thought about to share it so what would be right.

Instead of writing new post I thought:

  Why wouldn't/don't I share this.

Which one is grammatically correct I suppose don't, as wouldn't sound incorrect.


texts:
Is the bold text correct, grammatically?

  Labor Party candidate Shannon Burch has promised to walk 300 kilometers in an effort to beat sitting congresswoman Susan Wells in next year's election. Wells, from the National Party, has been in office for 15 years and is fairly popular. Burch, meanwhile, is not well-known, something she hopes to change by meeting as many of the state's 1.5 million citizens as possible during her walk. In current polls, Burch trails Wells by 35 percentage points.

I think the thick part is just a noun clause that suddenly came out of nowhere.
There is no verb or something that takes it.


texts: What does the phrase "pull down on" mean here?

texts:
Here is a sentence from a task management app:

  The app allows you to add tasks in several ways and in one of them you
  can pull down on a list to put a task to the top.

I am not sure about the meaning of the phrase pull down on here.

Any suggestions?


texts: Melanie {starts/will start} school tomorrow

texts:
"Melanie starts school tomorrow."

or

  "Melanie will start school from tomorrow".

1st sentence is simple present tense and the 2nd one is simple future tense, so my question instead of simple present tense can we use simple future tense?


texts:
I know that for all verbs the structure of  present subjunctive is the bare infinitive.

I also know that typically it is used after two structures:

Some verbs (ask, demand, insist, etc.);
Some expressions (it is desirable, essential, vital, etc.) + that.

Would you please help me with the following questions?

What if a bare infinitive exists in a sentence without complying with the above rules?
Any bare infinitive is a present subjunctive? If not, how can we say whether it is or not?


texts:
In the sentence

  We follow God to wherever He is leading us.

doesn't "to" have to be deleted since wherever means at any place where and already includes preposition in itself?


texts:
The maximum length of a file name is 12 characters. Incremental and date-and-time suffixes that are separated by # [which word to use here: and or or?]  @ are not subject to this restriction and can exceed the 12-character limit.
abcdefgh.txt                 - OK
abcdefgh.txt#2               - OK
abcdefgh.txt@20110228t1359   - OK
abcdefgh.txt@20110228t1359#2 - OK
abcdefghijklmopqrs.txt       - wrong

This is an excerpt from the manual I am working on. My question is whether I should use and or or in the second sentence.
I suppose it will be ambiguous in either case, but I would to stick to the practice that have a wider use and clearer meaning.


texts: Question about meaning of " apiece" in this context

texts:
"Tomorrow I expect a very tough match. Maria is a champion and she knows how to manage the finals."After just one break apiece it was Kvitova who edged a first set tie-break and the Czech looked on her way to her first final of the season when she led 3-1 early in the second.Halep responded by taking the next seven games to level at one set all and go an early break ahead in the decider.The fourth seed then broke the Kvitova serve once more to move ahead 5-2 and served the match out in the next game."I knew it was going to be a tough match," said Kvitova."She beat me in the New Haven final, so I was looking forward to revenge. It was a long match and was a good fight throughout. She was just better in the end, but it was still a good match for me."

When saying "apiece" , does it mean " each person" ? One break each person?


texts: What is the difference between newest and latest in clothing industry?

texts:
For example, she always tries to keep up with the "newest" or "latest" fashion of clothing.
In this case, are there any difference? If not, which one is more common?
Also, for high-tech industry, are they same?


texts:
Is it grammatically correct and idiomatic to use the verb corral as the following example

  I corralled all my notes/findings in the book.


texts: Usage of the suffix o-meter in compound words like: busy-o-meter, happy-o-meter

texts:
Someone on another website was wondering whether a certain word was correct. After they asked the question they said:

I guess I'm asking how it rates on the correct-o-meter.

The usage of correct-o-meter got me curious to know more about this unusual yet interesting usage of the suffix o-meter.
Lexico's definition:

informal
Forming nouns denoting a measure of a quality, emotion, etc.
Examples:    ‘stressometer’ ‘drunkometer’

I have also found many variations of it:

Truth-o-meter
Fake-o-meter
Lie-o-meter
Weird-o-meter
Epic-o-meter
Busy-o-meter
Happy-o-meter
Cringe-o-meter
Surprise-o-meter

and many more.
Some are obviously trademarks of actual measuring tools, however, I am particularly interested in the ones that indicate imaginary measuring tools like: happy-o-meter.
My question is:
Do native speakers usually add the suffix o-meter to a word for a humorous effect?
I mean I would assume that, for example, cringe-o-meter and epic-o-meter could only be used in a humorous context.
Is this correct? If so, could you please give me an example sentence for this specific usage?


texts: "He was introduced (to) essay structure."

texts:
I introduced essay structure to him

Which passive sentence is correct and why?

  He was introduced to essay structure.

  He was introduced essay structure.


texts: I know you can and, usually, do simply say 'tall' or 'short'. But what if I want to say it differently: 'of [some word] stature'. What adjectives should I use to make it sound idiomatic? 'Short'/'tall'? 'Low'/'high'?


texts: "I have seen people saying ..." vs "I have seen people say..."; What is the difference?

texts: I have heard people using both versions at times but I don't quite get the difference. I am not used to the second version and a little in doubt if it is even grammatically correct. Can you also give me some references to study the second template in more depth?


texts: Why is the correct phrase "to come on the trip" and not "to come to the trip"?

texts:
I wrote the following:

  I was surprised Mary had agreed to come to the trip.

A native English speaker told me I should write instead:

  I was surprised Mary had agreed to come on the trip.

I admit it surprised me. I could have sworn it was to. Why is it on instead of to? How can I avoid making this mistake in the future?


texts: What's the difference between `Where did you think I was all this time?` and `Where did you think I have been all this time?`?

texts:
I have recently heard the first sentence Where did you think I was all this time? in a movie but my intuition as a non native speaker tells me that present perfect would suit better this case because "...I was all this time..." sounds like a indefinite time with connection to the present...
So my choice if I were to say something like this would be something like
Where did you think I have been all this time?
Is the second option wrong or Do they convey different meanings?
Thank you in advance :)


texts: as vs like (both mean looking like here)

texts:
Consider:

They were all dressed as clowns.
The bomb was disguised as a package.

If I replaced "as" with "like", what would it bring any difference in meaning? Would it be acceptable in conversation? Both would act as subject complement here.
I couldn't give any other complicated examples than this, which might make it more tricky to answer, but I guess there must be some.


texts: I don't know the difference between two expression 'envelope provided' and 'provided envelope

texts:
It is in the envelope provided.
It is in the provided envelope.

I want to know the difference in meaning when I say 'the envelope provided' and 'the provided envelope'.
please tell me the difference.
If there is no difference in meaning, why do they use these two different expressions?


texts: “Lower-case” is to “upper-case” as what is to “capital”?

texts:
For describing letters, what word is to “capital” as “lower-case” is to “upper-case”?

I am looking for an adjective which is a synonym of “lower-case”.


texts: What is the difference between "stock up" and "store up"?

texts:
Could you please help me out by explaining the subtle sense of these phrasal verbs?

In one experiment over several weeks, volunteers were asked either to
stock up on snacks (chocolate, fruit and crisps) at the start or
select a snack each week.

Why using "store up" instead would be a mistake?


texts:
I don't really understand the rubber and glue reference in the idiom:

  I’m rubber, you’re glue. Whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you.

since as we all know glue does stick on rubber.


texts:
May I ask which one is correct
"a spouse of", or
"the spouse of".
Example: Dana is a/the spouse of Peter.
Thanks.


texts: Difference between "out of the blue" and "unexpectedly"

texts:
What's the difference between out of the blue and unexpectedly?

When I translate, "I apologize for calling like this, out of the blue" to French, I get Je m'excuse pour appeler comme ça, à l'improviste. When I translate that back to English, I get "I apologize for calling him that, unexpectedly."

Can I use them reversibly? Which one is the the most widely used?


texts:
I was doing my English homework and I didn´t get an excersice.

Circle the correct explanation for each sentence

  "The road is under the avalanche, you might not make it to the airport"

  a. Lucy and Luis might not get to the airport

  b. the road might not get to the airport

Which of them are the correct answer?

I really don´t understand, please I really need your help!


texts: When you're going to discover the amount of someone's financial loss

texts:
Let's suppose you have lost a specific amount of money in a deal and your partner is going to find out how much it had been. What shall he ask you?

Once, I had a close American friend who had finished his higher education in business management. I remember that he used lots of finance and business terms in his everyday speech. He taught me two terms that can be used in this sense:

  How much are you in the green?
  How much are you in the black?

First of all, most of the major dictionaries do not contain these terms. Then, I'm not sure whether they can be understood by any English speaker or it is somehow a sort of financial jargon which can not be realized for a lot of people.

Please let me know about it and also tell me what would you say in everyday conversation in a clearcut manner?


texts: "It's not how you determine people to know how to blend in" (phrase)

texts:
Let's say you have expressed your concern to your boss as a call center agent, regarding holding back (you are a non-native English speaker). You say:

  I've got no plans of holding back when expressing myself in English. I want to use English to converse with my co-workers. I don't like holding myself back speaking in English just for the sake of saying to them that I know how to blend in.

For clarity: "holding back" as a non-native English speaker who work as a call center agent means every time a problem occurs at work, you verbal it out in English instead of using your 1st language. Your co-workers might see this behaviour as bragging because you express your concerns in English.

Some say that the bold letters are phrased unusually. I think there is a fixed phrase to express this idea, but I can't get the phrase out in English.


texts: Did you give the ACC exam last year? Words that could replace 'give'

texts:
Did you give the ACC exam last year?

Here, the word "give" sounds absurd. Is there some word(s) for replacement for give or maybe some word which is specially meant to be used for exam ?

Can you suggest a couple of such words?


texts:
I'm studying MS in a university, and have been asked to provide my "designation", as shown below:

What do I need to add in the "designation" field?


texts: Long live X - what type of word is 'live'?

texts:
Long live Egypt.
  Long live the king.

I want to know whether (live) here is a verb or a noun or an adjective.


texts: Is it possible to say "hi you back" in response to hi, if yes in what context

texts: I have seen in  one of hollywood movies, one of the characters in response to "hi" answered back "hi you back". But I've found out this is not a common expression among English speakers. Please enlighten me with your incisive answers


texts:
I *, but if I were to guess I would say "he's doing this because he's
  hungry."

Is there a better way to say "I don't know everything he's thinking right now"? I was thinking of writing the sentence as it is, but I think it's really an awkward phrase that people would rarely utter in real life. So do you have a better suggestion?


texts: Correct preposition in "The holes will be made in/to/at a diameter of 5 cm"

texts:
The holes will be made in/to/at a diameter of 5 cm.

I couldn’t decide which preposition is correct in the sentence above. What I want to say is diameter of hole will be 5 cm. Is it correct to make sentence in this way. If it is correct which preposition should I use?


texts: what does " that rule out the possibility of including something" means here?

texts:
I failed to get the concept of the bold following part:

  So if we are genetically disposed to develop synaesthesia, does that rule out the possibility of inducing the experience?


texts:
I've read this specific article: https://www.theguardian.com/media/mind-your-language/2011/mar/07/mind-your-language-ahead-of-before and am trying to figure out why the author wants to change "ahead of" to "before" in the quotes he mentions.

In order not to copy the whole article,here's in two words:

  But the craze for writing "ahead of" to describe any forthcoming
  event, whether far in the future or imminent, has made coming across
  "before" in a newspaper about as likely as bumping into a recent
  recruit to the Nick Clegg fan club.

The author insists that using "before" is better than using "ahead of" in the following quotes:

  "Ahead of the Christmas No 1 announcement on Sunday, readers define
  the perfect seasonal hit."

  "Speaking at a press conference ahead of his 80th birthday, Gorbachev
  criticised Putin for manipulating elections."

  "Talking to Simon Rattle ahead of his London residency with the Berlin
  Philharmonic Orchestra ... "

  "University candidates are racing to submit their applications ahead
  of the tripling of tuition fees from autumn 2012."

He then says:

  These examples are all from the Guardian and, I assure you, were not
  hard to find. But "ahead of" mania has gripped all newspapers and is
  heard more and more frequently on the BBC and other broadcasters.

As far as I see both "before" and "ahead of" can be used.


texts: There seems to be two ways of spelling for ‘van Gogh’: with small v or big V. It may have some reason I do not know having small van in the middle of Vincent van Gogh, but why do they still spell small van in the first part of his shortened name Van Gogh? I hope the answer to be added why they use small van in the middle of three words?


texts: What does the phrase "play a bluff" mean here?

texts:
Please help me figure out the meaning of the phrase "play a bluff" in the following sentence from the description of the game Golazo:

You can play a bluff to deceive your opponent and show off your
skills at one-touch football to keep possession.

I know the lexical meaning of the word "bluff", but I am wondering if it has a soccer-specific meaning that I may not be aware of. For example, the words like "tackle", "slide tackle" etc. have well-defined meanings in soccer.


texts: Can you say "maintaining something is high"?

texts:
This sentence from a book makes sense to me semantically--I understand all the terms in it--but not syntactically.

  Living plant collections are insurance policies, although maintaining the premiums is high.

I think it's correct to say "the premiums are high", but what does "maintaining the premiums is high" mean?

A little bit background: the author is arguing that we need to preserve apple cultivars, and they can only be preserved as collections of living trees, which is therefore considered "insurance policies."