texts: Meaning of pay by use and potential alternatives

texts:
A company is experimenting with a new licensing model. It is called "Pay by use".

However, this does not make sense to me. In my understanding, "Pay by use" means: "I compensate for the hotdog by eating it". It has nothing to do with money.

IMHO, this should be "pay per use" (compensate for the hotdog per bite instead of the hotdog as a whole). It might also be possible that they want to express a temporal condition. In that case "pay at use" might be suitable (compensate for the hotdog when you start eating it, instead of when it is handed over).

I'd like to review whether "pay by use" is a legitimate payment model a company can live from and that "pay per use" is likely the correct term. I've never heard "pay at use", so I'd like your opinions on that in a context of making commercial benefit.


texts:
It may be unlawful for any driver to operate a vehicle without wearing
  the proper seat belt while it is being operated on a public highway or
  road as specified in the applicable vehicle Code.

Does "as specified ..." mean "according to the applicable vehicle code"?


texts: Meaning Difference between these two sentences

texts:
Could you please tell me the difference between these two sentences and what they mean?

My girlfriend always thinks I am cheating on her.
My girlfriend always thinks I cheat on her.


texts: There is no woman who doesn't like (flowers / a flower)

texts:
1.There is no woman who does not like a flower.

  2.There is no woman who does not like flowers.

Are these two sentences the same in meaning?

I prefer no.2 as I think it means generalisation of all kinds of flowers.


texts:
ok, I'ma=I am going to

Ex: I'ma kill you=I'm going to kill you

My question is:

Do we have "he'sa", "they'ra", "we'ra", "you'ra" slang as we got with "I'ma"?

Ex:

**he'sa*= he's going to

they'ra=they're going to

we'ra=we're going to

you'ra=you're going to


texts:
I'd like to know what the expression due to means. For example:

  This proof is due to X and Y

Can we say

  This proof is attributed to  X and Y?


texts: Can I use "misted glasses" to describe that someone (with glasses) has been crying?

texts:
She came out of the room with misted glasses.
Is "misted glasses" natural to use to say that she had been crying and maybe still is? Is "misted" the best/correct word to use in this context?


texts:
I read one explanation of the difference between replace with/by in one of the grammar books.
If you are referring to replacing something that is broken, old, or not working/inoperative, then you replace it with a new one. If you are referring to filling the role of someone or something with a substitute, then it is 'replaced by'
According to this rule can I use by instead of with here "Though mostly eggs are used for races, they have also been replaced in some instances with potatoes, tomatoes, lemons or synthetic eggs" ?And what variant is better/more correct?
Thanks in advance!


texts: She IS going to be sleeping at 7 in the morning! I am a Spanish speaker and there is something I don´t understand in this sentence:

texts:
"She IS going to be sleeping at 7 in the morning!"  I am a Spanish speaker and there is something I don´t understand in this sentence, even though I am aware it is correctly writen: If the verb to be is clearly mentioned, in Spanish I   don´t find a translation fot the word IS , I   don´t even know if it plays the role of a preposition or not.
Can you help?


texts: Rare usage of perfect tenses ("to have been" and "to have done") by Daniel Defoe

texts:
Reading "The Further Adventures of Robinson Crusoe" by Daniel Defoe, I run into the following excerpt:

  I say, after all this, any one would have thought that the native propensity to rambling which I gave an account of in my first setting out in the world to have been so predominant in my thoughts, should be worn out, and I might, at sixty one years of age, have been a little inclined to stay at home, and have done venturing life and fortune any more.

I suppose I have understood the sense of the quote above completely. However, I have no idea what grammar rules are behind it.

I have several questions:

1) If one replaces the first phrase in bold (to have been so predominant) with "which was so predominant", will the sense be the same?

2) Does the second phrase in bold (have done venturing life and fortune any more) mean "would not venture life and fortune any more"? Specifically, I do not grasp, why he uses no negation before "any more"? Would it be correct to replace "any more" with "no longer"?

3) What grammar rules describe the usages above?

UPDATE:

4) The phrase "my first setting out in the world" isn't clear too. Does "a setting out" mean "a narration" here? And if so, why in the world instead of to the world? Or maybe "a setting out" is "a beginning (of a journey)"?


texts: A word to describe someone who expects you to act one way but does not act in the same way

texts:
What is it called when someone expects you to act or do something a certain way, that they consider "right" or "acceptable", but does not act or do what they expect from you, to you in return?

Is there another word or term other than "self-entitled", if that is even a fit, itself?

It's been driving me crazy trying to pin point a word that fits this description.


texts: "I can't understand what does it mean." vs "I can't understand what it means."

texts:
My English skills are poor. Which of these is correct to say?

  "I can't understand what does it mean"
   or
  "I can't understand what it
  means".


texts: Is it better to use past simple in that case

texts:
Apologies about this. Unfortunately nothing showed up regarding the order until recently. I will get the single packed and sent to you this week.

I was wondering if past perfect can fit because "recently" means "before now", so past simple in term of tense. The action of "showing" is before and completed, so can I use past perFect even if until indicates it is before?


texts: How do we come to know a noun in a sentence is a countable or uncountable noun?

texts:
Road is countable and uncountable noun. (see Cambridge)

ex. The traffic on the road  was quite bad.

Definite article [the] is placed before road.
As per the rule the can be placed before countable and uncountable noun.

Traffic is an uncountable noun , so it can be understood.


texts: What is the correct pronunciation of "the"?

texts:
The is sometimes pronounced "tha" (/ðə/) or "thi" (/ðiː/).
Which is the correct pronunciation of this word?
Are both correct and used interchangeably at specific places?
If the second question is correct, please provide the rule of pronouncing at different places.


texts: Chapter 1 to Chapter 5 or Chapter 1 until Chapter 5

texts:
I want to tell the reader that:

Chapter 2 explains the X theory.
Chapter 3 explains the X theory.
Chapter 4 explains the X theory.
Chapter 5 explains the X theory.
Chapter 6 explains the X theory.

How should I write a proper sentence to convey the message mentioned above?

  Chapter 2 until Chapter 6 explain the X theory.

or

  Chapter 2 to Chapter 6 explain the X theory.

or does anybody have better idea?

Thank you


texts:
He is a fortunate person whose all efforts succeed.
  He is a fortunate person all of whose efforts succeed.

Which sentence is correct? My grammar book is saying second sentence is correct. But why sentence one is wrong?


texts: Why does however require a comma after it?

texts:
I attempted to write

  Of course, you may be subject to other ordinances outside city limits, however most townships and cities within this county have adopted similar rules.

but grammarly suggested I add a comma after however:

  Of course, you may be subject to other ordinances outside city limits, however, most townships and cities within this county have adopted similar rules.

Is it required(or simply good practice) to have a comma after "however" when used this way, and if so what is the rule I need to understand? It feels more natural to leave it out, though I suspect that's an artifact of conversational English where commas are equated with pauses.  In the sentence preceding this one, though, I could have used "however" or "but" in place of "though" and in neither case is a comma suggested after the word. And yet in the sentence preceding this one, "though" requires a comma after it - and that one feels correct!


texts:
"Individuals will often accept intellectual arguments, understand their need to change, and express commitment to changing, but then resort to what is familiar."

  (source: Culture Matters: How Values Shape Human Progress By Lawrence E. Harrison, Samuel P. Huntington)

What does the phrase "commitment to changing" exactly mean in the sentence?
Which of the two below is correct?

commitment to their determination to change the things if necessary that have not been changed "yet".
commitment to the things that have been changed "already"

What does commitment mean here?  Does it mean like a promise or determination?
Could you help me clarify it?   Thank you always.


texts: Is "The future has never begun yet" gramatically correct?

texts:
A friend posted the following on Facebook recently, possibly to get a rise out of people:

  The future has never begun yet.

I have been trying to figure out why I keep rejecting the construction, but I can't put my finger on it. Part of my objection is logical, but I think there may be a grammar issue as well.

The sentence is talking about "the future," which is by definition all of that which has not happened but which will (with certainty) occur. The verb "has...begun" is in present perfect tense, which means the action started some time ago and either ended already or is continuing up to this point. These things by themselves are incompatible; once something occurs, it is no longer the future, but the past.

Including the adverb "never" fixes this by removing the incompatibility. To say "the future has never begun" makes sense as a tautology: anything that begins is not the future. If it has begun, then it's either the past or the present. That's the kind of sentence that makes people chuckle once they parse it.

But adding "yet" on the end changes things. In this position, "yet" indicates that something hasn't happened up to this point but either might or will happen later. But as noted above, this is impossible. It would be like saying "2 + 2 has never equaled 5 yet." Without the "yet," it makes sense. With the "yet," it sounds like you expect the laws of the universe change, and you're just biding your time.

I don't think the sentence breaks any grammatical rules, but it is at least illogical because of that final "yet." Is there some other rule about combining the adverbs "never" and "yet" with a present perfect verb tense? Or is it legal, just potentially confusing based on subject matter?


texts: What is the meaning of "as much as competition" in this sentence?

texts:
Here is the sentence:

  The more intensive, more far-flung commerce of the early modern age required a clearer distribution of functions and cooperation as much as competition. (source)

I can't understand the relationship between the words "clearer distribution of functions and cooperation" and "competition". Why are they connected by "as much as"?


texts: A plural and a definite article in relationship

texts: If pens is mentioned already and one of them is broken, which shoud I say, A pen is broken or The pen is broken?


texts:
I have come across it in this video. It is at 25 second. Here it is in context:

  Animals come in pretty much every colour, but blue seems to be the rarest. What is cool, though, is when we find blue animals, they are awesome looking. Nature doesn't do halfway with blue.

What I can uderstand  is that nature doesn't favour blue, but I cannot quite get the phrase itself.


texts: What does X is the new Y mean, and why do we say this?

texts:
In English, I sometimes hear a phrase like green is the new black.  Literally, this makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.  What does it mean when someone says X is the new Y, when this makes no sense when taken literally?

Googling "is the new" gives plenty of examples:

Risky is the new Safe
Green is the new Red
Healthy is the new skinny
Comedy is the new Rock'n'Roll
Quiet Is the New Loud

I've found definitions online for specific examples, such as the new black, but overall I don't understand what X is the new Y means, and I can't find it explained anywhere.

What does X is the new Y mean?

As far as I'm aware, this phrase exists only in English.


texts: Why is "it's" used in the sentence "It's the Visa card people"?

texts:
The sentence is from a dialog in Friends where the phone rings, Monica answers it, they want Racheal, and Monica tells Racheal this sentence:

  “It's the Visa card people.”

Is "people" not a collective noun? If yes, shouldn't they're be used instead of it's here?


texts:
[Scroll up  7% from the bottom] Just before he died, my grandfather wrote a slim little book called “Last Boat to New York,” which laid out, in typically sparse nordic prose, the mechanics of his unlikely escape to the USA. I’ve read and reread the book many times, each time hungry for answers that aren’t on the page. Even if it lingered on the practical details of how much bread they packed or how they managed to reef the sails in a full gale, the book did not address the man inside the boat nor did it really mine the complex relationship that he maintained with his homeland.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/09/19/travel/reif-larsen-norway.html?smid=tw-nytimes&_r=0

Which entry of "mine' fits here?


texts:
Is it correct to use eng as a shorthand for engineering? For example, can we use this form of introduction for a master's student?

  MSc student in hardware eng

If so, should we put a . after eng? I mean eng.


texts:
a. Do you know what he said to some people in my neighborhood?

b. I want to know what he said to some people in your neighborhood,
because they've started hating me.

c. Do you know what he did to some in his office?

Are the above sentences grammatically correct?
I think they are, but I have a doubt.
In the first two sentences I'd tend to use 'certain' instead of 'some' and in (c) I'd use 'certain people'.


texts: Is "as of today" a standard English expression?

texts:
Can I use "as of today" in a formal letter or essay?
I have googled this expression and turns out it could mean two different things.

until today
starting from today

So I got suspicious that this may be one of those expressions that people use in informal contexts but it is not actually correct English!
Would appreciate any help :)


texts: Time usage in "It's time we got back there"

texts:
Why do we use the past in the sentence "It's time we got back there." ?

I would have used the present and I would have said "It's time we get back there".


texts: Suggestions on using weekly at the beginning

texts:
Weekly, when we disbursed supplies to him, we would discuss that it would be a good idea for him to seek treatment for his condition.

This sentence sounds a little off. I am not sure if it would be appropriate to use in formal writing. I am wondering if weekly is used properly or if a different transition word can be used.  I want to know if I can start a sentence with "weekly" and if it reads well. It sounds a little awkward to me I guess. I also want to know if the commas are in the correct place.


texts: Why isn't there an article in "would you wanna grab coffee sometimes?"

texts:
I came across this sentence recently and I’m really curious why there isn't an article before coffee. So here’s the sentence:

  You don’t need to text me back. I completely understand if you don’t want to talk to me. But on the off chance you do, would you wanna grab coffee sometimes?


texts: See, look, watch or view? (regarding drawings/images/art)

texts:
I run a website where the user can do two things. Draw or look at other peoples drawings.

The menu has two big buttons: [DRAW] [SEE/LOOK/WATCH/VIEW]

If I were to use it in a sentence I would go with either look or view. As in "look at other peoples drawings" or "view other peoples drawings".

But I'm not using it in a sentence, so which word do I choose?


texts:
Please tell me the meaning of the first verb in this sentence, i.e. ((be put on)):

  We should all be put on retirement and get a new fresh group to learn the new way to teach the kinds of students that we get today.


texts: Do we have to use the capital letter for "I" letter in these case?

texts:
I'm studying for IELTS myself and I have a question about formal writing.

When we use "I" letter in objects and verbs, do we have to use the capital letter even though it's not at the beginning at the sentence?

Case 1 :

  I agree it's....

or

  I agree It's...

Case 2 :

  You know i am....

or

  Can i use like that?


texts: "haven’t even had to say that" and "They have taken"

texts:
They have taken her for someone worse so they called her stupid. They haven’t even had to say it, because I have seen their attitudes (towards her) after their behavior.
"haven’t even had to say that" - is that good in this context? If no, how can I write it in other words?
"They have taken" - or maybe "They have been taking"? I mean they used to do it many times in school times but also I mean situation in which maybe they do it now. Can we express it in one sentence?


texts: The confused meaning of sentences from google

texts:
I found three strange sentences in Google.

Please explain their meanings to me.

  1.I fancy fancy cheeses.

  2.I do do it.

  3.I'll be in 20 minutes.


texts:
The context : Some guys are asking a guy why he chose to do something instead of something else he says "I couldn't do it (because it didn't feel appropriate to him) and I'm pretty sure people would be offended if I did that."

So here I don't understand the use of if I did that since he's talking about something that's already done,  is he using it as "If a had done that" or is he using it to talk hypothetically about present/future. ?


texts:
This profile frame is created by me?
  This profile frame has created by me?
  This profile frame has been created by me?
  This profile frame has created by mine?

which one is correct?
give your explanation...


texts:
As the following sentence, Is this phrase correct: 'to fill in blank'?

For example: "But I'm not sure about to fill in blank at agency owner agreement document"

I just want to ask someone what I should put in the blank in a document. How could I say this? Does make it sense? I'm not sure if this is correct.


texts: Does a continuous tense fit with my sentence

texts:
For the past two days, I had been hearing some scary sounds after waking up and it frightened me.I'm glad today I have not heard them.

Is it possible to use the continuous tense as it happened more than one, and despite the sounds did not last long .

But may be continuous is not require when there is "for the past two days"which already indicates that it is a repetitive event and to use a continuous tense the sounds should last a long time


texts:
During an email exchange, I read this sentence:

  I’m told it's in hand and under control.

I searched on the net and I found that it is used to say something like "Someone told me" or "I told myself", but I thought it isn't a correct grammatical form, is it?

Is it introduced as an idiomatic form in spoken language?

Thanks


texts: Can the word "that" mean "because" in some contexts?

texts:
I read an example in "Merriam Webster dictionaries" which was:

The trout population in the stream is burgeoning now that the water is clean.

I think the word "that" has been used to mean "because" in this context. But I wanted to ask whether it is necessarily  preceded by "now" to be understood that way.


texts: I find this sentence quite confusing, how to analyse it and get its true meaning?

texts:
The sentence I read is from the book The Life of Greece written by Will Durant.(Chapter IV)

  Their first king, Aethlius, was father of that Endymion whose beauty so allured the moon that she closed his eyes in a perpetual sleep, sinned at leisure, and had by him half a hundred daughters.

First question, is it common to describe a good looking boy by the word "beauty"?

Secondly, how to understand "sinned at leisure"? Whom exactly is talking about by this phrase, Aethlius or Endymion?

Thirdly,  what does "had by him 50 daughters" mean, and whom exactly is talking about? Is this usage of "by" common in English?


texts: little doubt regarding the past simple and present perfect

texts:
I'm an English Learner. I have written a sentence below in order to fix my doubt.
If I have to talk about a past experience is it better to write:

"I worked in the old factory from 2010 to 2015"

or

"I have worked in the old factory from 2010 to 2015"?

Which is the right sentence? 1 or 2?
In my opinion it's better to use the first sentence, because in the sentence I've talked regarding a specific finite time.
For example if I modify the sentence 1 as "Last winter I worked in the old factory."" I would use the simple past.
It is possible that the sentence 1 is used in American English and the sentence number 2 in British English?
Thanks a lot for your help.


texts: Can I say something causes "to blood pressure be low"?

texts:
Should I need to use the word "TO", or maybe I can say

  Keep standing for a long time causes to blood pressure BE low.


texts:
Does ‘start’ mean the same as ‘begin’ in English?
  My new car is the same model as my old one.
  Tom’s house is the same size as mine.
  You have the same pen as I have.

In sentence one to three, "as" is a preposition and in sentence 4, "as" is a conjunction. Am I right?


texts:
I wish to mention a function which is greater than 0 at small arguments. I thought it must be easy, but then came upon a puzzling fact:

I have googled "is positive at small" and received 90 hits
 "is positive at the beginning" - 70 hits;
 "initially is positive" - 40;
"which is  positive at first" - 3;
"which is  initially positive" - 42;
"which initially is positive" - 6;

So, what is a common way to say that f(x)>0, when x is small?


texts: Is there a word for "grand" relatives except for parents?

texts: Is it possible to call uncle or aunt "grand"? Do you have a word for grandparent's sisters and brothers?


texts: What does this saying mean? "To know yet to think that one does not know is best; Not to know yet to think that one knows will lead to difficulty."

texts:
"To know yet to think that one does not know is best; Not to know yet
  to think that one knows will lead to difficulty." Lao Tzu Source

I could not understand this quote since the words are not very clear.  For example, does the word "Not" negate the whole "to know yet to think that one knows will lead to difficulty"?

Can someone explain it?


texts: Feed someone with something or feed someone something

texts:
Which one is correct?

To feed him with meat
To feed him meat


texts:
Consider these

  my team has several listening teachers, several speaking teachers, several reading teachers and several writing teachers.

  my team has several listening teachers, a few of speaking teachers, multiple reading teachers and some writing teachers.

  my team has several different teachers for listening, speaking, reading and writing.

The first one is bad because of repeating of "several", the others are trying to avoid that repetition. Does those two sound natural to native speakers?


texts:
This question concerns only the non-technical meanings of 'mode' and 'modality', and excepts the technical subject-based meanings. Etymologically, mode precedes modality.

How do they, and their Semantic Fields, differ?

OED on 'mode':

  a. A way or manner in which something is done or takes place; a method of proceeding in any activity, business, etc. Freq. with of.   [...]
  a. A particular form, manner, or variety in which some quality, phenomenon, or condition occurs or is manifested.   [...]

  II. In senses derived from French.

  a. A prevailing fashion, custom, practice, or style, esp. one characteristic of a particular place or period.

OED on 'modality':

  a. Those aspects of a thing which relate to its mode, or manner or state of being, as distinct from its substance or identity; the non-essential aspect or attributes of a concept or entity. Also: a particular quality or attribute denoting the mode or manner of being of something. Cf. mode n. 6a.


texts:
Which is correct?

  The Senate has decided that such students ...... [be not / not be] exempted from college.

Please clarify it with grammatical rules, if any.


texts: Difference in usage of 'such' in 2 sentences that probably mean the same

texts:
What is the difference between these 2 sentences?

1. Audi has grown to compete with such cars as Lamborghini.
2. Audi has grown to compete with cars such as Lamborghini.

To me, both sentences seem to mean the same. Is there any unapparent difference?


texts: A noun for homework, which is not the full homework, but just its location

texts:
Students always write their homework in their school contact books.

In fact, in that part of the world where I am now, students write their homework in their writing books and notebooks. But what they write in their contact books, while still in school, is the numbers of tasks and the numbers of pages (of their textbooks and workbooks), on which those tasks can be found.
So what word or group of words should I substitute for 'homework' in my sentence in order to avoid this ambiguity?
EDIT: If it's impossible to solve this by replacing only 'homework', then it's okay to replace the verb 'write', too.
In fact, having read some of the comments, I came up with this option:

Students always specify their homework assignments in their school contact books.

Do you think it's a good idea?


texts: Umbrella term for newspapers, magazines, news websites

texts:
What is the umbrella term for newspapers, magazines, news and investigative websites?

Is it 'publication'? It seems so, but Oxford Living Dictionaries (or Lexico, as it's now called) doesn't support it. What is the English analog for Russian 'издание'?


texts:
I came across this sentence in my English textbook :

They seem to vary in brain dominance more than do right handers.

But I think a more grammatically correct sentence would be:

They seem to vary in brain dominance more than right handers do.

Can someone explain the difference between the two and why the first sentence is grammatically correct?


texts: The difference between the gerund and the participls

texts: "They prefer buying organic food " in this phrase " buying " us a verb or a noun ...?


texts:
I've got a question – when do I have to use when and when if?

Here're some examples:

  If you'll be good, you'll do it.

  When you'll be good, you'll do it.

Which one should I use?


texts:
Thankfully, the show moves past the things that don’t work, solving the Caspere murder quite quickly (the orphaned daughter of the diamond jewellers did it) and ploughing on in an extended ninety-minute episode.*

(source)

What does "the show moves past the things that don't work" exactly mean in the clause above? Can I paraphrase it this way?

  The last episode of the TD 2 is drawing quickly to a close and the narrative does not deal with motives that are irrelevant.


texts:
In spite of their/them arriving late, she was happy.

I wrote this sentence in meaning "Although they arrived late, she was happy."

Is this structure correct? If not, how should I write it properly?


texts: Which are possible verbs to refer to someone that walks using walking sticks?

texts: I believe "to walk" is okay, but I want to know if there are other verbs (non-derogatory) more acceptable for people that use walking sticks.


texts:
Source: http://hcot.ir/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Longman_English_Grammar.pdf

page No 258

uses of 'have' + object + past participle

In the sense of 'experience

  You should understand by now You've had it explained often
  enough' (= it has been explained to you)

  When he got up to speak the minister had eggs thrown at him

How above sentences shows the experience ? These sentences just looks like causative form.

To describe the present result of past action

  We now have the problem solved

How this sentence has the present result of past action ? If we remove now It will be the causative sentence, won't it?


texts: "have a feeling that" vs. "have the feeling that"

texts:
Tell me please if can use any article in the following sentences.

  I have a feeling that Kate is angry with me.

  I have the feeling that Kate is angry with me.

I am not sure which article I should use. Are both sentences correct, if not, then which and why?


texts: the usage of - when it comes to / regarding

texts:
I think I can develop how to express how I feel by drawing pictures, which I think is also important (when it comes to / regarding) human interactions in that we communicate by expressing how we feel.

which one is proper here?


texts:
Is the position of "means" in the following sentence correct grammatically? If it is not , kindly suggest ways to make it clearer.

  In addition, the increase of entropy generation around the CTB and
  along the CTB length at Fi=0.275 means that there is a stronger
  turbulent interaction between the TLV and the mainstream around the
  CTB’s suction surface than the VTB’s suction surface.

CTB=Constant thickness blade
VTB=Variablethickness blade
Fi=flow coefficient


texts: Being given.... shorten as Given the money

texts:
Being given the money, she left.

This can be shorten as follows:

  Given the money, she left.

However would it be possible to shorten the following sentence?

  Being told he had sixty days left, he changed his priorities and quit his job.

  Told he had sixty days left, he changed his priorities and quit his job.

To me the last sentence doesn't sound good. However I wonder when it is possible to omit "Being" in those kind of sentences.


texts:
This sentence is from OALD, under its entry for thus:

  The universities have expanded, thus allowing many more people the chance of higher education.

Is "thus allowing" a short form for "thus they are allowing"?

Would it be correct to replace "thus allowing" with "thus allow" here?

  The universities have expanded, thus allow many more people the chance of higher education.


texts:
I have seen people using following in corporate emails

He/they work(s) out of (city name)
He/they is/are based out of (city name)
He/they operate(s) out of (city name)

If someone is residing in (city name) temporarily for work purpose or has a permanent residence in that city where he works, can we use the above mentioned sentences?

If someone is out of somewhere how can he be in?


texts: Smallest minimum value from set of minimum values

texts:
Background:

  I am finding minimum distances from a certain process, and then I do
  the same for another data set. Then from all those selected minimum
  values, I want to get the minimum value.

In that case, if I say
smallest minimum, then would it be in formal English? Because I am confused how I can say minimum of minimum.


texts: Is "And every time the ladies pass they be like 'Hi Will'" correct grammar?

texts:
In the lyrics of the song Miami by Will Smith it says:

  And every time the ladies pass they be like "Hi Will"

Is this correct grammar? I wonder because I thought that one should either change "be" to "are" or add "will" after "they" (so that it's "they'll be like ...").


texts:
Harry had almost forgotten that the exam results were still to come,
  but come they did. To their great surprise, both he and Ron passed
  with good marks; Hermione, of course, had the best grades of the first
  years. Even Neville scraped through, his good Herbology mark making up
  for his abysmal Potions one. They had hoped that Goyle, who was
  almost as stupid as he was mean, might be thrown out, but he had
  passed, too. It was a shame, but as Ron said, you couldn’t have
  everything in life. (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

There is the word hoped, having me stray into think that might might be used expressing a hope. But there’s no entry for this type of examples in OALD and Merriam-Webster’s. They are only used with inversions of subject-auxiliary. Does the ‘might’ not express a hope; does it express a possibility?


texts:
Let's say my friend's just arrived in New York 4 days ago.
I could ask him "How many days have you been in New York?", and he would answer me something like "4 days."
But if I want him to answer me, "This is my fourth day in New York."

What are the natural ways to ask for that kind of answer?
Do people say "This is your what day in NY?"?

PS:
I've read these two posts about the same topic but I want to know about this specific usage and I'm not sure whether I should ask this inside the posts or not, so I decided to start a new post.
Asking the position of a person in a sequence, How to ask a question which implies an ordinal number as an answer?.


texts:
Suppose I need to ask a question like

  "Did you change any thing in file"

or

  "Are you change anything in file."

Which one is correct. Could any one please give some light how to use did and are in a similar question?


texts: Work on (doing) something and work at (doing) something

texts:
What's the difference between work on and work at, and what's the right way to use them?

We're working on/ at our relationship.

I need to work on/at my German- it's getting rusty.

We're working on/at getting everything ready on time.

He's out front, working on/at his car.


texts:
What is the difference between these three sentences and what is the exact meaning of them? In particular, what is the exact meaning of would in the third sentence?

  How do you know?
  How did you know?
  How would you know?

Has would got the same meaning in the following sentences?

  Why would you do that?
  This would be great.
  How would you know?
  What would you want?


texts: Can I concatenate these words using '-'?

texts:
Can I replace the hybrid of table-oriented database and object-oriented database approaches by the hybrid of table- and object-oriented database approaches? Why and if not, how?

In addition, where can I find the documentation of such an usage?


texts: Is it idiomatic to say "n possibilities, which one is true"?

texts:
In one of my posts I said

  I can imagine 2 possibilities about the figure 10%, a widely
  recognized rule or an intuition, which one is true?

I was trying to say there are 2 possible explanation I can imagine about an statement, A or B and I'd like to know which one is correct.

Is it idiomatic to say "there are 2 possibilities ... which one is true" in this case? Could someone please give a hint? Thanks in advance.

Consider another case

  Alice is crying. There are 3 possibilities, she was fired, her boyfriend punched her
    or her boyfriend had done with her and left her, which one is true?

Is it idiomatic to state multiple explanations that way?


texts: Meaning of the phrase "over a cup of tea"

texts:
I came across a sentence recently:

  We shall discuss this matter over a cup of tea.

Why is the preposition over used here ? I first thought that it would be with, but then, we discuss things with somebody and not something. Also, it is usually the practice that we have arguments over a certain topic, so discussion over a cup of tea doesn't sound well reasonable.

Thus, I want to know,

What is the meaning (in plain english) of this senetence, and
Why can't we use the preposition with instead (my reason might be wrong).

Thanks a lot!


texts: Is there any difference in meaning between "We tried to get him to come to church" and "We tried to get him coming to church"?

texts:
I heard that 'sb1 gets sb2 to do sth' means the doer (sb1) causes the recipient (sb2) to do something one time while 'sb1 gets sb2 to do sth' means the doer causes the recipient to do something regularly.

According to this, "We tried to get him to come to church" means 'we' tried to cause him to come to church once, but "We tried to get him coming to church" means 'we' tried to cause him to come to church on Sundays.

Does this distinction make sense? Or is it partially true and partially false, or entirely wrong?


texts: Can i use the past simple twice in one sentence to describe two simultaneous actions in the past?

texts:
He started to shriek when we[Insert word] the summit.
I could use attained as well as had attained in that sentence to make it a meaningful one.
It wouldn't make much sense to use were attaining the summit.

Attaining a height is a brief point in time, and hence using the past progressive tense doesn't make much sense.

Similarly,
It began to drizzle when we [Insert word]the game.
I could use were playing or had played the game.

Here, played doesn't sound right because the rule says that between two action taking place in the past, you have to specify which one took place before the other one.

So my question  basically is this— Can we use the past indefinite tense twice in a single sentence?
Common sense would suggest Yes, because two actions might take place simultaneously in the past.
And so by extension, I am required to say: She began to cry when his father broke the jar.
But I can't quite say: She began to cry when her father, say dug the well. [I must say was digging or had dug the well.]
Is this a valid analysis or a flawed one?


texts: What will be the appropriate sentence in the given situation?

texts:
From today I am going to start doing "PAN card" at my computer center. So, what will be the appropriate sentence to be written outside as a short notification ?
Can I write "PAN card is done here?" But it seems quite awkward to me.

Another center in my neighbor has written " PAN card done here" without "is".
Who is correct, I or my neighbor, or both ?
Please help, sir.


texts: What does "kids be scary" as a remark mean?

texts:
When I was in high school, a kid skipped class and walked through a wooded park by the school and three other kids followed him, beat the shit out of him, tore his gauges out, and then proceeded to light him on fire.

  KIDS BE SCARY

(Source)

Another example

The term is often seen on internet forum as a remark to say kids are scary, I guess.

Is this a specific hip term or what does it mean to use "be" as the verb instead of "are"/"were" in this kind of construction?


texts: What is the difference between "snort" and "snore"?

texts:
Disclaimer: I am aware of the Policy for questions that are entirely answerable with a dictionary.

I am not a native english speaker. After reading the definitions of snore and snort, I was unable to determine any difference between them. I also tried other dictionaries with no luck.

Are they perfect synonyms? If yes, do their usage depend on the region (American English vs. British English)? If not, what's the difference?


texts: Say sth between the lines meaning while I have not forgotten

texts:
As you know about the idiom *read sth between the lines** it means:

  To infer or understand the real or hidden meaning behind the superficial appearance of something. "Lines" refers to lines of text on a printed page etc.

The question is that whether there is such an idiom in English or not:

  Say sth between the lines

Meaning: "while I have not forgotten and in order to prevet from missing sth I feel I should mention it right now"

Please have a look on my self made example:

I am describing my teacher's characteristics to someone who keen on knowing her, and say:

  "She's truely smart! Emotional and over-sensitive individual who loves nature and most of the time during the break-time she reads some poems for us! Oh, between the lines she is a poet herself.

Does the bold part above work within my scenario?


texts:
I was reading an article and found something similar to the following:

  It is remains the highest-grossing war film of all time

I would have written the same as:

  It remains the highest-grossing war of all times

Is "It is remains the" even correct? If yes, why? I have found several articles using it and I find it odd.

I can find several articles using it. For instance, the following

Forbes:

  It is remains the fifth biggest grossing movie of all time in America, with just a day (or two at worst) to go before surpassing the $623m gross of The Avengers.

AutoExpress:

  The P50 is remains the only production vehicle ever built on the Isle of Man, and is also in contention for the smallest car ever built.

Independent:

  Although the Victory Front has been keen to point out that is remains the “major political force” in the country

A report from the UK parliament:

  Stigmatism is remains the greatest barrier to successful appeal and challenge.

Maybe someone made a mistake and it was copied everywhere. I was just wondering, how misleading such typographical errors (from various established sources) would be for non-native speakers.


texts:
The reasons supporting the rise of veganism are developments on those explored through vegetarianism – the idea that animals are not simply commodities for human consumption and exploitation.

The compound was huge with poison gas vents - a big room designed to be used ony once.

Are these both noun phrases in apposition?

The phrase in the first example doesn't relate with any word. It is describing a philosphical argument that isn't mentioned in the opening sentence. So surely it's not in apposition?

Should it not read: and those include the idea that animals are not simply (ect)


texts:
Do I need to use a preposition when using the following sentence?

  Do you use (in) Facebook?

I mean to ask if I should use the preposition "in" in this sentence.


texts: "Should It be" Or "It Should Be" - What is the correct order?

texts:
Are there grammar rules that indicate one of these two sentences has an incorrect word order? Is it possibly irrelevant in this case?

  We'd like to know what is its purpose, and when it should be used.
  We'd like to know what is its purpose, and when should it be used.


texts: Are double parenthesis orthographically correct?

texts:
In a sentence, when I want to talk about something that isn't really important I can use parenthesis "(...)" to express how insignificant this thing is.

For example:

  Your sister is very beautiful (the one who is 19 years old).

What about double parentheses? When I want to express something insignificant into something insignificant.

  I put your bag on the table (the round one (at the third floor)).

Even though it is very ugly, I was wondering whether it's orthographically correct and therefore can be used in some situations.


texts: Should I write "in the region" or "across the region"?

texts:
What would be correct to use in this statement, "in" or "across"?

  Responsible for strategic direction and management of all sales and service operations in the region.

or

  Responsible for strategic direction and management of all sales and service operations across the region.


texts:
Let's suppose my manager asks (via email) me to talk to our vendor representative and sort out some issues:

Please, contact him and try to sort the issues out.

After scheduling a meeting with the vendor representative (the meeting will be on Monday), I want to make my manager informed about this (via email):

OK, I scheduled a meeting with him for Monday.
OK, I have scheduled a meeting with him for Monday.

I know that the present perfect should be used, not the simple past (See my previous question). But I'd like to know what is the difference?
As a native American English or a native British English speaker, can you explain the difference?


texts:
There are several words in English to describe an area that is close to water:
beach, coast, shore, strand, waterfront.
Could anyone please explain what they mean exactly and when can we use them interchangeably?
Some specific questions:

Which of them are suitable for rivers, lakes, seas and oceans, respectively?

Does a beach always have sands? Can I use beach if there are only rocks near the water?

The word strand means beach in some other languages. Is this word still being used in everyday English?

Can I say a place is waterfront if it is not part of a town, for example, a forest or a cliff next to water?


texts: What does onto platform 9 3/4 mean here?


texts: Live vs Living usage in the given example

texts:
In Oxfordonlineenglish.com, I found a question in grammar test online as follows,

  ______ spent time abroad when I was a student, I found it easier to get used to ______ in another country.

Options:

to have, living
having, live
having, living
have, live

And my answer was,

  Having spent time abroad when I was a student, I found it easier to get used to live in another country.

But the correct answer given by the website was,

  Having spent time abroad when I was a student, I found it easier to get used to living in another country.

I'm a little confused here, why "living" is correct and why not "live".


texts:
We say: "John has been doing something all day/week long."

Is this a stock phrase with "week" and "day" only?

Can I say:

  I slept all weekend long

Thank you


texts: Is there any difference between 'agree to something' and 'accept something'?

texts:
In a roundabout way I used to say:

  I agree to your proposal, but I don't accept it.

In Korean, I used to say this  when I was unwilling to do something and therefore wanted to decline it.

In Korea, the meaning of 'agree' is not equal to that of 'accept'. So, above expression is reasonable expression, if you say it at least in Korean.

By the way it seems somewhat illogical to say that in English.
I looked up the world 'agree' in Collins Cobuild dictionary this morning and found a explanation as follows:

  If you agree to do something, you say that you will do it. If you agree to a proposal, you accept it.

I wonder what difference is in using 'agree' and 'accept' at the same situation and whether the following expression is right:

  I agree to your proposal, but I don't accept it.


texts: Is the sentence "I'm strange to this neighbourhood" correct?

texts:
I don't know which to choose, "new" or "strange" to complete the following sentence.

  I'm _____ to this neighbourhood.

A correct answer seems to be "new", but why is "strange" wrong?


texts: What does "crushing" mean in the sentence?

texts: What does "crushing" mean in the sentence "Instagram has been crushing these past few years as the popularity of Facebook has dropped significantly"


texts:
Source: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/cramer-putin-windfall-103000769.html

  This Putin-hurts-chicken-farmers story is a classic example of how a huge positive gets turned by the press into something dastardly. Do you know that ever since Putin put this through, the price of all of our foodstuffs have been in virtual freefall? Do you know that hog futures, which had been soaring not that long ago, are now tumbling the maximum amount allowed and are back to where they were March 18? Do you know that the stubbornly high price of cattle is now crashing, as a newfound, Putin-inspired chicken glut has made poultry too competitive? Two weeks ago, we thought cattle could only go up in price. No more.

What does that mean? I don't understand.


texts: A word to describe "quit original group and join another group"

texts:
I want to use some kind of noun form to describe

the request from a member that quit his original group and join a new group.

And I tried to create the word by myself (which doesn't look so "english" but helps you understand my purpose) like so :

  group switching request

  group changing request

Are there any better options ? Looking forward to your suggestions!


texts: Correct Verb/Preposition Choice - Impute For

texts:
To impute means to to lay the responsibility or blame for (something) often falsely or unjustly. I tried to use this in a sentence:

  Even the obsequious guy who imputed Sam for violent behavior said sorry to him.

Is this sentence correct? I checked on multiple websites but I could not find its usage in the form of imputed for. Almost everywhere it was imputed to. Isn't its meaning similar to the verb blame?


texts:
A guy walks up to a girl drinking at the bar and tries to make conversation, but she just ignores him, so he says:

Maybe you should consider staying at home to drink next time if you don't want to be disturbed.

Questions:

1) Is this phrased and structured in a natural way or could it be better?

2) If I wanted to change next time, which of these would work instead: some other time or another time.


texts: What part of speech is 'to marry' in 'I want to marry him'

texts:
The first sentence can be paraphrased 'She wants something' which tells me that the infinitive acts as a noun.
Can someone explain in detail how to categorise 'to marry' in the second sentence. Does it still act as a noun and if so, why?

She wants to marry.
She wants to marry him.


texts:
There is a security camera on the building to your left

  There is a security camera on the building on your left

Is there any real difference in meaning here? Which sounds more natural to native speakers?


texts:
What is the difference between the following expressions:

  "I was supposed to be going to concert and it was absolutely pouring down so I decided to go in the car "

  "I went to the concert and it was absolutely pouring down so I decided to go in the car "


texts:
Is there any pattern or logic in word formation?
For instance: Suppose we have the verb "associate" its meaning is: "to relate two things, people, etc" now the noun of that verb is "association" but it has two meanings: "an organization of people with the same interests or with a particular purpose" and "a connection or relationship between two things or people". Now why does the first meaning have nothing to do with the verb? Is there any pattern or logic? It's very weird and illogical


texts: "porn is widespread" or "porn are widespread"

texts:
Which one is grammatically correct?

porn is widespread.
porn are widespread.

I have found examples of both on the web, does it mean the sentences are correct and both have the same meaning?


texts:
He didn't look where he was going and almost hit the cabinet.

  "Careful. You almost hit the cabinet."

  "Careful. You are about to hit the cabinet."

  "Careful. You nearly hit the cabinet."

Almost, about and nearly. Which one is suitable in the context above?


texts: What does it mean to say something is only a process not an end in itself?

texts: English is not my native language and I came across the sentence "devolution is a process not an end in itself" and I want to know the meaning of this sentence.


texts: Meaning of "The experiment to be carried out was a success"

texts:
I can't quite get the meaning of this expression. "Was" is confusing me. Is it just a mistype of "with"?

  "The experiment to be carried out was a success."


texts: "Switched off at the main" phrase meaning

texts:
I've encountered the following phrase in a Jeeves and Wooster book, The code of the Woosters:

He had been beaming like a searchlight until I mentioned this aspect
of the matter, and the radiance suddenly disappeared as if it had been
switched off at the main.

I'm trying to guess the meaning of the phrase "at the main" here and I suppose that it metaphorically refers to switching the searchlight off by pressing the main power button or something like this. Am I right?


texts: Can you reword conditional setence in subjunctive and still retain the same meaning?

texts:
For example

If he were alive today, he would've supported the independence movement.

Here the speaker is talking about somebody who has passed away in a present interview. Wouldn't it be more suitable if the speaker use second conditional instead of a mix of subjunctive and conditional?


texts: Difference between "keep somebody from doing" and "prevent somebody from doing"

texts:
Do these sentences have a different meaning ?

  You kept me from having dinner by keeping me waiting for you.

  You prevented me from having dinner by keeping me waiting for you.


texts: "What makes her laugh IS ..." or "What makes her laugh ARE ..." - plural or singular?

texts:
Sometimes I get confused by the usage of "what" as a pronoun. Specifically, I am not sure if "what" stands for "the thing that" or for "the things that" or for both.

For example, which of the following are acceptable:

  "What makes her laugh is dirty jokes."
  "What makes her laugh are dirty jokes."
  "What make her laugh is dirty jokes."
  "What make her laugh are dirty jokes."

And some corresponding examples which might or might not make a difference to the answer:

  "What makes her laugh is dirty jokes and wet puppies."
  "What makes her laugh are dirty jokes and wet puppies."
  "What make her laugh is dirty jokes and wet puppies."
  "What make her laugh are dirty jokes and wet puppies."


texts: What is "relaxed coating of dust" in this paragraph?

texts:
I read a paragraph on the BBC Webpage

  In his interview to the BBC in February, Mr Kejriwal wore a rumpled sweater and his "bare feet were clad in well-worn sandals with a relaxed coating of dust".*

What do they mean by "relaxed coating of dust"?

I searched for this phrase, but I cannot find the answer.


texts:
I wrote:

  The visual tool also executes the (present) wrapper program (created so far). The algorithm navigates the DOM-tree top-down to the highlighted node and evaluates and shows the related context variables to the user.

The wrapper program is created gradually, then I look for a word for the state when it's not complete yet. I suspect between present and created so far or any better word for this situation.

Moreover, I don't know how to combine evaluate and show when each takes different complements.


texts:
Which sentence is correct?

I was questioned as below.

Q) Where did you go when principal arrived at you your home?

And, my answer was
Ans) I went to School.

Or Should it be as below

a) I Went to school, When principal arrived at my home.

b) I had gone to school, when principal arrived at my home.

For me both sentences give same idea that when principal arrived at my home I was in school.

Please help.


texts:
The guitars in the other store are of a ........quality
but not .......  .

a) higher / as cheap
b) high  /  as cheaply
c) highly  /  as cheaper
d) highest  /   cheap
e) highly  /  the cheapest

The answer key says :  A

Can we use “adjective” after “as” in English?
Does it make sense if we choose A ?


texts: What does it "they like me for me" mean?

texts:
What does the following mean?

They like me for me.

I have never seen this expression before.


texts: Would you tell me which one you prefer? such as or such

texts:
A picture such as this
Such a picture as this

Which of the rephrases are more polished or influence?
Or, which one would you rather?


texts: What does it mean "to put a punctuation mark on something"?

texts:
I came across the idiom "to put a punctuation mark on something". Having googled a few examples of its usage, I am still not sure what exactly it means. Could you please explain its meaning?

I am especially interested in the meaning of "putting a punctuation mark on what one is feeling" in the following sentence related to self-harm:

  It expresses emotional pain or feelings that I’m unable to put into words. It puts a punctuation mark on what I’m feeling on the inside!

(See http://www.helpguide.org/articles/anxiety/cutting-and-self-harm.htm for the full context.)

EDIT:

Here are some other examples that I found using Google. For the first two examples I recommend to read the whole context.

  Nelson Giants hammer Hawke's Bay Hawks to put punctuation mark on home season http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/basketball/69757256/Nelson-Giants-hammer-Hawkes-Bay-Hawks-to-put-punctuation-mark-on-home-season

  He’s not saying her name to say it but more to put punctuation mark on his statements. http://ficly.com/stories/26979

  And as if all this weren't enough, Tolkien puts a punctuation mark on the brave, wonderful life that is Sam Gamgee's by having him not only marry the pretty Rose Cotton but have thirteen (!) children with her—Elanor, Frodo, Rose, Merry, [...]. It's hard to imagine a clearer or more winsome way for Tolkien to punctuate the novel's pro-fertility theme.

  --  The Hobbit Party: The Vision of Freedom That Tolkien Got, and the West Forgot by J. Richards and J. Witt

Basing on these examples, I would say that "putting a punctuation mark on something" means stressing/emphasizing/underlining some point or achievement. However, I am still not sure how to understand it in the sentence related to self-harm that is cited above.


texts:
I found myself stuck in the snow.

What does the verb "found" mean here?  Does it mean
(1) "came to realize" OR
(2) "found as discovered"?

If it means "came to realize",  I find it difficult to understand that the object of realize is myself.   Could you help me clarify it?    Thank you always.


texts:
The house, in where I live, is on fire. vs The house, where I live in, is on fire.
Which one is correct? I have read somewhere that if you want to add a modifier to the sentence, the preposition (in this case, "in") has to be in the front. Is this correct? It sounds so weird.
Edit: I posted this before here: https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/553795/in-where-i-live-vs-where-i-live-in
and got recommended to repost here. I posted here again since I still feel a little uncleared about "in where I live."
Have there ever been any mentions of it before? Or is it plain 'wrong' like how the comment from the post I have posted in english.stackexchange.com mentioned?


texts:
can I say to my colleague " ...turn left,  go straight for a minute , then you can text me and I'll PICK YOU UP"

I am at the office, so I'll get out of the office to meet her and show the way, we will go to my office together


texts:
I am a little bit confused by this sentence:

  After annexing Crimea and with troops massed on the border of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin will not stop trying to expand Russia until he has “conquered” Belarus, the Baltic states and Finland, one of his closest former advisers has said.

I cannot understand why in the emphasized part of the sentence the present perfect is used. I would await the simple present in this type of the clause. The sentence suggests that Putin has already started the conquest of other countries, which is nonsense.


texts:
I teach English

It happens periodically, time to time, every monday and so on. Present SImple

  I am teachining English

1) It is happening right now, I am in the class
2) It's a current period of time when I am doing it.

But even if it's a period of time, anyway it happens time to time, periodically.

I may be 97 and I say:

  I teach English

I consider this action like a repeating over and over one

I can also say:

  I am teaching English

having meant all my life I've been doing it like one huge period.

What's the difference then of their usages?


texts: What does it mean "to send something to be + -ed"?

texts:
i came across this sentnce:

Either my quarry's inside or this  is where he sends his clothes to be laundered!

I know there is a pattern :

send something to someone, something, or some place

That is, what is it for ? Why do we need a passive after send to?
isn't it right to write like this :

... is where he sends his clothes to the loundry!

I would be happy to answer, thank you


texts: How to pronounce bet, bat, bite and but correctly?

texts:
I am a learner from China, and I'm always confused with sounds of /e/, /æ/, /aɪ/ and /ʌ/, no matter when I'm speaking or listening because all of them sound so much alike.

I find there are a few differences between British English and American English of these four sounds. The following sounds are what I found in https://dictionary.cambridge.org:

(click to listen)

bet: [UK]  ,  [US]

bat: [UK]  ,  [US]

bite: [UK]  ,  [US]

but: [UK]  ,  [US]

Especially the sounds of 'bat' and 'but' in British accent, which sound almost the same except for 'bat' is a little longer than 'but'. When people speak fast, there could be no difference if listeners don't have the context.

The most difficult sound for me is /æ/, I even don't know how to pronounce it.
It sounds like a voice between /e/ and /ɑː/, but I'm really not able to say it correctly.

So, do you native speakers have any good suggestions for me? I would be very appreciated for your answers.


texts:
This sentence below is extracted from vocabulary for IELTS book (recording scripts part).

  But nowadays all we seem to do is argue and that causes a lot of conflict between us.

Why she's saying argue? Shouldn't it be arguing or argument? And why conflict is not plural?


texts: Is "in his father's beautiful car" an adverbial of manner or an adverbial of place? What's the meaning of it?

texts:
Usually John is taken to school in his father's beautiful car.

Is "in his father's beautiful car" an adverbial of manner or an adverbial of place? How to judge them?


texts: So far I've found xeroxer but I'm not sure if it's a common term and also if the term is specifically used to describe people who make copies in offices rather than running a business independently and having a shop of their own. I need to check it with an English native speaker. Is it a common word? If not, what do you usually call them?


texts: How to correctly pronounce "pan" and "pen" differently?

texts:
As a Portuguese speaker, I would pronounce both pan (/pæn/) and pen (/pɛn/) the same.
In what can I base my pronunciation so I don't mistakenly pronounce these words the same again?


texts:
A friend and I were talking about the way raise a modern baby and I said

The way raise a modern baby is much different to the way 30 years ago, we now have internet, social network, youtube, globalization which make sharing knowledge and information more efficient, accordingly the requirement for qualified employee has also changed ...

Is it natural to say "raise modern baby"?


texts:
An SNL skit or a SNL skit?

I am pretty sure it's "an", but I wasn't exactly sure, because I was news articles use "a" instead.


texts: What is the meaning of this Game of Thrones quote?

texts:
"Never forget what you are. The rest of the world will not. Wear it like armor, and it can never be used to hurt you."

I'm new to English and have just started watching Game of Thrones. I think the above quote has a deep meaning. Could anybody please elaborate on this?


texts: How the word 'destroyed' functioned here?

texts: The tsunami and the undersea earthquake which triggered it, the largest ever recorded in the region, killed nearly 20,000 people, destroyed over 100,000 homes and threw the lives of tens of millions into turmoil.


texts: About exclamatives with interrogative form

texts:
Did I do something stupid last night!

I suppose it can be expressed by: What a stupid thing I did last night!

Wow! Can she sing!

It means that She is really good at singing.

Look at those ones!  Aren’t they amazing!

In this case, I feel confused. It means they are so amazing but why a negative form? Can I say "Are they amazing!"?


texts: "LegislationS" to indicate the laws (for the same subject matter) established by different provincial or state governments

texts:
I know that "legislation" is almost always used in its uncountable form.

legislation: a law or set of laws suggested by a government and made official by a parliament

But what about in the following case? Let's say there are 13 provinces and territories in a country, each with its own provincial government and ministries.
When it comes to minerals/mining/natural resources, these provinces each have a dedicated ministry and a dedicated Act (or laws). Although these acts have the same purpose (i.e., they describe the laws related to recourses), they are named differently:

Let's say Province 1 has a legislation called "Mineral Tax Act"
Province 2, 5, and 8 = "Mines and Minerals Act"
Province 3 and 7 = "Mineral Resources Act"
Province 10 = "Mining Act"

You get the idea. They also have different names for other laws, e.g., "Education Act", "Schools and Universities Act", etc.
In this case, is it fair to write "legislations"?

We need to collect data from the ministry websites and the mineral resources legislations of all 13 provinces and territories.

I think that using the uncountable "legislation" here would indicate that there is just one Act (or set of laws) for all 13 provinces and territories.
If this is ambiguous, what would be a clear way to write this? Also note that I am writing "mineral resources" here as a broader term to capture all the acts that are essentially the same but named differently.


texts:
While reading a story, I've encountered with this word (a slang, as you may call) and I was wondering what meaning does this word adding to the sentence;

  "As far as this town's villagers go, John Doe is pretty not terrible"

Is it adding some meaning like "he is terrible but not that much/he is not that good but also not that bad" ?


texts: What is the word "Self" in this sentence

texts:
The product has been delivered to self John.

What is the word self in this context?

Is it adjective or pronoun.

Explain.

Thank you.


texts: What is the meaning of "rush of battle"?

texts:
There is a quote that says:

The rush of battle is a potent and often lethal addiction, for war is a drug, one I ingested for many years.

Chris Hedges

Does "rush of battle" means to go into a battle, attack, or having the desire to fight?


texts: On PowerPoint or In PowerPoint? On AutoCAD or In AutoCAD or with AutoCAD?

texts:
Do you know how to work on PowerPoint or in?

Are you going to draw this on AutoCAD or in AutoCAD or with AutoCAD?

What could be the right preposition for the sentences above?

Thanks in advance.


texts: Can you explain in different sentences what is meant in this sentence?

texts:
"I wanted to tell you, little mouse, that my cousin had a little son, white with Brown spots, and she wants to me to be godmother to that little kitten. Let me go out today, and do you take care of the house Alone." " Yes go certanly," replied the mouse, "and when you eat anything Good , think of me: i should very much Like a drop of the red christening wine "

What is the difference between i Like and i should Like in this sentence. This story is the Cat and the mouse in partnership in my story book


texts: Charge someone with something (figurative usage)

texts:
According to the dictionary definition, "charging someone with something" means to make a formal statement saying that someone is accused of a crime:

She's been charged with murder.

But I wonder what verb can be used in not legislative atmosphere, but in normal everyday speech when one is say charging the other one with e.g. lying.
Example:

What the hell are you talking about Sandy? Are you charging me with lying?

Does the verb 'charge' work here figuratively or there is another verb for this case.
Aside from "charge" the only close word with the same part of speech that comes to my mind is "accuse someone of something", but as you know well, that is not at all the same as 'charge' semantically.
Please kindly explain that to me.


texts: extrovert vs extroverted (as adjective, have different usage?)

texts:
as per some of dictionaries, extrovert can be used as both noun and adjective, also, the 'extroverted' is used as adjective.
any difference between the usage of 'extroverted' and 'extrovert' when used as adjective?


texts: Can we use a pronoun in the place of Attributive adjective?

texts:
Predicate adjectives Example: The sea is blue.
Attributive adjectives Example: The blue sea.

Attributive adjectives are adjectives that describe a characteristic (or attribute) of the noun or pronoun that they modify.

Here is my doubt.
Predicate adjectives Example: It is blue.
Attributive adjectives Example: The blue ( ? ).

By definition, can we use "it" in (?) place or can we use a pronoun in the place of Attributive adjective?


texts:
Two people are arguing about the superiority of their dog. The argument goes as following:

NATALYA STEPANOVNA: Why talk rot? It's awful! It's time your Guess was shot, and you compare him with Squeezer!

LOMOV: Excuse me; I cannot continue this discussion: my heart is palpitating.

NATALYA STEPANOVNA: I've noticed that those hunters argue most who know least.

LOMOV: Madam, please be silent. ... My heart is going to pieces. ... [Shouts] Shut up!

NATALYA STEPANOVNA: I shan't shut up until you acknowledge that Squeezer is a hundred times better than your Guess!

LOMOV: A hundred times worse! Be hanged to your Squeezer! His head ... eyes ... shoulder ...

NATALYA STEPANOVNA: There's no need to hang your silly Guess; he's half-dead already!

LOMOV: [Weeps] Shut up! My heart's bursting!

NATALYA STEPANOVNA: I shan't shut up.

(Guess and Squeezer are the dogs' names.)


texts:
when we use "for example" or "such as" in writing, do we have to use a specific tense?
All websites talk about the punctuation,but want to know about the suitable tense or grammar.


texts: Should we say "rather", "or rather" in this sentence

texts:
I'm facing to a little grammatical problem.

While I was practicing my English with the make/do usage, I answered myself:

  What should I choose in this sentence,
  a. make rather than do
  b. make or rather do.

As you see the problem is about the usage of "rather" and his other form "or rather". In my native language this two forms are completely different, because rather is used when we are decided about something :

  In this case I would rather choose the blue car.

Whereas, the "or rather" form is opposed to the first one. We use it to share our indecision.

  I have a preference for the blue car, or rather the red one.


texts:
Where should commas go (if any) in the following sentence?

  1)   Start practicing now so when you get famous you don't have to hire a hundred people to get upset for you.

I have an intuitive preference that it should be commented like this:

  1)   Start practicing now so when you get famous, you don't have to hire a hundred people to get upset for you.

The following is the entire context of this sentence with the target sentence in bold text.

  Practice for Fame and Fortune by Ignoring Negativity.

  Think of negativity as a great, fun opportunity to ready yourself for a life of fame. Famous people have to ignore vast amounts of negativity about them. If they didn't, they would forever be wasting their time apologizing, defending theirselves, or crying foul to people in charge.

  Do you find yourself getting worked up over one little comment? Think about it this way: Even if they wanted to, a famous person couldn't read all the bad things about them. They would have to hire an entire, full-time staff of a hundred people to read, get upset, and respond to all the stuff written about them. Start practicing now so when you get famous, you don't have to hire a hundred people to get upset for you.

  The key is really to think of negativity as just "part of the game". Like Tetris, The Legend of Zelda, or PAC-MAN. You just step around it. Keep moving ahead. Don't look back at that thing you stepped around. Stop that. Stop lookihg back. Are you looking back? POW you lost the level because you were looking back. Did you learn? Stop looking back at "that thing" you stepped around.


texts: What to use after a preposition, a noun or gerund

texts:
Please consider the following sentences:

It doesn't have any symptom of stay.
It doesn't have any symptom of staying.

The stay in the first sentence is a noun and staying in the second is a gerund. Which one to use and if both are OK, what is the difference between them please?


texts: Do we often use command forms for verbs that used for accidental situations, for example, "don't spill water", "don't bump into objects"?

texts:
When we command somebody to do something, we told him not to do things on purpose.
Verbs such as "spill" or "bump" are often used in accidental situations.
Can we use these verbs in command forms, for example, "don't spill water", "don't bump into objects"?


texts:
What does "cram" mean in this sentence?

  It's not that they're cramming for some project. It's that long-term
  procrastination has made them feel like a spectator, at times, in
  their own lives

Source link : https://www.ted.com/talks/tim_urban_inside_the_mind_of_a_master_procrastinator/transcript#t-555311

Hope someone could explain it to me.


texts:
Is it possible to say:

  What do you mean "Internet"?

or

  What do you mean: "Internet"?

instead of

  What do you mean by "Internet"?


texts: Why is "chortle" considered a synonym for "chuckle"?

texts:
Both, the oxford online dictionary and the cambridge online dictionary agree on that "chortle" is a synonym for "chuckle". Cambridge even lists it as the only synonym.

https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/chuckle

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/chuckle

Yet, when I read the definition, e.g., at oxford:

chuckle: Laugh quietly or inwardly.

chortle: Laugh in a noisy, gleeful way.

Given these definitions, I don't think declaring these words synonymes is the best idea, or at least there would be words way closer to the respective meaning, because chuckle is a quiet or inward laugh, while chortle is a noisy, gleeful laugh (and noisy and quiet almost seem like opposites to me).

So why is chortle listed as the main synonym, instead of, say, giggle, titter, or snicker?


texts: set greater / set to greater/set to a value greater

texts:
For correct printing, the bottom margin should be set greater than 1cm.

I drafted this sentence.  When I googled this by replacing "greater" with "to greater" and "to a value greater", some examples were hit. I would like to know which is the best.


texts: What word/expression do you use when you talk about employments in terms of work rate?

texts:
Employments may differ in terms of how much the employee is supposed to work – part time or full time, right? But how do you refer to this phenomenon? Do you talk about "the extent of the employment" or "the work rate of the employment" or... what?
I want to say

The work rate of an adjunct position should be dictated by the requirements of the relevant institution.

but I'm not sure whether "work rate" is the correct word to use here, or whether it should be "extent" or something else entirely.


texts:
I want to say something such as these quotes:

  "We must acknowledge our weakness, so we could understand the cause and easier to rule our self"

Its mean that we must acknowledge our weakness, so we could understand the root cause of the weakness so it will be easier for us to improve it.

My question: is the above quote right in terms of grammar, particularly in regards to "our self" or "ourself"?


texts:
Both and and but are coordinating conjunctions and used to connect the following criticize and advocate.

Experts criticize the exclusive use of device X and/but advocate the use of its alternatives such as device Y.

Which one is more appropriate?


texts:
In the sentence,

  Such software is referred to as threaded, or multi-threaded.
  The software adding, say, a column of four place numbers could drive the job into four threads:
  Adding the 1s-place numbers, the 2s-place numbers, the 3s-place numbers, and the 4s-place numbers.
  Each of those subtasks is directed to a different core.

It is from "How Computer Works" can be downloaded from http://epdf.pub/how-computers-work-9th-edition.html

What is the meaning of "a column of four place numbers"? And/or what is the meaning of "adding a column of four place numbers"?

I guess four place numbers are like "1234". Right?

Thank you in advance.


texts: should vs. have to vs. must in specific context?

texts:
In the following situation, which fits best (should or must or have to):
I think that it is very important to look after the environment. This means that we should/must/have to cut down the amount of waste that we create.
I was taught that we use have to to express strong obligation, when the obligation comes from someone else.
And that we use must to express strong obligation, when the obligation comes from you.
And to use should to express mild obligation.
Accordingly, it is (MUST) that fits best, but I am still not sure about that.


texts:
The team can pair James — and whoever else might be coming — with Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball and Kyle Kuzma.

I saw the sentence from a news article. I doubt the usage of "and" here.

From my understanding, 'pair' denotes two parties. So, the team can separately pair James with Brandon Ingram, James with Lonzo Ball or James with Kyle Kuzma. Then the sentence should be:

  The team can pair James — and whoever else might be coming — with Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball or Kyle Kuzma.

But is this possible to pair James with Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball and Kyle Kuzma? What would it mean — if possible/correct — to pair James with Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball and Kyle Kuzma?

The full source.


texts: "12-year-old boy changes his mind just two years later" — how old was he at that moment?

texts:
I've encountered an article from The Independent:

  12-year-old boy who transitioned to female changes his mind just two years later

Isn't it ambiguous, how old was he at that moment? Was he 12 when he transitioned to female or when he changed his mind?

The article itself clarifies this, but I want to know is the title ambiguous for a native speaker.


texts: ''Do you have an account on the website or in the website?''

texts:
When asking someone what should I say?

  Do you have an account on  facebook?
  Do you have an account in facebook?

I can simply ask- ''Do you have a facebook account?''
But I'm asking should I use on or in .


texts:
Why do you use own in sentence like this? Isn't it useless? Or it just seems right to you naturally?

  depend on your own sense of style
  depend on your sense of style

  your money
  your own money


texts: Can be sentences turned into questions just by changing intonation in spoken/informal English?

texts:
There's a sentence:

  She doesn't want to go with us.

How would you use this as a question to specify the cause? Like:

  — Would you like to join us?

  — No, I will stay at home today. My girlfriend isn't letting me go.

  — Why? [question to specify the cause]

From watching TV series I was sure that we can just say:

  — Why? She doesn't want to go with us?

But my friends tell me that I should use

  — Why? Doesn't she want to go with us?

I feel that saying it like this asks the wrong question, like asking if she wants to go with us, but being uncertain that she will agree (my first language is Russian, and it can be done there). I also can't find anything to support my point of view, hence is my question.


texts:
I've been learning English for some time now, but have a huge problems with all constructions with 'would'.
For example today I found that out in one of the NYT articles:

[...]He wouldn’t learn anything. He was making no effort to learn.[...]

Could you guys help me to understand what construction is this? Is this something like reported speech or one of the conditionals? How to think about it?


texts: What is the sentence structure of the sentence?

texts:
At that time I had a much-petted, much-abused doll, which I afterward
  named Nancy. She was, alas, the helpless victim of my outbursts of
  temper and of affection, so that she became much the worse for wear. I
  had dolls which talked, and cried, and opened and shut their eyes; yet
  I never loved one of them as I loved poor Nancy. She had a cradle, and
  I often spent an hour or more rocking her. I guarded both doll and
  cradle with the most jealous care; but once I discovered my little
  sister sleeping peacefully in the cradle. At this presumption on the
  part of one to whom as yet no tie of love bound me I grew angry. I
  rushed upon the cradle and over-turned it, and the baby might have
  been killed had my mother not caught her as she fell. Thus it is that
  when we walk in the valley of twofold solitude we know little of the
  tender affections that grow out of endearing words and actions and
  companionship. But afterward, when I was restored to my human
  heritage, Mildred and I grew into each other's hearts, so that we were
  content to go hand-in-hand wherever caprice led us, although she could
  not understand my finger language, nor I her childish prattle.

The above paragraph comes from The Story of My Life by Helen Keller in Chapter II. As for the bold sentence, I cannot really understand the italic part. It seems to be the adverbial of the whole sentence. I know the main idea of the sentence is that Helen became angry, but I can't figure out what is the actual meaning and grammar structure of the italic part, especially the meaning and function of 'on the part of...bound me'.
And what's the relation between 'At this presumption' and 'on the part of...bound me'? Is bound here a predicate?


texts: What do you call the thing that holds Iron Man's suits?

texts: What do you call the thing that "holds" the iron man armors? I say "hold", because it doesn't seem to be a container, but more like a sort of stand. Not sure if there's a name for it, because it's not a stand.


texts:
Note that while in subject-verb agreement some usage manuals say that the final element of an or-coordination should determine the form of the verb, such a rule could not apply with pronoun agreement:

  [44] i  # Kim or I may have my application knocked back.
        ii  Kim or I will have to move my car.

  The antecedent for my has to be I, not Kim or I. example [i] is therefore anomalous, and in [ii] there is only one car involved, mine. (CGEL,p.497)

It seems that example [i] needs to be ‘Kim or I may have our applications knocked back.’ From the first line - some usage manuals - do they have to choose was in ‘Kim or I was/were rejected from them’?


texts: What is meant by 'politics of apologising'?

texts:
Source:  http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2016/05/obama-hiroshima-apology-nuclear/483617/

Please tell me what is meant by 'politics of apologising' in the following heading of the article.

Hiroshima and the Politics of Apologizing

Does it mean the politics associated with apologising? Or Looking at apologising from a political perspective or Does it mean to say that apologising is politics? I am confused, Please help me decipher the meaning of it.


texts: Meaning of "the Washington journalist I.F. Stone"

texts:
What does "the Washington journalist I.F. Stone" imply in the following sentence?

  The refugees who surround Palestine in their hundreds of thousands were described recently by the Washington journalist I.F. Stone as “the moral millstone around the neck of world Jewry.”

1) I. F. Stone works in Washington.

2) I. F. Stone lives in Washington.

3) Something else.


texts:
I study Gerund and Participle. Here’s a sentence in my textbook:

  Can you hear Sam singing?

What is the part of speech of "Singing"?


texts: Do I search a query on the web or search for a query?

texts:
I search somewhere for something I want to find.  So I search my house for my keys.  What about a query I type in the search bar?

  I search "what is ve day" on Google

or,

  I search for "what is ve day" on Google


texts: Is it idiomatic to say "what do we say"?

texts:
A post From one side of the bridge to the other says

  But what do we say if we want to go from one side of the bridge to the other?

I also found lots of people use this expression.

Is it idiomatic to say that?


texts:
I found the expression partisan lens in this sentence

And the Mayor of Miami speaks for many when he says it is long past time this can be viewed through a partisan lens.

Well, I found out that a partisan is an unthinking supporter of a political faction who blindly adhere to faction's positions.
But what does exactly partisan lens mean? Does it mean that it is an unthinking and fascistic perspective?


texts:
I've just run across this definition in The Free Dictionary:

  get into — Informal To be interested in: got into gourmet cooking.

And it doesn't really sound right to me. Isn't "get" about changes? Like when I didn't like cooking before and now I like. That is, isn't it rather "to become interested in"? Then, it can't possibly be used in Present Simple, because the latter is about what you usually do. So Present Perfect and maybe Past Simple are probably better fits.

So, to sum it up, does it really mean "to be interested in" and not "to become interested in"? Could you provide some examples in different tenses with some context?


texts: Can I use both "real" and "actual" in this dialog?

texts:
Dialog:

Guy 1: I like to paint.
Guy 2: Really? You paint?
Guy 1: Yes.
Guy 2: Okay. So... real / actual paintings?
Guy 1: Yes, real / actual paintings.

Guy 2 is very surprised to find out that Guy 1 paints. Would "real" and "actual" both be natural here or does one of them seem a better choice than the other?


texts: Every - mixing singular and plural in one sentence

texts:
I'm confused by the use of plural and singular when Every is use. Which of the following sentences is correct?

Every business has its own unique set of challenges, resulting in a different approach even if they have the same goals.
Every businesses have their own unique set of challenges, resulting
in different approaches even if they have the same goals.


texts: Why did Donald Trump say "I walk in the street"? Shouldn't it be "I walk on the street"

texts:
Donald Trump said "I walk in the street" at 0.51 Source

Shouldn't it be "I walk on the street"? Is this an error?


texts: Difference between "alright" and "all right"?

texts:
Is there any difference between "alright" and "all right"?

I can find both forms in different articles (especially on the Internet), although all right seems to be more common.

I was wondering if both forms are acceptable or whether it is some sort of difference between American and British English or just a common mistake?


texts:
He does not ride a bike wearing a helmet.

Or

  He rides a bike not/without wearing a helmet.

Second sentence

  He doesn't cross the road while talking on mobile

Or

  He crosses the road while not talking on mobile.

Is there any difference between these two sentences?

Actually someone asked me this question and I couldn't find any suitable answer. Can you guys help me?


texts:
In answer to the question:

Can you speak English?

Which of the following is correct?

I can speak it good enough.

I can speak it well enough.


texts:
In the context of a game, would the following phrase sound natural in a notification?

"You drew against your friend. None of you earned bonus points."

[Edit:]

In the context of an e-learning game, where a friend can challenge another, the one who gets more points answering wins the challenge. If they draw, neither of them gets the bonus points. Would the following phrase sound natural in a notification?

"You drew against your friend. None of you earned bonus points."


texts: When you want to indicate you do not look at all women sexually

texts:
There is a belief that some men value a woman just because of her womanity, not because of a respect toward a so called 'holy' and honorable creature.
Please imagine you as a man respect all women because you respect this gender not because of their sex, but because this gender is considered as valuable and precious one for you as a man. Suppose you are in a train give your seat to a young lady and when you stay up, your friend says humorously (but with a bad intonation):

  Hey man, did you like her? [smilingly]

You want to tell him that what you did was only out of respect and nothing more.
There is a way in my mother language to indicate such a message. I need to make sure if it works in English too.

  [Direct translation]: Steve, I don't look at all women like a hole. (meaning that I didn't have any sexual intent]

[No matter how old are they, such a sentence can be used between friends.]

If it sounds a bit off or wired, then I would appreciate if you could let me know what a native would say to indicate the same thing.


texts: What do " be down to" & "take things slow" mean in the last sentence of the following paragraph?

texts:
I have a miniature Australian shepherd who is my world and my baby, her name is Whiskee. Most of the time when I am at home we are outside running around or going for walks. I love to workout and stay in shape. I am currently going back to school to obtain my second bachelors in Nurse in hopes for one day to become a Nurse Practitioner. I am a very strong independent woman who also needs to her alone time. I admire love and cherish every moment of my life with the special people in it. I will do anything for my family for family is a very important aspect in my life. I am looking for someone who is down to have fun, watch football together, and is just wanting to take things slow .

What does it mean to say " taking things slow" ? What does it mean " be down to something" ?


texts:
In the distance could be seen the purple mountains.
In the distance the purple mountains could be seen.

I know sentence 1 is right, but can you tell me whether sentence 2 is right.


texts: difference between 'frustrating to me' and 'frustrating for me'

texts:
The need to check each new word in the dictionary has been quite
  frustrating to me.

  The need to check each new word in the dictionary has been quite
  frustrating for me.

What's the difference in meanings?


texts:
I think the following sentence might be wrong since "been" used in present perfect. Don't you?

  They have been married in five years.

I think this should be fixed as this:

  They have married in five years.


texts: Which is correct, "one dozen transactions" or "a dozen transactions"? (The cashier conducted one dozen transactions)

texts:
Which is correct, "one dozen transactions" or "a dozen transactions"? As in,

  The cashier conducted one dozen transactions.

(I researched my Oxford mini dictionary but it did not provide the help I need).
(English is my first language).


texts: What is the meaning of "right proper" in this sentence?

texts:
What is the meaning of "right proper" in :

  When my motivation drops and I don’t have an interesting project,
  well, I become right proper sick and tired of it all

I have tried to Google it but still not understand it.

Hope someone could explain for me. Thanks in advance ^_^


texts:
I could not find a tag to mark this question as spoken grammar. If I recall correctly, I've read once that in spoken English, as a general rule, people mostly put the object first and then ask about it with an object pronoun as in sentence number one below. The book was by English authors but they did not restrict that rule, if you will, to English people only-I mean Americans were not excluded.

Is that true?

I'd expect you to say it depends on the situation, but still, which sentence sounds most spoken in an informal exchange?

Your parents, you miss them?
Your parents, do you miss them?
You miss your parents?
Do you miss your parents?

  And they'll have to let my parents go. We'll all be together like
  family again.

  Your parents?

  Murphy? You okay?

  Your parents, you miss them?

  Yeah.

  But...  ...you remember them.  Because... ...if you remember them...
  ...they're never really gone.

  Hey, Murphy...  ...l'm glad your new heart works.

Source: Robocop 1993

Edit:
Link added


texts:
I know there's a fixed phrase the day after tomorrow. But is it possible to omit the second tomorrow in the following sentence?

  We won't be meeting tomorrow and the day after [tomorrow].


texts: Why some countable nouns treated as uncountable?

texts:
since the inception of the iPod we have seen numerous audio formats
  come to market yet only a select few of them have been adopted on a
  mass scale.

(Source: What is the best audio format? - Audiophile On)

Why it says "market" not "the market" or "a market"?

As far as I know the word "market" is a countable noun and the Oxford dictionary does not mention it as uncountable noun.


texts: What is the function of "unmodified" in "It is passed unmodified to the next block"?

texts:
What I have learnt so far, an adverb can be placed adjacent to a verb. For example,

It is directly passed to the next block.

or

It is passed directly to the next block.

I found a sentence as follows.

It is passed unchanged to the next block.

Why is it possible to place an adjective "unmodified" here? And what is its function?
Can I rephrase it as follows?

It is passed unmodifiedly to the next block.


texts: If the convicted murderer is released from prison, he wants to more children

texts:
Steven Avery's best friend Curtis Busse has told DailyMail.com that if the convicted murderer is released from prison, he wants to more children.

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3987074/Making-Murderer-s-Steven-Avery-says-dreams-having-children-returning-auto-mechanic-business-lawyer-believes-ll-free-year-100-million-payout.html

I would like to pose two questions regarding the above sentence:

Why is there "he wants" instead of "he will want" in the conditional clause?
Don’t you think that "to" in the part "he wants to more children" is unnecessary?


texts: past perfect continous for an action that has recently stopped?

texts:
I have seen several examples that say that the past perfect continuous is used to state that an action has finished, for example

"I had been working on my novel when she came in to talk to me".

The book says that this implies I stopped working when she came in or had already stopped working a short time before.

I thought it meant that when she came in I had already been working for a while. To me it says nothing about stopping. What do you think?


texts: "functions and their `gradient`" or "functions and their `gradients`"?

texts:
It sounds the lecturer is saying

  we've explored the relationship between functions and their gradient

gradient's plural should be gradients.

So, the sentence should be ... between functions and their gradients, am I right?

Here is another proof


texts: What does “You had me at the proper use of ‘you’re’ ” mean?

texts:
I was asked by a friend, the meaning of this sentence:

  You had me at the proper use of you’re.

Unfortunately, I was unable to help her. Can anyone tell me: what does that sentence mean?


texts: "Who knows what we could find!" -- what would be the difference if "might" were used?

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Here is a piece of a dialogue from a video game. A group of mages is going to explore some ancient ruins; they seem to be doing this out of interest.

  Elvali: "I can't believe we're doing this."
  Savos: "Can you imagine the looks on their faces when we come back?"
  Hafnar: "You keep talking like you're sure we'll find something useful in here."
  Girduin: "Given the history of this place, it's more than likely there's still some amount of power here."
  Savos: "Enchanted weapons, tomes of ancient knowledge, Shalidor's secrets themselves — who knows what we could find!"

I am not sure I understand what the difference would be between could and might if the latter were used in that sentence. When I was reading it the first time, I expected might to be there, as it would be showing their chance of finding anything in those ruins.

Here is what I found on ELU:

  The difference between I could go the cinema and I might/may go to the cinema is that the former is associated with reasoning about conditions or alternatives, whereas the latter is just a statement of possibility.
  Source: What is the difference between 'can', 'could', 'may' and 'might'? -- English Language & Usage Stack Exchange

Now, does could in my sentence imply some kind of condition? For example:

  Who knows what we would be able to obtain, or whether we would be interested in whatever we find here.

Whereas might would imply:

  Who knows if there is anything in these ruins. There might or might not be anything in them.

I also looked up the difference in Swan's Practical English Usage (Unit 435). Here is an excerpt:

  'general' possibility: can/could, not may/might

  We normally use can and could to say that things are possible in general: people are able to do them, the situation makes them possible, or there is nothing to stop them (see 122). May and might are not used in this way.

  chances: may/might/could, not can

  To talk about the chance (possibility) that something will happen, or is happening, we use may, might or could, but not can.

According to the chances section, it seems might and could can mean the same thing.

Are my suggestions above right, and is there a difference between might and could in my case?


texts: What's the meaning of this sentence?...,,

texts:
While reading "Louis Pasteur" by Margaret Avery,I am having difficulty in understanding this statement:

  "...Placed under the patronage of a name doomed henceforward to
  execration by my country, that of Rex Guilemus" Louis Pasteur(Franciscan) wrote this to Uni. of Bonn when war broke out between France and Germany.

I tried literal translation but could not figure out.


texts:
What's the meaning of "make it rain X"? Looking up the idiom I found the following definitions:

  (idiomatic) to bring prosperity or work to an enterprise by selling,
  inventing or other productive or successful activity

  (idiomatic) to throw a substantial amount of paper money so that it
  falls on a crowd, audience, performer, or group of performers, often
  as a way to show off one's wealth

  Used other than with a figurative or idiomatic meaning: see make,
  it, rain.

Seeing the third definition makes me think "make it rain X" means make it rain anything literally, is it the case? Then if it is so, can we say "make it rain blood"? Does that literally mean "make it rain physical blood"? I am asking, because it sounds odd to me.


texts:
which one is correct?  I don't like egg? or I don't like eggs?

After "don't like" we should use singular or plural form.


texts:
I heard a sentence form BBC:

  It CAN MEAN to extend, continue or progress beyond a particular thing or MEANS to extend or continue further than that thing or point.

Why not both "can mean"?

Is it better to use the same form of verbs in one sentence?

The context is quite simple. It's a BBC English-learning program teaching "behind" & "beyond". I'm using it as an intensive listening material.

The "it" refers "beyond", and the sentence explains the meanings of "beyond".

@Robusto suggested dropping the "means". I agree and think it may be the best.


texts: A word or a phrase to describe a person pushing her luck

texts:
A colleague of mime encounter a person who keep on pushing her luck even though my colleague have been giving her too much leeway.

Is there a word or a phrase to describe such person?