texts: Which verb should I use to activate a command?

texts:
I am writing a program. There are some buttons that will be used to control a distant device (i.e. : Reset).

I cannot create a single label for each button. Hence, I am looking for a generic word, a verb, to write on every button.
That verb has to tell the user something like "pressing that button will do something on the distant device" (the thing is written on the side of the button, pressing it will activate the action).
I want it to make aware the user that an action is going to happen.

Note that these actions take a few milliseconds to achieve.

I am currently using "Run", but it is not fine. Something like "Execute", "GO" or "Activate" is more accurate, but still not what I want. "Achieve" is even closer. "Perform" is pretty much it, but I would like some more opinions / suggestions.


texts:
They would have something to cook and eat should their dry ration run out.
How can I change this sentence into if pattern.?

  1.If their dry rations should run out,they would have something to cook and eat.

  2.If their dry rations run out,they will have something to cook and eat.

  3.If their dry rations ran out,they would have something to cook and eat.


texts: You can't come back here once you leave/ you've left --- the difference in meaning

texts:
You can't come back here once you leave.

You can't come back here once you've left.

Do both the above sentences mean the same?


texts:
body tends to accumulate problems, often beginning with one small, seemingly minor imbalance.  This problem causes another subtle imbalance, which triggers another, then several more.  In the end, you get a symptom. It is like lining up a series of dominoes.  All you need to do is knock down the first one and many others will fall too.

What does it stand for?

Body's tendency to accumulate problems?


texts: What does "at the business end of a bullhorn" mean?

texts:
Only 12% of campaigns run for less than a week. That allows plenty of time for on-the-go learning to emerge. Letting learning from the previous mailing to inform the next one turns a series of messages into a managed conversation over time.
  And an engaging conversation's a lot more fun than being at the business end of a bullhorn.

What does bullhorn mean here?
And what dose this sentence mean ? "And an engaging conversation's a lot more fun than being at the business end of a bullhorn."


texts: Word request related to tactfully saying "no" to being asked out

texts:
Please be kind... I'm new and this is my first post!

I'm looking for a word.

I'm writing a story for my English class.  It's about a girl asking a guy out and the guy wants to tactfully say no.  There's a word I'm trying to remember related to this.  It means or is related to something like:

You are not my type.
I don't like you like that.
I'm not interested in you.

Please let me know if there's any other information that I could provide to help.


texts: Something of that kind/ that kind of something

texts:
Can I use these versions interchangeably?

  1- I didn't say anything of that kind.

  2- I didn't say that kind of anything.

  3- It is a game of some kind.

  4- It is some kind of a game.

  5- It is some kind of game.


texts:
In Russian we have a word "отродясь/отроду" that means "since birth". Is there an English one-word to mean "since birth"? I do understand that depending on context, I can use some specific word.

I mean that instead of saying, "I never heard of it" I would like to say something like, "I didn't hear of it since birth" but shorter.

To compare, in Russian it's four words, "Отродясь этого не слышал".

Edit: The Russian word has a synonym "сроду" which is an absolute equivalent.


texts: Professor of Botany's research - is it a weird apostrophe?

texts:
It was professor of Botany's research and not Biology's.

Can an apostrophe be used like that? Obviously, I'm talking about the research that was conducted by the professor of Botany and not Biology

I just used this involuntary but then I'm afraid whether it's okay.


texts:
I have a couple of questions about this appreciation letter.
http://www.writinghelp-central.com/appreciation-letter.html

  I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt thanks to you for your very active participation in our recent conference in Montreal on the "future of aviation". The Chairman and Board Members have also asked me to pass on their sincere appreciation for  your efforts in supporting the Institute in this important undertaking.

Am I correct in understanding that "conference" means academic conference in this context?
As for "chairman and board members", which one is correct, chairman and board members of "conference" or chairman and board members of "the institute"?
Am I correct in understanding that "institute" means research institute in this context?
Am I correct in understanding that "our conference" means "conference of the institute" and Peter Smithfield is a President and CEO of the institute?


texts:
Definition of regal by Cambridge Dictionary:

  very special and suitable for a king or queen

Definition of royal by Cambridge Dictionary:

  belonging or connected to a king or queen or a member of their family

"Such propaganda was significant at the time, since papal reform would soon be trying to damage regal imagery."

Essentially, regal is another adjective of royal. What is the difference if I use "royal" instead? And it seems like it is more restricted to use regal compared to royal. So in what circumstance is the word regal appropriate and suitable?


texts: how to use "significant other" in a sentence

texts:
My significant other is in the family way. I will become a father soon.

I'd like to know if I can use the word "significant other" instead of "wife" in a sentence. Is there any difference between "significant" and "wife"?


texts: When we say we're seeking for help from God. We look up to him. Is this correct ?


texts:
(First of all,this is grammar question.)

İn the 1970s scientists found out that chemicals_____ into the atmosphere______the ozone layer.

A)having been released /destroyed (which is picked)

B)released /had been destroying  (which is  correct )


texts: With or without 'the' in "in (the) present participle form"?

texts:
Consider the two following extracts:

  [...], which precedes the main verb in the present participle form, working.
  –The Teacher's Grammar of English with Answers: A Course Book and Reference Guide

  If you use the verb dye in present participle form, the e must be retained to avoid confusion: dyeing.
  –Write in Style: A guide to good English

  (Emphasis mine)

Both sources appear to be about good English. One is for teachers; the other is for good writing. One of them uses "the present participle form" (with the), whereas the other uses "present participle form" (without the).

Does the really matter at all in the extracts above? Is one of them more correct (or considered good usage) than the other? Or is it the case that both of them are correct but hint at different things?


texts: Which combination of words sounds natural?

texts:
I wonder which construction / combination is the most natural and colloquial (please mention your area when answering the question) and which is outright unnatural and wrong?

There is a store /shop at / on the corner of the street; there is a photo in the
corner of the store / shop; you can distinguish me at the desk at the lesson
in the classroom / in class / during a lesson in the classroom.


texts: What is a term for someone who always forgets about his favours?

texts: If you ask someone for a little favour, e.g. to close his door whenever he's listening to loud music or television, but this person keeps "forgetting" this, always. What is a term to describe this kind of person?


texts:
What are the best foods to have on a rainy day?
What are the best foods to have for a rainy day?

Which preposition would be appropriate here?


texts: Has glitchy any intentional meaning/feeling?

texts:
I am coding one template in my job, and this time the client is from Canada.

This template is going to the version three, because of some adjusts...

In the last review, they wrote about one scroll animation:

  ALL TRANSITIONS

  The speed is good

  remove the lock in place > Allow for continuous scrolling.

  The lock in place isnt reacting well
  Too glitchy - Too sensitive

I had never seen the glitchy word before, then I googled it and found this meaning.

To me, this word looks like an air of some intentional thinking behind it. I don't know! Then, I am asking:

Is it just another normal word just uncommon in use? Or has it another feeling behind, like disappointment maybe?

And where is it commom to use?

Thanks


texts: What does the phrase "is of the now" mean?

texts:
I found this phrase in a Vogue article:

  His style, with its healthy punch of dork factor, is of the now in a way that is similar to Post Malone’s very self-aware, disheveled, sleazy look.

https://www.vogue.com/article/bad-bunny-style-overalls-sunglasses-gucci?utm_brand=vogue&mbid=social_facebook&utm_source=facebook&utm_social-type=owned&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwAR3lZ1g9nH2L72FqqhnBHFCyGq4R_RS9g-t7XSqePKepC_Aag1Y_FKUYqTk

I googled it and found 17 matches, which I do not trust entirely.
Also, can we use definitive article in front of the word "now"?
Does it sound natural?


texts:
Then she changed her desk into a pig and back again. They were all very impressed and couldn't wait to get started, but soon realized they weren't going to be changing the fur-niture into animals for a long time. After taking a lot of complicated notes, they were each given a match and started trying to turn it into a needle. By the end of the lesson, only Hermione Granger had made any difference to her match; Professor McGonagall showed the class how it had gone all silver and pointy and gave Hermione a rare smile.
–– Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

I guess how is an intensifier in the sentence (OALD #5; similar to what #3). So the sentence would mean McGonagall showed the class Hermione’s match had gone all silver and pointy really fantastic. Is this right or do I have see other ways?


texts: "necessary tools" or "the necessary tools"?

texts:
Tell me please if I need to include the definite article in the following sentence.

  I cannot fix the computer right now as I don't have (the) necessary tools for it.

I am not sure whether to use it or not because on one hand I didn't specify what tools was needed, therefore the article isn't necessary. But on the other hand it is clear what tools was needed. The ones which fit for fixing the computer, and so the article seems to be necessary. Could the use of it be optinal?


texts: Why "got a sore throat" but "got - hepatitis"?

texts:
I'm learning english grammar and I found some sentences that made me a bit confused.

Why "got a sore throat" but "got - hepatitis" ?

How to use "got a something" and "got something" ?

Thanks.


texts: The final exams "have started", "have been started" or "are started"?

texts:
It kinda confuses me; so I wanted it to be cleared out for me:
Is it

the final exams have started
the final exams have been started or
the final exams are started

Which one is the correct form and what are the differences?
ok. I am having exams at the moment and I have only had one exam so far. I just want to tell this friend that the exams have started. that's it. I'm just not sure if it's correct or not


texts: We can say walking down this street, and we also say the shop is 500m up this building. Can we say walk up the street and in these cases, what direction is the up and down to, as in most cases, the road is flat without any slope. How we know which way is up or down?


texts: 'Hard of a..' in 'Is it really that hard of a concept to grasp'

texts:
I rarely saw sentences where an article follows after the preposition 'of,' but somehow I encountered this sentence today;

  Is it really that hard of a concept to grasp?

I think 'hard of' may be a chunk, as I can understand the sentence without 'hard of' in a grammatical way. Could anyone explain the underlying grammar in this sentence?


texts: What do you call the bottom protruding part of a wizard hat?

texts: I heard it's called a trim, but none of the definition on thefreedictionary.com matches the definition. What is it called and do you have example sentences?


texts: Can you have one fragment follow another fragment?

texts:
Is the sentence below grammatically correct?

  The teenagers drove to the party, some arriving in sports cars, others
  arriving in limousines.

I know that the sentence ended after the "some arriving in sports cars" phrase. But, can I place another clause "others...limousines" behind the first phrase after a comma?


texts: Should I use "worth" or "worthy" in this case?

texts:
Vacations are only worth/worthy if you take pleasure from them.

What's the correct choice? And why?


texts: I always get confused between be and being can anyone solve my problem

texts:
I don't want you to be here again.
I don't want you being here again.

'Being' is always a problem for me. I can use all gerunds but not this one. Please help.


texts: Can i use " at the hands of" this way? plus,is my example grammatically correct?

texts:
It's the article I posted on my Facebook.

  Taking off the lense , i always feel a tingle of something annoying. maybe i touch my eyeballs removing the lense more often than not, it actually feels like there is something like parethesia , AT THE HANDS OF bloody lense , rubing deep in my whole eyes.


texts: "up to the waist" or "down to the waist"?

texts: I know that a pair of pants goes up to the waist, but what about a shirt? Does it go down to the waist? That's would make sense to me, as pants slide up in the body and a shirt slides down in the body, but languages are not always logical.


texts:
I wrote this sentence which is too long with "but"

  To illustrate this, suppose we want to eliminate the navigation bar from the page sidebar. We may create a rule in which the link density is employed to distinguish such a part, but when this rule is applied to the page, all such elements are removed regardless of their locations in the page, even if they are within the main content (e.g. Table of Contents)

can I write it with "however"? I just feel but in this sentence makes more direct contrast.

Are there cases in which we'd better use "but" even in formal sentences?


texts: In one's hands vs At one's hands vs On one's hands (Difference)

texts:
What is the difference between having something "in one's hands", "at one's hands", and "on one's hands." I am talking about the physical presence of something.

Examples:

  My phone is in my hands.
  My phone is on my hands.
  My phone is at my hands.


texts: What should we greet a person at 10 o'clock in the night?

texts:
This actually had happened when I was about to relieve a medical officer from his duty at night. I was appointed for the night-shift and had to relieve my co-worker from his evening shift.

Which way I greet a person whom I am meeting at night 10 o'clock (or for that sake up till midnight). One ore thing, this is the case wherein I'm meeting that person for the first time in a 24-hr clock (day? night?).

  Good evening doc! What's the order for the patients tonight (or is it today?)?
  Good night doc! What's the order for the patients tonight (or is it today?)?
  Good astronimical dusk (huh!) doc! What's the order for the patients tonight (or is it today?)?


texts: The verb after expression "should be such that"

texts:
Google has translated a sentence as:

  The number of building floors should be such that the resonance
  frequency of the structure and the natural frequency of the site is
  not the same.

I am not a native speaker of English, but the verb looks somewhat weird to me.
If the verb was not negative, I think the verb would be "be", as:

  The number of building floors should be such that the resonance
  frequency of the structure and the natural frequency of the site be the same.

But, I don't have any idea now that the verb is in negative form.


texts:
I want to know the meanings and difference between the below sentences.

I am going to the school, I loved.
I am going to the school, which I loved.

Second sentence looks perfect to me,

however first sentence is not wrong but I am not getting the word ‘loved’ reffering to which part of the sentence in first one, whether ‘going’ or ‘school’?


texts: What is the meaning of this phrase "an absolute snip for the 2.30"?

texts:
I have no idea or no guess about the phrase "an absolute snip for the 2.30". Could anyone help me understand this phrase?
This is from the play written by A. A. Milne about 100 years ago.

Bertie (taking a large envelope from his pocket). The Prime Minister's compliments, and would you rather have a Baronetcy or an absolute snip for the 2.30?
Mannock (not surprised). Ah! It's all right, then?
Bertie. Very much all right. Between ourselves, it's a damn good speech. I read it to him. He just lay there, without a movement. Absorbed.
Mannock: The Rt. Hon. R. Selby Mannock, M.P.
Bertie: Secretary of Prime Minister


texts:
Is it correct to say: parent phone?
I just want to describe that the phone belongs to the parent.


texts: Does the noun 'snow' need the article 'the' before it?

texts:
I have two questions.

If It snowed last night, and I want to ask my friend if he/she saw it.

So, here are some expressions I came up with.

"Did you see it snowed last night?"

"Did you see (the) snow last night?"

"Did you see (the) snow falling last night?"

"Did you see (the) snow fall last night?"

Which one is the most natural?

When I describe a noun form of snow, do I have to put 'the' before snow?

Thank you in advance.


texts: Is 'take some food with yourself' grammatically correct?

texts:
The real subject is 'you' and the object is 'you' too.
So do I have to use'yourself' or 'you'?
By saying 'take' I mean 'carry'.


texts:
What's is the difference between the following sentences:
  1.if I wanted to leave, I would leave now.

2.If I had wanted to leave, I would have left by now.


texts:
These behaviours are reflective of what is known as psychological
safety – a group culture that the Harvard Business School professor
Amy Edmondson defines as a “shared belief held by members of a team
that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking.” Psychological
safety is “a sense of confidence that the team will not embarrass,
reject or punish someone for speaking up,” Edmondson wrote in a study
published in 1999.

What does 'safe for' mean here? Is it same as 'safe from'?


texts:
I have a difference of opinion with some colleagues of mine. We want to express a changed name of a person with refering to the previous name. I wrote it like this:

  Steve Smith (formerly Steve Jones)

My colleagues say that it should be "former". I think it should be "formerly" because it's short for "formerly named". To me I would use "former" only in cases like:

  Barack Obama, former president

Am I right?


texts: How to understand “leverage our creativity”?

texts:
Here is the sentence I have read:

After we discipline ourselves to adopt the attitude of a champion,
commit to focus and analysis and leverage our creativity, we must take
action.

commit is a verb, and focus, analysis, and leverage are the nouns that are committed to. But why does “our creativity” follow with “leverage”?
How can I understand it?


texts:
He says harvesting eggs and growing the crocodile industry locally “is a very important and valuable use of traditional country done by traditional owners.”

enter link description here


texts: We "wanted" to ask you ...? /wɒn.tɪd/ , but sometimes I heard /ˈwɒnɪd/ or something like /ˈwɒnidt/ Are there any differences between them?

texts:
I "wanted" to ask you ...? /wɒn.tɪd/ , but sometimes I heard /ˈwɒnɪd/ or something like /ˈwɒnidt/
Are there any differences between them?

  For example, you can also see and hear these two sentences here and how do they (native speakers) pronounce "wanted" in two different ways:


texts: a word to describe the act of telling someone off when someone else is doing the same thing or worse

texts: Class teacher telling me off for going on my phone when someone else in my class is on her phone too, that person is not getting told off but I am.


texts: meaning of the phrase "get something locked in" in context

texts:
It is from this video. It is at around 6 minute and 58 second. Here is the context:

  But if you are somebody that knows that you are overweight and need to lose body fat, start with nutrition, stick with nutrition, get it locked in and then start looking for other things from there.

I looked up what the phrasal verb lock in means, but still struggle to get what exactly the coach means.


texts: The professor is said to have been a genius when young

texts:
The professor is said ___ a genius when young.

  1) that he was

  2) to have been

This is a question from a English forum. OP asks he thinks both seems correct, but why is the answer 2) (maybe in his certain book) not correct. I also get the curiosity why 1) cannot be the answer.


texts: "Jonathan had taken my hand" — what is the second event?

texts:
From Dracula, from the diary of Mina Harker, Jonathan Harker's wife. Van Helsing is giving a long speech about vampires.

  “There are such beings as vampires; some of us have evidence that they exist. ... What say you?”

  Whilst he was speaking, Jonathan had taken my hand. I feared, oh so much, that the appalling nature of our danger was overcoming him when I saw his hand stretch out; but it was life to me to feel its touch—so strong, so self-reliant, so resolute. A brave man’s hand can speak for itself; it does not even need a woman’s love to hear its music.

  When the Professor had done speaking my husband looked in my eyes, and I in his; there was no need for speaking between us.

  “I answer for Mina and myself,” he said.

I wonder why the author used the past perfect tense ("had taken") in the first sentence after Van Helsing's speech. The past perfect tense is used to refer to a past event happening before another past event. "Had taken" is the first event. What is the second event?


texts:
Let's say Mario would be a retired soldier. What is the difference between these two(are they of the same meaning?)

  Mario used to be a soldier.

to

  Mario had been a soldier.

Thx in advance.


texts: What are the differences between "lay" and "lie"?

texts:
I'm confused about lay and lie. Please look at these examples:

  "Don't lie in the sun for too long."   "The dog was lying dead on the floor."   "She lay back against the pillows."   "I told her a lie about what I was doing."

What are differences between these sentences?


texts: Should I write "focus" or "focuses" in the following sentence?

texts:
The topic of telepathy is not very suitable for a science class, which focus(es)
  should consist of empirical knowledge and established facts.

I'm not sure if I should write focus because I'm talking about a class, or write focuses because I'm talking about empirical knowledge and established facts.


texts: "The baby has been down for 3 hours." Is this a common expression?

texts:
The baby has been down for 3 hours.

I found this expression in the language teaching book and it says the meaning is sleeping, but I think this is not a popular expression. Is it?


texts: Questions about unknown people or things

texts:
In my grammar textbook, under the title “Questions”, it’s stated that we don’t use “do, does, did” at the beginning of a questioning sentence, when the subject is “who/what etc.” For example:

“Somebody called Donald.”

So if we want to ask about the above statement the correct way of asking is:

“Who called Donald?"

Not: “Who did call Donald.”
So in this way if I wanted to make a questioning sentence from the following sentence:

“About one-hundred people came to the ceremony.”

I would have to ask:

“How many people came to the ceremony?”

But it sounds unnatural to me. I think the correct way is:

“How many people did come to the ceremony?”

Which one is correct?


texts: "as informative as" or "informative to such an extent"?

texts:
Original: A. Make your contribution as informative as is required.
My revision: B. Make your contribution  informative to such an extent is required.

I am wondering what is then subtle difference in meaning between the two?
Thanks in advance


texts: What does "top" means as a verb? (from Justice league Dark)

texts:
In the movie Justice League Dark, "Constantine" tells the demon Etrigan:

  Save the bloody rhymes and top that git.

What does "top" mean in this context?

Actually, I have no idea about any of the words  rhymes and git too.  Can you please help me?


texts: discerning between stiil and yet in sentences

texts:
Would you tell me if I am right?

The only difference between the following is the fact that the period of time as to first one is longer than the second one-- emphasis.

"I still do not have the picture"

"I do not have the picture yet"

enter link description here


texts: what is the difference between kind of/to , nice of/to?

texts:
It was kind of him to let me stay in his house.

It was nice of him to let me stay in his house.

She is always very nice to me. She is friendly.

She is always kind to me. She is friendly.


texts: Is it grammatically correct to say? (Being vs. Been)

texts:
Is this sentence grammatically correct?

  Being an intelligent girl she tried to argue with him

or should it be:

  Been an intelligent girl she tried to argue with him

and what is the difference?


texts: How to say something makes something distinct

texts:
For example suppose a feature in an object or a human that distinguishes the object from the rest, what are the constructions to say this sentence?

I wrote

  We define an anchor as a textual element that marks  the start or end of a data region, or as a distinctive feature within a region that distinguishes it from the rest of the page.

or

  .... that makes it distinguishable from the rest.

or

  ... distinctive  feature within a region that makes it distinctive.

Are there shorter ways to say that?


texts: "On Horse Market" vs. "On the Horse Market" as the title for a post

texts:
"On Horse Market"

or

"On the Horse Market"

I suspect the latter is correct, but I do not know why?
I did some research. I know that market is countable.
Is that a rule that I always have to put an article before countable nouns?


texts: Which is preferred "Would you" or "Will you wait for me"?

texts:
Which is the correct sentence:

  Will you wait for me?

or

  Would you wait for me?

would sounds pretty polite.


texts: Do I have private lessons or classes with a private teacher?

texts: Let's suppose I have a private English teacher. Do I have English lessons or English classes with him or her? Is the word class used only to talk about a group environment? Or can I use it for individual teaching? What's the correct word in each context?


texts: "What is the difference" or "what are the differences"?

texts:
I was used to use "What are the difference between _____ and _____", but when I accidentally typed "What is" on English StackExchange asking question, it shows up "What is the difference between _____ and _____" too!

Then, I became bewildered which word is most appropriate in the situation that I do not know whether there will be multiple differences or only one.


texts: I know "business selling coconut", but I rather use a preposition like "on", "in", "for" or "of". So is "business of coconut" correct? Why? Also, which one is the most grammatical: on, in, for or of? An easy way would be to say "business selling coconut" or "coconut business", but I want to use a preposition as I have said.


texts: 'for' or 'in' before a period of time: For the past two decades VS In the past two decades

texts:
For the past two decades, I have been truly impressed by the remarkable entrepreneurial spirit.
In the past two decades, I have been truly impressed by the remarkable entrepreneurial spirit.

Which is the proper one?


texts: "... is called Minkowski space" or "is called the Minkowski space" and WHY?

texts: I met both constructions in quite respectable texts. Is it a matter of taste, or of a  shade of meaning?


texts: "He made his own ink by burning charcoal and using cheap ordinary packing paper for sketching?


texts:
In Fight Club (1999), Narrator looks down the barrel of a gun that's been stuck in his mouth.
The gun is held by a man named Tyler:

Narrator: For a second, I forget about Tyler's controlled demolition
thing and I wonder how clean that gun is.
Tyler: It's getting exciting now.
Narrator: That old saying, how you always hurt the one you love, well,
it works both ways.

What "both ways" is Narrator referring to?


texts:
talking about recent past " some thing happened few seconds ago " is one of the uses of present perfect ?
For example : I'm walking with my friend " Ooh, I have dropped my pen, can you help me to find it ? " ... is that right ? If it's right so, present perfect the only tense can be used to talk about very recent actions or past simple aslo ?


texts:
Which one of the below sentences is correct?

  Celebrities often face troubles maintaining the privacy of their lifestyles.

  Celebrities often face troubles maintaining the privacy of their lifestyle.

I am always confused about the form of the object after the possessive plural pronoun, because I have read many sentences where the author uses just the singular form after the plural pronoun. What is the exact grammar behind this?


texts: What does the sentence mean, and is it grammatically correct?

texts:
What does this sentence mean?
And is it grammatically correct?

  You will always find a person in your life who enjoys other people suffering.


texts: 'Statements aren't lies every time' vs 'statements aren't lied every time'?

texts:
As per my opinion, it should be

  statements aren't lied every time

not:

  statements aren't lies every time

As per my daily routine, I was reading the news on Yahoo and found out an error, so I thought I should ask a question here.

On Yahoo:

  To be clear, these statements aren't lies every time an employer says
  them. But they're inaccurate enough of the time that you shouldn't
  take them at face value when you hear them.

As per my opinion:

  To be clear, these statements aren't lied every time an employer says
  them. But they're inaccurate enough of the time that you shouldn't
  take them at face value when you hear them.


texts: What is the correct way to ask the following thing?

texts:
I want to ask about someone's status whether he / she is married or single or divorced. I need to write it in a document.  What's the way to ask about that as well as to write it in a document as a format? Does "family status" work in this context?

For example:

  "What is your family status, please?"

Or in a document:

  Family status: Single / married / divorced


texts: Is something rated as Satisfactory implicitly better than other rated as Sufficient?

texts:
What I mean by this question is:

If I say I'm going to test some products and rate them:

If I rate one as Satisfactory and other as Sufficient.

Which of the two products is better? Is the Satisfactory one implicitly better?

Does the order of the options make sense?

Options:

Very good
Good
Satisfactory
Sufficient
Bad


texts: What does "turn guilt against the self" mean?

texts: I was looking up the word "self" in the Oxford dictionary and came across an example with the word that reads "guilt can be turned against the self." Tell me please what it means.


texts: I don't like speaking in public (is public an adjective or noun here?)

texts:
I speak to the public.
I am speaking in public. It doesn't seem grammatically correct at all
I am speaking "in public" .
I am speaking "out in the open." We don't say, 'I am speaking "out in open."
Speaking in public is correct English seemingly, but it doesn't come across as being so (correct) upon further scrutiny. Kindly dissuade me from my conclusion, for which I personally have no resolution.


texts: What does 'placate a person into a benign, unthinking stupor' mean?

texts:
This is a passage from one of Ted-ed articles. I think both 'placate' and 'benign' have a positive meaning respectively while 'unthinking stupor' has a negative implication. The sentence doesn't make sense to me. What does the sentence mean?

  One of the most important applications of music in Ancient Greek
  society is found in the belief that music can affect a person's ethos.
  A word we still use today, ethos is a person's guiding beliefs or
  personal ethics, the way that one behaves towards oneself and others.

  The Greek philosopher Plato, one of the most famous and influential
  Greek thinkers of the time, asserted that music had a direct effect on
  a person's ethos. Certain kinds of music could incite a person to
  violence while others could placate a person into a benign, unthinking
  stupor.

  According to Plato, only very specific types of music were beneficial
  to a person's ethos. One should only listen to music that promotes
  intelligence, self-discipline, and courage, and all other kinds of
  music must be avoided. Furthermore, Plato fervently denounced any
  music that deviated from established musical conventions, fearing that
  doing so would lead to the degradation of the standards of
  civilization, the corruption of youth, and eventually complete and
  utter anarchy.

source : https://ed.ted.com/lessons/music-and-creativity-in-ancient-greece-tim-hansen


texts: is it "return very soon" or "return very quickly"?

texts:
Which one is correct?

Yesterday Jack borrowed my bike and said he would return it very soon.
and
Yesterday Jack borrowed my bike and said he would return it very quickly.

I think both of them are correct, but my teacher said very soon is correct, because soon describes the duration of the action from borrow to return, whereas quickly talks about the action, return, itself.


texts: 'play', 'practice' and/or 'do' martial art?

texts:
Is it correct to say:

  I am practicing martial art in the park?

Can we also say 'play' or 'do' martial art?


texts: Relative pronouns - use of where and that/which

texts:
Why is it that we can say:

  Chicago is the city where I grew up.

but not

  Chicago is the city where never sleeps.

How can I explain to my students why it has to be 'Chicago is the city that never sleeps?'

Thanks!


texts:
Consider the following sentence:

  I do not go to the office.

Is this correct English? Can I drop the article? My guess is that then it would mean that there's no office I can go to. And original phrase means that I work for a company, which has an office, but I don't go there for one reason or another. Correct me where I'm wrong please.

Also, I was told that there must be something before the word "office." Is that really so?

old question

I was told that (no way to link to the specific comment),

  They are accepting "my office" but the answer at the top is "the office". As long as the English matches what we would normally say without adding or subtracting extra words, they accept it. Something has to be before the word office in English, so they allow "my."

From this I gather that you can't just say, "I don't go to office." Is that so? Why? I'm not referring to any particular office here, since I don't go to any of them.


texts:
Suppose it is a banking situation:

He has an account at a bank.
He has an account with a bank.

Should "at" or "with" be used?  Is one of them wrong?


texts: could you see any implication in the sentence?

texts:
....Whenever I hear a mother say," if so-and-so told you to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge, would you do it?" I think of her. On my order, she would have jumped.

(sources: Anna Quindlen: Living Out Loud, p.250 / Anna Quindlen: Life In The 30's, NY Times 1986)

Would you show me if there is any implication in the sentence?-as I cannot get what is the concept of the sentence- although I know what the sentence almost means.


texts: Is there any difference between “which” and “that”?

texts:
What is the difference between the words which and that?

For example I have the following sentences:

“I have a car which is blue.”
“I have a car that is blue.”

Are there any rules specifying usage of which and that?


texts:
Is the word "as" a preposition in the sentence "He ran as though his life depended on it"?
I'm 99% sure that it's not, due to the verb "depended". I just want to be 100% sure.


texts:
I learnt that after a preposition, the rule is that the gerund form of the verb is used (instead of the infinitive form), as in "Thank you for coming".

In this sentence:

They joined forces to fight their common enemy.

It seems to me that here, 'to' is used as a preposition. So, should the sentence be?

They joined forces to fighting their common enemy

It sounds awkward to me.


texts: Is it 'German-born' or 'Germany-born'? Which one is correct in this context?

texts:
While searching for some keywords, I accidentally found keywords "German-born American poet" and it shows me the following page:

Now, I have a confusion. It should be 'Germany-born' rather than 'German-born'. As an SEO guy, I know, we can take certain liberty while searching terms on the Internet as Mr. Google can understand what we exactly want to find... But then, it is written in a few articles as well.

Is 'German-born' is correct or not?


texts:
Is it polite to refer to someone we don't know as whoever he is?
For example:

  "Jim" is a professional photographer, whoever he is.

I feel it's a little bit disregarding to the person. It sounds not polite to me.


texts:
When talking to my friend who tells me that he's sleepy, I want to tell him that I hope that he slept good at /in (last) night. What is the correct way to say it?

  1) I hope you slept well at night.

  2) I hope you slept well in night.

  3) I hope you slept well at the last night.

  4) I hope you slept well in the last night.


texts:
From a tutorial

this is no good.
Because this works for two, but eventually
I'm going to want to have a hundred.
And I'm going to get to that in a future video.

I guess it means that the speaker will demonstrate how to draw 100 circles in a future video.
Does the following sentence convey the same idea?

... I'm going to do that in a future video.

In other words, "get to" and "do" are interchangeable in this context.  Is my understanding correct?


texts: "This is the left eye": why not "a left eye"?

texts:
What is the difference in the application of the article before choosing the side? Or not at all (in what cases)?

  a left

or

  the left

Well, for example, such an example: "this is a / the left eye". Why can't we use the article "a" here?


texts:
Okay, I'm not sure how to phrase this question, but I want to know if below sentences are correct.

  Because I met him in New York in 2011 and he moved here last year, I can assume that he at least had lived in New York from 2011 to 2012 (before he moved here).

In this sentence, should I say "had lived" and omit the "before he moved here" part?

or

  Prior to his move, I know he had lived in A from 2011 to 2012.

Or should I just change everything to simple past?

  I first met him in New York in 2011 and we became friends. I don't know where he lived before living in New York, but I know the fact that he lived in New York prior to his move to here, which took place in 2012.

This sentence sounds so wordy, so I was wondering if I can just use "had lived" to stress m point that I can assume that he lived in New York before moving "here". I heard a friend use "had lived" but couldn't quite figure out the correct usage.


texts:
we are going to go all the way over to the east coast.

Will the omission of over  change the meaning?

Thank you


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

texts:
All divers shall be trained and current in CPR and diving-related first
  aid.

What does "current" mean? I looked up a dictionary, but none of the definitions in the dictionary seem to fit in this context. Does "current" mean "be able to perform"? Or does it mean that the skills of the divers should be "up-to-date"?


texts: Indefinite articles before non-count nouns

texts:
Sometimes, I am confused with uncountable nouns. As far as rules are concerned, we can't use an indefinite article before a non-count noun. But at times we break the rules when it follows an adjective.

For example,

Have a sound sleep. (Is sleep countable?)
He has a great sense of humour. (Is sense  countable?)

Please tell me with which non-count nouns I can use an indefinite article?


texts: When using the subjunctive in if clause, do we describe a hypothetical situation in the past or in the present?


texts: Do I need the definite article before a noun followed by No. ...?

texts:
Do I need the definite article before "purchase order". What is the rule?

  I`ve got some questions about purchase order No. 1234.


texts: How to express "two objects are wrongly placed on each other's place"

texts:
I want to know how to express the situation of two objects wrongly being placed on each other's place.
For example, there are two illustrations on a book, say fig1 and fig2, however fig1 is wrongly placed on the position that fig2 should have been, fig2 is also wrongly placed on the position that fig1 should have been. Is there any way I can describe this situation briefly in English?


texts:
Recently, I found "2x4" as a weapon in a game I played.

I found that it's a common standard for lumber board.

I tried to pronounce it as "two multiplies four" but it feels really weird.

How should I pronounce this word?


texts: Difference between the phrases "fake someone out", "fool someone", "deceive someone"

texts:
What is the difference between the phrases "fake someone out", "fool someone", "deceive someone"? On http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com I found the following examples of usage of the phrase "fake someone out":
"You really faked me out. I never would have guessed it was you. The student tried to fake out the teacher."

Somehow I don't feel I would use the phrase "fooled someone" in those contexts.
So what is the difference?


texts: The word "times" instead of "multiplied by"

texts:
A shorthand English word for 3 multiplied by 4 is:

  3 times 4

I am aware that this comes from spoken language as in "we have 3 four times", a version I know from my native language as well. I would like to investigate this word rather than the more formal multiplied by. I am curious as to how the word times may be conjugated in tenses and used in other types of sentence constructions while still keeping it's mathematical meaning.

Can I for example say sentences like the following?

  3 was timed with 4.
  I will time 3 and 4.
  The times-symbol (or time-symbol or timing-symbol?) is a dot.


texts: Someone sent a message to me after I left the office yesterday. He was expecting an instant reply. How can I write to him today to convey that I was not here and now this is my response?


texts: Are you or have you been and recently. Why are both tenses used in this sentence?

texts:
I have seen this question on a new client form for a fitness studio. It says:
"Are you exercising or have you been exercising recently?" If yes, please describe.
Does this mean: "Are you currently ( not at this exact moment) exercising or have you been exercising until recently, but have now stopped?"
or does it mean: "Are you currently exercising or have you been exercising for a while?"
I would like to know why both present continuous and present perfect continuous are used.


texts:
I saw a goose and a duck at the pond (singular)

  We saw geese and ducks at the pond (plural)

Is the plural version correct?

Specifically, what about the pond? Is it also have to change in plural or not?


texts: How to thank someone for them being helpful?

texts:
Is it correct to say:
"Thanks for being a huge help?"


texts:
“I won't let you do it," he [= Neville] said, hurrying to stand in
  front of the portrait hole. "I'll –– I'll fight you [Harry, Ron, and
  Hermione]!"
      "Neville," Ron exploded, "get away from that hole and don't be an idiot
      ––" "Don't you call me an idiot!" said Neville. I don't think you should be breaking any more rules! And you were the one who told me to stand up to people!"  (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's
  Stone)

Is the ‘should’ the one that is ‘used after that when something is suggested or arranged’ (OALD.should.8) as well?


texts:
What is the difference between these two sentences:

I’m one hundred percent sure.

I’m a hundred percent sure.

For me the only difference between the two sentences is that the second sentence is more formal.


texts: which vs what in a sentence, is what possible to use?

texts: I wonder if I can use "what" while writing a formal text. Here is an example: "He didn't mind marrying another woman which/what was illegal" (I want to say that the act of marrying was illegal, not the woman). When "what" is used the sentence seems to be far more clear but is it even possible to use "what"?


texts: Ask about opening hours in the next month

texts:
I would like to ask to a dealer if they are always open in the next month since in my region it's a popular time for vacations. Would the following work?

  May I ask you [...] and if you stay open all the month in August?


texts: Is "a pretend conversation" grammatically correct?

texts:
I was watching a movie (native speakers) and I noticed this sentence:

  'She was having a pretend conversation on the phone...'

Is it grammatically correct? I checked the word "pretend" with Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - it said "pretend" only exists in verb form. I couldn't find any other cases of using a verb + a noun to form a noun phrase like this.

I think it should be constructed thus: verb with -ing or -ed + noun = noun phrase. Am I right? Alternatively, if the speaker is right, please enlighten me and give me some examples in which this kind of grammar applies.


texts: How do you express a season of a year correctly?

texts:
Suppose that I am referring to the autumn of 1900 (Any season or year could've been chosen; I chose 1900 because grammar in 2015 has arguably slackened).

  F1. in the autumn of 1900

  F2. in autumn of 1900

  F3. in autumn 1900

1. The seasons (ie 'autumn') are nouns, so I doubt F1 the least.
2. I doubt F2; how do you determine/deduce if 'the' (the definite article) is needed here?
3. I doubt F3 the most. Since 'autumn' precedes '1900', does 'autumn' function as an adjective modifying (the year) 1900? If so, is this wrong, because 'autumn' is NOT an adjective?
4. Are there even more ways to phrase this?

Obiter dictum: The E in E1 denotes Example. Ngrams appears to support my confidence in F1 over F3, but displays little, if anything, about F2 (for which my doubt was only middling).


texts: Meaning of "in" in the phrase "In evaluating your progress..."

texts:
I think in is correctly used in the following sentence

  In evaluating your progress I have taken into account your classroom performance, your receptivity and how you have improved.

Because in means while doing something


texts:
We were playing. So a girl got eliminated.(out). What's a more natural to say that?

Why did you out me?

I mean doesn't "eliminate" sounds a bit formal. I know "out me" sounds unnatural. What would you use?


texts:
Does it mean "big cars" or "mass-production cars"?
http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/mass_2

  "But we also have to resolve the issue of high manufacturing costs before we see an increased use of new, lighter-weight materials in mass-volume cars."

Source:https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/14/japanese-auto-parts-could-soon-be-made-out-of-wood.html


texts: what does "so defined fitted well with" mean?

texts:
The scope of human security so defined fitted well with objectives outlined in the UN’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Set forth at the 2000 Millennium Summit, these MDGs are inter alia:
eradicate poverty and hunger,
achieve universal primary education,
promote gender equity and empower women,
reduce child mortality,
improve maternal health,
arrest the spread of HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases,
promote environmental sustainability, and
develop a global partnership for development.
Indicative of the careful structuring of the UN’s message, these goals were grouped for rhetorical effect by Secretary-General Kofi Annan (1996–2006) to resonate with the ideals of Woodrow Wilson and Franklin D. Roosevelt.


texts: What suits better for the following sentence? (Views or Sights)

texts:
We didn't have time to visit many of the tourist _____ of the city.

a. views
 b. sights

Note: I was asked to choose one of the above options.


texts:
Someone wrote:

  A new year means a turnover of a new leaf.

I suggested (though I didn't get it completely)

  A new year means the turnover of/for a leaf.

Yet, I'm not satisfied with "a new year". Can I say:

  New year means ....

Because I don't mean a specific year. What about "any new year" or "the new year"?


texts: Which is correct - "What is the difference between these two words?" or "What are the differences between these two words?"

texts:
I would like to know which sentence among below is correct and how one is different than one another.

  What is the difference between these two words?

  What are the differences between these two words?


texts: How to say person A is calling(looking for) person B?

texts:
Sometimes I am in a situation where one person(person A) needs another(person B), who(B) is working close to me but doesn't hear the first person(A) and then the first person(A) shouts to me to inform B to go near to them. The scenario is:

  A: Hey B come here.
  A to me: Tell him(B) to come here

I am confused what should I say to B. If I translate from my native language, then I would say, "Hey B, A is calling you". But, I think this is not correct in English. May be Hey, A is looking for you or A needs you is more appropriate, but this doesn't signify that A is actually shouting/saying to B to go there. May be a better phrasing would be Hey B, A is asking you to go to him.

What is usual sentence to be used here in English and specifically in Australian English?


texts: meaning of "Hold the time warp for your brain"

texts:
A post says

  Of course, there are millions of exceptions to what I've just said sometimes we do not use an article with a noun that’s a whole other lesson hold the time warp for your brain, we're going to stick to these ones. When to use A AN and THE before a noun in a proper English sentence

I understand "time warp" means

  an imaginary distortion of space in relation to time whereby people or objects of one period can be moved to another.

Since, hold often means "hold on", "wait for a short time"

I guess "hold the time warp" means pause that imaginary distortion for a while. Is my understanding right?

Even if my understanding about "hold the time warp" is right, I don't understand the whole piece "old the time warp for your brain", could someone please give a hint? Thanks in advance.


texts: Does the phrase “a dragging experience” make any sense?

texts:
I am trying to come up with a pun for a specific situation.

In a playground, there is a kid sitting down at the edge of a
merry-go-round with his legs sticking out touching the ground. While
it spins the legs are getting dragged over the ground. The kid looks
at his legs quite unimpressed because the whole experience of having
his legs dragged is rather dull.

So my pun for this was: “It was a dragging experience”. The literal meaning would be the legs getting dragged. Figuratively it would mean that the experience is boring and not fun.
Does the pun make sense? I am unsure because “drag” is usually used in the form of the phrase: “what a drag”.


texts: Is it "China, People's Republic" or "China, People's Republic of"?

texts: Which one is correct for the country name of China,  "China, People's Republic" or "China, People's Republic of"? Thanks.


texts: "I will not be in these next two weeks." meaning?

texts:
My professor emailed me this morning that:

  "I will not be in these next two weeks."

What exactly he meant by this sentence?

Does he mean:

I will not be in this week, next week, nor the week after next week

(So totally 3 weeks he will be gone)

or

I will be in this week, but not next week, nor the week after next week

(So only two weeks he will be gone)

Thank you!


texts: What is the difference in meaning between “cost” and “price”?

texts: When should we use cost and when price? Is there any difference between these words?


texts: I don't get the structure and also the meaning of this sentence

texts:
I do not understand the sentence at 3:15 in this video:

  Growing animal feed means more land per calorie of food is needed to produce beef than broccoli.

Sorry I wanted to write more specific question but it's hard to explain cause I also don't know what exactly I don't understand in this sentence.

But first I feel like the part marked in bold is unnecessary because it means the same as the subject of this sentence, "Growing animal feed"? I feel like this sentence should end without the part and I don't know why.

And is "to produce" omitted after than? So is it like "to produce beef than to produce broccoli."?
So does this sentence mean "When compared to producing broccoli, producing beef needs(requires) more land per calorie of food", and this whole sentence is what "Growing animal feed" means?

I don't get the structure and exact meaning of this sentence. Maybe I'm having difficulty understanding the role of "to ~" here. Can anyone help me with this?


texts: What is commonly used to respond "howdy howdy" greetings?

texts: When people greet us by 'howdy howdy', what is the best reply to it?  Is it also used in British English?


texts: Which word or words can be used in order to denote the person standing just before the last person in a row? Is the word second last correct in this matter?


texts: Is “which if you listen to will tell you” an acceptable construction?

texts: God has equipped you with an internal compass which if you listen to will tell you if you are living to your full potential.Source: ect.org forum, topic: Does severe retrograde amnesia create a new soul?


texts:
I am not very good with the English language. I have three questions:

While talking to others, most of them ask me why I am talking in much too complex a fashion (that is, they are not understanding my English). They  suggest that I try to speak simpler English. I don't know how to talk simple English to make others understand me quick & easy.
I am not able to understand American slang.
Myself, I want to improve my communication and written skills.

Can someone suggest me how to improve these skills? My mother tongue is Tamil.


texts: What is a pin that has a school symbol on it called as?

texts: I have a pin(?) that I have to attach to my shirt every day before going to school. The pin has the school's symbol on it. What is this type of pin called? Does it have a specific name?


texts: "I've no idea..." which is the right preposition?

texts:
Which one is the correct form?

"I've no idea of what word to use"

"I've no idea about what word to use"

"I've no idea what word to use"

Does the preposition change according to what follows "I've no idea"? For example, does "I've no idea...where she went" require the same preposition as the first sentence?


texts: Right use of prepositions in, on, under in relation to water

texts:
The dictionaries do not provide good enough answers for the right use of these prepositions in the following context:

The man is IN  the water.
The man is under the water.
The man is below the water.

Besides, which of one of these it is correct and why?

A: The boat is ON the water.
B: The boat is IN the water.


texts:
I have been googling for a couple of time but could not get a satisfactory answer. Do we say :
Defend a thesis in front of a jury
or
Defend a thesis before a jury


texts:
I wrote

  Contextual rules are in the form of condition-action where in the condition part, in addition to the features of the matching node, the properties of the matching context are specified.

Is it correct? or it is maybe:

  Contextual rules are in the form of condition-action where in the condition part, the properties of the matching context in addition to the features of the matching node are specified.

or even:

  Contextual rules are in the form of condition-action where in the condition part, the properties of the matching context are specified in addition to the features of the matching node.


texts:
I understand "revealed himself to be every kind of monster" as "revealed himself to be a monster imaginable" (no matter what kind of monster you imagine, he would be fit to be). Am I on the right track?

Alot of men have probably wished for four more years. A little under that time after assuming absolute power, Gaius Caesar was dead, assassinated by the men who were paid to protect him. We more usually know him as Caligula: a man who revealed himself to be every kind of monster soon after becoming emperor of Rome.

Source


texts: Should I use "lay" or "laid" when someone is actively lying down?

texts:
I used to think that the difference between "lay" (past tense) and "laid" (past tense) was that the former described an action that had already happened or it was ongoing, and that the latter described one that was happening right now.

And so ...

  Mark hung his parka on the hook behind the door and laid on the bed.

(Mark is throwing himself on the bed, so laid should be used.)

  Mark lay on the bed, thinking.

(Mark is already lying on the bed, so lay should be used.)

Is this correct or I'm wrong? Maybe "laid" should only be used when you are putting something down (not yourself)?


texts:
What is the meaning of the verb "whisper" in the sentence below?

  Her gaze whispered down the white cotton spread tight over a sinewy chest and wide shoulder.

Source C. C. Hunter, Reborn (2014)


texts:
what is the first-generation and so-and-so generation?
How am I supposed to understand if someone says they're something-geneartion?


texts: Hold on to the bike seat behind/from behind

texts:
Should "from" be included or dropped in this sentence?

  Hold on to the seat from behind.

  Hold on to the seat behind.

Should "from" be included or dropped here? It is about a parent helping a kid to learn to ride a bike without training wheels and he/she holds on to his/her seat.


texts: I haven’t had this much fun since like ever. from a moive: Astro Boy

texts:
Is this grammatically possible?

I haven’t had this much fun since like ever.


texts:
I am confused with the following sentence in a English learning book,

  Society doesn't pay enough to old people.

Why there is no article before the word "Society"? I found in a dictionary that this word can be used as a countable noun or an uncountable noun. So, my guess is that it should be regarded as an uncountable noun here. Can someone verify this? And if so, why it is treated as uncountable in this case? Could the sentence be like,

  The society doesn't pay enough to old people.

  Societies don't pay enough to old people.

Is there any difference between this three sentence? And how should I know when a word is countable or uncountable?


texts:
How to "switch" this sentence from the active voice to the passive one?
Active voice:

Use X, not Y.

Passive voice, first version:

It must be used X, not Y.

Passive voice, second version:

X must be used, not Y.

To be honest, the second version looks very weird to me, but this is how Google and DeepL translates the original sentence from my native language.


texts: Usage of English words from different English dialects:

texts:
In the IELTS exam all the English native words are accepted, for example, you can say color or colour, trousers or pants, program or programme and soon. So, the question is:

Do you have an idea whether the Scottish English is accepted in the IELTS like American, Canadian, Australian, or New Zealander, or it's considered another language?

For example, can I say or write "I took my bairns to the gairden" instead of "I took my children to the garden"


texts: Is there a word for the chants animals do in order to attract a sexual mate? I am thinking there might be an adjective or noun for this, but I have no idea what it might be.


texts: Learning "register": are there any register-conflicts in this sentence

texts:
This text was written by coffee1054 in this question:

  We gonna show that there is no contradiction with Ohm's law.

Is there any register-conflict in this sentence?

Moved into the body of the question after the title was edited by another member:

Is it prudent for non-native speakers who wish to write formal English to learn English by listening to or reading dialogue?


texts:
Q: How often do you jog ?
  A: I jog every day.
  Q: What days do you jog?
  A: I jog every day.

Which is correct?


texts:
As I am currently writing an essay about the role of the government and the public in protecting endangered animals, when writing about the responsibility of people, I was not sure if I should use "for" or "to", for example, as in this sentence below. Also, it would be of great help if anyone can tell me the difference between the uses of those two prepositions in this context.

  For average people, investing their time and efforts in animal protection programs appears to be impractical.

  To average people, investing their time and efforts in animal protection programs appears to be impractical.


texts: Another brick in the wall part 2 - teacher or teachers?

texts:
I have a question about the song: Another Brick In The Wall, Pt. 2
Pink Floyd

I've been looking for the original lyrics but I can't find them.
In GooglePlay music the lyrics are the following:
https://play.google.com/music/preview/Tznvw345zndudnnmdraikspqesa?lyrics=1&utm_source=google&utm_medium=search&utm_campaign=lyrics&pcampaignid=kp-songlyrics

I have a problem because when I listen to this song, I hear "teacher", not "teachers". Are these lyrics wrong? I can't find the original lyrics. There are a lot of websites where there are different lyrics with "teacher" or "teachers". I can't find the website to rely on.

When I listen to this song I hear "teacher" in all places. The lyrics tell something different.

Help me, please because I want to translate this song into my native language.


texts:
Consider the scenario where I am explaining a math solution to a student.
Now to check if he understands it I could ask -

Is this clear
Is this understandable?
Are the above two sentences correct to use?
Any suggestions for alternatives to express the same ?


texts:
She showed him a painting of hers and he looked very impressed with/by
  it.

Are both grammatically correct? Which one would you use?


texts:
I was doing my homework and came across this sentence in my textbook:
”If you had needed money, you could have asked him.”
Does that sentence mean the same as ”if you needed money, you could have asked him.”
I'm having a hard time understanding the construction of the first sentence. What is the ”had” for? Are the sentences implying the same thing or is there a slight difference between them?


texts: What does the phrase "go for the pin" mean here?

texts:
Here is a sentence from a golf app's description:

  You may be find going for the pin tempting, but sometimes it’s best to
  take the slow route.

My Google search led me to one meaning (wrestle) of the said phrase. However, I am not sure if it fits the context here.


texts: What is the difference between must have been and had to have been?

texts: I have gone through the answers but it couldn't satisfy me my doubt is still same that using had to have been is wrong and instead one should use must have been.


texts: How do I describe the following action? I am on the ground, then I climb so I am on the roof of a building

texts:
Here is a situation: I am on the ground, then I climb so I am on the roof of a building.
How can I describe the situation (action)?
Maybe:

I get up on the roof.
I get on the roof.
I climb up the roof.
I climb on the roof.
I climb up on the roof.

What are idiomatic?


texts:
What is correct:  A Motion to Strike and Demurrer are now pending to the Second Amended Complaint

or

A Motion to Strike and Demurrer is now pending to the Second Amended Complaint


texts: The adjectives well-off and well-to-do: Is there a fine difference between them?

texts:
On the dictionary com. site, the adjective well-off is defined as "having sufficient money for a comfortable living; well-to-do".

At the same time, the adjective well-to-do is defined there as "prosperous; rich" (without mentioning well-off).  As for the synonyms of each (1, 2) of the two, although they are  almost the same, but there's a slight difference in their relevance for the one or the other.

Does this mean that anything/anyone which/who is well-off is also well-to-do, but not vice versa? Is there a fine difference between the two in usage?

Could there be a situation when the choice was to be made in favor of the one and not of the other?


texts: A neutral word for someone who behaves differently from everyone else

texts:
What do you call a person, that, given a particular social context, behaves or is led to behave differently from all others, perhaps ending up being regarded as a strange person and/or punished or ending up as an outcast for his/her actions?

The terms "deviant", "freak", and "weirdo" exist, but I am looking for a word with a neutral rather than negative connotation. The word "deviant" also seems like it could imply a sexual context, which is not what I'm after.

What I don't like about these words is that a person coming across these is likely to dismiss the speaker or argument, killing the argument without giving out any further attention or consideration, which is not the effect I'm after.

I would like a word that summons interest in the person's unusual behavior, without putting the reader or luster off and create an atmosphere of interest I such person's behavior.


texts:
I need a description of the column in the database that says that the ABC_date database column contains the date from which there is a block that prevents users from adding grades

is

"the start date of the block to adding grades"

correct?


texts:
Can scored be replaced with were scored in the sentence?
When intransitive verbs are available, are they preferred over the passive forms of transitive verbs most of the time?

Those who scored high in conscientiousness were rated by their
peers as less effective.


texts: "often monitors, even censors, of what newspapers local postal patrons would read and what mail they would receive"

texts:
Hence not only were local postmasters well informed on local reading habits, they were privy to much of the news locally in circulation and often monitors, even censors, of what newspapers local postal patrons would read and what mail they would receive. The post was not a secure channel. (source)

Since "and" is a conjunction, I think what goes after it should be a complete sentence.
And "of what ..." just confuses me.


texts:
I found this sentence -

  Nowhere had she less expected to see them than on this boat

Does it mean "she least expected to see them on the boat"?


texts:
For instance, is a sentence like the one below grammatically okay?

"Driving is strictly prohibited while using this medicine"

I have seen people using verb after "while" and "when", and I thought they did not strictly abide by English grammar when they did so. I think I learned somewhere that conjunctions(e.g. while, when, and, etc.) should not be directly followed by verbs because they are connecting independent clauses. However, I began to doubt my own belief because I have found many sentences on newspaper and textbooks using verbs after "when" and "while".

So my question is, Is it okay to use Verb after "when" and "while"? Then, how are "when" and "while" different from the other conjunctions like "and"?


texts:
Would you like to play on a games console?

  Would you like to play a games console?

Which sentence is correct?


texts:
It happens so often to me and you may happen to hear some unusual sentences too, Some instances as below which I think they should have been in some other forms like:

  We entertainers -> We're entertainers.

  You mad? -> are you mad? or you're mad?

  Don't anyone know me -> Anyone doesn't know me or at least Anyone don't know me.

These some weird structures make me wonder if I can do whatever I want while speaking in slang. Or even there are some specific grammars for these unusual grammars?!

How could I figure out to make the same things?


texts: Biting off an apple vs Biting into an apple

texts:
What is the semantic difference between the following sentences?

  She bit into an apple.

  She bit off an apple.

Another example

  1.A man whose arm was bitten into by an alligator.( if it  makes a sense)

  2.A man whose arm was bitten off by an alligator. ( longman)

In the first example the second sentence focuses on biting process whereas the first one is neutral and basically is used for eating something, correct?


texts:
It is exceedingly difficult to ascertain precisely what is meant by the word 'culture'.

That is a sentence from exercise for English learners where they are asked to determine the part of speech of the word in bold. My decision was that difficult is an adverb in this context because of an adverbial meaning but the author writes that this is an adjective. Who is in the right?


texts:
From that day she won't / wouldn't talk to me.

It refers to some day in the past. What is the difference in meaning between two ways? Compare it with "From that day she doesn't talk to me"?

Let me guess that both ways are appropriate, but won't implies that she still doesn't talk to me now, at the time of utterance.


texts:
She wore round framed glasses with the left side slighter bigger than
  the right (one).

Do I need one in the following case? Why or why not?


texts:
I am trying to figure out what is the proper plural for this sentence.

  What a difference seven years make!

OR

  What a difference seven years makes!

Which is correct?


texts: "should at least be" or "should be...,at least" or "at least, should be" , which one is grammatically correct?

texts:
Which of the following sentence would be correct, please explain and also tell about cases where each of the correct sentences can be used:

The number of employees should at least be 1.
The number of employees should be 1, at least.
The number of employees, at least, should be 1.

I personally think the 2nd sentence is wrong and 1st and 3rd options are correct.


texts: Why do people say "I am broke" instead of "I am broken"?

texts:
I know these are correct:

  I am done.

  He is chosen.

  My phone is broken.

But why do we say

  I am broke.

instead of

  I am broken.

Is that even grammatically correct?


texts: Meaning of: "I would like a roommate who is around much of the time"

texts:
I am trying to complete housing application; I have to answer either True or False to this one: "I would like a roommate who is around much of the time."
Does "a roommate who is around much of the time" means a roommate who stays in the room most of the time?


texts:
Suppose there's a mom who has made a meal for her guests, and she has bring the meal to the table and let her guests to try the meal, what would she ask with?

Sentence A: Does it taste good?
Sentence B: Is it tasty?


texts: Is it wrong to begin this sentence with "on hindsight"?

texts:
Is it wrong to begin this sentence with on hindsight:

  On hindsight, I sense I would not be what I am today if I had the same maturity and wisdom what I have now, twenty five years ago?


texts: What should I say when I see mess on the floor? what blah blah blah all this stuff on the floor?

texts:
there are a few coffee beans on the floor, such a mess.

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

  what blah blah blah all this stuff on the floor?

to describe such a mess, what the blah is in what she is saying here?


texts: How are "as of" and "as on" used in these definitions for "on"?

texts:
I understand that the meaning of the phrase “as of” is time related, e.g.: takes effect as of July 1.

But while looking up on in Collins Dictionary, I found a use of "as of" that didn't make sense to me.  In #13, it says: “as of a statement or action”.

The same situation I found in #20: ”as of a mechanical operation”.

In #28 I found a similar phrase: ”as on stage”.

I have trouble in understanding these three definitions, so would you please explain their meaning?


texts:
Could you explain grammar of 'to hook open'? Why not 'to hook to open'?

  She bent her head over the umbrella, lengthened the umbrella somehow,
  then she reached with the lengthened umbrella to hook open the little
  train window above her.

Last
by Ali Smith


texts: be used to VS get used to in Future time

texts:
I've read this one and I still haven't got the difference. Could anyone explain the difference on these two examples:

There are some things in this life that you'll never be used
to / get used to.
I don't think I'll ever be used to / get used to driving on the
left. It’s so strange!

Are they both grammatically correct but with different meaning ? My thought is they are with the next difference:

"will never be used to" states that I will not be accustomed to something and DOESN'T mention if I would ever take an attempt to. --> less informative
"will never get used to" states that I will not be accustomed to something and implies that I would at least try to get accustomed to that something. --> more informative

Although my grammar test I've passed states that only options with "get" are grammatically correct.


texts:
I would roast you but my mom said I am not allowed to burn trash.

Why is "would" used in this sentence?


texts:
What does “kilo-stones” mean as in “Will stretch like kilo-stones or cypresses”?

The phrase is in this book. It is used in "To Any Young Soldier", a sonnet by F.G. Butler:

  Lean your Bren against the white-washed wall
  While peasants, laughing, thrust a grass-bound flask
  Into your dusty hands. Smiling, bask
  In their dark eyes' praise. Brief hero of them all,
  Stretch your royal limbs, lean back and laugh:
  You, whom last year's masters thought a fool
  Have learnt from masters in another school
  The meaning of a college cenotaph.

  So light a fag, knock back a glass or two,
  Look calmly on shell-torn terraces,
  All last night's acre of especial hell;
  And wonder if the years ahead of you
  Will stretch like kilo-stones or cypresses
  From eighteen on to eighty, or, the next shell.


texts: How did "flavored" come to mean "distracted"?

texts:
There is a scene in the movie Beautiful Girls:

  Marty:  Are you OK?

  Willie: Yeah. Yeah, I'm... Why?

  Marty:  You seem a little flavored today.

  Willie: No! No, I'm cool.

  Marty:  Cool.

  Willie: Yeah. So, tell me something. What do you kids...? What is it you do, kids your age, on the weekend?

  Marty:  Well, what we've been doing lately is smoking massive amounts of drugs, binging on Entenmann's and listening to Pink Floyd.

  Willie: Really?

  Marty:  You are flavored today.

  Willie: Oh, you're kidding?

  Marty:  The Entenmann's part was true.

Major dictionaries don't have this usage, so I turned to Urban Dictionary which lists it as "distracted, preoccupied, generally out-of-it, not lucid". This definition makes sense in the context, but I am wondering how "flavored" came to mean distracted. Is it a regional or dated usage?


texts: "The man standing ..." a gerund or an adjective?

texts:
Please tell me if "standing" is a gerund or an adjective-

  The man standing over there is a friend of mine.


texts: Can I use the progressive form in that case

texts:
You are late!! Have you been missing your train once more?

Can I use the progressive form as in this case it is something he has done regurlarly

Your hair, they are green !! What have you been doing?

Same question can I use a progressive form as I'm not  happy to see his hair green


texts: Does 'rest is history' always talk about the positive result?

texts: If I remember all the sources from the past, the phrase 'rest is history' always talks about the positive results. Is there any way that this phrase is used for the negative results or in that sense, does this phrase has any negativity?


texts: Hyphen in “fine-grained” when it follows a noun

texts:
There is the following sentence in the Chicago Manual of Style:

  When compound modifiers (also called phrasal adjectives) such as open-mouthed or full-length precede a noun, hyphenation usually lends clarity. … When such compounds follow the noun they modify, hyphenation is usually unnecessary, even for adjectival compounds that are hyphenated in Webster’s (such as well-read or ill-humored).

There is also the following one:

  If the phrasal adjective follows a verb, it is usually unhyphenated—for example, compare a well-trained athlete with an athlete who is well trained.

My question is: Does it apply to fine-grained? For instance, is the following correct?

  Such information is called fine grained, as it contains multiple measurements.

Or should it be instead as follows?

  Such information is called fine-grained, as it contains multiple measurements.

I suspect that fine-grained doesn’t qualify as a phrasal adjective.


texts:
This question bugs for for a long period of time already and finally, I found a place to ask to native speakers.
Consider the following 2 situations:
Situation 1:
There are 10 firms.
Each of the 10 firms has 5 different products. (Say, product1, produt 2, ..., product 5)
Each of the 10 firms sets price for each of the 5 products in each period.
Situation 2:
There are 10 firms.
Each of the 10 firms has exactly 1 product.
(Say, firm 1 - product1, firm2 - produt 2, ..., firm 10 - product 1)
Each of the 10 firms sets price for its own only product.

When you say the following sentence "10 firms set their prices in each period", which situation does this sentence describe, 1 or 2? By just reading this sentence, can you guess which situation the write refers to? In my opinion, this sentence includes both situations and just from it you can not deduce exactly which situation the write is referring to.
Would the following sentence be grammatically correct and at the same time precise for describing the first situation?
"10 firms set their price in each period".
Here, I used price in singular form to indicate that one firm sets only one price.
Basically, what I want to understand is when to use firms and prices at the same time and firms and price as the same time and what is difference between these two cases?


texts: What does "any but the vaguest terms" mean?

texts:
The strategy for Brexit, which is due to be triggered in less than three months, remains undefined in any but the vaguest terms, and seems increasingly chaotic.

  Source: The Economist

What does it mean? Does it mean the strategy remains in very clear terms (not vague terms)? Then why does it say it seems chaotic if it is  very clear? It doesn't appear to make sense to me.


texts:
Trust and relationships have always been proxies for influence.
  Earning attention is largely based on developing authentic
  relationships and contributing value. While forming relationships
  with any Line of Business (LOB) has always been important, it may
  be time to reassess these relationships and invest the time and
  efforts to create deeper partnerships.
  Your best bet is to always strive to understand what truly motivates
  and drives your LOB partners’ decisions, behaviors and successes.
  Then evaluate ways to help to amplify their efforts.

I know it means "An LOB (line-of-business) is a general term that describes the products or services offered by a business or manufacturer."
but here "LOB partners’ decisions"
it is not clear


texts:
What is the difference between the following sentences:

  He may have arrived now.
  He might have arrived now.
  He could have arrived now.


texts: Is it correct to say "This page built by ReactJS" or "This page is built by AngularJS", or it should be "with ReactJS"?

texts:
Is it also acceptable to say

  This page built by React / Redux

instead of

  This page built with React / Redux

at the bottom of a webpage? Are both acceptable? (React and Redux are both JavaScript frameworks. The official name is React, but sometimes people say React JS to distinguish it from the common word React because people may for a moment not know what you mean by "React" but they know it is a name when you say "React JS"). I think the "is" is omitted usually, like in

  This program partly sponsored by Ford Motors

One more catch is, in some framework such as Svelte, it actually compiles your code into something different, and makes it work... in that case, it might be true that "This page built by Svelte", as it actually is built by the programmer and by Svelte compiling / transpiling it?


texts: When a girl mentions her girlfriend, does she mean it like lesbian girlfriend?

texts:
I have a classmate and sometimes she says something like "I told my girlfriend that she has to blah blah".

Does this wording imply a lesbian relationship, or is she referring to a her best friend (a girl) only?


texts: Sentences starting with “in what must be a first”?

texts:
The opening of Ken Loach’s film Riff-Raff in New York casts doubt on Winston Churchill’s observation that the United States and Britain were two countries separated by common language. In what must be a first, an entire British film has been given sub-titles to help Americans cut through the thick stew of Glaswegian, Geordie, Liverpudlian, West African and West Indian accents.Source: Excerpt from the Guardian, quoted in The Penguin Guide to Punctuation (pp. 5–6)

Please help me understand the meaning of “in what must be a first” in the above passage.


texts:
What does "chivvying from" mean in this sentence:

  But a nice young man who wanted a bit of chivvying from a jolly girl-friend.


texts: "take the form of direct attacks" VS "take the form of direct attack"

texts:
This sentence comes from a GRE prep course:

  As the creation of new knowledge through science has become institutionalized, resistance to innovation has become less aggreesive, taking the form of inertia rather than direct attack.

Since there would be many attacks from all around innovation, why would there is not a "s" after attack? Such as:

  As the creation of new knowledge through science has become institutionalized, resistance to innovation has become less aggreesive, taking the form of inertia rather than direct attacks.


texts: What is the meaning of 'Past the point'?

texts: I'm not a native english speaker and I'm still learning english, I've heard this word from the movie I've watched recently its called 13 reasons why and the sentence goes like 'And I'm glad I was past the point that my dad could scare the sh!t out of me'  Could anyone please help.


texts: What is the meaning of "Right, ten digits round the blunt bit. Give it a tug. Left foot, right foot."?

texts:
Arthur going to draw a sword which in stuck in rock. David Beckman, Soldier from Vortigern kingdom. David Beckham giving the instructions how to draw it.

  Right, ten digits round the blunt bit. Give it a tug. Left foot, right
  foot. Collect your brand. Back on the barge.


texts: The meaning of 'more or less' in the 'Justice League' Comicon trailer

texts:
I watched a trailer for the new Justice League movie. At about 1:00 of the video, the dialogue goes like this:

  Diana Prince (aka the Wonderwoman) : He said he'll fight with us?
  Bruce Wayne (aka the Batman) : More or less.
  Diana Prince : More MORE or more LESS?
  Bruce Wayne : Probably more less.
  Diana Wayne : He said no.
  Bruce Wayne : He said no.

I don't get the meaning of 'more or less', 'more more', 'more less' what does this mean?

Or is it that, although Aquaman refused Batman's offer to join the Justice League, when Wonderwoman asked him wheater Aquaman is going to join or not, Batman didn't want to sound like he failed, so he said 'more or less'?

Also, does the phrase 'more more' really exist? If so, does 'less more', 'less less' exist? (although less more seems kind of weird :) )


texts:
What is the difference between the pronunciation of "a" and "e" in a closed syllable? For instance, between the words than and then? I was told the first should be pronounced with [æ], and the second with [e].

I was studying English from the age of 7, initially before school, then in school, and then in a university. And I still do not know the difference between the two. I have asked several teachers about it, but nobody could answer me. Some of them tried to reproduce the difference by pronouncing the "a" with a widely open mouth and showing the difference with mimics and effort on the face, but the sounds they produced were exactly the same for me. Honestly I think they did not know the difference themselves.

In the university we had some lectures in English by foreigners (I do not know whether English was their native tongue though), and still I did not hear the difference, but the foreigners often could not understand me.

Please tell me the difference.


texts: 'who is' or 'who are', when the sentence subject is 'you'

texts:
Here's a sentence:

  Are you a parent and is looking for answers on [something]?

My proposed corrections:

  Are you a parent and are looking for answers on [something]?
  Are you a parent who is looking for answers on [something]? *

My friend argues about the second correction, saying it is incorrect and it should be:

  Are you a parent who are looking for answers on [something]? ^

Who is right, and why?

* Justification for who is: The pronoun who refers to a parent, not you.
^ Justification for who are: The subject of the sentence is you, not a parent, hence the verb to be that comes after who must agree with the subject, you.


texts: What is the passive form of the following?

texts: They had someone to help them. Is it "they had been helped"?


texts: What does “in what" refer to in “in what analysts took”?

texts:
"China has opened the door to imports of rice from the United States for the first time ever in what analysts took to signal a warming of relations between the world's two biggest economies after a frosty year marked by tensions and tit-for-tat tariffs."

What does the word "in what" refer to?


texts: Is it necessary to use "then" in this sentence?

texts:
I was preparing for a SAT and stumbled on this sentence below:

By the second half of the nineteenth century, New York City's population had surpassed the
population of Paris, which was then around 2.5 million.

Although it doesn't sound weird to me, I would be able to understand the sentence without "then"
Is  it adding some meaning to the sentence?


texts: Proper way to request to separate a 50 dollar banknote

texts:
How to say correctly if you one from someone who you do not know, to separate a banknote of 50 dollars to 2x5 and 4x10?

What is in my mind is:

  Excuse me, can you exchange this 50dollar banknote to two times 5 and four times 10.

Do you think this is the right way, or there is better way saying that?


texts:
[Around into my field of vision] came an eye.
  link of source

  He comes [around into my field of vision].

1) In these sentences, what part of speech is "around"? preposition or adverb?

2) What is the meaning of "around" exactly? Although I have looked into the dictionaries, I cannot determine the meaning of "around" let alone a part of speech of "around".


texts: Confusion about the U.S after secondary level educational system's words

texts:
When I am practicing listening, particularly when it comes to university stuff, I'm getting a bit confused how to use the words appropriately. Items are below.

  Undergraduate
   "Mostly" meaning to go to colleges/universities to get honor's (_____) aka "Bachelor's degree" after submitting "Honor's thesis", consisting of freshman, sophomore, junior, senior.

  Postgraduate
   After passing the honor's degree and get the title (______), these who would like to major in several areas of academic courses go. They at the end of the very "term" need to submit Master's thesis aka? Doctoral dissertation to get PH.D. But in some states this is called "Bachelors degree."

Is my categorizing correct?


texts: What form should this auxiliary verb take?

texts:
When I want to denote a perfect tense like this:

  ‘she felt very pleased to see the ships have turned around.’

is the auxiliary 'have' supposed to be ‘having’ or ‘have’?


texts: {Which | what} songs {of | from} Rammstein do you like the {most | best}?

texts:
Which songs of Rammstein do you like the most?

  Which songs from Rammstein do you like the most?

Are these two sentences correct? Also, can I say ''...do you like the best?" instead of "...the most?"

What about this:

  What are the songs of/from Rammstein you like the most/best?


texts:
At first glance it seems like "Did they stole the bike?" doesn't sound right.

I was going to correct that user and tell him it's steal.

However, when I look up the word stole, it's labeled as past tense.

It sounds funny to say "Did they stole the bike?", but what really is the difference between steal and stole?

Because when saying "Did they", that's inferring the past, right? So would stole actually work as it's past tense, but just sound funny?


texts: Mixed conditional: Past simple + present simple

texts:
I have just read a sentence like this:

  If I behaved like this, I owe her an apology.

This construction (past simple + present simple), that sounds perfectly natural to my non native ear, seems some kind of mixed conditional that I have never seen on my grammar books. Probably it is just not a conditional at all, because it is actually possible that he or she behaved badly. I would love if someone could shred light on this topic.


texts: “share the housework” vs “share my housework”

texts:
How should I use the definite article in this particular situation?

OK,let's imagine the following conversation:

  A: Hello B.

  B: Hello A, what's that you're doing?

  A: I often share the housework with my brother

My question is,
Does it make sense when A says "I often share the housework with my brother"?

Person A knew exactly his specific housework so he uses "the housework*", but person B doesn't know which "the housework" is.

What if A says: "I often share my housework with my brother". In this case, B could figure out which "my housework" is.


texts: Countable "cable" versus uncountable "cable"

texts:
From Merriam-Webster's Learner's Dictionary:

  [count] computer cables

  [noncount] We need more cable to hook up the computers.

What's the difference between the countable "cable" and the uncountable "cable"?

I never knew that "cable" can be uncountable because a cable is always in the shape of a string. So I don't understand why "cable" can be uncountable.

Thanks in advance.


texts: Recommended ways to regularly talk with people to practice English

texts:
For those people who don't live in a country where English is used in daily life, sustaining English speaking skills is very very hard.

I myself spent many hours looking for conversation groups and random people to talk with in many places online. Usually people don't trust someone they don't know and they don't want to talk much.

I'm not looking for paid platforms since it is kind of superficial and a bit boring. It's not natural. When you talk to someone continuously, it is more natural and enjoyable.

So, could you please share some ideas that can help people to practice their English "speaking" online?

How to find people who might be interested in taking time to talk online? How to gain their trusts or attention?


texts:
The following sentence, from my grammar textbook, confused me:

  What's the odds? (What does it matter?)

I looked up odds in some dictionaries. All say that odds is a plural noun. So, there are two questions:

1) Why can is be used after a plural noun?

2) Is there any singular form of odds? What exactly is an odd?


texts:
1.They say that he might not have done all he could to keep her safe.
  2.There are many things he could have done over the years to keep her safe,but he didn't

Did I use tenses and addition of contrast correctly? Or should I say did nothing or even hasn't done?


texts:
I may have to stop going here, for school, and resume after, if you permit me to.

Where do I place punctuation marks, commas, here?


texts: Does the word appendix have to be always capitalised

texts:
When I refer to a section in-text, I use small letters like:

  ..(see section 1 for more details).

I am proofreading a document using grammarily. I have appendix not section.

  ..(see appendix A for more details).

It is suggesting to capetalise it, but it does not suggest this for sections. Can any one confirm to me if appendix must be capitalised?


texts: Should I use "none" or "no one" in the following sentence?

texts:
I didn't know much about him---just that he was the president of this
  weird club my classmates were talking about but that none/no one
  wanted to join.

My instinct says none, but no one has more Google hits. So I'm confused.


texts: Should I say "kick in $100 into somebody's account" or "kick $100 into somebody's account"?

texts:
kick in $100 into somebody's account
  kick $100 into somebody's account

The phrasal verb is 'kick in' (not just 'kick') but the prospect, effectively, to use 'in' twice arouses doubts in me.


texts:
I thought Different between is wrong because different does not explain difference (That's just my knowledge), but sometimes, I saw used Different between. Isn't it wrong? If so, why?

I have tried to read this, but I have not read this well.


texts: Here, is "Turning down" the same meaning as "if I turned down"?

texts:
Here's the sentence from "how I met your mother"

  I´d feel a little Stepford turning down a huge opportunity to chase some guy I´d only known 2 months

And here, does "turning down" mean "if I turned down"?

  I´d feel a little Stepford if I turned down a huge opportunity to chase some guy I´d only known 2 months

So, #1 and #2 are the same meaning?


texts: To help in/on these topics - offer help in/on these topics

texts:
I wonder which preposition goes best with help in these phrases:

... people who ** could help **:

in these topics
on these topics

... people who ** could offer help**

in these topics
on these topics

I was typing a thank you comment in this post: Into and out of 'time out' for kids, but I felt I lost my bearings on which preposition to use; and when I quickly looked up on Google I didn't find immediate results. Google Ngram was not of much help.

I might get it right if I took a break and came back later but I thought I'd ask to test my guess and for future reference anyway- I guess phrases that pull up help/in/topic together sound familiar; and I'd venture a guess that the pattern offer help on these topics is the correct one.


texts:
Do you use "in" or "into" or "on" in this sentence?
Our site is into Windows Server at the moment.


texts: he fought till his blood ran through -- what does "ran through" exactly mean in this context?

texts:
The refrain from the song John Paul Jones by Johnny Horton:

  He fought in the rain and he fought in the sun and he fought in the moonlight too
  He fought with his knife and he fought with his gun and he fought till his blood ran through
  Well, John Paul Jones was a fightin' man, a fightin' man was he
  He sailed to the east and he sailed to the west and he helped set America free

I was thinking hard to try to figure out what that expression actually meant, but I don't think I have come up with a good visual representation of John Paul's blood running through in the context of the song. What picture comes to mind when you hear it?


texts:
What's the difference between...

  Gandalf will have killed hundreds of dragons in his time.

  Gandalf must have killed hundreds of dragons in his time.

The first sentence is a line from a movie script, and the second one is a something I made up. I've seen a few grammar webpages that says "Will + Have + PP" can be used for past certainty when they are pretty sure about it. (Not future perfect). But how much is it different from "Must + Have + PP"?


texts:
I have read this sentence from some board and I have doubt about its meaning.

  If you must use something other than Tails or Whonix, then only use the Tor Browser (and only for as long as it takes to download one of the above).

According to the bolded phrase, does it mean I should just only use Tor for downloading one or more of Tails and Whonix if I haven't installed Tails and Whonix?


texts:
I met a new word today. It's whichever.
I kinda understood how to use it but I'm still confused in some situations.
For example this one:

  Whichever way you look at it (in?), it's a sad situation.

Should there be an in after it? kinda stupid question probably but sorry I have to know.

Or this sentence:

  Whichever of those buildings Cambridge is, it doesn't matter because they are all beautiful.

Is it correct?

Also can you give me some more examples with explanations to them?


texts: Is 'are you outside' different from 'are you out'?

texts:
Let's say I am supposed to meet my friend and I want to make sure that he is at home when I arrive, so I call him and ask

  Are you out right now?

or

  Are you outside right now?

The first expression sounds okay but what I want to know is that what will be interpretation of second expression and in what context it should be used.


texts:
Source:

  Those entering adulthood now will form the backbone of Chinese society at a pivotal moment, as the ranks of the elderly grow rapidly and as the economy faces new strains, including a shortage of workers.

Does "those entering adulthood" mean "the people who enter adulthood"? Is it a acceptable word-formation? I do want to have a grammatical explanation on that.


texts: What does this sentence and "make it" mean?

texts:
I do not understand the part after that:

  Such was the nature of their relationship that they never would have made it even if they’d wanted to.

They would have never made it (made what?) even if they had wanted to (to make what?).

I encountered this sentence here in a grammar article. Therefore, there is no more context for clarification.