texts: Use of pronoun in second clause of relative clause

texts:
Which of these sentence is correct in the term of it used below sentence:

  The book that your father brought from India yesterday  your elder brother has brought it in my school today.
  The book that your father brought from India yesterday  your elder brother has brought in my school today.

As the "it" used in one sentence  and other one is without the it. so which one is correct.


texts: difference between present simple and future simple

texts:
What is the difference between the following two sentences?
The first one is in present simple tense and
second one is in future simple tense but the difference in the meaning is not clear.

We fly to Paris next week.

We will fly to Paris next week.


texts: I'm confusing with past perfect and past tense

texts:
I know how to use past perfect and past tense but when I read articles in the website and newspaper especially on news. they use "had" without any past tense followed. I'm not american native speaker and I'm confuse. What is the use of 'had' without following past tense.

example of this is from article of BBC:
"The French energy giant EDF, with support from state-owned China General Nuclear, had expected to build the £18bn plant."

you would see that "had" was used in this sentence without any past tense followed. and what is it mean. pls explain this.


texts: Today I heard in two (totally unrelated) videos the same unexpected pronunciation of the word 'assume' by native speakers. Googling came up with /əˈsjuːm/ both for English and American pronunciation (and that's also what I had expected. However, what I heard in those videos clearly was something like "a-shoom". Is that a specific dialect?


texts:
Here are two use cases of "except" that are confusing to me and found in LONGMAN dictionary.

She had nothing to do except spend money. (given for the usage except do something)
He wouldn’t talk about work, except to say that he was busy. (given for the usage except to do something)

Are both usages equivalent? Can I paraphrase the first sentence into "She had nothing to do except to spend money."? and also can I paraphrase the second sentence into "He wouldn’t talk about work, except say that he was busy."?


texts: Does writing "And as he does" make the intended meaning clear?

texts:
Pete walks down a hallway, armed with a baseball bat. He looks into an office. And as he does, Jack appears from a door at the end of the hallway and slips around a corner.
My intention is that Pete doesn't see Jack because he (Jack) runs out of the room and around the corner in the hallway while Pete is looking into the office. Does "And as he does" make that clear?


texts: Using "Than" vs "Than that of" and "Any" vs "Any other" in a sentence

texts:
Ray is the better that any other student in the class.
  Ray is better than any student in the college.

When do we use ANY and ANY OTHER in a sentence comparing things, place, etc.?


texts: Is it correct to use "ever" with the present perfect?

texts:
Is it correct to say

  Have you ever been to [some country]?

The present perfect already assumes the time period preceding the moment of asking the question, right? So the usage of "ever" seems to be redundant.


texts: Difference between miser, stingy, frugal, thrifty, cheap (Positive and negative connotations)

texts:
What should we call a person who doesn't spend money (on necessary things) and instead saves it?

He or she enjoys when other people spend their money but when it comes to them they avoid spending money.

I know the words like the miser, stingy, frugal, thrifty, cheap. But I don't know which would be more suitable in a more casual setting.

I read that frugal is not necessarily a person who is a miser but he spends his money wisely.
I usually use stingy.
He's a stingy fellow. We could not bring him to spend one extra dime on dessert after a bill of 70$ on dinner.


texts: Is there a difference between "write" and "write down"?

texts:
Is there a difference between "write" and "write down" or it's just a matter of fashion / style?

At the university I see that some of the teachers say "write down" and some of them say "write" without "down"- both are in the same context in the classes (to write notes). Is one of them better or more correct or it's just a matter of style?


texts: Can I rephrase the sentence "Can you explain this word to me?" into "Can you explain me this word."

texts:
Can you explain this word to me?

Can I rephrase it as

  Can you explain me this word?


texts: Why 'in' used in "shaking the bag of pastilles in his face"

texts:
"I insist!" said Hermione aggressively, shaking the bag of pastilles in his face. Looking rather alarmed, the little wizard took one.

  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

I don't understand why 'in' should be used in that phrase, rather than 'in front of' or 'on'? What does it mean?


texts:
Is the preposition used correctly or should there be another one? And is the phrase clear?
I want to say that the person believes in rumors, not facts.

Live by rumors.


texts:
Let's suppose someone asked someone a question or made a proposal sometime ago and is still waiting for a reply.
Is it idiomatic to ask "Will the (an) answer be?" meaning that he or she wants to know if the person will provide an answer to the question or the proposal?

By the way, I know we can say "What will the answer be?" meaning that we are interested whether it is yes or no, but may we ask "Will the (an) answer be?" if we want to know whether the answer will be provided at all?


texts: Can you help me answer some questions about using the word "The"?

texts:
I. In the following sentences, I know that I should repeat "they", "they", "she", "he" and "it" instead of using "the " in the second part. But can I use 'the + noun' if I introduce something using the verb "be" then talk about it with the second sentence directly following the first, not later on, and can the hearer understand that "the + noun" mean "the noun I called it earlier"?
Ex:

1 This is a letter. The letter is written in spanish.
(Does "The letter" mean "the letter I called it earlier"?)

2 It is a box. The box is red. I will open the box and …
(Does "The box" mean "the box I called it earlier"?)

3 That is a thief. The thief is tied to a post by a rope.
(Does "The thief" mean "the thief I called them earlier"?)

4 They are doctors but the doctors are not kind.
(Does "The doctors" mean "the doctors I called them earlier"?)

5 They are slaves, and the slaves are mine.
(Does "The slaves" mean "the slaves I called them earlier"?)

6 She is a slave, and the slave is mine.
(Does "The slave" mean "the slave I called them earlier"?)

7 He is a doctor but the doctor is not kind.
(Does "The doctor" mean "the doctor I called them earlier"?)

II. And when I use the other verbs, not the verb "be", so are they  grammatically correct and natural?
Ex:

8 I got a present. The present is a cat. I will give John the cat.

9 I bought a ball yesterday. The ball is red. When I kicked the ball, the ball flew over the fence.

10 She is biting an apple. The apple seems very rigid.


texts: What does "return to the well" mean in these sentences?

texts:
Context 1: "I remember pa's hand in mine. Grasping and shaking for what felt like a thousand years...before he finally let go. His spirit released, allowing me brief communion before returning to the well."
Text was taken from comic "Seven to Eternity". Here's a link where you can find the page with this text. As you'll see on the following pages there's no well with water. So I think that "returning to the well" can be some kind of metaphor or idiom. I have tried to search some information about this phrase and found this. But there is described only "go to the well with". I don't know if the meaning of this term ("go to the well") fits the meaning of my expression ("returning to the well").
And context 2: "We take solace that we return him to the well, true to himself". A link to the page here.
I can suggest that "the well" may be some magic limbo in the world of this comic. But I'm not sure.


texts:
I was writing an email today and caught myself having difficulty to decide which of the sentences is most suitable:

I have noticed that you already replied to the other emails.
I noticed that you have already replied to the other emails.
I noticed that you already replied to the other emails.

Which of the sentences above is correct? Is the usage of "have" in them ok?

Thanks!


texts: When to use is and has been in english sentense

texts:
What is the meaning and reason for using has been in below sentence
"In the past fee weeks, the highest fresh stock that hospital has received has been 7000 injections."
Is it correct if we use ....Has received is 7000 injections .


texts: Can you make Would refer to earlier actions than the main clause's verb do?

texts:
Earlier or at the same time, both would be fine to me. Can you make the title possible? Like this one below.

  I tried all the tools but the door wouldn't budge

In this, the Would refers to the actions that happened at the same time when 'I' tried.

But I want this request done with some restrictions.

Would for past habit.
Would not
Would have PP

Except those threes, can you do that?


texts: Indefinite article "a/an" with plural count nouns?

texts:
I know we never use the indefinite article ("a/an") before a non-count noun. But what about before plural nouns?

Questions:

I don't think a plural count noun can follow an indefinite article ("a/an"). But I'm not sure. Is it possible, and if so, could you provide some examples?
The following examples: "a good three hefty steaks", "a marvelous hundred days", "a hundred charges" -- aren't examples of a plural count noun with an indefinite article "a", or are they? If they aren't, then how should they be parsed?


texts:
What does the highlighted parts  mean in the following passage?

  Light striking your eyes is the most influential zeitgeber. When
  researchers invited volunteers into the laboratory and exposed them to
  light at intervals that were at odds with the outside world, the
  participants unconsciously reset their biological clocks to match the
  new light input. The circadian rhythm disturbances and sleep problems
  that affect up to 90% of blind people demonstrate the importance of
  light to sleep/wake patterns.

At intervals means occasionally but we don't know if all exposed durations are long equally.

"At odds with something"  means "in disagreement" so volunteers exposed to light in nights but did not expose to light in daytime, it is kind of contrary to light outside.

Is this right?


texts:
I'm a bit confused about the meaning of "dick" in the following context. Girl comes to pub and wants to participate in a pool tournament. She is told, that "it's men only".

Everyone is looking now. I can’t back down, and now that I’m
being challenged, I want to prove myself. I take a cue from the rack. There are some balls scattered
on the table, a few reds, and all the colours. I drop down and aim
for a red near the cushion. It rattles the jaw of the pocket, and
there’s a collective holding of breath as it drops. I pot the black
ball and straighten up.
‘So what do I need to show?’ I say. ‘A dick, or a minimum level
of competency?

Lauren Westwood "My mother's silence"
I guess, she asks if "a dick" is the only "ticket" to this tournament, but what does "minimum level of competency" mean then? Google directs me to Dick Lane and Dick Jaspers as pool players, but, suppose, they have nothing to do with this situation :D  Absolutely confused about this sentence :(:(


texts: I hope that someone would or could help me out

texts:
Ella had hoped that her husband would grow into a family-oriented man.

or

  Ella had hoped that her husband could grow into a family-oriented man.

Which one is correct?


texts: I miss you like I (have) never missed someone else

texts:
Which one of the following phrases is correct? I'm unsure about using present perfect or not.

  I miss you like I've never missed someone else.

  I miss you like I never missed someone else.


texts: Why is the phrase parent-in-law and not parent-by-law?

texts: Since it's due to the law that they are his/her parents by proxy, why isn't the phrase 'by-law' instead of 'in-law'?


texts:
Which verb/idiom is normally used to describe this happening?

(https://i.stack.imgur.com/gGxq1.jpg)

Her stickings has torn (or what?)!


texts: Years old vs. year old in a descriptive sentence

texts:
I need to describe that a product is suitable for specific ages. Which of the follwoing should I use?
This product is suitable only for 7+ year old children
This product is suitable only for 7+ years old children


texts:
Perhaps I would/might have liked that movie the first time I watched it, but there is no way I'm going to watch it again.

I would like to know which modal verb between would and might is the right one I have to choose for the sentence above, in order to exactly get my point across.

Here is a little bit of context, of course:

A friend of mine asks me if we want to see again a movie he knows I saw many years ago.
He thinks that I enjoyed it that first time.
Unfortunately (it can sound strange), I just don't remember whether I really enjoyed it or not (maybe, or maybe not), but by no means I want to see it again.
Please, let me no if you need more details.


texts: Preposition used in comparing, "on" or "to"?

texts:
“Yeah, I know,” said Angelina, pulling out her wand and flexing her arm. “But she’s pretty good, actually. Nothing on you, of course,” she said, throwing him a very dirty look, “but as we can’t have you . . .”

The above bold phrase is definitely describing Harry is a way better Seeker than Ginny. But would it be more appropriate to use "to" in this case?

Used to introduce the second element in a comparison:
the club’s nothing to what it once was
—oxford


texts: Does "Bests" mean "Best regards" in emails?

texts:
One of my colleagues (not a native English speaker) always ends his emails like this:

Bests
Mike

I guess he means Best regards with Bests. Could someone help explain?


texts: The future simple vs. The present simple

texts:
As Cambridge Dictionary puts it "will" used when referring to something that always or usually happens.

Here is an example: "accidents will happen"

Does it mean that if I use the present simple the meaning will not change, like "accidents happen"?


texts: Why using firstly, secondly... in a writing is bad writing?

texts:
I was asked to finsih a short piece of writing
(200 words about my best friends).

Jan and I have some things in common, so I used Firstly, Secondly, Thirdly, Finally in the writing.

Then, my English teacher (she is Korean) was not happy with that writing style, she told me that it was a bad writing because of the traditional sequence (Firstly, Secondly, Thirdly and Finally).

Could you tell me why?


texts:
In the Sherlock Holmes book A Study in Scarlet, Mr. Watson asks about a man in the street and Sherlock Holmes deduces that man is a retired marine sergeant:

  "You mean the retired sergeant of Marines," said Sherlock Holmes.

Then the man comes to the house which Sherlock Holmes and Watson lives and here is the dialogue between Watson and the man:

  "May I ask, my lad," I said, in the blandest voice, "what your trade may be?"

  "Commissionaire, sir," he said, gruffly. "Uniform away for repairs."

  "And you were?" I asked, with a slightly malicious glance at my companion.

  "A sergeant, sir, Royal Marine Light Infantry, sir. No answer? Right, sir."

I thought here the man was indeed a marine sergeant but he was not retired, Holmes thought so as he was without uniform because the uniform was "away for repairs."

But in the next chapter Watson and Holmes had this dialogue:

  "How in the world did you deduce that?" I asked.

  "Deduce what?" said he, petulantly.

  "Why, that he was a retired sergeant of Marines."

Watson accepts not only he knew he was a sergeant of Marines but also he was retired. After that Holmes explains how he figured out he was a sergeant of Marines but did not mention neither how he figured out he was retired nor he was wrong about that one.

In the dialogue between the sergeant and Watson is there anything implies the sergeant was retired? I thought 'Uniform away for repairs' as 'My uniform is away for repairs'. Is it an idiom about being retired?


texts: The use of the definite article in place of the indefinte one in context

texts:
It was in this video. It is at 15 minute and 21 second. Here is the context:

  So I am not the anti weed guy, I am the pro logic guy.

I am confused because there was no mentioning of any anti weed guys in the video before he said it. Would it make more sense if he said I am not an anti weed...? Did he use the for emphasis?


texts: Is "on" in "spend sth on doing sth" optional?

texts:
Cambridge dictionary gives this example

  We've just spent $1.9 million on improving our computer network.

I am aware of that usage, in the standard form, spend sth on doing sth.

This post (https://www.buzzfeed.com/eleanorjones/how-i-fell-back-in-love-with-swimming-and-my-body) starts with

  After over a decade spent avoiding pools, swimsuits, and public showers, I've found my way back to the water and all the reasons I loved it as a child.

I guess that means the author spent a lot time (over a decade) on avoiding swimming, is my understanding right? In other words, is "spend on doing" a contraction form of "spend time on doing"?


texts: "reflect" vs "reflection on" or "reflection of"

texts:
The bride's elegant dress reflected her good taste.
The bride's elegant dress is a reflection on her good taste.
The bride's elegant dress is a reflection of her good taste.

Would you tell me if they mean the same thing?
If they would mean the same thing, what about the following question--link--? or I mean how could we distinguish such a distinction between these functions?
Similarly, what about these:

A student's grades reflected her teacher
A student's grades are a reflection on her teacher
A student's grade are a reflection of her teacher

When, where or in which situation don't they mean the same? How can we distinguish such a distinction?


texts: The word "joint" as a synonym for place?

texts:
I'd like to know in what context can the word "joint" be used as a synonym for place.

Is it used for places that sell products and/or services?


texts:
Practically every part of the banana tree is used by man.

I think this sentence is correct but my grammar book say there should be each instead of every. I know we can't use every as a pronoun but in above sentence every part used as a single unit.
Correct me if I am wrong.


texts: What tense do I have to use in this sentence with 'whenever'?

texts:
When I use 'would' with 'whenever', What tense is used? For example,

  Whenever I went to my grama's house, I would play in the park.

Can I use 'go to' instead of 'went to'?

Or

  I would dance whenever I felt bored.

I've heard that I have to use past tense in the subjunctive.
Is it right? Must I use only past tense in the subjunctive?


texts: What is the pun that is intended in this sentence?

texts:
I read this in Word by Word by Kory Stamper:

  Teachers will write in and angrily ask how they can possibly teach their students proper grammar and punctuation if the dictionary can be bothered to use it? Even that is changing, however there is room online to put in both the subject and terminal punctuation, thereby (we hope) saving students of English from utter inevitable idiocy.

I want to ask why has the author written "and" in italics? Of course, there must be a subtle pun but I don't get what exactly it is.


texts: A phrase meaning over-optimizing very small chunks

texts:
Is there a phrase that means trying to optimize the smaller chunk of something? I've seen such a phrase, used in derogative manner.
Here is the context:

Alice: I've spent the whole day browsing social media. Now I have 2
hours to prepare for the Calculus exam tomorrow. Quick, I need some
productivity tips.
Bob: You are cutting a thin string into
thinner?

Is there such a phrase?


texts: Which is correct "The most tragic" or "the tragicest"?

texts:
How should I say, "The most tragic" or "the tragicest"?
According to the rule, the second one is more preferable, but I have seen the first one as well as the second. So, is there any difference?


texts: What are some idiomatic way of saying "changing your face into someone else's face"?

texts:
One way I can think of saying this is saying "sculpt your face into a Harvey" or more generally "sculpt your face into a X" where X is a name of a specific person, like a celebrity, but I am not sure that this is idiomatic. Is there a similar way of saying this, if not can you think of a way of saying it idiomatically?

For example:

  You should sculpt your face into a Harvey to become popular with the
  girls.


texts: What does this relative sentence modify?

texts:
But Max Little at Aston University in Birmingham, UK, who explores the use of voice-processing algorithms to predict the severity of Parkinson’s, isn’t convinced by the big data approach. “I’m deeply sceptical of efforts that naively believe you can simply accumulate more data and that will do the job,” he says.

From:
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2120426-health-insurer-calls-analysed-for-signs-of-disease-in-your-voice/

Is this sentence too colloquial  to be grammatical？ I don't understand which part "that naively believe you can simply accumulate more data and that will do the job" modifies.

Thanks if you would help.


texts:
I know that expression comes from Spanish a it’s literal meaning is hand by hand. However, I often find some other meanings like:

fight; like a man to man; eye to eye.

How common is this phrase in general? Is it appropriate in a more or less formal language? I understand that the meaning depends on the context. l’d like to understand what meaning is is the most frequently used.


texts: How to express regain/recover/pickup an old project

texts:
Assuming that one hasn't worked on a project for a while. Now, she wants to work on the same project again and learn what she has forgotten. How should we describe such kind of activity? I guess it could be:

Regain previous progress
Recover previous progress
Pickup previous progress
...

Thank you!


texts: The use of the verb "tell" with a direct object in context

texts:
Tell me please of I have to use them in the following context.

  I learned a few word, but I can't tell you (them) off the top of my head.

Does the sentence sound more natural without it?


texts:
Is "Once obtained the results" correct in English??

I mean, is it an equivalent, alternate way to say "Once the results have/had been obtained"?

For instance, "Once obtained the results, they will be analised".


texts: Singular of Plural verb after I followed by name

texts:
Which one is correct? I followed by name takes singular or plural verb?

I, John Bolton, deposes and says the following.
I, John Bolton, depose and say the following.


texts: Which form is correct if a child won't go to school today because he has an appointment?

texts:
He won't go today to school because he has an appointment.

or

  He won't go to school today because he has an appointment.


texts: Does "official" mean governor or officer in some situations?

texts:
A Financial Times post says

  China has asked officials to stop mentioning its premier programme to recruit the brightest tech talent from overseas, after growing suspicions over the scheme from the US.

Cambridge Dictionary gives this definition

  a person who has a position of responsibility in an organization:

In the quotation, does "officials" refer to the Chinese officers or the governors in the US?


texts: Would you tell me more about "however" vs. "still" vs. "nevertheless"

texts:
In this example, is there any difference between these two words? Which one should be used, and why?

I enjoyed the trip very much; however, my roommate did not.
I enjoyed the trip very much; still, my roommate did not.
I had planned to drive to Mexico; however, my car is too old.
I had planned to drive to Mexico; nevertheless, my car is too old.

And can I move one of these words to the beginning of the sentence?

However, my car is too old; I had planned to drive to Mexico.
I had planned to drive to Mexico; however, my car is too old.

So, considering what have been said, would anybody tell me which one and why?


texts:
Are both sentences correct? Is the first one non common?

My favourite kind of sport is tennis.

vs

My favourite sport is tennis.


texts: Number used as an ID in an organization?

texts:
How would you call a number that an organization would use to unequivocally refer to a person (as an internal ID)?
For instance, imagine you are joining a university. A row in the student database table may have this structure:

first_name  |  last_name  |  file_number |  etc...

John        | Doe         | 002534       | some extra data...

Where, once you joined the university, you've been assigned the ID 002534.
Here I used the expression "file number" to address this internal ID number.

Any ideas on this? For what it's worth, I'm looking for an expression equivalent to the Spanish "número de legajo" ("file number" was a Google translate suggestion).

Regards


texts:
Learning an instrument is not as easy as one would wish.

What is the use of "would" here and what is the meaning of these sentence?


texts:
There are many places suggest not to mix British and American spelling in IELTS test, such as the articles on IELTS-Blog and nativespeakeronline (No link here. I don't have enough reputation to post more than 2 links).
When I search on forums, the most common idea is people in North America prefer -ize and people in other places prefer -ise. However, an article on learnenglish.de says:

  the Oxford University Press insists that words such as computerize, capitalize, capsize, organize, organization, privatize, publicize, realize should take the -ize ending

And for some words in this list like "organization", people on forums say most British still prefer "organisation".
In this case, if I stick to using British spelling on IELTS test, should I use -ise or -ize for the words in this list?


texts:
I have to translate a sentence and I'm checking some options. Can you tell me which one is correct?

The contest is more or less this one: "If I wear this t-shirt..."

Do you think it will suite me?
Do you think that it will suite me?
Do you think (that) it is going to suite me?
Do you think (that) it suits me?
...something different...

Any other suggestion/correction will be very appreciated!!


texts:
A friend told me

I think you’re putting a little too much value on the intonation for just regular speak. It’s not usually that important.

I guess "I put value on something" means "I think something is important" and implies the thing I value is not usually that important.
Is my understanding correct?


texts:
He played with renewed vigor and determination.

Could we exchange "renewed" with "renewing"?

Renewed vigor by (someone)
Renewing vigor by ( itself)

Vigor which is renewing vs vigor which is renewed by the person himself.


texts: Present Continuous with Adverbial Clauses

texts:
I heard present continuous is also used for temporary events which must not be happen in the same time with 'saying' but the first sentence below sounds wrong to me , even leaving work when he starts his shift is a temporary event for mentioned week .

Could you please tell me which one is correct ?

1- In this week , I am leaving work when my collegue starts his shift

2-In this week , I leave work when my collegue starts his shift


texts:
We are playing with a red hard ball.

  We are playing with a hard red ball.

Can we use both 'red hard ball' and 'hard red ball'? Are they both correct or one of them is correct? I think both hard red ball and red hard ball are interchangeable.


texts: Are "beforehand" and "in advance" totally interchangeable? Or are there cases where one of them is more suitable than the other?


texts: Should I mention Time/Duration in Past Perfect Continues Tense?

texts:
I am having some confusion in learning Past Perfect continuous tense.

In my reading I come across some rules while constructing Past Perfect continuous tense. Which also differentiate this tense from Simple Past continues tense.

The Time / Duration

Past Perfect continuous indicates the activity which started in Past and end in the past or interrupted by some other action. And it has not implication in present.

E.g. I had been talking on mobile over an hour before Tony arrived. (Past Perfect Continues)

But Sometimes Time/Duration is not mentioned in the sentence construction which creates confusion in both tenses.

E.g.    1) I had been talking on phone before Tony arrived.
2) He had been in tension.
3) He had been writing the Letter.
4) That Plane had been descending. (See my below example for detail)
5) That Car had been approaching me.

My Question is that how and when exactly should I use past continuous tense in English if my understanding is wrong?
As per my understanding Time duration should mention while constructing Past Perfect continues tense.

One more Question.

On May 6, a serious incident took place when an IndiGo Mumbai Jaipur flight, which was to take off from Mumbai airport’s runway 14, delayed its departure because of which a Jet Airways aircraft that had been descending and cleared to land on the same runway was forced to do a go-around at the last moment.

If I use was instead of had been will it change the scenario?

I.e. had been descending and was descending.

Thanks for reading my question please emplain in detail.


texts: What type of phrase is "Beyond a doubt" here?

texts:
Beyond a doubt this man is honest.

"Beyond  a doubt" seems to be a phrase here and I believe it's a noun phrase,  but I'm told it's  not. Its a adverb phrase  how?

What is it?


texts:
I have this sentence:

  Take the number seven bus to London.

Can we say

  Catch the number seven bus to London.

Which should be used in BrE and which in AmE?

I think we can't 'catch the number seven bus to London' because of it is like 'to take route' and we can't catch 'route'. but I'm not sure about it.


texts: What does the word *sharp* mean in the context?

texts:
Here are two examples of context.

Come at ten o'clock sharp.
She said she was going to ring at nine a.m. sharp.

Does it mean "exactly"?


texts:
Is this right or wrong and has the same meaning as the two sentences below?

  I recommended that you kept silent.

These two are surely right, yes?

  I recommended that you keep silent.
  I recommended that you should keep silent.

Can I use something like 'say' in the examples above?

  I said that you kept silent.
  I said that you keep silent.
  I said that you should keep silent.

How about using BE - Could you please give an example?
I insisted that   she/you/I    was/were ...............


texts: One of the meanings of "to lose" is "not being able to find". "I lose my umbrella very often." is okay. But what if I use it to mention a place that I can not find. For example: "Every time I go to down town, I lose pub ABC."- as in I can not find the direction. I wonder if it is grammatically correct with loose meaning. A friend of mine was telling this does not mean anything cause one can only "lose" something that s/he possess. I can not find any good example on line for this usage.


texts: "The file I sent (to) you". Using the preposition

texts:
to send somebody something
    to send something to somebody

Is it necessary to use the preposition in sentences like these, in which the direct object stands before the verb?

  Open the file I sent (to) you.
    What does she give (to) him?

I suppose both options are correct and the preposition might or might not be used. Am I right?


texts:
I found lots of posts use a phrase "grammar point". For example,

  If you study the grammar point comparison forms of adjectives you will find that ...

where comparison forms of adjectives appears to be one grammar point.

Is "grammar point" a term in grammar? What is a "grammar point"? Could anything relate to grammar be one grammar point?

  A: If you study the forms of adjectives you will find that . . .

  B: would you provide some reference to that grammar point?


texts: Can the phrase 'found with arms' be used as a qualifier?

texts:
I'm in a bit of confusion of what is the grammatical relation of the bold phrase containing in below sentence:

  According to the proclamation all men found with arms will be shot

If it's being qualified the word 'men' here, I've no idea how 'men' is being described/qualified by the phrase 'found with arms'. All I can think of the relative clause, if it can be used as relative clause:

  According to the proclamation all men who are found with arms will be shot

Anyone can explain me how this phrase is related to this sentence? All the answers are much appreciated!


texts: What do you call the two components resulting from filtering?

texts:
Suppose I am given the numbers from 1 to 9:

  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

I filter out the prime numbers:

  2 3 5 7  (A)

and I am left with:

  1 4 6 8 9  (B)

What do you call (A) and (B) with respect to the filtering?

I am not sure if "filtered out" refers to the component which was removed, or the component which was retained.


texts: Is Volkswagen a synonym for a small car?

texts:
I have been watching a documentation in which a professor said "Rocks in the size of a Volkswagen" and meanwhile the german translation was "Steine in der Größe eines Kleinwagens", which means "Rock in the size of a small car".
I could not really find something online, so maybe this is an urban saying? Or just an habit of this prof? Or is it something completely normal to say?


texts: How to use 'concern with' and 'concern for'

texts:
Is the following sentence grammatically correct?
'Liberals have a concern with individual liberty'

Or, should it be 'liberals have a concern for individual liberty'? And, more generally, what is the difference between concern with and concern for?


texts:
I read the following script in a TOEIC Speaking book:

“Question.
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
The best employees are those who complete their work in the shortest amount of time.
Give reasons and examples to support your answer.

Answer.
I don’t agree with the idea that the best employees are those who complete their work in the shortest amount of time, because usually, when people complete their tasks in the shortest amount of time, they tend to skip details. The end result is not what is expected from that task. For example, when I finish something too soon, I go back to take a second look and see if I missed a detail or two.”

I paraphrased the boldface sentence into the following:
Paraphrase A. When you finish your work by skipping details, the work cannot be complete. or
Paraphrase B. The result that you get by skipping details is often incomplete.

and have two questions:
Question #1. What do you think of my paraphrases? Do I understand the boldface sentence correctly?
Question #2. If you rewrote the boldface sentence, how would you write?

Thanks in advance.


texts: So, definition "used to ask about somebody’s health" of "how are you" is not a complete one right?

texts:
Let say:

A: How are you!

B: Very Good

The Oxford Learner's Dictionary says "how are you" =" used to ask about somebody’s health"

Let say B's health is average, not good or bad but his business is doing OK & that is why he response "very good" (ie, I recently making a lot of money). It has nothing relating to health.

The Cambridge dictionary says "how are you" = "used to ask about someone's  physical or emotional state".

I think this second definition is much more meaningful.

So, which definition of "how are you" is more accurate?


texts: Difference between "gangway" and "aisle" in an auditorium

texts:
From Wiktionary:

  Gangway: a passageway through which to enter or leave, such as one between seating areas in an auditorium, or between two buildings.

  Aisle: a clear path through rows of seating.

Is the key difference here that a gangway leads to an exit door, while an aisle can just lead from one wall to the other in an auditorium or movie theater?

The question actually arose when I was proofreading a translation about a document storage area and noticed that the translator used gangway in the position where I expected to find aisle:

  Control and measuring devices (thermometers, psychrometers, hygrometers) are placed in the main gangway on a rack away from heating and ventilation systems.


texts: I know 'prehistoric' is the normally used term—as I found in the Google Ngram Viewer—but as 'prehistorical' is found in dictionaries too, I was wondering whether the latter would sound more acceptable, so to speak, in certain contexts.


texts:
I would like to know how many meanings have the colloquial structure "ain't" aparte from: am not, is not, are not and have not. Example, the song, ain't nobody by Felix Jaehn:

  Ain't nobody
  Loves me better
  Makes me happy
  Makes me feel this way
  Ain't nobody
  Loves me better than you

Thank you all, indeed!


texts:
From a poem maggie and milly and molly and may
written by E.E. Cummings

  May came home with a smooth round stone
  as small as a world and as large as alone.

What do as small as a world and as large as alone mean? Are they phrases?

Why is a world small and alone large?


texts: What should be the subject line to use in an email asking to join a research lab?

texts:
I'm interested in joining one of the research labs in my university and I would like to arrange a meeting with a professor or visit his lab office to discuss if I could join his lab. But I do not know if what I have been using sounds natural and if I have been using it wrongly.

What could be the possible subject lines of the email? Does the following sound natural? Or what could be other better subject lines?

Question about joining your lab
May I come to you office to discuss the possibility of joining your lab?


texts:
I went to the country.

I went to the countryside.

Which version is correct? What are differences? I don't mean "a town" but "a rural place".

Also.

Would you say:

I moved to the country.

or

I moved to the countryside.


texts: Meaning of the phrase "please someone unto something"?

texts:
I have come across it in Crash Course World History. It is at 5 minute and 39 second. Here it goes:

  The thinking was that if humans did their jobs, then the pantheon of gods would maintain cosmic order, and since the pharaohs became gods upon their death, it made sense to please them even unto pyramids.

I cannot get what please them unto means. Could you please rephrase the sentence for me please?


texts: "It was Mary I found out about this song from" and similar phrasings

texts:
Which is/are correct? Or are they all wrong?

  It was from Mary I found out about this song.

  It was Mary I found out about this song from.

  It was from Mary I found this song.

  It was Mary I found this song from.

Someone I asked suggested some different phrasings:

  It was Mary from whom I found this song.

And the most straightforward of them all,

  I found this song from Mary.


texts: "During" when we talk about a very short period of time

texts:
Here is the passage:

  Don't edit or create CSV files with Calc.

  Calc cannot edit CSV files directly: when you open an existing CSV file, it converts it to OTS; when you save it, it converts it back to CSV. During these conversions - under some circumstances - data loss happens.

At my opinion, the word "during" isn't a good choice here. It creates a false impression that conversions takes a lot of time. It's not so; actually, conversions takes about a second or less.


texts:
I came across this in the news, and the meaning is unclear to me:

  "Back in 1909, a layer of bricks was laid on top of the rock and tar surface of the Indianapolis Motor Speed Way. It has been resurfaced several times since then. By looking at a core pulled up from the track, you can see the difference layers of stone and asphalt that were added over the years. From top to bottom, it is like a trip in time down to the 1909 layer of brick at the base. Now that the photos of it has surfaced, they show layer by layer or lap by lap a gripping story you can trakh through the years by following the grooves that paved the way for generations of drivers to draft and drift down decades of unrevlimited, adrenaling fueled crossing the line where the rubber meets the road."

I know what the words mean by itself, but I have a hard time understanding their meaning there.


texts: Which one is correct from these two phrases?

texts:
Birthday wishes for friend

or

  birthday wishes for a friend

(which one is correct)?


texts: Can "on the other hand" be used without its "On the one hand"?

texts:
Is it grammatically OK to use only one part of "On the one hand... . On the other hand...."?

  On the one hand they'd love to have kids, but on the other, they don't want to give up their freedom [OALD 8].

Opposed to the preceding example, can I say?

  They'd love to have kids. On the other, they don't want to give up their freedom.


texts: What's the shortest phrase to describe Q&A sites like Stack Exchange?

texts:
What's the shortest phrase to describe sites like Stack Exchange? It's not a forum, it's Questions-and-Answers site, which is quite a long phrase, and not very precise (because it's the site with questions with answers).

Is there any short phrase that I can use to describe Stack Exchange?

For example:

  I'm active participant of the [phrase] called English Language Learners.


texts: The implication of "consist of"--exhaustive composition?

texts:
I would like to know whether "consist of" refers to an exhaustive composition or not?
For example,

Their apartment consists of two bedrooms and a bathroom.

Does this sentence mean the apartment consist of these rooms only, or the apartment might include other components?
Thanks,
Leon


texts:
From a discussion of approaches to grading in college, found at Voice of America News:

  Rios said just because students are not getting letter grades does not mean students can get away without working hard. The detailed reviews by teachers mean they need to understand what is being taught, she said.


texts: What is the opposite of saying "Standing by one's word/promise"?

texts:
I want a word or an expression which means not standing by or sticking with one's promise, in the context of this expression:

  First he promised me something but later he refused it; he should try to stand by his word.


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

texts:
The event attracts visitors and exhibitors from all over the country
  as well as top experts from around the world that are represented with
  pavilions at the fair. (https://www.tradefairdates.com/Securex-South-Africa-M13269/Johannesburg.html)

The bold part is confusing. It seems that "that" refers to "top experts", but how can experts be represented with pavilion? None of the dictionary meaning for "represent" seems to fit in this context. Does this mean "top experts who gather in pavilions at the fair"?


texts:
I know that the adjective "prestigious" can be used for a thing, but what about an individual? I mean if there is an equivalent adjective for people which conveys the same meaning to the second person. Please have a consideration on my self-made example:

  In my opinion, 'Harvard' is the most prestigious university in the world.

But what can I use in the following sentence to fill in the blank:

  he is the most ........ person I have ever seen.

Is it possible to use 'prestigious' for an individual too?
In my mother language we use exactly this word for both senses and this is why I doubt if I know needed information about this adjective or not.


texts:
"It isn't tastes good or fresh."

Is it correct?
My teacher said it's grammar mistake
and I don't know what the correct form is.


texts:
Gabby: Susan, are you okay?

  Susan: I'm just so angry. If Mary Alice was having problems, she
  should have come to us. She should have let us help her.

  Gabby: What kind of problems could she have had? She was healthy, had
  a great home, a nice family. No, if Mary Alice was having some sort of
  crisis, we'd have known. She lives 50 feet away, for god's sake.

  Susan: Gabby, the woman killed herself. Something must have been going
  on.

TV Series: Desperate Housewives
(P.S: They are at a wake talking about her friend, Mary Alice, Who killed herself.)

Shouldn't the bold part be "If Mary Alice had been having problems, she should have come to us"?
As a learner, I have learned that we need to use past perfect for one of the parts in 3rd conditional !


texts: I can't repeat short i when I'm hearing it (I currently use long e instead of short i). How do I learn that or may that be impossible for me?


texts:
i have gone through few documents in google about ‘having+verb3’ and came to know below thing.

‘Having done’ —> can be said as ‘After doing’
Having finished our work, we went home.

We could also say After –ing.

After finishing our work, we went home.

so is that correct or any other opinions?


texts: Can anyone explain to me the subject and object in this sentence?

texts:
I was reading about pronouns and found this rule which I don't get at all.

  The pronouns who, that, and which become singular or plural depending on the subject. If the subject is singular, use a singular verb. If it is plural, use a plural verb.

  Example: He is the only one of those men who is always on time.
  The word who refers to one. Therefore, use the singular verb is.

  Sometimes we must look more closely to find a verb's true subject:

  Example: He is one of those men who are always on time.
  The word who refers to men. Therefore, use the plural verb are.

  In sentences like this last example, many would mistakenly insist that one is the subject, requiring is always on time. But look at it this way: Of those men who are always on time, he is one.

I don't understand this at all. Isn't the subject "He"?


texts:
I'm reading a story and stumbled upon this expression.

What does it mean? And does "pattern" here relate to design or decoration? Thanks a lot.

  Harry blinked. “What?” he said out loud, glancing around, startled, as if wondering who had put that traitorous thought into his head. No one was there.

  He wasn’t blind to patterns. Even if he was, Harry had to be a complete and mindless idiot to miss the way things were resolving themselves into patterns. These last few days, all the accidents, and then Draco Malfoy suddenly appearing each time Harry was in trouble and accidentally saving his life. Of course, not all patterns have a point. He was quite sure crop circles were pointless, as were the designs on sea shells and the way knots on planks of wood sometimes arranged themselves to look like faces. But still, a pattern was useful when it was understood, then it could be manipulated. And Harry understood this one. Somehow, Draco Malfoy had become some sort of protector. Like something had decided it was time for Harry to die and something else beyond his comprehension had decided that Draco Malfoy was the one to ensure that it didn’t happen.


texts:
I'm writing a poem. No matter how much I study, I'm often tripped up in understanding when to use an apostrophe. Hope someone can confirm this is correct.

They thought of us as parents'
Our inadequacies safely disguised...


texts:
I asked the following question this morning: Alternative ways of saying "...., right?"

But my new query is:

What’s the good tag question here in the following conversation apart from “…, right?”:

A (says): “Hey, buddy (harshly). Why do always keep the lights on in this room after you leave?”

B (says): “I always switch off the lights when I leave the room, (…?)”
( saying “Don’t I?” will look odd I guess. So any good question tags to be used here?)

(If the other person is in a bickering mood, saying “…, right?” will not seem strong I guess, because he wants to deal with the other person harshly)

NB: I didn't ask this question in the comments section of the previous question because I had to show some context in it to make it more clear. Therefore kindly don't mark it as duplicate.


texts: Difference between 'mulcted with' and 'mulcted of'

texts:
Mulct means ( mulct something of ) - Take money or possession from (someone) by fraudulent means.

In this context, preposition " of " is understandable with this word.

Example : Before he left for the north, Henry mulcted the citizens of 500 marks.

But today i read a new usage that is 'mulcted with' . There are some sentences in the same context

1.The petitioner was greatly prejudiced as she had been mulcted with these proceedings out of political rivalry.

2.For example, if an employee is involved in embezzlement of funds or is found indulging in demanding and accepting illegal gratification, the employer cannot be mulcted with full back wages on the acquittal of the person by a criminal court, unless it is found that the prosecution is malicious,” a Bench of Justices L. Nageswara Rao and M.R. Shah observed in a recent verdict.

Can you please clarify these two sentences to me. In the first sentence, I am thinking that mulcted with means deceived with. Second one is very unclear to me.


texts: "half the people" or "half of the people"

texts:
…"Prince Prospero was happy and dauntless and sagacious" even though that half the people in his kingdom had been killed by the Red Death.

https://www.jstor.org/stable/3197091?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

Don't you think that after "half" should follow the preposition "of" as in the sentence  "At least half of those books can be sold".


texts: If you want to take an example or several examples, you use the phrase 'for example,' not 'for examples.' Though the word 'example' is a countable noun, why is 'for examples' wrong?


texts: What is "a student-loan refinancing form"?

texts:
Is it a form to borrow money again for your post-graduate program (MBA/Master/PhD) or a form to pay back the loan you have borrowed for your university program?

"SoFi's approach is unique. It reviewed the self-reported income on over 60,000 student-loan refinancing forms from January 2014 to December 2017."

Source:http://www.businessinsider.com/business-school-highest-salary-ranking-sofi-2018-3#1-university-of-pennsylvania-224034-20


texts:
I would like to know if the word "murkiness" in the sentence below is syntactically correct.

  then nothing will remain from him except as a worm creeps in
  murkiness. His life begins and ends with an utmost sensation that
  never exceeds the sensitivity of the skin.


texts: Dichotomous management vs. changing management vs. differential management?

texts:
I would like to ask a question related to management of natural resources.

Let's say that in one area more management approaches have been used during the last decades. Sometimes even contrary to each other. Maybe the term 'chaotic' would be good, but I think the term 'chaos' should be used when the system is chaotic. Whereas in this case, it was caused by human interactions with the natural systems.

If I would like to describe this time period as one event, should I use the term changing management strategies? I.e. it was not the same throughout this period.

Or should I use differential management strategies?, i.e. it changed according to some other conditions.

I suppose that the term dichotomous management is only for two contradicting events.


texts:
In an exercise I am to fill blanks with suitable prepositions

  He does not leave his house ________ 9 o'clock.

Answer according to my book is before but I think I can also use till without any change in meaning.

Another sentence was

  I must start ________ dawn to reach the station in time.

Answer according to book is at but dawn refers to a period of time how can one use at here. I think it should be before dawn


texts: Will it return 1 if I delete one row? -- "[Returns] the number of rows affected ... To remove all rows and get a count pass "1" ..."

texts:
From the SQLiteDatabase documentation:

  public int delete(String table, String whereClause, String[] whereArgs)

  @return
  the number of rows affected if a whereClause is passed in, 0
  otherwise. To remove all rows and get a count pass "1" as the
  whereClause.

I am writing a program, but I can not get the exact meaning of the sentence above? Could anyone help me?

In my opinion, the method will return an int value that tell you how many rows you delete. But it says if you delete all rows, the delete method will return 1. But what if we delete just one row, will it still return 1?


texts:
Which one is grammatically correct?

"Together with Rudolf and Friedrich I wrote this book."
"Together with Rudolf and Friedrich we wrote this book."


texts: How to decompose/parse 'in which + noun'?

texts:
A sixth group that I joined consisted of women who made embroidered pictures and lived in a working-class neighborhood in Maud, in south-eastern Santiago, that was slightly too well-off to be called a shantytovm, and whose inhabitants did not think of themselves as living in a shantytown, and for these reasons I did not examine data from this group for the book.
These groups accepted me as a participant observer, in which role I watched their work and helped as much as I could without changing what they normally did. I observed them for a year, except in the case of one of the groups of women from southern Santiago, which I observed for two months. Even though I concluded the participant observa-tion five years after Pinochet stepped down, the data gained were still pertinent to this book, as they enabled me to learn about the shantytowns and shantytown family life.

Source: p 13, Surviving Dictatorship: A Work of Visual Sociology
By Jacqueline Adams
Does in which  + noun = a noun in which? Even if so, more generally, what are the structures and syntax behind in which + noun? in which is a relative pronoun, right? So how can a noun follow it?


texts: What does "the ugly truth prevails" mean?

texts:
As you probably aware the ugly truth prevails that we cannot achieve our goals without the necessary financial support...

  (from 7 Years Later, volume 1 "Shadows From the Past", page 3 by Alexandra W. Muller)

Please, can anyone tell me what it means?

Perhaps it means something like "rumors are spreading"?


texts: Foundation for humanity with dignity, respect and liberty

texts:
Does any of the following grammatically make sense? How would you write it otherwise?

“We believe a stable home is the foundation for humanity with respect, liberty and dignity.”

Or

“We believe ...foundation for humanity in respect, liberty and dignity.”

It’s the three values (respect, dignity, liberty) in humanity I want to emphasis that my stable home will promote.


texts:
Is there any general rule how to choose between negation prefixes?

Sometimes it's un- like in unpopular or unhealthy, while in other cases it's in- (and its variants) like in impossible or irrelevant.


texts: I am trying to point out the location (-2,2), which one is more idiomatic, "lower left hand corner" or "bottom left hand corner"?


texts: The old stuff of little or no value in your storage room

texts:
Please suppose a woman who doesn't throw not necessary stuff away even after several years. Once when her son opens the storage room's door, he faces lots of not a confused mixture of old things of no use and value. He says:

  Mom! The storage is full of.........but I don’t know why you don't have the heart to throw any of them out.

a) junk

b) odds and ends

c) bric-a-brac

d) mishmash

I would appreciate it if you could let me know which one of the above listed words sounds natural in this self-made sentence? I guess in spite of the fact that they all work here (based on dictionary definitions), there should be a fixed, more common term to refer to this type of things or at least one of these four choices sounds more common / natural. If so, then please let me know what is that term / word?


texts:
It's fine either way.

  Either way is fine.

  I am fine (with) either way.

Are all these constructions usable?


texts:
Are the following examples all acceptable? If so, do they mean the same thing? Any nuances related to aspects?

I've got to think of a way to earn more money.
I've got to figure out a way to earn more money.
I've got to work out a way to earn more money.


texts: Is it conversationally and grammatically correct to say "I usually go jogging in the evening after I finish all my work of the day"?

texts:
I am asking because I feel awkward to say "I finish all my work of the day."

I wanted to say it in that way because I am between jobs so I don't really have a routine work. Sometimes I study, sometimes hang out with my fiends, or work part time.

I want to say that I go jogging at the end of the day, whatever I did during the day time. I thougt that if I say "I usually go jogging after work," it would sound like I go to work every weekdays and I go jogging after I come home from work.


texts: How can I differentiate between the meaning in the following words

texts:
How can I difference between the meaning in the following words?
- Audience it's noun
- Audible it's adjective
- Audition it's also noun
- Auditory it's also adjective

So, my question is we have two adjectives and nouns of the same free word. What is the difference between them in the meaning and how can I use them?
Thanks for your responding


texts: The Difference between "the means of production" vs "means of production"?

texts:
Sometimes I see words like I mentioned that use without using article the.
Is there any difference in meaning?

Because as far as I know we should use article the for the possessive form of non-living things and animals.

  For example: Communism is based on common ownership of the means of production,and communists believe in a classless society.

My question is that sometimes I see some words like "means of transport/communication/expression", why we don't use "the means of transport" instead?


texts:
I think the part after the 'which' in boldface is already a complete sentence. What does it refer to?

She is held fast by the corporeal, which the continual association and constant care of the body have wrought into her nature.
-- Plato's Phaedo 81


texts:
In the following question:

It is to the novelist's credit that all of the episodes in her novel are presented realistically, without any _____ or playful supernatural tricks.
A) elucidation
B) discrimination
C) artlessness
D) authenticity
E) whimsy

To fill in the blank, I made use of “or,” which means something opposite of supernatural should go into the blank. That's why I chose “C) artlessness,” which also means natural and untrained.
But the answer is “E) whimsy.” Where did I go wrong? What is the author trying to convey?


texts:
I want to know the meaning of the phrase "swinging at the issue" in this sentence:

When bad things happen we typically compounded the problem by swinging at the issue.


texts:
I'm writing something and there are a couple of things that I get mixed up.

  I'm (committing / devoting) too much time to preparing myself for getting a job. I'm kind of being intense about getting a job.

I think devoting is right, but I'd like to know if I could use committing here.
I think intense about something means giving too much energy about something, and that's why I used it in the sentence. but, I'm not sure exactly what intense means.

It would mean a lot to me, if you could help me.


texts: Is this a simple or a compound sentence?

texts:
I was reading an article about types of sentences. It seemed very easy to understand simple and compounds at first, but there is something wrong with the examples! Please read the following sentence:

  Mary and Samantha arrived at the bus station early but waited until
  noon for the bus.

As you can see there is a coordinative conjunction "but" in this sentence and I belive that this is compound. But in the written text it was classified as a simple sentence! The writer mentioned that "arrived" and "waited" is a compound verb, while the whole sentence is considered to be a simple sentence.


texts:
I learned that I can not put -ing form after the infinitive-to; I should put base form of verb
after the infinitive-to.

However, in this sentence, (this is from my textbook.)

They were able to dedicate all of their time to ensuring that I did well in school.

I can see ing form is used after infinitive to.

I am curious that why this sentence is grammatical even though it violates the constraint, and I want to know if I can change given sentence into They were able to dedicate all of their time to ensure that I did well in school.


texts:
can anyone tell me which one is the correct sentence in these two sentences?

New York City, where Jordan was born in, is in the United States of America.

New York City, which Jordan was born in, is in the United States of America.


texts: What is the meaning of "get over" in the following sentence?

texts:
What is the meaning of "get over" in the following sentence (Source: PHONICS PC COMICS Volume 3 Issue 1),

  You two really grew a lot this year. I cannot get over how tall
  you both are. The doctor will be amazed at my two big boys!

?

Does "I cannot get over how tall you both are" mean "I cannot know how tall you both are" or "I cannot overcome how tall you both are"?


texts: what does "on the go" mean in this sentence?

texts:
Before starting Hike, he founded a start-up that launched an iPhone app that allowed users to buy movie tickets on the go.

source: http://www.cnbc.com/2016/05/31/bharti-airtel-chairman-sunil-mittals-son-kavin-betting-big-on-mobile-app-hike.html


texts: '[preposition] whom' vs. '[preposition] who' vs. 'who ... [preposition]'

texts:
A1. To whom were you speaking?
A2. To who were you speaking?
A3. Who were you speaking to?
B1. They asked to whom I was speaking.
B2. They asked to who I was speaking.
B3. They asked who I was speaking to.

A1 and B1 are formal English, but, as we know, one can replace 'whom' with 'who' nowadays.
I'm unsure if this replacement implies the movement of the preposition (to in the above examples) towards the end of the sentence—like in A3 and B3—,  or not—like in A2 and B2? If so, is there difference under this aspect between the case in which the sentence is affirmative (B2 and B3) and the case in which the sentence is interrogative (A2 and A3)?


texts: Is the use of "booking-hotel agancy" in the following question correct lexically?

texts: Where is there  a booking-hotel counter or agancy in this airport?


texts: Is 'take out' phrase idiomatic in this context?

texts:
Let's say I am in airplane, my luggage is in the overhead compartment and very heavy. I want to request the person adjacent to me

  If you don't mind, can you please take out my bag from the overhead compartment?

Is the phrase take out natural for the native speakers? If not, what is the natural way to say this?


texts: Questions regarding the following quote: "There's one piece of television program that I will never forget"

texts:
Here's a context:

Q: what was the most memorable episode of a TV show you've watched?
A: There's one piece of television program that I will never forget. It was....

In this situation, it is the piece(episode) of the TV show, not the television program itself.
Therefore, I think this should be transformed into:

There's one piece that I will never forget of television program.

There's one piece of television program, which I will never forget.

Questions:

Here, is piece referring to a scene or episode?

Why is it that 'a' is not used right before 'television program'?

Is there any difference between television program and TV show?


texts: Meaning in context: through yield, return 15%, etc

texts:
“Fundamentals matter less in an environment like this,” said Orlando Green, a fixed-income strategist at Credit Agricole SA’s corporate and investment banking unit in London. “It’s very much driven by circumstance. Investors are looking for where they can pick up a little extra return through yield. You’ve seen that with Portugal having rallied despite everything that’s been going on.”
French 10-year yields slid seven basis points, or 0.07 percentage point, this week to 1.57 percent at the 5 p.m. close in London. They dropped to 1.562 percent today, the least since Bloomberg began collecting the data in 1990. The 1.75 percent security due November 2024 rose 0.63, or 6.30 euros per 1,000-euro ($1,351) face amount, to 101.66. The rate was little changed today.
...
The benchmark German 10-year yield declined five basis points in the week to 1.16 percent, ending the trading day yesterday at a record-low 1.15 percent. The rate on similar- maturity Portuguese debt fell 20 basis points, the biggest weekly drop since the five days through April 18.
Portuguese government securities returned 15 percent this year through yesterday, the best-performing euro-area sovereign debt market after Greece, according to Bloomberg World Bond Indexes. Their French peers gained 6.8 percent and Germany’s rose 5.5 percent.
-- French Yields Fall to Records With Bunds’ on Ukraine Safety Bid Link

How do I understand through yield?
And the second bold sentence sounds a bit weird to me. How could the security rise 0.63 to 101.66? Does it mean the original price of the security with the yield of 1.75% was 101.03 euros and rose 0.63 euro per face value of 100 euros?
Does the returned here mean yielded a return of 15% or prices rebounded by 15%?


texts:
Dialogue:

  — Don't even think about going out.
  — Why? I'll tell mom you broke a glass.
  — You tell on me, I tell on you.
  — What? I'm clean. I didn't do anything!

Is the bolded expression widely used? Is there a way to rephrase it?


texts: What is the meaning of "making a career"?

texts:
Is the phrase making a career true in English?
If so, what does it mean?


texts:
When you say you are a fan of someone, do you say "I am a fan" or "I've been a fan"?
Please see my example below:

A: Why did you buy this CD? It's full of crappy tracks!
Me: I bought it because I am a fan of this band.

Or is it more correct to say that you are a fan by using present perfect continuous?

Me: I bought it because I've been a long-time fan of this band.


texts:
I am very confused with this question and I wonder if someone will be so kind to take the time and try to explain this, because I can't find an explanation along these lines. When it comes to articles, one thing is to go by the rules and another is actual usage in daily conversations. When I'm looking at something like the text below, I get totally stuck and I have no idea how to explain why is it the way it is.

If this is not too presumptuous, I would like to ask someone who is very nice and patient to go a line at a time in these famous lyrics and explain the articles (why "the" and not "a"). I'll mark the ones that stand out for me.

First of all, why is the song called "Eye of the tiger" and why not "The eye of the tiger"? And why definite, why not "An eye of a tiger" or "The eye of a tiger"? Agh!!!

Thanks, guys :)

Rising up, back on the street
Did my time, took my chances
Went the distance, now I'm back on my feet
Just a man and his will to survive

So many times it happens too fast
You trade your passion for glory
Don't lose your grip on the dreams of the past
You must fight just to keep them alive

It's the eye of the tiger
It's the thrill of the fight
Rising up to the challenge of our rival
And the last known survivor
Stalks his prey in the night
And he's watching us all with the eye of the tiger

Face to face, out in the heat
Hanging tough, staying hungry
They stack the odds still we take to the street
For the kill with the skill to survive

Rising up, straight to the top
Had the guts, got the glory
Went the distance, now I'm not gonna stop
Just a man and his will to survive


texts:
I'm confused with a sentence that would ask for concerns in business writing.
Which of the below sentences is correct to use:

  Let us know if any concerns.

or

  Let us know concerns if any.


texts: (A reading material) will be released "through/via vs. on" the website

texts:
In my mother tongue, through/via X also has a meaning of "something conveyed by means of X" as well as "something piercing X", so we're constantly tempted to express a similar concept using through/via. For example, if someone says like;

This reading material will be released through/via this website.

then we can understand that the material will soon be posted on that website.
The problem is, I'm still unsure of whether it has a similar meaning in the real English usages. Is it idiomatic to use through/via in that kind of sentence? Would it be more natural to simply use on?


texts:
I've been told that the article for 'same' is always 'the', but sometimes I think it feels right to say 'in a same way' when I have not yet but am going to talk about the way or when I won't talk about it at all because that is not important.

For example, I just said (at another place)

  A and B are used in the same way, A+ and B+.

but could I say it with 'a' instead of 'the'?

  A and B are used in a same way, A+ and B+.


texts:
Is it correct to say the following sentence?

  By drinking, I am trying to forget things, even if temporarily.

Or I should put it inside parenthesis? Like

  By drinking, I am trying to forget things (even if temporarily).


texts: Short clauses taking a comma (he's and she's) style or rule

texts:
So I read that short clauses taking commas is a style choice but preferably the use of a semi-colon, full stop, conjunction  is accurate. As in:

  Experts teach; peers comfort (or and).

But if for example you had:

  Donna's good at football, she's always scoring goals.

or:

Joey's so good at football, he's talented.

Or shorter:

  Donna's great, she's a star.

Do these fall into the same rules? You see this usage informally from time to time.

Can he's and she's not act as a conjunction in these instances?


texts:
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center President and CEO Dr. Craig Thompson (not to be confused with Mayo's Thompson) hedges on the metabolic theory of cancer. "While the arguments raised [by Seyfried and others] have been considered by the growing field of cancer metabolism, most investigators have moved on to consider other explanations for the observations,"

What does 'to hedge on' mean in this context?  I've read OED's entry on 'hedge' and couldn't figure out.


texts:
Imagine there is an oversensitive friend who often easily gets upset in some cases that rarely bother other people or hurt someone's feelings amd that it's strarting to be annoying. Once you decide to advise him in a friendly manner and inform him that he'd better not be such a touchy / softy / irritable person.

OR

Someone is backbiting and speaking about your friends character to his audience and you unwantedly overhear his conversation.

Following the related cases above, I would be thankful if you could let me know whether the sentences bellow would work in a natural and idiomatic way. If not, then how shall one indicate such messages:

  Don't be such a touchy person / such a softy  / such an irritable person.
  He is so touchy / softy / irritable.

P.S. I've taken a look on the similar thread here and looked up all the dictionaries and cannot define where and why each word should be used!

The only difference I found between them is that the word "irritable" is a formal one while the other two are not!


texts:
Perennial:(of plants) continuing to live from year to year

Would you kindly explain this part: from year to year?


texts: When you are going to make clear that who you were just talking about was someone else and not the person you are talking to

texts:
How naturally shall one indicate that who I was talking about / who I mentioned ... was someone else and not you (the listener)? I have made some examples and have no any idea if they work properly here:

  1- I wasn't implying you by that.
  2- I wasn't implying that it was you.
  3- I didn't mean you.


texts:
I have recently learned about infinitives. I know that infinitives act as nouns in the sentence rather than verbs, and that most infinitives are 'to + verb'.
Now bare infinitives have created a lot of confusion. Majority of the websites mention that bare infinitives act as main verbs after the auxiliary verb. My confusion is why we call them infinitives if they act as verbs? Or can bare infinitives work as a noun or noun phrase?
He does not sing well.
Does is an auxiliary verb in this sentence. So sing should be the main verb. But, infinitives don't act as verbs. Please help me clear up the idea of infinitives.


texts:
I have read many of sources about 'as well as' but honestly speaking even English users seem to be either confused on this or maybe no particular rule is in books. My actual confusion is about VERB FORM after 'as well as'. Some say there should be parallelism but some say that the next verb should be INGform... whatever the answer could be, there comes another difficulty for me. What form is to be used in this?

I must repent of this as well as leave this.

I must repent of this as well as leaving this.

I must repent of this as well as I leave this.

NOTE:I mean to say that I shouldn't only regret what I have done but also never do it again. This sentence isn't about the comparison of degrees.


texts: Formal way of thanking someone for pointing out a mistake

texts: When a colleague points out a mistake you made, is it too formal to respond: "Thanks for alerting me to this mistake." What would be an alternative to "Thanks, my bad!"


texts:
Someone posted a joke on social media and I want to encourage her to keep sending more. Will the followings work? Is there another phrase that's (more) idiomatic or appropriate for achieving my aim?

Keep sending jokes

Keep sending more jokes

Keep up sending jokes

Keep up sending more jokes


texts: Why "owing to" meaning has been "because of"?

texts:
In dictionary "Owe" meaning has been defined as "to feel the need or
  obligation to do, give, etc"

I haven't understood that why "Owing to" meaning has been "because of" but owe meaning is "to feel the need or obligation to do, give, etc"

Please anyone teaches me.
(addedly, Many Asian students haven't well understood that.)


texts: What does the expression "Goodbye eighth place, hi checkered flag" mean here?

texts:
I have heard the following expression in a racing game's description:

  Goodbye eighth place, hi checkered flag.

As far as I remember, the context was about getting bonus points by collecting the identical items while racing. This triggers a mode in which the player becomes invincible.

Maybe I am missing something that can be guessed by native speakers.


texts: What is the meaning of "war capacity of an aircraft"?

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

  The photocopying of sensitive documents on the war capacity of the Rafale combat aircraft and their leakage is a conspiracy.

What is the meaning of "war capacity" here?
According to paradoxwikis.com, it means - War Capacity is a measure for how capable a nation is of continuing and possible winning a war. But that doesn't fit here.


texts:
The text is:

  The free of them sat in silence for a moment, the only sound the crackling of the fire.

I can guess, the text should be "The free of them sat in silence for a moment, the only sound is the crackling of the fire."

Can you explain to me why "IS" is missed and what missing "IS" is meaning for English people.


texts:
I want to ask my colleague till what time he is supposed to work here, and what is latest time has has worked at office, Can I ask him

  What is the latest have you worked here?

Is this expression idiomatic?


texts: "at any time" vs "on any time" vs "in any time"? How use?

texts:
For example:

Should I always mount with the noinit_itable option to mount all ext4 device at(or "on" or "in") any time?

If you can't understand above text then:

"Should I always mount with the noinit_itable option to mount one ext4 device at(or "on" or "in") any time?"this new text can more help you try guess my mean?please.

link to context


texts: How do I make this more formal? The part of the sentence: a lot of the times.


texts: Using 'can' twice in a compound sentence

texts:
This thing has been bugging me for so long. My question is - should I use can twice in THIS compound sentence.

"On our website, you can buy stuff online and can also request delivery anywhere in the US".

Some people don't use the second can, so I was wondering whether I have been doing it wrong the whole time?


texts: Is this short sentence correctly punctuated?

texts:
Take a look at the above-mentioned sentence.

We buy more, possess more but forget our responsibility towards the society

Is this correctly punctuated?


texts: How to describe this font feature in English?

texts:
I am trying to find one word to say one thing but cannot.
Let's see:

I've tried googling for one font that has this feature but I have not managed to so far. Can someone please help?


texts: "Wig one," "wig two," "wig three," and "wig four"

texts:
What is the meaning of "wig one," "wig two," "wig three," and "wig four" in the following sentences?

  A big box sat upon a mat. Can Dog win the big box? Dog got the box!
  Fox got wig one. Ox got wig two. Cat got wig three. Dot got wig four.
  Don got wig five. What a lot in a big box!

Does it mean "Fox got one wig. Ox got two wigs. Cat got three wigs. Dot got four wigs. Don got five wigs"? Or does it mean "Fox got the first wig. Ox got the second wig. Cat got the third wig. Dot got the fourth wig. Don got the fifth wig"?


texts: In US English, is the word "notch" used while referring to books or lists?

texts:
What is the meaning of the word "notch" in this sentence:

As Keith rattled off the names of things they would need for the project, Sierra mentally added a notch to her list of "wanted" items.

Does this mean some kind of mark?

I am familiar with other meanings of this word "notch," but I'm not familiar with this usage. Can anyone please explain what this word means?


texts: Describing an action in the very early stage of "something"

texts:
What is the appropriate sentence to describe something that someone was used to do at the early stage of coming to the USA? I would say:

"When I came to the US and want to ask Walmart's employees about something, they would ..."

I believe the problem of  When I came to the US is that describes the moment of entering the USA and not the early stage (e.g., the first few months).


texts: "the vector v contains" vs. "vector v contains" - should one use the definite article here?

texts:
Assume in a text we have two vectors v and z. Each vector contains m elements.
Which one is correct:

1- " the vector v contains ..."

2- " vector v contains ..."


texts: Is there anything you could tell me? / Do you have anything to tell me?

texts:
Am I right that the first question asks about a specific case which is known, but the second one - about something indefinite/uncertain?

Is there anything you could/can tell me?

Do you have anything to tell me?


texts: What is essence of this dialogue between two men and meaning of off slant?

texts:
One day President Harper met this young Oriental on the campus, stopped to chat with him for a few minutes, and asked what had impressed him as being the most noticeable characteristic of the American people.

  "Why", the Chinaman exclaimed, "the queer slant of your eyes. Your eyes are off slant!" What do we say about the Chinese? We refuse to believe that which we do not understand.

What does the words in bold means ?

Thank You


texts:
The phrase "reach agreement" means that all participants agree something, not just one individual participant  So, in this:

  link
  Tichelman was arrested on July 4 after police said a detective lured her back to the Santa Cruz area by posing as a potential client and reaching agreement on a price of more than $1,000.

, could "a detective ...reaching agreement"  be wrong, because only one party is explicitly mentioned as having reached agreement?  Would "a detective ...reaching agreement with her" be better?


texts: How should I address the readers in a product review?

texts:
Occasionally, I leave reviews on the games I play. I mostly use "the player" or "players" in my text to have a rather formal tone. However, my formal writing is not as rigid as you may suspect as I keep it simple and avoid the use of unnecessary fancy words. I can't help but feel it's getting heavy with too many "players...players...".
Would it be OK to address the reader with personal nouns (you), or even a mix of "players" and "you" to keep it diverse?


texts:
I am trying to assign a human readable tag that describes how good an object is. For example grading a student's paper:

string quality = grade_paper(string paper);

The quality has to be an alphabetical string (specifically not a number).

Before I can proceed, I need a list of qualities I can report. Here's what I have so far:

  very poor, poor, fair, good, excellent, outstanding, perfect

This list seems unbalanced because perfect implies the complete absence of flaws.

Is there a single word that is the opposite of perfect? Perfectly bad just seems like a kludge.


texts:
I'm drafting a court motion and I'm having trouble starting the next sentence.

  Bill's only intention in this divorce is to cause severe emotional anguish. ..... Bill and Ms. Attorney made false statements and misrepresentations of material facts...

Would I say "Which Bill and Ms. Attorney" or Whereas Bill and Ms. Attorney"?


texts: 'Does registration remain' or 'does registration remains'

texts:
I'm confused between these two sentences:

Till what time of the day does the registration remain open?

Till what time of the day does the registration remains open?

I understand that 'does' is always used with a singular noun. But my confusion is with the form of verb for 'remain'.
Please also explain your answer to prevent future conflict of the same sort.


texts: What is the difference between 'inevitable' and 'ineluctable'

texts:
Both inevitable and ineluctable are words in the dictionary that mean something is impossible to avoid.

So do we use them in a same or different context?


texts:
I was going through this link - http://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/worth-or-worthwhile

However, I cannot find that the following sentence is wrong.

I wrote -

In conclusion, it all depends on the student whether taking a gap year is worth or not.

My teacher corrected -

In conclusion, it all depends on the student whether taking a gap year is worthwhile or not.

My question is why it is worthwhile and not worth.
Here the gap year is like a noun. So, I am saying whether that noun is worth or not.
For example -
Do you think that buying a car (noun) is worth or not?


texts: "Would not that we should not" double negative?

texts:
From Literary English Reading:

  I would not that we should not trespass against the Divine Law for justice.

What is this construction? Is this "should" the same as "would"? Not like "It is important that you do it."?


texts: "0.4 point" or "0.4 points"? "1.0 point" or "1.0 points"?

texts:
I still can't wrap my head around this one and have to consult references every time I want to be safe:

Is it "0.4 point" or "0.4 points"?
Is it "1.0 point" or "1.0 points"?

I know that I can work around that by using four tenths of a point or one point instead, but sometimes writing 0.4 point/points or 1.0 point/points is called for, especially in technical documents.

I gathered that this mostly goes by the style guide I choose to (or have to) use, and it's quite possible that there is no universally accepted convention for this. Then again, in light of potential benefits for learners here, I think it's worth asking, and I hope that we can lay out some rules of thumb, something that can be used as a general guideline, especially on writing tests and exams.

Addendum: another case that's worth mentioning in answers, for completeness, is "0.0 point" or "0.0 points"? In my humble opinion, it's safe to assume that most learners on our site know what to use when the quantity falls out of the range between -1.0 and 1.0.


texts: Placement of comma in order to be grammatically correct

texts:
He drew a deep breath as they slowly lowered the rope.
  He drew a deep breath as, slowly, they lowered the rope.
  He drew a deep breath as slowly, they lowered the rope.

I wrote the sentence above (no. 3) and someone told me that it's grammatically incorrect. The grammatically correct ones should be sentence number 1 or number 2.

I know that comma means pause, but I am puzzled why the correct answers are in two forms. Could someone please explain to me?


texts:
I met him last summer, I asked him what he was doing over here and he said he'd come over to release a single and I thought...

Was it obligatory to backshift, could he have written:

  "and he said he came over"

I think the sequence of events is clear: he obligatory came over before he said "I came over". Am I right? So why did he choose to backshift?

Is it because of "was doing" because the fact of coming over happened before what he was doing.


texts: What do you call the battery slot's ends? By that, I mean the spring and the little round flat end for the plus and minus ends of the battery. Do they have a name? I looked up on the Internet, but couldn't find anything.


texts:
Do these two phrases mean the same?

Be pleased to listen to me!
Please listen to me!

You can find the first one here http://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=antisthenes_of_athens:xenophon_symposium_4


texts: Can 'those' be used as a substitute for 'ones'?

texts:
Is the following statement correct?

  We don't use TableA properties because they conflict with TableB those.

I think that it should be "TableB ones", while my friend says that "TableB ones" is incorrect, and that it should be "the TableB ones" or "TableB those".


texts: "How many billion" or "How many billions"?

texts:
I know that we have to use a plural noun after How many, and I also know that we have to say "five billion dollars", not "five billions
dollars" (OALD)

So why does the writer write like this:

  Here’s How Many Billions Evan Spiegel Has Lost Since Snap’s IPO
  (Fortune)


texts:
What do you call the word preceding "of"?
A of B
the paintings of Monet
I mean the words "A" and "the paintings" in these examples. I forgot how you call it.
Sorry, we have any academic/specific/grammatical name that refers to those words, like "anaphora". I don't mean they are anaphora, though.


texts:
I have a question in my textbook:

What was Franz expected to be prepared with for school that day?

Is "prepare with" a phrasal verb?
Can I say : "I am preparing with mathematics tasks for school" ?

Please answer, sirs.


texts:
I'm making some video to spread awareness about coronavirus. In the end, I need to give people a message that along with washing hands, you should also clean your laptop, mouse, phone and similar stuff to prevent infection. Here's what I have:

Option 1: Keep washing your hands, clean and disinfect your laptop,
mouse, smartphone etc. daily to prevent infection.

Option 1(b): Keep washing your hands; clean and disinfect your laptop,
mouse, smartphone etc. daily to prevent infection.

Option 2: Keep washing your hands, clean and disinfect your laptop,
mouse, smartphone and similar stuff daily to prevent infection.

Problem with 1st I see is etc.daily which seem like the sentence ended just before daily. Is it really so?

To correct above, I changed it slightly. But does it make sense? Would similar stuff also relate to stuff similar to hand washing? Or only to the latter part of the sentence which is about accessories?


texts: What exactly is different in "plans" and "future predictions"?

texts:
As I know, usage of going to + infinitive structure is preferred for future plans. For instance:

  I'm going to learn English this year.

But we can you will for "future prediction":

  I will learn English this year.

What actually different between these sentences?


texts: Sequence of tenses when the main clause is in "present perfect"

texts:
Do the tenses match in the following sentences?

John, two years ago you left India and settled in Australia for a good job. I hope Australia has given you the things that this country did not give/has not given you.

Note that John is still in Australia when I am saying this.


texts:
During a debate in the House of Lords on affairs in Morocco, at a
  moment when that country, for the fifth time in seven years, had
  brought half Europe to the verge of war, he had interpolated the
  remark “a little Moor and how much it is,” but in spite of the
  encouraging reception accorded to this one political utterance he was
  never tempted to a further display in that direction.

Source: Short Stories of Saki

Why did this political utterance get the encouraging reception?


texts:
What's the meaning of "a bleak shadow of"?

  Even the landscape of their resettlement proved a bleak shadow of West Bank terrain: “Those who fled from the West Bank left behind them fertile areas for the semi- desert plains of the East Bank”


texts: What are the differences between these sentences

texts:
What is the difference between

  "He always had a plan"?

And

  "He always has a plan"?


texts: Can the definite article "the" follow phrases like "a number of" or "a lot of" and why?

texts:
Can the definite article, "the" be used after the idiomatic phrases like "a number of" or "a lot of"? And I would like to know the reason for the answer.

I made example sentences below.

  A number of people/the people have become members of the organization.

  We have a lot of things/the things to do.

  Plenty of liquid/the liquid is on the floor.

Thank you. :)


texts:
Poor single mothers in Egypt often borrow money from the bank to support their families. They also buy on credit things like a daughter's trousseau. Then they fail to pay off their debts and end up in jail. The Arabic word for women who go to jail as a result of failing to pay their debts is gharimat. How can we describe them in English with as few words as possible? I'm thinking defaulters.

Edit

I intend to use the word in a news headline:

  Mr. X's philanthropy releases 500 gharimats from prison.


texts:
I consulted Definition 1, in which the definition and examples are ambiguous about the connotation. Yet Definition 1.2 is surely negative: '...to be rid ....'
So what's the connotation?
 I thought to include another example from p 63, Ward Farnsworth:

  Your defense comes from federal law, but my initial claim
  against you doesn’t. So the case is consigned to the state courts.

I also consulted http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=consign&searchmode=none; the etymology for 'consign' is partially:

  from com- "together" (see com-) + signare "to sign, mark," from signum "sign"

This suggests an air of officialdom and austerity, but is this true presently?


texts: Their love of (something) and (something) make/makes (I forget what was here). (sorry i forgot the blanks it was on an sat test)


texts:
I was listening to a debate on the radio. There was a guest who was not a native English speaker.

He was pronouncing the verb "negotiate" as "/nego'si'eit/".

I supposed that  he made a mistake but, when he used this pronunciation multiple times, I decided to search and came across with this thread on WR.

However, there are many contradictory answers.

That motivated me to ask a similar question here.


texts: Passive voice with both transitive and intransitive verb

texts:
Somethings confused me. I think i didn't understand something. When I translated 1. and 2. sentences, I saw passive voice(doing by someone). But I translated third sentence I didn't saw passive voice this time. Is these are passive voice or not?
1- They are bited.
2- Robots are controlled.
All verbs which I used in here can be transitive and intransitive. But why these are isn't passive?
3- They are worked.(I mean, by employers)
BotIf all uses are wrong how can I correct these are? By adding end of the sentences "by someone"? I hope I explained.


texts:
Suppose you buy something like a car and after the deal, you find out that it has many mechanical problems and it didn't cost that much and the seller has conned you. please let me know that Which one of the following sentences sounds more natural to you? Meanwhile, I would be thankful if you give your suggestions and say me what would you as native speaker say it this circumstance:

  He stuck me with his lemon of a car.
  He stuck me with the terrible deal on his lemon of a car.

Here I found out that the idiom "stick someone with something" means: "to force someone to have or do something less desirable", but I do not tend to talk about the satisfaction or dissatisfaction of the buyer after the contract! Instead,I'm going to talk about what he things about the type of the contract he has done.


texts:
How do I know when to you "to + V-ing" in English?

The following sentences are completely correct, could someone explain how grammatically correct? Or there are exceptions? For example, why not use "I look forward to see you" and "he admitted to take his money" instead?

The key to being more productive is
I look forward to seeing you.
He admitted to taking the money.
Scientists are closer to being able to...
Seven steps to reaching your goals!


texts: What's the right phrase to convey that a news agency went up a rank?

texts:
CNN gained more authority as a news source.

I tried to find lines similar to the one above, but couldn't find any, so I am thinking this is not quite the right way to say this.


texts: Is this online sentence validator working?

texts:
I am an Indian, non native speaker of English.

I was searching for a website/online tool which can validate English sentence for the below.

Grammatical mistakes
Meaning of that sentence, it is ok to get the meaning in English itself.

I found scribens, but I am not sure that site is working properly, because most of the it says as 'correct text', as per scribens all 3 sentences below are correct. (I am not sure about it)

  I am working at Toronto.
      I am working in Toronto.
      I am working on Toronto.

Is the tool working correctly? Can all of these be correct?


texts: Why is the singular use of the word "mind" correct here?

texts:
People are losing their mind over the pandemic.
People are losing their minds over the pandemic.
The second one undoubtedly is grammatically correct, but is the first one correct as well? If so, then why?


texts:
From a tutorial

Use this template to visualize the changing fortunes of people or groups in competition with each other, like political candidates, countries' populations or football teams.

The first bar in the plot represents China urban population for 2017.
I searched all the meanings in the Cambridge Dictionary but didn't find an item similar to "population".
Could "fortunes" mean "population" for some situations?


texts:
It's a shame but I hadn't noticed we can use relative clauses without "the" until saw the comments of my answer to this question

It suggests there is difference between:

  The boys who are 16 years old

and

  Boys who are 16 years old

The first sentence is not true about any boy who is 16 while the second is. What is the rule? For example, I think I can't use a singular noun here to say

  Boy who is 16 years old....

However I can say,

  A boy who is 16 years old...

In general, can I conclude "the" before nouns in relative clauses is just a coincident and the noun can be in any form (general or specific)? And when we use "the" we are always specific and "the things which ..." never means "any thing which ..."?


texts: What does the "point of reference" mean?

texts:
I've read a sentence below.

  "James Hamilton Paterson (1993) suggests that these phantom islands
  operated as Levi-Straus's "floating signifiers" to provide comfort and
  points of reference within the void of ignorance - the terra
  incognita."

What does this "points of reference" mean?
Is there any paraphrase?


texts: 'Is influenced' - Helping verb and main verb in different tenses

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I have learnt that both helping and main verb should be in the same tenses.

For example: The design of ABC was influenced by DEF.
In the above sentence, since the main verb influenced is in past tense, the helping verb was is appropriate.

However, I have seen the following sentences, where the tenses of both helping verb and the main verb do not match.

For example:

The design of ABC is influenced by DEF
He is scared by many incidents.

Both in examples 1 and 2, the tense of helping verb is doesn't match with the tense of main verb.

Is this wrong or acceptable? Please explain.


texts:
If someone is eating and that falls on the person by mistake,  what will be a natural way to describe that?  Actually a kid's eating and when  he throws it on himself,  his mom asks him to be more careful and the boy replies:

  I threw it on myself, not you.

  It fell on me,  not you.

What sounds better #1 or #2? What would you use if neither of these sound natural?


texts:
Are the following sentences natural?

  A discount of 15% is offered on an order for 10–29 copies, 20% on 30–59, and 25% on 60 or more.

  A 15% discount is offered on orders for 10–29 copies, 20% on 30–59, and 25% on 60 or more.

  A 15% discount is offered on orders of 10–29 copies, 20% on orders of 30–59, and 25% on orders of 60 or more.


texts: Is "Alien" a term normally used for foreigners?

texts:
When used in the context of foreigners, rather than extra-terrestrial beings, is "Alien" commonly used?

I suspect that it's only used in legal contexts, such as government forms. But I'm not totally familiar with American English, so I don't know if it's more common in the USA. Is it used outside of legal contexts there? For example, could you say "Aliens are surprised when I tell them I don't have a television"?


texts:
When you cook something (Let's say "seafood pasta") by following a recipe, do you say "I am cooking seafood pasta from a recipe"?
i.e., Do you say "cook ... from a recipe"?
Or do you say "cook ... after a recipe?
Or else?