texts: What's the difference between "standing" and "who/which stood"?

texts:
I saw him standing in the doorway.
  I saw him who stood in the doorway.

Is there any difference between the two in meaning?


texts:
I was looking at one of the sentence in my textbook and I just wondered if this sentence is correct:

  It's too good a position for him to let go.

Isn't

  It's such a good position for him to let go

sound better?

Thank you


texts:
Is there any difference between the following sentences?

  Could not you help him?
  Could you not help him?

For me, it seems as if the first sentence is more like a complaint 'You didn't help him, I'm angry at you' while the second one is 'Could you stay away and not help him? I want him to do it on his own'.

  Didn't you help him?  Did you not help him?

In this pair, I read the first one as 'I think you helped him. Didn't you?' and the second as 'Did you refuse to help him?'. Am I right?


texts: "was" or "had been" to describe past event/accomplishment

texts:
I am making the below comment under the leadership section on my resume.

I would like to know if the following sentence is grammatically correct, and whether I can replace 'was' with 'had been' in the first half of the sentence.

  I was ordained for captaincy in high school, and undertook various leadership responsibilities during college.


texts: expressions of concentration or pH- "a solution of...." or "a solution with..."?

texts:
I wonder if the following expressions are correct. (edited)

[A]I prepared a solution such as below:

  a solution of pH 3
  a solution with pH 3
  a solution with a pH of 3
  a solution of a pH of 3

[B]I prepared a solution such as below:

  a 3 nM buffer solution
  a buffer solution of 3 nM
  a buffer solution of 3 nM concentration
  a buffer solution with a concentration of 3 nM
  a buffer solution of a concentration of 3 nM

I'm not a native speaker and confused.  Especially, can I use [B]-2 or 3 expressions?


texts: How to excuse if we sleep more than we should

texts:
Consider both formal  and informal (among friends ) situations. How to excuse if we slept more than we should have therefore we were late somewhere we were supposed to be. For example:

Situation 1: Someone could not show up for work on time what would they say to their boss?

Situation 2: Someone misses a concert (at least its beginning) what would they say to their friends?


texts: Please explain the use of "The" or no use of "The". In the first blanks

texts:
I would like to understand the use of the article "The" to mention the company name and also the not use of "The" to write the names of companies.

Eg.

  Notice that the first, second and fourth blanks disregard complements. The first one, in special, disregards the article the because it's just needless, hence the clause results in:
  [∅] Alba Motor Company sells [∅] car components. The company has a representative in Dubai.

(post discussing an example quiz question)

To expand on my question above, I question the use rule whether or not to use the article in this question. I would like to understand why, for example, at Coca-Cola Company "The Coca-Cola Company" is mentioned on the packaging, do you know how to explain the use and exception of "The" article?


texts: "the same ... as" or "the same ... that"?

texts:
The channel broadcast the same piece of news that was broadcast yesterday.

  The channel broadcast the same piece of news as was broadcast yesterday.

Which one of the above are more idiomatic/grammatical?


texts: I was searching for a suitable word for a piece of writing composed for speaking  high of a pious man, such as a saint. I found one:  encomium. Can we use the word 'encomium' for a piece of poetic writing praising a saint?


texts: Why don't English speakers like sentence in the passive form?

texts: In my native language (Indonesian), the passive form is used as frequently as the active form, if not more often. So I read passive sentence in English without problem. I also see it more convenient to use the passive form when the subject in the active form is not important in the sentence, and there are lots of cases for that. Why do English speakers usually distaste passive sentence and often advise me to use more active sentences? I would love to hear some background culture influence or thinking process so I can understand it deeper. Thanks.


texts: Is this sentence ambiguous? 'Tom left directions for Sam to follow.'

texts:
I know that some sentences can have different meanings when speaking them with different intonations.

But in this sentence, 'Tom left directions for Sam to follow', could have different meaning?

The book about phonology what I see now says it can have two meanings.

Tom wanted to Sam to follow him. (accent on 'follow')
Tom left a set of directions he wanted Sam to use. (accent on 'directions')

In my opinion, the verb 'left' provokes the difference.
But I can't understand the two different meanings of them. It looks the same to me.


texts: An another 15 days? Or an other 15 days?

texts:
I was talking to a customer at my job and I told the customer that his account allowed him to have service without having to pay for his bill immediately for "an extra 15 days". I was just looking to rephrase this and know whether this is right or wrong.

Should it be:

Your account gives you 15 days extra after your due date?

Or

You get another/other 15 days of service even after your due date?

Is another/other usable on here?


texts: What does "..we are having in opposite researches in our own politics..." mean in this video?

texts:
I was listening to a video interview between WSJ and Berkeley law professor John Yoo, about Trump Jr having meeting Russians during his father's presidential campaign. Yoo's opinion was that Trump Jr.'s receiving info from Russian was stupid but not a crime.

His argument was that if Americans were prohibited from giving out info to a campaign, it is more likely a violation to his freedom of speech. When the anchor pressed that what if the informant was an Russian, Yoo's response was like (not sure if I heard him accurately enough though):

  "That's harder question when it comes to Russian. the logic of applying to Russians would make it legal all the rough and tumble politics we are having in opposite researches in our own politics with Americans"

I've been struggling to understand his response. What "opposite researches" did he refer to? How that comment helps defend his positions?

The original video can be found here. (The cited text is at 03:36).


texts: Why does this infinitive have perfect tense?

texts:
She [my mother] quadrupled her already fabulous record and she was
  awarded the fairest prize of all - a ride in an army airplane.
  Oh, we were proud kids! Even vicariously this was an eminence we could
  hardly stand. But my poor mother - I must tell you that there are
  certain things in the existence of which my mother did not believe,
  against any possible evidence to the contrary. One was a bad Hamilton
  and another was the airplane. The fact that she had seen them didn’t
  make her believe in them one bit more. In the light of what she
  did I have tried to imagine how she felt. Her soul must have crawled
  with horror, for how can you fly in something that does not exist? As
  a punishment the ride would have been cruel and unusual, but it was a
  prize, a gift, an honor, and an eminence. She must have looked into
  our eyes and seen the shining idolatry there and understood that she
  was trapped. Not to have gone would have let her family down. She
  was surrounded, and there was no honorable way out save death. Once
  she had decided to go up in the nonexistent thing she seemed to have
  had no idea whatever that she would survive it. (John Steinbeck, East
  of Eden)

I can see the subjunctive mood, but why does the infinitive have perfect tense? Being the subject in the sentence, it seems to have simple tense – not to go.


texts: Naming high productivity group and low productivity group

texts:
I am working on a paper that compares two group of people doing the same task. People in group 1 have high productivity while people in group 2 have low productivity. Now, I would like to find a name for each group so that the paper would be easier to read. I thought about: winner vs. loser or elite vs. public, but I feel they are inappropriate for some reasons. Could you please give me some suggestions?

Updates:

Actually, the subjects are working on software vulnerability discovery. And we can count the number of vulnerabilities discovered by each person. Then, we set a threshold t, and those who found more than t vulnerabilities will be put in the high productivity group and the rest will be put into the low productivity group.
The high productivity group size is much smaller than that of the low productivity group, which is a common phenomenon in many situations (sometime called 20/80 effect). So I am also hoping to reflect this size difference in their names...


texts:
I wrote him a letter.

I wrote a letter to him.

The pattern of the first sentence is SVOO. Some grammar books and sites say that the second sentence is also in SVOO  pattern. But some others say it is not SVOO, and the him of the second sentence is not an Indirect Object.
Please do not close this as a duplicate question. My questions are different:

a) If the him is not an Indirect Object, what is the  pattern of
the second sentence?
b) What grammatic function does the PP to him do in the sentence?


texts:
For instance - He lost all meaning in life until a sweet little gesture that gave him some semblance of hope when he needed it the most.

IS this sentence correct


texts:
I'm fired up about my first day back on set.

I found this sentence in a cartoon movie. I don't understand the second part of it. Good doesn't help.


texts:
I've read this term about literary criticism and it's rather an awkward expression in my mother language. So I suppose it must be translated from a foreign language. It is used to describe a tragedy with no one to blame. Could anyone help me to find this term? I consulted the dictionary and google but nothing valuable were found.

P.S. the storyline of the play is: a young princess and a boy were friends. The boy irritated the king and was killed. The king prohibited anyone to bury the boy. But as best friends, the princess buried the boy anyway(with her toy shovel). So the king has to execute the princess. So, no one is guilty, but this is a true tragedy.

btw does anyone know what is this play called? I remember that this is an adaptation of a classic play.

edit: I think the princess killed herself after being immured. I'm afraid I can't remember the story as its exact form.

more on the play: I think everyone died at last except for the royal guards who didn't care.


texts:
I tried to search for it meaning, but I couldn't find it.
This is the sentence,

Withdrawal of U.S. troops will become like salted peanuts to the American public; the more U.S. troops come home, the more will be demanded.

Does it mean like addicting?


texts:
What's the difference between
"They finished the project by March" and "They had finished the project by March"?
Can you give contexts when to use one and not the other?


texts: Do I have to place second "the" in "... girl with ... long hair is his girlfriend"?

texts:
My sentence is :

  ... girl with ... long hair is his girlfriend.

I know the first blank should be "the" but the second blank, I didn't need to put anything but my teacher said it should be "the". So, why is that ?


texts: "From today (on / onwards) Or "As of today" Or "Starting today"

texts:
I am wondering which choice sounds more natural and idiomatic in my sentence below and why?

  I have decided to change my lifestyle.............

from today
from today on
from today onward(s)
as of today
stating today

To me, they all mean exactly the same thing in this particular context,


texts: Why past perfect tense not used in this sentence?

texts:
I read this sentence from the book Harry Potter:

  Harry was frying eggs by the time Dudley arrived in the kitchen with his mother.

According to my dictionary, prep by here means before or not later than a particular time. It seems to suggest that past perfect tense should be used for this sentence. It would become:

  Harry had been frying eggs by the time Dudley arrived in the kitchen with his mother.

That means Harry kept frying eggs till Dudley arrived in the kitchen with his mother.

However, I am confused by the original sentence. Does it mean Harry was still frying eggs or he had done with frying eggs when Dudley arrived in the kitchen? If he had done with frying eggs when Dudley arrived in the kitchen with his mother, why is the past perfect tense not used？


texts: What is the noun derived from "to compromise (a computer system)", or the correct expression for this fact?

texts:
In information security, in order to express the fact that a system was successfully attacked and taken over, one usually uses the verb compromised

The system was compromised after a successful attack. It is not safe to use.

What is the noun derived from that verb? The Cambridge Dictionary does not seem to offer one - I thought that a compromission would exist but this is not the case.
On the other hand, a compromise only has the meaning of (roughly speaking) an agreement.
Is there a good way to express "the fact of having been compromised"? (in a computer security context)


texts: Is the apostrophe used correctly in "people's interest in their ancestor's family..."?

texts:
Let me more specific here

  For the last two decades, people's interest in their ancestor's family, cultural and living background have been increasing.

There are two questions.

The first question is about the correct usage of a phrase: For the last two decades is being used as a phrase. Is it correct to use like this?. I think there are no specific rules for phrase-making.

The second question is on the usage of apostrophe rules: I'm trying to use apostrophe rules in the next phrase. But the Possession now belongs to three items (family, cultural, living). Is it correct to use in this manner?:

  people's interest in their ancestor's family, cultural and living background have been increasing.

Or in the presence of possessive adjective (their), I simply should write as:

  people's interest in their ancestor family, living, cultural background have been increasing.


texts: Can even an expert use Conversational Deletion in his official place?

texts:
And when you’re drinking processed fruit juice, you’re also missing
  out on the healthy benefits of eating real fruit itself such as the
  fiber and vitamins. So you better off going back to eating that
  apple rather than drinking a bottle of apple juice. (Aussie
  Channel Nine)

When I hear Conversational Deletion in novels, I wouldn’t think it twice. But for the example, a doctor seems to use it while saying about an authoritative mention in a TV program. Can even an expert use the expression in his official place?


texts: A word that describes "can't wait" in the following sentence

texts:
I'm trying to find a word to fit in this sentence:

“The kid was waiting _______ for his present”


texts: What does "tight space" mean in this context?

texts:
I am not sure about the meaning of the word "tight space" in the following sentence in a game's description:

  When hungry fishes loom over, tight spaces can be your lifesaver.

The virtual game lets you experience the journey of a fish in deep water.

Please help me confirm which of the following meanings of the word "tight" fits here:

  Fixed or fastened firmly in place: a tight lid; tight screws; a tight knot.
  Stretched or drawn out fully: a tight wire; a tight drumhead.
  Of such close construction as to be impermeable: cloth tight enough to hold water; warm in our tight little cabin.
  a. Leaving little empty space through compression; compact: a tight suitcase; a tight weave. b. Affording little spare time; full: a tight
  schedule.
  Closely reasoned or concise: a tight argument; a tight style of writing.
  Fitting close or too close to the skin; snug: a tight collar; a fit that was much too tight.
  Slang Personally close; intimate: "me and the D.A., who happen to be very tight with one another" (Tom Wolfe).
  Experiencing a feeling of constriction: a tight feeling in the chest.
  Reluctant to spend or give; stingy.
  a. Obtainable with difficulty or only at a high price: tight money. b. Affected by scarcity: a tight market.
  Difficult to deal with or get out of: a tight spot.
  Barely profitable: a tight bargain.
  Closely contested; close: a tight match.
  Chiefly British Neat and trim in appearance or arrangement.
  Marked by full control over elements or subordinates; firm: tight management; a tight orchestral performance.
  Slang Intoxicated; drunk.
  Baseball Inside.


texts: Does "I got a date with..." mean "I have a date with..."?

texts: I've read this sentence in a text which in the tense of situation is present, so why the past tense of "get" has been used? And does that mean "I have a date with..."?


texts: Help to understand: "it wasn't as though they were ever any help to him awake"

texts:
Asleep was the way Harry liked the Dursleys best; it wasn't as though they were ever any help to him awake.

I have a bit hard time to understand the second part of the sentence, especially "it wasn't as though". Can it be paraphrased as: "it was as though they were not ever any help to him awake" ? What does it mean exactly?


texts: Is there any difference in meaning between "after five minutes" and "five minutes later"?

texts:
Is there any difference in meaning between after five minutes and five minutes later? For example:

  Yesterday I got to work and after five minutes I started working?

  Yesterday I got to work and five minutes later I started working.

If there is no difference at all, then which one is more common?


texts: Does "by 2014" include the year of 2014, or not?

texts:
In the following sentence, is the company trying to achieve its goal by the end of 2014 or by the beginning of 2014?

  The company aims to acquire one million customers by 2014.


texts:
What does 'to find willing ears' mean in the following context ?

  Moreover, these advances in thought coincided with anti-church and
  government sentiment that was already growing among European
  commoners. The Catholic Church at the time was famously corrupt, and
  it often ruled using intimidation, fear, and false knowledge and was
  violently intolerant toward dissenters and heretics. Subsequently,
  when Enlightenment philosophers came along praising liberty and
  self-empowerment, they found willing ears.

http://www.sparknotes.com/history/european/enlightenment/section1/page/2/


texts: What should I call a person sharing knowledge in school that is not a teacher?

texts:
Some time ago I was asked by a school institution to conduct a lesson for children about filmmaking. I'm not a teacher, I never attended any pedagogical university and I don't have qualifications to teach in school.

I was invited as a guest to talk about my profession (filmmaking) and to inspire children to create movies, teaching them a little bit about software, copyrights and equipment. Of course, during that lesson the real teacher was present as well, but I was the one giving a speech.

Question: What was my role? Was I a tutor? A teacher? A trainer?

I want to include this as a volunteer job in my resume, but I don't know how should I call it. The best I came up with is Education Volunteer, but I'm not sure it's good in that context.


texts: How would you say "to scold" in a less formal way?

texts:
Luke’s mother scolded him for having spent too much money last weekend.

I've read in the Cambridge Dictionary that to scold is an old-fashioned term in British English, so I guess it wouldn't be used in a less formal context. How would you express the same idea in an everyday language?


texts: What is the best way of learning new words?

texts:
I’m a non-native English speaker and I want to know what is the best way of learning new words
Is it by translate the word into my native language
or by view the word definition in English or by mixing this two way up?
Sometimes the definitions are not easy to understand. Is there a dictionary that made for a non-native speaker with simple definitions?


texts: Trying to understand metaphorical meaning of 'intrusive'

texts:
My friend has reached out to me with following message:

Please submit a request to resize the laptop hard disk. Let me know if
this would be intrusive where we will communicate down time to the
laptop owner.

I am not able to understand if this is correct use of the word intrusive. I am familiar with literal meaning of intrusive which is “tending to intrude (especially upon privacy)”.
Underlying Message

Please let me know if installing new hard disk will take more time so
that we can communicate this to the customer.


texts:
For this question

  Let's settle it _________ race.

Can we say let's settle it through a race?
Is is it correct?


texts:
"In regards to" is something I use constantly. I use that to refer back to a specific subject or object.

For example:

  A: Is it too expensive? Also, would I be able to make an appointment?
  B: It is not that expensive in comparison to other services. In regards to the appointment, yes! You will be able to make one whenever you're ready.

I have found that other alternatives include:

As regards
Regarding
With regards to
In regard

Are all of those, including "in regards to", grammatically correct?


texts:
I want to understand more about comparison syntax. But I can't find many things about it.
So I need your help.
Here are some sentences with different position of comparative world.

(1) Children in developed countries are educated better than children in poor countries. ("better" is adv. modifying "educated")

(2) Children in developed countries are better educated than children in poor countries. ("better" is adv. modifying "educated")

(3) I have come up with a sentence including as many verbs with proper form as possible.

(4) I have come up with a sentence including verbs with proper form as many/much as possible. (use "many"(adj) to modify "verbs", and use "much"(adv) to modify "including")

(5) I treasure your effort to give me some sentence with as many verbs in different verb form as possible.

(6) I treasure your effort to give me some sentence with verbs in different verb form as many/much as possible. ("much" is considered to be adverb modifying "give", and "many"(adj) modifies "verbs")

I wonder if there is any misunderstanding? if yes, please show me the problem.
And do you think these pairs of sentences (1)and(2), (3)and(4), and (5)and(6) are correct and the same meaning in each pair?

I hope to receive your advice. Many thanks for your time


texts: "... for length", is it a common pattern?

texts:
A post says

  Part 1 questions are often familiar and easy so you don’t have to give a long and difficult answer, just range from 1 to 3 sentences for length.

I understand the meaning of the sentence, I just want to know the usage of "for length". It seems to be a grammar pattern. If it is, are there others, such as "for time", "for weight"?


texts: differentiating between articles and nouns

texts:
The madrigal is polyphonic.
  (being polyphonic is characteristic of madrigrals)

  Madrigals are polyphonic.
  (being polyphonic is normal for madrigrals)

  A madrigal is polyphonic.
  (being polyphonic is required for madrigrals)

These are as opposed to

  The madrigal is popular.
  (being popular is characteristic of madrigrals)

  Madrigals are popular.
  (being popular is normal for madrigrals)

  *A madrigal is popular.
  (being popular is required for madrigrals)

... and of course this last conclusion is wrong, producing the star.

Considering the explanations above, the bold part would be incorrect. Nevertheless, I cannot understand the bold parts well. I am really willing to get the red part as a rule of thumb for such a situation so that I could use the article A properly.

In a book it said:"the following is incorrect".

  A computer has revolutionized publishing( being revolutionized publishing is required for computers)

My biggest question is only about the following. Would you please help me in a way so that I could use the function below for other situations like those above
?

being revolutionized publishing is required for computers)


texts: I got this shirt for 10% off, I got this shirt 10% off

texts:
If a person gets 10%off on a shirt, then what is the most natural way out of the two below:

  1.) I got this shirt 10% off.

  2.) I got this shirt for 10% off.

I guess #1 doesn't sound natural whereas #2 does. So what do you think? Does #1 sound natural? Is it common?


texts: I know that present perfect is used for talking about recent events "actions" that has a result in the present. So my question is what's meant by "recent events" is it actions the happened few hours ago? Or it's maybe happened few days ago ? I think if it happened few days ago that's would be a finished time interval so it's better to use past simple but on the other hand it still has a relevnace. So i'm a little confused about this part if anyone could please explain it.


texts: Is this sentence grammatically incorrect?

texts:
The Sentence:

If there is any person I wanted to share my small success with is then it has to be you.

Is this sentence wrong? How could I rephrase this sentence?


texts: Is the phrase "these police" or "those police" grammatically incorrect?

texts: Grammarly keeps trying to change it to "this police." I am talking about multiple police. What am I supposed to say in this case?


texts: Job vacancies or Job openings or Job positions

texts:
Two of my female co-workers in my company are going to leave.
I guess our manager will hire some new people soon.
I am going to tell my friends about this, but I am not sure which words I should use in this situation.

  I guess our company will soon have some  [job vacancies / job openings /
  job positions] available.


texts:
I've come across it in the 13th episode of the 8th season of the Walking Dead. Here is the context:

Simon: Hello again, Widow Rhee,
and allow me to offer my condolences.
For what's happened and what's about to happen.
In case it's not already plain as Hilltop potatoes,
yours truly is speaking
on behalf of Negan this go 'round.


texts: Why doesn't "several formal events" work in this context?

texts:
1.
  The Fern Lake Community Center is an entirely volunteer-run organization serving the Fern Lake community. Popularly known among locals as "The Fern," our center offers high-quality after-school care for local children of working parents. We also host educational programs for all ages in our buildings on Quentin Street. These include classes in dancing and painting.

  In addition, the community center offers several ㅡㅡㅡㅡ events throughout the year. The largest and most famous is our annual Fern Fair. All residents are invited to join us on April 12 this year on the Broad Street Pier to enjoy the area's best food, crafts, and musical performances while savoring the cool spring breeze.

In this blank, the answer is 'outdoor' because 'In addition' functions by contrasting 'in our buildings' and 'on the Broad street Pier'. and I understand it.

but I was wondering why 'formal' can't count in that blank...


texts:
For example in this sentence:

  And don't worry if you've never played the sport. That experience might help, but it's not necessary. As long as you know the rules and can do the job, you can be a referee!

Can "provided" ,or "supposing" also be used to take place of "if"?

Are  “if”,“provided”, and “supposing” interchangeable in such conditional sentences? Are there any rule about using them?

Detailed explanation would be appreciated.


texts: "The opposite / opposites of these words"

texts:
I am rather confused as to what to say:

The opposite of these words.

or,

The opposites of these words.

When I think that as we are talking about one opposite for each word we should use the former one but in contrast, I sometimes think that when "words" is plural we should use "opposites" and not "opposite".
How grammar explains this?


texts:
On the first poem of his book Songs of Innocence and Experience, William Blake wrote:

  Piping down the valleys wild,

  piping songs of pleasant glee,

  on a cloud I saw a child,

  and he laughing said to me:

  'Pipe a song about a Lamb!' (...)

According to the context and some googling, piping could be playing the flute, but I'm in doubt, cause it seems to be a voice-singed song.

Any help?


texts: What does slang verb "to sheep-dip" mean?

texts:
I am watching The Expanse tv series and have encountered the following dialogue:

  I need to borrow your spy on Tycho Station.
  What for?
  To keep an eye on Fred Johnson. He's over-charging the Mormons for their toilet seats.
  Well, you can't have him.
  Why not?
  It took me five years to sheep-dip him in Johnson's outfit, to steal tech for his competitors.

What does the verb to sheep-dip mean in the context?


texts:
Can a predicative clause be simplified to a gerund structure
since both of them could be used as a predicative?
Do "My idea is that the child should be sent to school" and
"My idea is the child being sent to school" mean the same thing?
Thanks a lot!


texts:
It is from this video. It is at around 4 minute and 31 second. Here is the context:

  The chemistry of your brain is constantly changing as you go about your day.

Does that mean just during the day?


texts:
I just heard it from a CNN correspondent, quote, "North Korea is getting closer to having nuclear weapons."

My questions are:

1- I wonder why here " to "  is a preposition rather than infinitive.

2- What is the difference between "to having" and "to have" here?

"North Korea is getting closer to having nuclear weapons."

"North Korea is getting closer to have nuclear weapons."

Are both sentences correct?


texts: Why there's no article with 'Mexican' and 'an' with American in sentence:

texts:
"She’s Mexican. But she’s married to an American."
  (Pimsleur English course)


texts:
Is there any differences between these sentences:

I get contacted by clients all the time
I am contacted by clients all the time

I heard people using both before. For me, I always use 2. If both are wrong, how do I change the sentence?


texts:
Let's say the cooking time for a dish is 50 minutes. I want to ask how much time remains between now and when the dish will be done.

What is the right way to ask that?


texts:
Which of the following sentences is or are correct:

Doing sports helps keeping fit.
Doing sports helps keep fit.
Doing sports helps to keep fit.

Thank you.


texts:
What kind of future verb tense is this: "will needs continue"?

These contests may take place at any time the competitors express
their readiness, due notice of course, being given the day previous,
for the benefit of the public. When once started, the gliding
performances of a single contestant will needs continue several days,
and plenty of entertainment is promised the public in this
aero-department.

Source: “ “Gliders” at the World’s Fair. An Extraordinary Official Contest. Most Remarkable of All Flying Devices Entered in Great Aeronautic Competition. ”, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, St. Louis, Missouri, July 24, 1904, Sunday Magazine, col. 1-6, p. 4. (see col. 6, the last paragraph.)


texts:
I am not a native speaker. So how should I write properly:

  write by English letters

or

  write with English letters?

Or may be I should use another word?


texts:
Record prices might also be scaring off traders worried about buying at the
  top.

What is the role of "be" in the sentence? I would just write "might also scaring off traders".


texts: "Time passes, and little of note occurs."

texts: So the question is, there's a situation where a literal notes appears or it's description how little happened in this time?


texts:
I recently noticed that if the first verb of a sentence is past simple, the second verb must be the base form of the verb.
For example:

I made her suffer.

But I saw the following sentence in my book

He walked into the room and stopped.

In the second example stopped is not the base form of the verb. I guess the reason is 'and' in the sentence. But I don't why.
If it's possible for you please share more examples with me. I searched for it but I couldn't find anything.
UPDATE:
The second verb must be : to + v1 or v1 + ing or v1 where v1 = base form of the verb.


texts: Is the word "there" an adjective in this sentence

texts:
CONTEXT:

  I can't find my ring.
  Oh, there it is.

Is the word "there" an adjective in the sentence above? or is it a pronoun? For me it looks like the word "it" is the pronoun, but I'm not completely sure.


texts: different "culture" or different "cultures"

texts:
I believe this is simple, yet crucial and time-worthy to know amongst ELLs.

  As a traveler, I've experienced different culture/cultures across the world.

First off, culture is an uncountable noun.

Every time I'm going to use this word "culture", I've always been unsure whether it should be just "culture" (singular), or "cultures" (plural).

Come to think of it, you cannot count "culture", and grammar books say it too.

So, in the sentence above, can you say different culture specifically?

Confusion and annoyance:

Different fruit/fruits?
Different vegetable/vegetables

Please note that I've included "different" before a noun, which should usually be followed by a plural noun (for example "different books", "different computers").


texts:
Please take a look at the following: (from the Orion Magazine)

If possessing language is that which justifies our special status,
then we must at least acknowledge it now looks likely that this wasn’t
a Homo sapiens thing but a hominin thing.

I wonder what's the difference in tone and implication for the statement to use "must at least" or else "must" only?
If I understand correctly, "must" entail a sense of necessity, and "at least" means "at the minimum" which also suggests necessity. Does "must at least" basically mean the same as "must" and only differ in terms of the degree of emphasis?
Thank you very much for your help.


texts:
In the article New York - style time machine, there is a drawing:

What does M.C. Esker mean? The clue for this, as said by a redditor, is in the line

  These deposits, which remain as ridges called eskers, crisscross the landscape in the woods outside my home in Boston.

Yet, I still have no idea. So what does it mean?


texts: If I wanted to say that I am not hungry I could leave out the "no more" so shouldn't the "no more" cancel out the "not hungry" to mean that you are hungry. However other examples, like "I don't love her no more", still make me think that the meaning doesn't change but I don't see how this is grammatically correct and think "anymore" should be used instead. "I am not hungry anymore." So why dont the two negatives in the original sentence cancel each other out?


texts: The use of 'to' in "even to their clothes" in this context

texts:
But the strangest of all were the people who lived in this queer country. There were milkmaids and shepherdesses, with brightly colored bodices and golden spots all over their gowns; and princesses with most gorgeous frocks of silver and gold and purple; and shepherds dressed in knee breeches with pink and yellow and blue stripes down them, and golden buckles on their shoes; and princes with jeweled crowns upon their heads, wearing ermine robes and satin doublets; and funny clowns in ruffled gowns, with round red spots upon their cheeks and tall, pointed caps. And, strangest of all, these people were all made of china, even to their clothes, and were so small that the tallest of them was no higher than Dorothy's knee.

  The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

I don't understand the use of 'to' in "even to their clothes" in this context. Does it mean their clothes were also made of china or something? How should we understand it?


texts: “market opened” or “market was opened”; how can 'a market' open itself?

texts:
EDIT: Question has been rephrased for better understanding. I apologise for my mistake.

I am confused how to use active and passive voice. Please help me with the sentences below.

Source states

  Since the new market opened, I have done my shopping there.

My question is how can a market open itself? It should be opened by someone.

Is it a noun phrase?
If not, I feel it should be rephrased as follows. Am I right?

  Since the new market was opened, I have done my shopping there.


texts: Is it correct to say "Climb the other way!" or "Climb the other way round!" or "Go to the other side and climb!"?

texts:
There is a climbing structure for children to play as shown in the picture. There are 2 flights of stairs and children can climb either side.
The boy is standing on one side and you want him to go to the other side and climb.
Is it correct to say "Climb the other way!" or "Climb the other way round!" or "Go to the other side and climb!" or "Climb from the other side!"?


texts: What is the correct way to indicate a state which lasted before an action?

texts:
I have difficulty understanding the usage of the English Past Tenses. Here's the first sentence and a picture which shows the state and the action in time:

  I was kind to them for a month before I became angry.

Is this sentence grammatically and logically correct?

Doesn't it require the Past Perfect tense for the main clause to
indicate that the state precedes the action?
Is the Past Perfect tense optional (not necessary)?
Or is it just grammatically incorrect to use the Past Perfect tense here, like this: "I had been kind to them for a month before I became angry"?

Another example:

  I had (already) been hungry for 3 hours when she fed me.

And my last question:

Would it be correct and mean the same, if it were like this:  "I         was (already) hungry for 3 hours when she fed me"?


texts:
Can an adverb modify an adverb?

I have heard “extremely carefully” used by a friend as in the sentence:

  The plane was extremely carefully repaired.

Is that correct?


texts:
In Hebrew I don't know the translation of evaluate:
What is correct (and why?):
(1) evaluate equation
(2) evaluate expression
(3) evaluate formula

Can you give more example when we use the verb evaluate in math?


texts:
As far as I know, "made of" is used when the material doesn't change but when it is transformed "made from" should be used. However, I came across the following sentence while reading an article on "eating out in restaurants" in an FCE book:

"... fortunately, all (wine) glasses are made from unbreakable glass."

I don't understand why "made from" is used here while glass is still glass. Can you offer a logical explanation?

NOTE: I've already studied previous similar questions but couldn't find an answer.


texts: Letter to a colleague, Formal or Informal?

texts:
Recently I have got a question as below:

Write a letter to one of your former colleagues about your upcoming visit to the city where you both worked together. In this letter please include:

-Your current life condition
-Detailed plan of your visit
-Meeting arrangments with him

How should I approach this letter? in formal or informal way? Because I am writing a letter to one out of at least a hundred colleagues. That must make him one of my close ones. So, in my opinion, informal tone seemed appropriate.


texts:
what is the meaning of "moral character" in this context?

  During these years of public mediumship, when the girls were all the
  rage among those who had no conception of the religious significance
  of this new revelation, and who concerned themselves with it purely in
  the hope of worldly advantage, the sisters exposed themselves to the
  enervating influences of promiscuous séances in a way which no earnest
  Spiritualist could justify. The dangers of such practices were not
  then so clearly realized as now, nor had it occurred to people that it
  is unlikely that high spirits would descend to earth in order to
  advise as to the state of railway stocks or the issue of love affairs.
  The ignorance was universal, and there was no wise mentor at the elbow
  of these poor pioneers to point the higher and the safer path. Worst
  of all, their jaded energies were renewed by the offer of wine at a
  time when one at least of them was hardly more than a child. It is
  said that there was some family predisposition towards alcoholism, but
  even without such a taint their whole procedure and mode of life were
  rash to the last degree. Against their moral character there has never
  been a breath of suspicion, but they had taken a road which leads to
  degeneration of mind and character, though it was many years before
  the more serious effects were manifest.

from http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks03/0301051h.html


texts:
"the Man claimed to have link with the recent incident"

Please help me explaining the sentence or phrase above.
For me the sentence should be written "the man was/is claimed to....."

Am i right? If so why my teacher warn me no to omit auxiliary verbs?


texts: Correct word order and subject-verb agreement: "..his associate volunteers..."

texts:
Please consider the sentence below:

  Mr. Moretti has to go to Washington on a business trip unless his associate volunteers to go.

This is a quote from the book: English Grammar Digest, by Trudy Aronson, page 28.

Is this sentence incorrect?

I think the author has meant:

  Mr. Moretti has to go to Washington on a business trip unless his associate volunteers [have] to go.

Edit: I think that way because books are at the highest level of confidance for reading and it very rarely happens to see a grammar mistake in a grammar book. Besides, it's the only remedy in my mind (for the time being) to be able to consider the sentence correct.

Do you agree please?


texts: Can context change how a wish clause will be formed?

texts:
I know that for present wishes, I can say:

I wish I were young.

However, what if this is my “birthday” wish?
Could I say:
I wish I would be young.

to express I want this to happen somehow, like magically for example?


texts: What do you call a course at university that is not part of a programme?

texts: As the heading says: what do you call a course at uni that's not part of a programme? My bilingual dictionary suggests freestanding course, but to my ears, that sounds extremely odd. Or?


texts: Meaning of "I hope to understand what it means exactly"

texts:
I hope to understand  exactly what it means.

What does this sentence mean?

I hope that I understand what it means exactly.
I hope that I'm going to understand what it means exactly.
1 or 2 according to context.

I guess it could mean 1 or 2 according to context.
If there is something you cannot interpret from the sentence, could you give the reason why?


texts: "I won't notice" vs "I wouldn't have noticed"

texts:
https://data.grammarbook.com/blog/verbs/if-i-would-have-vs-if-i-had/
After searching on Google and reading examples of subjunctives on the link above, I'm still not sure if I should use subjunctive in this manner.
Context: I asked a question about Problem A. Someone helped me and told me there's another problem with B. Then I would like to reply and thank him for telling me what I didn't notice before.
Is it appropriate to use the subjunctive or not for the situation?

Thank you. I won't notice the problem B if you don't mention that.

Thank you. I wouldn't have noticed the problem B if you hadn't mentioned that.


texts: What is the difference between "will" and "would" in this example?

texts:
Here are the examples:

The car won't start.
The car wouldn't start


texts: What does "out loud" mean in this context?

texts:
There are also powerful network effects created by these
  conversations, whether they’re between corporate communicators
  and employees, or peers asking and answering questions. Having “out
  loud” conversations for employees to discover and join multiplies the
  information exchange value.

I don't think that it mean "speak loudly" here.


texts:
My brother is a highschooler. His mid-term English-language exam is early next month. His teacher gave him an assignment in preperation for the exam. One of the questions given is:

  (Bears - bananas - broccoli) is sweet fruit.

I called the teacher telling him that none of the choices make a correct sentence: Broccoli is a vegetable, bears are animals, and bananas should be "banana" to be in agreement with the singular verb is. However, he keeps arguing bananas is the correct choice.

Edit

His argument is that "bananas" refers to the substance that makes up the fruit, rather than the units, pretty much as chicken refers to the substance, or flesh, in " I like chicken" - not chickens. So he says bananas is equal to chicken in this example.


texts: Difference between "he drives a taxi" and "he is a taxi driver"

texts:
I wonder if the two following sentences have similar meaning and give you the same impression.

A: He drives a taxi.
B: He is a taxi driver.


texts:
I have a question.

  "I made a list. Let's take a look."
  or

  "I made a list. Let's have a look."

Which way is correct ?
What's the difference between these sentences ?


texts:
The original sentences:

  In the anxiety to get dubious, restless characters out of the country
  no questions were asked as to nationality, previous record or history,
  and no proof of identity was required. The name and particulars given
  by the recruit were accepted at face value and many gave noms de
  guerre*, for understandable reasons.

  *Pseudonyms

I like to confirm the subject of the first sentence is "restless characters" and "no questions" here is used as an adverb, meaning undoubtly.


texts: What is the difference between "to cook something" and "to make something"?

texts:
When do you use "cook" and when do you use "make" while you are talking about preparing food? In other words: Which (type of) food are cooked which (type of) food are made?

According to dictionary :

Cook means: To prepare (food) for eating by applying heat.

Make means: to produce something, often using a particular substance or material.

So I can see that the main element in cooking is using the "heat", but there are some food that can be "made" using "heat" (in the oven or on the stove) and I have problem in using the correct verb while I'm talking about preparing such food.

For example; shall I say

  "to cook a cake" or " to make a cake"?
  "to cook a pizza" or "to make a pizza"?
  "to cook omelette" or " to make omelette"?
  "to cook stew" or "to make stew"?
  "to cook steak" or "to make steak"?

Are there any general rules for using these two verbs?


texts: scientific and mathematical use of 'tenet'

texts:
In the Google dictionary, tenet is defined as below.

tenet
a principle or belief, especially one of the main principles of a religion or philosophy.
"the tenets of a democratic society"

After vewing through several example sentences including Merriam Webster's, it seems like tenet is mostly used in the realms of  religions, politics, campaigns, or industries, not science.
Can it be used in science or math as well? For example, "Newton's second law is one core tenet, which a bunch of other laws of motion or principles are derived from.", or "This equation is a tenet for other derivative equations.".


texts: What does the phrase "add stakes" mean here?

texts:
Here is a sentence from a platform game app:

  Without any doubt, it’s a great way to add stakes to the platforming.

The game has a revised gameplay in which a player can start from the most recent checkpoint and does not have to start from the very beginning if she loses her life by hitting danger.

The player has to jump and collect certain items. It's a one-tap game. The above-mentioned sentence precedes the sentences describing the new feature which allow the player to start from the most recent checkpoints in place of starting from the very beginning.

I am not sure which of the meanings of the word stake fits here.


texts:
sprain /spreɪn/ ●○○ verb [transitive]

  to damage a joint in your body by suddenly twisting it SYN twist

  I fell down the steps and sprained my ankle.

  twist your ankle/wrist/knee to hurt your wrist etc by pulling or
  turning it too suddenly while you are moving

  Harriet slipped on the stairs and twisted her ankle.

Look at the picture

Sometimes, we accidentally stand on the side of our foot & may hurt it.

Do we say "she twisted / sprained her foot" in everyday English?


texts:
Source

  He assigns Jordan to pitch a sale for a company called Aerotyne, a
  small company out of a garage in Dubuque, Iowa

What does mean by "out of a garage" ?


texts:
This is a tittle of some paper I found online.

  A quantitative theory of the Hounsfield unit and its application to dual energy scanning

There are two energies in this CT system. But why the author used "Dual Energy" instead of "Dual Energies"?

  Another example: Multi-energy CT imaging, multi panel canvas set, etc.

"Dual energy" is also commonly written as "dual-energy".

This is not the first time I notice this kind of naming method.
The title above is just an example I found recently.


texts:
I've just learned that the meaning of "come into" is : be important or relevant.

However I don't get the following sentence:

  to come into a person's possession without having been paid for.

Does someone would show me the most commons collocations and respective meanings of "come into" in some sentences?

I've found some examples which I got the meaning:

  [come into something] to be an aspect of a situation

The argument was over artistic freedom – money never came into it.

  [come into something] if you come into something, it becomes yours when someone dies

He’s just come into some money

  come into your own to show how effective or useful you can be

In the wintry conditions the Norwegian team really came into their own.


texts:
My intention is to say that "I have no free time in the present project".

But I always say "I am totally packed in the present project".  Not sure packed is correct word.

Could you guys please tell me what all the other ways I could say I am full busy, in the above scenario.


texts: "Me" vs "I" - when it's correct to use "Me" and when it's correct to use "I"

texts:
I'm always confused when it's correct to use "Me" and when it's correct to use "I"?

Can I always replace "I" by "me" (not opposite)?
Some examples:
"Me and you went together there"
"I and you went together there"

For the moment I'm using me just in the end of the sentence or when I'm talking about me and someone else together. But I sometimes hear people that replace the two pronouns. Maybe here I'll solve the problem and I'll Know what is the correct way.


texts: Correctness of expression "More X than the peanut butter aisle"

texts:
Disclaimer. It is not a question on the meaning of the expression. Repeat. Not about what the message it conveys.

I've seen somewhere the expression below.

  More X than the peanut butter aisle.

I do understand the meaning it's suppose to convey. "There are thirteen X in a dozen", as we Swedes say - there are excessively many such items. However, I haven't found any references to that expression when googlearching it.

Semantic question

I'd like to know if it's a canonical expression or rather a case of creative freedom by the author.

Grammatical question

Shouldn't the expression say "more X than jars of peanut butter in the aisle? I guess it can be idiomatic, hence correct as-is, but I'd still like a confirmation.

Or am I confused and there's a specific meaning to GIF that somehow refers to aid jars?


texts: What is the meaning of "I don't like what the President is doing any more than you do."?

texts: Does it mean that "I don't like what the President is doing just the same as you don't like what the President is doing"?


texts: What other verbs don't use 'do' in the negative and interrogative?

texts: I had an English language beginner ask me "What other verbs, like 'to be' don't use 'do' in the negative?" I had never thought about this question from that perspective, and I was a little stumped. I told them about the modals, how 'can' for instance becomes 'can't' or 'cannot' and does not become 'don't can' but I was trying to find other irregulars that also don't use 'do' and I couldn't in that moment. Is it just 'to be' and the modals, or am I missing a huge list?


texts:
I would like to reply to my friend that I can help him later tomorrow. I’m not sure, how big difference it is between these two sentences.

  I’m free from 8, if that helps

or

  I’m free from 8, if it helps

I was gonna send the first option, but I’m not sure how big difference does it make?


texts: Connect three sentences and make a shorter sentence

texts:
Suppose three sentences:

1- I have eaten lunch.

2- I have slept.

3- I have come here.

Is it right to say: 'I have eaten lunch, slept and come here.'?

What about 'I have eaten lunch, have slept and have come here.'?


texts: Grammar about present tense in a conditional phrase

texts:
Which one is the correct one?

  If the worker [verb] something, the company will show something.
  If the worker [verb] something, the company shows something.

The context is that I am writing documentation for functions of the workers in my employ.


texts:
At various times, in various situations, they carried M-14s and CAR-15s and Swedish Ks and grease guns and captured AK-47s and Chi-Coms and RPGs and Simonov carbines and black market Uzis and .38-caliber Smith & Wesson handguns and 66 mm LAWs and shotguns and silencers and blackjacks and bayonets and C-4 plastic explosives.

From "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien

Does the word "captured" in "captured AK-47s and Chi-Coms and RPGs and Simonov carbines" modifiy only Ak-47s? Does "black market" in "black market Uzis and .38-caliber Smith & Wesson handguns and 66 mm LAWs and shotguns and silencers and blackjacks and bayonets and C-4 plastic explosives" modify only Uzis? Thank you very much.


texts:
She told Thu Zar about the accident.

  The bees stung the workman to the death.

  The Tun Foundation presented our school with a generous
  donation.

  Microscopic insects can only be seen through a microscope.

  You must not hammer nails into the wall without permission.

  The teacher showed the girls how to cook the chicken curry.

What are the types of the phrases in bold?


texts:
Does it mean "so badly that even improvements in 2019 couldn't save Reebok" ?
Some of that percentage drop has stemmed from the namesake Adidas brand’s healthier growth. Still, it’s hard to deny that Reebok has been flailing for too long, fleeting improvements in 2019 aside.
Source: Some of that percentage drop has stemmed from the namesake Adidas brand’s healthier growth. Still, it’s hard to deny that Reebok has been flailing for too long, fleeting improvements in 2019 aside.


texts: Are travel (n.) and travelling always interchangeable?

texts:
'Travel' as a noun is used in the following sentences:

  "Travel broadens the mind",  "Travel is my passion", "Air travel is expensive".

We can also say "I love traveling".

Are these two words interchangeable in the examples above?

Is there any difference in meaning if they are, e.g. does "Travel is my passion" mean exactly the same as "Traveling is my passion"?


texts: is "a piece of comment" appropriate and clear expression?

texts:
assume we posted a blog just now, there is no comment yet.

after a while personA added some comment on this post.

and personB adds some comment on this post.

is it a appropriate and clear expression by saying there are "2 pieces of comment" on this post?


texts: "There is [no way] 'of proving'/'to prove' that he was *wrong*/*right*"

texts:
1.A There is [no way] to prove that he was wrong.
1.B There is [no way] of proving that he was wrong.
2.A There is [no way] to prove that he was right.
2.B There is [no way] of proving that he was right.

Are "of proving" and "to prove" completely interchangeable? If not, is there a correlation betwen these phrases and the words "wrong" and "right"? If yes, why are 1.B and 2.B cases wrong if one drops the phrase "no way"?


texts:
Consider the following conversation

A: "I like Harry Potter"

B: "I like Harry Potter too. I watched all the movies."

A: "How about the books?"

B: "I've never actually read the books in its entirety."

Does B mean that he has never read any one of the books or just not all of them. In other words, has B read at least one of the books?


texts:
Where can use an yet in the present perfect?

This vendor has not yet posted their profile online.

or

 This vendor has not posted their profile online yet.

In my mind I can use the yet in the end of sentence.


texts: Is it natural to say "You made your mom bleed", "You made your mom bleeding", "… mom being bleeding" or "…mom have bled"?

texts:
Mom was holding a glass bowl feeding son when he knocked it away, the bowl broke and a fragment of the glass cut her finger.
Is it natural to say:

"You made your mom bleed" ( because we say "make somebody do something")
"You made your mom bleeding" ("bleeding" could be an adjective and we have the structure "make somebody + adjective")
"You made your mom be bleeding" (we can apply "make somebody do something" with the verb "be adjective")
"You made your mom have bled" (we can apply "make somebody do something" with the verb "have + PP")


texts: Is there anything wrong with this statement? "superb hard"

texts: "I will have to work superb hard this week"


texts: Which part of the sentence does "for you" modify?

texts:
I have some free advice for you.

Does "for you" modify "some free advice "? Or it modifies "I have some free advice" ? Which one is correct? Is "for you " a post-positioned  modifier or a sentence adverbial?


texts:
A recent study of children aged between four and eleven years old has revealed that their notion of the ideal home presents major challenges to conventional wisdom. More than a quarter of the youngest group expressed a desire to live in a house made either entirely of sweets or of toys rather than more traditional materials. One in four boys and nearly half the girls would choose to live in a fairytale castle.

I wonder if it will be acceptable to replace "would choose" with "chose";and if the answer is positive, will there be any difference in meaning?


texts:
I am confused with the usage of "where" and "in which".

Is this because family is not a place.?

Incorrect: The survey showed that children are much more psychologically stable when raised in a family with two parents than in a family where only one parent cares for the child

Correct: The survey showed that children are much more psychologically stable when raised in a family with two parents than in a family in which only one parent cares for the child


texts: Looking for another way to say this phrase

texts:
Say two people are talking about relationships A and B.

A is complaining to B that her relationship isn't going well because she and her boyfriend have many differences, that they do not have much in common.

B turns to A and says "Someone might have all the things that we like but if they lack one thing then the relationship doesn't work out. They have to be a complete package."

I think B's phrase is clunky and "A complete package" may not even be the best term to describe someone with all the qualities we like. Can anyone change this phrase and show me how to say the same thing in a less clunky way?


texts: When giving directions, which of these examples are acceptable?

texts:
Which one of these sentences is the most natural way to say this?

  You have to walk 200 feet up on Elm Street.

  You have to walk up 200 feet on Elm Street.

  You have to walk up for 200 feet on Elm Street.

(Is this even used/correct?)

Also, assuming Elm Street extends from north to south, and we are facing west on a road that crosses it:

A. Are we implying walking north by using "up"?

B. Do you think there's a better way to communicate this message that the location of X is 200 feet/30 seconds/one block walk from where we are, and X is located north (or on the-right-hand side) of here, than my examples above?


texts:
I'm not an English native speaker. I need your help.

Could you explain to me the meaning of 'shadow' accounts? Is it secret bank accounts?

It doesn't need to be exact. I'm just studying. Thank you.


texts: How to understand the preposition "with " here?

texts:
With Italians it's pronunciation that's the problem.

There are too many meanings of "with", so I don't even know how to choose the meaning to explain this sentence. I am curious about how to understand the preposition ? On the basis of the sentence structure or what else? I hope some one can help me to understand and deduct the usage of "with"?


texts: Differences between "might" and "might have" in a reported speech

texts:
(1)

She told me John might contact the manager.

(2)

She told me John might have contacted the manager.

The difference is that the action of contacting the manager happened at different times, right?
(1) means that the action of contacting the manager was possibly going to happen after the action of telling.
(2) means that the action of contacting the manager had possibly happened before the action of telling.
Is my understanding correct?


texts: What does "It is not the illegality that she is accused of, but the illegality she refused to oblige" mean?

texts:
What does this phrase mean?

  It is not the illegality that she is accused of, but the illegality she refused to oblige

It's from a recent article in The Times of India.


texts: How can I point to the state of something in the past (like my skills 6 months ago)

texts:
For example, how can I ask to rate my English skill the way it was 6 months ago.

I'm almost sure it's wrong but something like:

  How would you rate my English at 6 months ago?


texts: What is "to use a 4 square" in context of someone selling something?

texts:
In this reddit post on buying a car is the sentence:

  if your salesman tries to use a 4 square ask for a breakdown of the price

I'm unable to find the meaning of "to use a 4 square" in wiktionary or urban dictionary.  Various meanings are listed, but none make sense in context.  What does to use a 4 square mean in the aforementioned sentence?


texts: Should "I look forward to see you" be in Present Continuous tense?

texts:
Which one of the following is Correct:

I am looking forward to seeing you or
I look forward to see you


texts: Is the word "to" necessary when you list actions?

texts:
Which one is correct for a list with "objectives" or "goals" (e.g. for resume or something formal)?

Improve something
Learn more about something
Work with something

OR

To improve something
To learn more about something
To work with something

If the last one were the case...Is not too repetitive?


texts: Using the adverb "again" after the idiom "repeating oneself"

texts:
I was wondering whether it would sound superfluous if I add the adverb "again" to the end of the sentence:

  Steve Rogers: Well, what are we gonna do now?
  Tony Stark: You know what, give me a break, Steve. I just got hit in the head with a Hulk.
  Scott Lang: You said that we had one shot. This! This was our shot. We shot it, it's shot! Six stones or nothing! Six stones or nothing.
  Tony Stark: You're repeating yourself 'again'. [Source]


texts: "I will give you (the) advice on how to buy the best car wax for your car."

texts:
I have written this sentence without the before the word advice:

  I will give you advice on how to buy the best car wax for your car.

But I have learned that extra information makes the object definite.

For instance:

  Our company will pay the cost of your plane ticket to Rome.

  The smart phone that I bought is great.

Because of the above mentioned, should I use the definite article before advice? As I understand right, the next sentence "how to buy the best car wax for your car" should make the object definite. So then:

  I will give you the advice on how to buy the best car wax for your
  car.

Is this OK?


texts: What is the meaning of "finish" in these two sentences?

texts:
"I have finished my homework": this means that my homework is completed, there is no more homework to be done.

"I have finished doing my homework": this means I have ceased doing the homework, but it does not mean the homework has been completed.

Am I right about this?


texts:
Source

  Because, Lise, had he not stamped on that money, but taken it instead, then, on arriving home, after an hour or so he would have started to weep over his...

What is the kind of this “had”?

Is it an inversion for emphasizing?

Or the causative one? If it is causative, where is the person or thing that causes stamped on that money? Because Lise is separated by a comma


texts:
what's the opposite for the phrase

  Students try to do as much as possible

can i say

  Students try to do as less as possible ?


texts: Finishing a sentence with "writing about..."

texts:
Is the following question grammatically and semantically correct? I'm not sure about adding words after about.

  What are some newspapers writing about the Arsenal manager?

They are spreading gossip about the Arsenal manager's possible decision to leave the club.


texts:
Take the following headlines I've found online:

  1) Seniors relieved at temporary reprieve for community center.

  2) Egypt relieved at decision to lift crowd ban in Ghana World Cup qualifier.

I would have said "relieved from" if I had written these.  Could anyone help me understand the difference between the prepositions "at" and "from" in this context?


texts: What does it mean to portray somebody as a Tasmanian devil?

texts:
Source: p 2 of 2, 'Heavy Lifting', by Dahlia Lithwick BA JD.

Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Samuel Alito take turns asking Halligan what the words after the semicolon mean, with Ginsburg finally challenging Halligan by saying: “You said that—that Young’s position is ‘most favored nation.’ Well, yours is least favored nation, right?”
[Justice Elena] Kagan, who has been a one-justice Tasmanian devil all morning, concludes by informing Halligan: “What we know about the PDA is that it was supposed to be about removing stereotypes of pregnant women as marginal workers. It was supposed to be about ensuring that they wouldn’t be unfairly excluded from the workplace. And what you are saying is that there’s a policy that accommodates some workers, but puts all pregnant women on one side of the line.” This is why pro-life and pro-choice groups and most women’s groups have crossed the ideological divide to support Young in this case: The PDA was intended to prevent women workers from being forced to choose between their jobs and their babies.

I did glance through the Wikipedia article on the Tasmanian devil but am no mammologist, so the figurative meaning and connotations elude me? How do you determine/deduce them?


texts:
Is the following sentence grammatical and idiomatic? The context is to ask the call center staff, who told me that his supervisor will help to look into a matter, and he is not sure about the right of his supervisor in this matter.

  Can you help me to find out what your supervisor can do for this
  matter?


texts:
These coats have been sold for five years. They had become so popular that there had been a sellout every year. This is the first time we've reduced the price.

Is this use of the Past Perfect justified?

The coats had become popular and had been a sellout each year, but not this year, as follows from the last sentence.


texts: Ticket got created and ticket is created

texts:
Could someone tell me which one is the correct sentence here:

  Ticket got created

or

  Ticket is created

This is the scenario:

Someone comes to me and asks for the status of his query.  I have to tell them about the help ticket.  Which one is correct of the above statements?


texts:
Can I say something like such, I mean are they all right?

I will have to have some lessons.
I have to have some lessons.
I had to have some lessons.


texts: Emphasis: don't vs. do not; aren't vs. are not

texts:
I feel depending on where I put "not", the nuances of the sentences are quite different. When we put "not" next to a verb, it is likely to put more emphasis on negative meaning.

I don't do many things at home.(emphasis on negation)

I do not many things at home.

There aren't many things that I do at home.(emphasis on negation)

There are not many things that I do at home.

Am I right? or Aren't there any differences?


texts: I have seen words which are spelled either with a "z" or with a "s"  like "optimizer" and " optimiser".  I thought that the ones with "z" are wrong but on searching the web I found that both are correct. Why so? Is there any difference in the use also?


texts:
I have seen this sentence somewhere:

  I think I'm useless at sports.

Does it mean that you cannot play any sports? If yes, then can we use "be useless at" in general or it is right only in this particular case?


texts: Are they equivalent: "prolonged periods of high unemployment" and "persistently high levels of unemployment"?

texts:
...the program tackles broader labour market problems, such as shortages of skilled workers, prolonged periods of high unemployment, and ...

What I am trying to convey is that the unemployment rate stays quite high [say in some specific regions such as Atlantic Canada where most people are fishers and other seasonal workers; they don't find employment in some seasons of the year]

My original sentence had this: "prolonged periods of high unemployment". Someone told me that this would be a better way to explain it "persistently high levels of unemployment". They said the phrases have slightly different meaning, I however don't get the difference. Can someone explain the difference please?

Also, for some reason this sounds a bit off to me:

  the program tackles broader labour market problems, such as shortages of skilled workers, persistently high levels of unemployment, and ...

Definitions from Collins:

Prolonged: (adj) A prolonged event or situation continues for a long time, or for longer than expected.

Persistent: (adj) Something that is persistent continues to exist or happen for a long time; used especially about bad or undesirable states or situations.


texts:
In Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four there's the following passage:

  He began swallowing spoonfuls of the stew, which, in among
  its general sloppiness, had cubes of spongy pinkish stuff which was probably a
  preparation of meat.

"Among" is defined as "in, into, or through the midst of; in association or connection with; surrounded by" (Dictionary.com), so the word itself already contains the notion of being "in".

Why does Orwell write "in among" instead of just "among"? Is there any difference between the two of them? How common is "in among"?


texts:
In the following sentence, "must" has no following verb. This kind of ellipsis seems strange to me, as the omitted verb is expected to be in the sentence. Is this use common, or restricted to certain constructions?

It has also become clear to me, from discussion of this issue in online editorial forums—or fora, if you really, absolutely must—that some people interpret the "it" as the object of the verb "suffice."


texts:
"The police said he used to abuse the girl after everybody had left the school in the evenings."

Today in the newspaper, I read this line. I am unable to understand the use of "had" in the above sentence. Reporter wants to tell routine and repetitive action in the past. "Had" is use to describe past of past. If he wants to tell about repetitive action, then I think the sentence should be like this:

  "The police said he used to abuse the girl after everybody left the school in the evenings."

Please correct me if I am wrong.


texts:
It sounds like the tutorial is saying (a video link with a time stamp)

  I've just kneaded the dough
  in my stand mixer, you can also do it by
  hand if you'd like until it's nice and
  soft and smooth about five minutes

there are at least 2 possible time ranges: one is

  kneading the dough for about five minutes before the dough is nice and
  soft"

another is

  the dough has turned into the soft and smooth state, and then kneading the dough for about five minutes

which time range does "until  about" refer to?

Is there need to be a "for" here which is commonly used in "do sth. for five minutes"? So, the original one is rewritten as this

  I've just kneaded the dough in my stand mixer, you can also do it by hand if you'd like until it's nice and soft and smooth for about five minutes


texts: which definition of "suggest" is intended?

texts:
The Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English has the following sentence:

It has been suggested that the manager will resign if any more players are sold.

I'd like to know which of the following definitions of "suggest" applies here:

a. to tell someone your ideas about what they should do, where they should go etc

b. to state something in an indirect way

I'd appreciate your help.


texts: There she is, there he is, there you are, and there it is

texts:
In a movie when a lady entered the room a man exclaimed: there she is! I think this means something like drawing people’s attention, kind of introducing her to the rest of public.

If we replace she with he certainly the meaning won’t change.

But if we use you the meaning changes completely according to Cambridge Dictionaries Online: used when giving something to someone or used to mean “I told you so”.

When I replaced the personal pronouns with it I was surprised to find nothing (to explain the phrase), on the Internet, but Vietnam’s references.

Would you please help me to understand the meaning of these phrases?


texts:
A tutorial uses a phrase "practice
test notice" when talking about this answer sheet.

Does it refer to the area pointed out by red square, the whole piece or something else?


texts: When describing books like Harry Potter, "contemporary" or "modern" is a better word?

texts:
Harry Potter is a contemporary children's novel.
Harry Potter is a modern children's novel.

contemporary :

Belonging to or occurring in the present

modern:

Characterized by or using the most up-to-date techniques, ideas, or equipment:

When just plainly looking into dictionaries, both words seem convey the meaning all right.
But when put to history perspective, both words mean something a lot earlier than the present. Contemporary history represents everything post-1945; Modern history post-medieval.
So which word is better when you just want to causally, yet accurately, describing the book rather than recent(novel)?


texts:
Is it correct to use the plural "twos" in this sentence?

  He replies that the twos act on different time scales.

"twos" was corrected in "two" by a non-mother tongue, but I still believe that it should be "twos". What is the correct form? Are both acceptable?


texts: Some question about the date in this sentence, I saw your advertisement on 16th October, 2017

texts:
I saw your advertisement in a newspaper on 12th October, 2017

When I wrote this message and when people saw it, what would they think of the date in this message? I mean I am not sure whether the date (12th October 2017) was the date when the advertisement was published in the newspaper, or it was the date when I saw the newspaper.

If the newspaper with the advistement was published on 12th October 2017, but I saw the newspaper some days later, say I saw it on 16th October 2017,
How should I tell people about this?

Should I write

  I saw your advertisement in a newspaper on 12th October, 2017

or

  I saw your advertisement in a newspaper on 16th October, 2017

or

  I saw your advertisement in a newspaper published on 12th October 2017 but I saw it on 16th October, 2017.

But the 3rd sentence is clumsy.


texts: What does "idiomatic for what we say..." means?

texts:
say this to ask for something that you have chosen in a restaurant or shop

I’ll have a T-bone steak and chips, please.

A: What does "have" in the sentence above means?
B: It's idiomatic for what we say to the waiter.
Source: https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/i%E2%80%99ll-have-a-t-bone-steak-and-chips-please.3823999/#post-19537714

My question:
I'm having trouble understanding the bold part.
What exactly does the bold part means?
Thank you very much.


texts: "would" in conditional for impossible condition

texts:
I have an issue with a conditional clause, which is quite an unfamiliar experience for me. :)
Here's my first try (or something very close to it):

"If it would not be possible to do X after doing Y, doing Y will fail."

But is this really an acceptable use of "would" in an if-clause?
I thought about alternatives using the standard form of conditionals:

"If it is not possible to do X after doing Y, doing Y will fail." - This seems the most natural, but it doesn't convey the hypothetical nature of doing Y.
"If it were not possible to do X after doing Y, doing Y would fail." - This feels completely off.
Type 3 clearly doesn't fit.

How do I adequately (and grammatically) convey that Y will not be done if (and only if) X becomes impossible after doing Y?
edit: I see from the answers and comments that it was a mistake to simplify the sample the way I did, and that context is missing. :)
So here's the full context: I'm documenting code, namely a function deleting users from a database. The sentence is about lockout prevention.

"If it would not be possible to execute foo() after deleting the user (due to the user being the last admin user), deletion will fail."


texts:
... but me! They [the other four POWs] were all in the room but Hefner, and he was standing in the door. They put Hefner in solitary in the next room over, and then he had an appendicitis attack that night, and they had to operate on him. So, they put him in the room next to were we was at and had to leave the door open. Everybody was going back and forth the the latrine, and they seen him a laying in there in a hospital bed and figured they [the NVA] had beat the hell outta Danny. But, hell, they didn't see me for a week! They didn’t know what had happened to me.”

—To Hell and Beyond.

  But, hell, they didn't see me for a week!

I would imagine it's something to boost your self-confidence up and make you care less about the situation. Is that close? Does it have any other meaning in any other context?


texts: There are less distraction vs. there is less distraction

texts:
I have trouble distinguishing if a noun like distraction or chance is plural or singular.

Is it grammatically correct to say

"It's more beneficial to drive alone because it's more relaxing and there is less chance of getting in an accident because there is less distraction in the car."

Or should it be "there are less chance of..." "there are less distraction..."

Or should it be "there is a less chance of..." "there is a less distraction"

And are there any awkward or non native wordings in this sentence?


texts: "doesn't" or "didn't" in "What doesn't kill you…"

texts:
There is a famous sentence in my language (maybe it exists in other languages too), which is

  what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger

I tried to translate exactly from my language, that is why i used doesn't, but i am thinking about it as an English learner. Should it be didn't ? because the meaning of the sentence is what didn't kill you **in the past**, will make you stronger in the future


texts:
I want to say that I won't be there for the first two weeks of August (everything has been arranged).
Should I say:

  I am leaving for the first two weeks of August.

or

  I will be leaving for the first two weeks of August.


texts: ADJ+NOUN - correct if their order reversed?

texts:
I use the construct "available means" (adj+noun) in the first sentence below. When I reverse the order to be "means available" (noun+adj) has the sentence still the same meaning, please?

  Customer contacts the sales staff by the available means.

and in the reversed order

  Customer contacts the sales staff by the means available.


texts: Are there any words that are similar to anglophile but is for other countries?

texts: I recently learned the word anglophile. I want to know are there any any words that are similar to anglophile but for other countries? Thanks.


texts:
As a child, I was allowed to watch as much television on Saturday and Sunday mornings as I pleased.

When I was a child, I was allowed to watch as much television on Saturday and Sunday mornings as I pleased.

Is really "As a child" a proper way to say "When I was a child" in the case above?
As far as I understand, it seems to me that these two expressions are not entirely interchangeable.
Can anybody explain?


texts: contraction — is it short for "would" or "had"?

texts:
I found this sentence:

  She asked if I'd had a good time on my holiday

I'm not sure if 'd is the short form of would or of had.

Is there any criteria (for an English language learner) to understand the correct meaning of 'd?


texts: What does "on the outlook" mean in this sentence?

texts:
Plus, if the euro weakens, as it should, on the outlook that economic hit will be softened dramatically.

Source: Are Financial Markets Over-Exaggerating The Brexit Effect?


texts:
When cooking this dish, it is better to stagger the timing of putting
  fish in a saucepan from the timing of putting meat in the pan.

Could you advise me on whether the usage of "stagger" in the sentence above I created is correct.  This sentence simply means that it is better to put fish and meat in the pan at different timings, but I am trying to describe this using the word "timing" and a verb such as "stagger", "differentiate", "displace", etc.  I am confused on which verb is correct.


texts: "have been" vs "am" vs "had been" vs "was"

texts:
What's the difference among those sentences?

  Since then, I have been on a quest for a better livelihood. I have been
  searching and searching for a good job- for something I love to do.

  Since then, I am on a quest for a better livelihood. I am
  searching and searching for a good job- for something I love to do.

  Since then, I had been on a quest for a better livelihood. I had been
  searching and searching for a good job- for something I love to do.

  Since then, I was on a quest for a better livelihood. I was
  searching and searching for a good job- for something I love to do.


texts: What does it mean "Break Ya Neck" and "Protect Ya Neck"

texts:
They both are expressions that name rappers songs.

Protect Ya Neck
Break Ya Neck

I have intuitions, but what exactly do they mean?


texts: Meaning in context: Old men like me don't bother with making points. There's no point

texts:
The following dialog is taken from the movie The.Matrix.Reloaded.2003:

  Councillor: ...What is control?

  Neo: If we wanted, we could shut these machines down.

  Councillor: Of course. That's it. You hit it. That's control, isn't
  it? If we wanted, we could smash them to bits. Although if we did,
  we'd have to consider...what would happen to our lights...our heats,
  our air.

  Neo: So we need machines and they need us. Is that your point,
  councillor?

  Councillor: No. No point. Old men like me don't bother with making points. There's no point.

  Neo: Is that why there are no young men on the Council?

  Councillor: Good point.

  Neo: Why don't you tell me what's on your mind, councillor.

  Councillor: There is so much in this world... that I do not
  understand. See that machine? It has something to do with recycling
  our water supply. I have absolutely no idea how it works. But I do
  understand the reason for it to work. I have absolutely no idea how
  you are able to do some of the things you do. But I believe there's a
  reason for that as well. I only hope we understand that reason before
  it's too late.

I find the bold part pretty confusing. I don't see the logic behind it.

Why does Councillor say he doesn't like to make points?

And why does Neo respond by saying "no young men on the Council"?

And why does Neo feel that Councillor is holding out on him?


texts:
I'm a bit stuck here. Since your and my are followed by a noun and yours and mine are not, the following sentences should be:

I'm standing between your and my car.

But this seems really wrong. Yet, with yours and mine it reads better but it's wrong too:

I'm standing between yours and mine car.

I know that we can say:

I'm standing between my car and yours (or "your car and mine")

But I'd like it to be like this sentence:

There are his and her clothes in the wardrobe.

Edit: With his and her i can see two meanings:

Clothes that belong to him and her alike.
Clothes that belong to him and clothes that belong to her.


texts: What is the proper way of saying "internship period"?

texts:
I don't even know how to put this... I got accepted to a programming job in a small firm but technically I haven't been accepted yet. They are evaluating my skills and abilities to see if I am capable to do the job and if they like it then they will accept me. And I was wondering the proper word/colloquialism in English for this particular period of time. I thought it was internship period, but it is not really an internship. Maybe evaluation period, assessment period ?

Thanks in advance.


texts: What's the proper use of titles in sentences?

texts:
How should one uses titles in sentences?

Should I capitalize the title?

  I talked to General Lee.

or not,

  I talked to general Lee.

And if the name is not mentioned, but I'm talking about the person:

  I talked to the general today.

or,

  I talked to the General today.


texts:
I've read this topic about if-clause and it seems sanely to ask what is the point of if-clause + present continuous. I interest in the following case:

  When they are speaking, they do something.

and

  If they are speaking, they do something.

Does the latter sentence make a sense at all? If it is true, what are the differences between these sentences?


texts:
I cannot find out how can I specify a person in a queue, his turn.

I've produced just the sentences below:

the student whose turn came

the student who has the current turn

I wonder that which one is true and is there a better way?


texts: "curb your enthusiasm" any special meaning

texts: Regarding the show "Curb your enthusiasm" - does the title indicate some more meaning than simply "restrain your enthusiasm"?


texts: "A little is known ..." or "Little is known..."?

texts:
A little is known about the author of this book.

I was asked to find the error in the sentence above. I thought there is no error in the sentence and told the same. But a few people are insisting that a little is incorrect. It should be replaced with little since it has negative connotation.

I couldn't understand how they can say it has negative connotation without further context.

I believe the sentence above is correct grammatically but has different meaning from the sentence with little.

Am I wrong? Did you find the sentence ungrammatical? Can you please clarify?


texts:
Explain to me what the question "Or was she?" means, please. The text is:

  I heard the back door and froze. If anyone came my way, they might see me, so I pressed back against the window well, hoping to melt into the darkness.
  "Where are they going?" I whispered.
  "My way," Ashley said.
  "Run!"
  "Can't. Be quite."
  It was weird standing in a window well, listening to your sister get caught. Or was she?


texts: How to transform conditional sentences type 2 into reported speech?

texts:
Conditional sentence type 2 means that condition is unreal (unlikely to happen) and it refers to the present or to the future.
Example:

  If I found her address, I would send her an invitation.

My question is: if we transform this sentence into reported/indirect speech, with the verb "said", how will it sound? Something like that:

  John said: "If I found her address, I would send her an invitation."

This is direct speech, but how to report it without the quotes?


texts:
Yesterday Sue was walking along the road when she met James. He ......... (go) to the station to catch a train and he was carrying a bag. They stopped to talk for a few minutes.

Which one is correct , to say (was going) or (went) or both and why ?


texts:
Omitting needless words, however, does not mean cutting out every single word that is redundant in context. As we shall see, many omissible words earn their keep by preventing the reader from making a wrong turn as she navigates her way through the sentence.

I would like to ask question regarding the usage of idiom "earn their keep" in the above clause. "Earn one's keep" means "earn enough to pay for the basic necessities". From the context I derived that the author wants to say that sometimes it is useful and meaningful writing omissible words. Is the usage of this idiom in this context when we do not talk about people standard?


texts:
"To push/knock someone over" means "to make somebody/something fall
  to the ground by pushing/hitting them"

  Sam pushed me over in the playground.

Similarly, can we say "to wrestle/throw someone over"?

I asked this questions because I saw 2 children wrestling and one fell down onto the ground (like a judo technique). Using "push / knock" is not suitable in this case.


texts: he has plowed about $127 million into hotels -- meaning?

texts:
For him, as for many, the Ukraine disaster has just added a wholly unwelcome extra layer of uncertainty over his diverse businesses. He estimates he has plowed about $127 million over the past decade into hotels in Crimea.

How do you understand that?


texts:
As I understand them, when used as nouns they both mean the same: a strong feeling of dislike, but I'm not sure about how "intense" are each one related to the other.

Does one of them represent a stronger feeling than the other, or their difference resides more in the context where they are used?


texts: Is it possible to use the genitive with these expressions?

texts: Why don't we say "cat's food' but "cat food", is it because the owner is not a human? Can we say pets' food?


texts: When a guy said "I only just caught the train", had he catch the train?

texts:
Oxford Dictionary (https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/just) gives this definition about "just"

  Barely; by a little.

and these examples

‘inflation fell to just over 4 percent’
‘I got here just after nine’
‘I only just caught the train’

I am aware that the first 2 means "by a little more", such as 4.01%, 9:02.

I have some difficulties on the last one, had he catch the train?


texts: What is the meaning of a "nodal official"?

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

The local electricity linesmen, electricity inspectors, and other nodal officials in the electricity department also have key roles to play

Nodal means - of or relating to a node

Then what does "nodal official" mean?


texts: Where should "in awe" be placed in this sentence?

texts:
Where should "in awe" be placed in this sentence:
The man looks up (in awe) at the spectacular, 50-story building (in awe).
?


texts:
"While the German lender was fined 300,000 rubles for reporting lapses related to the money-laundering case, it’s still under investigation in London and New York." (source)

What does "reporting lapses" mean in this sentence?


texts: How to ask someone to speak lower and louder?

texts:
Which sentences are the correct to ask someone to speak using a lower voice or  a louder voice?

  Can you please speak lower?
  Can you please speak louder ?
  Can you please low your voice?
  Can you please loud your voice ?


texts: May I say "She's normal, >except she's beautiful<"?

texts:
I was writing something here about a girl and I wanted to say something like "she's a normal person, except she's beautiful", like in French "sauf qu'elle est belle"... I'm not quite sure this is correct. Is this phrase grammaticaly correct, and does it make sense at least? If not, what's the correct way of saying this?
Cheers!


texts: "Don't feature what you are putting down." Meaning

texts:
This is the next question about the same song I asked short time ago.

1:37～ She sings "I don't feature what you are putting down."

I took "putting down" as "something written".

So would that mean, "I don't appreciate (or not be impressed) by what you wrote"?

And does she have some dialectic tone?

I am sorry I didn't know this is Mandy Moore's song. And here is the lyric of the song. ( I raised the part of the lyric so that people may be able to see much more clearly. )

  Stupid Cupid, you're a real mean guy
  I'd like to clip your wings so you can't fly
  I am in love and it's a crying shame
  And I know that you're the one to blame
  Hey hey, set me free
  Stupid Cupid, stop picking on me
  Can't do my homework and I can't think straight
  I meet him every morning at 'bout half past eight
  I'm acting like a lovesick fool
  You've even got me carrying his books to school
  Hey hey, set me free
  Stupid Cupid, stop picking on me
  You mixed me up for good
  Right from the very start
  Hey, go play Robin Hood
  With somebody else's heart
  You got me jumping like a crazy clown
  And I don't feature what your puttin' down
  Since I kissed his loving lips of wine
  The thing that bothers me is that I like it fine
  Hey hey, set me free
  Stupid Cupid, stop picking on me
  You got me jumping like a crazy clown
  And I don't feature what your puttin' down
  Since I kissed his loving lips of wine
  The thing that bothers me is that I like it fine
  Hey hey, set me free
  Stupid Cupid, stop picking on me
  Hey hey, set me free
  Stupid Cupid, stop picking on me


texts: Is "has the idea" used appropriately in this sentence?

texts:
"Unto" usually has the idea of something being presented or given to someone/something.

When I read the sentence above I noticed that the writer, a native of English language, used has in a way that in Italian language wouldn't be accepted as correct, not even figuratively, just because words are not able to think.

So, the questions are: Does this way of using "has" sound natural or idiomatic in English language? Or, wouldn't it be better using "suggests" in the sentence above?


texts: Our source of information was the spies captured during the raid. - Why is it ok for "spies" to be plural when subject/verb is singular?

texts:
Our source of information was the spies captured during the raid.

Subject singular, helping verb singular then how come spies being plural fits in here?

Suggestions please.


texts:
When I was in school, teachers often used to say that we should know the root words in English. But woefully, I forgot how could they be handy. Can anybody here explain if remembering the root words really can help me? I assume it has something to do with acquiring a strong vocabulary, etc.

I am talking about the form in another language from which the word is derived, for example the Latin sto and stare, from which words like stance, status, and state are derived, as pointed out by StoneyB.


texts: Is "quantity" a proper word to use for "the number of things" in technical topics?

texts:
I am looking for a technical term for the number of things.

In my native Danish lanauge, we have one single word:

  Antal

which directly means the number of.

In English, the word amount wouldn't work, since it applies to things that cannot be counted, such as an amount of water. Instead I have so far been using the word:

  Quantity

This fits to what I can look up in dictionaries, at least in some of its meanings.

But the word quantity is also often used in other ways, for example in technical discussions to say

  A vector quantity
  A scalar quantity

In this use, quantity means something like proporty or value (or something which can have a value), which Wikipedia agrees with, and not the number of anything.

Sometimes I am thinking if I should use the word:

  Count

as in the count or a count, but it sounds a bit off since I can't use it properly in a sentence as: a count of apples.

What is the best possible term to use for the number of?


texts: What do you say when your friend has to leave for call of nature and his seat is most likely going to be taken by somebody else?

texts:
What do you say when you are going to make sure nobody else takes it?

Like you are going to occupy the seat for him.

Sorry if it was a bit unclear...


texts:
I am confused about the use of "up" after sparkling in below sentence. Is "Sparkling up" a phrasal Verb? What is the difference in meaning  if we don't use "up".

"Our home was sparkling up with lights and joys and happiness that this festival brings with it."

I searched but didn't find that "sparkling up" is a Phrasal Verb.


texts: Contrary of "As its/their name indicates"

texts:
In English we sometimes use the expression "As its/their name indicates" to express the fact that the name of a concept/object/etc. bears part of its meaning, e.g.:

  As their name indicates, supernovae are discovered in the sky as
  “new stars” (-novae) of exceptionally high brightness (super-).

How would you say in a similar fashion that the name is a misnomer?

For example:

  We are going to use logistic regression, which as its name does
  not indicate is a classification model.

I would like to replace "which as its name does not indicate" by some expression that underlines the fact that the name is a misnomer, not just uninformative.


texts:
Is the following grammatical ?

  If he didn't come to the work is to be ill.

Does "he didn't come to the work" here mean "he is ill" ?


texts:
Do we normally use "show" and "take" for scars?

  He pressed his lips with irritation, which showed the dark scar on the corner of his mouth he had taken while shaving, more strongly.


texts:
I read this  in a dialogue.

  She: You’re no fun anymore since you got shot.
    He: I hear it’ll do that to you.

What is the meaning of "it'll do that to you"? Could you please help me? I have no idea.


texts: Is it possible to pronounce jury as /dʒɜːri/?

texts: sometimes I hear Americans pronounce jury as ''/dʒɜːri/''. Is that right? Is it regional or generally they say this way?


texts: Should the adverb 'either' go before or after the verb in this sentence?

texts:
My friends.

I wonder.

  You can either pay by cash or use a credit card.
  You can pay either by cash or use a credit card.

Which one is true? Thanks.